Locked in

Cal Raleigh would have hated Maxwell Jacob Friedman's entrance.

It was flashy. It was cocky. Worst of all: he was probably having fun.

For those who don't know, the man known as MJF is a professional wrestler for All Elite Wrestling. He is typically the heel in his programs. In this case, he was facing a wrestler named Will Ospreay. The match took place in Ospreay's home country of England.

In order to "get heat" and earn the boos and jeers of the crowd, MJF went full "ugly American." It was hilarious and effective.

Given the performative seriousness and overall behavior of Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic so far, it would honestly be refreshing if the team showed up in cartoonish American top hats and carried around American flags.

This show took place in London. As the bad guy in this scenario, MJF accomplished something on purpose that Team USA has managed to do on accident: be an insufferable asshole and make it utterly embarrassing to root for the United States.

Today:

The least likable team in the World Baseball Classic
A question about the Colorado Rockies
Checking in with the oldest players in baseball

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American pride, or something

The setup for MJF's match with Will Ospreay was simple. And yet, if we had known what was coming in the years that would follow, it was also a little too on-the-nose for how the United States would plummet its standing and credibility on the world stage.

In a few sentences: MJF won the "International Championship" belt. Having determined that the only country in the world worthy of celebration was the United States, he renamed it the "American Championship." He then faced and defeated a run of international opponents before ultimately facing his comeuppance against Ospreay in London.

This video is set to start at MJF's entrance if you want to see the whole spectacle from the big show.

Even with MJF and company pulling out all the stops to make that entrance over-the-top and absurd, I don't think the current administration would understand that it's supposed to be a parody.

They would probably be amped up as hell. It's not hard to imagine Pete Hegseth watching that and pumping his fist. That might also be true of the dorks on Team USA as they fire up for their semifinal showdown with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

To recap: while all the other countries in the WBC have celebrated their cultures and had fun, Team USA has made it a point to be super serious and tell everyone that they are super serious. The other teams are dancing and high-fiving and playing better. Team USA is on a mission and playing OK.

The aforementioned Cal Raleigh has refused to shake hands with his Seattle Mariners teammates as they come up to bat for opposing teams. He won't say hi because he needs to be "locked in," which is apparently a shared philosophy for the whole team. They had Robert O'Neill, the Navy Seal who claims to have killed Osama Bin Laden, give a motivational speech before their most recent game.

Other than the occasional joyful outburst from Pete Crow-Armstrong , Team USA has grimaced and glared their way through the tournament. All this seriousness didn't help them know the rules, however, which almost caused their elimination when they overlooked Team Italy in pool play.

They overlooked that game because they thought they had already advanced. They also just clearly assumed they could run out a B-team lineup and win anyway, which also feels a little too fitting for anything USA in 2026. Italy would subsequently bail them out by defeating Team Mexico, allowing the brooding Americans to advance.

This should have been so fun

The brightest American stars signed up to play in the World Baseball Classic. They almost won the last tournament with a less stacked roster. Now we could watch guys like Bobby Witt Jr. and Paul Skenes face off against favorites like Japan and the Dominican Republic.

We'll still get something like that tonight when Skenes does, in fact, take the mound against Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, and company. That will be incredible baseball. But Team USA sure took the fun out of it on the way to this showdown.

Some people will reluctantly cheer for the red, white, and blue. Some will be undeterred and cheer for them loudly. Others might be so turned off, and so inclined towards people having fun, that they cheer against Team USA altogether.

I truly am not here to criticize anyone's choice in the matter. I am not here to fire a hot take your way if you're still fully behind Team USA. But I find myself in the camp of fans rooting against this team and rooting for the Dominican Republic.

However you're feeling, I hope you have fun. Because I think baseball should be fun. And I think that's more than the actual players on Team USA can say.

"He's patriotic when it suits his needs"

As I watched MJF's entrance again, I was struck by this quote from Excalibur, AEW's excellent announcer. This one sentence sums up so much of what we are experiencing, day after terrifying day, in the surreal two-and-a-half months that have been 2026 thus far.

For all the ways that MJF's presentation of American pride differs from the militaristic version we've seen from Team USA in the WBC, he is exactly the same as those guys in how performative it all feels.

All of these guys, along with the men bombing schools and covering for pedophiles, are eager to shout patriotism when it provides them cover or allows them to change the subject. Either they are the only patriotic ones, or those who disagree aren't patriotic, or both.

They are all playing characters with stupid ideas of what it means to be patriotic. It's just that MJF might be the only one who knows it.

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A question about Ezequiel Tovar

Speaking of teams having fun in the World Baseball Classic, Venezuela defeated perennial favorite Team Japan on Saturday night. Among the heroes for that win was Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.

I saw a few folks noting how fun this must be for Tovar, otherwise stuck on the woeful Rockies. And it made me ponder a question about my favorite team.

Will Ezequiel Tovar be on the next good Rockies team?

Before you get any snarky ideas, I'm going to have to insist that yes, there will be another good Rockies team someday. And that I will see it.

I am far less confident that Tovar, all of 24 years old, will be on that team.

Odds and ends

👞Speaking of fake tough guys who love talking about patriotism, it's both entertaining and deeply sad that these dopes are clomping around in shoes that don't fit because they are scared of their demented boss.

⚾Speaking of Team USA not knowing the WBC rules, I took issue with this headline about them "earning" a second chance. They didn't really earn it; they were super lucky to advance despite the incompetence of their manager Mark De Rosa.

🎤Here are some other ideas for ridiculous motivational speakers for Team USA. But just like certain people watching MJF's entrance and taking it to heart, I'm worried this might give the wrong people some ideas. I'm not willing to rule out John Rocker giving the pep talk if Team USA reaches the finals.

💰Prediction markets are ruining everything. And people have found way scarier things to bet on than a role player's stats or the color of the Gatorade that gets dumped on the Super Bowl winning coach.

🍊We cannot escape President Trump's influence on sports. Getting booed everywhere he goes isn't deterring him from having a real impact on events like the Olympics or the upcoming World Cup.

Checking in with the old guys

The list wanes, but I've still got two MLB players who are older than me as we gear up for the start of the 2026 season. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are pitching for the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively.

I checked in with those guys at the end of last season, when each showed some signs of life while also reminding us that the end is near.