:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49248041/519146616.0.jpg)
Listen, we know it's tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn't easy. It's okay, though. We're going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
* * *
It's a long baseball season, and managers are bound to say some pretty dumb things over the course of it. We're just days into 2016, though, and both Blue Jays' manager John Gibbons and the Diamondbacks' Chip Hale have already said things that they should regret. Hale's was the kind of thing you should just roll your eyes at, as it came from a manager frustrated at the drubbing of his flu-ridden ace in his debut with the team. Gibbons ... well, we'll get to that.
Hale was mad at the media for building up anticipation for the D-Backs' Opening Day. You know, the D-Backs, the team who stole Zack Greinke away from their division rivals, the Dodgers, and traded away loads of young talent -- including 2015's first-overall draft selection, Dansby Swanson -- to get Shelby Miller into the rotation. Yes, it's the media's fault that expectations for Opening Day were so high, Chip, not the actions of your bosses.
As for Gibbons, his frustration came from the umpires overturning pivotal runs scored on an Edwin Encarnacion grounder, as Jose Bautista's slide was deemed illegal. That's fine! Be frustrated, as it's a frustrating moment, even if it was the right call. However, you can be audibly frustrated without resorting to sexism, as Gibbons did when he said, "Maybe we'll come out and wear dresses tomorrow. Maybe that's what everybody's looking for." Please stop identifying being a woman and anything feminine as a negative. There is literally no reason to go that route, and plenty of ways Gibbons could have expressed himself without needlessly putting down half the population. Maybe Gibbons instantly regretted his choice to go that route, but even then, that's getting some self-awareness a little late. Do better, John.
- Speaking of self-awareness, Royals Review is admitting that the defending World Series champion Royals might actually be the bad guys now.
- The Red Sox are using two of their bench pieces as starters by playing Brock Holt in left and Travis Shaw at third, but this hasn't cut into their versatility.
- These are the incontrovertible truths from Opening Day, which includes more on Greinke's Opening Day disaster.
- The new slide rules are being referred to as the "Utley" rule after Chase Utley's leg-breaking slide against Ruben Tejada in the playoffs last year, so it's no surprise to see that his slides are being closely monitored to begin 2016.
- Rookie Trevor Story is the Rockies' starting shortstop following the trade of Troy Tulowitzki in 2015 and Jose Reyes' domestic violence case and possible suspension, and he's making the most of it with three homers in his first two games.
- Which version of Johnny Cueto shows up is going to be a concern for a while in San Francisco, but it certainly looked like the Giants had signed an ace on Tuesday.
- Back in September, a bad team put on a perfect display with their ace on the mound.
- Chris Tillman's Opening Day start is exactly what the Orioles need if they're going to be keeping up in the AL East.