Up and Down the Gridiron – Week 12

The Steelers and the Browns had a few fireworks, or maybe more. First of all, I think the Steelers need to go out and get some other quarterback; Mason Rudolph has no accuracy and no throwing power. I think some 7th graders in my school are better than him in everything. He had 221 yards and 4 picks, again, no accuracy. James Connor sent all expectations down the incinerator, only 10 yards rushing on 5 carries. Jaylen Samuels, who is a dual-threat running back, had 5 carries for 26 yards, the leader in rushing for the team in this game. The Steelers have speed for days with their receivers with James Washington and Diontae Johnson topping them off. The receivers would be good if they didn’t have a middle schooler at QB, I hope they could get like a Carson Wentz or a Dak Prescott, but that one’s stretching it. The Steelers D should be better because they have all the correct pieces, only one sack and no picks in this one. Baker Mayfield exceeded expectations but this will not bring up his expectations for the next game, his season stats can back that one up for you. Baker threw for 193 yards with two touchdowns and zero picks, he did well. If I was the coach of the Browns, I would put Kareem Hunt and RB, his speed and explosiveness is no match for Nick Chubb, but a lot of teams could trade for him. “*cough* *cough* Jets *cough*.” Le’Veon Bell has been atrocious this year. Odell Bechkam Jr. was better than average in this game, 60 yards to be exact. Kareem Hunt had 46 yards (see what I’m talking about?), Jarvis Landry had 43 yards. Cleveland’s defense had 4 sacks and 4 picks, veeeeeeeerrrrrrryyyyy good. Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph went at it, but it’s a DE vs a QB, the DE’s gonna win. I don’t like what Larry Ogunjobi did, he pushed Mason Rudolph to the ground when all he was doing there was standing, and all he got was a 1 game suspension, not good. Myles Garrett claimed Mason said racial slurs at him before the game; I don’t know how much of that is right.

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The Jets and the Redskins played one of the tank bowls of the season. Sam Darnold had a career game, 293 passing yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 INT. He tied his career record for passing touchdowns. Le’Veon Bell had 59 yards, one of his season highs, eh. He also had one trip to the end zone. Ryan Griffin had 109 yards receiving and one touchdown catch in this one, Jamison Crowder had 76 yards and 1 touchdown. Thomas Demaryius had 44 yards and one long one near the end. How everyone thought the Jets defense would play this game, Jamal Adams had this game in his back pocket, 3 sacks but no picks. The rest of the defense had 3 sacks and one pick. Dwayne Haskins was supposed to be better throughout the whole season, he only had 214 yards passing and 2 touchdowns in this contest. The future Hall of Famer only ran for 25 yards off of 9 carries, disgusting. Terry McLaurin had 63 yards and Kevin Harmon had 53 yards. Darius Guice and Jeremy Sprinkle each had a touchdown reception. The Redskins defense played exactly how it was projected, 2 sacks and one interception, definitely Redskin like.

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The Jaguars’ coach made the wrong decision when he benched scrambler Gardner Minshew. He was so fast for a QB, his accuracy was great and his throw on the run was probably better than someone like Deshaun Watson. So Nick Foles had 296 yards in the air along with 2TDs and 1 pick. It was a much better debut than expected. The beast Leonard Fournette only had 23 yards on the ground; I don’t know how the Colts defense held them to only 23. DJ Chark had a game for the ages, 104 yards, and two touchdowns. Chris Conley caught for 58 yards and Fournette had 34 yards, good for a running back, but not good for Fournette. Myles Jack is an absolute animal for the Jags D, he had 7 tackles – that is amazing, even for a great player. The whole D had 3 sacks and one picks, average. Jacoby Brissett for the Colts had 148 passing yards and 1 touchdown as well as one pick. I don’t like him as a quarterback because he’s a one-trick pony but he’s not even good at that one trick, throwing. Jonathan Williams had 116 yards, it’s in the back of my mind to get him on my fantasy team. Marlon Mack had 108 yards and one touchdown for him, he just needs to improve his speed and he’ll be great. I think they should bench Marlon Mack and put in Jonathan Williams and Nyheim Hines, Williams is just good and Hines is just sooooooooo fast. The Colts receiving is pretty bad, Marcus Johnson leading with 38 in this game. The Colts D had 2 sacks and 1 pick, average.

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The Bills beat the Dolphins (shocker) in a shootout. Josh Allen had 256 passing yards, 56 rushing yards, 3 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown. Devin Singletary had 75 yards on the ground and Frank Gore with 27 yards. John Brown had practice in this game, 137 yards plus two touchdowns, which absolutely dominated. Cole Beasley is always good but in this game, he took it down a notch, only 38 yards. Dawson Knox had one receiving touchdown; he’s a better player than most people think. The Dolphins had no O-Line in this game, 7 sacks, now how did they do that, I really don’t know, the Bills aren’t even that good. No picks on the secondary side. Ryan Fitzpatrick had everything working for him, 323 passing yards, but then he got no passing touchdown, finally a game to make himself good in the eyes of fans, but no, no passing touchdowns and no sacks. The Dolphins run game was just sad, 25 yards over three guys over 11 carries. Their leading tailback, Kalen Ballage had 9 yards on 9 carries, maybe what I said in my last blog about Kalen being average was completely wrong, he actually sucks. Receiving wise, DeVante Parker had 135 yards but no touchdowns. Allen Hurns made a speedy comeback with his disgusting leg injury last February, he had 53 yards. The Dolphins defense is dolphinated, 0 sacks and 0 picks, ugh, that’s disgusting.

