Will Topps Baseball Cards Hit the Bottom?

That's me at Don's Collectibles -- it's a baseball & sports card collector's heaven on earth.

Topps will be losing their rights to make baseball cards. After 70 years and countless memories, Topps will be losing their rights to Fanatics. Fanatics make sports apparel. Any sports apparel nowadays. But their clothing is the most generic anyone has ever seen. It’s literally the sports logo on a shirt of the team’s color. Snazzy, right?

I bet their baseball cards will be a picture of the bust of a player on a gray background. No team, no name, no stats on the back, just a gray card with the bust of each player. They’ll also get the rights from Panini to do NFL and NBA cards. Not to completely slander Fanatics, they deserve it, it is reported that Fanatics offered 10 times more money than the MLBPA and MLB ever saw from the baseball card department. Also, this is a great way for Fanatics to reach more people and expand their business.

While on a family vacation, driving home, my family and I decided to stop by a town called Strasburg in Pennsylvania. My father and I went a store called Don’s Collectibles. I was immediately enchanted by the store. Memorabilia of all sorts was packed into this store from the floor to the ceiling and back. Signed baseballs, posters, baseball cards, old baseball cards, gloves, framed photos and more baseballs. Among the memorabilia, I saw a signed baseball by Tommy Lasorda, and, if you’re a reader of this blog, you know I met Lasorda at a baseball game a couple of years ago. While buying five packs of baseball cards, because, you know, you gotta, I had a great conversation with Don about the Topps situation. It lasted a few minutes and it gave me a lot of insight which I included in this blog. His address: Don's Collectibles at 13 E Main St, Strasburg, PA. Great store. Visit it when you get the chance.

What Fanatics is doing is what pretty much all of us saw Jeff Bezos and Amazon do. They’re wiping out the competition. If the person who’s behind all of these brilliant moves goes even further, for example, sponsorships of sorts or deals with video games, which could propel business even further.

Topps did the latter when it was still thriving. A baseball video game, MLB the Show puts things called moments in the game each week, and when you complete the objective in these moments, they give you a player or players. These moments are short, like, “Tally one hit” or “Hit one home run” or “Strike out 3 batters.”

Topps is definitely not going to hand over this contract so easily unless Fanatics already has this through the deal with MLBPA and MLB. A question that’s begging to be answered is “Where do Topps and Panini go after this?” Without baseball cards, Topps is a name that will fade quickly. Don’t even talk about Panini, taking away football and basketball is like throwing them in the gutter unconscious, they’re gone unless someone throws them a lifeline, but it needs to happen fast because I know that about 50% or more of the readers reading this blog didn’t know that Panini was anything more than a meal. Unless Topps wants to create bowling, cornhole throwing, and underwater basket weaving cards, and that’s a huge success, then a miracle would have to happen. Some may believe that throwing a wallet at a problem will solve it, some don’t.

Me? I believe that it depends on the problem, and I also believe in salvaging what you can, so you don’t lose all of it. I think a fat cat should waddle over, consider the Topps situation, and throw their wallet at it. Look what Bezos did with Whole Foods when they were sinking. He waddled over and threw a lifeline. Now look at them – business is booming! A little advice? I believe that all smart people should invest in Topps baseball cards. Look at cards from the ‘50s, one card, of an average player is going for at least $5 or $10. That’ll get you some money in the future. Everyone wants Topps to persevere through this (mainly because I’m scared of what Fanatics is going to do to baseball cards) but because Topps made countless memories and because everyone loves a legacy. If everything stays as it is now with Topps, then they’ll complete 75 years of the leading baseball card brand. I hope they’ll go for another 75. 

Continuing with My NFL Predictions

Sorry, I couldn’t post for the last week or so, it was because I was on vacation.

But, here I am, ready to continue my predictions of all of the NFL teams.

AFC East:

The Bills are rightfully Super Bowl contenders, because of two guys. You probably who I’m talking about, but don’t think that they can make the Bills Super Bowl contenders, right? Well, Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are those guys and that QB-WR tandem is going to be making a case for best in the NFL. Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley are both potentially number one receivers on some teams, they’re numbers 2 and 3 on the Bills. I feel as if you were to sum up this team and create a theme for it, it would be young players. Josh Allen, Zack Moss, Dawson Knox, pretty much their whole O-line, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde are all studs early in their careers. Another point this team is trying to make is that it’s going to be the next Patriots, except a little west of them.

The Dolphins also have youth as the focus of their team, with future star hopeful Tua Tagovailoa at the QB spot. Miles Gaskin is another player who showed signs of stardom last year before his season-ending injury. And new Miami Dolphin Jaylen Waddle, who has blazing speed and great fundamentals, will create the next Big Three out of South Beach. Now, Will Fuller, Devante Parker and Mike Gesicki are also on the offense, covering all of them will pose a problem. The defense has Xavien Howard, Byron Jones and Jason McCourty in the secondary and a decent Front 7. This team is something like the Bills, with less known talent but with about the same potential.

This Patriots team has just begun the downfall. It is a scientific fact that wherever Tom Brady goes, winning follows, and where he was, winning disappears. It’s happening right now in Foxborough and in Tampa Bay. Damien Harris is genuinely the only player on this who that has some sort of potential. Harris is looking at a breakout year as the RB1, and be sure to get him on your fantasy teams. Cam Newton is regressing and Mac Jones has a number of questions surrounding him because he was the fifth QB taken in the draft, obviously showing he’s not amazing. The receivers are nothing special. The O-line is decent. The defense lost its best performers because they left one way or another or because of age. Damien Harris needs to get out of there if the Pats don’t turn it around to salvage his career. But they won’t be last in the division because of the next team.

