Major League Baseball has been in crisis for nearly as long as it has existed. Just 16 years after the American and National Leagues merged, a game-fixing scandal threw the national pastime’s integrity into question and (perhaps incorrectly) cost one of the game’s greats both the rest of his career and a plaque in Cooperstown. It took just four years for Babe Ruth to win his first World Series with the New York Yankees and win back Americans’ trust with each record-setting home run.

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LA Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen puts Christian faith front and center ahead of World Series: 'Make heaven crowded'

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen is putting his Christianity front and center yet again.

Treinen is part of a pitching staff that, along with star Clayton Kershaw, has stood up for religious freedoms in the face of disturbing times in California.

'Every single one of us have been given a gift ...'

When a transgender-promoting, anti-Christian activist group was invited to Dodger Stadium in 2023, Treinen accused the group of "mocking the religious habits of nuns" and "mocking what [Catholics] hold most deeply."

Now, ahead of the Dodgers' second straight trip to the World Series, Treinen made it clear how important his Christian faith is in his life.

"I think my family's name is great in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of the world, nobody really knew the Treinens," the pitcher told CBN Sports.

"I don't really care if they do," he continued. "I want them to see Christ's greatness and what he's accomplished in my career."

Treinen said he wanted to see everyone go to heaven while also expressing care for others, saying, "I don't want to see any of my teammates or anybody in the stands or anybody in this world face the alternative."

"How do we make heaven crowded?" Treinen asked. "That's really my goal."

"Every single one of us have been given a gift, and our way of repaying it to the Lord is how do we honor Him with that gift?" he concluded. "When I am welcomed into the gates of heaven, I want to hear 'job well done, good and faithful servant.'"

Teammate Kershaw, meanwhile, stood out for his own religious fervor earlier this season when the Dodgers celebrated gay Pride Night.

While Kershaw took issue with the same event as Treinen in 2023, on Pride Night this June, the pitcher participated in wearing his team's rainbow-themed cap — but added a caveat.

"Gen 9:12-16," Kershaw's hat read. The player had written a Bible passage next to the Pride logo.

In the King James Bible, the passage states the following:

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

The Dodgers have been mired in controversy all year as the team seemingly battles the ethics of a far-left California setting with its generally conservative baseball fan base.

Also in June, an activist singer purposely sang the national anthem in Spanish at a Dodgers game to protest against the deportation of illegal immigrants who are Hispanic.

Photo by Josie Lepe/MLB Photos via Getty Images

There were also reports in June of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents using Dodgers property as a staging area; the team and ICE gave conflicting reports on the matter.

Furthermore, in July, the Dodgers were hit with an anti-discrimination lawsuit over alleged diversity hiring initiatives.

Lastly, a Make-A-Wish foundation executive resigned in October after being caught on camera threatening to call ICE on a Dodgers fan at a playoff game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Sports announcer bashes Cubs player for attending Charlie Kirk memorial — then his hypocrisy gets exposed

New York Mets announcer Gary Cohen said he thought it was strange for Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw to miss a game to go to Charlie Kirk's memorial.

After Kirk was murdered on Sept. 10, Shaw missed a Sept. 21 game against the Cincinnati Reds to attend Kirk's memorial service in Glendale, Arizona.

'Gary Cohen wants us to believe he's making sound arguments ...'

On Tuesday, Shaw told reporters that he was invited to the event by Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, and subsequently discussed the idea of attending with about a dozen teammates. He also said he went through the proper team channels including the legal team, front office, and management, who all approved.

Shaw also said he received support from his teammates for the decision. However, during Tuesday's game between the Cubs and the Mets, announcer Cohen criticized Shaw's decision.

"Shaw had Cubs world in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs' game with the Reds. A game they lost 1-0 and in which his lack of presence was felt," Cohen declared. "It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral."

Cohen continued by saying that while did not want to "talk about any of the politics" surrounding the ordeal, he stated, "the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency really strikes me as weird."

As Cohen's commentary circulated online, fans quickly pointed out that the announcer might be guilty of taking a hypocritical stance on the issue.

In April, Cohen missed a Mets game against the St. Louis Cardinals when his dog sadly passed away, resulting in reporter Steve Gelbs stepping in to call the game, according to Awful Announcing.

"I want to thank you guys and Steve for doing such a great job covering for me on Friday night," Cohen told his peers at the time.

