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Running off at the typewriter …

Thanks to the many readers on both sides of the issue for responding to a column I wrote earlier this week on the hot-button issue of transgender people participating in girls and women’s sports. My stance has been pretty consistent: While supporting transgender rights and compassion, I firmly believe that biological males retain physical advantages after puberty, making their participation in women’s sports unfair and undermining competitive integrity.

However, one of the things that has bothered me most about this issue is that transgender athletes who just want a place to play and the entire transgender population — the vast majority of whom don’t participate in organized athletics — have been dragged into this polarizing political firestorm. They have been vilified by many of those on the right and patronized by many of those on the left.

A transgender young woman reached out to me after reading my column and her words resonated with poignant sorrow, powerful honesty and dry humor.

Here’s what she said:

“I’m a transgender girl, and so I’m very amused by the antics of those who hate me.

Of course it’s true that transgender people are not actually playing in women’s sports in large numbers. I don’t, at least. … As for me, I remember being bullied in mandatory gym class for ‘throwing like a girl’ back before I knew what ‘transgender’ even was. But I don’t play sports. None of my transgender friends play sports either.

But it does make a good political issue for (President) Trump, and that’s why the ‘biological truth’ matters less than the ‘grand total reality truth.’ While in normal times, it would be fine and fair to discuss sports fairness issues, it’s not quite a normal time when the president is calling in the Marines on American citizens, while demonizing transgender people, censoring the internet and colleges, and taking control of the entire government. Among other things.

If not for all that, sure.

Instead, we (transgender people) must contend with the idea that we are defending more than ‘sports.’ We are defending actual freedom, in the larger sense, and so what we seek is a unified front, and for that, I’d recommend keeping discussions incredibly ‘The Matrix’ aware, and not fall for tricks and psychological traps that politicians and media manipulators lay for us voters.

And that also includes the people you critiqued in your article. They gotta get real with how they respond to this stuff. Even if I DO throw like a girl, I’m still pretty tall. And, so, I’m not going to play naive.

The way I see the world, as a transgender person: Most people have been TRICKED into seeing me as an enemy. But by the living human biological default, we are allies and good neighbors, and so every time I meet someone who hates me, I feel freshly surprised and shocked, as if I innately expected them to be my friend.

I’ve never seen things as ‘left or right.’ An eagle needs both its wings to fly.

We were meant to be united.” 

If only our politicians showed half as much nuance, grace and truth as she did in that one email. …

Short stuff: “ESPN’s College GameDay” announced earlier this week that it will be at the Texas-Ohio State game in Week 1, which will be the legendary Lee Corso’s final appearance on the show. Sure, the Ohio State-Texas game is the marquee matchup of the weekend, but the game is airing on Fox. Why wouldn’t “GameDay” be at Corso’s alma mater in Tallahassee for the FSU-Alabama game on ABC? You don’t honor The Godfather of “GameDay” by crashing someone else’s wedding. ESPN may have picked the biggest game, but they didn’t pick the right one. … With the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight year and shooting for back-to-back championships, the tradition of their fans throwing rubber rodents on the ice has been getting tons of publicity. I haven’t heard so much talk about rats in South Florida since Jimmy Butler left town. …

Is it just me or does there seem to be as many people taking social media videos and photos of the L.A. protests as there are the protesters themselves? Sigh. Just a sad sign of the times: “Hey, look at me, I’m at the civil unrest experience taking a selfie in front of a burning car — don’t forget to like and subscribe!” … Indianapolis Colts and former Florida Gators QB Anthony Richardson is already hurt, and the season is still months away. I’m not saying he’s fragile, but I’m starting to wonder if he’s really an NFL quarterback or just a Fabergé egg with an arm. … The New York Knicks requested permission to speak to Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka for their open head-coaching job and got denied. They then requested permission to speak to Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and got denied. They have asked permission to speak with Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, and that request, too, has been denied. The Knicks are like the guy trying to get into the VIP party while wearing cargo shorts, a faded Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt and Crocs. …

A moment of silence, please, Brian Wilson has just gone to That Big Endless Summer in the Sky. … Another moment of silence, please, Sly Stone has just gone to That Big Funk Jam in the Sky. … Now that it’s official and colleges can directly begin paying their athletes, conference commissioners say they actually believe the new rules to keep boosters from offering bogus NIL deals can and will be enforced. In related news, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy have been put in charge of compliance and investigations. … Did you see where Florida A&M University athletic director Angela Suggs was arrested Monday on fraud and theft charges for allegedly using a corporate credit card for personal use totaling more than $24,000 at her former job? The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Suggs made wire transfers, cash withdrawals and personal purchases at casinos during business trips. Hey, what’s the big deal? Most ADs spend their money in the transfer portal; Suggs evidently just likes to spend hers at the Blackjack table. … I’m not saying the NBA postseason has been going on for far too long, but here’s a list of the five longest-running TV shows of all-time: (5) Gunsmoke. (4) The Simpsons. (3) 60 Minutes. (2) Meet the Press. (1) 2025 NBA Playoffs. …

Last word: With Wednesday having been the late, great Vince Lombardi’s birthday, let us never forget the inspirational words of the iconic football coach: “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.”