The Jets are a dumpster fire. A new coach, Robert Salah, and number two overall pick Zach Wilson will hope to turn some things around in East Rutherford. But, Zach Wilson can’t create for himself, he’s not Lamar Jackson. He needs weapons that he doesn’t have. When Tevin Coleman is your starting running back, you know you’re in trouble. Also, when your third WR is Keelan Cole (have you heard of him? I haven’t), you also know you’re in trouble. Tyler Kroft is also our starting tight end; I don’t know what to say, I’m out of witty comments at this point. The O-line is young and promising, so they have that going for them. When an average NFL fan looks at the Jets defense, he (or she) recognizes 3 names out of 11 starters, Quinnen Williams, CJ Mosley, and maybe Marcus Maye. That’s it, I’m not saying unknowns can’t do anything, what I’m saying is that I’d love to have a known name rather than a no-name. I believe in Zach Wilson, although I don’t know how much he can do this year.

Final Standings:

Bills

Dolphins

Patriots

Jets (will they even win a game?)

More Predictions about the Upcoming NFL Season

Here is part two of my season predictions for all 32 NFL Teams. NFC North and South Edition.

NFC North:

The Chicago Bears didn’t make too many adjustments in the offseason, all they really did was draft Justin Fields. Now, since the Bears don’t have a QB1 set in stone, they should start Justin Fields. He has a lot of young weapons to play with, David Montgomery, Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet. Also, the Bears have an above-average defense. This team has a very, very bright season up ahead, I’m excited to see what they do.

The Detroit Lions got worse over the offseason (is that possible?). They lost Matt Stafford, Romeo Okwara, Marvin Jones Jr, Kenny Golladay, Jarrad Davis and Matt Prater. Their 2020 5-11 season seems like a dream right now, I give them a 4-13 at best. They can’t even develop their youngsters, RB D’Andre Swift can’t even run normally because his O-line is really bad, what's new? At least their new head coach, Dan Campbell, wants to win and also bite off kneecaps. Really. Type his name and “kneecaps” in Google and you’ll get the full story. Maybe that’ll fire up the whole team, or maybe it won’t because they’ll think their skipper is a psycho, no in-between.

The Packers’ dumpster fire of an off season was put out a little bit. MVP Aaron Rodgers and best WR in the league Davante Adams both went MIA during the offseason, scaring and intriguing everyone in the NFL community. Without those two, they would have a distraught coach, Matt LaFleur a rookie QB, Jordan Love, WRs that never got more than 50 yards in a game, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdez-Scantling, an up and down TE, Robert Tonyan, and a lockdown defense. Still a pretty good roster, but, if they want to go back to the NFC Championship, then they would need Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams to be satisfied with every square inch of the Packers. Well, they aren’t, and Rodgers again got nothing this offseason. Let’s say you, the reader, were Aaron Rodgers, considering all of the circumstances, would you want to go out, every game and pass for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns? I wouldn’t. Some might say that he wants to prove to the Packers that he can do this on his own. Why would he want to prove anything, it’s the end of his career, a very decorated one. Well, there goes another offseason, try again next year, right? When Rodgers will be 38.

The Vikings are one of those scary teams. Minus the Lions, this is a very tough division, and they have a great team. I just wish Kirk Cousins wouldn’t be there. For this team, you need a solid top 10 QB and Cousins just isn’t that. Cousins is getting way too much money each year and he’s not producing. Imagine if this team would have a modern QB, a scrambling deep passer, like Justin Fields. They could’ve traded up but decided to stick an OT, a good choice, but imagine Justin Fields on that team. The defense is great too. I’m interested to see what Dalvin Cook does this year. I hope he does amazing because that’ll really propel the Vikings.

Final Standings: Bears, Packers, Vikings (all within 2 games of each other), Lions.

NFC South:

I feel like the Falcons didn’t get better or worse over the offseason. Obviously, they lost Julio Jones, but that uncovers Calvin Ridley as WR1 (who I think will slide right in as Julio 2.0) and they got Kyle Pitts. Their defense, again, is really good. The only problem I have is Matt Ryan. He is way past his prime and didn’t have a crazy high peak (like he wasn’t at a prime Aaron Rodgers level, ever). Also, the Falcons can’t experiment with a young QB as the 49ers or Packers can. This team has mediocrity or worse in front of it.

The Panthers are on the path to a very successful rebuild. They have the best running back in the league, Christian McCaffrey, they have a young QB who has potential, Sam Darnold, two stud receivers, DJ Moore and Robby Anderson, and a very young and good defense. They need to fix up their O-line, not screw up in developing Sam Darnold, and get established defensive pieces and they’ll be set. But, realize this, this season is going to go down the drain if Christian McCaffrey doesn’t have a good year (this includes injuries). If CMC goes down, then they’re clueless. Darnold is not amazing yet, so the receivers won’t play to their max. This team does have a bright future, just not right now.

The Saints have a make-or-break team and year. If they succeed, they will build on what they have. But if they flop, then hello rebuild mode. Drew Brees, a really, really, really, great QB, just retired. Jameis Winston cannot do what Brees did, but he’ll try, and he’ll probably fail. Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith are both out for the start of the year, MT for at least four weeks after that. Their defense will keep things close and interesting. Alvin Kamara has to have a record-breaking season for them to even think about first place. If he, God forbid, went down, then the Saints’ season is over. Saints will have to bless the Saints for them to squeeze into first.