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Whenever the Cowboys play, it’s going to be an interesting game, either a close game or a blowout. This game was not either one of them. Dak Prescott, was as good as usual, 443 yards in the air with three touchdowns and 0 picks. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 45 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 28 yards in the air with a touchdown as well; he hasn’t been a beast but any team would still want him. Michael Gallup led the receivers with 148 yards but sadly no touchdowns. Randall Cobb had 115 yards with a touchdown. Tony Pollard had a touchdown as well with 44 yards. These Cowboy receivers are pretty scary. Three sacks for the Cowboy D which is also really good led by the animal Jaylon Smith. On the Eagles side, Jeff Driskel threw for 209 yards with two touchdowns. Bo Scarbrough was better than expected, running for 55 yards against the non-human Cowboys front 7. Jeff Driskel was more mobile than I thought he would be, 51 yards and a touchdown, maybe he is better than Stafford. Marvin Jones had a great game, only 43 receiving yards but with 2 touchdowns which makes a great fantasy day for anyone. Danny Amendola went from one dumpster fire to another dumpster fire with the Lions, he had 47 yards. The Lions D took a tranquilizer shot and they only had 1 sack and no pick, not like their D is good.

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In an epic QB duel, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson, both fast, both make defenses look silly. But for one of these in this game, tears were shed. Deshaun Watson had 169 yards in the air, with no touchdowns and 1 picks, he only ran for 12 yards. Their running game blossomed a little bit, but if Lamar Miller could come back from his ACL tear, the Texans offense is practically unstoppable. DeAndre Hopkins had 80 yards in this one and Kenny Stills had only 27 yards. The Texans D couldn’t get to Lamar and they couldn’t pick Lamar off. No picks and no sacks for the D, that’s just really sad. Lamar Jackson put on a show, 222 yards and four touchdowns in the air, Lamar ran for 79 yards as well. Gus Edwards (I bet you don’t even know who he is) had 112 yards and a touchdown, Ingram had 48 yards on 13 carries. Mark Andrews their versatile TE had 75 yards and one touchdown, Mark Ingram had 37 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens D is very underrated, but in this game, they had 5 sacks and 1 pick.

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The Falcons are making this weird, late-season try at a comeback, they played the Panthers and won. Matt Ryan slung it for 311 yards and one touchdown in this game against a decent Panthers D. Brian Hill is a very, very, very bad replacement for the decent Devonta Freeman, he had 30 yards rushing and 8 yards receiving. Calvin Ridley had a career game with 143 yards and 1 touchdown. Julio Jones came out of his slump with 91 receiving yards. The Falcons defense had practice, with 4 picks and 5 sacks, oh my god, Kyle Allen has to be scarred for life after that one; wow, they outplayed themselves. Kyle Allen had 325 yards in the air, no touchdowns but FOUR PICKS, FOUR. Christian McCaffrey just joined the 99 Club in Madden, but he only 70 yards rushing in this game, but 121 receiving yards topped off a good game, but he had no touchdowns.DJ Moore had 95 yards, I’m lucky I had him on my Fantasy team. 3 sacks and no picks for the not so good Panthers D in this contest.

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The Saints clashed with the Bucs in this one and the crazy good Saints won. Drew Brees, the future Hall of Famer had 228 yards and 3 touchdowns, very normal game for the great Brees. Alvin Kamara needs to get it going, the Saints are 8-2, yes that’s good. But Drew Brees, even though he’s really good, he can’t handle the whole team’s offense; every team needs a run game. Luckily the Saints have skilled tailbacks, but they’re not producing. Michael Thomas had 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Entering Week 12, Michael Thomas has more receptions than all of the Eagles receivers, now that’s just great. Jared Cook had 33 yards and 1 touchdown. The Saints have a lot of good pieces. The Saints secondary had a fun day, with 4 picks (I mean, they were playing Jameis Winston) and two sacks, that’s just a great day. Jameis Winston had 313 yards and 2 touchdowns and 4 picks, not a very good day by the QB. Ronald Jones had a sad day, only 13 yards on the ground, I thought he would be better. The Bucs need to improve their receivers, if you have a TE leading the receiving yards, then you’re in trouble, Cameron Brate had 73 yards with no touchdowns. Mike Evans had 69 yards and Chris Godwin had 47 yards and one touchdown. The Bucs D was very bad, only 1 sack and no INTs. They need to be better.

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The Broncos blew a 20 point lead, to the Vikings, the Vikings have been so much better this season than last. Brandon Allen had 240 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. Phillip Lindsay had 67 yards with no touchdowns, Royce Freeman had 31 on the ground. Andy Janovich had 1 yard rushing and 1 touchdown - that shouldn’t happen. Courtland Sutton had 113 yards but no touchdowns, Tim Patrick had 77 but also didn’t get the one touchdown pass; the guy that got the pass was Troy Fumagalli, he had 3 yards with 1 touchdown. 5 sacks and no picks for the Broncos D. Kirk Cousins turning his career around, he had 319 yards and one touchdown, he actually might make it deep into the playoffs this year. Dalvin Cook has been amazing, he’s fast and he’s really strong. He had 26 yards and one touchdown, which isn’t like the rest of his year, but it’s good. Stefon Diggs had 121 yards in the air and one touchdown. Kyle Rudolph continues his hot stretch with 67 yards and one touchdown. The Vikings D, the only thing that they need to work on, had two sacks and one interception.

