Watching the Offseason Jockeying in Basketball

In this blog, I’m writing about basketball – the sport that they aren’t playing right now but it might be the most exciting one in the country. In my opinion, each offseason in every sport is an enjoyable time. I like seeing how rosters get shaken up and where the star players will end up. But as I get older, I also like seeing where the role players end up, because they might not be role players by the end of the season, like Jordan Poole showed us in the playoffs or how Draymond Green has been showing us his whole career.

There have already been a few trade bangers, such as the Timberwolves trading for Rudy Gobert. Now they have to pay a supermax to two big men. They also have to keep some money for Anthony Edwards and, you know, the other players on their roster. I believe 100% that the Jazz won this deal. Yeah, they traded away their DPOY center but look at the return they got: 5 players and 5 draft picks. Now, if they trade away Donovan Mitchell as well, they could have an even better future, but I’ll get to that later. The Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray and after that, some people were saying that the Hawks have no future. Saying that John Collins isn’t going to grow anymore and trading away all of the draft picks was a very futile move isn’t true at all. Even though the Hawks may not have such great draft capital now, they have Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in the backcourt. People underestimate how good this duo could become.

Now to the potential trades…

Donovan Mitchell loves New York. His dad is an executive for the Mets, and he loves them. He’s even hinted at going to New York in the past. Now, the opportunity presents itself. The Knicks are making a massive push to get Donovan Mitchell and they look like the clear front runners. The Jazz want draft picks, and that’s what the Knicks have. The Knicks want to keep RJ Barrett, and they insist on keeping him. From the proposed trades I have seen, it doesn’t look like the Jazz are adamant about getting RJ. If the Knicks could get Donovan Mitchell, then they would turn into an immediate threat in the East, although they won’t have much of a front court, they’ll have more than enough with Jalen Brunson, Mitchell and Barrett to at the least make a play-in spot.

I doubt a really big move like Kyrie Irving to the Lakers is going to happen. That’s just speculation. Even if the Nets were entertaining offers for Irving, what would the Lakers have to offer? Staying with the Nets, it’s obvious Kevin Durant will be traded to a big city, if he gets traded at all. Whether it be Philly, Miami, or somewhere in California, it doesn’t matter too much. Durant has a pretty big say in where he goes, I believe. Do you know who’s got a lot of tradeable assets? The Jazz. But Durant probably doesn’t want to play in Utah to end his career.

The Trailblazers need to shift their focus into win-now mode. No one knows how long Lillard is going to be playable as a superstar, so they need to try to win as many games as soon as possible. Another option for Kevin Durant that I didn’t list was Portland. He can team up with Damian Lillard, who Portland still expects to be really good. If he is good, this is his last year. The Blazers would need to sign Bradley Beal and use all of their young players to trade for KD. Then they would have Lillard and Bradley Beal in the backcourt and Kevin Durant as the PF. Then Jusuf Nurkic would be the center and they could acquire any above-average forward to be the last of the starting lineup.

According to this link, the first eight and nine out of the first ten free agents have re-signed (I don’t know about the situation regarding Miles Bridges and where he stands as a free agent, but I’ll assume the Charlotte Hornets would not care what happened or happens in Bridges’ personal life and would want to resign a player like him, but then again, the Hornets' PR Team might have something against that). The free agent class of 2022 is not exceptional, apart from the top, Bradley Beal and Jalen Brunson. Unfortunately, it was mostly filled with role players or aging players.

This is a great time to be a basketball fan, and even if someone is just starting out in basketball, the league is being owned by exciting young players, and more are coming in each year. 

Happy spectating, sports fans.

NBA Playoffs? What Playoffs?

Whenever I usually talk about a particular sports event on this blog, I usually start it off with, “The NFL Playoffs have been amazing so far!” or “This World Series has been really intense!” Well, these NBA Playoffs have not been great. They've been average, and unfortunately, so was March Madness. But, this blog is about the NBA Playoffs.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’ve seen a couple of buzzer-beaters in these playoffs. There was Joel Embiid against the Raptors in Toronto, so we didn’t even see the crowd go crazy and Jayson Tatum on a layup against the Nets in Boston. There were some more, but no long-range shots, only in close. All the seemingly good games were in the first round. Every game has been a blowout; even when there’s potential for there to be a close game going into the fourth quarter, like there was on Wednesday, June 8, between the Celtics and Warriors, one team always runs away from it. We haven’t even seen a 50-piece in the playoffs and that’s saying something with the number of points scored in a game nowadays. The only thing keeping these playoffs watchable is the comeback potential. There have been some wild leads blown, especially in the Grizzlies-Timberwolves series and the Warriors-Mavericks series. But hey, it's the playoffs.

We get to watch the NBA’s best square off against each other in a high-stakes matchup.

Even the game on Friday, June 10 was shaping up to be a really close game down the stretch but Steph Curry did what he always does. He really dropped 43 on a spectacular defensive team and grabbed 10 rebounds. Keep in mind they have Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, who are getting paid $30 million combined just to pull down rebounds. Also, keep in mind Steph Curry is 6’3” and Looney is 6’9”. But throughout these playoffs, I see one major thing regarding the Celtics. Jayson Tatum is their X-factor. If he’s on, then the Celtics are unstoppable. Now, keep in mind that Tatum had games where he had less than 15 points, but they still won. When I say “on,” I also mean when he’s passing the ball perfectly, rebounding, and defending like a monster. Tatum can either drop 40, but that’s really difficult because most teams center their defensive scheme around him, but he can provide in other ways.

