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Showing posts from April, 2019

Champions League Semifinals Preview

Another exciting Champions League campaign is coming to a close with just four teams left. Tottenham, Ajax, Liverpool, and Barcelona will be squaring off to decide who goes to the final in Madrid and takes home the most coveted trophy in club football. Lets look at the two semifinal matchups and who I think will come out on top. Matchup One: Tottenham vs. Ajax Probably two of the biggest surprises for most to see in the semifinals. These two teams have made some stellar runs through the competition and set themselves up to potentially play for a major European trophy. Tottenham is sort of the odd man out of the four teams in the sense that each of the other clubs has won the Champions League before, but not just once. Liverpool and Barcelona are both 5-time winners and Ajax have won 4 times including 3 consecutive wins from 1971 to 1973. Tottenham may not have the trophy case of the other competitors but they are still a talented side. Son Heung-min has been a standout in the compe

Rosenthal to Extended Spring Training

After starting off the 2019 season with an infinity ERA, Washington Nationals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal has been sent to the organizations extended spring training. The 28 year old flame thrower was put on the IL after bringing his ERA "down" to 36.00. Rosenthal didn't even record an out until his fifth appearance. He's walked 9 of the 28 batters he's faced and has thrown 5 wild pitches He was an All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015 and underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2017. Trevor was the closer for the Red Birds for a few years and can throw up to 100+ MPH. When he got to the Cardinals, he had no name to him until pitching coach Derek Lilliquist took a look at him. Rosenthal went from the full windup with no runners on base and Lilliquist realized that he pitched better from the stretch. So with no runners on he went to a hybrid windup with only a small step with his left foot before pushing off the rubber with his right food. He posted an ERA of

Manchester United vs, Chelsea

The Red Devils drew on Sunday, 1-1 against Chelsea. Juan Mata opened the game up with an 11th-minute strike that was then matched later in the first half by Marcos Alonso. A scoreless second half sent both teams home with just a single point. Possession was fairly even with Manchester United holding the ball for 52 percent of the game. Each team had a great showing in passing both managing over 400 passes at 80 percent accuracy. United now turn their attention to Huddersfield on May 5th and look to finish the season strong and hopefully within the top-4. Starting XIs for both teams listed below. Goals and substitutes listed in parentheses. Manchester United: Goalkeeper: David de Gea Defenders: Victor Lindelöf, Eric Bailly (Marcos Rojo, 71') , Luke Shaw, Ashley Young Midfielders: Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba Forwards: Juan Mata (11') (Scott McTominay, 81'), Marcus Rashford (Alexis Sanchez, 65'), Romelu Lukaku Chelsea: Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalga

Lakers looking into getting a new coach

The Lakers drama show is still the talk of the NBA even today with playoffs in full swing.  The Lakers are trying to fix the laughable dysfunctionality they are experiencing by filling one of the holes that they have by getting a new coach after mutually agreeing to part ways with former coach Luke Walton. the top contenders for the job currently are former Nets and Bucks Coach Jason Kidd, assistant coach Monty Williams, and former Cavs coach Tyron Lou who is looking like the current front runner due to his established relationship with LeBron as well as having won a championship. Depending on the Lakers pick this could be the first step in right direction to get the organization back on track after the sudden departure of Magic Johnson. This has to be the right move or else the Lakers are looking at potentially wasting all 4 years of Lebrons Contrack years, which would be considered on pf the biggest failures by an organization in recent memory

MLB update

As the dust settles and the smoke clears, the MLB season is underway. We have officially past the point of pre season assumptions and largely in accurate opinions. With 25 games in the stat sheets we are now only 15 percent of the way through the MLB season. As I have stated in this blog before, pre season assumptions and ridiculous "on pace comments" are coming to an end. A true test of who is in the hunt doesn't become obvious until after the all star break, but after that 25 game mark is when baseball really begins to get played. Each starting pitcher is about 4 starts in and any season starting mistakes in form and control are usually worked out by this point. Most hitters in the starting line up have now seen about 100 at bats, enough to warm any player up for the season ahead. So the time for miscues and bat habits is over and the real baseball has begun. The AL east is starting to even out as the season progresses, the question is raised on whether the Rays can k

With the Number One Overall Pick...

