Sports This and That. Will the MBL Season Continue?

Aaaand another one bites the dust, bum, bum, bum, another one bites the dust. Yes, another one does bite the dust. The St. Louis Cardinals bit the dust.

Two St. Louis Cardinals got infected forcing the team to postpone its game. This comes after the Marlins team got infected and their season was postponed. My guess is that the whole season shuts down in the middle of next week. They should restart with a bubble or cancel the season entirely. The NBA and NHL handled this beautifully, with zero positive tests and a happy start to the season.

Speaking of the NBA, the NBA had a really nice restart. The DPOY, Rudy Gobert, who played great defense in shutting down the league, played a good game. Adam Silver, who’s Zionsexual, gave him the easiest schedule in the league and they blew it, I would say thank to Brandon Ingram, but he had a great game. But Ingram missed the game winner so they blew one of their games. The Lakers and the Clippers played and that was just fun. It was such a close game and Lebron (wait is that the GOAT who’s 37 years old, because I could’ve sworn he plays like he’s 25) James played badly, shooting 22% from the field but playing clutch by locking up Kawhi Leonard and making the game winner. Anthony Davis got 34 points and Kawhi and Paul George played under expectations. More NBA games coming tonight, stay tuned.

And from the World of Hoops

The NBA is coming back tomorrow and there are really high hopes for basketball fans.

Bol Bol is a beast all of a sudden. The 7’ 2” mammoth, who was a little clumsy and not polished before the big break, comes back and is looking like 7’ 2” Lebron James. Rookie Ja Morant is ready to tear up the whole league. James Harden is still tearing up the league. And, the Sacramento Kings Instagram is still the best in the NBA.

We’ll have to see if covid-19 fouls out the season.

The scrimmages were OK, but I didn’t watch any because you need to pay for them, which adds insult to injury at this point (injury being NBA fans’ eyes being parched with no basketball).

So, here are my prediction for the season. It’s a confusing process, but, the seeding games will begin, to see who will make it into the play in tournament (which I don’t really get) Thennnnnn, the playoffs.

East: The Nets and Magic will make it. The Wizards won’t make the playoffs, without John Wall, Bradley Beal just isn’t enough. The Nets don’t have a star studded lineup either but I think they’ll somehow hold on. The Magic have the best lineup out of these three teams, so, all three teams are bad, so it’s going to be competitive.

West: It’s a lot more competitive as there 7 teams fighting for two spots. Here I think the Mavs and the Trailblazers will get it. This might cause controversy as Ja Morant of the Grizzlies is acting like point guard Michael Jordan but the Blazers have Jusuf Nurkic, plus a nasty back court in Damian Lillard and CJ Mcollum. The Pelicans, Kings and Spurs all have a chance, but not with Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic standing in their way. And the Suns, well the Suns have no chance, as Devin Booker is playing badly.

This is the playoff format according to me.

East:
Bucks vs. Magic = Bucks

Raptors vs. Nets = Raps

Celtics vs. 76ers = Celtics

Heat vs. Pacers = Heat

No upsets here

West:

Lakers vs. Trailblazers = Lakers

Clippers vs. Mavs = Clips in 7

Nuggets vs. Rockets = Rockets

Jazz vs. Thunder = Thunder in 7

Bucks vs. Heat = Bucks

Raps vs. Celtics = Celtics

Lakers vs. Thunder = Lakers

Clips vs. Rockets = Clips in 6

Bucks vs. Celtics = Bucks in 6

Clips vs. Lakers = Lakers in 6

Bucks vs. Lakers = Lake Showwwwwwwwww in 6

Well, now let’s see, what newsworthy on the diamond?

The Dodgers and Astros played, haha.

There were fireworks, like expected, Joe Kelly threw 97 and Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa and then Joe Kelly struck him out with a mean “slurve.” Afterward, he said, “Nice swing b***h.” This man is not the man we deserved, he the man we needed. Oh yeah, and he got an 8-game suspension. Which is weird, because Rob “Bozo” Manfred gave no suspensions out to the cheating Astros, but Joe Kelly called a b***h a b**ch but the whole Astros team got none. Really? Manfred getting paid off? 

NFL tidbits next time.

Say It isn’t so, Metsies

The Amazins played yesterday a rubber game versus a good Braves team. So, it could have gone 50-50. Newly acquired Rick Porcello started the game, so, based on how much hype has been going around him, this should be a good game. But, a 2-0 start was rough, so, let’s see the second inning, maybe it was a fluke. No, as it turned out, it wasn’t. By the third inning it was 7-1. When it was all said and done, and there was a whole lot done, it was 14-1. The series went from a commanding win, then a loss, and the third game finished 14-1. Well, without Porcello, it would’ve been 7-1 (theoretically), still no morale boost for the Metsies, but it could have looked better than 14-1. Michael Conforto had a hit, and he’s just always been solid. The two best hits on the Mets were Brandon Nimmo’s double and catcher Tomas Nido’s. I wouldn’t say that Rick Porcello is going to perform like this all season, it’s only a fluke, but, boy, were the Mets amazingly bad yesterday.

The MLB season is back in jeopardy as I noted in my previous blog. The Marlins had a covid outbreak in their organization today, and if that spreads, bye-bye baseball. The truncated season could be canceled if more ballplayers and teams succumb to the virus. I’ll fall back into being desperate for things to write about and the world will go back into a dark place. So hopefully, covid-19 is controlled by the healthcare workers.

Sorry for my silence about the NFL and NBA. Thoughts coming tomorrow. 

