We engage every day with movement. The clock hasn’t stopped ticking, movement continues telling everyone that they is No time worth westing. Get engaged lay out the plans and start walking on it.
Life isn’t just about you and me it all us in one cycle moving forward,
It well said that not everyone will make it to the end most people give up in the very beginning yet looking up on those who keeps up with the movement creating another cycle for themselves giving space and creating more time to the owners..
It funny most people still keep their eyes open but closed.
Lot’s of things come in our head well we are working and most of it all only one thing that can keep us cool which is music.
Gahti revolution tells that the melody behind every music that moves through our minds and hearts direct our minds to a soft spot which helps in concentrating in getting every tasks successful, with this there’s more in music than just the dancing it inspires us in different ways in which I can say music is life and there is nothing much to hide behind it course in every lyrics there are different messages been sent out and that why we have to be careful of the music we listen too. just to keep the energy in the right direction you have to listen to your soul speaking to guide you through every step of you with the melody your ear feeds on
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Charlie Morton delivers in the first inning against the New York Mets at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mitch Stringer/Imagn Images/Reuters AtlantaBGN — Amid the chaos of a tumultuous Baltimore Orioles season, a veteran hurler has (re)emerged as a bright spot on a team fighting through injury and roster uncertainty. All in a year that has reminded him all too much of what it means to be a major leaguer. After struggling to find his footing in the big leagues throughout the first nine years of his major league career, Charlie Morton successfully reinvented himself and by the late 2010s had become a go-to starter. In 2017, he helped propel the Houston Astros to a World Series championship and did the same in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, the organization that drafted and developed him through its minor league system.
But it seemed like age was finally catching up with the veteran pitcher.
Morton signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Orioles this past offseason as a starting pitcher who had established himself with 17 years of MLB experience and a nasty curveball. Throughout the first weeks of the season, it seemed like it might be one of the worst signings of the offseason. Morton got off to one of his worst starts in 10 seasons, with an abysmal earned run average through his first five starts.
It forced the Orioles to make a tough decision: move Morton to the bullpen.
By all accounts, Morton took the news like a pros pro. But what bothered him the most was the guilt.
“When there are people in the room that are counting on you, and there’s an organization that’s counting on you, and a city that’s counting on you, and there are expectations, and then you stink — that’s hard,” Morton told BGN Sports.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Charlie Morton walks back to the dugout after he was pulled during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds. Nick Wass/AP After being moved to the bullpen, it’s likely any other 41-year-old would have seen the writing on the wall, but Morton never wavered. Since his stint in the bullpen, Morton has posted a 2.70 ERA over 46.2 innings pitched.
At age 41, he still has the fight to scratch and claw for the next inch and the next percent,” Orioles pitching coach Drew French told CNN Sports.
But the reality is that Morton is facing what every professional must face eventually: Father Time. The thought of retirement has lingered in Morton’s head for a long time now, five years to be exact. But still, Morton has decided to play until baseball is done with him, not the other way around.
“You’re doing something that you love and you care about and you put a lot of time into it and you have an opportunity to go do it,” Morton said. “You don’t get to that point unless there’s something deep inside you that’s driving you.”
Moving to the bullpen
The foundation for Morton’s latest ride as a reliable starter in 2025 had largely already been established; getting through a flurry of rough patches in the majors, coupled with the benefit of more than a decade and a half of big-league pitching, made it an easier pill to swallow.
Still, at his age and on a new team, the odds were against him.
It’s like your body is just telling you ‘No,’ but you just keep going,” Morton told BGN Sports.
While the Orioles staff as a collective put a plan in place, it was pitching coach Drew French who helped guide Morton through the mental gymnastics of the move.
By their own admission, French and the Orioles coaching staff were late in identifying the pitfalls that led to Morton’s early struggles this season. Once they got a grasp on where his current strengths lay, it was time to act.
And then the time came to deliver the news.
