* As of early this week, the Chicago White Sox had the best record in Major League Baseball. Their manager, lest we forget, is Tampa’s own Tony LaRussa, 76. He grew up in Ybor City, graduated from Jefferson High and USF, and earned a law degree from FSU. He’s won three World Series in a managerial career spanning more than three decades. And he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Go, Pale Hose.
* After being released by the Los Angeles Angels, 41-year-old Albert Pujols has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, he’s still MLB’s oldest player. The second oldest? Rays’ pitcher Rich Hill, 41.
* Speaking of Hill, he has one of the more bizarre nicknames in a game known for them—from “Shoeless” Joe Jackson to Willie “Say Hey Kid” Mays to Jose “Joey Bats” Bautista. The Rays, for example, range from the silly “Big Bopper” (Joey Wendle) to the alliterative “KK” (Kevin Kiermeier) to the awkward “Dick Mountain” for Rich Hill. Yeah, locker rooms can be a hoot.