Rookie coach Kliff Kingsbury is taking over what is arguably the worst offense in the NFL and the worst overall team in the NFL. The only positive to this is that the new coach has the ability to take the number one overall pick in the NFL draft, now there have been busts of number one picks and there are sleepers that have gone onto stardom in the NFL but the number one pick provides hope to a franchise that you're getting the guy that you can build a team around. What better position to build a new team around than a Quarterback, and who better then Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray is the quarterback of the future or at least he is in his stature, standing at 5'10" 200 pounds Murray is not a big quarterback or an average sized field general by any means. But his ability to escape pressure and make quick plays led him to the Hiesman trophy in 2018. His numbers at Oklahoma speak for themselves, the only question about his draft grade came from another draft all together. The M

Is Chris Davis' Contract the Worst in Baseball History?

Back in 2016, Chris Davis signed a massive deal for 7 years worth $161 million, coming off a season where he hit 47 home runs and 117 runs batted in. Since signing that contract, he has not batted higher than .221 in a season and has struggled to make the same offensive impact he did during his prime years. Since singing the contract, he has batted .221, .215, .168, .155, and has only hit more than 30 home runs once, which was the year right after he signed the contract. With the struggles he's seen and how much he has under performed to his contract, its easy to suggest that its the worst contract in MLB history, or at least in Orioles history. However, what other big time contracts have failed the live up to the hype of the money attached? Jacoby Ellsbury is one prime example of a massive contract not paying off. He signed for 7 years for $153 million, going from rival to rival after leaving the Red Sox for the Yankees. Just like Davis he played well the season after signing th

New Hockey Fan

Now, before we get started, I want to make it clear that I have very little hockey knowledge. Growing up in the south I was never really fan. In the great state of Texas we don't even have water, let alone ice ( when I started saying this to northerners I didn't realize we had the Dallas Stars). One of the benefits of attending an institution of higher learning is the integration of social norms, such as being a hockey fan. I have fought and struggled for the control over the television remote since the NHL playoffs started but something happened yesterday that made me bite my tongue, I became a fan. I am declaring it here and now that I have officially become a hockey fan and it started with the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks. In a hard fought series split right down the middle at three games a piece, game seven was guaranteed to put on a show for all to see. In a game that seemed doomed from the start for San Jose, possibly the most exciting five minutes i

Manchester United vs. Manchester City

The Red Devils fell on Wednesday 2-0 to rivals Manchester City. Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane both scored in the second half after a deadlocked first 45. United managed 12 shots in the game but only one was on target compared to City's clinical 8 shots with 5 on target. Possession favored City heavily as the Citizens controlled the ball for 64 percent of the match. City just seemed to outplay united in every aspect managing over 700 passes at 80 percent accuracy on top of the previous stats. United now turn their attention to Chelsea on Sunday and look to return to winning ways. Starting XIs for both teams listed below. Goals and substitutes listed in parentheses. Manchester United: Goalkeeper: David de Gea Defenders: Victor Lindelöf, Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian (Alexis Sanchez, 83'), Luke Shaw, Ashley Young Midfielders: Andreas Pereira (Romelu Lukaku, 72'), Fred, Paul Pogba Forwards: Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard (Anthony Martial, 83') Manchester City: Go

Baseball And Pace Of Play

Before the 2019 season, Major League Baseball announced some rule changes to try to speed up the game. Some of them included limiting commercial breaks to 2 mins in between innings and limiting mound visits from 6 to 5. I think these are good changes for the game of baseball. People are always complaining that the games take too long and this is a great step towards that. Some things that have been thrown out there by Major League Baseball is a 3 batter minimum for pitchers to face. Now this is an interesting one because of the "lefty specialist" phenomenon. Also, what if the reliever throws 8 straight balls? And now the bases are loaded and a lefty is up to bat with a struggling right hander on the mound. This rule would help with pace of play to an extent but it would also mess around with the strategy aspect for managers. Now it isn't much of a chess match between managers with pinch hitters and calling in relievers. So if this goes through, managers just sit back and

