This You Tony?

When the Chicago White Sox hired Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa I didn't see the appeal. The White Sox are a young talented team with the potential to go as far as the World Series and with the right leadership the future would be bright in the Southside, but LaRussa isn't it. After his hiring a lot of analysts pointed to the revolutionary things LaRussa did as a manager in the 80's and 90's (some say the modern bullpen is based on his handling of the Oakland A's bullpens of the 80's and LaRussa was an early adapter of the defensive shift in the 90's), but this is 2021. Players are aloud to show more of their personalities than they were when LaRussa was in his heyday. Bat flips and trash talk is not only accepted, but encouraged all in the effort to allure more youthful fans so that baseball seems more fun than golf. Managers like Tony LaRussa aren't helping the cause. As much as he or his bosses want to say that LaRussa is able to adapt to the modern game and letting the "kids play" I don't believe it. The first example came to light these last couple of games where LaRussa not only scolded his rookie player in public, but then went ahead and justified the same player getting retaliated against by the opposing team. 

Instead of publicly supporting the player he's going to see everyday or at least trying to minimize the damage that happened Tony LaRussa stoked the flames and when his player got hit by a pitch LaRussa came out and gave a whole bunch of excuses as to why it wasn't too surprising or he wasn't sure whether it was retaliation or not. Tony LaRussa  has been managing before I was even born so for him to say he wasn't sure whether that was retaliation or not then LaRussa really shouldn't be managing. Yermin Mercedes deserves better from his manager. The White Sox players deserve better from their manager. A manager should defend and his players from scrutiny while teaching from behind closed doors. This is a fireable offense and shame on LaRussa for defending the unwritten rules when he barely knows the written rules.

The Most Disrespected Team in the NBA

The Utah Jazz are, at least record wise, the best team in the NBA. With one legit star in Donovan Mitchell and another above average player in Rudy Gobert. Both players are having terrific seasons with Mitchell averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assits per game and Gobert is averaging 14 points and 13 rebounds and a lot of Gobert's contributions coming on the defensive side of the ball. Rudy Gobert won Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019 and in the early portion of this season he ranked first in defensive rebounds, second in blocks, and his defensive rating was tops in the league. Both Mitchell and Gobert made the All Star game this year and the argument can be made that they deserve it being that they are the best players on the best team. Recently the NBA changed the way the All Star team starters were decided with the previous year's MVPs decided who would be on their team in a draft like format. This year it was Brooklyn Net star Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Laker star LeBron James deciding who would be on each team. 

Both Durant and James starting choosing players with Durant choosing both his Brooklyn Nets teammates James Harden and Kyrie Irving and LeBron choosing Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Luka Doncic amongst other players voted in by fans, players, and the rest were picked by coaches and media members. As player after player kept coming off the board only two lingered. The two stars from Utah. Both Mitchell and Gobert were left hanging. After the draft LeBron joked that the Jazz weren't a team that he played with in videogames as a child and that's what lead to him and Durant leaving them for last. The two best players on the best team in the Association need to use this as the disrespect that it is and make a run at the Larry O'Brien trophy and earn the respect that Karl Malone and John Stockton never could.

Meet the Mets?

If these are the "new" Mets then the more things change the more they stay the same. Except for the trade for Francisco Lindor (even though the Mets caught the Indians with their pants down) the Mets have missed on all of the "big names" in free agency and have been quite the mess off the field. Hiring a GM after missing out on the big executive names and then firing him soon after it turns out he sexually harassed a female reporter while sending 60+ text messages which included lewd messages and photos and more recently having to fire their hitting instructor over allegedly sexually harassing female employees in 2018 and ex-Met manager Mickey Callaway, who is now the suspended and under investigation pitching coach for the Anaheim Angels, had issues arise against him with allegeded sexual harassment accusations made against him while he was employed by the Indians, Mets, and Angels. 

It didn't get any better in the free agent market for the Mets where besides signing a bullpen arm the Mets' have swung and missed on all the big free agents that new owner Steve Cohen came in saying he was going to sign and spend big money on. The Mets had holes in centerfield, catcher, short stop, starting pitching, and relievers and the Mets were rumored to be in on the top of the market for all those positions and if it weren't for the trade for Lindor the Mets didn't get the big names. Are the players the Mets did sign any good? Sure, but would Met fans want James McCann or JT Realmuto at catcher, or Kevin Pillar or George Springer in canterfield? Getting Lindor was the move of the offseason and he is going to be a game changer for the Mets, but I'm pretty sure the fans expected more. Hopefully for the fans in Flushing their under-performance in the front office somehow leads to over-performance on the field.

