SÃO PAULO — “It was sloppy,” DeVonta Smith said. And he wasn’t talking about caipirinha cocktails. He wasn’t talking about field conditions in a soccer venue in the first-ever NFL game in South America. No, the wide receiver was stating what was visible as the Philadelphia Eagles debuted their revamped system under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

“It was sloppy,” Smith repeated. “But we responded well.”

Indeed, they did. They’re 1-0 after their 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Arena Corinthians; despite Cam Jurgens snapping the ball to Jalen Hurts when the quarterback wasn’t ready; despite Hurts twice forcing the football into heavy coverage on passes that resulted in picks (one in the end zone); despite Jurgens and Hurts mishandling a last-minute “Brotherly Shove” snap that, instead of securing certain victory, preceded a field goal that gave the Green Bay Packers one last attempt at a possible comeback.

“We’re working out kinks,” said Jurgens, who took ownership of both fumbles. “When you can work things out and still get a win, it’s a good feeling.”

Saquon Barkley saved their pigskin. He jumped on that final fumbled snap. He accounted for three of Philadelphia’s four touchdowns. He logged 109 yards on 24 carries and two scores, plus two catches, including an 18-yard touchdown on a well-timed wheel route. He made general manager Howie Roseman quite happy that he set a franchise record in per-year spending on running backs by signing Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million deal in the offseason.

Saquon Freaking Barkley#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ZdXg8tLqB0

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 7, 2024

“He had a hell of a game tonight,” Hurts said. “I’m happy that he’s on our side.”

The Eagles haven’t wielded a weapon quite like Barkley since LeSean McCoy. As sufficient as D’Andre Swift and Miles Sanders were in Philadelphia’s backfield the last two seasons, neither running back possessed the start-stop speed or the burst that busted Barkley deep beyond the Packers defense on an 11-yard touchdown run and a 34-yard scamper into the open field.

At last, he had blocking. Barkley, who averaged 1.35 yards before contact in six years with the New York Giants, according to TruMedia, said in training camp that he chose to sign with the Eagles partly due to Philadelphia’s formidable offensive line. There, on that 11-yard score, was a colossal chasm between Jurgens and right guard Mekhi Becton. Barkley made one sudden cut, and the Eagles suddenly led 14-12 with 5:38 left in the first half.

“They did a really good job of just setting up for me,” Barkley said. “I just try to stick to my rules. That’s my big thing to share is, you know, sometimes I can tend to try to do too much. And I don’t have to have that mentality, but I let (the offensive line) work. And when it’s time to do extra stuff, I’ll be ready for that too.”

Speaking of “extra stuff,” Moore wasn’t restricted from deploying the pre-snap motions that’d been part of his philosophy. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, whose 2023 system was the most stagnant in the NFL, had said earlier this week that “no one really knows what we’re going to do.” By my count, the Eagles used pre-snap motion on 47.3 percent of their plays against the Packers.

That included Dallas Goedert motioning left into a swing pass in which Goedert gained 1 yard. That included Britain Covey switching from wide right to wide left and Hurts hitting Goedert for a 4-yard gain in the space Covey once filled. That included A.J. Brown quickly stepping from the slot to just beyond Goedert, matching Brown against Jaire Alexander. Brown’s double move — outside, inside — left him open along the sideline. Hurts struck Brown in stride, and the receiver weaved past the Packers’ secondary for a 67-yard score.

Brown’s 23.8 yards per reception (five catches, 119 yards) were his highest average since Week 16 of the 2022 regular season. Hurts managed to find Brown in crucial third-down situations in which he faced a heavy rush. On third-and-8 on Philadelphia’s fourth drive (Barkley’s first rushing touchdown), Hurts zipped the ball to Brown for a 20-yard conversion just before getting demolished by a defender. Hurts was 6-of-7 passing for 91 yards and his 18-yard touchdown to Barkley while facing the Packers blitz, according to TruMedia.