Where will the Top 5 Quarterbacks Land- 2019 NFL Draft

The 2019 NFL Draft begins Thursday Night and five top rated Quarterbacks may find a home in the first round. Kyle Murray will be the first focus, due to the "over hyped" coverage being produced on all networks. If you've read any articles in the last couple of months, you already know that Murray will be a great fit for the Arizona Cardinals. Kliff Kingsbury, the new head coach of the cardinals, may run an offense that Murray is very familiar with since both are from the offensive focused Big 12 Conference. Murray is extremely quick, displays incredible arm strength, and uses both effectively. The Cardinals may stick with previous first round pick, Josh Rosen of the 2018 draft, but I believe Murray will be selected first overall no matter what. Will Grier, another distinguished Big 12 QB, may find a perfect fit in the first round. The Miami Dolphins are in deep need of quarterback play. The 2019-2020 season will be a major rebuild for Miami and Grier could learn a lot f

The NBA face of the NBA is.......

The NAB is going under a a transition during this years playoffs. The man that has become synonymous with the playoffs and the NBA final LeBron James failed to make it to the playoffs this year after 13 consecutive appearances. . And similar to when the Undertaker lost for the first time at WrestleMania after 20 straight victories, there is a feeling that something is missing the, a void one might say that has been left the we yearn to be filled. The playoffs while still a special to watch feel to a degree empty with out Lebron being in them because we have been so accustom to seeing him. But now we look for the next star to take his place as the must see attraction in these playoffs, and I believe that attraction is Giannis Antetokoumpo. The Greek Freak has been tearing up the league for all this year and its been amazing to watch and with him being so young it can only get better with time. His length, strength, speed, agility and overall dominance has been something that we haven

Brooklyn making a case for a star to come and play

The Brooklyn Nets have taken the stacked 76ers team to the limit in a way that nobody saw  coming. They have played as if they are an 5 seed instead o fa bottom seed and have had a level of confidence that one world expect form a team like the Warriors or the Rockets. this along with the level of talent lead by star DeAngelo Williams , could see them start the season next year with a big name star on the floor in a Nets jersey. what at one point was a pipe dream is now a legitimate possibility that could bring stars like KD and Kyrie away form the bright lights if the NY kicks and potentially make Brooklyn the new mainstream basketball team. But while this is a bright future for the Nets, weather it will come to fruition remains to be seen

Manchester United: A Look Ahead

Soccer is an endless sport. There is never a definite "offseason" as the summer period, which is the least active period for the sport, is often used for international competition or friendly matches between clubs. As with most American sports, the offseason is a time where when team changes happen most often. Free agents are signed, contracts are renewed, and youngsters who have breakthrough periods are promoted to first team play. Manchester United has always been considered one of the biggest clubs, if not the biggest, in the world. Big name players have consistently found their way to Old Trafford during the summer transfer window and have had varying levels of success. With United starting to wrap up a roller coaster of a season in the next couple months the attention of the clubs senior staff and their fans are directed toward potential summer signings. But where do the Red Devils need the most help? What players can provide an instant spark to the team and on the ot

Was the Charlotte Roval a Success?