Fly Blue Jays Fly

The Toronto Blue Jays are setting themselves up for a major season. Signing the top outfielder available in George Springer, one of the top offensive middle infielders in Marcus Semien (reportedly), one of the top relievers Kirby Yates, and trading for a starter that, with a change of scenery, can possibly fulfill the potential seen by many when he was ranked the 15th prospect in all of baseball in Steven Matz. Add all of those new faces to this new place (whether it be in Buffalo or Dunedin) to the young core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichete, Cavan Biggio, and Teoscar Hernandez makes a team that is ready to make a serious run at the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays for the title of the American League East. The lineup is deep but the rotation needed so help and they got it with a reclamation project in Matz. 

With the Yankees not wanting to go over the luxury tax threshold, which as of right now stands at around 210 million dollars for the season, and the Tampa Bay Rays shedding salary by unexpectedly trading away their ace Blake Snell and letting Charlie Morton to walk away to Atlanta I see the Blue Jays as one of the most promising teams this upcoming season. The gap between the Blue Jays and the top of the American League East has slimmed down to about an eyelash with only experience really being the difference between the three teams and with the moves Toronto has made this offseason that eyelash is getting thinner and thinner. 

Rest in Peace No. 44

Today is a sad day in Major League Baseball. Today the sport, no, the world has lost one of its best. Henry Aaron, the all time home run leader until Barry Bonds passed him, has passed away. A lot of people smarter, older, and better with words are going to put those talents to work to eulogize Mr. Aaron, but I can only write up about him what I know. As a 7 year old just learning about baseball I remeber asking my oldest brother who was the all time leader in all categories: wins as a pitcher, strikeouts, hits, stolen bases and so on. My brother starting listing names of all time greats. The Nolan Ryan's, the Ricky Henderson's, and then as he stuttered to remember who led in home runs he finally snapped his fingers and said Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves. I looked around trying to get information about Mr. Aaron and found a bunch of interviews from him and he spoke about all he went through getting to the most popular record in baseball. As I've grown older and started reading into the history of the sport I continued to learn about how important Mr. Aaron was. 

Not only did he hit the most home runs in baseball, but he did it looking like a regular man not this huge out of this world athlete who regular people couldn't even strive to be like. I never had the honor to meet Hank Aaron in person, but from all accounts he was a level of humble that most athletes should strive have. Hank Aaron's presence was felt all over the game of baseball and with his actions during the racial strifes of the time he played he was one of the faces that people could look to when looking for peace. It's no lie that I am an Atlanta Braves' fan and I'm pretty sure I can say that Henry Louis Aaron was a big reason why.

Holy Blockbuster Batman

Here I am minding my business waking up from a nap when a Bleacher Report notification catches my attention. A few hours after I posted my post about Kyrie Irving and midway through a now deleted post about James Harden came the blockbuster 3 team trade (and another deal was made after that) between the Rockets, Nets, and Cavaliers. The Brooklyn Nets pretty much mortgaged their future to reunite James Harden with Kevin Durant sending 3 players, 4 draft picks, and 4 pick swaps to Houston and Cleveland for Harden. Now Brooklyn has Durant, James, and Irving on the same team. Steve Nash, the Nets head coach, either won the lotto or just had another stick of dynamite tossed into his locker room and with everything they gave up to get Harden it'll be incredibly difficult for the Nets to rebuild if the sticks of dynamite explode and take the Barclay's Center with them.

Forget about the circus tent analogy I made yesterday this is now a powder keg waiting to be lit. The 3 stars are eventually going to be on the same floor at the same time and that's going to be a test for all 3 players. All 3 are used to having the ball in their hands, all 3 are used to being "the guy". Whos' going to be the Chris Bosh of this power trio that is willing to take the back seat? Who's going to take the final shot when it comes down to it? Who the hell is going to be the point guard? All eyes will be on Steve Nash and his staff to try to make this work and it'll be interesting to see it play out live on ESPN, TNT, or NBATV because you know they're going to be flexed into as many nationally televised games as possible. Quiet question considering that they played last night (and the Knicks lost by the way to a depleted Nets team) but how do Knick fans or the organization that has been THE basketball team of New York feel about the potential juggernaut that's a bridge away? It's like if the Mets traded for Lindor and traded for Nolan Arenado while the Yankees are just sitting their twiddling their thumbs. It just doesn't feel right does it?