The Warriors are really special. They have two capable point guards, Jordan Poole, and of course, Curry. They have a great shooter but are showing the casual NBA fans that he is way more than that. Also, an overlooked player is Andrew Wiggins. He’s really something. I say that he’s the X-factor for the Warriors, when he’s on, the Warriors win. But not in the same way as Jayson Tatum. Wiggins will always defend and pass and rebound. But when he’s scoring, the opposing defense has too many bodies to cover, and they still have to get to every shooter and box out. This is when the opposing defense breaks down. Their bench needs a lot of work, though, they have a lot of tired bodies on the court during every game. Does it matter, though? No, Steph Curry is made of a different fabric than the rest of us and Kevon Looney just bears down and grabs rebounds. Draymond Green would do the same thing if he wasn’t getting 243,632,189 fouls every game.

We also learned a few things from these playoffs. We learned that unfortunately, Jimmy Butler will suffer from back problems over the course of the offseason and for the rest of his career. Maybe some of you realized his suffering over the course of the playoffs. I actually did, and I’ll fill in the guys who didn’t on it. He carried the horrible Miami Heat team on his back throughout the whole playoffs. The games in which he didn’t play well and the Heat still won are because the other team was slacking off. I give zero credit to the other players on the Heat because they did nothing the whole playoffs. They had supplemental players, like Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, but Jimmy Buckets brought a new meaning to carry. One of the most underrated players in the NBA hands down, I don’t understand how some people think he is getting washed or was never good.

I also heard some people were saying Devin Booker isn’t good and that Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton carry him? Obviously, a delusional fan said that and I hope none of you guys think that. Booker is one of the best pure scorers in the league. Can he defend? Nope. Can he do anything else but score? Also nope. That’s what Paul, Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Jae Crowder are there for. The Suns are such a well-constructed team – I don’t know how some 6’7” Slovenian with barely any help knocked them out of the playoffs. Huh, the Slovenian seems pretty good.

I also see how unfortunate it is for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown that they might lose to the Warriors in the Finals. They are a really good duo, and when you throw Marcus Smart in the mix, they’re exactly where you would expect them to be, in the Finals. The same goes for the Warriors. The Warriors winning any game is the safest bet in sports. We’re witnessing a battle of two extraordinarily well-rounded teams here, with the top 5 players in the NBA at the top for each side. 

Mets 2022 Start – Miles Ahead

The Mets started out 3-0 for the first time in 10 years! Even in their 2015 World Series run they didn’t start 3-0, they started out 2-1. This team is miles better than that 2015 team, and they haven’t made the actual playoffs since that World Series run (they did make the Wild Card game the year after but they were erased 3-0).

The Mets have won every game by 4 or more of the season against the Nationals, I believe that was expected, the Nationals are projected to be a bottom five team, by me and other sources. The pitching has been dominant, as usual (until the whole staff gets injured), especially the starters. The bullpen hadn’t blown any leads till the fourth game, and to add to that, they’d only allowed one earned run. Spectacular! The Mets can’t go 162-0, nobody can.

The hitters have also been good, Pete Alonso hit the first grand slam in baseball this year and the first in his career. Although, early signs show that the Mets offense is a flash in the pan because the scoring comes in one flash and then the offense is quiet for the rest of the game. The game on April 10 was a perfect example of this, the Mets score two early and then do not have another man cross the plate for the rest of the game. The final score being 4-2, with 3 scored in the eighth by the Nationals.

The Mets haven’t had a good old-fashioned rally, not that they needed to yet, but I want to see a 4 or 5 run inning without a grand slam. When that happens, at least somewhat consistently, that will be a great sign.

The rest of the NL East is going to be a challenge. Over the weekend, the Marlins have been contending with the Giants, even taking a game from them. The Phillies are beating up on the Athletics and after an offseason where they spent a handsome amount, they’re looking scary. Although the Reds are putting up a great fight against the Braves, the reigning champs will bounce back.

This happens every year, the Mets start out great and then once they reach the top of the hill, they drop faster than you can say, “The Mets aren’t making the playoffs.”

Will the Yankees’ payroll finally equate to success? We’ll see, they’ve won two straight vs. Boston and they’re looking for more. The pitching and the hitting have been looking good for the Yanks, except they haven’t been making much separation between them and the Red Sox yet. But hey, it’s just the first weekend of baseball.

Some takeaways I had were that the Blue Jays are going to go very deep into the season, they might even finish first in the stacked AL East. Both the Phillies and the Cardinals are also teams that could go deep into the playoffs, they both have shown offensive flashes and have generally stacked lineups. The only question that remains is will their pitching hold up? The Royals will not be as bad as early-season projections have them being, now, they will probably be last in the AL Central but don’t count them out of fourth. Can the Rockies pull themselves out of misery in the NL West? They took a game from the Dodgers, the best team in baseball. The same thing goes for the Rangers, they had a huge offseason and they’ve been putting up really good fights against the Blue Jays, as always, the shaky thing is the pitching.

MLB 2022 Season

Play ball!

The long-anticipated MLB season is finally here, and the offseason was a great one, a recurring theme around sports this offseason. So let’s see the 2022 power rankings in reverse order.

30. Baltimore Orioles. No real surprise here, they just don’t have a great roster, they’re young though… they have hope.

29. Pittsburgh Pirates. Their only MLB bright spot is Bryan Reynolds, and sources are saying they’re ready to deal him? More misery in Pittsburgh?

28. Cincinnati Reds. This might be the worst-managed team in the MLB. They barely missed the playoffs last year and then they traded away Jessie Winker and Eugenio Suarez, two perennial All-Stars.

