Author: Mike Barnicle

“Oh, it couldn’t be more appropriate than to have Dr. Anthony Fauci on the mound, on the hill, for the Washington Nationals opener. It just couldn’t be more perfect,” says Morning Joe contributor Mike Barnicle during this conversation with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski about news that Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert amid the coronavirus pandemic, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game of Major League Baseball’s pandemic-delayed regular season.

Morning Joe’s Willie Geist and Mike Barnicle talk baseball and the viability of a 2020 MLB season amid the coronavirus pandemic, following MLB teams being forced to cancel practices after failing to receive COVID-19 testing results, players contracting the virus and more. “I think the season is jump ball right now,” says Barnicle. Join the conversation here.

The Morning Joe panel discusses the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals’ trip to the White House to celebrate their victory with President Donald Trump and whether star pitcher Stephen Strasburg will rejoin the team after opting out of the final four years of his contract, three days after being chosen MVP of the World Series. Hear what Willie Geist, Claire McCaskill and Mike Barnicle predict Strasburg’s next move will be.

Listen in on this Morning Joe conversation with Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist, Jonathan Lemire and Mike Barnicle as they review and discuss the Washington Nationals having defeated the Houston Astros in Game One of the 2019 World Series. Join the conversation here.

Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough, Willie Geist and Mike Barnicle discuss former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera—the first man unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame—having received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony with President Donald Trump. “Mariano Rivera is one the nicest human beings that you’ll ever meet in your life, even though he’s an exalted and honored professional baseball player. Hall of Fame baseball player,” says Barnicle. Join the conversation here.

Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Jonathan Lemire and Mike Barnicle about Red Sox legend David Ortiz’s surprise appearance at Fenway Park to throw out the first pitch of the final Red Sox-Yankees game of the season, marking Big Papi’s return to the historic ballpark after recovering for a gunshot wound that occurred during an attack in June in his native Dominican Republic and following the recent announcement that the Red Sox fired their president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “That was a great moment and it was nice to see him out there…back healthy, throwing the way he always throws,” said Barnicle. Listen to more of the discussion here.

Listen in on this Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Willie Geist and Mike Barnicle as they recap and discuss the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, which featured players being mic’d up while playing so they could interact with broadcasters Joe Buck and John Smoltz during the game broadcast on Fox. “That was one of the most enjoyable games to watch that I can recall in years. The interplay between Joe Buck, John Smoltz and not only Freddie Freeman who is very funny, asking for the signs…but, the three Houston players in the field at the same time, all wired up, talking about how exhausted they were from running from first to third. It was just spectacularly fun to watch,” says Barnicle about the 2019 MLB All-Star Game. Join the conversation here.

Click here to listen in on the conversation between columnists Mike Lupica and Mike “The Mayor of Fenway” Barnicle about the wild worlds of baseball and current politics in The Mike Lupica Podcast.

While the Morning Joe panel talks about the slow start to the baseball season for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle praises the Tampa Bay Ray’s early season success as the team sits atop of the American League East Division. “Nobody goes to see Tampa Bay. The fans stay away in droves, and they are a model for what Major League Baseball teams ought to do. They have a really good team. They have a really good manager. They operate on a very lean budget, and still they’re right there: They’re competitive. They play well. Great team.” Listen to more of the baseball discussion here.

“Baseball is part of us. You know, it’s like our faith. You’re born with it, and you live with it, and it’s every day. It’s a constant. The days get longer, the weather gets warmer. It’s a relief from the everyday stress of things that we talk about each and every day, and it is back—finally—today,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle as he and Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough rejoice over the start of the 2019 Major League Baseball season. Listen to more of the discussion here about how baseball unites generations and provides a respite from “what’s happening in Washington, D.C.”