The Boys of Summer are Back!

The long-awaited 2020 baseball opening day is finally here. Despite covid-19 still affecting society and ballplayers, the words “Play Ball” are yelled – not really heard ‘cause the stadiums are empty. What would America be without sports, especially baseball? The boys of August, the tingle in the air in September, the All Star Game, the home run race. These are things that regular people don’t notice, only fans do, but for those people who buy hotdogs in the stands, it’s amazing. However, there are many questions that still have to be answered by every team for them to be successful.

This truncated season with one-third the usual number of games is going to be debated forever. Does the Commissioner’s Trophy count? Are 60 days enough to determine an MLB champion? Should the stats count? Should there be trades? Should there be this? Does this count? Where will this happen? Where will that happen? How will covid affect the players? What happens if a team gets infected? Will teams be eliminated if they have too many sick players? What happens now? Why can’t Dr. Anthony Fauci pitch? What is the meaning of life?

But, for the teams, owners, managers, coaches, players and fans, there are still questions. So, here are my questions for every team and suggested answers. I will also do a summary of the teams that have no questions.

It wouldn’t be opening day at Citi Field if Jacob DeGrom didn’t pitch and win in a 1-0 shutout, first the Marlins, now the Braves and next year whatever team they’ll play. Yoenis Cespedes, who, as insert Quick Pitch person said, has a streak of homers, it’s only three, but in the past three games that he’s played, he’s hit a homer, he didn’t hit one on Saturday, and that’s pretty funny.

In game 2, the Mets had another beautiful win on tap, but, Edwin Diaz had to give up a homer to Marcell Ozuna when the Braves were on their final strike. Nothing good happened. Hunter Strickland, who won a UFC brawl with Bryce Harper two years ago, (who’s now earned my utmost respect) gives up 3 runs to make the Mets lose a game when every game counts. The Mets tried to mount a comeback but they couldn’t … I am horribly disappointed in the bullpen, even though it’s only two guys (so far), but every game counts and everyone thought that the Mets bullpen is impeccable. Disclaimer!!! It’s not.

As for my Q&A

New York Mets: What will they do at the leadoff spot? The Mets are a really good team by a good-sized margin, and, no bias, I think the Mets will win the NL East. The leadoff spot is up for grabs by Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo. I think Nimmo should win the spot because his on-base ability is unparalleled. Jeff McNeil should go to the five spot because Pete Alonso has occupied the second spot.

Oakland Athletics: Who needs to go in the outfield? I know the limit for players on a roster is now 30, but having as many outfielders as the Athletics have? No. I think 5 is the max for outfielders on a team, and they have 7. I must say that they have a good fight for the right field position, with Stephen Piscotty, Chad Pinder and Robbie Grossman. I think that Piscotty should win, and Grossman should come off the bench with Tony Kemp. Chad Pinder and Seth Brown should go, they could be trade bait or just get sent down to the minors.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Are they going to make the playoffs with their young, powerless and inexperienced lineup? Definitely not, I give them 3 or 4 in their division. Their rotation is led by old man Madison Bumgarner. They are very young in the hitting department, they’re led by Ketel Marte but they don’t have power. Wait maybe two years for their even younger guns to come up and a few more changes by the man upstairs and then the Dbacks are going to be good.

Atlanta Braves: Is this team, that looks amazing on paper, really that good on the field? Yes, yes they are. Freddy Freeman is getting a little old, but you don’t have to be the most athletic to play first base. They have an amazing young infield, great outfield led by Ronald Acuna and Marcell Ozuna. The Braves pitching can pass as average because their offense is going to make up whatever their pitching allows.

Baltimore Orioles: Are they really that bad? Yes, they are extrrrrrremely bad. No salary cap, no bad players, their starting pitching is atrocious, their bullpen is disgusting. The position players on this team are so bad probably none of the players even were thought about to be in the Top 100 in baseball and none of them hit more than 15 homers last season. Oh yeah, sorry Anthony Santander hit 20, team leader, yeesh. Not to mention they own the worst contract in baseball in Chris Davis. Davis doesn’t perform and he’s getting paid 30 million a year. They are in a dark place right now, and I don’t see a light at the end of this tunnel.

Boston Red Sox: Can the core of the lineup hold up the weak pitching? The core of this team is really young, Rafael Devers, Alex Verdugo, and Andrew Benintendi, there’s also Xander Bogearts but that’s the core. The pitching is weak, that’s definitely a weak spot going into the short season, but I don’t think that the hitters can handle it. They’re still a playoff team, but Wild Card, if that’s even a thing in the new playoff format.

Chicago White Sox: Can the Sox handle some injuries to still make the playoffs? I think that they can, but it would definitely be borderline, in or out. They have a stacked lineup and great starting pitching, so that can hold up. And their AAA team is good and has depth for all positions especially outfield and catcher. Their pitching took a hit when Michael Kopech says he’s not going to play.

Chicago Cubs: Who are they going to roll out at the top of the lineup? Is David Ross going to follow in Joe Maddon’s footsteps and go with the really unorthodox approach, putting a first baseman leading off or is he going to change some things up? I would put either Jason Kipnis or Ian Happ leading off, both are contact hitters and both have speed.

Cleveland Indians: Are they going to make a run at the chip? Their lineup took a lot of hits, now being led solely by Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor. Their bullpen is solid as always, their minor league teams are loaded and ready. Starting pitching is about a 3/5 rating, not the best, not the worst. And, in a 60 game season, they could go off and get lucky. So, yes, they could win the whole thing.