27. Oakland Athletics. The Athletics lost a lot over the offseason, like Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, the players they got for Olson weren’t too amazing. To add to this, they spent $0 in free agency. You, the reader, and a professional sports organization spent the same amount of money during the offseason.

26. Arizona Diamondbacks. I like this team a lot, sadly, they play in a very competitive division. If you happen to turn on a Diamondbacks game, watch Ketel Marte go 4-4, after all, they just handed him an extension.

25. Cleveland Guardians. They didn’t get any worse, nor did they really get any better. Can Jose Ramirez and Shane Bieber carry this team? Frankly, no.

24. Washington Nationals. This team won the World Series three years ago, and now they’re the 24^th best team, according to me. They have the NL MVP favorite Juan Soto on this team. You have to feel for him. Could he be switching teams?

23. Miami Marlins. This team really brushed up around the edges. Seems like they’re going into full-fledged rebuild mode. Just trying to win a respectable amount of games. Nothing too great about this team.

22. Colorado Rockies. The Rockies had a successful outfield. They signed Kris Bryant (he’s going to turn into Nolan Arenado 2.0) and Randall Grichuk. Just like the Marlins, just brushing up around the edges, but they’re trying to win.

21. Chicago Cubs. They didn’t get much better, they lost Kris Bryant but gained the Japanese sensation Seiya Suzuki and Marcus Stroman.

20. Kansas City Royals. They signed a bunch of players to their minor leagues but I think really highly of their young offense. Nobody expects too much out of Salvador Perez, but who knows.

19. Texas Rangers. Talk about a top-heavy team. They signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. That middle infield might be the best in baseball, but there are a lot of good ones.

18. Los Angeles Angels. Well, they still have the three-headed monster in Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon. They signed Noah Syndergaard as well as more pitching. We’ll see.

17. Minnesota Twins. This team got a lot better, signing Carlos Correa and trading for Sonny Gray. They play in a very hit-or-miss division so they have a very good chance at the division.

16. Detroit Tigers. Everyone’s saying Javier Baez puts this team over the hump and into the top half of MLB teams. They’re so wrong!! If he gets a hold of one pitch it’s gone, but he’s swinging and missing and 20 before he connects.  

14. San Francisco Giants. The Giants got worse. They lost Kris Bryant and Kevin Gausman, two cornerstones of their team. Although they did get some pitching help, can their offense keep up?

15. San Diego Padres. I think very highly of this team. They have so much swagger and Fernando Tatis Jr. will only get better, although he’s injured to start the year.

13. Seattle Mariners. The Mariners had a very young team last year that was explosive. Now, they traded for Jessie Winker, Eugenio Suarez, and Adam Frazier. Not to mention they signed AL Cy Young Robbie Ray.

12. Houston Astros. Even though they lost Carlos Correa, this team still remains strong. They signed some young players but no one amazing, don’t worry, though, Houston is still very good.

11. Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies got a lot better. They signed Nicholas Castellanos who is a great middle-of-the-lineup hitter and Kyle Schwarber. Now that the DH is moving to the NL, Schwarber is a great fit.

10. St. Louis Cardinals. If the Cardinals made it to the Wild Card game last year, they could do it again this year, especially with virtually the same team.

9. Chicago White Sox. The White Sox were always a scary team, they never dominate a year, but they always find a way to squeak out a really nice season. Can Jose Abreu still produce at a high level though?

8. Milwaukee Brewers. For this team to be the 8^th best team in baseball, Christian Yelich and the rest of the Brewers outfield need to have a severe bounce back. I believe in them though, very solid team.

7. New York Yankees. This team has the potential to make it to the World Series every year. It’s just barely out of their reach every year. They even made their team better this year, but they’re in a tough division.

6. Tampa Bay Rays. Another offseason, another year the Rays refuse to spend money. They only signed players to minor league contracts, but, hey, they have the young phenom, Wander Franco.

5. Atlanta Braves. Basically, this team stayed the same, except for some major bullpen moves. They lost Freddie Freeman, but got Matt Olson and signed him to an extension.

4. Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox did get a whole lot better. They signed Trevor Story, possibly creating the best middle infield in baseball, as well as starting pitching and relievers.

3. New York Mets. If this team can stay healthy they can go to the World Series. Wrap Jacob DeGrom’s arm in bubble wrap or something, the Mets just have to him healthy. The Mets also signed Max Scherzer and also added to the already explosive offense.

2. Toronto Blue Jays. One of the most fun teams to watch in baseball last year. In the offseason, they lost their ace Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien but gained Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi. As for their already very solid offense, they signed Matt Chapman to patrol third.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are playing a video game. They have built a super team with no holes in their starting lineup, and that’s hard to do. They also have little to no holes on their whole pitching staff. After signing Freddie Freeman, could the Dodgers break the 162 game win record of 116? It’s definitely possible for them.

Enjoy the season. What would summer be without baseball?

 

 

 

This Blog will be about Three Different Sports

First – the Super Bowl.

This was a pretty good game, kept viewers entertained the whole way, although, it didn’t have the same “SUPER BOWL” feel to it. Also, the commercials weren’t great. Joe Burrow is a sophomore, no one can expect him to go out there and beat the Rams, who have insane top-end talent. Who does Burrow have? Just Ja’Marr Chase, literally, he can’t even run the ball confidently. On the other hand, the veteran Matt Stafford was finally blessed with a good team, no one can expect him to lose in that situation. Surprisingly, they only lost by 3 points on a touchdown with a minute left.

If the Bengals went to the Super Bowl this year, then watch out for next year. The Bengals have 10 selections in the draft this year including a first-rounder. They also have the fourth most cap space with the only expiring contracts being very supplemental players, but there’s Jesse Bates III, who I would never let go of. And again, they could make trades, specifically for their offensive line. That $50 million will be very helpful in sending them back to the Super Bowl in 2023.