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For the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs, an entirely new track made its debut in the heart of stock car racing. Rather than compete on the 1.5 mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, teams were thrown a curveball by having to race on the Charlotte Roval, a newly designed road course at CMS. Defined as a road course that also utilizes part of an oval racetrack, a Roval is far from a new phenomenon in racing. Daytona International Speedway's Roval is a famed course that hosts the Rolex 24 Hour sports car endurance race every year. For NASCAR, the Charlotte Roval was the first of its kind. Measuring 2.28 miles in length and having 17 turns, the Charlotte Roval was pinned as a wildcard race from its inception all the way back in 2017. In testing sessions on the new layout, several star drivers found difficulty navigating the narrow infield portion of the track and made contact with walls. This attrition would continue through ractice and qualifying on race weekend in September, forcing NASC

The Roar Has Returned

On Sunday at the Masters golf tournament, Tiger Woods won his first at Augusta National since 2005. Woods had quite the road to get to this win. After many surgeries on almost his entire body and being in and out of competitive golf for a few years, he's back. This Tiger win is also great for the sport. Golf hasn't been as popular in recent light but even after an early start due to weather conditions, this Masters tournament got the most viewers for any morning golf telecast ever. Big names like Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson, have not had any recent successes. Brooks Koepka and Franceso Molinari were in contention but those two aren't big names. Tiger Woods is arguably the most popular name in the sport and this Masters win has golf fans something to get excited about.

Manchester United vs. Barcelona

The Red Devils fell on Tuesday 3-0 to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Lionel Messi scored twice in a span of 5 minutes to put Barcelona up 2-0 and Philippe Coutinho sealed the game with a thunderbolt of a goal in the 61st minute. United were controlled by FCB in the game as the Spanish side controlled possession for almost 70% of the game. This game comes after a 1-0 loss for United in the first leg, which helped Barcelona move on to the semifinals 4-0 on aggregate. United now turn their attention to the Manchester Derby on Sunday and look to return to winning ways as the Premier League begins to wrap up. Starting XIs for both teams listed below. Goals and substitutes listed in parentheses. Manchester United: Goalkeeper: David de Gea Defenders: Victor Lindelöf, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Ashley Young Midfielders: Scott McTominay, Fred, Paul Pogba Forwards: Marcus Rashford (Romelu Lukaku, 73), Jesse Lingard (Alexis Sanchez, 80'), Anthony Martial (Diogo Dalot, 65

Is Ben Simmons as good as advertised?

Last night the Philadelphia 76ers went up against the Brooklyn Nets. Coming into the game, the 76ers seemed to be the clear favorite as they have four all star caliber players on their team, while Brooklyn has one and a bunch of borderline starters. The Brooklyn Nets were able to defeat the 76ers despite a huge performance by Jimmy Butler. Brooklyn was able to get this win due to their wonderfully planned defensive and offensive schemes. On defense the Nets would sag off of Ben Simmons to force him to drive, play the pick and roll perfectly to ensure their were no easy buckets from the paint or the perimeter, and be willing to take a charge whenever possible. On Offense they would go at Joel Embiid to get him in foul trouble, so that the 6ers coaching staff had no choice but to put in Boban Marjonovic. While Boban is over 7 feet tall like Embiid, he is very slow unlike Embiid. So as soon as Boban was in the game, the Nets would run a 5-out offense and pick and roll until D'Angelo R

Will Kyle Lowry be the reason Toronto loses Kawhi?

By now if you have not heard of the "playoff Kyle Lowry," then please allow me to educate you. Kyle Lowry is currently the starting Point Guard for the Toronto Raptors. Lowry has been in the league for 13 years now and has solidified himself as an all star level player, but only during the regular season. It seems like every time Lowry makes it to the playoffs, he forgets how to play basketball. Last night the Toronto Raptors went up against the Orlando Magic. At one point in the season the Raptors had the best record in the NBA and the Orlando Magic were out of the playoffs. Nevertheless, the Magic were able to put together enough wins to make the postseason at the 7th seed. The Raptors were seen by many as the clear favorite to win this series and rightfully so, due to their extreme length and lockdown defense ability. But after the horrific offensive performance by Kyle Lowry, who chipped in a whopping ZERO points, that may no longer be the case. Lowry scoring no points w