The 49ers and the Cardinals played and you already know who won. Kyler Murray had 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, it’s alright. New addition Kenyan Drake had 67 yards but no touchdowns. Kyler Murray had 67 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Christian Kirk had 41 yards and veteran Larry Fitzgerald had 37 and 1 touchdown. The Cardinals defense played against the Niner’s explosive offense and got two sacks and two picks. Jimmy Garopollo 424 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 picks, that’s a nice game even with the two picks. Tevin Coleman had 14 yards rushing and Raheem Mostert had 13 yards. The sleeper Deebo Samuel had 134 yards and their “offensive weapon” as quoted by Sports Illustrated, Kyle Juszczyk, their fullback had 63 yards receiving. Ross Dwelley had 14 yards receiving and two touchdowns. The 49ers D had 4 sacks and no picks, definitely not up to snuff with their defensive weapons.

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The Patriots and the Eagles played in a truly close game, no one knew who was going to win until about there was a minute left in the game. Tom Brady had 216 yards and nothing else, just 216. Julian Edelman actually had 15 yards passing and one touchdown pass. The Patriots need to get their run game going, I’m not saying Tom is bad, but he’s getting older. Their lead back, Sony Michel had 33 yards on 10 attempts. Julian Edelman had 53 yards on 5 catches; the old guy Benjamin Watson had 52 yards. The Patriots defense hasn’t been as good as they were in the first half of the season: They had only 5 sacks and 0 picks, their secondary is better than their front 7. Carson Wentz wasn’t very good, 214 yards and one touchdown, he needs to get better if they want to make the playoffs in the very tough AFC. Miles Sanders, their backup, had 38 yards on the ground with no touchdowns. The Eagles have good WRs, but they’ve gotten worse this year. Zach Ertz had 94 yards and Nelson Agholor had 40. The other TE, Dallas Goedert, had 36 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles D failed, with only 1 sack and no picks, but they were playing Tom Brady.

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The Raiders played the Bengals, the Raiders won, (Another shocker) 17-10. For the Bengals, Ryan Finley had 115 yards and no touchdown passes but one pick. Joe Mixon exploded in the second half, he had 86 yards and one touchdown, he’s not a speedy back, he’s supposed to be a strong back, but he does have speed. Auden Tate and Tyler Eifert had 56 and 21 yards respectively. The Bengals weren’t as bad as I thought they would be, 3 sacks and one pick. Derek Carr had 292 yards and 1 pick and touchdown. Josh Jacobs is being great this year, 112 yards but no touchdowns. Tyrell Williams had 82 yards and their great TE had 78 yards. The Raiders D was good as usual, 5 sacks and 1 interception.

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The Bears and the Rams played in a very not interesting game, with the Rams obviously winning 17-7. Mitch Trubisky had 190 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He is very underrated, he’s not great but he can scramble as well as passing short. Tarik Cohen had 39 yards on 9 attempts, he’s a good RB, he’s fast and he’s very elusive. Taylor Gabriel had 57 yards passing and Tarik Cohen had 35 yards and one touchdown. The Bears D wasn’t good, only 1 INT and no picks, the Bears were projected to be so much better than they are right now. Jared Goff had 173 yards and one pick. Todd Gurley had 97 yards and 1 touchdown, he’s really trying to come back from old age to be great again. Josh Reynolds and Cooper Kupp had 55 yards and 53 yards respectively. The Rams D have always been good, they had 3 sacks and one pick in this game.

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The Chargers and the Chiefs played in the battle of two great quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes had 182 yards passing with one touchdown and one pick, mhh, not great. Patrick Mahomes also was the leader in rushing for his team, 59 yards on 5 carries. Darrel Williams had 35 yards and one touchdown here. Travis Kelce had 92 yards and one touchdown in this game, he’s just really good. LeSean McCoy had 28 yards, the Chiefs were just bad in this game. The Chiefs D was the only good thing in this game, they had 2 sacks and 4 picks, I don’t know what Phillip Rivers was doing in this game. He had 353 yards, one touchdown, and 4 picks, that’s sad. Melvin Gordon had 69 yards rushing and 21 yards receiving. Austin Ekeler lead the Chargers in receiving yards with 108 yards. Keenan Allen had 71 yards and 1 touchdown, he continues his dominance. The Chargers D played bad, with 1 sack and one interception.

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If your school newspaper or other publications would like to use my sports analyses, let me know and perhaps we can make a deal.

Adding a Sports Venue

This is my new football blog. I am expanding my blog to include both football and baseball. The baseball blog will be written regularly as usual. I adding weekly football news and other things of that nature.

Just to put a cap on the 2019 MLB season, Jacob DeGrom of the Amazins won his second Cy Young award. “DeGOAT” has won amazing back-to-back Cy Youngs. He wasn’t as amazing as last year but he was amazing enough to get the award. He had a 2.43 ERA, an 11-8 record and NL-leading 255 Ks. If you think about it, that’s really good. Congrats, “DeGOAT.”