Originally Published: June 11, 2025 at 3:41 PM EDT

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South Carolina Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati discusses the hot topics around Gamecock Athletics

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DETROIT — Every time another one of these pitchers comes along, the thought lingers in the back of everyone’s mind. No one wants to say it. No one even wants to think about it. But it has become reality in this game.

Pitchers who heave triple-digit fastballs and twirl nasty breaking pitches damage their arms.

With every young ace-in-the-making these days, we hold our breaths and try to ignore the elephant.

The uncomfortable thought tiptoed into the room May 23 after a start in which Detroit Tigers rookie Jackson Jobe battled the Cleveland Guardians admirably but never looked quite comfortable himself. After that outing, Jobe made multiple vague references to not feeling good physically.

“Today was definitely not the best I’ve felt,” Jobe said. “But not looking too much into it. Just kind of part of it.”

Can’t blame Jobe for acting like the rest of us. Maybe it’s nothing, it was easy to think. This is the major leagues. Aches and pains are part of the job.

The next time out? Jobe went 4 2/3 innings against the Giants. He gave up seven hits, walked three batters and surrendered three runs. His velocity was down all across the board. Postgame, there was no sight of the talented young pitcher the Tigers drafted third overall in 2021.

Cue the real worries.

The first medical review indicated a Grade 1 flexor strain. That meant the mildest form of the injury. This was still concerning for a young pitcher who has battled a back injury and a hamstring issue in his time in the minor leagues. But this was his first arm injury.

In many ways, Jobe represented the type of pitcher teams hope can be immune — at least for six years of team control — from the effects of pitching in the modern game. He did not emerge as a full-fledged pitcher until late in his high school career. He hardly worked as a starter until his senior year of high school. Even the time missed with non-arm injuries in the minor leagues suggested Jobe had saved some of his bullets.

It’s rarely that simple. If there were a one-size-fits-all way to save arms, everyone would be doing it.

Jobe went in for further medical evaluation. Those exams revealed damage to his ulnar collateral ligament. Now, he is headed for surgery. Speaking to reporters in Baltimore, Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg said Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery. No date has been set for the procedure.

“As is standard in our medical evaluation process, we sought additional evaluations,” Greenberg told reporters. “Through that evaluation process a UCL injury was also discovered. From there, there were a series of conversations between Jackson, the doctors and our medical staff. Ultimately, surgery was determined as the path.”

Until Meister opens up Jobe’s elbow, they likely won’t know the exact nature of the procedure. The internal brace has become a trendy innovation that can stem off full UCL reconstruction. The hope is the brace, even when combined with full UCL reconstructions, can quicken recovery time and make UCLs more durable in the future.

But the amount of two-time Tommy John pitchers is also on the rise. So the fear of injury still dominates every conversation around starting pitching. It lingers when we discuss contracts extensions or big free-agent deals. It’s there when you see a young hurler like Jobe or Paul Skenes.

This spring, Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland was talking about Skenes when the topic arose.

“I think at the end of the day, I don’t know if there’s ever a way you can prevent (injury),” he said. “Some pitchers get hurt. That’s just the way it is. It’s been going on forever. I think you just accept the fact that it’s possible to happen.”

No one wants to whisper those words in the case of Tarik Skubal, who had Tommy John surgery in college and had a flexor tendon surgery in 2022. During that flexor tendon surgery, Skubal has said, Dr. Neal ElAttrache looked at his elbow and determined the UCL was in pristine condition. That was three years ago. Skubal has been durable ever since. But when you see him throwing 102.6 mph in the ninth inning … who’s to say what that means? It’s another thing everyone thinks but no one wants to utter aloud.

The truth is, pitchers and UCL tears go hand in hand. Pending some sweeping rule change, that might not reverse anytime soon. This is no longer a trend. It is a fact. It happened to Skubal and Casey Mize, to Alex Faedo and Joey Wentz and Sawyer Gipson-Long, to pitchers young and old all across baseball.

Jobe now joins the club. Awful for him, even if it’s halfway expected.

“Obviously it’s never news you want to receive and it’s obviously really disappointing for him,” Greenberg said. “But he’s in great hands. He’s a determined individual. We’ve seen this before. We know what that process will look like, and very confident he’s going to come back and be a really important contributor for this team for a long time.”

(Top photo: Monica Bradburn / MLB Photos via Getty Images)