The Bucs -- usually, when you bring a championship-winning roster back (at least 90% of the players back), usually that means good things will happen. Playoffs at least. When one of those players is the Greatest Player to ever step onto a Football field, even better things will happen. They’re playing with a fantasy roster. They have one of the best WR duos ever in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, they have a solid running back in Leonard Fourtnette and the best defense in football. Included in that defense, they have the best linebacking trio in the NFL, Shaq Barrett, Lavonte David, and Devin White. A really young secondary that has unlimited potential as of now and some of the best defensive linemen in football. ALL of this is happening when the Bucs also have a brilliant mind in Bruce Arians at the helm. Great stuff coming out of Tampa.

Final Standings: Bucs, Saints, Falcons, Panthers

From the Baseball Diamond to the Gridiron

Let’s take a pause from baseball and look at football. The season opener is September 9. I’ll make my predictions for the NFC East and West in-general season.

NFC East:

The Cowboys have an average schedule in terms of toughness but their history of mediocrity has to make me put them in second or third place. Now, there are a lot of reasons why they should win the division, like, a great, young offense, Dak Prescott coming back after looking dangerous before his injury last year, and a great defense. But, a weakened O-line and D-line and Ezekiel Elliot playing on the heels of a tough year make this season interesting.

The Giants have a great young core that has probably progressed over this offseason and they have a relatively easy schedule this year. The Giants don’t have the most talented roster but they do have some studs. What they have most of are questions. Saquon Barkley (who I would stay away from in Fantasy Football) and Kenny Golladay are two cornerstones of their offense, but they’re injury-prone. Will Daniel Jones make the leap to being at least good? Will their old defense step up? Questions, questions, questions.

The Eagles are the team that could finish in first or in last. They have too many young players on their team to do anything other than that. The players on their team were streaky last year, they were good for a few weeks then barely anything. Their defense will still keep games close, but the Eagles need to have a better offense to do something this year.

The Washington Football Team have a pretty tough schedule, and their roster is not that talented. But they won this division last year, so they could do it again this year. They need to win their divisional games and they’ll be set. Pretty much, the season lies on the shoulders of Ryan Fitzpatrick, if this guy has a good season, they’ll be in second or third place, but, if he doesn’t have a good season, then they’ll fall to third or fourth place. Their running game is not good enough to compensate for the passing game. But then again, if everything’s working, running, passing, defense (even if it’s working 50%), they could be scary.

Standings: WFT, Giants, Cowboys, Eagles

NFC West:

The Cardinals won’t be scary this year. Their offense doesn’t seem too good, except for Kyler Murray, and my spidey senses are sensing that DeAndre Hopkins will take a major leap down this year. Their run game is non-existent, not because of their lack of good running backs, but because their O-line isn’t good. They’ll have a good enough defense to keep games close, they have a lot of talent on that side of the ball. Who knows, the youngsters could explode, like Chase Edmonds, but if they want to do something, this is their last year before regression of some of their key players hits.

The Rams are a make-or-break team. They have a medium schedule in terms of toughness but their offense isn’t there. They can’t hope for the breakout of Cam Akers because he’s out for probably the whole year. They got a veteran QB, in Matt Stafford, from the Lions, who finally got some weapons to play with (he didn’t have any weapons in Detroit). Darrell Henderson Jr. could be a stud this year, we saw hints of it last year and now that Cam Akers is out, we can see him make the jump. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp both had great seasons last year and both of them were great in fantasy last year. Also, Matt Stafford is a better and more seasoned QB than Jared Goff. The defense stays good.

The 49ers have built a really good team. They have a great running game and a great play-action game (in layman’s terms: when the QB fakes the run and passes) and they have a pretty easy schedule. Raheem Mostert and his backup Trey Sermon are two really reliable options in the run game, the WRs on this team are all sleepers (players who no one thinks could be good but turn out great) and could be sneakily good this year. The O-line stays really good. Most of their lockdown defense comes back for another dominant year. The cherry on top for this team is that they drafted Trey Lance, who has an extremely similar skillset to Patrick Mahomes, in my opinion. A glaring question that the brilliant coaches have to answer before Week One is: who starts? Jimmy G or Trey Lance. I have to say Jimmy G but if he plays bad or even average, put Lance in and see him have a season similar to Jalen Hurts last year.

The Seahawks have a great roster and a great coach in Pete Carroll. Their offense is amazing and that carried them to the Wild Card round in last year’s playoffs. Chris Carson is a very up and down player but my friend says he’s the biggest sleeper this year. Their O-line is very average. Their secondary (the front 7 are the D-line and the linebackers, the secondary is everyone else, usually defending the pass and staying back) is again the strongest part of this team, with Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, and Tre Flowers being the best there. They have a few really good linebackers and their D-line is also very good. This team has a defense I would rate a 6 and an offense I would rate a 9 or 10, that’s a sign of a very good team.

Final Standings: Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

 Rounding Out the Trades

Wow, I wrote a blog before the deadline thinking that there weren't going to be any more moves. But, wow, was I wrong.

So, Anthony Rizzo went from Chicago (where he loved it) to New York, where everyone would like to play. Great move by the Yankees. Except now Luke Voit has nowhere to go. Great trade piece, right? A lot of teams would take him, but now he will be confined to second fiddle. Rizzo is a great lefty bat who showed that by getting on base 8 out of his first 9 plate appearances with two homers with his new team. Also, he provides leadership, great baseball IQ, and a great glove at first.

The Dodgers were already playing in a video game. They had a roster straight out of fantasy land. Even more so with Max Scherzer and Trea Turner coming over to California. Now, yes, the Dodgers had to give up a substantial payment, two top prospects, and two other prospects. Now, they have Will Smith (for the long run because one of the prospects shipped was a top catching prospect), Max Muncy at first, Trea at second, Corey Seager at short, Justin Turner at third, Chris Taylor (or AJ Pollock) in left, Cody Bellinger patrolling center, and Mookie Betts in right. Oh, did I talk about the starting rotation? Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer, Julio Urias, and David Price. Also, they would have Trevor Bauer but he decided to look at teens as his next potential girlfriend.

