Introducing “Manfred Mondays” at End of the Bench

In an effort to better connect Generation Z with Major League Baseball, commissioner Rob Manfred has partnered with End of the Bench to publish a weekly column on the state of baseball, his efforts to make the game more youth-friendly, and any other general observations about the world of sports.Waddup fam?Rob Manfred here, getting my weekly blog on now for “End of the Bench.” Our latest research shows that young people really like reading about things on the internet, or “blogs” now, so I thought I’d throw my helmet (put that winking emoji here) into the ring.And what a day to start with the T-Mobile 2021 Home Run Derby, tonight only on ESPN. Of course, we wanted to get the coolest and most hip phone brand possible as we try to expand our audience, so who better than T-Mobile. I am not a fan of their hot pink logo, personally more of a grey/light grey kind of guy, (I know, I’m basic AF LMFAO) but if that’s what Generation Z wants, count me in.Anyways, I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and let you all know a little bit more about me. I know I get a bad rap, but I am hopeful this new blog helps all my young people out there know who “The Man” is.I grew up in New York and went to Cornell and Harvard University. I know most of you like to learn online now, so for those of you unaware, it’s like watching four years worth of YouTube clips, or like a billion Tik Toks. I don’t understand either one, to be honest, personally, I believe that dancing and freedom of expression are stupid, but I understand that’s what you guys want in today’s game.More about me..following school, most of my early professional career revolved around being a lawyer before I came into baseball. You probably didn’t even know who I was before everybody made a big stink about that whole Astros thing in 2020.Look, I don’t want to get into it, and I know me not suspending anybody was like super sus, but it is what it is. In the MLB, we stan a historic precedent, and there just wasn’t any for this kind of thing, so I couldn’t suspend anybody at that time. If I could go back and do things differently I would - no cap.So when the foreign substances on baseballs thing came around last month, I knew I had to like, get that shit right.I’ll spill the full tea on that at a later edition “Manfred Mondays” but just know that I will continue to focus on the War on Foreign Substances for as long as I hold the title of the commissioner.My hope with this weekly column is to just set the vibe right for the rest of the season. I know we got off to a not-so-chill start to the 2021 season, but with the All-Star break upon us, I’m confident we can reset and just start over.Anyways fam, I hope you guys enjoy the home run derby tonight. We love home runs. Stay #Blessed and I look forward to connecting every Monday, only on End of the Bench.Sincerely,Rob "The Man" Manfred