It was a promising sign for a system in which Hurts is handling more of the pre-snap protection calls and designations for which a receiver is “hot” against the blitz. Hurts was sacked twice. The second he seemed to draw himself just before halftime, which limited a promising two-minute drive to yielding only a 38-yard Jake Elliott field goal and a 19-17 deficit to the Packers at the break.

“I thought pass protection was pretty good today,” Jurgens said. “I thought we did a good job. We’ll watch film, see how it was. But it felt good out there. We’ve got some weapons on the outside. I think we really used them today and played really well.”

Sloppiness stemmed to the Eagles defense, too.

Sirianni fired former defensive coordinator Sean Desai partly because his system surrendered the NFL’s second-most passing yards in 2023. The Eagles thought they’d improve the defense by hiring the system’s creator, Vic Fangio. But there were moments when it wasn’t clear there’d been any change at all. Jordan Love, who completed 17-of-34 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, exploited an apparent coverage bust by striking Jayden Reed for a 70-yard touchdown to seize their halftime lead. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, signed in free agency to improve the back end, missed a tackle that could’ve saved the score.

Apparently, Gardner-Johnson caught some heat from the fan base by the time he returned to the locker room.

“All them fans that got some s— to say. Y’all get y’all a– out there and come tackle with us. Put that in the news,” Garnder-Johnson said. He turned to his left and spotted Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. “Tell them, Jeffrey. Every fan say they can make a tackle, we’re gonna invite everybody that say we suck at tackling, we’re gonna bring them out there with A.J. Brown and see if they can make a f—ing tackle. Everybody know that s— ain’t so easy.”

Lurie just laughed.

Reed Blankenship, flushed in the face but not disagreeing, continued his post-game interview. Yes, they’d had some coverage breakdowns, Blankenship said. Yes, they hadn’t done just “what we did in practice.” But when the Packers had a shot to go up two scores in the third quarter, Blankenship hawked Love’s throw into the seam for a game-shifting interception. Blankenship said he’d seen Love make as if he wanted to throw to Reed along the sideline, but turned back to the middle of the field once Gardner-Johnson cut off that option.

“So, it was one of those anticipation moments,” Blankenship said. “But I couldn’t have done it if he didn’t do his job on the back end.”

It’s difficult to immediately deduce where the breakdown occurred on Reed’s 70-yard score. The Eagles were playing dime, their six-defensive back package designated for passing scenarios such as that third-and-10. Second-round rookie Cooper DeJean and veteran Avonte Maddox appeared to be covering short zones in the slot. Gardner-Johnson was the deepest safety, but at the very least caught by surprise that Reed was running alone into the right hash.

“This is the hardest sport because it includes all 11 guys,” Gardner-Johnson said. “And if all 11 aren’t on the same page, stuff happens. That doesn’t mean you’re the (worst) player in the world. If that’s the case, the owner would’ve let you go. We’ve got to understand that this game right here, we’ve got to understand that as young guys, we’re just now getting good. We’re playing together and we’re understanding we can be dominant in every f—ing aspect of the game.”

Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell revealed himself to be a reliable starter in his professional debut. Love tested the No. 22 pick on a deep ball early in the first quarter, but Mitchell swatted the ball from Christian Watson’s grip. Later, Mitchell extended himself laterally to deflect another Love pass near the sticks.

Mitchell played entirely at outside corner, an interesting development considering Fangio’s devotion throughout training camp to platooning the rookie at nickel. Mitchell had played outside cornerback in base packages, then switched to nickel during preseason games. But Maddox started at nickel against the Packers. The arrangement may be untenable. Maddox was targeted on back-to-back plays by Love, first drawing a pass interference, then a touchdown on the following play.

The absence of Isaiah Rodgers may have played a role. He’d mainly been the outside cornerback throughout training camp when Mitchell played nickel. Rodgers was ruled inactive with a hand injury. When asked if Rodgers’ absence played into the decision, Sirianni said, “That’s still a competitive edge that we have that I’ll keep to myself.” Fielding Maddox at nickel also raises the question of whether the Eagles were confident Kelee Ringo could’ve fulfilled the game plan at cornerback in nickel packages.

