Thursday Newsletter time: Joey Gallo, the Home Derby and the reality of the trade deadline
The two-time All-Star doesn't want to be traded, but he recognizes that it's a possibility later this month.
Joey Gallo’s first Home Run Derby arrives Monday. His second All-Star Game follows Tuesday. The trade deadline comes less than three weeks after that.
Gallo talked Wednesday about how his invitation to the derby came to fruition, how Tony Beasley is going to pitch for him and fellow All-Star Adolis Garcia is going to be his trainer during derby timeouts.
Gallo is the No. 2 seed and will face seventh-seeded Trevor Story, the Colorado shortstop (from Irving) who will be the fan favorite at Coors Field in Denver.
Shohei Ohtani, who leads the majors with 32 homers, is the top seed in the eight-man field.
Gallo also talked about how he wanted to do a derby in a Rangers uniform, which realizes he might be wearing for only a few more weeks.
“I try not to think about it too much,” Gallo said. “Every time I play in this stadium I try to appreciate it because I don’t know when it will be my last time. Hopefully I get to play a lot more times.
“It feels different this month, where I feel like I’m proud to put the jersey on and compete for these fans. We’ll see what happens, but no matter what, I’m going to play my hardest and give everything I’ve got to whatever organization I’m in.”
Gallo doesn’t want to be traded, and the Rangers shouldn’t trade him. This team can’t be shedding an All-Star, especially one who has embraced the rebuild and wants to win with the Rangers.
Gallo also has said he’s not looking for the moon in a contract extension.
Whether he stays or goes isn’t his call.
What you may have missed
An off day means it’s time to catch up on the stories that have been posted this week at Jeff Wilson’s Texas Rangers Newsletter. (Question: Is that like me referring to myself in the third person?)
T.R. Sullivan is adding to his memoirs by breaking down how the Rangers came to Arlington. Part I and Part II were published Tuesday and Wednesday. Part III is coming Thursday. This is well worth the time. You will learn something.
The Rangers’ TV broadcasters are stuck at home, and it’s going to stay that way.
The MLB Draft begins Sunday. Here are the nuts and bolts for the Rangers, and here’s their thinking only days out from making the No. 2 pick.
A thank you and a call for help in making this endeavor go.
Great catch(es), but …
By now many of you have seen the video of the Arizona Diamondbacks fan who caught a foul ball while holding his infant daughter in one hand and a beer in the other. If not, take a look below.
The guy let go of his daughter, not the beer, and caught the ball with the hand where the daughter once was. He then caught the daughter before she banged off anything, like a hard-plastic seat or the concrete or both.
Only a minor amount of beer was lost.
Dudes everywhere are applauding, and the video has gone viral (God, I hate that term). It is remarkable, in a variety of ways.
What’s missing, though, and what everyone needs, is the video of the mother’s reaction. Was she at the game but getting concessions at the time? Was she at the scene and cameras cut away before she unloaded on the father?
If she was home watching and saw the catch in real time, what was the conversation like when he returned home?
“Hey, anything exciting happen at the game?”
“Yeah, I caught a foul ball.”
“Oh, I saw it.”
“Oh, [shoot].”
Doggy video!
The last pup is a team player. Enjoy. See you Friday.
