Touch 'Em All: A battle between the Cubs and White Sox, Mike Trout's sweet moment with his son, and an ex-MLB player plays NCAAF

“Touch ‘Em All” Will Start With A Story About A 29-Year-Old Former MLB Star Who Will Be Playing College – Yes, College – Football This Fall

We’ve all heard about the legendary exploits of guys like Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, and Deion Sanders, who all somehow had the physical, mental, and emotional capacity to play baseball while they had other careers going on. Jackson and Sanders both killed it in the NFL, and while Jordan didn’t play pro baseball while he was running the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, the fact that he took a break from basketball, played AA baseball, and then came back to basketball is nothing short of incredible.

Who is your favorite dual-sport athlete of all-time? Let me know: [email protected].

However, there aren’t many people that spend 10 years playing one professional sport and then out-of-the-blue pick up another one. After all, no one could be that physically in shape or that athletically talented.

Could you?

Well, if you're Monte Harrison, by all means do that.

Harrison graduated from high school in 2014 and immediately signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, who offered him a $1.8 million signing bonus (which an 18-year-old would almost never turn down). He toiled in the minor leagues for about six seasons, but finally broke into the major leagues in 2020. Harrison's MLB career lasted only 50 games in total (playing for the Angels and Marlins), but that's 50 more than I've ever played in.

When his MLB career came to an end in 2023, Harrison was a 28-year-old young man with a lot of life left to live. So what did he do? Did he go into the private sector and start a regular 9-5 job like the rest of us?

No, Harrison was too talented athletically for that.

Here's an interesting tidbit I didn't mention at the beginning of this story: Harrison was a four-star recruit coming out of high school – for football – and was the fifth-best recruit from the state of Missouri in his class. He had committed to play football for Nebraska, but the Brewers gave him 1.8 million reasons to change his plans.

So he did it and put football on hold. But only temporarily.

Because he played in the MLB straight out of high school, Harrison never attended college and never used his college eligibility. Now, at 29, he's back in school and, with his 6'3″, 220 lbs. and physique, he's taking the field as a walk-on for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Apparently he's not too bad either!

“He's got really good hands. He can make any catch there is,” said Back Cup quarterback Malachi Singleton. “You can tell he's a little rusty coming out of baseball, but he's definitely going to play a big role for us this year.”

I would love to have enough athletic ability and confidence to believe I could make it to the toughest league in college football, even though I haven't played organized football in 10 years. The fact that he's still doing really well just continues to blow my mind.

As far as college goes, I personally hate the SEC. I find them to be pretty arrogant and have an over-inflated sense of self-worth in the world of college sports. But I love a good story and wish Harrison and the Razorbacks nothing but success this season.

This dispute between the Chicago White Sox and the Cubs fans was as chaotic as the seasons of both teams

The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox are quite rivals since they both play in the same city. However, this year things are not going so well for either of them.

The Cubs, while an outside chance of making the playoffs, are currently fourth in the NL Central. And the White Sox, well, they've played 112 games this year and haven't won 30. To say the White Sox's season has been atrocious would be an insult to the word “atrocious.”

Plus, they lost 21 games once. You know you've had a terrible season when the internet explodes when you break that loss.

Read: Chicago White Sox end losing streak to avoid record and want to start new streak

When the two teams met at Southside last week, both fan bases were already in a pretty bad mood. Admittedly, White Sox fans had more reason to be bad, especially considering they had lost both games to the Cubs on Friday and Saturday.

What do people do when things don't go their way? They tend to become irrational, and that's exactly what happened Saturday to fans on both sides of this rivalry.

Originally, a brawl broke out between White Sox fans, which is perfect for the season. Then, since no one should turn down an opportunity to fight (note the sarcasm), several Cubs fans got involved. All hell broke loose in the concourses of Guaranteed Rate Field, and for almost a full minute, it looked like an IFC brawl was taking place.

I mean, I've seen fan fights in baseball stadiums before, but none of them were this over the top or this drawn out. I guess the fans of both teams can only take so much before they start taking out their anger in unhealthy ways.

It's a bad time for baseball fans in Chicago right now.

Mike Trout and his son Beckham have created a heartwarming memory thanks to some trading cards

One of the best parts of baseball fandom is the trading card culture that comes with it. Of course, there are other sports that produce trading cards for their athletes, but can they compete with the nostalgia and fun that comes with collecting baseball cards?

I remember how excited I was as a seven-year-old when my parents gave me this collection of baseball cards for Christmas. Even though there were 661 cards in the box, it didn't feel like it was nearly enough.

Obviously baseball Fans are not the only ones who like to collect cards. Sometimes, baseball player enjoy it just as much.

Earlier this week, a clip appeared on X of Mike Trout looking through some baseball cards with his son Beckham (what a cool name). Apparently they were on the hunt for Mike's 2009 rookie card in a Bowman deck, so they pounced on it like two eager kids.

Beckham began the process by saying, “We have to get you, daddy, in the most adorable way possible.” And who would have thought, in the end they found one!

I can't imagine what this card will be worth in 20 years or so. Not that Truck needs the money, he signed a $430 million contract five years ago.

But what's even more valuable is the memory and connection Trout had with his child. This will be such a cool memory for them to look back on together.

And it all happened because of some trading cards.

Jackson Merrill channels his inner Jedi Night character at Player's Weekend

What is that strangely satisfying humming sound I hear in the background? Is that a lightsaber or am I just going crazy?

No, it's actually a lightsaber! Or rather, it's Jackson Merrill's bat pretending to be one.

The San Diego Padres center fielder has decided to get creative with his bat. During Players Weekend (which takes place this weekend), he'll be swinging a bat that looks like it came straight out of Obi-Wan Kenobi's belt. As you might expect, it looks pretty cool.

And the best thing about it: it glows in the dark.

Personally, I'm not a huge Star Wars fan – although Rogue One was an absolutely phenomenal film – but it's hard to beat the aesthetic of a lightsaber, especially when you use it in the middle of a baseball game.

May the force be with Merrill as he takes it to the extreme.

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That's it for this week! If you have any ideas for me to write about, email me at [email protected]. Have a fantastic weekend!