For the Rams, they’ve built a super team. The only problem with any super team is the disbanding of the players. Was Von Miller just a rental? Probably not because for Aaron Donald to stay he wants Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. to stay. They don’t have too many young players, they have some bad contracts. , like Leonard Floyd being paid $16 million a year for the next four years. And they’re already $20 million below. It seems to me that the success of the Rams depends on being healthy and a lot of praying.

Next, baseball.

Where is baseball? The MLB is in a lockout. There have been nine MLB lockouts in history.

I’m confused about what the MLBPA and the owners are even arguing about. Does anyone know?  It includes the minimum salary going up, expanded playoffs, and reducing the amount of time a player can spend under team control, among MANY more things, according to ESPN.

Just give the fans baseball, both sides want to see it. They’ve already made a few moves, like installing the universal DH (self-explanatory: having a DH for both the AL and the NL) and eliminating draft pick compensation (not self-explanatory). Draft pick compensation is when a franchise loses a good player to free agency, and the team offered them a qualifying offer, the MLB gives that team a draft pick. So, if the Nationals were to lose Juan Soto now, the MLB would respond with, “Suck it up.”

I would’ve done an offseason recap but there is no full offseason to recap yet.

By this time, pitchers and catchers should’ve reported and Spring Training would’ve started in under a week. This is insane!

Finally, basketball.

For the first time in many years, the Eastern Conference is more exciting than the Western. In the West, the Suns are running away with it. Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton are too much for the opposition to handle. The Warriors might catch up when Draymond Green comes back, but the second seed is a good spot. The Timberwolves might start something with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, but only if their point guard is good, without D’Angelo Russell being good, the Wolves will stay at about the seventh seed. I expect the Lakers to be north of the seventh seed when April rolls around.

In the East, all the teams are respectable. The Heat have one of the best rosters in the NBA, but I don’t think it’s bold to say they are being carried by Jimmy Butler. The Bulls just have a great Big Four in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball. I wish they could stay healthy. Right behind them are the Cleveland Cavaliers (nobody knows how they’re so good) and the Philadelphia 76ers. They’re the four seed without a game with James Harden yet, is the first seed incoming? After that are the Milwaukee Bucks obviously being led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton? After them are the Boston Celtics. These guys are the busts of the season so far. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are supposed to cruise them to a home-court spot in the first round. They also have Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and the emergence of Robert Williams. Recently, they went on a 9 game winning streak. I am so high on the Charlotte Hornets for no reason. Maybe it’s because of LaMelo Ball but they’re becoming one of my favorite teams to watch. The Brooklyn Nets being at the 8 seed is so wild to me. Just wait till Kevin Durant comes back, Kyrie Irving can play all games and the supplemental players pop off. I hate how the Knicks didn’t make any moves over the trade deadline. On the other hand, maybe they shouldn’t, because in the succeeding games, superstar Julius Randle played like Michael Jordan. Something to note here: any team 1-8 in the East could be the one seed, it cannot be said for the West.

Players:

No one is averaging more than 30 PPG, that’s a little weird but ok. And in the top 5 PPG leaders, there is only one guard, also weird, but ok. Clint Capela is still top 3 in rebounding, what’s new? Myles Turner could actually make a good DPOY candidate averaging 2.8 blocks. James Harden is deciding to pass the ball a little more this year, averaging 10.2 assists. Dejounte Murray is a top 20 player in the NBA. Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double four separate times and he was a top 5 player in OKC when he won his MVP in 2017. Murray is averaging 20, 8, and 9 on the year with two steals, leading the league. It’s cool how Joel Embiid is the first option for the Sixers everywhere. Not just down low, but the offense will be run through him. It’s the same way with Nikola Jokic, but Jokic doesn’t have a “Tobias Harris” type player, he’s just out there alone because both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are significantly injured. Who knew Fred VanVleet is averaging four threes a game? Why is nobody putting Luka Doncic in the top 5 for MVP voting? He’s averaging 27.5, 9, and 9 with basically no more help now that Kristaps Porzingis is gone. Doncic isn’t, but Chris Paul, who’s averaging just 15, 4, and 10, is fourth??

I’m also trying to get into hockey right now, just to add another facet in my blogs. I’m trying to gain as much knowledge as possible as I do with basketball, football, and baseball.

By the way: Sports are really fun.

Crystal Ball Ahead of Super Bowl LVI

Nobody predicted this Super Bowl, nobody did. Nobody was saying the Bengals would make the playoffs, or finish in the top half of their division. Everyone thought that Ja’Marr Chase was a bust a week into the preseason. Some thought Joe Burrow wouldn’t ever be great because he blew out his knee a year before. He blew his knee out because of their bad offensive line that they didn’t really bother to upgrade. The Bengals' defense didn’t have anyone on defense to be a juggernaut. For the Rams, nobody had a solid opinion on Matt Stafford. The Rams lost their starting running back, Cam Akers, in the preseason, to a torn Achilles (he’s back). Who thought Cooper Kupp would be so good? Nobody did and I mean he was good, like over 1,900 receiving yards and OPOY good. Who knew OBJ wasn’t going to be happy in Cleveland so he gets traded midseason and adds yet another to their offense? And everyone knew the defense was going to smother all opposing offenses.

This is going to be a very close game. Two weeks ago, nobody thought it was going to be close, as we get nearer and nearer to the Super Bowl, it’s getting closer and closer.