Colorado Rockies: What moves should the Rockies make in the season? Immediately I see their bullpen concerns, for them to make a run deep in the playoffs, they need a middle bullpen because bullpens are very important for the playoffs. They could trade with the Yankees, they have good middle relievers. They could also go with starting pitching, but relievers are their primary concern right now.

Detroit Tigers: I couldn’t think of a question for them but I see the hitting is weak and the pitching is still bad, but it’s better. The Tigers really need hitters, like badly. Tigers probably don’t have any playoff hopes, at all. Maybe next year, if they have an amazing offseason.

Houston Astros: How many HBPs will the Astros have? Just kidding. The Astros have no questions, they are the most complete team in the MLB, they are just great. Their hitting is great from 1-9 and their pitching got worse but still great. The bullpen needs help, but for how this team looks, that’s a concern, but I wouldn’t worry about that too much.

Kansas City Royals: How many years until they go deep into the playoffs again? The Royals virtually had to start from scratch after 2015, so many of the players left, so their team is very young. If they could acquire a power bat, preferably a lefty, that’s a start to coming back into the playoffs. So I give them three years until they come into the playoffs again.

Los Angeles Angels: How will the top of the lineup look now? The Angels had a great offseason, bringing in Anthony Rendon so, the only question for the top is who’s leading off because I see Shohei Ohtani batting second, Mike Trout third and Rendon fourth. Maybe Andrelton Simmons or Tommy La Stella leading off. But, the Angels have a great season ahead of them.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Now this is a complete team, they have everything, hitting, but not at every position, but good players that hit. They have a young and fiery rotation. The only thing I would cleanup is their closer, but no one wants an aging, overpaid closer.

Miami Marlins: Will the team make the playoffs? I see potential in this team, it got much better than last year. Their rotation is young and shaky, not my cup of tea though. I would not roll out the rotation; the bullpen was never good. So l would hold off on the playoffs, especially in an absolutely stacked division in the NL East. The Marlins definitely won’t make the playoffs until the NL East cools down. 3-5 years, sorry Marlins fans.

Milwaukee Brewers: Who needs to step up in order for the Brew Crew to have a good season? I think Ryan Braun needs to come back to the dead (oldness) and have like a 10-12 homer season. Christian Yelich is going to show up no matter what. My third offensive player is Orlando Arcia, I know, he’s a wild card, but I want to see him have a breakout year. A pitcher is Brett Anderson, I want him to anchor the rotation and propel them into a good season.

Minnesota Twins: How far in the playoffs will they go with a new and improved team? The Twins got Kenta Maeda and Josh Donaldson to probably finish off their careers in Minnesota. The starting rotation is going to have to step up to the plate, they are very old except for the ace Jose Berrios. I want to see Marwin Gonzalez have one more great season as the best utility man in baseball, then he could regress, because I feel like then the Twins will have their young players step up. I think they will definitely win the division and maybe beat the next opponent depending on how good they are, so I would say the ALCS is when they’ll make their exit, or get lucky and make it to the World Series.

New York Yankees: No questions for the Bronx Bombers. They have an outstanding team, led by Gerrit Cole, who signed the biggest contract in pitcher history this offseason and Giancarlo Stanton, whose mammoth home runs are jaw-dropping. Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres all line an amazing team who’s definitely a favorite to win the AL.

Philadelphia Phillies: They showed it in their exhibition game against the Yankees, they’re good, but are their hitters good enough to hold through the whole season? I doubt it. They have depth and solid contact hitters, but in 60 games, they look great on paper, but I just don’t think that they’re going to hold water-tight. I feel it in my gut, like Gibbs on NCIS.

Pittsburgh Pirates: No questions, this team isn’t good, but they’re straightforward. The Pirates are like the runt of the litter. The NL Central is the easiest division in the NL, but they’ve never really had a solidified spot at the top. The Brewers and the Cubs always dominated the NL Central, and now the Reds are perking up. This season isn’t looking amazing now, the hitters are all average to bad, the only thing looking up is the pitching, maybe next year.

San Diego Padres: Can they not get swept under the Tsunami of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Can they make it competitive for the Dodgers? Yes and Yes. They can, they’re young guns are inexperienced but good, they don’t have every position filled up with superstars, but name a team that does. Their starting pitching is highlighted by Chris Paddack and Joey Lucchesi, so that’s good, but the 3, 4, 5 in their rotation is rough.

San Francisco Giants: Can their senior citizen players step up and make them respectable? No, they can’t, Pablo Sanchez, Brandon Crawford, Hunter Pence, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto top the list of AARP members. They have a bad team, they’re old, no young talent in the minors and a bad GM. This is a hurting unit and won’t be good for a few years. This is the cause of bad management only, nothing else.

Who will win the Commissioner’s Trophy? Stay tuned, sports fans.

Play Ball! (Finally)

Ladies and gentlemen, we have baseball back. Play Ball! Six teams played exhibition games over the weekend in three, two-game series. Let’s start with the other games and then finish with the battle of New York.

The Phillies routed the Nationals 7-2 with…. wait for it…… Max Scherzer on the mound. Maybe Max is losing his touch. He gave up a first-inning homer to Didi Gregorius, a sac fly and another homer to Bryce Harper. Aaron Nola proved again to be one of the top pitchers in the NL East, behind DeGrom, and he could have dethroned Scherzer as the second best. As Phil Jackson said (coach of the “Last Dance” Bulls), “You’re only good as your last season,” (or game in this case). I’m bursting with excitement to see how the sweaty, competitive, intense, and many more adjectives NL East Race evolves. The Braves, Mets, Nationals and Phillies all have the same chance to win and it’s just going to be so great to watch. The Marlins are just bad.

