iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Fitting that the series ends with Caleb Durbin being overpowered. Scrappy player, but he can't be one of your primary offensive acquisitions. The Red Sox got what they paid for.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 9h

This is what happens when you nickel and dime an offense. Remember the 2008 Red Sox that came back from 7-0 down in the seventh vs. the Rays to send the ALCS back to Tampa? Their lineup featured Coco, Pedroia, Ortiz, Youkilis, Drew, Bay and Varitek. That's an offense. This is a prayer.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 10h

Playoff Whitlock and Regular Season Whitlock continue to be two different pitchers, unfortunately.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 10h

Just an absolute disaster for Red Sox. Rutschman hands the Yankees 3 bases in a one-run game, Crochet doesn't get anyone out in his return, and the season is slipping away.

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Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Roman Anthony dealing with pain in his right hand (same hand as torn finger ligament) after two check swings. Tracy unsure if he can go tomorrow, still evaluating.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

No idea why NBC thought that booth needed two Yankees. Gimme Framingham Lou, Benetti and Girardi and that's a solid broadcast. Rizzo's fine, but too many voices.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Kyle Williams trifecta: doesn't hustle after Maye pick, even though he was intended target, steps out of bounds FOUR times on what should've been a 50-yard TD, fields kickoff on sideline and steps out at the 9. Another wasted WR pick...

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Stats @redsoxstats.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The combo of Bregman and Devers combine this year for 65 HR, 179 R, 190 RBI, 8.5 WAR

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

You don't even have to go that far back. Remember the continuation of the Royals game in 2019? Kids free, adults $5 general admission, one of the best party atmospheres of the year.

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Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Willson Contreras said he’s not sure if he’ll be ready for the playoffs. Having a hard time gripping the bat after HBP a week ago. Said he’s getting all the treatment he can but doesn’t want to take a roster spot from someone if he can’t hit.He’s hoping it’ll improve soon but TBD

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I would not blame Aaron Rodgers for retiring at halftime.

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The Onion @theonion.com · 18/09/2026

Trans Teen Hatches Nefarious Plot To Undergo Years Of Medical Treatments And Counseling To Win At Swimming theonion.com/trans-teen-hatches-nef…

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Boston College ranks 68th out of 68 teams in spending on the football roster, and I can't say I have a problem with that. (although I do miss the days a generation ago when Eagles football and hoops were good) www.nytimes.com/athletic/int...

nytimes.com

Does your college football roster cost $8M or $50M? Here's our report on 68 teams

The best teams are, on average, the ones paying players the most, but there's a wide disparity between the schools at the top and the bottom of major conferences.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Congrats to two great guys who have put in their time and built this thing from the ground up.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Drake Maye looks like he's ready to face some mediocre defenses again. Last 5 games against the iron: 7 TDs, 7 INTs.

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Daniel Fienberg @thefienprint.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The California Angels won a title in 2002. Arte Moreno bought the team in 2003. Subsequent achievements for the Angels include: The squandering of the second half of Albert Pujols' career, the Rendon contract, the wasting of Trout's entire career, the wasting of the first chapter of Shohei's career.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The 5 Simpsons lines I've uttered the most: 1. "Me fail English? That's unpossible." 2. "How much farther to the Grammar Rodeo?" 3. "Follow...your heart." 4. "In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrasts." 5. "To obtain a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad with your palm."

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Craig Calcaterra @craigcalcaterra.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

In today's newsletter: I had an email back-and-forth with a PR guy who promotes gambling on the Little League World Series. I honestly never expected a reply, but the world is amazing and filled with wonder. www.cupofcoffeenews.com/cup-of-coffe...

They want you to gamble on the Little League World Series
My time at NBC got me put on all kinds of PR mailing lists that I cannot seem to get off of no matter how much I unsubscribe and block. I've just come to accept it as the price of spending 11 years as a Media Figure, and now I mostly just ignore them and do delete sweeps of my promotions tab a few times a day.

Some still break through to the main inbox, though, and they tend to be ones from oddsmakers. Like this one I got yesterday from a PR firm called "Stuff Media Group" about how prop bets are, for the first time ever, available for the goddamn Little League World Series:

For the first time ever, prop bets are being offered for players competing in the Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS). Twitter/X is already abuzz with controversy surrounding little league betting, and these new markets from BetOnline Sports & Casino are sure to spark more debate.
We're not here to say whether gambling on 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds is right or wrong, that's up for you to decide (and possibly write about), we're just delivering the information.
Four standout players are being featured in the props, and one is a girl. Kinley Rasmus is the daughter of former MLB pitcher Cory Rasmus and the niece of MLB veteran Colby Rasmus. Both Dad and Uncle also played in the LLBWS for Phenix City, Alabama.
Below, you'll find the player props, game lines and futures odds for the 2026 LLBWS tournament.

At the end of the email, just before laying out all of the odds for the prop bets, the email reads, "if you’re able to use this information in your content, please consider citing the source."