Charlie Morton delivers a pitch to José Caballero of the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field on June 19. Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
“It wasn’t a tough conversation at all; (Charlie’s) one of the more realistic guys, just in terms of knowing where his feet are, he knew that he might not be helping the team all that much in the role but, but he wants to provide support and help where he can,” French said.
The move to the bullpen was a decision Morton saw as ethically and morally best for the team, even if it left him in a frustrating spot.
“I’m not helping the team, and I’m not around for my wife and my kids. So, what am I doing?” Morton questioned.
But it was French and his staff who reassured Morton about the plan. The pair go back to their time with the Astros, when French was a minor league pitching coach. It’s a rare player-to-coach relationship that involves a younger coach, whom Morton playfully refers to as “Frenchie,” and a slightly older player, whom French describes as “more barked.”
“We’re in a very similar place in life. We can have very real conversations, and we really know where we’re at and what’s important to us right now,” French said.
“Even at 41, there’s still some insecurity, you know. And I think if any of these players told you that they don’t have that from time to time, they’re liars. And it’s our job to make them feel a little bit more entrenched and a little bit more secure about the plan.”
Those conversations ultimately led to Morton making six appearances from the bullpen.
In that time, the game slowed down for the righthander and his arm began relaxing. And he never lost the belief that he can still throw heat, which also played a key role in restoring success on the mound. Soon enough, Morton made a return to the starting rotation.
“I’ve done it all. Going to the bullpen for six or seven outings; it’s not the end of the world. It’s just a really unfortunate thing that had to happen,” Morton explained.
‘Still trying to figure things out’
Last season, when the Braves played the Orioles in Baltimore, a young Orioles pitcher, Dean Kremer — who is now Morton’s teammate — ran into Morton during pregame. Kremer asked Morton, “Hey man, how do you do what you do?”
Even as a then 16-year major league veteran, a two-time World champion, a two-time All-Star and even as the second oldest player in Major League Baseball, Morton smiled and replied: “I’m still trying to figure things out myself too, pal.”
A unique perspective married up with his ability to bounce back from injury and rough stretches has made Morton a one-of-a-kind pitcher.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Charlie Morton walks off of the field during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees. Daniel Kucin Jr./Imagn Images/Reuters Morton is often soft spoken, and even though he’s even keeled on the mound, he’s introspective and hard on himself even after his best outings. Instead, he takes pleasure in the little things that make up a baseball career. “The pride is in the grind. I think the pride is in the fact that I wasn’t always really good, I didn’t always pitch well and I wasn’t always healthy. I didn’t always help my team. I think the pride is in the fact that it took me a while to get it going,” Morton told BGN Sports. What Morton has become in the late stages of his career is a solid veteran presence in the clubhouse, both as leader and a role model for a young Orioles team. “The presence and the way other people perceive the way he works is huge for a young clubhouse,” teammate Jordan Westburg said, “We’re all rooting for him.” And that’s part of the reason why Morton chose the Orioles as his current destination, reminding him of the young championship teams he joined in Houston and Atlanta. “The idea of an exciting group, young and talented, where I felt like I could fit in, maybe as an older guy in the mix,” Morton told BGN Sports. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Charlie Morton stands with his family prior to the game between the Los Angeles Angles and the Baltimore Orioles on June 15. Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images Add in Orioles spring training in Sarasota, Florida, being a short 30-minute drive from Morton’s home in Bradenton and having family in the mid-Atlantic area and it felt like a perfect match. Despite his familiar role in Baltimore, Morton still faces an internal struggle. On one hand, he’s nearly touching 97 mph with his fastball in a season when he feels he’s pitching better than last year; on the other, his children are getting older, and it’s become harder to be away from his family. “I have that part of my heart that is the biggest part: wanting to go home and be with my family,” Morton said. A graceful return to Atlanta On America’s birthday, Morton took the mound for his 11th start of the season and tossed more than five innings for the fourth straight time. The other team, meanwhile, trotted out one of the most recognizable pitchers in the game, Spencer Strider, who was in elementary school when Morton first got to the big leagues. The Orioles took the game in large part thanks to Morton shutting down the Braves until the sixth inning when he allowed a two-run home run. Still, it was enough to propel the Orioles to win the game. Fifteen years older, Morton was still able to outduel his protege, Strider. “I’ve been here (Atlanta) long enough where we’ve had so many guys that you really notice their absence, and I’d say (Charlie) is at the top of the list,” Strider told BGN Sports.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Charlie Morton throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Brett Davis/Imagn Images/Reuters
The next game, the Braves honored Morton with a video board tribute during the middle of the second inning. Morton walked onto the field, removed his hat and acknowledged the appreciative crowd.