Other fans cited that Cohen had no qualms when Mets players suspended play during a game in 2020, the day before Jackie Robinson Day, to protest with "Black Lives Matter" T-shirts, even draping one of the clothing items over home plate.

"Gary Cohen wants us to believe he's making sound arguments, when in actuality he just wants us to think it's awful to attend funerals for our conservative neighbors," baseball analyst Gary Sheffield Jr. told Blaze News. "For liberals the world should stop."

Sheffield added, "Reality is that sports are secondary to anyone's life, regardless of how they vote."

Cohen was joined by analyst and former MLB player Keith Hernandez in his criticism of Shaw on Tuesday. Hernandez said he felt the Cubs player missing the game was "unusual."

"I think it's unprecedented, at least from my experience as a player," Hernandez added.

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Are MLB umpires getting worse? Fans say yes, but the stats might disagree

Robot wives, robot sex partners, and even robot entrepreneurs have made headlines this year, but what about robot umpires?

It seems every baseball fan has called for robot umpires at some point in the 2025 season, especially after fans saw an automated ball-strike challenge system being used during the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.

'The meter maids of baseball.'

Multiple calls garnered a challenge from players that changed the course of the game, leaving viewers to invoke the digital strike zone placed on screen whenever an umpire gets a call wrong.

But are the umpires actually getting worse?

Using numbers from a recent Umpire Scorecards post, overall accuracy for umpires in 2025 is 93%. While this may seem low, it's a combination of called-ball accuracy averages (97%) and called-strike accuracy averages (88%).

Scoring the average accuracy rating of an umpire throughout the course of the season and weighing that against what is expected of them, we see that fewer umpires are dipping below the expected performance levels year over year.

In 2022, 35 umpires had an average accuracy rating below what was expected of them. In 2023, that number was 27, and in 2024, it was 21. In 2025, that number dropped to just 16.

Looking back through these years, not only are poor averages less abundant, but the MLB even seems to be getting less lenient about giving inaccurate umpires the go-ahead to call games.

First female MLB umpire Jen Pawol at PNC Park on August 24, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Umpires with below-average accuracy ratings are calling fewer games than before.

In 2025, five of the six worst under-performing umpires (in terms of average accuracy vs. expected accuracy) have played five games or fewer. Just four umpires inside the bottom 10 for worst accuracy overall have umpired more than five games.

Perhaps those umpires will be seen more in the final 30 games of 2025, but it seems unlikely they will reach anywhere close to the number of games that inaccurate umpires got in 2024.

MLB umpiring even took a step forward — or back, depending on fan perspective — with a female umpire appearing twice so far.

Some took Jen Pawol, the first female umpire to call balls and strikes in a regular season game, as an end-of-days scenario for the league, but it was not as bad as expected. While Pawol did not actually rattle any cages in her debut and performed just below average, her second game went mostly unreported when she performed better than her first.

Still, it should be noted that Pawol has the fifth-worst overall accuracy for umpires this season and the third-worst against the expected average. But with what seems to be the new normal, she has been limited to just two games all year.

While poor performers are getting the nod less frequently and fewer umps are below average, fans are still unhappy.

Kansas City Manager Matt Quatraro argues with home plate umpire Ryan Addition on August 13, 2025, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Experts and analysts say it's because of the umpires' attitudes.

"I'm ready to get rid of the mall cop macho mentality these guys have officiating the game," baseball broadcaster Gary Sheffield Jr. told Blaze News. "Get me an automated system when it's ready so we can get back to baseball."

Sheffield had previously shared sentiments with Blaze News that he thought any "below-average" umpire should be fired, male or female.

Former Division I and pro player Leo Dottavio agreed, telling Blaze News that he's been involved in "countless games that were decided by umpire error."

Adding that it was clear to him in the past that umpires had been influenced by player attitudes or outside sources, Dottavio plainly stated, "It's time for the robo ump."

Now a comedian, Dottavio stressed that he has grown to despise the average umpire as a fan and called average umpires "a bunch of beta males trying to get back at the true ... kings, the guys on the field."

It does seem that no matter what stats the MLB boys in black (or blue) put up, they certainly have an image problem. Fan reactions show this, referring to them either as bullies, or as Dottavio joked, "the meter maids of baseball."

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First female MLB umpire shocks fans with her call on the very first pitch

Jen Pawol, 48, became the first female to umpire a Major League Baseball game when she called the game between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins at Truist Park in Atlanta on Sunday.