Sirianni, who has further embraced his CEO-type role in 2024, has 10 days to reduce the sloppiness before the Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Sept. 16. The 43-year-old coach is now 4-0 in regular-season openers.

“Excited to continue to move on,” Sirianni said. “We’ll have some tough conversations about what went right and what went wrong, but pleased with these guys and we’ll get better from this game.”

(Top photo: Pedro Vilela / Getty Images)

“SUPER SPIKE!” the PA announcer bellows inside the electric party atmosphere of the North Arena on the outskirts of Paris.

Arms outstretched wide, Morteza Mehrzad, sitting on the floor in his red top and black trousers, lets out a roar to celebrate yet another punishing blow which immediately ends the rally.

It is just one of the 27 points, the most accumulated by any one player, that helped Iran win a record-extending eighth Sitting Volleyball Paralympic title after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final by three sets to one (22-25, 30-28, 25-16, 25-14). When Mehrzad briefly stood to shake hands with his opponent at the end of the game, the net came up to his midriff. His team-mates came up level with his sternum.

Standing at 8ft 1in (2m 46cm) — larger than most doors, longer than most beds — the 36-year-old is the second tallest man in the world.

Born with gigantism, his impairment has posed some problems. Mehrzad had been sleeping on the floor in the Paralympic village. The Iran team requested an extended bed before the Games but the two extensions provided to a standard athlete’s bed were insufficient. A third extension was made and his coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani and Paris 2024 organisers confirmed this week that the issue had been resolved and Mehrzad was sleeping comfortably in the village.

Indeed it was Rezaeigarkani — who has won eight gold medals from his 10 Paralympic games, first as a coach and then as a player — who spotted Mehrzad on an Iranian television programme featuring people with physical abnormalities. The coach contacted Merhzad — who uses a wheelchair having injured his pelvis in a bike accident at the age of 16, stopping the growth of his right leg — and got him into the sport.

Mehrzad rarely went out in public, Rezaeigarkani has said in previous interviews, because his height and facial features — the latter caused by acromegaly, a hormonal disorder — attracted strange looks.

“I was a depressed guy and my life changed completely with volleyball,” Mehrzad told Esportivo. Rezaeigarkani believes the sport gave him hope.

Mehrzad was a key player in Iran’s gold medal pursuit (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Having stood out in public and received unwanted attention, Mehrzad is now head and shoulders above the rest courtesy of his sporting prowess.

Evidently, there are significant advantages to having such a tall player on your team. When sitting, Mehrzad has a maximum reach of 6ft 4in (1.96m). His hand stretches 81cm above the height of the net, allowing him to generate immense power as he kills off points with winning shots. As an outside hitter, that is his job.

Mehrzad has to make sure his body is in the right position, however, and such a large frame requires agile movement. Sweat dripping down his face, he pushes his lower body on the floor, legs extended, up and down the court swiftly, reading the quick interchange of play.

Mehrzad’s reach stretches 81cm above the height of the net (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

In fact, as well as his menacing spikes, what stood out most on Friday night is that Mehrzad, at the changing of ends or time-outs, always moved by shuffling and rarely got to his feet. “Morteza is the best spiker and one of the most important players in the world,” said his best friend and the final’s fastest server (73km/h), Meisam Ali Pour, speaking via a translator after the game. “He knows what to do, but he can’t do it by himself.”

Silver medallist Stevan Crnobrnja of Bosnia viewed Mehrzad as just another one of Iran’s great players. They accepted they could not do much about his height advantage, but focused on neutralising others who were crucial in setting him up. If one of his team-mates does not set or pass the ball, Mehrzad is helpless.

Ali Pour, who, going into the final, had contributed more points (39) than Mehrzad (28), emphasised the need for teamwork. “If all the best players in the world play together, they will not be able to beat Iran,” he said.

Mehrzad towers above his team-mates (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Expressive and animated on the court, off the court, Mehrzad, who was not available for interview, is shy, reserved and does not like attention.