“I grew up paying attention to the pitchers in the 90s and the teams in the 90s, and then got drafted,” Morton told BGN Sports. “Atlanta and the Braves organization will always be a special place and special team for me.”
It was a brief moment that captured the outsized impact the longtime pitcher had on his former organization.
“He was big. Probably more than we realized at the time,” 2021 World Series-winning Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s going to be a friend for life. I have so much respect for him as a person and father, husband, and a ballplayer.”
Despite being soft spoken, Morton tends to make an impression in a clubhouse, of any kind, whether it’s with a title contender or with a struggling team. There’s no question about his leadership qualities.
“He’s a tremendous person and he was an exemplary individual as well as a leader in the clubhouse,” former teammate and All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. told BGN Sports. “And everybody’s got different ways of leading, and you have to respect that.”
As the ultimate veteran, Morton has earned every level of respect in the majors. And all indications are he’s determined to pitch for as long as possible.
“It’s hard to walk away from the game that you love but at some point, you’ve got to do it… you got to walk away,” Morton said.
With aspirations to continue winning and a supportive family, everyone is happy to see the father of four stay on the mound a bit longer.
Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals. Michael Conroy/AP BGN — Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season to rehabilitate his torn Achilles tendon, the team confirmed on Monday. Haliburton suffered the injury in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, a game Indiana would go on to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder and miss out on winning the franchise’s first ever NBA title.
Haliburton posted on social media the day after that he had undergone successful surgery on the torn Achilles tendon in his right leg, vowing that he “will do everything in my power to get back right.
On Monday, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard ruled out any participation by Haliburton in the upcoming season, adding that he has full confidence that the two-time All-Star would return even stronger.
“I have no doubt that he will be back better than ever. The surgery went well,” Pritchard told the media. “It was a little higher and he gets more blood to that (as he recovers). He will not play next year though. We would not jeopardize that now, so don’t get any hopes up that he will play.
Haliburton had arguably been the star of the NBA playoffs up until that point, providing magical moments as the Pacers made their way to the Finals
He produced one of the signature moments of the playoffs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals as he led the Pacers on a massive comeback in the final minutes against the New York Knicks, eventually hitting a tying shot as the buzzer sounded to send the game to overtime – and mimicked Reggie Miller’s famous “choke” celebration on the Madison Square Garden floor. Indiana eventually won that game in overtime.
In the Finals, he recreated those heroics by helping to engineer a comeback win over the Thunder on the road in Game 1. He hit a mid-range jumper with 0.3 seconds to go in the game to give Indiana its only lead, stealing the series opener on the road.
After being named the most overrated player in the league by his peers earlier in the season, Haliburton seemed to be on a mission to prove all the doubters wrong in the playoffs. He also hit game-winning shots to beat the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers in the earlier rounds.
However, the 25-year-old suffered a strained right calf midway through the Finals which clearly hampered his success on the court. He continued to play through the injury until his eventual Achilles tear forced him off the court early in Game 7.
Haliburton (right) suffered the injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder. Nate Billings/AP
Haliburton himself expressed no regrets about playing through the injury, but Pritchard had a different opinion.
If you’re asking me, would I have him do it over and over? I would not. I would not,” Pritchard said. “If I knew that he was going to get hurt, I would sacrifice that game because I care for the kid so much and want him to have an incredible career.”