I love when teams in tough divisions make big moves, it spices things up. The Blue Jays did just that. They traded for an ace, Jose Berrios. He has a lot of sharp pitches and he’s a very smart player.

The White Sox bullpen got a lot better. They got Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrell. Two relievers that are on lockdown mode this year. Great move to help them late in games.

Kris Bryant also went to the Giants in a move that made the Giants scarier. You thought the NL West was already scary? Well, several big names moved to California over this deadline, Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer and Adam Frazier to name a few. Bryant is a great hitter with a great glove who can play all over the field, literally, all over the field.

And yes, the Mets traded for Javy Baez. This is a huge move that will boost an already tight Mets locker room. But it can also lessen it because I get the feeling Baez is selfish and doesn’t want to be in New York. I see this from photos taken of him in Wrigley hearing the news, walking into the Mets locker room and rounding the bases on his first home run. I’m not saying it’s a bad move, I love this move. He brings a great glove, a great bat, and great leadership and friendship skills with him. His first three days with the Mets have been lackluster as he went just 1-8, including a two-run homer. I hope he can work his magic like his nickname, El Mago, implies.

Wow, this was a great deadline. Not a lot of teams got worse (except for the Cubs and Nationals), and a lot of teams got better and races got tighter. Now let’s watch August and September unfold. Also, in addition to the Cubs cleaning house, all three of the superstars that were traded from Chicago homered in their debut: Anthony Rizzo against the Marlins, Javy Baez against the Reds and Kris Bryant against the Astros. Hug a Cubs fan today, will ya?

 MLB Trade Deadline 2021

 The MLB trade deadline is upon us, the last time the Mets did something was six years ago, wait, six years is a long time. But it also helped them make the World Series.

The Mets have the same situation now, we have a glaring problem in the offense, (you were expecting me to say a position, right? NO! The whole offense sucks). Let’s run down the team.

Catcher: Wouldn’t make sense, we didn’t spend 40 million in the off-season just to trade him.

First base: No, Pete’s there.

Second base: Jeff McNeil is a great bat to have, so that isn’t a spot I’m looking at improving, but if the opportunity presents itself, I’m fine with upgrading at second or even trading McNeil.

Shortstop: Interesting position. We have a top prospect, Ronny Mauricio, coming up the pipeline at short. But we also have Francisco Lindor there. Lindor’s not going anywhere because, in sports, you have 100% confidence in your money. So, no.

Third base: This is the position we need to attack. With Joey Gallo and Adam Frazier off the board already, we’re left with Kris Bryant and Trevor Story. Trading for either one of these players will certainly mean trading Ronny Mauricio or JD Davis, another prospect or major leaguer, and some cash. Apart from trading for one of these players, we could develop Mauricio at third or second.

Left field: If Dom Smith was producing like he was in 2017 or 2018, I would trade him first. But he’s not, he’s one of the studs in our lineup offensive-wise. So, no.

Center field: Brandon Nimmo is not going anywhere.

Right field: I have faith in Michael Conforto, and he’s not going anywhere.

Starting pitcher: I’m totally fine with getting another starting pitcher. The only reason I’m saying this is because I’m betting on injuries. That sounds so morbid but with what’s going on this year, you have to. But then again, we have DeGrom, Syndergaard, Stroman, Carrasco and Walker in a healthy rotation. Syndergaard isn’t coming back until August but it’s stupid trading for a starter for a month, especially when Tylor Megill is pitching as well as he is.

Relief Pitcher: I’m always down for relief pitching options. Our bullpen has been great but very shaky. So if we can get a stabilizer, like a veteran or a fireballer, I’d love it.

Now, let’s run down the remainder of baseball and the trade deadline.

The Rays acquired Nelson Cruz and I’m happy for them. Even though that defeats the purpose of a low payroll, getting a beefy bat will help them in the dangerous AL East.

The Mets got that pitcher that they need, Rich Hill to help stabilize the rotation.

The Padres acquiring Adam Frazier makes their infield arguably the best in baseball: Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Adam Frazier and Eric Hosmer.

Andrew Chafin and Kendall Graveman were both traded and I totally support that move for the recipients, not so much for the teams that traded them. I totally support moves for relief pitching, relievers are underrated.

The A’s trading for Starling Marte, they came into the deadline looking for a medium bat and they got exactly that if not more. Also, the Marlins shed some salary by acquiring Jesus Luzardo which makes their bullpen very young and very scary.

I feel like if Kris Bryant doesn’t go to the Mets, he might go to the Giants because they’re in the same position the Mets are in.

As I’m writing this, it is reported that the Padres are close to acquiring Max Scherzer from the Nationals. This is a perfect fit for the Padres as they’re trying to include themselves in the NL West race. Also, the Dodgers might get Scherzer because they want to solidify themselves as the main threat in the NL West.

Trevor Story isn’t going to the A’s because I feel like the A’s have expended their deadline juice. I don’t know where he’s going but not the A’s. Maybe the Yankees. But he’s going somewhere because the Rockies want to get something for him. If they don’t, then he suffers until the end of the season and leaves that dumpster fire of a team.

Where could Craig Kimbrel go? The Astros or the Red Sox would be perfect. That would make Astro pitching so much better or create the two-headed monster of Matt Barnes and Kimbrel. Like what I was talking about above, this is exactly what the Mets need. A good veteran pitcher who will make the bullpen more trustable.

I will do another blog after the deadline. 