His team-mates and coach see him as just one member of a very united group. “My team has 12 stars, Morteza is one of them,” said coach Rezaeigarkani. “We did not have Morteza before and we will not (always) have him in the future.”

When asked what the secret to Iran’s success is, Rezaeigarkan replied: “Work, work, work.”

(Top photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images) 

For Mike Baumann, it started the same way as his first seven seasons in professional baseball. He was, as always, employed by the Baltimore Orioles, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2017. He wanted to help a familiar organization while advancing his own career.

“My expectation was to take a step forward with the Orioles and to be a part of the bullpen,” Baumann said this week. “I was really excited. I was really looking forward to it. I didn’t perform like I wanted to, things just didn’t go my way and that’s the nature of the business.”

The business, though, has treated Baumann in a way that only one other player in the history of the sport has been treated. Baumann has appeared for five major league teams in 2024: the Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins. He’s made so many stops, he should have his own concert-tour T-shirt:

Baltimore, March 28-May 17

Seattle, May 23-July 11

His stint with the Mariners only lasted seven weeks. (D. Ross Cameron / USA Today)

San Francisco (One Night Only!) – July 26

Baumann gave up two runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning for the Giants against the Rockies. (Stan Szeto / USA Today)

Los Angeles, July 31-August 22

His tenure with the Angels consisted of 10 appearances. (Mark Goldman / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Miami, August 27-present

Baumann has now been with the Marlins for 10 days. (John Hefti / USA Today)

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Baumann’s busy itinerary ties him with pitcher Oliver Drake (2018) for most MLB teams in a single season. Twenty others have played for four teams in a season, including relievers Yohan Ramirez and Matt Bowman this year. But only Drake and Baumann have made it to five.

“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, going from highs to lows, but every time I’ve been claimed, I’ve been grateful,” Baumann said. “I’ve been given a ton of opportunities, and I’ve been fortunate for that.”

Zipping through five teams in one season takes several converging factors. Typically, the player needs a skill that teams want; a minimal salary; success in the past and less success in the present.

Baumann fits every category. He throws 96 mph and earns $749,000. He was 10-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 60 games for Baltimore last season, but has a 7.26 ERA since leaving the Orioles in May.

Most importantly, Baumann is out of minor-league options, meaning he cannot be sent to the minors without passing through waivers. Appearances aside, that made the stakes much different for him this season, especially with a strong team.

“I knew I was out of options, and I knew the Orioles had a ton of good depth,” Baumann said. “So going into the season, I told myself I’ve got to perform if I want to be a part of it.”

After a shaky start to the season, Baumann pitched well in his final six outings for Baltimore. But he was designated for assignment when starter Grayson Rodriguez returned from the injured list in mid-May, and the Orioles worked out a trade with the Mariners to send him on his way.

“I wasn’t too surprised,” Baumann said. “I knew I was kind of the last guy in the bullpen. They had a lot of good arms in Triple A and some guys coming back from injury. So it was bittersweet; I loved the Orioles. But when I found out it was Seattle, they were a first-place team at the time and I was really looking forward to the opportunity.”

In his second game as a Mariner, Baumann worked a scoreless 10th inning to beat the rival Houston Astros. But with a 5.51 ERA for Seattle in 18 games, he lost his roster spot again and was traded to the Giants for cash.

With San Francisco, Baumann reunited with pitcher Sean Hjelle, a former teammate at Mahtomedi (Minn.) High School. The fun lasted for two-thirds of an inning against Colorado on July 26, and then it was onto the Angels, who acquired Baumann for cash.

“That one happened so fast,” he said of his Giants tenure. “I didn’t get time to settle in or even get to know a lot of people’s names.”

Five days after facing the Colorado Rockies in his Giants debut, Baumann faced them again in his first game with the Angels. After 10 games with the Angels (and a 6.75 ERA), he joined the Marlins and debuted on Aug. 27 against — who else? — the Rockies.