The veteran Matt Stafford versus everybody’s new favorite player, Joe Burrow. Both teams will need to mix up their game plans. The Rams are the much better team on paper, but so were the Chiefs.

For you bettors out there, there are some great props out there, just need to find the right ones.

But by far, the most fun ones are the coin flip prediction and the Gatorade color the couch is going to take a shower in after the game.

My predictions: Tails and Orange

Some more is the time it takes to sing the national anthem: Over or under 95 secs. It’s the over, don’t overthink it.

Jersey Number of the 1st Touchdown Scorer: Over or under 23.5. It’s the under, you have Joe Burrow rushing it in, Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr, Ja’Marr Chase and Cam Akers.

Odell Beckham and CJ Uzomah will both score anytime in the game.

Stat Predictions (there’s like a 1% chance I get any of these right, but hey, it’s fun)

Joe Burrow: 302 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Matt Stafford: 254 yds, 3 TDs

Cam Akers: 70 yds

Joe Mixon: 43 yds

Ja’Marr Chase: 93 Rec yds, 7 rush yds, 1 touchdown

Cooper Kupp: 84 rec yds, 1 touchdown

Odell Beckham Jr.: 64 rec yds, 11 rush yards, 1 touchdown

Van Jefferson: 54 rec yds, 1 touchdown

Tee Higgins: 82 rec yds

CJ Uzomah: 56 yds, 1 touchdown

Tyler Boyd: 52 rec yds

Evan McPherson: 3 FGs

Rams total team sacks: 4

Bengals total team sacks: 1

Jalen Ramsey: The only interception

Finally:

Bengals +4 is going to hit. The Bengals are going to win. There is no explanation needed. The Bengals are the hottest team in the NFL and Joe Shiesty will produce.

I so badly want to see a high-scoring game, and I think that’s what we’re going to see. The over for points, easy.

Score Prediction: Bengals 34, Rams 31.

2022 NFL Championships Games – Down to the Final Three

So far, the 2022 NFL Playoffs have not been going well for my predictions. The ones I put out and the ones I did when the playoffs started both haven’t been great. Sadly, I’ve been known to only pick the favorites for my whole life; I’m not really much of an upset guy.

First, before I begin, I want to say that the Chargers are going to be scary next year, they were a field goal away from the playoffs this year after losing to the Raiders and after another good offseason, and they will definitely be a top team.

Joe Brrrrrrr and the Cincinnati Bengals almost lost to the Raiders. To be honest, I thought that wasn’t even going to be a game because the Bengals massacre, but the Raiders fought. Props to them, they had a broken season. First, the Henry Ruggs saga, where he went was driving 156 mph while drunk before crashing into someone else’s car and killing them, Ruggs didn’t die but he was imprisoned. Next, Damon Arnette was waived after video surfaced of him with a gun. To make matters worse, yesterday, he was arrested on drug and gun charges, only 9 days after the Chiefs gave him a second chance. Finally, Jon Gruden’s email account was leaked and it featured him being racist. Derek Carr is really that guy, he was the rock for the Raiders, it makes sense: he’s a vet and he’s leading a very young team through tough times.

The Chiefs decided to be very mean to the Steelers, crushing them 42-21. A week or so after, Ben Roethlisberger retired, and he had one heck of a career: two Super Bowl wins, Offensive Rookie of the Year and 6 Pro Bowl Appearances, not to mention providing the Steelers with a solid QB for 18 seasons. One thing I don’t get, ever, is QBs retiring after a loss. I want to end off my NFL career with a win, even if it takes longer. It sets a better legacy and a better taste in fans’ mouths after. Like Tom Brady in 2019, he threw a pick six to the Titans and then everyone though he was going to retire. Obviously, he didn’t and the next year he won a Super Bowl.

In the Divisional Round, both 1 seeds were upset. First, the Titans to the Bengals with Joe Burrow. Then the 49ers, with no passing offense, magically grew a passing offense and combined it with their run and already great defense to slip past the Packers. The Rams beat the Bucs, and I didn’t think it was wise to go with the Rams because you should never bet against Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, or Tom Brady, sadly, Saban lost in the championship, Belichick lost in the first round and Brady lost last week.

Then, there was one of the greatest games ever. The Chiefs beat the Bills in overtime in a 42-36 game. It. Was. Wild. I’m sure you already watched the highlights or know what happened, but let’s do it again. There were 7 total touchdown passes, with only 1 interception. Unless you play Madden or live with the Bills, you definitely don’t know who Gabriel Davis is. Well, he made his presence known as a deep threat receiver. On the Bills, they have a few deep threats, Stefon Diggs and Isaiah McKenzie, but Gabriel Davis walked out of Arrowhead Stadium with 4 touchdown receptions and a loss. That’s how great the Chiefs were. Not their defense, their defense was just bad, their offense though… They were so good they ran out of fireworks to fire after touchdowns. It wasn’t anyone like Gabriel Davis for the Chiefs, it was Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce combining for just under 250 yards total.

For the Championship Round, the Bengals play the Chiefs and the 49ers play the Rams.

I think the Bengals will beat the Chiefs, the Bengals defense has no chance to stop the Chiefs offense and it will turn into a shootout. Although, the Bengals beat the Chiefs a few weeks ago and are primed to do it again, not to mention the Bengals are red hot.

Prediction: Bengals 31 Chiefs 24

The 49ers playing the Rams will be a very good game, I think. Not necessarily scoring wise but intensity for sure. The Rams and the Niners both have great teams highlighted with elite defenses. The Rams have a better QB though, but the Niners have a stronger run game. I think the Rams will come out on top here.

