What I'm up to /now.

⚾ baseball

1. The CBA expires this December and the salary-cap fight looks headed for a lockout. Why not negotiate hard now, while there’s runway — instead of holding the season hostage? A stoppage is each side’s strongest weapon, which is exactly why the fans end up as collateral. why it matters: it could cost us Opening Day 2027 — a season I build my year around.
2. After every game, both teams should meet near home plate and shake hands. The NFL and NBA do it; baseball should too — a small ritual that models the sportsmanship the sport keeps preaching. why it matters: good sportsmanship is worth teaching, and young fans are always watching.
3. What if a strikeout took 2 strikes and a walk took 3 balls? Faster games and less wear on pitchers’ arms — one rule change, two of the league’s biggest problems. why it matters: pace of play and arm health are baseball’s twin headaches, and this hits both.
4. As payrolls climb, so does the cost of showing up. The Dodgers spend big, but they’re not dumb — that bill gets passed to the fans. I’ve watched parking, tickets, and concessions all climb, and I’m going to fewer games than I used to. why it matters: price out everyday fans and the sport loses the people who make it feel alive.
5. When A-Rod joined the Yankees he already had Gold Gloves at shortstop — so why did he move to third, not Jeter? Same story as Bregman deferring to Devers in Boston: the better fit yielding to the incumbent. why it matters: it’s the eternal tug-of-war between résumé, ego, and what actually makes the team better.

🏀 nba

6. LeBron isn’t retiring — he’s leaving the Lakers to chase a 24th season somewhere new (Golden State? Cleveland? Miami?). Right call, or should a top-five-ever player have finished where he was? why it matters: how an all-timer scripts his exit says everything about legacy versus ego.
7. Can Luka Dončić carry the post-LeBron Lakers to a title? Building the franchise’s next era around him is a swing for the fences. why it matters: it’s the whole post-LeBron bet — does the next era start here, or stall?
8. The Lakers re-signed Austin Reaves — 4 years, $185M, the richest deal ever for an undrafted player. Homegrown and overdelivering: worth every dollar, or an overpay that boxes in the cap? why it matters: the classic loyalty-versus-flexibility call on a player who helped build the culture.
9. WNBA players voted Caitlin Clark just the 11th-best guard — yet fans had her 2nd, media 3rd, and she sits top-three in scoring and second in assists. The league’s most-watched star is somehow undervalued by her own peers and the front office, but not by the fans — and from what I keep hearing, she’s getting hammered on the court without much protection. Why isn’t the league doing more to look after its biggest draw? why it matters: when jealousy outweighs the good of the game, the whole league loses the moment.
10. The Knicks finally broke through — their first title since 1973. Can they repeat? I don’t think so; my money’s on OKC or San Antonio (the Spurs just knocked the Thunder out of the West). Going back-to-back is a different kind of hard. why it matters: repeating is the real test of whether a title was a moment or the start of an era.

🏈 rams & browns

11. Will Myles Garrett still be a dominating force now that he’s on the Rams? New scheme, new division, same freak athlete. why it matters: a star changing teams is the real test of whether it was the player or the situation.
12. Would Aaron Donald really make a comeback to the Rams now that Garrett is there? The two of them on one line is a fantasy worth pondering. why it matters: retirements aren’t always final, and the right teammate can change the math.
13. Did the Browns make the right call — and did they get enough? I think they did: sell high on Garrett, bank the picks, and land a younger edge rusher in Jared Verse. why it matters: it’s the question every rebuild faces — when to cash in a star for the future.