The holiday season may have arrived, but that doesn't mean the hard work stops for Major League Baseball players. In fact, that work should be intensifying as the new year approaches.
There's just one problem: the holidays mean family time, which means getting that extra work in the batting cage can be a problem. That is, unless you have someone close willing to pitch in -- literally -- such as Detroit Tigers catcher and former Arkansas Razorback James McCann.
As McCann showed on his Instagram page, his wife Jessica has stepped in to fill the void as his hitting partner this week. That's allowed him to share time with the family while continuing to prepare for the coming baseball season.
"Christmas travels leaving me without a hitting partner? My wife @jessmccann3 has it covered! #OffSeason #TeamMcCann #NoDaysOff," the photo caption read on Instagram.
"You can also add #RelationshipGoals, because who doesn't strive to spend time in the batting cage with their significant other playing soft toss and dodging line drives?" Mark Townsend wrote on the "Big League Stew" blog for Yahoo Sports. "It's all about teamwork, and it's clear the McCanns make a strong team. Now the hope is that the hard work pays off with a breakthrough season in 2017."
Townsend went on to write about McCann's two seasons with the Tigers, which have been solid defensively and fairly productive on offense, but his .244 career batting average with 19 home runs and 89 RBI are numbers that Detroit would like to see him build on. Townsend did, however, note one defensive area for McCann to improve.
"The only area he lacked there was his pitch framing skills. Once his hitting sessions are over, it might be time for Jessica to work on spotting her fastballs," Townsend wrote.
Career killer?
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman got into a heated exchange with local radio host Jim Moore on Tuesday, during which he told Moore he would ruin his career.
The exchange was chronicled by Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. According to the report, Sherman was asked a question by Moore, a host on KTTH-AM 710 in Seattle.
"Moore asked a question of Sherman stating that what he didn't understand is that [offensive coordinator Darrell] Bevell is trying to call plays he thinks will work but that Sherman appears to think he has a 'better handle' of what should be called," Condotta wrote.
"But let me guess -- you have a better play to call. Let me guess, you have a better experience," Sherman replied to Moore.
When Moore said no, Sherman said "then you should probably kind of stop."
The news conference ended a few minutes later, but the exchange continued as Sherman walked off the stage and down a walkway that headed out of the auditorium. As he was leaving, Sherman passed Moore and said, "You don't want to go there. You do not. I'll ruin your career."
"You'll ruin my career? How are you going to do that?" Moore asked.
"I'll make sure you don't get your media pass anymore," Sherman replied.
After practice Tuesday, Sherman took to Twitter to apologize.
"I appreciate the role the media plays and they have a tough job. I let it get personal today and I regret that. Next one should be fun," Sherman tweeted.
Sports on 12/23/2016