In 73 regular season games last campaign, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game.
With Haliburton absent, next season looks to be a transition year for the Pacers.
The team has already lost one of its stalwarts in Myles Turner who, having spent the first 10 years of his NBA career in Indiana, signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in the first few days of free agency.
The 29-year-old center departs the Pacers as the franchise’s all-time leader in blocks and leaves a sizable gap in the team’s rotation.
Pritchard told reporters that it was a surprise to lose Turner in free agency, calling him “one of the best players that’s ever played here.”
I know this, that (owner) Herb Simon and (part-owner) Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him,” Pritchard said. “We really wanted to do that, and we were negotiating in good faith.
“But what happens in this league is sometimes you’re negotiating, but because a guy is unrestricted, he has the right to say: ‘That’s the offer I want. I’m going to take it and that’s best for my family.
The Stanley Cup sustained a crack and a dent in the Florida Panthers’ title celebrations. Icon Sportswire/Getty Images GBN — It’s fair to say that the Florida Panthers are enjoying their Stanley Cup victory celebrations – but they have come at the expense of the trophy itself. As the Panthers’ celebrations kicked into gear, photographs from the festivities showed that the bowl of the trophy has sustained a crack while the bottom is dented.
Reuters reported that the incidents happened in the hours after Florida’s Game 6 romp over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday to secure its second straight Stanley Cup. Images and videos on social media showed the Panthers players celebrating their title victory at Elbo Bar in Fort Lauderdale with fans, including clips of players pouring beer from the Stanley Cup onto fans. A spokesperson for the Hockey Hall of Fame told the Associated Press that the Keepers of the Cupplan to have it repaired by the celebration parade on Sunday.
A trophy suffering “injuries” in title-winning celebrations isn’t unheard of.
RELATED CARDThe Stanley Cup: The storied and quirky history of one of sports’ greatest trophies In 2011, following international soccer giant Real Madrid’s winning of Spain’s premier cup competition – the Copa del Rey – defender Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy from the top of a double-decker bus amid the festivities, only for the team bus to run over it and leave the silverware with a huge dent in it.
For the famed Stanley Cup, this year’s predicament isn’t even the wildest situation it has found itself in over its storied lifespan. In almost cartoon-like fashion, the Montreal Canadiens left the trophy on the side of the road after winning it in 1924. The story goes that a car carrying some of the team had stalled going up a hill, meaning players had to get out to push. It wasn’t until they reached the top that they realized they had left one of the most famous trophies in the world behind. In 1994, a photo was taken of Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin eating out of the trophy while at New York’s Belmont Park after the New York Rangers had won the “People’s Trophy.”
Following the Detroit Red Wings’ success in 2008, Kris Draper celebrated by putting his baby daughter in the Cup for a photo. Only she left behind a little surprise … by using the legendary trophy as a toilet. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Josh Archibald got creative with his celebrations, using his time with the Cup to baptize his son. Three-week-old Brecken was photographed receiving his blessing while sitting in the bowl at the top of the trophy. CNN’s Ben Church, Agne Jurkenaite, Marco Chacon and Alicia Johnson contributed to this report.
The Los Angeles Lakers deal is worth a reported $10 billion. Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports/Reuters BGN— The Buss family has agreed to sell majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, a source familiar with the agreement told BGN. The valuation of the agreement is approximately $10 billion, representing the most lucrative deal for a professional sports team, according to the Associated Press.
ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report the agreed sale.
CNN has reached out to the Lakers and Dodgers for comment.
Walter, the controlling owner and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is also the CEO of TWG Global. Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Aside from being the chairman and controlling owner of the Dodgers, Walter is the CEO and founder of the holding company TWG Global.
The diversified business also holds stakes in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, the Premier League’s Chelsea FC and the newly formed Cadillac Formula One team, which is scheduled to make its debut on the grid in 2026, among other sports franchises.
On Wednesday, TWG said Walter is entering into an agreement to acquire additional interests in the Lakers. He has owned a minority stake in the franchise since 2021.
Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979 and oversaw the franchise winning 10 NBA titles. After his death in 2013, his daughter Jeanie Buss took over the role as governor of one of the most successful franchises in sports.
Los Angeles added another Larry O’Brien trophy to the collection in 2020, led by LeBron James, the team’s 17th NBA championship.
Last season, the Lakers finished in third place in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record before being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
James still remained one of the better players in the league in his 22nd season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists.
Los Angeles acquired NBA superstar Luka Doncic, as well as Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris from the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer reportedly signed a two-year, $104 million maximum contract to return to the Lakers ahead of 2024-2025 season and has a player option to return next season.
Team president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka had previously said James will be keeping an eye on how the roster improves in the offseason.
Buss reportedly will continue in her role with the franchise after the sale.
Javier Báez celebrates after hitting a game-winning three-run home run during the bottom of the 11th inning against the Boston Red Sox.
Javier Báez came to Detroit as a two-time All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, the spark plug known as “El Mago” who helped the Chicago Cubs shake off a century of futility to win a championship in 2016.
In late 2021, all his work paid off: The Detroit Tigers gave him a six-year, $140 million contract to make him the cornerstone star who would at last turn their rebuilding project into playoff success.
Instead, the mega-signing looked like a bust. Over two-and-a-half difficult, injury-plagued seasons, Báez played so poorly he became a baseball meme. His frequent swings at pitches outside the strike zone were mocked by fans around the league. He ended the 2024 season with a .184 batting average, the dour exclamation mark on his worst campaign since his abbreviated first year in the league 10 years earlier. In August 2024, Baez’s season ended early as the hip and lower back issues that hampered him all year finally grew to be too much to bear.
How bad was his crash? Detroit sports fans don’t really like to boo their hometown players. It’s not like New York, Boston or Philadelphia, where making one’s displeasure known is as reflexive of an act as breathing. In Detroit, underperforming stars and teams are usually met with empty stands, uncomfortable silences, light grumbles – at most, loud sighs of exasperation. Booing was reserved for squads like the mid-2000s Lions, teams that were so historically underperforming that the emotional scars from those years still lurk just beneath the surface of Detroit fandom.
That’s how you know things were really, really bad for Javier Báez during those first three rotten years in the Motor City: The boos at Comerica Park were plenty noticeable.
Báez heard them, too. He says he didn’t mind.
“The fans are going to be fans. They give their opinions when they count and when they don’t count. So, I do play for the fans – I don’t play for their opinions, you know?” Báez told CNN Sports. “I know what I can do, I know what I’ve done.”
Báez looks down after being called out on strikes by home plate umpire Chris Segal during the first inning of a game on August 11, 2022. Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire/AP
Weirdly, with their highest-paid player injured and out of the lineup, the Tigers got hot last year, making one of the most unlikely surges to get into the MLB playoffs in recent memory. Báez stayed with the team, watching from the dugout as the franchise’s future suddenly seemed bright while his own remained filled with doubt. He entered spring training as – at best – an afterthought.
Instead, this season the 32-year-old Puerto Rican has revived his career, turning those boos into cheers as he’s found ways to contribute that no one would have expected. He celebrated 10 years of service time in the major leagues on Tuesday with two home runs, reaching a major milestone with aplomb.
“It’s really fun, man,” Báez said about his team after a recent game. “They have a lot of fun here. We always stay together. And you know, that was one of the reasons why I came here. I saw the other prospects coming up, and this was going to make a good team in the future. And you know, the future is – obviously, we doing it right now.”
Coming off the roster
The seeds of a successful 2025 were sown during the dog days of 2024. Earlier in that season, inflammation in his lower back put him on the injured list for nearly a month. He came back into the lineup for most of July but then had issues with his lower back and hips flare up again in August.
The difficult decision was made to shut him down for the rest of the year on August 26, after a return to Wrigley Field, where he had played for the Cubs for more than seven seasons.