In Week 10, the 4-4 Raiders took on the 4-5 Chargers. Both teams are not living up to expectation, but Josh Jacobs is tearing it up. I actually lost twice because of him in fantasy football. Philip Rivers played well, with 204 yards but three picks. If I was the Chargers, I would consider tanking and getting a good college QB in the draft, a Jalen Hurts or a Sam Ehlinger if worse comes to worst. The Chargers running game is what they have to rely on if they want to win a game but that’s not what I would recommend. Their run game is probably the best in the NFL. Everyone knows Austin Ekeler can carry his load when Melvin Gordon was holding out, Ekeler was amazing, but now he has to share the load with Gordon. I don’t like the Chargers receiving crew, Keenan Allen is obviously the number 1 wideout but I would want Hunter Henry to get involved more. I would prescribe the same thing for the Raiders and Derek Carr, they need to get a good QB, like Jake Fromm or a Steven Montez if they get a have decent record. Josh Jacobs is amazing but wasn’t so good this game, 71 yards on 16 attempts, not amazing. The Raiders wide receivers are really bad, the number one is Jalen Richard or Hunter Renfrow, they have to trade for a good receiver in the offseason or before the trade deadline. The Chargers D wasn’t very good, only three sacks and no picks. The Raiders D lit it up with 5 sacks and 3 interceptions.

I’m proud of my Jets, but they are 2-7. They took on their rivals, the Giants. Daniel Jones was amazing, 4 TDs, 304 yards in passing, but he did this with the Jets’ amazing D. The Jets run D is amazing, 3 yards per carry, which is 1^st in the NFL, 88 run stuffs, also first, 81.9 rush yards per game, 2^nd in the NFL, these are very surprising numbers for a 2-7 team. They lived up to their numbers for this one, only 23 yards rushing on 17 carries among three different guys. Their number one, amazing runner, Saquon Barkley was held to only 1 yard on 13 carries, no, not a typo. For the Giants receiving squad, three guys had above 40 yards. Golden Tate and Darius Slayton both had two touchdowns. The Giants D was atrocious, two sacks and no picks, not their usual numbers. Sam Darnold went 19/30 for 230 yards and one touchdown, very mediocre. The guy that all the hype was around before the season started, Le’Veon Bell had 34 yards rushing and 1 touchdown, on the season, 3.1 yards per carry and 4 touchdowns, very bad. The Jets receivers were a little better than their rushing game, 2 guys over 80 yards and Jamison Crowder got the touchdown. The Jets D was more than anyone could ask for, 5 sacks, no picks but two fumbles. Jamal Adams could possibly be one of the best defensive players in a few years.

The Dolphins and Colts played, the Colts were sure to win but then, whoops, Marlon Mack choked, Jacoby Brisset was injured and everything went bad. Ryan Fitzpatrick was regular old Ryan, 169 yards and one pick. Kalen Ballage turned into their number one running back which was a very smart move in trading away Kenyan Drake for someone and still having a good running back. He had 43 yards on 20 carries. Devante Parker had 69 yards, their top WR. Allen Hurns had 32 yards, with Mike Gesicki had 28 yards. The D stepped up, 3 picks and 1 sack, which is not good for any other team, but for the Dolphins – that’s amazing. Brian Hoyer was really bad, 204 yards, 1 TD and 3 picks, that’s a very bad performance. Marlon Mack had 74 yards on the ground, on 19 carries. The speedster Nyheim Hines had 14 yards but 30 yards receiving. Eric Ebron had a better game than projected, 56 yards and Jack Doyle had 44 yards plus 1 touchdown. Darius Leonard had the INT, one sack and 11 tackles, he went crazy. Two sacks for the rest of the defense and no more picks.

The Packers-Panthers game was a thriller; Kyle Allen had a good game, 307 yards passing, one passing touchdown and one pick. The Panthers have a very conservative running game, a Pro-Bowl running back and a scrambling QB, 12 yards on the ground with him. Christian McCaffrey had 120 yards and one touchdown. DJ Moore is the tough guy who doesn’t care for his body and just keep on running. If he gets a dot, he’ll run which will give him 100+ yards each game, like in this game, 120 yards to be exact. Greg Olsen is who everyone thinks is very old and not good anymore, he’s actually very good, a lot of possession catches, old school type. Two sacks and no picks for the Carolina D. Aaron Rodgers played vintage Aaron Rodgers just minus the TDs. 233 yards and 19 completions, no picks and no TDs. Aaron Jones is amazing as usual, 93 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns, that’s insane, he’s insane, he’s really good. Devante Adams had 118 yards receiving, he’s always been good, but no receiving touchdowns for anyone one.  Jimmy Graham is their secret weapon; he can do anything, especially catch and hold onto the ball, 59 receiving yards on two receptions. The Packers D wasn’t too good, 3 sacks and one pick. The final drive for the Panthers was a good one, Kyle Allen moving the chains. He made a few rookie mistakes but converted on an important 4^th down but they lost by inches, literally, Christian McCaffrey didn’t do this job or the DL of the Packers was that good.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the LA Rams played, it was fun. The Steelers are having a Cinderella story, they have all the pieces, they just have to start fitting the puzzle. Jared Goff had a reverse career game, absolutely horrible, 243 yards, 2 picks, and a fumble, it was just funny. Todd Gurley played alright, 73 yards on 12 carries, better than I would’ve thought. Robert Woods was good, but the Rams receivers aren’t that good. He had 95 yards, then Gerald Everett had 68 yards, Josh Reynolds had 49 yards. The Rams D is average and was average last week, 3 sacks and no picks. The Steelers have to trade for a young QB, they have to. Big Ben is too old, Mason Rudolph is just bad, they need a lot of help there. Jaylen Samuels had 29 yards on 14 carries. The Steelers run game is not advanced what so ever. James Washington and Diontae Johnson, two speedsters got 154 receiving yards. Juju needs to step it up in order to have a chance at a wild card berth. The Steelers D went crazy, 4 sacks, 3 picks, and one fumble, Minkah Fitzpatrick had a nice game, 3 tackles, 1 pick and 1 fumble recovery.

