Sophie Cunningham Stands Her Ground in DeWanna Bonner Dispute as MLB Faces Bat Rule Overhaul
Sophie Cunningham further humiliates her finger – We’ve successfully navigated through the mid-summer slump and emerged on the other side. While we’re not quite operating at the same energy levels we experienced during this period last year heading into the holiday weekend, there’s no need to worry. Occasionally, stepping back to rest and recharge is exactly what we need. That’s precisely what the summer season is designed for. The World Cup continues its run, though honestly, has anyone truly been paying attention lately? The answer is no. Meanwhile, baseball approaches its All-Star break, signaling that the Home Run Derby awaits in just a few days — provided you can locate it. No nonsense here. Simply Dakich. Take the Don’t @ Me Podcast wherever you go. Download it today! Spoiler: it’s available on Netflix now. Fantastic. Football remains a few weeks distant from full intensity. We have one week remaining until the golf season’s final major championship. This represents a transitional period for us, doesn’t it? We’re firmly planted in the dog days of summer. The opening half has passed. Now comes the grinding phase. And grind, we absolutely will!
Cunningham’s Latest Shot at WNBA Drama
Welcome to this Thursday Nightcaps edition — the installment where Sophie Cunningham dons what amounts to a catsuit and launches another attack on the WNBA’s mean girls. She simply doesn’t miss, does she? What else is on the agenda? I have a question for all our high school parents listening today, and remarkably, we witnessed ANOTHER pitcher being pulled last night during what was supposed to be a perfect game. What is happening in Major League Baseball right now? It’s absolutely disgusting. It’s un-American. This trend must cease immediately. OK, grab yourself a handful of fries for National French Fry Day, and settle in for a Thursday ‘Cap! I’m fairly certain we’ve covered this topic before (mainly because I went back and checked), but I’m going to recycle my Mount Rushmore of Fries selection today. Lord knows there isn’t much else happening. I’d also accept: Chick-Fil-A, although the butt-pieces of waffle fries are disgusting, so it’s a slippery little slope. I’ll also listen to any sweet potato truthers in class, too. That’s right. Some people scoff at sweet potato fries, but, done right, they are elite. Dip them in some of that marshmallow/pineapple sauce like a true slob, and it’s game over. What a country.
The Sophie Cunningham Story Deepens
OK, let’s get down to business. It’s slim pickens today, so I don’t want to hear it. First up? Sophie Cunningham doubled down on her viral finger-wag a few weeks ago, calling Phoenix Mercury forward-guard DeWanna Bonner “Miss Priss” in an interview on Shannon Spake’s “Sons and Daughters” podcast.
“Caitlin got a technical and looking back I think both of them deserved a technical like, trying to clean up the game, whatever,” Cunningham said in the full clip, which can be seen here. “And so I wasn’t even speaking to Miss Priss over there and I was just like, ‘Hey, if Caitlin got a check, I think she deserves one.’ Like, wasn’t even looking at her and I just like kind of pointed and it just made her mad, and she was like, ‘Don’t you point at me.’ “And I was ‘Oh, (she) shouldn’t have said that.’ And so then I just didn’t say a word. I did not say a word to her. I just pointed.”
Love her or hate her, at least Sophie Cunningham isn’t a BSer. A lot of these athletes just dance around the subject and toe the line. Not Sophie. She wants all the smoke. Now, did she follow that interview up with a 2-point game last night? Sure. But that’s what we call semantics in this business! You know what’s not semantics? This new rule passed by USA Baseball this week. Batter up! Whoooooooooooooooa Nellie! They’re letting high school players use drop 4, 5 and 6 bats now? Seems … risky.
Understanding the Bat Rule Controversy
For those who aren’t up on the lingo, “bat drop weights” is the difference between a bat’s length (in inches) and its weight (in ounces). For example, the current rules say a bat must be -3, or a drop-3. If a bat is 31 inches long, it must be weigh 28 ounces. That’s standard practice for bats in high school baseball. Starting in 2028, they’re now gonna be allowed to use lighter bats? Wild. Here’s the kicker. USA Baseball sold the move as a necessary one to “keeping more athletes in baseball and supporting their long-term development.” “We have seen too many athletes entering high school baseball struggle with the immediate jump to the -3-drop weight and then walk away from the game,” USA Baseball President John Gall said. Huh? They’re billing it as a way to keep players from “walking away from the game,” which is puzzling. I’ve never once seen nor heard of a player walk away from high school baseball because the bat was too heavy. Come on. Basically, in the name of inclusivity, USA Baseball has now put a lighter bat in the hands of a 220-pound, 5-tool prospect who can already tear the cover off the ball as is. Can’t wait to see how that goes!