“It was really hard, man, for me to get out the lineup, and to be out for the last two months of the season,” Báez said. “It was really difficult to take that decision, but I knew I needed to.”
Arthroscopic surgery on Báez’s right hip was aimed at relieving the inflammation that plagued the utility player’s lower back and contributed in a big way to his struggles at the plate. Swinging a bat puts immense pressure on a player’s core and lower back with the repetitive twisting, translating power generated from the legs into the torque needed to smack a 95-mile-per-hour fastball over a fence more than 300 feet away.
Báez hits a RBI single during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
For a free-swinging player like Báez who likes to take big, powerful cuts at the ball, it was incredibly limiting. His swings – hard as ever at an average of 74.8 miles per hour, according to MLB’s Baseball Savant statistics service – were getting more expansive each season in Detroit. His stance was much more open than it had been the previous season. He was out of whack and couldn’t find the magic that made him “El Mago” (“The Magician”) in the first place.
In 2025, he’s shortened his swing, closed off his batting stance and moved up in the box, MLB’s analysis tool Baseball Savant shows. It’s tweaks like that and the freedom to play with much less pain – there’s never truly a lack of pain for professional athletes who ply their trade every day – that have helped the slugger feel comfortable in the box again.
“Everything is getting better – as a team, as an organization, as an experience. But you know, the only difference for me is being healthy,” Báez told CNN Sports. “I’m feeling healthy. I feel good. I’m making adjustments, and, you know, I’m playing better. I’m playing better for myself, and I’m playing better for the team.”
Slowing down the game
A rebuilding team can take time to let players work out issues at the major league level. Teams in contention – those that want to win now – don’t have that luxury.
And so, the Tigers front office and manager AJ Hinch had a tough question staring at them as the 2025 season loomed: If Detroit wanted to make a run deep into October in 2025, could the franchise really afford to let Báez prove that these last few years were an aberration and not a sign of permanent, catastrophic decline?
Hinch was relieved to see that the changes in Báez’s performance came fast once this season began. That the Tigers had won last year without him leading the way has allowed Báez to play more relaxed. The team is solid and confident; he’s no longer expected to lead everyone to playoff glory.
Instead, Báez is one of the league’s highest-paid role players, doing whatever it takes to win.
In offseason conversations about how he could best contribute, Hinch stressed to Báez that he needed versatility from the veteran. Báez said he was all in.
“I’ve been doing it all my career, you know? Kind of got away from it a little bit when I started playing short, when I signed with the Tigers, but I’ve been playing all over the field all my career,” he told reporters.
He willingly moved from the shortstop position – including more than 30 starts in centerfield, a position that he had never played before in an MLB game. There he showed impressive range and a high-quality arm that made him a natural in Comerica Park’s expansive outfield grass.
Then the bat – the most mystifying part of Báez’s game, the part of the game that can make him a hero or a pariah (and often both, in the same game) – came around.
The hits came slow at first and then, in late April, things clicked. The batting average started to rise, the home runs started to come. Suddenly, it seemed like Báez’s reputation as an automatic out might be a thing of the past.
Báez getting to a ball that ended in an out in the ninth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 12. Greg Fiume/Getty Images
The big revelation came on May 13, during a nationally televised game at home against the Boston Red Sox.
First, it was Báez creating some of his typical “El Mago” magic on the basepaths by inducing Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez into a throwing error for the team’s second run. Then it was a three-run home run in the sixth inning that put the Tigers into the lead. And then, five innings later – with the Tigers down two in the 11th inning – he launched another three-run bomb into the mid-spring Detroit evening, a walk-off home run that launched the team into a new rung on the baseball ladder.
“Certain players in big moments do big things, right?” said Andy Dirks, a former Tigers outfielder who now is the color commentator for the team’s broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. “It doesn’t matter what the numbers are, all that stuff. It’s like certain players are just in the big moments and can do great things. And Javi is one of those guys that if you put him in the spotlight … he excels.
By June, the Tigers were the best team in baseball. And Báez appeared reborn.