Is Kyrie Worth it?

The experiment in Brooklyn is underway. The newest super power duo of the NBA, led by first time head coach Steve Nash, are 6-6 after last night's win against the Denver Nuggets thanks in part to the near triple double from Kevin Durant. The other half of the duo though, Kyrie Irving, has been MIA. Irving's last game was on January 5th in a win against Utah where in 30 minutes he scored 29 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists an impressive stat line considering that Kevin Durant didn't play that night. Irving has had bouts of genius on the hardwood when he hasn't been the "main guy" but for the most part Irving has been more of a distraction than he has been a positive for the majority of the teams he's been on. Sure Irving has won a championship, but would he have been put in the position to hit the game winning 3 against the Golden State Warriors while on the Cleveland Cavaliers had it not been for LeBron James? When Irving departed for Boston and promised to lead that very young team to victory some would say that the Celtics were better while Irving was off the floor rather than while he was on the floor.

And now with Irving having been MIA for that last few games citing "personal reasons" and with videos coming out of him partying it up mask-less and with a sure fire quaratine in his future after a few rounds of Covid tests a few questions just come to mind: when is Irving going to play again? Did Durant sign up to be playing by himself? How is Steve Nash really dealing with Irving's behavior? Are the Nets going to hold Irving responsible and if they do how is Irving going to respond to that? You would think Kevin Durant being the best player on the team and the most decorated player on the team would step up and get into Irving's face and try to put him in line, but I'm not sure that's Durant-type behavior. Kevin Durant isn't known as an "in your face kind of leader" he was just ready to jump ship once things got testy in Golden State. The experiment is underway, but who knew it brought a circus tent with it.

The King is in LA

The Los Angeles Lakers just got their biggest free agent signing since Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers are hoping with LeBron now being in the fold they are about to usher in a new era in Los Angeles basketball. With Shaq and Kobe the Lakers won three championships in a row from 2000-2002 and now the Lakers are hoping with their young core (if they aren't traded off) and the greatest player of this generation that maybe they can regain the glory of the purple and gold. I don't think the Lakers are done. The Lakers signed Lance Stephenson and Javale McGee to one year deals to build depth and add some veteran leadership to the roster, but there are is a need for another big fish if they intend to challenge not only the Warriors, but the Houston Rockets too. Let the Kawhi Leonard to the Lakers rumors ramp up even more. Not only has Leonard been saying that he wants out of San Antonio, but he's also that he only wants to sign an extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now, would a team of LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma (if he's not traded), Lonzo Ball (most likely not being traded because of his dad's mouth), and Kawhi Leonard be enough to beat the Warriors most likely not, but that team would bring back the glitz of the Lakers. Something they haven't had since Kobe's departure. The glitz of playing with LeBron has always brought other players to him and at affordable prices that always helps in a salary cap league. Having James in the fold makes the Western Conference even more daunting. Even though the Lakers aren't done building their squad they are back on the map. With a spot open for another max contract player like a Kawhi Leonard Magic Johnson has the opportunity to be an even bigger winner this off-season. The Lakers aren't done, but they're hoping to having a "not 1, not 2, not 3" type of pep rally of their own.

How Things Have Changed

Think about 15 years ago in Major League Baseball and you're about to become a free agent and you post a season in which you hit .303 with 45 home runs and 104 runs batted in. That's what free agent JD Martinez did this past season between the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. What do you think his new contract would look like? Something in the area of 7 years and 120+ million dollars and that would be cheap, be careful if the contract isn't in the 200m+ for about 8 years or so. I can at least guarantee that Martinez would be signed by now, but in 2017/18 Martinez is still on the open market still looking for a place to call home for the foreseeable future. The main rumor has Martinez playing chicken with the Boston Red Sox over a 5 year deal; who blinks first the Sox who need a slugger or Martinez who needs a job? Teams are getting smarter, teams are becoming self-aware about having a mid-30's or later playing roaming their outfield. Martinez is 30 years old right now and when he signs a deal with whatever team he ends up on the deal will at least carry through his year 35 season and that's what teams are scared of because analytically that's when players tend to fall off.