Manchester United vs. West Ham

The Red Devils came out on top on Sunday, 2-1 against West Ham Saturday. Paul Pogba netted a penalty after a foul on Juan Mata by Robert Snodgrass. Filipe Anderson snuck in a goal in the opening minutes of the second half after some poor defending from United. David de Gea showed his keeping skills by keeping out a headed attempt in the 78th minute which kept the game tied and allowed Pogba to score another penalty just 2 minutes later giving United the victory. Possession actually favored West Ham despite the loss with the Hammers controlling 58 percent possession. West Ham also had more passes and shots than United but somehow came up short. United now turn their attention to Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League quarterfinals. Starting XIs for both teams listed below. Goals and substitutes listed in parentheses. Manchester United: Goalkeeper: David de Gea Defenders: Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo (Andreas Pereira , 75'), Diogo Dalot Midfielders: Juan

Will NASCAR Return to Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville?

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Over the past several months, rumors have swirled around the racing world regarding one of America's most historic short tracks. NASCAR may have a future at the famed Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. NASCAR has not sanctioned a national series event at the short track since 2000, and in 2021 they could return. At 6 tenths of a mile in length, Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville is one of the oldest operating racetracks in America, as they broke ground on the venue in 1904. Famed events at the track include the NASCAR Cup Series from 1958-1984, as well as the Xfinity and Truck Series. Since NASCAR left the speedway, it has been home to a variety of local weekly short track racing divisions. The potential addition of Nashville to the 2021 NASCAR schedule follows years of fans yearning for more short track races. Short track racing in NASCAR is a grassroots throwback, as a majority of the professional racers started out on a short track somewhere racing on Saturday nights. However, t

Manchester United vs. Barcelona

The Red Devils fell on Wednesday 1-0 to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. A deflected cross for an own goal by Luke Shaw was the games lone goal in a fairly competitive match. While Barcelona had 67 percent possession, United never seemed like they were out of the game. United can still steal a spot from the Spanish side in about a weeks time when they play in the second leg of the quarterfinal. United look to a Premier League tie against West Ham and look to rebound off of an unfortunate loss to Wolves last time out in the League. Starting XIs for both teams listed below. Goals and substitutes listed in parentheses. Manchester United: Goalkeeper: David de Gea Defenders: Victor Lindelöf, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw (12', OG) Midfielders: Scott McTominay, Fred, Paul Pogba, Diogo Dalot (Jesse Lingard, 74'), Ashley Young Forwards: Marcus Rashford (Andreas Pereira, 85'), Romelu Lukaku (Anthony Martial, 68') Barcelona: Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre ter Stegan

MAgic Johnson Steps Down as president of Lakers

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Magic Johnson just stepped down s Lakers President of Basketball operations . this decision came in a public press conference yesterday brought about by Magic himself and was a shock to the entire NBA, Including the Lakers themselves. Nobody in the Lakers organization was aware that Magic was stepping down form his position. Now Lebron, not Jeene Buss, not even his wife knew that Magic was going to do this. This just further shows the dysfunction that is going on in the organization. Now new questions have raised in the saga that is the Lakers. Who is going to take over for Magic? what affect dose this have for the Lakers chances of  getting a top free agency? Will rob Palinka be the new owner? How will Jeene Buss respond to all this and what decision will she make. What is Luke Walton's Future since he was scheduled to be fired directly after the season by magic Johnson? All will gradually be answered  through the run of the playoffs and all we can do is sit back and wait.

Madness Follow Up

Well, its all over. The tables and chairs have been collected, the dance is over. This dance did not end with a slow song. The University of Virginia has made history in the tournament two years in a row, for two different reasons. You may remember last years tournament when the number one overall team, the University of Virginia, became the first team in tournament history to lose in the first round to a 16 seed. This year, Virginia entered the tournament with similar accolades and was once again the number one team in the land. This year, they flipped the switch and took it all the way playing the "cinderella" Texas Tech in the finals. Cinderella was by no means, easy. Texas Tech regained the lead with minutes left until a Kyle Guy clutch 3 point shot put the biggest game of the year in overtime. Virginia regained control of the game and became national champions for the first time. In what started off as the most predictable tournament in years, so predictable that someo

Boxing is Back!