Prediction: Rams 24 Niners 21

In the Super Bowl, it’s going to be another great game. Joe Burrow is a very inexperienced QB who may not step up to the plate. But, Matt Stafford is a vet who has little playoff experience. The Bengals’ defense is underrated but the Rams’ defense is just suffocating. It will either be a close game or a blowout.

Rams 24 Bengals 17

The Most Underrated Positions in Sports

Throughout planning this blog in my head, I realized that the most underrated positions in sports are the really nitty gritty ones. The athletes that bear down and don’t care if they get hurt, they just put their heads down and do whatever it is they have to do. Usually they go through a certain amount of discomfort while performing their task.

These aren’t in order but rather the most underrated. I won’t put a limit on how many I’ll do because I also don’t want to bore you with another 7 billion-word blog.

The center: No, not the basketball one, because he’s fairly rated, but the football one. So to start off, all offensive linemen are underrated, but the center especially. For one, the center has to snap the ball and immediately put his hands up and block the guy charging at him. Along with this, he also makes line adjustments, like “shift left once the ball is snapped,” I bet you didn’t know that. Also, he has to place the ball perfectly into the QB’s hands for him to get ready to throw, like, perfectly. The guy he’s going to block is probably the heaviest guy on the defense, as the defensive tackle is usually the biggest.

Relief Pitchers: You definitely didn’t expect these guys to be on the list. Their existence is summarized by them coming in to a tie game with the bases loaded and no outs. But they definitely have more wrinkles to their being. To start, they are cooped up in a pen (literally) for two hours until they are called upon to go into the game. Also, these guys do not stay on a team for a long time, usually they stay on a team for a year or two, maybe three. Have you ever seen a relief pitcher sign a five-year, $150 million contract? Me neither. Also, these pitchers need to have a significant pitch, a strikeout pitch, a sweeping curveball, a 102-mph fastball, or a lockdown cutter. A lights out bullpen electrifies a team and provides security.

Shooting guards: You got your Klay Thompsons, your Michael Jordans, your Kobe Bryants, but in the NBA, the league isn’t filled with only legends. Especially in the modern NBA, where the 3-pointer is more important than anything else, the shooting guard becomes a very valuable position. Most don’t see how important these guys are. Most may think that point guard and center are at the top of the list every single time, and shooting guard is last or close to it, they’re actually a little wrong. What one should look for in a good shooting guard is right in the name: shooting and defense. I put Klay at the top of the list for a reason, he has both of those and he excels. James Harden is proving that he’s a liability on defense every night. But, he can score, some say, but then he’s allowing the other team to also score. Having a guy like Lu Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder) on your team is a blessing. He’s really young , but he’s shaping up to be a true 3 and D wing, Dort is a lockdown defender, he’s refined defense to an art form, and then on the other side of the court, he can shoot the lights out.

Painful Setback for the Pelicans

Zion Williamson of New Orleans Pelicans really got setback again. This has to be a joke at this point. He’s missed more games than he’s played. What’s going on over there? To start, he had problems with his foot last season. Over the offseason, he had it surgically repaired, the beginning of the season passed, everything was going fine, he was rehabbing normally and then he was experiencing soreness on December 2. That set him back.

To make matters worse, the doctors found a regression in the bone healing. A few days ago, he was injected with a fluid to stimulate healing. It’s reported that he’s going to be re-evaluated in mid to late January. Throughout this whole time, he’s been gaining a lot of weight. It’s been reported that he weighs more than 330 pounds. It’s obvious he’s been eating that good New Orleans food. When did this all start? Well, going into the league, he was a 6’6” power forward, already undersized (height wise), and he already had a pretty large frame, 285 lb in college. He was always an explosive athlete, do a quick search on YouTube and you’ll find tons of college highlights on Duke, devouring (see what I did there?) teams left and right with his partner in crime, RJ Barrett. He relies on explosiveness and athleticism, doing crazy 360 dunks and tomahawks. So, if the laws of gravity and physics are still present, he landed with a lot of weight on his foot, so he would have had problems. Now, Google has him listed at 317 lbs. while some are saying that he’s over 330. Some other explosive athletes don’t come close to him, Ja Morant weighs 174 lbs., Michael Jordan weighed 216 lbs., Zach Lavine weighs 200 lbs.. This is the reason the Pelicans are the 14^th seed, there’s no Zion Williamson, I bet the Pels’ fans are scared to see what Zion brings (or doesn’t bring) once he comes back.

I’m Baaaack …

I was away for a while, high school’s really something, isn’t it? Well, here are 4 and half months of my observations about three sports:

Baseball:

Playoffs:

The Wild Card games were decently surprising, the Yankees got toasted by the Red Sox for some reason, don’t know why. In the NL, the Dodgers matching up with the Cardinals in the Wild Card game might’ve been the best matchup in a while. The Dodgers totally should’ve won the division, as they proved against the Giants, winning in 5. The Braves easily cruise by the Brewers, there wasn’t any contention there from the beginning of the round. The Red Sox continued to cruise, beating the Rays (what a feel-good story shot down by the Red Sox, everyone was rooting for the Rays because their total payroll is a few cents) and the Astros beat the White Sox. The Astros really had a high-powered offense, now it might fall apart, if Carlos Correa leaves in free agency, Houston might hit the reset button on their team. The only surprise we had in the playoffs was the Braves beating the Dodgers, on the other side, the Astros obviously beat the Red Sox. Then, the Braves become champions by beating the Astros. They have so much depth; it’s really hard to beat them.