A July Review of The Mets

How are The Mets holding on to the top of their division? Any other team in the top 3 of their division in baseball (minus NL East – obviously) would absolutely D-O-M-I-N-A-T-E it. Mind you, we’re also doing this with a shaky offense and a bullpen that occasionally goes on a figurative strike. If their fellow little league opponents in the NL East are at least moderately aggressive by the trade deadline, to quote Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons, “Ha, ha, I’m in danger.”

Mets Offense: Starting at the top of the Mets offense, Pete “Polar Bear I strike out with the bases loaded in a 3-0 game against a reliever way past his prime” Alonso. He has 15 homers this year. Great! He’s on pace for 30, nobody else on the Mets is on pace for more than 18. Alonso has a .257 batting average this year, most on the Mets among qualified players (players who average 3.1 PA/game).

Brandon Nimmo and JD Davis are two un-qualified players batting .330 and .390 respectfully. Nimmo just came back and Davis is on his way back.

Francisco Lindor is mixing highs with lows this season, with more lows than highs but hopefully, he could hit upwards of 15 homers in the second half. Dominic Smith is the best offensive player on this team. He’s the most consistent and clutch. He could give you anything. Single, double, triple (only if it’s hit in Fenway Park or the Polo Grounds), and yes, the nuke.

Somehow James McCann hit 7 homers this season. Did YOU know that? I didn’t. When did he do that? HOW did he do that? It’s a shame to see Jose Peraza and Jonathan Villar not in the everyday lineup anymore. Jeff McNeil came back and Luis Rojas gave Luis “the Bearded Wonder” Guillorme the third base job half the time. I wanna see McNeil outta there, but more on that later.

Another player who had his moments is Billy McKinney, he’s a great player, mostly because he has the power-speed combo. Probably just a bench bat for the Mets, because I don’t see an opening in the lineup right now. Even with an injury, we have Kevin Pillar there. Again, I hope Tomas Nido gets red hot again but James McCann is just not great. I value an offensive catcher (preferably with a strong arm) more than a defensive catcher by far, that’s what we thought we were getting with McCann, well, that didn’t work.

Mets Pitching: The one bright spot for the Mets, wait, no, only sometimes, wait, no, only the starting rotation actually and Edwin Diaz, wait, no, no Edwin Diaz there, only the starting rotation, wait, no, only Jacob DeGrom, Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker. All of them have a sub 2.60 ERA and all of them should get All-Star nods, how many did? Just one. When I read this stat, I had to do a double-take: Marcus Stroman has 78 strikeouts this season, which is already really good, then I read Taijuan Walker has 87 strikeouts, which is even better, and I then I read – Jacob DeGrom: 146 Ks. That is out of this world amazing, oh yeah, with a 1.08 ERA. The bullpen has all been really solid, all middle relievers have been shutting opponents down lately. Jeurys Familia, Aaron Loup, Miguel Castro and Drew Smith are those relievers. Castro has the highest ERA at 4.01 but that largely reflects early this season and a few homers given up here and there. Edwin Diaz is a really good closer, although I don’t know why Luis Rojas puts him in for non-save situations. He has a 6.39 ERA in non-save situations and a 0.90 in save situations. I understand if once or twice over the course of the whole season that there are no more arms that are rested in the bullpen, but when two or three guys are rested, and Diaz comes in during a tie game or something, he’s bound to be unsuccessful.

Now, something has happened with Jacob DeGrom. You’re probably reading this thinking “WHAT??” and even though his 1.08 ERA in 92 IP this year don’t show it, his last three starts do. He had given up a total of 4 earned runs over his last 12 starts. But, he had given up 7 earned runs over his last 3. Just to put all the facts on the table, he had had short stints on the IL over the season and he is subject to the kind of media pressure that Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were during the 1961 season, when Maris hit 61 homers. Yes, DeGrom may be used to this because he is and was the best pitcher in baseball for the last four seasons, but he is on pace for a historic season, this is different. Your guess is as good as mine but I think that there’s some injury bugging him but he wants to continue this season. There are no kinks in his windup but that may be part of his masterful act. He will sit out for the All-Star Game, and in his starts where he had the gas to go an inning or two more, he was pulled. When a pitcher is dealing as well as DeGrom, a manager simply cannot bear to take out his once-in-a-generation talent after 6 or 7 innings and 80 or 90 something pitches. Now, I think he’s scheduled for one more start before the All-Star break and that will be monumental to prove my theory or not.

The All-Star Game will be a very needed break and potential recovery period for him. I hope he gets on the mound and pitching at his level soon because even the team he’s carving up loves to see Jacob DeGrom pitch. 

 The Amazins and Sticky Stuff

In this blog, I will write about the Mets and how they’re playing, and the sticky stuff situation in baseball.

The Mets Hitters: Every time the Mets win and produce at most 5 runs, I take that as a gift, and also I remind myself of how good we are going to be without subs playing starting roles.I’ll expand on those two points right now.

I take that as a gift because the Mets offense lately can’t get anything going. I am writing this right after the Mets ended a 22 inning scoring drought with a Francisco Lindor homerun. I am literally writing this after Francisco Lindor hit his second homer of the game to make him 3-3. Is the Smurf, Leprechaun or Troll finally earning his $341 million? Maybe. I don’t want to speak too soon.