These new front offices have changed the way things go for free agents. No longer are most teams going to hand out 7/8 year deals to players who are on the wrong side of 30. "The wrong side of 30" being exactly 30. Most teams end up regretting handing out these monstrous contracts because you end up watching players like Albert Pujols, who seems to have hit the downside of his career, battle injuries and struggle to be productive. Players though are used to being compensated for what they have done while teams are trying to pay for what a player will produce and teams have gotten better at being able to figure out what that is. This is why the stove has stayed luke warm at best because while players are looking for mega contracts teams are looking for the next 26-28 year old that when that contract is over their prime is done and there's little to no productivity left. Baseball has become more of a business than it has in the past and these new front office's are definitely using numbers to make cold cut decisions.

The Coaching Carousel

The wheels have started turning in the NFL with one coach getting fired and another getting hired. Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Mularkey was fired after a sure handed defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots this past weekend after he had guided them to the playoffs after a 7 year absence. Rumor has it the Titans want to hire New England Patriots assistant coach Josh McDaniels to replace Mularkey. The assistants of New England head coach Bill Belicheck are always in high demand when the carousel gets going. New England assitant coach Matt Patricia is rumored to be in line to become the next Detroit Lions head coach when the Patriots run in these playoffs come to an end. There are at least 5 current teams in the NFL that haven't officially named a new leader for their teams and interesting names get thrown around for such positions such like Nick Saban, who is currently the head coach of the University of Alabama.

Saban's record in the professional ranks hasn't been as fruitful as it been in the college ranks where he's coming off his 6th national title and is hailed as the top coach in the college ranks and is a demi-god to the people of Alabama. The advantages that Saban carries in college in terms of reputation and stature allows Saban to acquire some of the most talented players to play for him and always helps put the University of Alabama in position to most likely be ranked among the top 3 in college football. This level of talent is not easily attainable in the NFL thanks to the salary cap, since in college players are paid in education and not in actual money like in the NFL. The pressure of making the jump to the pros without the ability to acquire the types of players he'd used to having in my opinion is not worth taking when he's so big in Alabama that they're paying the mortgage of his home there.

Ref Problems

Recently, LeBron James, James Harden, and Draymond Green have made headlines by complaining about not receiving foul calls they believe they deserved or about foul calls they received that they shouldn't have gotten. A reason for the recent inconsistencies in foul calls can stem from a number of veteran referees who have retired recently and an influx of young referees who have taken their place. While bringing youth to the referee corp has been a revelation adding such inexperience to such a more complicated game can be part of the reason why calls are being made as they are. The game of basketball has changed. It has gotten faster and more spread out with players darting for the 3 point line while the big man tries to take up space in the paint. Such spacing is very difficult even for 3 sets of eyes on the court. This is why the replay system has made it such that replay challenges are taken care of off site in Secaucus, New Jersey and not on the court.

Watching the speed that this game has evolved to has been dramatic. In 2003 the Dallas Mavericks lead all of the NBA with 96.7 plays per 100 possessions if that Mavericks team were to be around this season they would be ranked 28th. Gone are the days of super stars getting super star calls. When players with notoriety would get phantom calls and preferential treatment against players who don't necessarily have the power that either James would command. Star players will always get a call here and there, but not to the extent that they were handed out back before the veteran refs retired and the hot shot kids came to play. I'm not making excuses for refs, they should be better at their jobs, but let's not make it seem like its Joe Crawford out there running up and down the court.

Why the Slow Market?

With the holidays upon us the major league off-season has hit the usual "pause" button on transactions and moves. But it's not like there were a flurry of moves taking place before the holidays. The biggest free agent move came out of no where when the Phillies picked up Carlos Santana for 3 years at 20 million per season. An unexpected move because the Phillies were thought to have found their first baseman of the future in Rhys Hoskins who hit 18 home runs in 50 games and an impressive streak where it only took him 19 games to get to 10 home runs, but now with the acquisition of Santana Hoskins is going to be forced to play left field where he was less than impressive. The Phillies have been rebuilding since their fall in 2014, when their roster got older by the pitch, which makes the addition of Santana even more perplexing. There are over 50 free agents still out on the market and most of them were thought to be on their way to getting lucrative deals from various teams looking to improve.

