by Nick Brower | Mar 20, 2018 | SPORTS
Oklahoma superstar and possible Wooden Award winner Trae Young announced this morning that he is making himself eligible for this year’s NBA Draft. The 19 year-old is expected to be a lottery pick, early predictions have him going as early as 8th overall. He averaged an insane 27.4 points per game to along with 8.7 assists a night. His numbers and his range are unbelievable, but there is still a lot to improve. He’ll need to shoot the ball more efficiently in the NBA, especially as the level of defense increases. And while he has great handles, he also had streaks of terrible ball control. He is young and talented but needs development. The ceiling is very high here. I would love for the Knicks to take a run at Young. Bring in a new head coach, preferably Mark Jackson, and let him develop Young properly. Everyone and their mother compares Young to Steph Curry. Well who do you think turned that kid from Davidson into a two time MVP and champion? Mark Jackson. That pairing could finally bring some sunshine on Knickland and give Porzingis some much needed help. I’m so tired of the Knicks being trash.
by Nick Brower | Mar 20, 2018 | SPORTS
The Dodgers will have to start the regular season without their star third baseman Justin Turner. Turner is going to miss at least a few weeks with a “small, non-displaced fracture” in his left wrist. Turner was plunked in the first inning of yesterday’s game by Kendall Graveman of the Athletics and was immediately in pain. The right hander let one get away and the ball got on Turner quick. As he turned away the ball caught him on the wrist right below the forearm. The Dodgers have not announced any kind of timetable for his return yet, but with Opening Day only 10 days away, the team will have to find a third baseman. Dodger’s GM Farhan Zaidi said, “We do feel good about our internal options. There are guys who can move around.” Logan Forsthye is a good option to move over to third with Chase Utley ready to step in at second. This will definitely slow down the Dodgers out of the gate. Turner is a difference maker in this lineup. The passionate redhead hit .322 and smacked 21 home runs last season. This injury has the potential to ruin the Dodgers season if it is serious. They need this bat in the lineup and missing extended time would be a huge blow to the offense. Turner will also have to be careful coming back as wrists always seem to get re-injured. That left wrist is a vital part of his swing and he needs it to be healthy for him to be successful. He needs to take it slow, even if pressure starts to build after a bad start by the club. All the Dodgers and their fans can do now is hope for a speedy and complete recovery.
by Nick Brower | Mar 16, 2018 | SPORTS
The MLB reached out to the Yankees to let them know that Aaron Judge’s recent remarks about Manny Machado were out of bounds. Judge had told reporters that he had a casual conversation with the Orioles superstar and told him that, “he would look good in pinstripes.” The League considers these kind of conversations tampering and quickly corrected the young Judge. Yankees GM Brian Cashman also drove home the message but Judge said that it sank in quick. Judge told reporters today, “It was all new to me. Lesson learned.” Needless to say that Judge won’t be telling reporters who he’s keeping in touch with anymore. Machado would look pretty sweet in pinstripes though. And if people think the Yankee lineup is good now imagine adding another 30+ homers and a gold glover. Machado is set to be a free agent following this season and is sure to have plenty of big offers. I’m sure he’ll end up where he’ll be happy, this Yankee fan just hopes he finds happiness in the Bronx.
by Nick Brower | Mar 16, 2018 | SPORTS
Minor League Baseball has long been seen as a place for experiment for both players and baseball itself. This year, the MiLB has announced major pace of play rule changes in what seems to be a test-run for the Majors. Minor League games will now have mound visit limits similar to what has been adopted in the Majors but they are taking a few more big steps in the Minors. A pitch clock will be installed. Pitchers will have 15 seconds to start their motion between pitches when there is no one on base. This clock will lengthen to 20 seconds while any runners are on base. In addition to the pitch clock, extra innings will now always begin with a runner on second base. The runner will be the hitter directly above the lead-off man for that inning. So if the fourth player in the lineup is due to lead off, the player in the third spot will be the runner. Any substitutions will be treated like a pinch runner and the player will not be eligible to return to the game once he leaves. Baseball cited problems like the roster and bullpen chaos that is brought on by marathon games as well as the incentive to increase pace of play. I am skeptical right now about the extra innings rule. I think that it is too big of a step. Automatically putting a runner in scoring position is a massive change from the current situation and will impact the strategy of games immensely. The purist in me loves the 19 inning classics that end with some left fielder throwing his best fastball. But I am interested to watch this happen in the Minors and see what happens. I’m glad that baseball is using the Minors to test these ideas and if they prove to be successful without compromising the values of the game then I would be welcome to having them in the Majors. But I definitely need a solid trial period first. Let’s see where this goes.
by Nick Brower | Mar 16, 2018 | SPORTS
Floyd “Money” Mayweather told reporters today that he will begin working with Tyron Woodley to make a transition to MMA. Woodley is currently the UFC’s welterweight champion and has hinted at the idea in the past. Floyd, cocky as ever, told people not to doubt his ability to do it, “I can wrestle. My wrestling game is not that bad. On a scale from 1 to 10, it’s probably a 7. And I think we can take it up to a 9 if possible. Of course, my hand game, on a scale of 1 to 10, is 100. My kicking game, on a scale from 1 to 10, is probably a 4.” He even mentioned that he thinks he’ll only need six to eight months of training to prepare for a possible fight. No opponents have been discussed publicly yet. Really Floyd? You’re 41 and have enough money for generations of Mayweather’s to eat. When will it be enough for you? You are arguably one of the best boxers of all time at a perfect 50-0 (plus McGregor). Your paydays have been historically absurd and yet here you are trying something stupid for yet another check. If you really had respect for the sport of MMA and its fighters you wouldn’t try to pick it up in six months at the end of your fighting career. This is something that fighters dedicate their whole life to. Floyd has always been great at selling fights but this is taking it too far for me. Take your boatloads of money and your undefeated record and go home. Don’t try to be something you’re not just to stay relevant. I’m positive that a fight will happen at some point because business men like Mayweather never say anything publicly without calculating it. When that day does come it’s going to be a lot harder to dance around and play defense in the octagon, and I hope whoever you face kicks your ass and knocks you out cold.