Boxing is back in the limelight in the sports world and everyone should be exited about it. Boxing used to be on the same level of popularity as baseball , and football and was a sport where some of the most high profile spectacles took place. But its spotlight faded due to internal problems in the boxing world as well as an lack of big names taking real dominance offer their weight classes. And those who did take dominance did not grab the attention of the public due to lack of personality. But that is no more. Boxing has an abundant amount of stars. Terrance Crawford, Canelo Alverez, Triple G,  Anthony Joshua , Tyson Fury, and many more are all changing the image of boxing for the better and making the sport entertaining again. so if you left boxing or have never been exposed to it, this is the prime time to come in and discover the greatness and the excitement that has been infused into the boxing world again.

Cam Newton

It's no question that the Panthers simply haven't been the same since their 2015 season Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos. The same could be said about Cam Newtons performance who peaked during the 2015 season. The Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn joined the league as a phenom with athletic abilities beyond comprehension. In his first 5 seasons his lack of presence in the pocket was covered by his ability to make plays with his feet and athletic ability. In 2015 as if it were some miracle Cam Newton was hitting on all cylinders and clearly the best player in the league. But after the blow out loss in the Super Bowl and the panthers as well as Cam Newton. The Panthers have been disappointing since and so has Cam Newton and this year showed little sign of improvement. This offseason news of changes to Cam Newtons offseason plans have been announced, and its not more film or a different athletic trainer. Cam Newton has announced that he will be practicing celibacy and has u

Baseball and Talk Shows

We have often discussed the changes to the large sport media dynasty's such as ESPN, FOX and CBS. The changes all seem to be similar in nature, a shift towards a talk show that argues opinions versus the statement of facts. This new and growingly popular network phenomena has had its flaws. These talk shows have been pushing "hot takes"in which TV show hosts have to make these outrageous statements. These hot takes are found when discussing MVP's or just the general success of a team over an entire season. Usually after the first few games, talk shows and some journalists in general feel qualified to predict that teams outcome for the entire season. In football the generalist statements may be accurate, typically after 6 games one could make a prediction for the rest of the season. In the age of super teams, maybe after 6 games you could tell which NBA teams would run the table in that season. But not in baseball. After 6 games of baseball no one is truly qualifie

Are Sports Officials Criticized Too Much?

I have been umpiring baseball at a wide variety of levels for about 7 years and have officiated basketball up to the college club level for about 5 years. I also referee intramural sports like football and soccer in addition to the other two. There has been much criticism over sports officials and the quality of work they produce. So as an official myself I'd like to point my view out as to if sports officials are being criticized too much. Many coaches have been fined for bad mouthing officials and I don't think that should happen. Heck I've even been told as a broadcaster to not criticize the officials. I take after Jay Bilas to rips into college basketball referees night in and night out. Let's not forget that, at the upper level of sports, officiating sports is their full time job, and they get paid pretty well too. If you're going to officiate at a high level, you have to know what's coming. Now I can see it at the youth level crazy parents getting out of

Changing of the Guard in the NASCAR Cup Series

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Changing of the Guard in the NASCAR Cup Series Over the past few seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, several of the top drivers have retired from full-time racing. Names such as Gordon, Earnhardt Jr., and Stewart have all left a void in the sport encompassing driving talent as well as fandom. Many of these retired stars have been replaced by a fresh crop of new, young drivers. With the recent youth movement prevalent in stock car racing, what does the future hold?  Jeff Gordon Gives Way for Chase Elliott The first driver to kick off this recent trend of retiring stars was Jeff Gordon back in 2015. After 23 years of racing at the highest level, Gordon would hand over the famed 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to Chase Elliott. Chase is the son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, and came into the Cup Series as a fan favorite. Chase also came in as a champion from the Xfinity Series, so his family's winning tradition appeared to be continuing onward. After his rookie year i