One thing that is keeping the market from moving are teams looking toward to the future and trying to get under the luxury tax threshold (there's a lot of math when it comes to the luxury tax so I'll leave that to the folks with a calculator) and making a real push for next year's crop of free agents who have huge names like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Clayton Kershaw (who has an opt out clause in his contract), Josh Donaldson, Charlie Blackmon, among others. So making sure that teams are under a certain number so that they can wheel and deal with the big names next year is the plan for the several teams. That's why the LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves traded Mark Kemp for a flurry of bad contracts so both teams can be in position to make moves next year. Being a free agent after this past season has been lack luster so far since teams are scheming for next off-season. Which makes you wonder if and when the big dominoes are going to fall.

The Evil Empire is at it Again

Can you imagine a lineup consisting of Stanton, Judge, Gregorius, Sanchez, Bird, AND Machado? Sure, Sanchez, Judge, and Stanton have a history of injuries and sure all three can rack up strikeouts, but if and when all of these highly talented players are on a streak watch out. There are going to be a lot of baseballs flying over the wall and they are going to go very very far away. And to think if the Yankees are able to trade for a young controllable starter like Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates they would be even more difficult to beat. A rotation of Severino, Sabathia, Tanaka, Gray is already formidable and if you toss in Cole who came in fourth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2015 that would make the Yankees even more hated than they already are. Sure, the Yankees were able to somehow find a way to be lovable during last season's playoff run, but they will be hated by as many people as those who love them. Watch out pitchers. Getting through the Judge, Stanton, and Sanchez gauntlet will probably be the toughest thing they're going to have to face all season. Just watch out if the Yankees continue to add, and all signs point to them doing exactly that.

The Yankees have gone through one of the most unconventional "rebuilds" compared to teams as of late because along with bringing in new talent and avoiding the long expensive contracts that they are used to doling out. The Yankees were also able to stay competitive while building up a top 10 farm system and all the credit should go to Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi who had kept them relevant and now they're ready to take the baseball world by storm, again. The truly most outrageous moves done by the Yankees during this "rebuild" was probably letting Robinson Cano sign with the Mariners and getting outbid by the Pirates for catcher Francisco Cerveli and that's about it. While other teams tend to tear things all the way down to actually rebuild it back up the Yankees were able to flip things around while staying competitive. Staying in this lane, where the Yankees weren't the highest bidders, couldn't be easy considering the reputation that the Yankees have in the game as big spenders.

The Mess in Miami

Oh how quick things can turn. The Miami Marlins finally got out from under the tumultuous Loria regime, something that should bring nothing but joy to the fans in Miami, but the more things change the more they stay the same for Marlins fans. The new head of baseball in Miami is this guy named Derek Jeter (maybe you've heard of him) and he's only brought the same kind of bad news that Loria had going throughout his ownership. Jeter is planning to trim payroll down to about 90 million and start a rebuilding process like that of the Astros and Cubs. While Jeter has dug a hole by firing some of the popular faces of the franchise like Jack McKeon, Andre Dawson, Tony Perez, and Mr. Marlin himself Jeff Conine. Jeter has quickly found himself on the wrong side of fans in Miami almost as fast as he was gifted the team. Jeter was recently booed while he was in attendance at a Miami Heats game and put on the jumbo-tron.

The latest public relations fiasco that has fallen "Mr. November" involves the recently crowned MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Before Jeter took the helm of the Marlins Loria signed Stanton to a huge deal, 10 years 325 million dollar to be exact, but the problem for Jeter is that Stanton's deal is heavily backloaded with 218 million being owed during the last 7 years of the contract and Loria granted Stanton a no trade clause. The no trade clause has become the biggest thorn in Jeter's side since he can't just send Stanton to whichever team has the best offer. Stanton does have an opt out clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent in the year 2020. That's also the year that Mike Trout becomes a free agent (more on that for a later post). Jeter's rebuild has no place for the heavy anchor that is Stanton's contract and it has come to light that at some point an ultimatum was laid out to Stanton to either accept a deal or be left on a team where he's the only player of value. The question I have is what's the point of the ultimatum if either which way the Marlins are going to be a bunch of rookies learning things the hard way while their owner gets booed even when he's not at work.