Pawol spent about eight years umpiring professional baseball in the minor leagues before becoming the first woman since 2007 to call balls and strikes for a spring training game in February, the third woman in history to do so.

'I think all umpires "below average" at their jobs should be abolished.'

Loud cheers greeted Pawol at the start of the game, and while there exists obvious controversy surrounding a woman umpiring a men's sport, it was only after the first pitch was thrown that the criticism truly began.

Braves pitcher Joey Wentz threw the first pitch of the game well inside to Marlins infielder Xavier Edwards, but Pawol called it a strike anyway. The 93-mph pitch was so off the plate that Fox Sports announcer Brandon Gaudin remarked, "Joey Wentz likes that first call from Jen Pawol."

In reaction to the clip on X, fans provided ruthless commentary about Pawol giving "one of the worst" calls in MLB history, while at the same time "ruining" baseball.

However, it's a long nine innings in an MLB game, and when pitch-tracking stats for Pawol were released following the game, fans got to see exactly how the new umpire fared when compared to her colleagues.

X page BallsAndStrikes was the first source to report on Pawol's performance, showing that she missed 13 calls total: five favoring the Marlins and eight favoring the Braves.

When it came to a complex breakdown provided by Umpire Scorecards, Pawol's overall accuracy was revealed to be 93%, with an overall consistency of 93%. Both numbers are just 1% below the MLB average for umpires.

Pawol's called-ball accuracy was two percentage points below the league average at 95%, while her called-strike accuracy was 87%, one point below the league average.

Fans reacted to the stats on X with remarks "not bad" and "she did fine."

What the data truly reveals about MLB umpires is not that it matters what gender the official is, but rather that fans are not happy with umpiring in the major leagues overall.

Umpire Jen Pawol during a game between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

"I think all umpires 'below average' at their jobs should be abolished," baseball analyst Gary Sheffield Jr. told Blaze News. "I don't care if they're male, female, or flew in from space on a ship."

Sheffield's sentiment is shared by many fans who are calling for MLB to permanently institute an automated ball-strike challenge system that was used during the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.

The ABC system was well received and executed during the game, with multiple calls garnering a challenge from players that changed the course of the game.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal — pitching for the American League that night — said that while he did not intend to make use of the system, he was happy when a ball call was overturned following his challenge in the first inning.

“It's coming," Skubal said back in July, per the Athletic. "Whether players like it or not, it's going to come, so might as well get used to it."

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Former Cleveland Indians manager blames 'white' people for wanting to return to old team name

Former Cleveland Indians Manager Terry Francona had interesting remarks about President Donald Trump's supporters and his former team this week.

Francona is now the manager for the Cincinnati Reds, but he coached the Cleveland Indians between 2013 and 2023, a period that saw the team change its moniker to the Guardians.

The team name was changed after more than 105 years in 2021, when owner Paul Dolan said the team was "doing the right thing" after speaking with Native American groups and that the team was "headed in the right direction."

Now, Francona has opened up about the name change.

'And if you're white, (you're) probably just fine.'

Francona spoke to USA Today before a recent game against the Washington Nationals, and he said he was not courageous enough to go for the name change — it was actually the owner who was responsible.

"I wasn't the one that had to kind of have the (fortitude) to do it. ... Paul Dolan ultimately was the one that had to pull the trigger," Francona recalled. "I was really proud of him, because I don't think it was real popular with a segment of probably the older fans that kind of, I guess like Trump, 'Why can’t it be like it used to be?'" he said.

It was at this point in the interview that Francona revealed he believes white people are more likely to be fine with the Indians' name than others.

"I guess my retort would be, 'There's probably a lot of people in this country who don't want it like it used to be.' And if you're white, (you're) probably just fine," he continued.

While Francona said, "That's not how it's supposed to work," he claimed that he "didn't even care what they made the name in Cleveland."

"I really didn't. I just know how I was in on those conversations, and we were trying to be respectful. And for that, I gave those guys a lot of credit."

But according to a report from WEWS-TV, fans are actually clamoring for the name to come back.

In on-the-ground polling, one reporter had 47 baseball fans say they wanted the "Indians" name to return, while 12 preferred "Guardians."

"It was always a woke choice, and there was no reason for this, and nobody that I ever talked to wanted it," one fan told the outlet.

"It's not racism or anything else. It's just good ol' tribe," a fan named Derek added.

President Trump called for both the Cleveland Guardians and the NFL's Washington Commanders to return to their old names on Sunday, saying, "Times are different now than they were three or four years ago."