Also, Dellin Betances, Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, Jordan Yamamoto (who is a wonderful potential opener for the Metsies), JD Davis, Jeff McNeil, Albert Almora Jr, Michael Conforto, Johneshwy Fargas and Brandon Nimmo are all on the injured list. Kevin Pillar, Seth Lugo, Drew Smith, Pete Alonso and Luis Guillorme have all just recently come back from the injured list. Miguel Castro, Jacob DeGrom, Brandon Drury and Jonathan Villar have all had short stints on the bench due to a small injury. 19 guys have been slowed down by injuries. That’s 19 out of the 26 guys on a major league roster. Even though the worst of the ReplaceMets have passed, to say we have been hampered by injuries is a major understatement. But, we are still in first place in our division, so does that mean our farm system is amazing? Nope. Our farm system is in the middle third of the league (it would be a lot higher up if we would have now top MLB prospect Jarred Kelenic for the Mariners, nice job, Brodie Van Idiot), and none of our top prospects were included in this catastrophe.

No, we squiggled out of this mess because acting GM Zack Scott made great signings call ups and trades aided and abetted by Sandy Alderson and Saint Steve Cohen. Our offense has been a lot better as of late, but we’re still last in runs as a team. Trea Turner, a speedster who isn’t really known for his extra-base hitting unless he lines a gapper occasionally, has 10 homers, who else has 10 homers? POWER hitter Pete Alonso. Francisco Lindor is getting a lot better and making me happier because even as he was on the Indians, I liked him. James McCann and Jonathan Villar have been playing a lot better lately and Luis Rojas is starting to have more confidence in McCann. Tomas Nido has cooled off considerably, and I would love to have him have that kind of hot streak again because one good hitter brings us one step closer to a below average offense. Dominic Smith is starting to slug balls out of ballparks again, who now has 6 homers, the mode homerun count for the Mets. Billy McKinney has also been great lately, he’s been a nice contributor at the plate and in the field.

Mets Pitching: What can I say about them? To say the pitching is [insert any positive adjective here] is an understatement. We have the lowest ERA, the least amount of runs and hits allowed but the 16^th most strikeouts? I mean, ok…, I’ll take it, but I’d definitely take the umpire moving his arms violently than risk an error in the field. Our whole rotation, right now, is filled with 4 (arguably 3) pitchers that in any other season would not be pitching at an All-Star level.

Jacob DeGrom, Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker, David Peterson, and Joey Lucchesi are that rotation. With Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco nearing return, Peterson and Lucchesi would be and will be kicked out of the rotation. Lucchesi might be (and hopefully will be) moved into the bullpen to serve as an inning eater or an opener. Peterson? Nobody knows but he’ll be moved back in when (hopefully not) someone gets injured. The top three, DeGrom, Stroman, and Walker each have an ERA under 2.40. DeGrom has more runs batted in than earned runs allowed, 6 to 4.

The bullpen has been phenomenal, the guys in the big chairs upstairs in Citi Field have built this bullpen to have 5 closers in my opinion, Edwin Diaz, Miguel Castro, Trevor May, Jeurys Familia, and Aaron Loup. Diaz is the only one we use but we have 5 options. Sean Reid-Foley is an amazing inning eater and the funky release makes it that much tougher for the hitter to pick up (also the mustache can throw off hitters as well). Seth Lugo is an amazing shutdown man, he’s not a specialist, but you can give him any inning and he will put them down as they come up. Jacob Barnes has been traded, that’s why I didn’t address that dumpster fire. Also, the NL East teams who win the intra-series matchups have historically won the division, the Mets are leading in those matchups, postseason return?

Sticky Stuff Situation: As you may know, it has been brought up, talked about, suggested, tried-to-be-proven that Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees has been using foreign substances to make his pitches sharper. There are a bunch of videos that say “Oh look, Gerrit Cole wipes sweat from his brow, could this mean he’s using Spider Tack?” and they look very convincing. I know these sentences may seem cynical, but I genuinely don’t know what to believe.

Gerrit Cole has been, well, Gerrit Cole-like throughout the whole season, so far, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then, the idea was brought up that pitchers have begun to use foreign substances. Josh Donaldson of the Twins went as far as to say he’s going to release a whole ‘catalog’ of pitchers that use foreign substances. Donaldson met with Cole on June 9 – how did that go? Donaldson struck out twice- both against Cole. When this issue was stirred up at first, MLB ramped up immediately, and Cole probably went white in the face.

Obviously, Cole stopped using whatever he was using (if he was using) for his June 3 start and was atrocious. He was hammered for 5 hits and 5 runs and his spin rates dropped considerably. Could this be a lack of confidence? Probably not, when you have $324 million in the bank, there’s very little that could lower your confidence. No, this means that he stopped using whatever he’s using. On June 16, he was dominant again, 8 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk but only 4 strikeouts when he’s a predominantly strikeout pitcher. Spin rates down again. MLB is going nuts trying to cover up this mess, they’re implementing a lot of new rules, like umpires giving random checks of pitchers to see if they’re using. I say using almost as if it’s drugs.

My opinion: Like Cole said the other day, everyone has been trying to get a competitive advantage since the beginning of time, especially in baseball. The bettors in the Black Sox Scandal, the stuffing of the bats to make balls go waaaaaaayyyyyy farther, pine tar, the 2017 Astros banging a trash can to steal signs, and of course, the infamous steroids. MLB has done a great job covering up and punishing the ballplayers involved, except with the Astros and the public agreed with it hands down. This one… not so much.

Take me, for example, I am all for pitchers using sticky substances because it is human nature to adapt. I’m not going to leave it there, pitchers have it harder, elite pitching mechanics are harder to get than elite hitting mechanics. Knowing and controlling 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 pitches are harder than just hitting them.

Also, look what happened with Kevin Pillar, he was drilled in the face with a 94 MPH fastball. I bet Pillar’s all for pitchers using substances to control their pitches. The knucklehead who hit him definitely wasn’t using anything but his fingers to grip the ball. But, I can totally understand those who are against it. Sitting at home or sitting at the stadium in uncomfortable chairs for three hours can get boring.