Kirk Cousins is an amazing story, he is bad, no one can argue with that, but his past few weeks have been MVP type play. 220 yards passing and two touchdowns with no picks against the good Dallas secondary for Mr. Cousins. Everyone wants Dalvin Cook, he is amazing, I don’t have him on my fantasy team, but he was an absolute steal for everyone. He had 97 yards rushing and 86 yards receiving and 1 touchdown. If Adam Thielen comes back Week 14, then the Vikings are making the playoffs. Stefon Diggs had 49 yards and Kyle Rudolph had 14 yards but two touchdowns. The Vikings D wasn’t too good, 1 pick and 1 sack, their D needs to step up in order to get the team really good. Dak Prescott is really good, everyone says he’s overrated, really? Look at the stats, especially in this game: 397 yards in the air, 3 touchdowns and 1 pick, against the Vikings D, that’s Hall of Fame quality. Ezekiel Elliot has to step up, they are about to get kicked from the playoffs, they need to expand the running game, Dak’s going to do his job, Zeke needs to carry his load. Amari Cooper has 147 yards and one touchdown (he’s gonna kill me this week in fantasy) Randall Cobb and Michael Gallup had 182 yards plus two touchdowns. Dallas’ D also has to get better, no picks and 1 sack, even with the Vikings not-so-good offense.

This game was probably my favorite game of this week: Seahawks and 49ers. Russell Wilson didn’t play vintage Russell Wilson, 232 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. Chris Carson had 89 rushing yards and one touchdown, he has been a workhorse for them, but they don’t need him as much as some other teams because they have a great quarterback. DK Metcalf has been a revelation had 70 yards, Jacob Hollister 62 yards and one touchdown in this game. Tyler Lockett was bad in this game, only 23 yards, not very good. The Seahawks D was good, 5 sacks, 1 pick and 2 fumble recoveries. Jimmy Garopollo had 248 yards in the air and 1 touchdown and 1 pick. Tevin Coleman took hold of the ship of the run game in this one, 40 yards; Matt Breida had only 18 yards. Deebo Samuel went off in this game 112 yards, but no touchdowns, Kendrick Bourne had 32 yards receiving and 1 touchdown. A lot of underdogs in this game were good. Five sacks and one pick for the 49ers D, they continue to demoralize any opponent.

Thanks for reading. Be patient while I finish re-positioning and redesigning my blog.

2019 Season Comes to an End

The World Series was a complete crazy turnaround, Cinderella, underdog, feel-good story.

The Nationals, a Wild Card team, forced seven games and eventually beat the Astros in the World Series. Fueled by Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon, and an absolute mastermind in Dave Martinez, this is the winning potion as the Nats won their first ever World Series. Game 7 was a nice one: Yuli Gurriel started off the scoring in the last game, with a deep shot to left over the railing of the huge wall. Then it was smooth sailing for both sides for about 2 ½ innings, when Carlos Correa hit a single that put Houston up, 2-0. In the 7th, Washington lit up, Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick let fly with solo shots and then the Nats swarmed and stung. Juan Soto gave them the lead in 8th off of Roberto Osuna with a single. Then Adam Eaton put the cherry on top, hitting yet another single off of youngster Jose Urquidy, with two runners scoring. The rest is history: Daniel Hudson (some people might’ve not even known who he is), shut down the electric Houston’s lineup 1-2-3, getting Michael Brantley swinging for the final out.

Baseball America names Pete Alonso Rookie of the Year. Above is the magazine's page 12 with the Polar Bear batting one out of the park.

I am very pleased to have read that Baseball America, the world-famous baseball magazine, has named Pete Alonso, the Rookie of the Year and named him to the All-Rookie Team and the Both-League All-Star Team. Numerous times, the editors said that he was a big part of developing the team chemistry. He also contributed a lot to the Mets’ season and engraved his name into the record books. I think that he should be named Rookie of the Year and a finalist for the MVP ballot, if not the actual MVP. 53 homers, 120 RBIs, 85 XBHs, 348 total bases and improving his glove work significantly is what absolutely no scout had on the horizon for Pete Alonso. Congratulations, Polar Bear!