If they didn’t know better, they’d think he was stalking them. But Baumann just goes where teams tell him to go, without getting too attached.

“I’ve been living in hotels, checking in and out,” he said. “It’s been the easiest way rather than actually getting apartment leases. I’ve kind of been narrowing down my suitcases. I’ve been traveling really light.”

If he’s looking for a higher meaning to all this, Baumann got it with the waiver claim by the Marlins on August 25. When he found out, he was home in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife, Nicole, who was eight months pregnant with their first child and due this month. To join a team in the same state — albeit a five-hour drive from home — was an ideal fit.

“When we were out West, it was kind of like, ‘Am I going to be able to make the birth of my own child?’” Baumann said. “I remember I was so excited because after going back and forth across the country, I could just go down to Miami.”

The Marlins liked Baumann’s velocity (not just on the fastball, but also his 92 mph slider) and his knuckle curve. With better control, they believe Baumann could be a keeper. He’s had four outings for Miami through Thursday, two scoreless and two in which he allowed three runs.

It’s a fitting performance for an historically uneven season that began on one coast, traversed another and wound up close to home.

Everyday Willy A

Adames, on a power surge, eyes 162

Willy Adames celebrated his 29th birthday on Monday by homering in his fifth game in a row, tying a Milwaukee Brewers club record. The five-game stretch included 11 RBIs, and even when the streak ended on Tuesday, Adames drove in another run to make him the first National Leaguer with 100 RBIs this season.

For Adames — who is positioning himself for a lucrative winter in free agency — another number might matter more: 162 games played. Adames has started every Brewers game at shortstop since Sept. 27, and he hopes to make it all the way this season.

“It’s fun to be out there every day, competing with the boys and just having fun,” Adames said. “I’ve never done it, so I want to do it. I keep fighting with the guys here that want to give me an off-day, but we’re trying to do it this year — and hopefully we can continue to play all the games in the postseason.”

Adames led the National League in RBIs with 100 heading into Thursday’s games. (Katie Stratman / USA Today)

Adames, whose career high in games is 152, is one of seven players who have played every game this season, with the Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna, the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos and the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr.

Players sometimes take a break once playoff spots are decided, but it’s worth watching to see how many get to 162. The last time seven players appeared in all 162 games was 2007, with Jeff Francoeur, Carlos Lee, Juan Pierre, Jimmy Rollins, Grady Sizemore, Delmon Young and Ryan Zimmerman.

The majors’ longest active streak belongs to Olson, Atlanta’s first baseman, at 598 games. It appears that Cal Ripken Jr.’s record of 2,632, which stretched from 1982 to 1998, is safe.

“I think that’s going to be forever there,” Adames said. “I mean, playing two seasons (of consecutive games) is impressive. Imagine playing 2,000-plus.”

Gimme Five

Five bits of ballpark wisdom

Braves catching coach Sal Fasano on the masters of the position

For most of Sal Fasano’s formative years, a baseball team in his hometown sent a catcher to the All-Star Game. He was a Chicago kid in the 1980s, and if the White Sox’ Carlton Fisk didn’t make it, the Cubs’ Jody Davis usually did. Fasano paid attention to them and other standouts, especially Bob Boone, who made the punishing position seem alluring.

“I always had an affinity for catching,” Fasano said. “It’s like in football, I was an offensive lineman. Nobody loves offensive linemen. I do, and I love catching. I love the backbone. And that’s what we call them: the backbone.”

Fasano, 53, served nine teams as a backbone backup from 1996 through 2008. His finest contemporaries, he said, were Jorge Posada, Jason Varitek and Bengie Molina. They combined for just three Gold Gloves, but invariably led their teams to the World Series.

“Some guys always win,” Fasano said, “and there’s a reason.”

Fasano (left) with Braves catcher Sean Murphy (right) in June. (David Butler II / USA Today)

The Braves have always won since Fasano joined their staff in 2018, the start of their six-year reign atop the National League East. Fasano, who also managed and coached in the Toronto Blue Jays’ and Angels’ farm systems, is the catching coach for the Braves, who are now chasing the Phillies in the East.