I Get Ejected, You Get Ejected, Everyone Gets an Ejection

A few days ago LeBron James got his first ejection in 1082 games. A few days after that Anthony Davis caught two technical fouls and got ejected for the first time himself. The next day Kevin Durant got ejected and last night Golden Sate Warrior Shaun Livingston was ejected going forehead to forehead with a ref Livingston most likely will be fined as will Durant, Davis, and James, most likely. That's the price to pay when players go up against authority. Referees are meant to keep order. Meant to keep players in line so that another incident like the Malice in the Palace don't happen again. The question I have is whether officials are taking their responsibilities too literally or are they being too sensitive and not letting player's voice their displeasure.

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is known for his outbursts of displeasure toward officials when he doesn't get a call against him or when he gets called for a foul that he doesn't believe is justified, but no ref has ever tossed him from a game, yet. As a fan of basketball I'm interested in watching stars of teams in games. I would pay to watch Green, James, Durant, Davis, and Livingston play. I don't want to be cheated by an overzealous referee who can't take a player's sign of frustration as an act of war and toss the player that I paid to watch. Should players have free reign to do as they please? No, but referees shouldn't have hair triggers and ejecting anyone who vehemently disagrees with their calls or lack there of.

I May Sound Old But..

In today's sports landscape there are two types of managers, the old school "use my intuition/go by the book" manager and the new school "go by the numbers" type of manager. The Houston Astros just won the World Series in an unconventional way, they relied on piggy backing starters. Which means that instead of having a traditional reliever come in and work an inning or two the Astros used another starter who can go longer than your traditional reliever. The Kansas City Royals on the other hand relied on their relief corp to help carry them to a World title in 2015. Neither team is an old school type. To really find an old school type of team to have won a title was maybe the Red Sox who relied on timely power hitting and a strong starting staff to win them a title in 2013. Baseball is an ever evolving sport and with the introduction of advanced analytics it is growing and growing fast. Ways to win championships have evolved from the time tested "pitching and defense" method that I've been hearing about since I first put on my first catcher's mask.

Gone are the days of Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa, Jim Leyland, and Jack McKeon. These are legendary managers who lead their teams to the promise land using old school tactics that in today's game is getting harder and harder to quantify. These guys have been replaced by the AJ Hinch (manager of the Astros), Dave Roberts (manager of the Dodgers), Mike Matheny (manager of the Cardinals), and others who now have to run their lineups by the front office suit wearing types to make sure that the analytics of the hitters they're using line up in favor against the particular pitcher the team is facing that night. There's no way in hell that Jim Leyland would allow a pencil pusher tell him where to bat Miguel Cabrera against a tough rightie or whether it was time to pull a starting pitcher. The game has evolved to the point where pitchers aren't seeing a lineup for a third time and a leftie hitter is most likely not going to face a tough lefty even though the hitter has a hitting streak going. There are too many chefs in the kitchen nowadays with too many ingredients trying to cook up a plate that for a very long time relied on one guy throwing a ball at another guy who's trying to hit the ball to the moon.

What a Series

The current World Series may not be between the teams most people wanted (most folks would've preferred a Yankees VS Dodgers match-up) but it has turned out to be a spectacular showdown between two very good teams that have both veterans and youth impacting the games. The thing about the World Series is that it brings players to light that casual fans would never be introduced to. Like Astros third baseman Alex Bregman who has made his mark on these playoffs by homering off of Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, and Kenley Jansen all of which are either the best at what they do or at the top of the list of players at their positions and has made spectacular plays defensively at third base. Not only did he hit home runs off of these pitchers they were crucial home runs to support the run the Astros have ridden this far. Before his break out in the classic game 5 Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger was in an a horrible slump, but he is a rising star. In the regular season he hit 39 home runs and had 97 runs batted in. Between Bellinger, Corey Seager, and Justin Turner the Dodgers are set with a core of players that are ready to carry this team to multiple runs at titles.