Trump even suggested withholding the authorization for the Commanders to get their new D.C.-based stadium if they do not revert back to the Redskins name.

Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told USA Today he was not "paying a lot of attention to" the idea of changing their name back to the Indians, and he said the team is "excited about the future" in terms of building the Guardians brand.

Francona added, "Not everybody's gonna be happy. That’s never gonna be the case."

"But I think as long as what you're trying to do is respectful, you can go ahead and let people complain," the 66-year-old concluded.

Baseball analyst Gary Sheffield Jr. told Blaze News that there are "bigger problems in the world" than the name change argument and that Francona is right to say the team is fine but that "the same could be said when they were the Indians. Folks were just fine."

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Video: 'Worst national anthem' performance ever leaves Baltimore Orioles team and fans conflicted

A rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at a Baltimore Orioles home game is being debated as possibly one of the worst anthem performances of all time.

Before the Orioles hosted the New York Mets at Camden Yards on Thursday, fans were introduced to "Baltimore electronic musician Dan Deacon."

The Baltimore-based recording artist is not an unknown musician. He has over 160,000 monthly listeners on the streaming service Spotify and has had music featured in movies like "Venom."

Nevertheless, Deacon's pregame performance has audiences split over whether what they experienced was new-age art or ear-piercing noise.

'I think the Orioles have officially hit rock bottom.'

The performance initially caught fire on an Orioles fan's X page, which has now racked up over 1.5 million views.

"I think the Orioles have officially hit rock bottom," the fan wrote in a caption, with the video of Deacon's version of the song attached.

With oversize glasses and a Hawaiian shirt draped over a Baltimore Orioles T-shirt, Deacon raised his hand to the sky and delivered one of the most divisive — and electronic — anthem performances of all time.

The Orioles mascot was shown standing at attention behind Deacon before the camera panned to the mixed reactions in the crowd. Saluting police officers were juxtaposed with likely former military members saluting from their seats. Other fans, adults and children alike, are seen laughing. Some attendees appeared confused but still sang along with the anthem.

Buck Britton, the Orioles' interim third base coach, looked the most puzzled during the performance, seemingly looking around for answers as to what he was experiencing.

The internet was split; some hated Deacon's digitized anthem, while others loved its uniqueness.

"WTF is this?" one sports page on X wrote. "National anthem singer Dan Deacon labeled a 'disgrace to America' after bizarre rendition at Orioles game."

Another viewer on X wrote, "Worst national anthem in recent memory."

Oppositely, one X user said, "I wanted to hate it, but I didn't."

One of Deacon's fans chimed in on X and added, "It doesn't need to be Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey wannabes every night" singing the anthem.

"At least it's not in Spanish," another viewer wrote on X, tagging the Los Angeles Dodgers team in the post. This was likely in reference to singer Nezza singing the anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium in June, despite being told by Dodgers staff not to.

The artist later cried in a video posted to TikTok, where she expressed that she did not understand why it was so controversial, despite admitting the performance was in response to raids on illegal immigrants in California.

Almost exactly a year ago, singer Ingrid Andress performed at the MLB's Home Run Derby in what was deemed a horrible performance, with the singer later apologizing and admitting she was drunk.

She told fans the next day she was immediately headed to rehab.

"It only took, you know, global humiliation for me to be like, 'This is a problem,'" Andress explained.

Ingrid Andress sings the national anthem prior to the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field on Monday, July 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Perhaps Deacon was the Orioles' good luck charm, though; the struggling team won both games of their doubleheader that day against the Mets, 3-1 and then 7-3.

For fans in search of national anthem performances similar to Deacon's, look no further than Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. The guitarist delivered an equally, if not more, off-brand electronic performance of the anthem at a Los Angeles Lakers home game in 2016.

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DHS, LA Dodgers give conflicting stories about ICE agents at Dodger Stadium

It has been a whirlwind week for the Los Angeles Dodgers, culminating in a battle of words with federal authorities.

Last Friday, Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw protested the team's Pride Night by writing a Bible verse on the front of his hat. On Saturday, a singer named Nezza purposely defied the organization's requests and sang the national anthem in Spanish.

As a consortium of fans have urged the Dodgers to take a stand and support illegal immigrants living in their city, the team seemingly extended an olive branch to those supporters on Thursday.

'This had nothing to do with the Dodgers.'

The Dodgers were rumored to be planning an announcement on Thursday, finally revealing their support for illegal immigrants and anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests. At least one reporter told Blaze News the reporter was expecting an announcement on that general topic.