The Indians beat the Pirates 5-3 and I have to give it up to the Pirates, they’re going to be competitive. Zach Plesac went five innings before breaking and allowing a two-run single. The Indians bullpen was superb but the Pirates bullpen was the opposite. Kyle Crick blew the game, so it’s really only Crick to blame but the Pirates don’t really have anyone flashy. The Indians are exactly like the NBA Nuggets, amazing in the regular season and then beaten to a pulp in the playoffs, but now, with their great young depth, the Indians may very well make a run deep into the playoffs, like in 2016. The most important thing in this game I think is that Francisco Lindor… made an error. Lindor is the smoothest player in baseball, nothing gets past him, but, he booted the ball yesterday, yikes.

Now, the battle of New York. The Mets and the Yankees had a very competitive game until the Yankees blew away – for some reason. The Yankees jumped out to a hot start, 1-0, then Clint Frazier went deep with a mask on and a bizarre batting stance. Rick Porcello was responsible for both runs, I always liked Michael Wacha more, but Porcello is OK. Then, the two hottest hitters on the Metsies last year, JD Davis and Pete Alonso drove in two runs. Then Jeurys Familia, gave up a run which made the score 4-2. In the 9^th inning, Daniel Zamora, who I thought was a lockdown pitcher, let me down – big time. He gave up three straight liners which translated into four runs. Then, salt into the open wound, a sac fly to make it 9-2. Newly acquired Eduardo Nunez tried to make it a little more respectable – but failed. Final score, 9-3.

JD Davis and Pete Alonso continue to hold down the fort with their consistent hitting. Yoenis Cespedes, my third favorite player in my 13 years as a Met fan (David Wright and Pete Alonso are the first two in that order), failed me, 0-4, but I think that he’ll bounce back and have 7 homers, 41 RBIs and a .267 batting average in our short season. Errors were in abundance yesterday. Atrocious Max Moroff swung through countless pitches and can’t make a normal throw to Pete Alonso, who can’t scoop everything in the world. I’m really happy with what I saw, a little glimpse of speed, Brandon Nimmo stole a base. There was a dilemma on the pregame show today, on who should be batting leadoff for the Mets this year, Brandon Nimmo or Jeff McNeil, I trust Luis Rojas’ judgment, but I think that Brandon Nimmo should leadoff and McNeil should be second, with Alonso third and Cano or Cespedes in the cleanup spot. Amed Rosario should bat 9^th as the universal DH is implied for the short season.

The Metsies continue their pretty bad “start” to the season. Even though it’s only exhibition games, they got their faces again rammed into the gravel by the Bronx Bombers. The Mets experiments down in the minor leagues didn’t do well at all. Drew Smith came back from a major injury which cost him all of last year and he went out and threw darts until he met Aaron Judge who took him 440-feet deep left and Luke Voit took him into dead center. Yeesh. Corey Oswalt, the starter yesterday, was never supposed to be a white Pedro Martinez, but he was supposed to be solid. He wasn’t too solid, giving up two homers, to Aaron Judge in the first and Gary Sanchez in the fourth. I have nothing to be happy about, no offensive production, luckily Max Moroff didn’t play or else they’d be in the negatives at this point. Our usual studs didn’t do much, this whole game was pretty much a disappointment. It was Yanks all the way with 6:0. Let’s see what awaits us on Friday.

Who knows how the 2020 season will play out, whether ballplayers will fall out with coronavirus, but I think that this season should have an asterisk next to it, and the playoffs and World Series should take place. If last year’s season was only 60 games, then the Nats wouldn’t have made it to the playoffs. I think it’s going to be interesting to see who’ll be lucky this season and who’s just consistently good. 

Some Thoughts on the Gridiron

Indianapolis Colts: Yeesh, why would they pick up Philip Rivers in free agency, that’s probably the worst player they could’ve picked up? Tom Brady? I understand, but Philip Rivers. He can’t run, doesn’t have an arm and they were developing Jacoby Brissett. Brissett didn’t have a bad year, almost 3,000 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and only 6 picks, that’s good for a guy that didn’t see the field for most of his career and probably wasn’t going to if Andrew Luck didn’t disappear into the night leaving the Colts desperate. Rivers on the other hand had a good season, actually. 4,600 yards and 23 touchdowns, but, 20 picks. But, Rivers is old and can’t run, Brissett is just starting out his starting career. Rivers is good now and will probably fall to average.

Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes is going to be the greatest QB ever in a few years, historic years back to back, an MVP, a Super Bowl, a Madden Cover and just recently, a 10 year, $503 million extension. Add it all together plus a few more great season and possibly more Super Bowls and/or MVPs and he’s the GOAT, not comparison, no nothing, Mahomes is the best. He could scramble, throw accurately and his arm is classified as a lethal weapon and America is planning to sign this guy to the army, not as a soldier, but rather as a missile launcher. Mahomes is the best in the league now and will definitely be the GOAT by the end of his career.

Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert is really underrated. Herbert is the future of this franchise, and I applaud the Chargers GM for this. I don’t know if this is by chance or if this was planned. They didn’t re-sign their running back so now the Chargers are an all passing team, so Herbert could evolve. Justin is going to have a great season and the Rookie of the Year race is going to be legendary. Herbert has a great arm and he can even scramble a bit. The Chargers stole Herbert in my opinion. Herbert is average right now and he will probably be great.

Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff is a BUST. The number one pick that is underperforming so badly. He’s a pocket passer for life, if he scrambles then he turns into Mitchell Trubisky standing, Goff overthrows or underthrows the receiver by 8 feet. Goff has an OK arm and that’s about all I see that would prompt the Rams to draft NUMBER ONE. Also, all of this “talent” is definitely not worth $33.5 million, maybe $3.35 million. Goff is average now and will maybe top out his career at good.

Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa was going to be the number one pick no matter what, even with the injury, if Joe Burrow hadn’t gone into a phone booth and turned into Super Man minus the flying near the end of the season. Tua has it all, accuracy, arm strength, scrambling, height, and IQ. He is literally the guy that all aspiring QBs should be looking at or Lamar Jackson. Tua is going to lead a legendary Rookie of the Year race and is hopefully going to win it. The Dolphins are a hurting unit in general so Tua isn’t exactly the savior but he’s really close. Tua is average now and will probably be elite when he’s at his peak. 

Play ball!

We finally have a baseball season after much bickering and brawling between the MLBPA and the MLB. They’ve finally agreed to a season. And the patient fans finally have baseball again.

It’s definitely not ideal, actually, far from it. Rob “Bozo” Manfred proposed a 60-game season. 60 games!?!? It’s really not like they could’ve done better, there’s not much time. But after Czech Table Tennis was the most exciting “sport” on television, or, would you like to indulge in the 2007 Week 7 Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins (Dolphins and Steelers fans, that was rhetorical, but even you wouldn’t want to watch that), huh?

I mean, the Nationals were horrible at 60 games, but look where they ended up. In a little less than a week, Spring Training will start, but where does that leave the minor league players? Do they play in Spring Training; do they play at all? Do they play their season? I can imagine crazed people going to major league baseball games, but minor league games, no way! Minor league games are fun, but nobody is going there to endanger their lives.

My point is that minor leagues are going down the drain and will probably never get out of this major hole. There is one rule that is interesting but clearly points out that there are no minor leagues. There will be three taxi squad players that can tag along with the team, much like calling people up from the minors. This rule I don’t really understand but I see both sides of the argument: the Injured List – IL will be 10 days for pitchers and hitter and the 60-day IL will be now 45 days. So, are the players supposed to turn into Super Men and rehabilitate faster?

I don’t think that’s how nature intended injuries and coming back to happen. But the powers that be did do this because the 60-day IL is literally the length of the season. The trade deadline will be August 31 so only about a month to play with the new players. And finally, probably my favorite rule, is that there will be universal DHs. Finally the NL will have something do with all the no defense and all offense players, like JD Martinez. I love this idea. I think it’s the best deal possible given the circumstances but the only thing I don’t like is that all this had to have been done earlier.  

Pitcher: For this series of baseball pitchers I’m doing the number one starter, I’ll do relievers next and so on and so forth around the diamond.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray is a good pitcher, he made the All Star Team last year and he finished with a 12-8 record last season but with an over 4 ERA, that’s the troubling part of this. Ray has a good arsenal and he’s a solid starter to hold your team’s lead but he just hasn’t proved himself yet and I don’t think he will. Ray is good and will probably solid or good in his career.

Atlanta Braves: Mike Soroka, the Braves have a great starting rotation but Soroka stands out to me because I watch him a lot when the Braves are playing the Mets, and I see that he’s young and he has potential. Mike went 13-4 last season and finished with a sub 2.50 ERA, elite numbers for a man in his first full season. He was an All Star and he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, second, behind Pete Alonso, which wasn’t really all that much of a competition, but still, second? With a tall frame and weighing 225 lb. he could throw the ball well and hard. Mike is good now and will be elite in the future.

Baltimore Orioles: Yeesh, their starting rotation is saaaaaaaaaaaad. Alex Cobb is their best starter? Alex Cobb? Alexander Miller Cobb went 0-2 and had a 10.95 ERA in three games, people are going to say, three games, oh, that’s nothing. Ah, but as Phil Jackson said on the Last Dance, “You’re only as good as your last season,” even if your “season” is three games long. Cobb is near the end of his career and now the pitching staff of the Orioles is going to be atrocious, they’re going to be bad for at least the next three years because then Adley Rutsctman will come and “save” them. Cobb is bad and will be bad for the rest of his career.

White Sox: Lucas Giolito is great. He should definitely be one of the guys that they should build around looking into the future. Giolito is a fiery pitcher who is really consistent, he went 14-9 with a 3.41 ERA, he had 3 complete games and two shutouts, both league leaders. Lucas is at the beginning of his career with a really bright future and the Sox have a really bright future as well.

Chicago Cubs: Jose Quintana is the starter I’m choosing. It’s weird because most rotations have one outlier that’s great and the rest are average, on the Cubs, every single one starter is average or solid, not better, not worse, completely average. Quintana had a 13-9 record and a 4.68 ERA, he has a great pitch combo. He’s someone I would trust with taking Game one of the World Series if I’m the Cubs. Quintana is solid and will probably stay there or be good.

What’s up with Basketball?

We’re going to skip around sports now and offer some thoughts on basketball. We’re starting with the point guard, the 1 spot.

Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young, “Ice Trae,” he’s a beast. He can break ankles like Kyrie Irving, shoot like Steph Curry (or maybe even better, he has more threes in his first two seasons than Steph) and finish like Russell Westbrook. Overall, he’s a beast, probably should’ve gotten picked first in the 2018 draft. He’s the cornerstone for this franchise, if the Hawks are going to make a run for the playoffs or even the Finals in the next few years, Young is going to be the cornerstone through and through. Right now, Trae is elite, and he’s going to be the best soon enough.

Boston Celtics: Kemba Walker is getting a little old, but still he’s a solid player. I would want him on my team because he’s a veteran presence, he’s a great passer, and still a great all-around scorer. I wouldn’t want him on my team because he’s prone to injury, and why take on $32 million in salary for a guy who’s on the verge of retiring.

Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving is getting old but he’s a beast, performing at his peak – when he’s on the court. He crosses people up to make space and then when he’s setting up for a shot, boom, blows by him and floats it right above the center’s head for a Net bucket. He could shoot, finish, pass (when he wants to) and defend (but he’s not the best). Kyrie is great now, and he’ll probably regress to being “good.”

Charlotte Hornets: Devonte’ Graham in my opinion is a bud, he hasn’t bloomed yet and won’t for maybe a year, maybe two years. But, know this, Charlotte, Graham is going to be good, just give him the time. Graham can shoot, and that’s about all he can do, maybe a little dribbling.  Give him until 2021 and he’ll be really good. If I were Charlotte I wouldn’t build upon their back court, but rather try and play down low and physical basketball. Graham is average right now and he’ll be good and maybe great.

Chicago Bulls: Coby White is supposed to be good, I think he’s pretty much Devonte’ Graham except less dribbling but more passing/playmaking. He was the seventh pick in the draft, I think he was drafted a little too early, I mean the Bulls did address a big need in their organization. He averaged 13 points per game, which is good for a rookie playing limited minutes in a limited season. The Bulls need to work on development, they have good young talent in Lauri Markannen, Wendell Carter Jr., Zach Lavine and Coby White. The jury is still out on Coby but I think that he’s going to be good or maybe even great. 

Stay tuned for the players’ vote on resuming the season tomorrow.

Baseball Negotiations Reach 9^th Inning

All sports in America have been all constructively planning or have already finalized plans for starting or resuming their playing seasons except for Major League Baseball.

The parties to America’s pastime haven’t been able to reach an agreement, perhaps pushing this logjam into extra innings. If you’ve been following this frustrating issue then you’d know that what was true yesterday is no longer true today. Actually, a decision is supposed to be reached by the close of business today or else.

The MLB and the Player’s Association have been throwing numbers at each other for weeks. The key issue is that the MLBPA would gladly play if they were given the money the players believe they deserve. MLB – the owners – keeps suggesting pay cuts. I see both sides of the story. It’s not the MLB’s fault that COVID-19 changed our lives on and off the field, so the players should get the money they want.

However, the MLB says it doesn’t have enough money to give to the players. Really? Look around, sports fans, baseball is a major industry.

Let’s recall some of the events that have happened and some of the comments that were made. The MLBPA wants a longer season (for the MLB) and full salaries (for the players), then the MLB wants a shorter season (for the players) and smaller salaries (for the MLB). According to Yahoo Sports, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said: “Since March, the Association has made it clear that our No.1 focus is playing the fullest season possible, as soon as possible, as safely as possible. Players agreed to billions in monetary concessions as a means to that end, and in the face of repeated media leaks and misdirection we made additional proposals to inject new revenues into the industry – proposals that would benefit the owners, players, broadcast partners, and fans alike.”

Let me clean that up for you: Tony Clark speaks for the whole MLBPA. Players want to play, and he’s saying that the players want their money and that the MLBPA has agreed to keep coming towards the MLB’s expectations in further negotiations. But, as we see what happened today, with the MLB proposing a 72-game season and the players bringing in about 83 percent of their prorated salaries, the MLBPA rejected this idea and doesn’t want to negotiate anymore. Now, we’re going to get a season soon because all the MLB has to do is fill in the blanks with how many games the season will have and paychecks and health assurances.

The commissioner, Rob “Bozo” Manfred did promise a season (and the season is looking good). The MLB does have the power to throw the player’s association’s thoughts down the drain, but it probably won’t do that yet. If they did, the player’s association could go on strike and what good will that do?

We’re hearing things like former MLB player Mark Teixeira saying “…players won’t be getting a cent, they should rather be getting cents on the dollar.”

I’m not a player but I do agree with him. I would rather make some money than no money, I would rather have one cookie than no cookies. Now we’re just looking at the details of the season: like the duration of the season, the salaries and the playoff format (that will be interesting) and if the NL could finally have a DH!

All American sports were suspended due to coronavirus. But I have this to say, when all the other players are playing, and baseball isn’t, there will be something wrong, something won’t feel right, something will be missing. Baseball has had so many disturbing and great moments, football and basketball have had these moments, but baseball is America’s pastime, American sports need baseball, it just feels right with it, so make an effort to bring back baseball!

The situation is desperate for all concerned. As Buster Olney, ESPN senior writer, wrote in his column today, “The house of baseball is burning and somebody needs to put out the fire immediately.” I totally agree with Olney. Someone bigger than everyone involved in the negotiations needs to step up to the plate and will hit a walk-off homer that will save the game. The MLBPA dropped the ball so now we’re only left with the MLB to crunch the numbers so the fans finally hear “Play Ball!” after such a long silence.

If not, baseball fans will be stuck with repeats (I’m actually sick of them, the 2000 Home Run Derby? Really?) and the Japanese and Korean baseball leagues.