Bryce Harper Update

Yes, its true. The last post I made about Bryce Harper was a very critical analysis of his overall production on the field and I was very critical of the Phillies for making this decision to sell tickets and bring in more television time. But as the dust settled after that deal, Mike Trout made a deal with the Angels that put Harper to shame, so now Harpers position in the league has been put into perspective by the true king of baseball this day in age. Lets talk about Harper's performance in Philly, the fans love him, at least they love him right now. Philadelphia is one of the very bi polar sports markets that can turn on you in an instant, I don't have to remind anyone that they threw snowballs at santa. But anyway, the city of brotherly love is loving Bryce Harper right now and as I stated before the Phillies were able to make this deal to sell tickets and increase a media presence and they have done so. Congratulations. But my main concern came from Harpers performance in

Final Four Set

In my last post I was very critical of how plain this march madness has been, but in its final moments and as the tournament approaches a close there is a chance for this thing to end in true final four fashion. The once sickening sweet 16 has emerged as a truly exciting final four layout. There is only one number one seed left, the other three left the building in the sweet 16, and that is the University of Virginia. This team is inspired by being the first team to lose to a 16 seed in the first round in the 2018 tournament. But many people are critical of the three loss one seed. It has been claimed that Virginia has had the easiest route to the final four, and that claim is about to come to a test as Virginia will be facing off against the most exciting team of the tournament, Auburn. Auburn is the football school 5 seed that has walked over college basketball program giants to be here now. They beat both UNC and Kentucky, with ease, on their way to the final four and Virginia is th

Stick To Baseball, They Say

With Bryce Harper and Mike Trout signing record setting contracts, there is now talk about baseball being the highest paid sport out there. Which is true, but only to a certain extent. Dual threat athlete Kyler Murray, who is the Oklahoma star quarterback and outfielder, has chosen football over baseball. Which now after these contracts, people are criticizing him for his decision. Before I begin my argument, let me first say that I am a baseball fan and love when people choose baseball over any sport. Okay so sure the money in these contacts are beyond attractive for anyone to want to pick up a baseball bat. But lets not forget that Harper and Trout are two of the best baseball players in the world. Lets also not forget that there are 4 steps before the Major Leagues you have to go through to get to the big show. You might start off in short season A ball then move to long season A, working your way up to double and triple A and if you're good enough make it to the league. Where

Is Ole the Man?

Ole Gunnar Solskaer was appointed full-time manager of Manchester United recently. This comes right after an impressive comeback victory in the Champions League against PSG. Solskaer only lost one game between his appointment in December and his hire and has effectively put United back in the race for top-4 and surprisingly the Champions League. But did this decision come too soon? Many United fans seem to think so saying that the club should've waited until the end of the season to make the hire as to not allow Ole or the team become distracted by the hype around it. I think I agree with this. Why change the circumstances of his role when the job he had done thus far has been exceptional save a couple matches? Maybe the board wanted to show their faith in Ole early and hopefully inspire more impressive wins from him. Regardless of if he should've been hired now or later or never, he has a massive task ahead of him to finish the season strong and potentially make some surprises

The Real Price Tag on MLB Extensions

This spring for Major League Baseball may go down as the spring with one of the biggest price tags in recent memory. Of course the spotlight came onto the big free agency signings, such as Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Patrick Corbin. The spotlight also came down on the big names who got traded, including franchise cornerstone Paul Goldschmidt, switching from one shade of red to another, and James Paxton, moving to New York to don pinstripes. While both of these are massive in their own ways, what might be even more massive is the price tag on some of these major MLB extensions. In the past week alone, MLB teams have guaranteed over $1 billion to 10 different players through contract extensions. We saw Mike Trout become the first $400 million free agent, and saw many crucial franchise pieces get paid to stay in town, including Jacob DeGrom, Nolan Arenado, Chris Sale, and Alex Bregman. From a fan perspective this seems great, their teams get to keep important players for longer and