Cup of Coffee: March 19, 2026

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Lotsa stuff today, so let's jump in.

The Daily Briefing

Gerrit Cole throws his first pitches in a game since Tommy John surgery

Yesterday Gerrit Cole returned to the mound to pitch in his first actual game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery a year and eight days ago. He threw a scoreless first inning while allowing two singles in the Yankees exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox.

Cole only threw ten pitches so this wasn't exactly like the army testing ordinance at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Six of those ten pitches were fastballs, which topped out at 98.7 mph. Velocity usually comes back pretty quickly after TJ surgery, however. It's command and control that lag, which is why he will not be breaking camp with the Yankees next week even if the gas is already back.

At the moment Cole and the team are still targeting a late May or early June return to the Yankees rotation, but for now this is a good sign.

José Berríos has a stress fracture in his pitching elbow

Some bad news for the Toronto Blue Jays: righty starter José Berríos has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow and will not be ready for Opening Day.

The weird thing about this injury is that Berríos had been pitching through it this spring completely unaware. No pain or anything. It was discovered when he underwent an MRI in preparation for pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Berríos was surprised. And now he's sidelined for an indefinite period. The plan seems to be to just give himself some time and get a new scan at some point to see if things have improved, what with his pain level not being particularly diagnostic in this case.

Berríos, 31, went 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 appearances for the Blue Jays last season. He ended the season on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation and didn’t pitch in the postseason. You have to assume that inflammation and the stress fracture are related, but what do I know? I'm no doctor.

An in-park, delay-free radio broadcast? I'm listening . . .

One of the more pathetic things about me is that while I am nominally (if ever-decreasingly) a baseball writer, I have a hard time paying close attention to games in person. I people watch. I read stuff on the scoreboard. I look at the skyscrapers beyond the outfield walls. If I'm with someone I get engrossed in conversation. I don't totally lose concentration on the game at hand by doing this, but I do find myself looking down at the field when people cheer and realize that I missed a standup double. I have to work kinda hard to closely follow and I usually fail in that regard.

I come by it honestly. While I went to a lot of games at Tiger Stadium when I was young, I really and truly got into baseball as a radio product with Ernie Harwell and WJR. I transitioned seamlessly to watching like 120-140 baseball games a year on television thanks to the Superstation and, later, streaming. Because of the geography of my life I only get to a handful of in-person games a year. Given that I don't generally suffer from attention deficits in other aspects of my life, I blame my media-driven baseball socialization, rather than my brain, for the fact that I easily lose my concentration when I'm in the ballpark.

One way I've tried to focus my mind in the ballpark has been to bring my headphones in with me, dial in the MLB At Bat app on my phone, and listen to the radio broadcast of the game I'm watching. Except it never works, because in even the best of circumstances there's a good 15-20 second delay between the streamed broadcast and the game action. Sometimes it's much longer. One time, many years ago, I went so far as to bring in a portable radio like I saw people do back in the 1970s, but that didn't work either because there was even a delay on an over-the-air signal. I don't feel like there used to be – I sorta remember hearing ambient Ernie Harwell coming from people's radios on my Tiger Stadium visits matching up with the action – but I may be constructing that memory in the way people tend to do. Whatever the case, you can't use the MLB At Bat app to give you attention-focusing play-by-play because that play-by-play comes in too late.

That may soon be a thing of the past, however, because a real-time broadcast experiment is heading to Mets games:

The New York Mets announced Tuesday that they will introduce no-delay digital radio broadcasts for fans attending games at Citi Field beginning in 2026, aiming to synchronize the in-stadium experience with live play-by-play commentary.

The feature will be available via the MLB Ballpark app as part of a partnership with Audacy and SportsBug. The system is designed to eliminate the typical 30- to 90-second delay associated with most digital radio streams, allowing fans to hear broadcasters in real time while watching the action on the field.

And yep, it's the legit Howie Rose radio broadcast, not some janky secondary deal.

My guess is that it's, at best, mid-20th-century technology being applied here, because shooting out a localized, filter-free broadcast seems like the sort of thing the army might've needed in 1942. Which is to say, I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to do it. All I know is that I've wished for this kind of thing for years. Indeed, the last time I tried and failed to do the in-park radio thing was when I went to a Mets game at Citi Field in 2024.