The Yankees and Nationals have young studs of their own, but what has unfolded between the Astros and Dodgers in this series has been nothing short of amazing. No doubt this series is headed to a game 7. No doubt will it be a good game because there are talented players all over the field, but also because baseball needs it to be a good game. With baseball being as young as it is and the loud complaints about how the sport is slow and boring this World Series is showing how much fun baseball can be. These two teams and all the young talent on these teams are going to be around for a long time. Altuve, Correa, Springer, Bellinger, Seager, Turner, and Taylor these are just a few names that are going to be on SportCenter or on back pages of the newspaper for the next 10 or so years and believe me there are going to be more names popping up and soon.

NBA Tip Off Around the Corner

Here we go again. On the 17th of October the drama that is the NBA season tips off with the Cleveland Cavaliers go up against the Boston Celtics in a match up between LeBron James and recent Cleveland defector Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving got his wish and is now the main option on his own potential title contender in Boston, teaming up with recent free agent signee Gordon Hayward, and whatever parts are left over from the trade that sent Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland. The East once again looks like the weaker conference with about 3 maybe 4 teams that can be taken into serious consideration and the Celtics and Cavaliers seem to be the front running squads destined to come out to face the Warriors in the Finals.

The West has had a whirlwind of activity this off season. From Chris Paul being shipped to the Rockets to Paul George and Carmelo Anthony being sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Western Conference has made many moves in the attempt to overcome the powerhouse that is the Golden State Warriors. Moving powerful names like Paul, George, and Anthony to new squads trying to offset the modern day empire that is Curry, Durant, Thompson, and Green, but the Warriors found a way to keep their empire together. Signing Curry to the huge deal he earned and keeping Durant in the fold with a short, but reasonable deal, that keeps their champion core together. I don't see a team as balanced as Golden State out there. If injuries don't sideline any of their core the Warriors should once again ride off into the sunset with another title.

Jeter the Owner?

The Miami Marlins are going to be free from the ineptitude of their owner Jeffrey Loria. Derek Jeter is heading an ownership group that is going to pay 1.2 billion dollars to take over the Marlins. A need that should have the people in Miami celebrating. My question is what kind of owner is Jeter going to be? He's never been the head of an organization, he's been the face of a franchise, but not the head of a franchise and there is a difference. Jeter won 5 titles while playing 20+ years in the majors, all with the Yankees, but would that translate to success as an owner? There is so much to worry about as an owner compared to being just a player. The player worries about the present day and the current season while the owner has to worry about not only the current season, but also next season. The depth of the organization, the organization's stance with the community, and the financials of the organization all of this and more has to be in the owner's purview.


Just because Jeter was there to watch how George Steinbrenner ran the Yankees for so many years doesn't mean that he's going to be a good owner. Remember Steinbrenner was suspended for a while as owner because he fell out of favor with the league. Also, Steinbrenner was, and to this day his estate, is filthy rich so he was able to bully his way in free agency by throwing money around. Who knows who the money for this organization is going to be and how much are they willing to invest in the Marlins to make them as successful as Jeter is used to being in the realm of baseball. For now the city of Miami (once the sale of the team is approved by the league) gets to celebrate that they're going to be out from under the Loria regime which in its own is a win.

When Will the NFL Start to Worry?

It started a few years ago at the height of the NFC West's shining time. The San Francisco 49ers were a threat with a tough as nails defense and an offense that while it was lagging behind the dominance of the defense covered for the majority of the deficiencies on the offensive side of the ball. The Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals have been able to avoid the pitfall that the 9ers fell into when they lost vital players at all three levels of their defense including 3 linebackers who were the backbone of the defense. They all stepped away from the game behind the veil of the concussion and the overall damage they were taking from playing football. The players are to blame for looking out for their future, but the NFL has to take notice that a lot of players are taking the early exit. Players are retiring in their late 20's/early 30's.

As the concern over CTE and brain damage has come to the forefront of the league players are taking notice. More and more players are taking their money and moving on to other endeavors where they can be financially secure while also keeping their brains intact. The problem is the NFL is kinda stuck. How is the NFL supposed to accommodate players or ex-players in regards to this damage? How far back is the NFL supposed to go to treat players? How much would all this cost? Because no matter how much money the NFL makes there still has to be a limit as to how much they can spend on players who no longer benefit the league. Players did sign up for this, but how much of it is the league responsible for? And will this be the downfall of the America's past time?