Both teams’ success, Fasano said, has a lot to do with catchers coaxing the best from their pitchers.

“Look at what (J.T.) Realmuto’s done with their pitching staff, and look at what our guys have done with our pitchers,” Fasano said. “You’ve got to have guys who know how to control the pitching staff — because it all revolves around that dude in the middle.”

Here are some of Fasano’s insights about five aspects of catching, and who has done it best.

Receiving: “The way we did it in our day, it was treated differently. You didn’t want to move the ball very much, you wanted to keep your body still. It was a different technique, and I think Tyler Flowers became revolutionary. I mean, people caught on one knee before; Manny Sanguillen, Tony Peña, they did their thing and basically made it unique, so it was almost like their art form. … But Tyler Flowers came in and decided to say, ‘Hey, I might be able to create value for myself by stealing strikes.’ So when he went onto one knee, he basically revolutionized the whole system of catcher, because everybody does it now. Teams were studying what he was doing, so when I got hired over here, I was like, ‘You do your mechanic, I’ll learn what you’re doing.’ And then we tried to implement it throughout the system, and we’ve had a lot of success doing it.”

Quick release: “When you watch Realmuto, he’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen, (with) probably the best exchange I’ve ever seen in my life. Last year we broke him down for the playoffs and he’s averaging 1.78 to second base. Nobody’s doing that. Pudge (Rodriguez) might have been closest to that. Pudge was the best thrower in my era, like a 1.8. It’s just a math equation. And J.T., in this era, there’s not too many guys like that.”

Balls in the dirt: “If blocking was at zero when I played, blocking is at, like, plus-20 now. Guys block way better. I think Sean Murphy does a tremendous job. He’s one of my favorites when it comes to blocking. In the old days, when we had two knees up, it was really hard to get your knees down at the same time. That’s why being on one knee is actually easier. If both knees hit (the ground) off-time, it stiffens your body. Think about it: if you jump and land one foot at a time, your body’s actually going to vibrate, your eyes are going to vibrate, it’s chaos for your body. On one knee, it’s a slide, so you’re calmer. You can absorb the ball better, you can do a lot of things. But blocking is really a state of mind. I don’t care what technique you have, guys who love blocking are really good at blocking.”

Plays at the plate: “I watched Mike Macfarlane take beatings at home plate — but guys were out. You’ve gotta protect yourself, catch the ball, put the tag on, and if all else fails, complete the play. Those are my rules. Mike was really, really good at protecting home plate. I saw him get crushed by so many people. It was really difficult to watch. I’d say, ‘Mike, man, how do you do that?’ He said, ‘I just want to get into a turtleback. You know you’re gonna get hit and you’re gonna roll.’ It’s against the rules now if you’re in the lane, so we’ve had to make amendments to how we (protect) home plate, because we have to give them a lane. How can we put our left knee down and still create a lane? Or if it’s done early enough, I can take away the lane? And that’s what a lot of people don’t understand. So the little idiosyncrasies of what we can do behind the plate, a lot of people don’t know the rules. There’s a lot of practice and a lot of technique, and that’s what spring training is for.”

Communicating with pitchers: “I was doing catching (instruction) for the Blue Jays, and I remember seeing Dan Jansen, he’s 18 years old at the time and he’s walking to the clubhouse and surrounded by three pitchers, and they’re just having a nice conversation. And I’m like, ‘Oooh, that guy’s born to be a catcher.’ We had just drafted him, he was raw, we didn’t know he was going to be a big league catcher. But once you realize, ‘Oh my gosh, his gift is communication,’ then I don’t care how he catches, I don’t care how he throws it, let’s nurture that. When you give him information, is he able to make the pitchers better? Because that’s really what our position is: can you make the people around you better? That’s the sign of greatness. It’s like Travis (d’Arnaud). We were in Double A, and Travis isn’t the most rah-rah, pump-your-fist kind of guy. He’s kind of like a comedian on the field, he has a good time. But when he has a man-to-man conversation, it’s always in the clubhouse, and he’s always talking to them on a personal level. So his personal relationships with pitchers are huge. Think about when he took the Mets to the World Series with all those young pitchers, and then he did it with us, too. I mean, does he throw the best? No. Does he catch the best? No. Does he block the best? No. But does he call a great game? Yes, and he’s able to get the most out of his pitchers.”