I'm totally gonna take advantage of this the next time I go back. Otherwise I may miss a bunch of stuff because, welp, that's just how my brain is wired.

Other Stuff

Cesar Chavez was a sexual abuser of young girls

Cesar Chavez, who died in 1993, was among the most consequential figures in labor history and in Mexican-American history. He was also a serial sexual abuser of both young girls and women who worked in his movement and the United Farm Workers union which he founded. The New York Times has the story, upon which it reported for multiple years before dropping it yesterday:

Ms. Murguia and another woman, Debra Rojas, say that Mr. Chavez sexually abused them for years when they were girls, from around 1972 to 1977. He was in his 40s and had become a powerful, charismatic figure who captured global attention as a champion of farmworker rights.

The two women have not shared their stories publicly before, and an investigation by The New York Times has uncovered extensive evidence to support their accusations and those raised by several other women against Mr. Chavez, the United Farm Workers co-founder who died in 1993 at the age of 66 . . . Ms. Murguia and Ms. Rojas, both of whom are now 66, were the daughters of longtime organizers who had marched in rallies alongside Mr. Chavez. He used the privacy of his California office to frequently molest Ms. Murguia, she said. He had known her since she was 8 years old. She became so traumatized that she attempted to end her life multiple times by the age of 15. “I wanted to die,” she said.

Anna Murguia and Debra Rojas say that Chavez began grooming them when they were as young as 8 or 9 and raping them when they were 11 and 12. The Times reveals that there were many, many more victims, including Dolores Huerta, a co-founder of United Farm Workers and a labor movement legend in her own right, whom Chavez raped and impregnated on two occasions. Huerta, who is still alive at 95 years-old, released a statement yesterday, and it's a heartbreaking one.

This is the first time Chavez's behavior has been reported publicly, but per the Times, stories of Chavez's abuse had circulated inside and on the periphery of his movement for years. Chavez himself fired union employees who refused to have sex with him, which created a culture of fear and silence. Others, including Chavez's family members and high-ranking union officials, either actively covered up Chavez's crimes or declined to come forward either out of shame, fear of retribution, or a desire to protect Chavez's and the movement's images. Now, however, people have come forward.

A woman named Esmeralda Lopez, who had rebuffed Chavez's advances when she was 19 and Chavez was 61, called her mother right afterwards and told her that she was leaving her job, telling her mother that “Cesar Chavez is just a man.” Her mother, to whom Chavez had made similar sexual advances decades earlier, was not told the details of her daughter's encounter with Chavez, but she nonetheless knew exactly what "Chavez is just a man" meant. So, so many women know exactly what that means.

As for the immediate fallout, the mere reporting of this story, prior to its publication, caused the United Farm Workers to cancel its annual celebrations of Chavez, which are held around his birthday on March 31. UFW officials released a statement that described the allegations as "profoundly shocking," and said, “We need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it." Several parades were canceled, including in Texas and California, where Chavez's birthday is a state holiday. There will now no doubt be movements to remove Chavez's name from the many institutions, buildings, and streets to which it was applied both before and after his death, but who knows what may result from these revelations.

But as Esmeralda Lopez says, Cesar Chavez was just a man. A man whose good works do not, even for a single moment, excuse his evil and profoundly harmful acts. May he now be rendered into historical oblivion.

Afroman Lays Down The Law

Remember Afroman? The singer/rapper who achieved fame for his 2000 hit "Because I got High?" Well he, like other gracefully-aging Gen-X men, calls Ohio home these days. He was visited by some unwanted trouble a few years ago, however, and the fallout of all of that is making the news.

In 2022, Adams County, Ohio sheriff's deputies, armed with a search warrant for the investigation of suspected drug trafficking and kidnapping, broke down the door to Afroman's home – destroying it – busted his driveway gate, and allegedly pocketed $400 of his cash, which he claims has never been returned. They also messed with his home security cameras. They even ate some lemon pound cake that Afroman's mother had made him and which had been sitting on the kitchen counter. The raid turned up nothing incriminating and Afroman was never arrested or charged with anything.

