Blake Butera and the Nationals have deep ties to the Rays organization
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The Nationals and Rays are facing off this weekend, and these two teams suddenly have very deep ties. In a lot of ways, the Rays are the model organization that the Nats are trying to become, though hopefully with a bit more spending. Between Blake Butera, Curtis Mead, Michael Johns and Ani Kilambi, there are plenty of people in this organization with Rays roots.
Of course, the most important Nats figure with Rays ties is manager Blake Butera. The 33 year old was drafted by the Rays in the now non-existent 35th round back in 2015. After playing a couple minor league seasons, Butera became a minor league manager in the Rays system at just 25 years old.
It was this franchise that gave Butera a shot both as a player, a coach and a player development guru. He was shaped by the Rays and the city of Tampa. Now he will return home to play this team in a series that is impactful for both teams’ playoff chases. While Butera has turned the Nats around, the Rays are making yet another run in the AL East despite having by far the lowest payroll.
Butera helped develop a lot of these new Rays stars. Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda are just a couple of the Rays stars in the minors while Butera was working on player development. Now, those two are mashers in the middle of the Rays lineup.
One other player Butera played a big role in developing while in Tampa is just finding big league success now. However, that success is in DC with Butera. Of course, I am talking about Curtis Mead, who is having a breakthrough season at 25 years old. Just the other day, the former top Rays prospect hit a huge go ahead homer to help the Nats win the game.
Mead has an .818 OPS on the season, and has been a huge piece of this Nats league leading lineup. Now, he is going back to Tampa where he started his big league career. I doubt Rays fans are too fond of him though. The Rays acquisition of Mead turned out to be a rare miss by that front office. They traded Cy Young candidate Cristopher Sanchez for Mead in a 1 for 1 swap.
For a while, that trade looked to be favoring Tampa, but Sanchez began to break out, while Mead stalled out. It turned out that Mead needed a change of scenery and a chance to be coached by his old minor league manager to tap into his potential. The Nats gave Mead a consistent role, and he is running with it.
Both Mead and Butera were shaped by their times in Tampa. For Butera, it led to a managerial gig in DC. However, Mead learned how to cope with failure in Tampa and it has made him a more grizzled pro here in DC. For both though, the Tampa Bay Rays are a big part of their story.
Another Rays connection on this staff is Michael Johns, who is Butera’s bench coach and right hand man. Johns was actually the first base coach for the Rays the last couple of years. When Butera took the job with the Nats, he took Johns, and made the 50 year old his bench coach. In a staff full of young coaches, Johns is a more experienced and older voice.
The Rays are known as arguably the smartest organization in baseball. That means a lot of their front office and coaching talent gets poached. Between Chaim Bloom, Andrew Friedman and Peter Bendix, there are a ton of front offices with Rays ties. Paul Toboni never spent time with the Rays, but his second in command, Ani Kilambi did.
Kilambi spent a lot of time with Butera in the Rays organization. He was one of many young, analytically minded people with the Rays. Like many Rays front office officials, he was poached. Kilambi became the Phillies assistant GM, before being promoted again to become the Nats GM.
For so many people in this organization, this trip to Tampa will be a home coming. In some ways, this is a master vs apprentice matchup, which the Rays are used to. There are so many organizations trying to model themselves after the Rays, but it feels like the Nats are doing a good job putting their own unique twist on things.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