The source: a fellow named Josh Barton at the PR firm "Stuff Media Group." To whom I replied in an email of my own thusly:

You can offer any "we're not here to say if this is right or wrong" disclaimers about this, but you're accepting business from this sportsbook and you are promoting prop-betting on children. That makes you every bit the piece of shit the sportsbook is for taking this action. Be an adult and exercise some agency. Or else just admit that you're a soulless and amoral whore who has no compunction about exploiting literal children.
I never expected to hear anything back – honestly, sending that reply was my way of trying to get unsubscribed – but about an hour after I sent that yesterday Mr. Barton replied:

Is Little League not exploiting these children? Is ESPN not exploiting them? Last time I checked, the kids and parents make no money off of this, while Little League and ESPN are pocketing millions upon millions. BetOnline will likely lose money on Little League odds and if they don't, the winnings will be minimal (less than 20k). Now let's discuss who the "exploiters" really are.
I replied again:

I replied again:

Of course they all are. And you're adding yourself to the list of exploiters. You don't have to do that, but I suppose the check your firm is cashing from BetOnline is big enough to where you don't care. Maybe when someone finds Colby Rasmus' niece's Insta page and sends her a death threat for fucking up his parlay you'll feel differently?
I didn't hear back after that, but I figure that, as of now, I am officially unsubscribed.

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Ken Davidoff @kendavidoff.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

For any Boston-area peeps, I'll be appearing at @belmontbooks.bsky.social on Wednesday, September 9, selling and signing copies of "101 Lessons From The Dugout." I'll be in conversation with the great Michael Silverman, and we'll talk plenty of Red Sox and Yankees as well. bit.ly/4xEUuWM

bit.ly

Ken Davidoff and Michael Silverman discuss 101 Lessons from the Dugout

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Zach Crizer @zcrizer.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

This is deranged!

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Chad Finn @chadfinn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Caught up with Michael Holley, who says he's doing great after a scary incident Friday in which he fainted on air while filling in on Peacock's "PFT Live" program. Holley said via text that it has been determined to have been a case of dehydration.

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Alex Speier @alexspeier.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

New shirt unveiled by Red Sox players today in celebration of Caleb Durbin:

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Jon Heyman @jonheyman.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

As of today, the White Sox would get a first-round bye but the Dodgers would not

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Such a great story. If you're of that era, Lobel and Lynchie were essential viewing twice every day.

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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

This is lovely in the way it always is when Ray writes about someone he actually likes, but there's an anecdote that involves Ray putting on a batting helmet and standing in against 85mph pitches that I especially loved. defector.com/mike-krukow-...

defector.com

Mike Krukow, One Of Baseball's Greatest Hangs, Is Ready To Go | Defector

The San Francisco Giants don’t get to announce anything fun these days, but it would be too cheap even by the prevailing clearance-sale standards to lump the latest bit of ill news relating to the tea...

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Google...

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Remember when the Red Sox had a Big 3 so generational, they expanded it to a Big 4? Let's check in: Roman Anthony - Swinging off a tee Marcelo Mayer - Traded for reliever Kristian Campbell - At Triple-A Kyle Teel - Hitting .190 for CWS Now tell me how badly they overpaid for Adley Rutschman again.

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Alex Speier @alexspeier.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Per sources: The Red Sox are getting Rutschman and Jake Rogers as well as cash for Anthony Eyanson, Enddy Azocar, Kyson Witherspoon, and Carlos Narváez.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Red Sox hope they're getting 2023 Opening Day Adley Rutschman...

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Jon Heyman @jonheyman.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Breaking: Skubal to Dodgers

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

This should be every Celtics fan's manifesto.

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Evan Drellich @evandrellich.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Major League Baseball says it wants to share revenues with players “50-50.”The union says that’s “misleading propaganda” and “deception.” The really big question at the heart of this: 50-50 … of what? How MLB wants to define revenue: www.nytimes.com/athletic/747...

nytimes.com

In battle over MLB salary cap, players and owners spar over the meaning of ‘50/50’ (Gift Article)

The revenue split is a key point of contention in cap leagues like the NBA and NHL. MLB is just now grappling with the particulars.

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Alex Speier @alexspeier.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

What's behind newly acquired Red Sox infielder Curtis Mead's breakout? A lifelong tinkerer ("Some of my best seasons in the minor leagues, I was a very different hitter depending on the week") found something that worked ... and stopped tinkering. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/27/s...

bostonglobe.com

How new Red Sox slugger Curtis Mead learned to stop tinkering with his approach and started raking - The Boston Globe

Once a top prospect as he rose through the minors, Mead hit just .238/.300/.317 through his first 152 major-league games, but a simpler approach in Washington led to better contact.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Argentina feels like the late-Steph Warriors who beat the Celtics in 2023 or the Patriots in 2018 during Brady's final Super Bowl here. Just continually finding a way.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Stu Holden is growing on me. Good insight on how Belgium took away the pressing game plan with long balls, pointed criticism of Pulisic for limping around and costing U.S. a goal, calling out team for playing without passion.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Easy for me to say, but if I'm Folarin Balogun, I don't play.

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Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Trump celebrating Balogun’s eligibility to play for Team USA when his administration would strip Balogun’s citizenship tomorrow if he didn’t play world class soccer is really a chef’s kiss.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

I am an NBA fan and I will just admit it: the first time I had ever heard of Garrett Temple was today.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

One more thought on Jaylen Brown: he's a winner. The Sixers will not crash out on his watch. I won't call those picks worthless, but they aren't gonna end up in the lottery as long as he's healthy.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Put another way: when the sale went down, there's a reason everyone's first question was, "Who the hell is Bill Chisholm?" Does any good come from private equity?

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Everything we feared about Bill Chisholm not being able to afford a contender is suddenly on the table. Just a historically awful deal. Not even John Henry would do this.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The Mets beat sounds fun right now.

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John Tomase @jtomase.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

This name sounds familiar...

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