That's when things got fun.

Afroman is an artist, and artists work out their issues and frustrations through their art. Which is why he proceeded to write and record songs, complete with videos, critical of the cops who broke into his house under what were shown to be false pretenses. The songs had titles such as "Lemon Pound Cake," "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera," "Will You Help Me Repair My Door," and "Randy Walters is a Son of a Bitch". With Randy Walters being the name of one of the sheriff's deputies. While not exactly masterworks, the songs were pretty straightforward and were pretty funny in the way a lot of Afroman songs are funny and the videos were a lot of fun too.

Needless to say, the Adams County Sheriff's Department did not find the songs and videos funny. While the department did nothing to Afroman in its official capacity, seven sheriff's deputies sued Afroman for defamation, invasion of privacy, and false light. The trial in that matter has been going on this week and, like the raid itself, it created some amazing content.

Legal journalist Meghann M. Cuniff covered the proceedings via her Instagram account, and her missives from Adams County have been a hell of a thing to watch and read. Especially Afroman's own testimony, which you should click through and watch because it's much better live, but here's some choice bits:

Plaintiff's lawyer: Anything that could change your mind about what you’re doing to these deputies?

Afroman: “Is there anything that can change my mind about the fact that they shouldn’t have been at my house in the first place? Is there anything that can change my mind about how my money shouldn’t have been touched in the first place? No,”

Plaintiff's lawyer: “That’s all the questions I have. Thank you,” Klinger said.”

Afroman: "You’re welcome"

At another point in the proceedings Afroman was asked by the plaintiffs' attorney if the deputies searching his house "gave [him] the right to do everything you —“ at which point Afroman cut him off and said . . .

“Under the circumstance that I got freedom of speech after they run around my house with guns and kick down my door. I got the right to kick a can in my backyard, use my freedom of speech, turn my bad times into a good time. Yes, I do, and I think I’m a sport for doing so, because I don’t go to their house, kick down their doors, flip them off on their surveillance cameras, then try to play the victim and sue them."

Back when I practiced law I strongly cautioned my clients to only answer the question asked and to never go off on a speechifying jag because they could only get themselves into trouble. If it's a yes/no question, for example, just say yes or no, because in all else lies madness. But after watching Afroman on the stand in this case I would amend that advice and say that you should always answer yes/no questions with a yes or a no unless you're Afroman. Then you have my permission to go off, King.

It's worth noting that the deputy plaintiffs' testimony was notable too, but not in a good way like Afroman's. Again, from Cuniff's Instagram reports, with this passage relating to the claim that Afroman defamed the deputy by calling him "a son of a bitch":

“When they call you a son of a bitch, that would be an opinion?” David Osborne Jr. asked Sgt. Randolph Lee “Randy” Walters Jr.”I’d say that would be an opinion,” Walters answered.

“Because there’s no way we can prove whether you’re a son of a bitch or not,” Osborne said.

“She’s been dead for years,” Walters said.

“I am sorry about your mother on that, but you would agree, though, that when someone calls someone a son of a bitch, it’s not necessarily a statement of fact. It’s more a statement of opinion ... or description of a person?” Osborne asked.

“Sure,” Walters answered.

“The same thing with being called, I think it’s Gomer Pyle,” Osborne asked.

“Yes,” Walters answered.

“No one would think you’re Gomer Pyle from the movie?” Osborne asked.

“Obviously that’s a character in a movie,” [Gomer Pyle was a character in The Andy Griffith Show and also the movie Full Metal Jacket]

“Yeah. But you’re not that person?” Osborne asked.

“No,” Walters answered.

Needless to say, I was on Team Afroman here. And, yesterday afternoon Team Afroman emerged victorious in the case, with the jury finding no liability in the matter.

Part of me wished that Afroman lost the case, though. I mean, it would've sucked for him and for the freedom of speech, but dudes, the songs he'd put out about the judge and the jury would've been amazing.

They're putting Val Kilmer in a movie via A.I.