Off the Grid

A historical detour from the Immaculate Grid

Cliff Dapper – Dodgers catcher

In the long and lively history of the Dodgers’ franchise — from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, as the Bridegrooms, Superbas, Robins and Dodgers — 209 players have suited up as catcher. The one with the highest batting average (minimum 10 plate appearances) is also the only one to have been traded for a broadcaster. Cliff Dapper, then, made for a really fun answer on Monday’s grid.

After three seasons with his hometown Hollywood Stars in the old Pacific Coast League, Dapper dazzled with Brooklyn for eight games near the start of the 1942 season, going 7-for-18 (.471) with a homer and nine RBIs in eight games. He spent the next three years in military service and never returned to the majors.

In 1948, though, Dapper was still a Dodger farmhand when a need arose in the Brooklyn broadcast booth. The venerable voice of the team, Red Barber, had a bleeding ulcer and the Dodgers — always shrewd judges of talent — fixed their ears on Ernie Harwell, who was working for the minor-league Atlanta Crackers on WSB, a station with a powerful signal.

The Dodgers wanted Harwell but the Crackers needed something in return. That something turned out to be Dapper, who would spend 1949 as player-manager for the Crackers. Harwell, meanwhile, went on to a Hall of Fame career in the booth, spending most of his 55 major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers.

To mark Harwell’s retirement in 2002, the Tigers invited Dapper to a ceremony at Comerica Park. It was the first time the two had ever met.

“It was the biggest thrill I have ever had in baseball,” Dapper, then 82, told his local paper, the North County Times in Escondido, Calif., after the event. “I still feel honored that I was traded for a great radio announcer. I’m just some rinky-dink.”

Dapper explained that Branch Rickey, the celebrated Dodgers general manager, was concerned that the trade would be embarrassing for him. In fact, Dapper said, he was eager to get a chance to manage, and thrilled to finally meet Harwell so many years later.

“He said to me, ‘I really appreciate you coming back here, Cliff,’” Dapper said. “He is such a gracious man.”

Harwell died in 2010 at age 92, a year before Dapper died at 91. The Tigers honored Harwell with a statue at the ceremony when the two met.

“When I see a statue, I think of history, of Washington and Lincoln, generals Grant and Lee,” Harwell said that day, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “I don’t deserve a statue or part of history. But let me tell you, from my heart, I’m proud this statue is me.”

Classic clip

Mark McGwire on “The Simpsons”

Monday marks the 26th anniversary of Mark McGwire’s 62nd home run in 1998, which made him the first player to break Roger Maris’ single-season record. It’s a moment viewed much differently now, but at the time — when we really should have known better — it was hailed as a soaring triumph.

With that, naturally, came television appearances for McGwire. In 1999, he appeared in Helen Hunt’s bedroom on “Mad About You,” wearing only a pillow. He was also on “The Simpsons” that year, distracting the ever-gullible citizens of Springfield with his home run prowess.

McGwire — dispatched by MLB to recover evidence that it was monitoring the town — utters a truly remarkable line, given everything that would surface about his use of steroids. It’s another celebrated instance of “The Simpsons” supposedly predicting the future.

In 1998, when the league and the media should have aggressively challenged the players’ association on the necessity of drug testing (“privacy” was the union’s rationale), we instead built up McGwire and Sammy Sosa into larger-than-life Greek Gods.

As it turned out, McGwire’s big line on “The Simpsons” said it all: “Do you want to know the terrifying truth,” he asked, “or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?”

(Top photo of Mike Baumann: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)