MLB is trying to shorten up games by taking away 5 seconds here and there, one way they’re doing this is the umpire chasing away the pitching coach from soothing the pitcher, nice job, Rob Clownfred, spot on. I would much rather see a 12-10 game than a 1-0 game.

Also, something happened with the ball, they tightened it or something because hitting stats have dropped considerably this year. Those who are leading baseball in homers, Fernando Tatis. Jr, Vladimir Guererro Jr., and Ronald Acuna Jr., props to you, to call them superstars would be an understatement.

What I believe that the circus over at MLB should do is to allow pitchers to command their pitchers to whatever degree they want, but counter this with something that makes hitters smile. Will they do this? Ab-so-lu-te-ly not. Shake my hand, why don’t ya? Bzzzzzzzzz. Look at this flower, examine it, why don’t ya? Next thing you know you have water all over your face. I have a bright red nose, care to take a look at it, why don’t ya? Honk, honk. Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk.

They’ll probably make the baseball even tighter (if that’s possible), bring the mound closer, replace the hitters’ helmets with kaleidoscopes as goggles, and make the hitters lug rocks around as they run the bases. But hey, it’s the national pastime, we all love it!

Some thoughts about the NBA Championships

Playoff Predictions:

First Round:

Jazz vs. Grizzlies: Jazz in 4

Clippers vs. Mavs: Mavs in 7

Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers: Nuggets in 5

Suns vs. Lakers: Lakers in 6 (don’t close your browser after this one, please)

76ers vs. Wizards: 76ers in 5

Knicks vs. Hawks: Knicks in 6

Bucks vs. Heat: Bucks in 5

Nets vs. Celtics: Nets in 4

Second Round:

Jazz vs. Mavs: Jazz in 6

Nuggets vs. Lakers: Lakers in 7 (easy win for Nuggets with Jamal Murray)

76ers vs. Knicks: Knicks in 7 (the Knicks have shown they can do this)

Bucks vs. Nets: Nets in 5 (Games of Year right here)

Conference Finals:

Jazz vs. Lakers: Jazz in 6

Knicks vs. Nets: Nets in 5 (NOBODY is going to walk out of the stadiums with functional eardrums after these games WITH limited capacity)

Finals:

Jazz vs. Nets: Nets in 7

All of the analyses that I have seen have hinted at Brooklyn losing and then blah, blah, blah, drown the Nets players in boiling hot water for losing, blah, blah, blah. But are we forgetting that the Nets have the 3 best players of the decade in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden? It’s going to very hard for the Nets to lose to any team. It’s like everyone wants the Nets to lose and they’re already heating up that water. Relax, guys, it’s the Nets, the team with 3 players choking their payroll for the next few seasons, and the other players are getting paid peanuts. But, I will jump on the Nets’ slander train for a sentence or two. The Nets are lacking on defense, because the Big 3, Joe Harris, and Blake Griffin aren’t lockdown defenders. Also, unless the Big 3 can jive together and mesh together and not tear each other's eyeballs for rebounds to get a triple-double, they’re in trouble. The Jazz are an all-around amazing team, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert just solidify that. They have a player in Jordan Clarkson who will be a first scoring option on any other team but is a sixth man here, that should tell you what you need to know.

At least that’s how I see it.

Amazins’ Crack after Seven Games

First, I’ll give a rundown of the Mets that are sliding after seven-game winning streak.

Then, I’ll talk about a few surprising MLB teams.

Again, I don’t want to chain you to your seat reading this blog, so I’ll try to keep it short.

Batters: Did the firing of the hitting coach help in any way? Or did it cause a completely unnecessary shake-up? Well, I always thought Chili Davis was good but management thought otherwise. Turns out, management was right. After the bats took a beauty sleep in the first two games after Davis’ firing, we went on a 7-game winning streak. And then we lost two at the hands of the 2020 AL pennant winners.  With JD Davis and Brandon Nimmo on the IL, Jonathan Villar and Kevin Pillar stepped in and have been tearing the cover off the ball, fielding well, and have been straight playing amazing. Is there another –illar we could sign, Kevin Millar could get out of retirement and we could have a 49-year-old, slightly chubby utility guy playing with us. But hey, if –illars have been playing amazing, one of the Intentional Talk analysts could also be studs. With Nimmo being a staple in the lineup once he comes back, there’s no question Pillar will walk back to the dugout to be a bench bat, but with JD Davis getting heckled every time he breathes at the hot corner, having Jonathan Villar at third doesn’t seem too bad. James McCann still can’t hit anything, I bet if you give him an oar and throw him a beach ball he’d swing right through it. Francisco Lindor is hitting a superb .193 and he’s playing like he’s worth $1.93 not $341 million. Jeff McNeil is also struggling but if you see what he does to his helmet when he makes an out, you forgive him and you pity the helmet. Someone who is due for a homer is Dominic Smith, he hasn’t hit a homer in a while and everyone really wants him to, hopefully, he does soon because when a big leader of a clubhouse is struggling that lowers the morale of the team considerably. Pete Alonso has been really good, something that he’s added to his game is hitting for contact, and not just 450-ft. homers, but rather getting singles and doubles as well.

Pitchers: What’s new? Jacob DeGrom is the best pitcher in baseball. The starting rotation (without Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard) is still one of the best in baseball. The bullpen is finally starting to not stinky stink. Aaron Loup is really good and he isn’t even a LOOG (Lefty one out guy), he can retire righties. Trevor May and Edwin Diaz are really solid pitchers and I think (hope) I can trust them. Sean Reid-Foley is amazing, and I love that Robert Gsellman and Reid-Foley are both guys that can eat up innings when the Mets use the opener (which is a bullpen game, a game where there’s no starter, but where the bullpen goes innings 1-9).