A few years ago Val Kilmer was cast as a Catholic priest/Native American spiritualist in a small indie movie called “As Deep as the Grave,” which was to be written and directed by a guy named Coerte Voorhees. Kilmer was too sick to take part, however, and the project was halted. He died last April.

Now we learn that Voorhees has gone ahead with production of "As Deep as the Grave." And some stock images and old audio manipulated by some computer code credited as "Val Kilmer will be part of it. From Variety:

Even though he didn’t shoot a single scene, Voorhees has been able to realize his vision of having Kilmer in the ensemble by using state-of-the-art generative AI. And he’s done it with the cooperation of the late actor’s estate and his daughter Mercedes (Voorhees says Kilmer’s son Jack is also supportive).

“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” says Coerte Voorhees. “He really thought it was important story that he wanted his name on. It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, okay let’s do this. Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.”

The mildest of kudos, I guess, for actually getting the permission and cooperation of Kilmer's family, but it's still a desecration in my mind. Not because it goes against Kilmer's wishes. Indeed, the story makes it pretty clear that Kilmer was into this kind of stuff and notes that he used AI-generated audio to complete his part in the "Top Gun" sequel and in his own autobiographical documentary after he lost the ability to speak. Rather, it's a desecration of the art of acting and the experience of audiences of the dramatic arts.

Acting is about bringing characters to life in service of a story. The words actors speak are usually written on a page before they are a part of the production, but those words are obviously not enough. Actors breathe life into them and put them before an audience via the human presence and form. If that didn't matter Hollywood and Broadway would simply use puppets or robots and one of those DekTalk speech generators to get the job done. They don't do that though because an actor's movements, expressions, demeanor, emotions, and voice are what animate a performance. That's even the case with Kilmer in his technology-aided "Top Gun" return, where his own physical diminishment brought gravitas and emotion to the character he was portraying.

Val Kilmer never performed a single word of dialogue for Coerte Voorhees' movie. He never did a single costume fitting or sat for a light meter test. As a result, the "performance" that will appear in it is 100% synthetic. Even worse, it'll likely have a zombie/piracy element to it. I say that because Voorhees notes in the article that Kilmer's character is supposed to suffer from tuberculosis. How much ya wanna bet that the generative AI he used to spit out Kilmer's part was trained on Kilmer's actual performance as the tuberculosis-suffering Doc Holliday from "Tombstone?"

If I want to see a Val Kilmer performance I'll go watch one of the 103 productions he completed and was credited for before his death. If I want to watch a new movie I'll watch one in which a paid, living actor purposefully and willingly demonstrates their craft. I will not now nor will I ever support grave-robbing like this, even if the grave-robbers have the permission of the corpse's family.

Cuppagentsia Update

Whenever a Cup of Coffee subscriber does something cool, I want to know about it. It can be art. It can be activism. It can be cooking coq au vin without making too big a mess. It can be obtaining the high score on the "Mr. Do" machine that's been at the bowling alley since 1983. I don't care. If you've put effort and/or creativity into something, if you're proud of it, and if you want to share it with others, let me know and I'll happily facilitate that to the extent I can with my modest little platform.

Longtime subscriber and Friend of the Newsletter King Kauffman does stuff. In addition to a long career as a sportswriter he records and performs under his Nom de Musique The King Teen. Well, The King Teen has a new EP out, available for just $4 at Bandcamp. He has also put out his first-ever professionally-produced music video for his song "Time Traveler's Blues," which closes out our newsletter today.

I've listened to the EP. "Time Traveler's Blues" gives off Warren Zevon vibes. The rest of the songs are good old fashioned rockabilly-infused rock and roll with a great sense of humor . There's an anti-gentrification song that complains about how bars get more expensive after the rich people move in that goes "it's hard to get loaded since all these fuckers moved to town." It's even better given that King – who relocated from the Bay Area to Durham, North Carolina a few years ago – acknowledges that he's part of the problem.

It's great stuff. Everything you want from the guy down the street who understands that music is better than most things in this godforsaken world and lives his life in a way that bears that out.

Have a great day everyone.

And remember, if you're a Free Thursday reader, today is a great day to take the leap and subscribe at a price that will not come around again for a good long while.