AROUND THE HORN
Media: Rick Hummel, an esteemed writer who covered the Cardinals and Major League Baseball for five decades for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch until his retirement last year, died early Saturday after a short, aggressive illness. He was 77. “St Louis lost a legend in Rick Hummel,” Cardinals veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright said on Twitter. “Always fair. Always in a good mood . ... The respect and trust he earned from players is a rare thing in our world . ... Still taking hand written notes that are impossible to read, and never misquoting. Still looking for the best in people and writing the truth.” Hummel was the 2006 winner of the Hall of Fame’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing, which in 2021 was renamed the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Career Excellence Award. The Cardinals named their media area the Bob Broeg-Rick Hummel Press Box.
Athletics: A’s broadcaster Glen Kuiper was let go by NBC Sports California after using a racial slur during a telecast while describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Kuiper was suspended by the network earlier this month following his slur that aired during a pregame segment of an A’s game against the Royals on May 5. Kuiper talked about a trip to the museum with colleague Dallas Braden but seemingly mispronounced the word “negro,” making it sound instead like a slur. “Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately,” the network said in a statement Monday. “We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years.” A person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that “the decision was based on a variety of factors, including information uncovered in the internal review.” Kuiper has been calling A’s games in the Bay Area for the last 20 years.
Rangers: Jacob deGrom threw a 32-pitch bullpen session before the Rangers played the Pirates in Pittsburgh as the righthander continues his recovery from elbow inflammation. “It went really, really well,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He said he feels great and didn’t feel anything at all there.” DeGrom threw all fastballs. He will add breaking balls to the mix when he throws his next bullpen Friday, when the Rangers play the Orioles in Baltimore. Bochy said no timetable has been established for deGrom’s return, and that the 34-year-old two-time Cy Young Award winner could possibly be added to the active roster without a minor league rehab assignment. DeGrom has been on the 15-day IL since April 29. DeGrom (2-0) played his first nine big league seasons with the Mets. He was limited to 156 ⅓ innings over 26 starts the last two years because of injuries before signing his five-year, $185 million deal in free agency in December.