AL East: This race just got a lot closer, because at first it was the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays battling for the top spot, but now, the much better Blue Jays have sprung into the race.

AL Central: This race turned around very fast, the White Sox are in first place and the Twins are in last, and the Twins have a really good team.

AL West: The A’s are really all of a sudden really good and the Angels are in last place, the Rangers and Mariners aren’t in last place? WHAT IS HAPPENING??

NL East: The closest race in baseball? Correct? The best division in baseball? Far from right. There are two teams barely above .500 and all teams are struggling mightily.

NL Central: A very competitive race, the Pirates are actually not HORRIBLE, but they’re still the worst in the Central. But overall, no surprises except for the Cubs not being first or second.

NL West: The Giants (one of the laughing stocks of baseball) are in first place and the Dodgers are struggling? The only normal thing in this division is that the Rockies are in last place.  

Some Thoughts about the NFL Draft

Today I’ll share with you my thoughts about the NFL Draft. The most notable picks of the first round specifically.

R1P1: Trevor Lawrence

The unanimous first overall pick, a generational talent, even. I want to see this guy prosper in the NFL and tear up the NFL for years to come. Bold projection: He’ll never be a Patrick Mahomes. NFL potential comparison: Matt Ryan.

R1P2: Heh, will Zach Wilson be a stud? I hope so, will he be the next Sam Darnold? The same exact probability. Bold Projection: Second best QB in the draft *nudge*, not Trevor at 1, by the way. NFL potential comparison: Russell Wilson.

R1P3: I love Trey Lance as an NFL player, he’s fast, he likes getting outside the pocket, and has a great team built around him already. I think he’s gonna be big. Bold Projection: Best QB in the draft. NFL potential comparison: Patrick Mahomes minus arm strength but more speed.

R1P4: Kyle Pitts seems amazing. This guy can burn corners and out muscle linebackers and be the number one target on a team. The Falcons got a stud. He’s gonna be a real killer in the NFL, like the last tight end out of Florida (if you get this, then you receive the title “NFL genius”) Bold Projection: Second best TE in 3 years. NFL potential comparison: Faster Travis Kelce.

R1P5: WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THE BENGALS THINKING? JOE BURROW HAS A SCAR FOR LIFE AFTER KNEE RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY AND THESE GENIUSES DECIDE TO DRAFT A WIDE RECEIVER. YUP, SEEMS ABOUT RIGHT. But, Ja’Marr Chase is a stud. Bold Projection: NOT the best wide receiver in the draft. NFL Potential Comparison: Faster AJ Green.

R1P7: Penei Sewell will be one of the best linemen in NFL history. The Lions got an amazing talent. They should be happier than the Colts getting Quentin Nelson. Bold Projection: 2^nd best O-lineman in NFL history will sign huuuuuuge deal in 4 years. NFL Potential Comparison: David Bakhtiari x Quentin Nelson.

R1P9: Patrick Surtain II is going to be amazing. Way better than Jaycee Horn. He will lock up the “meh” wide receivers and will occasionally lock down the elite receiver. Bold Projection: Will be better than Jalen Ramsey. NFL Potential Comparison: Faster and skinnier Stephon Gilmore.

R1P11: The Bears absolutely fleeced the Giants. The Giants needed Justin Fields. If they took Fields, they would have an amazing team! Now, the Bears have the foundation of a great team. Bold Projection: If the Bears don’t immediately build around him, he’ll be a bust. NFL Potential Comparison: Cam Newton.

R1P15: Mac Jones is supposed to be an “eh” quarterback coming out of college. But from what I’ve heard, is that he might be the next Tom Brady or be a practice squad guy in 3 months, literally nothing in between. I think he’s going to be “eh”. Bold Prediction: He leads the league in passing touchdowns at least 2 times over his career (Jameis did it). NFL Potential Comparison: Bulkier and worse Drew Brees.

R1P20: Kadarius Toney is an actually good receiver. I’ve also seen good things about him and bad things about him. Toney’s fast, has good route running, and is the PERFECT compliment to Kenny Golladay. Bold Prediction: Will be one of the fastest guys in the NFL at one point in his career. NFL Potential Comparison: Less route-running Davante Adams and slower and taller Tyreek Hill.

R1P21: Another example of two ranges of the spectrum is D-linemen. You are either a linebacker with much more heft or a Monstar from Space Jam, again, no in the middle. I am a huge fan of Kwity Paye who will fit in whatever scheme you throw him in. Bold Prediction: Will be a mediocre defensive player. NFL Potential Comparison: Zadarius Smith.

R1P24: Najee Harris is a great pick. I think with a lot of fine-tuning, they could build around a balanced offense with a running back tandem and a nice passing offense. Bold Prediction: Wins the starting spot on day one and is electric the whole season. NFL Potential Comparison: Worse Alvin Kamara.

R1P26: Greg Newsome II is someone the Jets were eyeing for their rough CB room. Now the Browns have potentially a very scary cornerback room with Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II, I think it’s great. Now just keep building and you may actually have a chance (pregame because as you may remember last year, the Chiefs were slated to win by a hefty margin, but the Browns actually gave them a game) against the Chiefs.

R1P30: Wonderful pick here by the Bills, Greg Rousseau. He’s a great defensive end and I feel he has a lot of potential. I think he could play defensive tackle as well as a defensive end. If he could get more agility, I would avoid him at all costs when I’m the quarterback. Bold Prediction: I think he leads his division (wherever it could be) in sacks at least once. NFL Potential Comparison: Demarcus Lawrence.