Sydney Thomas In The Bahamas With The Girls, World's Hottest Geoscientist Back Catching Pythons & Grill's Hot
Sydney Thomas is dumping out girls' trip content from the Bahamas.
CB Bucknor added to his extraordinary career of bad calls with one of the worst calls you'll ever see
In the new era of the automated ball-strike system in Major League Baseball, terrible umpires are going to be exposed. I'm not a huge ABS guy, I don’t like every single call being under a microscope.
Call me old-fashioned, but I like the human element, which comes with bad calls sometimes. I was taught growing up some lessons through bad calls. It's not a ball or strike because it's in or out of the strike zone. It's a ball or strike because the umpire called it a ball or strike.
The same goes for safe or out. Well, that's not fair. Exactly. It's not fair, but guess what, life isn’t fair. I'd much rather see umpires who routinely make terrible calls be held accountable and, eventually, if they're bad enough, be fired. You know how life also works.
Not to call for another man's job or anything, but CB Bucknor is well past being handed a pink slip and his start to the season is exposing that.
He followed up quite the performance behind the plate over the weekend with one of the worst calls you'll ever see. It was so bad players and managers from both teams were laughing after it was overturned.
This wasn’t a bang bang play at first base where it was tough to tell if the runner beat the throw. It wasn’t a did he or didn’t he touch the bag. It was a tough play for the second baseman on the edge of the outfield grass.
He knocked the ball down with a diving play, but ended up throwing the ball away. The catcher backing up the play tossed the ball to first base, and he tagged the runner. Bucknor called the runner out claiming he had never touched the bag.
Evidently, Bucknor was watching another play at first replay in his mind, because it wasn’t even close. The runner stepped on top of the base, never made an attempt at second base, and was as safe as you can be.
The call was quickly overturned and instead of dragging Bucknor off the field and sending him home in the middle of the game, he was allowed to continue.
You could argue that replay saved the day here, but if he was held accountable for the many, many other bad calls he's made throughout his career, then he wouldn’t be out there to make this call in the first place. But that's too mean or something.
Instead, we'll have replay and ABS correct the calls that umpires, like CB Bucknor, blow on a consistent basis. He doesn’t just miss a call here or there, he's out there making things up in the middle of the game like runners missing bags they clearly stepped on.
Laettner Shot
- Frank from Nevada writes:
Hi Sean,
The thing about the Laettner shot in 1990, from this UCONN fan's perspective, was that it was a killer for the UCONN dreams. The game before UCONN won on an amazing length of the court pass to Tate George who buried the shot to put UCONN in that game with Duke.
UCONN was still 5 years away from their first Natty. My co-workers and I would sneak out of work for a "long lunch" when UCONN was playing the Big East Tournament and you never knew how they'd do. Same thing if they made the Big Dance.
Everything changed in 1995 when they won, but in those early years something like the Tate George play immediately ignited the "can you imagine if" thought and dreams.
As a UCONN fan I'm gonna tell you that Mullins' shot was better than Laettner's 1992 shot, but your mileage may vary LOL.
Always enjoy your stuff on Outkick
PS. Totally agree about Danny Hurley. I thought that he might have just been leaning in to hear what the ref was saying and got a little celebratory LOL
SeanJo
Hey Frank, thanks for sending this in and for the support. I get that if you're a UConn fan, the shot from 90 was a devastating one, but I think overall you've done alright.
Here's Hurley's explanation of the tender forehead to forehead moment with the referee. I think you might enjoy it.
Update on the license plate from the VOTS
- Bob writes:
SeanJo,
Since the subject driving was a dude, I'm guessing he's pro-side chicks. However, with a Honda Accord sporting the signage, our playa is on a budget.
Be well amigo!
SeanJo
Hey Bob, thanks for the update from the VOTS. I figured that we may have been dealing with a "playa on a budget," but an actual side chick rolling around with that personalized plate would have been something.
Wayfair's second brick and mortar opens in Atlanta
- Dawgs Fan Sam writes:
Wayfair second B&M did a soft opening yesterday. I stumbled into it, got in, and took some pics.
AI Slop video, as Joe would call it
New trailer for He-Man
Morning Caps
- Neil writes:
Hey Sean, Beer guy Neil from Cleveland checking back in. I know TNML is Joe's beat, but this was too good to wait for his return. Where does this link take you? I'll tell you where, to a website where you can purchase Natural Light Lawn Brew. It's not for drinking, it's a fertilizer made from spent grains. I know nothing more about the product, but it feels like it's the perfect opportunity to marry the love of beer and putting down stripes. Surely one of the savages in here will take a flyer on it and report back. Anyone?
Keep up the great work in Joe's absence!
https://www.shopbeergear.com/products/natural-light-lawn-brew
SeanJo
This is great. Why just enjoy a cold one after you mow when you can also fertilize the yard with a lawn brew? It would be interesting to see how well it performs.
First Grill of the Year
- Caleb in PA writes:
Hi, Sean Jo:
Hope all is well with you and yours. Grilled some brats and hot dogs for the first grill of 2026. Nothing too complicated, but thought I’d pass it along anyway. It may seem simple—some grilled meat, a cold Yuengling, Yacht rock on in the background—but the weather is nice, the grill is on, and my family is relatively happy and healthy. Can we really ask for anything more than that?
God bless and keep up the great work.
SeanJo
This is what it's all about. I'm a big keep it simple guy on the grill. I love cheeseburgers and hot dogs.
It's not that I don’t enjoy slapping some heavy meat on there every now and again. But 95% of the time that's what I'm tossing burgers and dogs on.
Keep sending me your meat.
Bigfoot
- Mild Bill writes:
Sean, I found Bigfoot. He is currently residing in the River District in Charlotte, NC. Mild Bill.
SeanJo
Who knew he was so close to me? That's a half an hour or so from where I live. I might have to venture out that way and get a close-up look for myself.
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That's it for April Fools' Day. We're blowing through 2026 like it's nothing. Keep sending your emails my way. I'm here filling in for Joe through Friday.
The inbox is open for anything at sean.joseph@outkick.com. Go follow me on Twitter and over on Instagram and feel free to slide into the DMs.