Free Agency is always exciting. My New York Mets went haywire, and Saint Steve Cohen opened up his checkbook for a lot of players. Mark Cahna can play many positions, which is exactly what teams need when sports are nearing position-less play. We also picked up Eduardo Escobar, who will definitely see the starting lineup, as he had a career year last year. Starling Marte will also arrive in New York, probably playing left field or right field, depending on where Cahna will play (center is reserved for Brandon Nimmo). These signings probably mean that Michael Conforto won’t be coming back. And then we also signed Max Scherzer, to create something that hasn’t been seen much throughout sports’ history, the pairing of two dominant, perennial Cy Young candidates, Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom. Then, the Mets signed a new manager. Seeing that Luis Rojas is incapable of doing simple baseball tasks his time was up. And Cohen made the right decision, he went with the seasoned veteran, Buck Showalter, previously of the Orioles. I guess he got tired of being at the bottom of divisions. He has 20 years of experience as a manager, and he’s managed before in New York, having New York experience is great, as New York is different than any other market. To top it off, he has a career winning record, 1551-1517, even with being dragged down by the Orioles for nine years. Back to players, this season’s AL Cy Young winner, Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman (who was widely projected to be the NL Cy Young) both signed with the Seattle Mariners. Corey Seager and Marcus Semien both signed with the Texas Rangers, and they got paid over $500 million combined. That’s insane, especially for a smaller market team. Then, with tons of great talent left, something much unexpected happened in the baseball world, a lockout. The owners of baseball and the MLBPA are arguing over something or other, nobody really knows. And this really sucks for the free agents, they want to know where they’re playing, and now that we’re quickly approaching when pitchers, catchers and eventually all other players must report, this needs to end.

Basketball:

To think how the Knicks started out (5-1 at one point), how did everything go downhill so quickly? During the offseason, we had a few great signings, Evan Fournier and Kamba Walker; and a great draft, Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes. Everything else stayed the same, and we made the playoffs last year, so why not go back with an even better team? That’s all Knicks fans’ thinking. Then everything started going downhill. Kemba got taken out of the rotation (that’s a bizarre move, not only should he be in the rotation, he should be a starter). We’re currently sitting at 12^th in the East. Obviously, we don’t have a superstar, so maybe we should trade for one. We all knew the Pistons were going to be bad, but they exceeded our expectations, winning 4 out of 28. Good job, guys!! The Hornets being the sixth seed shows me that they have the potential to make the play-in, but with their team right now, with just rookie Lamelo Ball at the helm, and no other significant talent, they aren’t going to go very far. On the flip side, I do believe that the Raptors will go far, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes? They’re going to make a nice little run, and I’m not talking play-in. Imagine the Cavaliers with Collin Sexton, sadly he’s out for the year with a knee injury but imagine him on the three seeded Cavs, they would finish the year higher than this, potentially knocking off the Bucks as the one seed. The Warriors and the Suns are fighting for the one seed out West and that should show you that Stephen Curry is the best basketball player on the planet right now. With literally no supporting cast (don’t say Draymond Green, don’t do it) he’s competing with Chris Paul, 1/3 of Devin Booker (because he’s injured), Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. When Klay Thompson comes back, they’re not going to lose again. The Grizzlies have been straight up hoopin’, without Ja Morant they’ve gone 10-1. I’m making a prediction right now, at the end of the season, the Warriors are the one seed and the Grizzlies are the two seed, if Ja comes back in a reasonable time frame. I’m confused about how the Pelicans are the 14^th seed, they have Brandon Ingram, who by himself should lead the team to at least the 10 seed. There’s so much stuff going on with Zion Williamson, that I’m just sorry for this team right now. The Mavs sitting at .500 is interesting, is Luka Doncic really not that good, or are his teammates selling him?

Award Predictions:

MVP: Wardell Stephen Curry Jr., Golden State Warriors

DPOY: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Jarrett Allen is a sleeper)

ROY: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

MIP: Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns

COY: Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns

Football:

This season so far has been pretty normal. A few notes: this season went by lightning fast, like weeks 1-15 flew by and the Jets still suck, what’s new? Also, there seems to be a lot more injuries this year than last year. A ton more, and it’s not the superstar players like years past, it’s the role-star players that are getting the worst of it. Maybe the league should make a new tackling rule, because this is encroaching on being detrimental to the entertainment of the games and the long-term safety of the players. Now COVID is making it worse, the practice squad needs to be expanded or I’m going to get signed (probably not a great idea because I’ll get injured).

Something I learned was never, ever, doubt Bill Belichick, everyone was clowning him for cutting Cam Newton for Mac Jones, but now they’re the two seed and Mac Jones is gunning for offensive rookie of the year. The one seed, the Chiefs, are now better than ever. Remember earlier in the year, all of you were saying that the Chiefs are out of it? Yeah, I remember, well never doubt Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and the Walmart baggers on the defense. Don’t count the Dolphins out either, with their team that their genius GM, Chris Grier, stitched together, have won 6 in a row. The Raiders sitting at 6-7 is a miracle, with how depleted and all over the place their team is. The AFC North remains up in the air, that will be such an exciting finish, except for the Steelers, might have to count them out. Because Derrick Henry is out, the Colts might outrun the Titans and make a run at the end of the season and win the division, but the Titans are a Wild Card team nonetheless. The Cowboys sitting at 10-4 is surprising, Trevon Diggs said that the Cowboys have the best defense, that’s probably the reason that they’re great, Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliot haven’t been great. Both Washington and Philly are sitting at 6-7, that’s so confusing to me, the NFC East should’ve been so much closer than this. The 49ers totally caught me off guard at 8-6 (I don’t study the standings, this is one of, probably my first, in-depth look at the standings this season), they seem like a team that’s in the middle of the road but they’ve had a really low key season. They’re two games out of the division, and with the Cardinals stumbling without Deandre Hopkins, they might take their spot, but it’s the Cardinals. Along the same path, the Rams might be division leaders, with Cooper Kupp going berserk, Matt Stafford playing at an MVP level and a somewhat easy schedule for the rest of year, they probably will. The Packers staying at the top of the division this year with so many injuries and Aaron Rodgers’ vaccine problems is so amazing, 10-3 is great. The Bears are a year or two away, considering this is the Bears, they might need more than that, hopefully they don’t mess up and draft another Mitch Trubisky over another Patrick Mahomes. The Buccaneers are Super Bowl contenders, I really don’t want another Super Bowl with Tom Brady in it, right now, it’s a Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady rematch. Nah, let some exciting players go at it, like Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray. The Saints sitting at 6-7 shows us how important Drew Brees was, then Jameis Winston, a decent back up went down, it’s been really unfortunate for them. It also pains me to see Christian McCaffrey go down with an injury again, this man can’t stay healthy, don’t draft him next year in Fantasy Football. 