Pete and his Mets teammates will be under the helm of Carlos Beltran, the newly appointed Amazins’ manager. Do not get me wrong, I love Beltran and I will tell you why, but, I would’ve much rather had Joe Girardi, who was snagged by the Phillies. Carlos Beltran has many plusses with the Mets: he had a great career with them, 149 homers, 559 RBIs and 551 runs isn’t a bad, 7-years. He knows most of the guys on the team, he is good friends with the front office, and I think he’s fine with working hand-in-hand with GM Brodie Van Wagenen for a playoff berth. I support the decision made by Brodie to get Carlos.

I am also announcing that I will be starting a whole new department of my blog, a football blog. I will write the news of the week’s games and give my predictions like I do in this blog. I also will be continuing my baseball blog as usual. 

The 2019 MLB Season Heads toward Final Games

What a treat for a Mets fan. Walking on the Lower Eastside with my dad, we came upon this store on East Ninth Street called Mr. Throw Back so we went inside and I tried on a vintage 1980s Mets jacket. Not bad, eh?

The 2019 MLB playoffs are almost over and all fans are focusing on the final games of the World Series.

The NL Wild Card Game was pretty fun, it was 3-1 going into the 8^th, then, Juan Soto hits a single with a bunch of errors which scores 3. That changed the outcome of the game by 58%. Then, the Nats’ bullpen thankfully shutout the Brewers offense, which is surprising knowing how their bullpen has been the whole season. The AL Wild Card Game between the Rays and the A’s was the same, with the Rays winning, 5-1. The score was cruising normally the whole game with short gains here and there but those gains made the difference. Avisail Garcia of the Rays made the biggest difference with a two-run shot in the bottom of the second off of Sean Manaea of the A’s.

The Divisional Series were much more fun. However, the Twins and the Yankees were the least fun, with the Yankees sweeping the Twins and soundly defeating them in each of the games, with Gleyber Torres being my MVP. The Astros and the Rays played the second ALDS. It looked like a surefire sweep to everyone, but the Rays were determined and they tangoed for 5 games, with the Astros coming out on top, and Jose Altuve the A’s being my MVP. In the NLDSs, the games were a little more interesting. The Cardinals and the Braves played and again, the Braves looked like a surefire win, but no, the Cardinals win in 7, probably the most exciting series in all of the playoffs so far, with Marcell Ozuna of the Cardinals being the MVP for me. The Dodgers and the Nationals played and everyone who knows baseball would know the Dodgers would smoke the Nats in 3, but no, the Nats fought their hearts out, the series going back and forth until Game 5. Then, Howie Kendrick of the Nats, who’s having an electric postseason so far, smacks a ball for a Grand Slam off of Joe Kelly and the Nationals continue their Cinderella story. The Nats’ Anthony Rendon is my MVP.

The Championship Series weren’t projected to be very fun or interesting, however they were for sure. The Nats and the Braves weren’t too interesting, with the Nats winning 4-0 in the series, with the offense fighting and being crazy good. The series MVP is Howie Kendrick leading his team in almost all categories. The American League Conference Series was interesting as ever. The Astros eventually won the series in 6 games but it was soooo fun to watch. It was 3-1 in the series, in the last game in New York. James Paxton was really good in that game, in 6 innings pitched, only 4 hits allowed and only one run allowed. The Yankees looked like favorites in this game, going back to Houston, but it took till the 9^th to define a winner. With the Yankees’ lights out reliever Aroldis Chapman on the mound, everyone was thinking extra innings was bound, with two outs, Houston’s Jose Altuve steps to the plate. With a 2-1 count, Jose sends a ball to deep left-center field to send the Astros home. GAME!!!!

Now onto the World Series between the Nats and Astros, which is tied at 2 games apiece.

Sharing Thoughts on Baseball with a Professional

For a budding baseball writer, I had the unique privilege of spending some time talking with a baseball expert, Mr. Gary Green, Chairman, and CEO of the publication Baseball America. Not only was I able to pose questions about baseball but from time to time I managed to express my opinion and share thoughts about America’s pastime with Mr. Green. The wonderful interview took place in his Manhattan home on September 30 of this year.

Gary Green of Baseball America answers Yulian’s questions about baseball.

Yulian: What do you do on a day to day basis as the CEO and the Publisher of Baseball America?

Mr. Green: I'm not the publisher; B.J. Schecter is the publisher and the editor. He was the editor at Sports Illustrated, so he’s much more equipped than I am to do that. I oversee business operations and make strategic decisions but when it comes to decisions on editorial, I leave it to them.

I tried, but I couldn’t recommend stories because I have a personal baseball opinion and agenda so I feel it’s better to create a wall between me and the editorial, otherwise it would be all Mets and Royals. 

Yulian: I think the 2015 World Series must’ve been really bad for you.

Mr. Green: I wish they would have made it in different years, it was torture. It was torture because I’m friends with the Mets and I’m friends with the Royals.

Yulian: Why is it that in your magazine you mostly focus on the younger aspect of baseball like prospects and college?

Mr. Green: There’s a lot of coverage of MLB, everybody writes about MLB. There’s not a lot of coverage about the minor leagues and high school. That’s our niche. 

Yulian: What sports do you follow and what are your teams?

Mr. Green: I love the Giants, the Rays, the Royals and, obviously, the Mets, and the teams that we’re affiliated with.

