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Super Bowl, Olympics, NBA Trades... And Still No Baseball

The past week was simultaneously an exciting time for sports and a brutal moment to be a baseball fan. At the Winter Olympics, elite athletes Chloe Kim, Nathan Chen and Eileen Gu won gold medals. Mikaela Shiffrin struggled but inspired millions with her perspective and vulnerability. Even though ...

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How a Labor Lawyer Sees MLB’s Latest Lockout Tactic

When Rob Manfred wrote his letter to “our Fans” on Dec. 2, he explained Major League Baseball’s decision to lock out the players as a tactic to “jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time.” Then, the league went 43 days without making a ...

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WAR Is Not the Solution for Baseball’s Labor Woes

The good news is that Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association met twice this week on consecutive days. And that’s pretty much all the good news from the bargaining table we can cover at this time. There were a handful of interesting developments, some of which were more promising ...

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Revealing My Hypothetical Hall of Fame Ballot

This is the last Five-Tool Newsletter before the results of the BBWAA Hall of Fame election are announced, so I’ll be revealing my hypothetical ballot today. Sure, it has no bearing on the actual process, but it’s fun. And as the lockout drags on, there aren’t too many better things to talk about. ...

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Why Jimmy Rollins Belongs in the Hall of Fame

Editor's note: You may have received a previous edition of the Five-Tool Newsletter earlier this week, which covered Mookie Betts's already impressive Hall of Fame case. While the column is worth reading twice, in my opinion, the repeat email was sent mistakenly. Below, you'll find this week's ...

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