[SPORTS] BASEBALL IS BACK, HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED SO FAR

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Apr 1, 2019 | SPORTS

America’s pastime is back and the first series of the season are in the books. What exactly happened in the first four days of the new baseball season.

The baseball season actually started in Japan about a week ago when the Seattle Mariners took on the Oakland Athletics in a two game series. In what would be Ichiro Suzuki’s last games in the MLB, the Mariners swept the A’s across the pond 9-7 and 5-4.

Back here on Friday was when every team started to play ball. The biggest game of Opening Day was between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals. Both teams had their pest pitchers on the mound, Cy Young winner Jacob DeGrom for the Mets and Max Scherzer for the Nats, but the game was decided by only two runs as the Mets continued to be the best Opening Day team.

The only remaining undefeated team after this Opening Day weekend are the Philadelphia Phillies. With Bryce Harper now on the Phils’, they really are the team to beat out in the National League East. Harper wasn’t too hot at the plate in his first game as a Phillie, and the fans in Philadelphia let him hear it. He would smack two long homers after the boos on Friday in the games against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday and Sunday.

These were the bigger stories from Opening Day, but here are a couple quick storylines that deserve to be touched upon: The Red Sox signed Xander Bogaerts to a six-year extension worth $132 million. Giancarlo Stanton went on the 10-day injured list for the New York Yankees. Trea Turner and Christian Yelich both hit the first walk-off hits of the season on Sunday.

Did watch any of the baseball games this weekend? Who is going to win the World Series? Leave a comment below.

[SPORTS] PORZINGIS KNEE DEEP IN TROUBLE

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Apr 1, 2019 | SPORTS

Even when he’s out of New York, Kristaps Porzingis is still a topic of drama. Now the former New York Knick is in serious legal trouble.

Porzingis was accused of raping a 29-year-old woman in his apartment building hours after seriously hurting his knee last year.

The assault happened in February of 2018 and since then, the woman has been communicating with the Knicks and Porzingis’ legal representation. Supposedly, Prozingis offered the woman $68 thousand to never talk about the incident or bring it up with police. The woman wanted to “mediate in private” with the Knicks and Prozingis about said money, which she would have used to help pay for her brother’s college tuition.

According to the woman, her and Porzingis lived in the same apartment building and she wanted an autograph from him after the game in which he hurt his knee. The encounter was “extremely aggressive” according to the woman. With the $68 thousand payment, the woman stated that Porzingis was willing to co-sign a statement saying he would pay her. Porzingis and his attorney believe this is “a forgery.”

The New York Police Department has not said anything about investigating the situation, but federal law enforcement is looking into the issue on the behalf of Porzingis and his legal team. The NBA, Knicks, and the Dallas Mavericks, Porzingis’ current team, are aware of the situation.

What do you think is going on? Is Porzingis telling the truth? Leave a comment below.

[SPORTS] FEAR THE BROOKLYN NETS

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 25, 2019 | SPORTS

The Brooklyn Nets are currently the sixth best team in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. They are currently in playoff contention. This is a completely different storyline from what we, as NBA fans, are used to from this team in recent years.

Since the then blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics to get Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry buried the Nets in a grave they dug themselves, the team has been rebuilding ever since then. Now lead by the D’Angelo Russell, the team has a lot of young talent that, once experienced enough, can rival any team in the NBA.

Starting with Russell, he right now is making Magic Johnson eat his own words. An All-Star this season, Russell leads the team in points and assists per game. He is embracing the new lifestyle in Brooklyn and has turned his young career around since the Nick Young incident that was largely considered his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Young stars like Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris round out the Nets battalion. With more years under his belt, Allen can rival Joel Embiid as a top tier center in the league (he’s already blocked a lot of elite caliber players at the rim.) Dinwiddie got a contract extension, so you know the team believes in his ability to shoot and play. Harris beat out Steph Curry in the three-point contest this past All-Star Game. The Nets should be happy with wear they-re at and with free agency on the horizon, could make a splash with another high caliber player and make them New York’s team.

[SPORTS] GRONK RETIRES FROM NFL

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 25, 2019 | SPORTS

After putting another Super Bowl victory under his belt, Rob Gronkowski has officially retired from the NFL, but his agent now says there is still a possibility that he can change his mind and come back in the future.

Gronk posted on his Instagram that he was retiring from football after nine seasons in the NFL, all of them with the New England Patriots. The All-Pro tight end has won three Super Bowls and went to five total in his career, among other great attributes over the course of his career.

Speculation was swirling last offseason as too when, or if, Gronk would retire sooner rather than later. The tight end has been prone to many injuries since the 2012 season leading to him missing three to five game spans to entire large portions of seasons.

Gronk’s agent, again, did say that there is a possibility of him returning to the game. Other tight ends, like most recently Jason Witten, have retired only to rejoin the league after a season or two off.

For his health concerns alone, Gronk is making the right choice to leave the game behind him. He’s done more in his nine-year career than most players have done in that timespan, let alone their entire double-digit long careers. He’s one of the best tight ends in recent years, maybe even of all time. If he decides to come back, I would think it would be after at least a season like Witten. The longer he takes for his personal health the better, I think, he can perform when, and if, he comes back.

[SPORTS] CAN GIANTS WIN WITH THE TRADES, DEALS THEY MADE?

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 18, 2019 | SPORTS

With just about a week into the new NFL year and teams wheeling and dealing with free agents, the New York Giants are one team that stands out.

The Giants traded Olivier Vernon and Odell Beckham Jr. in two separate trades to the Cleveland Browns and did not resign Landon Collins. Collins signed a six-year deal with the Washington Redskins to be one of the top paid safeties in the league.

The Giants, in return for Vernon and Beckham Jr., were multiple draft picks from the Browns and safety Jabrill Peppers. They also signed former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate to a four-year deal along with other minor defensive signings.

The Giants are also sticking with veteran quarterback Eli manning, who won two Super Bowls for the team in his career. The 38-year-old has had a streak of down seasons while the Giants have missed the playoffs six times in the last seven years.

This is where the Giants are at. This is what they have done so far this offseason. On paper, this is terrible. Everything that this team has done so far is the opposite of what they’re envisioning will happen once the 2019-2020 season starts. Giving up your best players for few draft picks and a safety isn’t forward think for the Giants. Jabrill Peppers is a great player, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not at the same caliber as Odell. Letting Collins walk when he had the most tackles in the league since he was drafted for Peppers is a down grade; not a huge down grade but enough to see a difference on the field.

There is still the NFL Draft in the upcoming weeks. Could it change the direction the Giants are putting themselves in? Probably not. These young players will need to develop in this league and adjust to how the Giants organization treats and prepares them as players. If they also draft a quarterback, he’ll probably sit a majority of the season, if not all of it, and see how to not throw a football like Manning has ben for the last couple of seasons.

Where do you see the Giants going this season? Are they a force to be reckon with? Leave a comment below.