Let’s look at the other two sports that I cover. The NBA has a set date to play in Disney Land, “This is Anthony Davis, and you’re watching the NBA playoffs on Disney Channel!” on a tentative date of July 30 with 22 teams playing and the teams will start training on July 9-11. The NFL is planning to make all 32 teams go to training camp and act as if COVID-19 never happened, (not the way you should be going). Coaches have started coming back to their stadiums to practice – but not all. Their wives aren’t letting them, ha-ha. The NFL might be the only league not worrying. Their preseason starts in August, so they have more than enough time to start and end their season. The NBA will go on, with them planning to have a 22-team tournament to see who gets in and then have normal playoffs.

It will be interesting to see what happens after this long coronavirus break and then having everyone playing at full speed.

Reviewing NFL Quarterbacks

As we yearn for our beloved “live” sports to come back (I emphasize live because I don’t really like watching the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals – which is fine – and the 2015 Super Bowl again like in “Groundhog Day”), I have created this series in which I rate every NFL team’s quarterback on a scale of elite, great, good, average, trash. I will do this for every position that you play in fantasy football (QB, RB, WR, TE, D/Special Teams) and will continue for each sport. Away we go:

Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott is so bad, like he only has accuracy downfield. Dak can’t run, can’t throw like a quarterback is expected to throw. I’ll give him a little credit in slinging the rock, but enough to ask to be the most paid quarterback. The highest paid player in a league is usually the best, not in the NFL, Kirk Cousins, Carson Wentz and Jared Goff are the most paid, and they are horrrrrrible. He is good, at most, and he’ll probably never get better.

Denver Broncos: Drew Lock is good. Being not the greatest rookie, this guy’s a beast. Drew can run, is accurate and can’t really throw deep I think he’s going to get there. The hype around Lock is not fake, or overhype. Everyone overhypes Lock, and they’re right to do that. The Broncos have to build around this guy. Lock’s going to lead them to the playoffs. He’s average right now, but this man will be great.

Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, yeesh, this man isn’t the best, he’s a little underrated. He can run like Dak, has accuracy and has an arm. What’s preventing him from being good is his age. He’s old, and he won’t be good again. My guess is the Lions will try to make a playoff run when Stafford retires, not that he should yet. I mean, heck, the Pats when to the Super Bowl and the playoffs with Tom Brady, he was in his upper 30s – lower 40s, and their D carried them. The Lions could to the same. He’s good right now, and he’ll probably be average.

Green Bay Packers: I don’t know what you want me to say. Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love, they’re both competing for the same job. Matt Lefleur has a tough decision to make. Start Rodgers, who’s gaining years and play him until he retires and waste solid Jordan Love’s time to develop him. Or Love, that would be mean to Rodgers, because he’s carried them to so much, and to develop Love, whose potential is amazing. Rodgers is elite right now, and will probably continue to be elite or great but it depends on how they play him. Love is average right now, and will be great or average, depends on how they play him.

Houston Texans: Deshaun Watson has it all. An arm, accuracy and scrambling outside the pocket. Now that they traded away Deshaun Hopkins, Watson is going to have Brandin Cooks to throw to, “elite” receiver. Here is an audio clip from a game in the upcoming season: “Oh, Watson has Cooks deep, Watson unloads, Cooks running, aaaaaaaaaand… Cooks couldn’t get there, surely there was someone in the stands, right Bill?” Cooks has speed but he’s just not great. Watson is great, and he’ll be elite.

Indianapolis Colts: Philip Rivers is old, doesn’t have an arm, can’t run and I guess the only thing he has is accuracy. What were they doing in free agency? Philip Rivers is not the cream of the crop and is way past his prime. This man isn’t good and won’t lead them to a playoff berth. Jacoby Brissett is? Philip? No. Luckily they drafted well, so Rivers has weapons. Philip is average and will always be average.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Gardner Minshew is a meme for the NFL. Everyone thinks this guy is great, like come on. Minshew is bad, scrambling isn’t everything. The Jags could hopefully get a QB in the draft, and that would be an improvement over Gardner. If he’s so good, why didn’t they make it to the playoffs? Minshew is average, and good at best.

Kansas City Chiefs: What can I say about Patrick Mahomes, he’s so good. He has the strongest arm in the league, accuracy, can throw on the run and can scramble. If he didn’t have Tyreek Hill, he would be bad. But hey, Patrick would be nothing without Spongebob. So Mahomes is good because of himself, and because he has his partner in crime, Hill, who also beats up his kids (just thought I’d add it there). Mahomes is elite and he’s reached his full potential, eliteness, this man’s a beast.

More next time.

While We’re Waiting for Sports to Return …

There have been rumblings over the long weekend about sports returning – almost. Are the players, managers and owners satisfied – and it’s not only about safety. Have they been offered fair salaries based on a shortened season? Will this year’s leagues games and championships also have asterisks – *2020 incomplete due to coronavirus. But at any rate there’s movement so sports fans can at least watch live games on television.

I’m starting a new series where I rank players on their team on a scale of elite, great, good, average, trash. I will include their current status and what they will become.

In the meantime, some football.

Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray. This guy’s is probably the next Lamar Jackson – except a few inches shorter. For a guy who can just barely see over the center, this guy’s Joe Namath with wheels. But, to be good in this league, he needs to be taller. This guy’s scrambling is where he’s going to make his money. Like, c’mon Lamar isn’t known for his “cannon,” he’s known for his jets. Kyler is average right now, but in his prime he’s probably going to be good and great at best.

