Dan Bernstein floated a compelling idea today: if the season ended right now, Craig Counsell would be the early frontrunner for Manager of the Year. And it’s hard to argue.

0:00 Craig Counsell

25:45 MLB manager ejections

42:20 A man, a rock and a seal

The Cubs are sitting atop the NL Central with the second‑best record in all of baseball, despite being ravaged by pitching injuries. They’re doing it with depth guys, patched‑together rotations, and a clubhouse that hasn’t flinched.

The only team ahead of them? Atlanta — by a single game. And fittingly, that’s who the Cubs see next, opening a three‑game series tonight against the Braves in a true measuring‑stick matchup.

It also raises a broader question about the modern game: do baseball fans actually miss the old‑school manager ejections? The red‑faced blowups, the dirt‑kicking, the choreographed arguments with umpires that were more performance art than protest?

As technology continues to reshape baseball — pitch clocks, replay review, automated strike‑zone assistance on the horizon — those phony sideshows are disappearing. And honestly, that might be a good thing. The game is faster, cleaner, and more honest than it used to be. The drama now comes from execution, not theatrics.

And with that, we wrap things up today with one last story — a man, a seal, and a rock.

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