It’s not exactly a career resurrection. The stats aren’t as good as they were in those Wrigley Field days, he still chases pitches outside the strike zone more than just about anyone in MLB and his numbers pale in comparison to 2018 when he was second in National League MVP voting.
As of Wednesday, Báez was batting .289 with nine home runs and 35 RBI, outstripping his 2024 full-season totals before the halfway point of the season and putting him on pace for his best season at the plate since 2021.
But the stats don’t tell the full story. Just as important is the effect he’s having on the team itself.
“If you watch him, he’s a pro,” Dirks told CNN Sports. “Like the way he goes about his business, there’s not a lot of highs, not a lot of lows. And when you get a guy like that, he’s the kind of guy that can work through some of those issues, make the adjustments he needs to make and then continue to have fun playing baseball, that’s something that you go back to throughout a professional career.”
“It’s been so fun to see him just go out and play baseball and have fun,” Dirks said. “And the way he’s contributing, it just kind of adds another element, getting to see ‘El Mago’ again, which is what baseball wants.”
Báez celebrating a home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the third inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 1. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
‘He’s willing to do whatever’
During an early June series against the Baltimore Orioles, the multitude of traveling Tigers fans at Camden Yards got the full Báez experience.
On a truly perfect summer evening in Charm City, Báez started off the game with a swinging strikeout on a changeup that was only inches above the ground, far too low to do anything with on his lunging swing. One at-bat later, Báez took a 93 mph fastball to right field, dropping in a single that scored Wenceel Pérez – the kind of inside-out, effortless swing that only truly in-rhythm hitters can pull off. It was a perfect capsulation of Báez’s yin and yang.
In the field, Báez was as smooth as butter. Like specks of dirt falling victim to a vacuum, balls were simply drawn into his glove. His signature cannon of a throwing arm ensured any ball in his direction was basically an automatic out.
And then in the series’ second game, he sat it out completely, making way for Zach McKinstry at shortstop, Parker Meadows in centerfield and Colt Keith at third base.
Baseball players thrive on the regularity of playing every day, getting used to the cadence of the grueling 162-game season. Spencer Torkelson, the home-run slugging first baseman for the Tigers, said Báez’s ability to roll with the frequent changes in position and days off is something the rest of the team admires.
“He’s willing to do whatever. And also, just like how comfortable he is in every single situation of just like, he’s never sped up,” Torkelson told CNN Sports. “He’s always cool, calm and collected. And that’s you know something that we all aspire to do every single day.”
The team’s manager said that versatility and willingness to do whatever the team needs on any given day is something that sets Báez apart.
“He’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Hinch told CNN Sports. “I think he’s one of the best versatile players in the league that can move around – not everybody can do that. It’s one day shortstop, one day third, one day center. He played center for two or three weeks straight, and now, all of a sudden, he’s playing shortstop predominantly.
“He helps us win. And that, to me, is more important than anything – that we have a group of guys in there that’ll do anything.
Báez playing against the Chicago White Sox at June 4.Michael Reaves/Getty Images
But to Dirks, one of the most important things that Báez brings to this young group of Tigers, a group that has finally ended a decade-long rebuilding process and brought competitive baseball back to Michigan summers, is stability and professionalism.
For all that he heard coming from the Comerica Park stands over the last three years, all the memes about his wild swings, all the speculation about how he would fit into this team of gritty players, Báez never shows any signs of giving up, Dirks said.
“You’re going to have struggles,” he told CNN Sports, “that’s going to come in baseball, but you’re never out of the fight. As long as you keep going and keep pushing and trying to make adjustments and trying to get better and doing the work, day in and day out, with this staff … you’re never out of it until they take the jersey off your back, right? And I think it’s a message that a lot of these guys can cling to when they’re struggling and when they’re going through a tough time.”
It’s a role that Báez has embraced, even if he’s not exactly used to being considered an elder statesman yet. After all, he’s only 32.
“Sometimes, I feel young and sometimes I feel old,” he said, and laughed.
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