The world of baseball received some really wholesome news on Sunday.

Former MLB manager Jim Leyland received the long-awaited call that gives him his permanent ticket to Cooperstown.

The Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players Committee met on Sunday, and Leyland was the only person elected to the Hall.

“It’s the highest honor you can get in our business,” Leyland told MLB.com, “and I’m just thrilled, excited, surprised, flattered. All those words come into play when you’re thinking about this.”

One of Leyland’s former players, Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander, took some time to congratulate his former skipper via Twitter.

Both men crossed paths on the early-2000s Detroit Tigers.

“Congratulations Skip!! I’m so incredibly happy for you and your family! When we first met I was so nervous… you were already a legend! You quickly became more than just a manager but a friend… Thank you for your faith in me from the beginning!” Verlander tweeted.

Congratulations Skip!! I’m so incredibly happy for you and your family! When we first met I was so nervous… you were already a legend! You quickly became more than just a manager but a friend… Thank you for your faith in me from the beginning!

— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) December 4, 2023

Wholesome words for a friend.

Leyland managed the Tigers from 2006 to 2013.

Verlander, on the other hand, made his MLB debut as a young fireballer in 2005, impressing the world with his fastball-curveball combination.

Leyland gave him a chance to be one of the Tigers’ starters in 2006 and he responded with a solid 3.63 ERA in 186 innings.

He also won 17 games that season.

That year, the Tigers advanced all the way to the World Series but shockingly lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Together, both men would go on to dominate the AL Central division, even making another Fall Classic trip in 2012.

Leyland’s career started way before his Tigers stint, though.

He managed MLB teams since 1986 and won three Manager of the Year awards plus the 1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins.

All things considered, Leyland belongs in the Hall and it was cool to see Verlander taking some time to celebrate his feat.

The post MLB Ace Congratulates Jim Leyland On Major Accomplishment appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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The Juan Soto sweepstakes are in a precarious position — for the Yankees, anyway. Deesha Thosar writes New York better trade for the Padres superstar now, before it’s too late.



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The NBA is about to start the next phase of its first In-Season Tournament and fans are excited to see what happens next.

Which team will reign supreme and claim the first NBA Cup?

Speaking of the NBA Cup, the league showed it off on Monday morning, along with medals for the winning players and the tournament MVP trophy too.

Dave McMenamin shared pictures of the trophies on Twitter and the reaction from fans was decidedly mixed.

The NBA released images of the In-Season Tournament hardware that will be handed out in Vegas this weekend: The NBA Cup trophy for the championship winning team, medals for the winning players and the IST MVP trophy (Not pictured: the five bricks each winning player will earn) pic.twitter.com/QnTfUvHHPt

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 4, 2023

Some people came straight out and claimed that the trophy is officially “the ugliest award in sports history.”

The ugliest award in sports history

— NiteNiteCurry (@NiteNiteCurry) December 4, 2023

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Others called these “clown show awards.”

There were some positive reactions to the trophies, of course, but the majority of people didn’t seem very impressed.

Clown show awards.

— Chris Rohlfing (@J2Chris) December 4, 2023

Then were many people who showed their support for their favorite teams.

One fan plainly stated that the New Orleans Pelicans were going to earn these trophies, while others showed their support for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Pelicans

— Polpoll (@Polpoll140544) December 4, 2023

lakers taking it

— Jones (@lakerstjr) December 4, 2023

Very soon, all fans will know which team was the best of the best in the In-Season Tournament.

The first games of the next round are being held on Monday night with the Pelicans facing off against the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers battling the Boston Celtics.

Although people weren’t sure how the tournament would go when it was first announced, the reaction has been very kind so far.

Fans and analysts like the energy of the games and feel that players are performing well.

There is a sense of urgency to the tournament even though the games are being played at the beginning of the season.

Now it’s time to see who ends up winning it all and taking a place in NBA history.

The post Fans React To First Images Of NBA In-Season Tournament Trophy appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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