Atlanta Falcons: You don’t hear “Matt Ryan, what a beast” all that often, well, because he’s not. Ryan only has accuracy, he doesn’t have an arm, and speed, don’t even start. Some 350 lb. linemen run faster than him. Julio doesn’t get thrown to because when he goes on a streak, burning his matchup, Ryan’s “flamethrower” either underthrows poor Julio or check downs to Devonta Freeman. This guy’s average and will be average for the rest of his career.

Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson makes defenders look foolish, nasty jukes, stop and goes, and spins. This man’s a beast. Lamar can’t really throw, but when he does, it’s probably going to be on the money. In Madden, this guy’s a cheat code, it doesn’t matter if you put the whole team as QB Spies. He is elite, and he won’t ever step down from his pedestal, unless he gets really old.

Buffalo Bills: Coming out of college, Josh Allen was projected to be a beast and his main attribute – his strong arm. Coming into his third NFL season, he still has that strong arm, but now he overthrows his receivers, well, his receivers aren’t exactly what normal people call tall. Their tallest receiver is Stefon Diggs, who is six foot. Allen also can’t run, he’s slow, he ran a 4.76 in the 40-yard dash but something happened to his speed. He can get 5 yards off a scramble, averaging 4.6 yards per rush. Allen is average right now, he’s probably be great, but not elite.

Carolina Panthers: They’re kind of tight on QBs right now. Teddy Bridgewater is the starter, not exactly the cream of the crop, pretty much like Matt Ryan but with slightly more wheels. Teddy is going to love Christian McCaffrey, to check down to because his noodle arm isn’t going to be able to hit a man deep down the field. Bridgewater is accurate in between the numbers on the field. Bridgewater is on the fence between average and trash, and he will go beyond that.

Chicago Bears: Mitch Trubisky is so bad. I think that all Bears fans agree with me. This guy doesn’t have an arm, he isn’t accurate and he doesn’t know what passing out of the pocket is. This man may very well be the biggest draft bust. The Bears will never go past 6-10 if they don’t move on from him. He is trash and he maybe will be average in his “prime.”

Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, the number one overall pick, the man that could do it, scramble, take hits, hit deep bombs and is accurate. Bengals fans think that this man will carry them to the playoffs, and maybe he will, I think he will. But, if he doesn’t, Bengals fans will be sad and depressed. In 2022, Bengal fans will be very sad and depressed, the number of Bengals fans will go down severely. Because, they will move on to be fans of other teams, what did you think I was going to say? Burrow is average and will probably be great if not elite.

Cleveland Browns: Moving on from a potential bust to an average bust. Both were first overall picks, but Baker Mayfield is a bust. He has an average strong arm, he is kind of accurate and he doesn’t really have speed. Baker is fine if the Browns have other good players on the offense and defense, but, do you think the Browns’ GM is trying to do that? NO! Baker is on the fence of average and good, and he may go down to trash or he may redeem himself to be great.

Is it Opening Day Yet?

We want them back, and we’re finally see some sports leagues coming back. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) came back, but I think that’s the last one that should have come back. It’s literally men in boxers fighting each other – social distancing, anyone? This is literally where coronavirus spreads.

Bundesliga came back for a few games and I guess I’m fine with that because soccer isn’t really a contact sport.

Now to the sports that hopefully might come back this summer. I heard that baseball actually might open its stadiums in June for Spring Training but on ESPN’s main page today, they said that there might be a season returning on July 4. However, the MLB needs the cooperation of 27 cities and an undisclosed foreign country. MLB’s plan includes frequent testing, which is responsible, but it’s wasting tests for people that may actually be positive. Right now it’s a double negative, it’s wasting tests but it means that live sports can come back.

I want sports to come back so much that when horses began running around the track and there was a clip of it on TV, my eyes were glued to the TV because it the first glimpse of live sports I had in a few months.

Sports resuming poses a rightfully big concern for some, including star player with the Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout, who with his wife are expecting their first child in August, says that his wife is his biggest concern, because if he gets infected and then that won’t be good for anyone. I understand Trout but I think that with all the precautions that the MLB is taking, players won’t get infected. Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood can’t wait to get back, saying, “It’ll be a good thing for our country and our fans.” I surely agree with Wood because I really want sports back.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred isn’t being the boneheaded clown that he was during the Astros investigation and should be grateful for COVID-19 because it’s diverting attention from Bozo’s great handling of the investigation to the returning of baseball.

National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver has been very weird in bringing the NBA back. Oh, yeah, NBA practice facilities are coming back, did they? No one knows. Silver did say in a May 14 interview that sports could come back in two to four weeks. At this pace, basketball will be coming back in two to four days or two to four months.

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell is the only one who’s holding himself well. He told NFL practice facilities to open and some did, some didn’t. Goodell has been handling himself okay, but Bozo’s screw-ups will never be forgotten. Silver has been wishy washy and just plain weird. I think Goodell is handling himself professionally because he took away the pass interference review rule. So what if it’s a low overturn rate, it shuts the coaches and fans up, and so what if the coaches waste a timeout reviewing the call, let them do it. I personally like the rule because it carefully reviews bad calls (or so coaches think) made by the refs.

With all of the jockeying for the right policy and faux starts, I think that the leagues should resume games this Spring with empty stadiums and arenas because, after all, sports is good for the country’s health. Television experience won’t be the same but we all have to make sacrifices at this time.

Remember, you read this here first: Sports are important for America. If sports were meaningless, then the Atlantic Ocean would be a drop of water.