Protesters announced they were ready for mass mobilization in defiance of ICE agents just after 10 a.m. At about 11:30 a.m., DHS agents were spotted near Gate E of Dodger Stadium.

Just after 12 p.m. local time, the Dodgers posted on X, claiming they had denied ICE agents access to their parking lots.

"This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots," the team wrote. "They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled."

However, the DHS said ICE agents were never even there.

— (@)

Less than an hour after the team's post, the DHS sent Blaze News a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, stating the presence of her department had "nothing to do with the Dodgers."

"CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement," McLaughlin said, mirroring a post the agency put out on social media.

Just after 1:39 p.m., ICE denied even being at the location. "False. We were never there," the agency said in response to the Dodgers' claim.

Not a peep was heard from either side after this. Representatives from the Dodgers did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

When pressed for more details, DHS representatives simply linked to their previously mentioned social media posts. The MLB Players Association did not respond to Blaze News' requests for comment either.

— (@)

The Dodgers' response is unlikely to please either side, but pressure continues to mount from illegal immigration supporters.

As Fox 11 LA reported, at least one nonprofit said it will encourage Latinos to avoid Dodgers games.

"We're going to hit them in their pockets. And so that's why we're asking the Latino and our allies in L.A. not to go to any more Dodger games until the Dodgers invest in our community and our Latino community, immediately, that they take a stand and say something on behalf of the Dodger fans everywhere, for L.A. Latinos," Raul Claros told Fox 11, representing Latino Coalition L.A.

Los Angeles' professional soccer team, LAFC, also gave a statement, joining in on the trend of conflating legal and illegal immigration.

"LAFC believes the true strength of our community, our city, is feeling fear and uncertainty. LAFC stands shoulder to shoulder with all members of our community," the team said, per Fox 11.

Even Dodgers player Kike Hernandez posted a message about the issue on his Instagram page.

Standing in front a sign that said, "Born & Raised," Hernandez wrote, "I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own."

"I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights," Hernandez added.

Strangely, the team has previously embraced the DHS, hosting Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to throw out a first pitch in 2015.

It does seem that the team's activism is a nonstop roller coaster. Later on Thursday evening, the team hosted a race-based celebrity softball game.

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Full Threat, No Sweat: On Eve of Israeli Strike Against Iran, US SecDef Pete Hegseth Watched GOP Humiliate Dems at Baseball

Pete Hegseth was cool, calm, and collected Wednesday evening, roughly 24 hours before Israel (with non-military assistance from the United States) launched a massive preemptive strike on Iran. The secretary of defense was spotted enjoying a Diet Coke, the non-alcoholic beverage adored by Donald Trump and many others, while watching the annual Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

The post Full Threat, No Sweat: On Eve of Israeli Strike Against Iran, US SecDef Pete Hegseth Watched GOP Humiliate Dems at Baseball appeared first on .

Can Baseball Get Better Without Getting Boring?

LA Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen puts Christian faith front and center ahead of World Series: 'Make heaven crowded'

Sports announcer bashes Cubs player for attending Charlie Kirk memorial — then his hypocrisy gets exposed

‘I Feel Strong About My Faith’: Chicago Cubs Star Stands By Attending Charlie Kirk Memorial

Are MLB umpires getting worse? Fans say yes, but the stats might disagree

First female MLB umpire shocks fans with her call on the very first pitch

Former Cleveland Indians manager blames 'white' people for wanting to return to old team name

Video: 'Worst national anthem' performance ever leaves Baltimore Orioles team and fans conflicted

DHS, LA Dodgers give conflicting stories about ICE agents at Dodger Stadium

Full Threat, No Sweat: On Eve of Israeli Strike Against Iran, US SecDef Pete Hegseth Watched GOP Humiliate Dems at Baseball

NYC man allegedly raped 15-year-old girl he lured online while on probation for disturbingly similar attack

‘Narcosatanism’: The dark faith driving cartel horrors — ex-fed agent gives bone-chilling testimony

Farewell to fake fuel efficiency stats, hello to tough future for EVs

Former Capitol Police officer a forensic match for Jan. 6 pipe bomber, sources say

Trump administration seeks emergency Supreme Court order to pause ruling for full SNAP funding

Federal judge orders Department of Education to stop blaming Democrats for shutdown in workers' out-of-office emails

We’ll keep you informed with top stories for conservatives who want to become informed decision makers.