Yulian: The Rays have the lowest payroll in baseball, it’s like Moneyball. 

Mr. Green: We can talk about that. And the Giants. And the Knicks. I don’t care for the owner. I think he’s one of the worst owners in sports and made no moves. I think that the team wasn’t able to get any players because of the way James Dolan handled Charles Oakley, I think there’s some racism there. I refuse to go to a game and put $1 in Dolan’s pocket because he’s such a bad person to the fans. He’s in recovery, he’s a recovered alcoholic. My experience is that when you have people that are in recovery, they’re very humble. The people that have been down and out in their lives, when they come back up, they’re good people. He’s the rare occurrence of a horrible person who, obviously, was down and out, but he’s just so entitled and, and he’s a spoiled brat. And then as far as hockey, I used to love the Islanders in high school. I don’t really follow hockey anymore.

Yulian: What are some of the jaw-dropping perks that you receive in your position?

Mr. Green: I like that, “jaw-dropping.” My favorite players growing up were George Brett and Darryl Strawberry. I see Darryl a lot, probably, every month or two. He checks in on me every couple of weeks. Being able to be close friends with him and pick up the phone whenever I want to call him is kind of cool. And George Brett, I’m not as close with, but whenever I see him, he always gives me a big hug and knows who I am. A couple of years ago, we had Royals cocktail party and Darryl came with me and George was there and it was just really cool to hang out with both of them at the same time. I also was being able to meet with Warren Buffett half a dozen times. People pay $3 million for that meeting and I had it for free about half a dozen times. That was cool, probably it was my most awesome moment, my couple awesome moments. I'll give you my top three: one was when we dedicated a statue to Bob Gibson in front of our ballpark, because he’s from Omaha and I was able to speak and share the podium with Gibson, Joe Torre, Warren Buffett, Bud Selig, the governor of Nebraska and Tim McCarver, so that was cool. The other great moments are we won the National Championship two years in a row and to watch, like you do, the players pouring champagne on their heads. But to be able to do that three or four times with a different playoff series and then the championship – I never thought I’d be able to do that. So those are the great moments.

Yulian: What baseball team do you think is going to come out on top this year?

Mr. GREEN: I think Houston.

Yulian: Yeah, they’ll crush Yankees in the championship series.

Mr. GREEN: I don’t like the Yankees. I hope the Twins beat them.

Yulian: Where did your love for baseball come from?
Mr. GREEN: My dad was always a Little League manager for me and my brothers. I remember him throwing groundballs to us all the time in the backyard. My dad was a Brooklyn Dodger fan. When the Dodgers left Brooklyn, Dodger fans and Giant fans became Mets fans.

A Mets player, Tug McGraw, was our neighbor, so we went to the Mets games with Tug’s family and I was waiting outside of the locker room to get autographs. I think Tug McGraw and my dad are two of the main reasons why I love baseball.

Yulian: Tell me, please, about your Little League seasons and other baseball playing.

Mr. GREEN: I played Little League every year. I think I started when I was seven. Also, I played Hardball Tournament into my forties. I went to a Mets fantasy camp and to a Reds-Red Sox 75-year-old World Series fantasy camp. That was so cool to hang out with guys like Pat Zachry, John Stearns, Duffy Dyer and Doc Gooden.

Yulian: Do you think that the statistics are taking over the baseball world?
Mr. GREEN: From a fan’s standpoint, I think it’s too much. I don’t like it at the game when they show me the miles per hour off the bat of a groundball. If you want to show the miles per hour off the bat of a home run, that’s one thing. But I don’t need to see it on every pitch. I do like seeing the WAR rating that they put up at Citi Field. I think that’s cool. Watching StatCast at home is different. I don’t mind all the numbers, but watching it at the game, too many numbers, it’s just too much.

And as far as the stats that have taken over the game, I feel that you have to have numbers of people, there are certain GMs that are more instinct focused. I think Brodie Van Wagenen brought the analytic department to the Mets and they had the smallest analytics department in baseball.

Yulian: Brodie brought in 36-year-old Robinson Cano and he was suspended for half the year last season and they brought him in. He played average all this year.
Mr. GREEN: He got hurt. I think he should have taken a year to assess their minor league system. He should’ve known that this kid Kelenic was going to be the number 14 prospect in baseball.

Yulian: They kept him because they need a center fielder. I think they were like this offseason and they should bring in Lorenzo Cain then finish his career with the Mets and then they should’ve brought up Jarred Kelenic.

Mr. GREEN: Is he a free agent this year?

Yulian: No, I think they could’ve worked out a trade.

Mr. GREEN: Well, the Brewers are doing well. They should’ve have taken a year. I think that under Sandy Alderson they had the smallest analytics department in baseball. He did bring in Yoenis Cespedes, but you can’t act on hunches anymore. There are certain GMs that have been successful in the past that are going to be losing their jobs over the next couple of years. They don’t have the numbers people, they’ve worked on instinct, and they’ve done very well with it. But the game has changed now.

Yulian: If you created a baseball team, who are the first five players you would take? Reasonably speaking, not like Max Scherzer and Mike Trout. What would be the first five players?
Mr. GREEN: Well, you mean the current players? I'd say Trout, Alonso, of course. deGrom. I know Mookie Betts didn’t have a good year this year, but I’d still put him in there, he’s number 4. What would be your number 5?

