Today is Monday, July 17th, 2023. And yes, while I'm away, I'm really still here in your

ear because I work with people at Metal Arc and my producer Matthew Cokka shout out to Danny

there in the control and the multiple dandies. I'm shouting out because we've got shows for you

just about every day that I'm not here. All sorts of things, mailbag, sit downs and we start today

with a recap and a look ahead. So if you're not interested in the baseball season, press fast forward.

Just kidding, don't do that. We make it fun. This is a baseball show, culture, all sports entertainment,

everything. You're going to read a lot about the second half of the season that started on Friday.

The all-star break's over. We're heading in the push toward the trade deadline.

Teams have played about 90 games, which means they've played more than a half a season.

I started this campaign. When did we start a coke? Maybe when we first started the show?

It's not called the first half and the second half. It's called pre-all-star break and post-all-star break.

To me, a half is 81 games. You play 90 games. We're into the second half. As a matter of fact,

we're 10% done with the second half. So what were the top stories of the first half?

I'm kidding. The top stories, pre-all-star break. What's going on in the world of baseball?

I like the business side. I like explaining what's going on behind closed doors with the commissioner

and with owners. There is an issue with payroll disparity that we talk about. There's an issue with

competitive balance that we're always fighting. It's always the same teams, the Dodgers, the Yankees.

You got to have a big payroll or you can't win. That is a narrative that baseball likes to

promulgate because that gives baseball an opportunity to say to the union, look, the current economic

system that we have doesn't work. We're going to have to make adjustments. Then a season like this

comes along, which throws everything on its arse. The New York metropolitan's stink,

the San Diego Padres, pathetic, the St. Louis Cardinals, dunceki. What do they have in common?

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