Continuing My 32-Team NFL predictions right now.

On to the AFC North:

The Ravens built their offense on a strong run game. Now, if I wrote this blog a week ago, I would’ve dubbed the Ravens a team that could go very far into the playoffs. Their run game just took a massive hit because their young running back, JK Dobbins just went down with a torn ACL. The Ravens also wanted their offense to catch the defense off guard, to keep them guessing. Dobbins was a huge part of that, will QB Lamar Jackson hand the ball off? Or take it and make a few defenders miss. Another reason why their offense was so good was because they also had a very above-average passing game. One of the most underrated TEs in the league, Mark Andrews is on their team, and he’s also a great blocker. TE Nick Boyle went down with a gruesome injury last year and getting him back in offense (a two TE offense can be deadly) is huge for them. Also catching passes are speedy WRs Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins. The defensive line is still anchored by Calais Campbell, a freak of nature standing at 6’8” and 300 lb. They also have Patrick Queen, one of the best young linebackers in the NFL. Also, Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters are on this team making it one of the best defenses in football. Imagine if they had Dobbins for this year.

The Bengals have a very under the radar team. In the modern NFL, a high-powered offense makes up for an average or even poor defense (for proof, look at the Chiefs). The Bengals are using that to their advantage and building their team around it. They have Joe Burrow, taken first overall in the 2020 draft  Joe Mixon is one of the best running backs in football and the Bengals have three great, young WRs: Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase (Boyd and Higgins were taken in the second round of their drafts and Chase was taken in the first round of this year’s). Their offensive line still remains at the bottom of the barrel; they passed up on Penei Sewell in the draft which would help them monumentally. Even without Sewell, they would still have a great offense. Mark my words, CJ Uzomah (their TE, bet you never heard of him) is going to be a stud this year. I think they want to use him more and to have a quick TE that can block moderately or be a dangerous offensive weapon never hurt anyone. Their defense really only has Jessie Bates, one of the best safeties in the NFL. In a weak division, they could make second or third, but in the AFC, they’re buried in fourth place.

The Browns are going to be shockers this year. I’m hearing a lot of buzz about QB Baker Mayfield having a breakout year this year. He was already pretty good, but a breakout year could put make him elite. Let’s say Mayfield doesn’t have the breakout year. They have RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield for the whole year (barring no injuries), we’ve never seen that before. Some fantasy owners may be concerned with, potentially, how many touches RB1 Chubb could have because they have a pretty good RB2. I say he’s going to get a lot, because the Browns like running the ball and using the RBs in the passing game (that just goes to show how much a breakout year from Baker would help). Great WRs Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry make this offense one of the best in football. Now, I’m concerned about the number of catches each of them would get. Let’s break it down. Two WRs means more competition for catches. The QB would never just throw to one of them and leave the other. Now, these two WRs are in a run-oriented offense with TWO above average running backs. So, FF players, stay away from Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry because there are way better options available and because that’s a wasted roster spot.

The Steelers are a very make-or-break team. No one knows how QB Ben Roethlisberger will perform this season. He’s 39, pretty fat, has personal/family issues, doesn’t have a great arm, can’t scramble (because he’s 39) and doesn’t have outstanding options to throw to. WR Diontae Johnson is a small WR who’s only good for short routes like drags or slants (search up the two routes if you don’t know them). WR Juju Smith-Schuster was never a great receiver, no blazing speed, no crazy abilities, doesn’t have imposing size but he does have a lot, a lot, a lot of TikToks. TE Eric Ebron is nothing special as a TE, he’s a big guy, but not a Travis Kelce or a George Kittle. Amid all of these questions and concerns is where rookie RB Najee Harris slides in. Harris is a versatile running back who’s speedy as well as strong and could muscle his way through. Harris is going to get tons of touches because he’s the farthest thing away from a question mark on this team (he’s not that far because he’s a rookie) and the Steelers are going to lean on that. In my most competitive fantasy league, he’s my RB1 and he’s going to stay there for the whole year (except if he gets injured, I’m not that stupid). Their defensive line remains the scariest in the NFL and you can’t tell me otherwise. Cameron Heyward and TJ Watt (who’ll win DPOY this year) are both blitzing the QB and you won’t find them anywhere else. Electric third-year player Devin Bush and veteran Joe Schobert are going to be the middle linebackers for the Steelers and I'm going to love to see them play off each other the whole year. Underrated defensive backs Joe Haden and Terrell Edmunds are overshadowed in the secondary by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick but this defense wouldn’t be remotely as good as they are without Haden and Edmunds.