Yulian: deGrom, Trout, Baez, Alonso.

Mr. GREEN: Not Betts?

Yulian: I want to see who else I can get. Oh, Yelich. We forgot about Yelich. Include him too.
Mr. GREEN: How about Bellinger?

Yulian: I like Yelich more because he has more speed and a better arm. I really would’ve wanted to see a 50-30 season. Do you think team chemistry is important for a team to have and why?
Mr. GREEN: That is the best question you’ve asked so far. Yes and no. I feel that when a player gets up to bat and he’s facing somebody who’s throwing 90 to a 100, I don’t think that he’s thinking about liking the guys on the bench or not. He’s trying to hit a ball. In the field, the chemistry works really well and I think it matters. And, if you can create an environment where people are having fun and they are happy, I feel like hitters will go up to bat in a better, positive frame of mind, so you have a team like the Mets who I’m sure when they were losing, the chemistry wasn’t great. And when they started winning again, chemistry became great.

I played in a Hardball Tournament in Cooperstown. We started out the tournament 0-4. Nobody liked anybody. It was brutal. And then we won the next six games and we won the championship and the chemistry changed – overnight. So I think it’s hard to find great chemistry in a losing team but a winning team doesn’t always have great chemistry, but it certainly increases for sure.

Yulian: Winning increases team chemistry. I love Alonso. He’s a rookie and I love and how he created LFGM and he’s just such a leader.
Mr. GREEN: Yes, he is and the way he handles it is right.

Yulian: What makes a good player in your mind?

Mr. GREEN: Athleticism. When they’re athletic, and if they train themselves properly, they get hurt less as opposed to a guy like Prince Fielder who got hurt. He was too big. When you carry too much weight on your structure, more than you’re supposed to, I think your body breaks down like Mark McGwire.

Yulian: I think hustle. As a coach, you love to see hustle in a player.

Mr. GREEN: That’s a great answer.

Yulian: Do you think Pete Alonso is a flash in the pan or will he do the same thing?
Mr. GREEN: I think it’s unreasonable to expect him to hit 53 home runs every year. I spoke about this with Darryl the other day. If he could hit 35, 40 or something like that every year and put up 120, 110 RBIs, I think that’s more realistic. But then again with these new baseballs rules that have changed the seams, the seams are lower. It’s more aerodynamic. The numbers that we’re used to spitting out like I just did, maybe those numbers are thing in the past. Maybe the expectations should be 45 to 50 home runs because of the ball. We saw in Minor League Baseball, they made us switch to the major league ball this year. Homers are up 60%. I feel that more home runs add more excitement to the game. MLB owns Rawlings. Major league baseball’s probably behind the better ball, the more aerodynamic balls.

Yulian: I would rather go to a game where it’s 11-10 rather than 1-0 or 2-1.

Mr. GREEN: I think most fans do.

Yulian:  What are your hopes and dreams for baseball?

Mr. GREEN: That the game perpetuates and evolves so that the younger generation can carry the torch. What MLB is attempted to do in MILB in current negotiations can potentially strip affiliated baseball from 40 cities in the U.S. MLB can’t say they want young people to grow the game while doing something like this.

Yulian:  I am sure I will have more questions for you in the future as baseball is living thing. May I contact you again for another interview?

Mr. GREEN: Of course!

Yulian: Thank you for your time and a great interview.

Mr. GREEN: It was my pleasure!

Thrill of a Lifetime – Meeting Baseball Legends

Baseball season is still in full swing. We still have a few weeks before the final game and I would like to share with you, my readers, a very memorable experience of the season 2019.

Going to a baseball game is exciting but no biggie. It is a biggie when you’re sitting in a luxury suite.

That’s Gary Green with me in his Citi Field suite.

On Saturday, September 14, my parents and I were invited by Gary Green to his private suite in City Field, to watch one of the best Mets games of the season. Mr. Green is Chairman and CEO of the publication “Baseball America” and a very affable and interesting person, a baseball lover and a Mets fan. This game was a pitcher’s duel between two Cy Young contenders, Jacob DeGrom and Hyun Jin-Ryu. Then, in the eight, the relievers came in and the Mets did their magic (all because of my rally cap). They loaded the bases and then the most unlikely candidate for this kind of a hit came up to the plate. Rajai Davis broke open the stalemate with a double laced down the left-field line to clear the bases. It was a magical night and I was lucky to see the Mets win on such a great ending.

Bobby Valentine and me.

Also, I was lucky during the game to meet two baseball legends: one of them was Bobby Valentine, "Bobby V,” a former American professional baseball player and manager of the Texas Rangers, the New York Mets, and the Boston Red Sox.

Baseball legend Tommy Lasorda and me.

The second legend was Tommy Lasorda, a former Major League Baseball pitcher, coach, and manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers for two decades. Mr. Lasorda celebrated his 92nd birthday and I sang Happy Birthday for him and shared slice of his birthday cake.

A few days later I had another unique opportunity – to sit down with Mr. Green and talk baseball. First time in my life – and I am just 12, going on 13, I talked about baseball with a businessman, who sees this sport from different angles and gave me the information first hand. That interview will appear next in my blog.

I hope I will have another opportunity to continue the conversation with Mr. Green as I got new questions to ask!