Bryce Harper is off to one hell of a start. I’ve written about his April performances in the past, but this season has been special. Through 17 games, he is slashing an absurd .315/.487/.778. We all know that Bryce is one of the best talents in the game. What has stood out to me has been his discipline at the plate so far. Last year, he struck out 31 more times than he walked (99 SO to 68 BB). This year he has already taken 21 walks and only struck out 11 times. If he can keep up that pace we should expect some scary numbers from Harper, he has never walked more than he has struck out over a full season. Being on base more has allowed him to score 17 runs for his team. And don’t think that his new found discipline has slowed down his production numbers. He’s leading the league with 8 home runs and has driven in 17 already. He hit his 8th homer last night at Citi Field in jaw dropping fashion. He took Jacob deGrom 406 feet to right field while shattering his bat, displaying the raw strength his swing generates. Most players can barely get the ball out of the infield when they break their bat, Bryce goes deep. Harper’s bat disintegrated at the plate, leaving nothing but the handle in his hand, but the ball still got out of the park in a hurry. Harper joined a very short list of MLB sluggers to accomplish such a feat. Check out Harper’s and others in the video below. Bryce is locked in right now and the league better watch out. If Harper can keep this pace up, we’re in for a historic season. And it comes at the perfect time, he will hit the free agent market this winter and could become the highest paid player ever. I know it’s early, but I’m penciling Bryce in for MVP. You heard it here first.
Welcome back everybody. We’ve got a good one today. On April 13th, 1993, the world was introduced to Mobb Deep. The Queensbridge duo released their debut album Juvenile Hell. Havoc and Prodigy burst on to the scene in their late teens and never looked back. Both Havoc and Prodigy shared time behind the boards and with the mic and made one hell of a duo. Juvenile Hell was not a massive mainstream success, but the duo went on to make plenty of classic music. They’ve sold over 3 million records throughout their career. “Shook Ones (Part II) is arguably one of the best known rap songs of all times and defined a term that countless artists would use throughout history. The two kids from the projects were telling their story and became famous for their hardcore delivery and street driven lyrics. They most recently released an album in 2014. On a sadder note, Prodigy passed away last June. But their music will live on forever. So over the weekend, check out the latest update to our playlist. It will feature all of Juvenile Hell and some other classic Mobb Deep hits. Enjoy your weekend y’all, may it be filled with dope music. I’ll see you back here next week for more hip hop history lessons.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs continued last night and now every series has one game in the books. It was another exciting night with 5 great games. Tampa Bay looked strong in their opener against the Devils. Offense is this team’s bread and butter and it didn’t disappoint, putting up 5 goals and propelling them to a 5-2 win. Another good note for Tampa is that Steven Stamkos staked strong during 17 minutes of ice time after missing the last three games of the season. This offense is scary good and the Devils don’t really stand a chance here. The Bruins were also dominate in their opener against Toronto. Like I had predicted, Boston really imposed their size on the smaller Maple Leafs and were in control the whole night, winning the game 5-1. Toronto will need to go back to the drawing board if they want to have any success here, but I don’t think there is much they can do. The Bruins are just a better team, and might be more of a threat than a lot of us thought moving forward. Nashville got off to a slow start against Colorado but came alive with 2 goals in the second and 3 more in the third to roar past the Avalanche 5-2. Forsberg led the charge with two goals and Nashville’s defense clamped down in a fashion we have become accustom to. The Sharks stole game one from Anaheim in 3-0 fashion, scoring all 3 in the second period. The win flips home ice advantage and makes this series even more intriguing. Anaheim looked out of it last night, but definitely has the talent to bounce back. The game of the night was hands down in Washington. The Blue Jackets rallied late to force the game into overtime and scored 6 minutes in to pull the upset. Washington came out hot as Kuznetsov scored twice in the first but Columbus weathered the storm and chipped away until Seth Jones broke through to tie the game with 5 minutes left in the third. This is not good for Washington. Columbus now has home ice advantage and I can already smell the next Capitals choke job. They better wake up.
The road to the Stanley Cup continues tonight as the other three series play their game 2’s. The Flyers will look to bounce back after getting embarrassed two nights ago and the Jets and Golden Knights will look to build off of their game 1 wins. Don’t miss it.
The hype has been real so far around Shohei Ohtani. He has done nothing but dazzle us, both on the mound and at the plate. While many thought that the Angels might be forced to lock him into one role, they are faced with a new problem: getting him more at bats while keeping him ready for his turn in the rotation. Ohtani has told the media that, while he is being patient and listening to his club and manager, he would love to play more. And who could blame him? He has been tearing it up so far. In 7 games as the DH he is slashing a great .346/.414/.769 with 3 homers and 11 RBIs. He has handled all kinds of pitching and shown that his smooth lefty swing is legit. On the mound, he’s been equally impressive. In two starts, he’s struck out 18 while only allowing 6 baserunners across 13 innings, giving up only 3 earned runs. Ohtani’s pitching schedule isn’t likely to change. The Angels have adopted a 6 man rotation to allow him to pitch every seven days like he did in Japan. He wants more at bats. The Angels have been resting him on the days before and after his starts, but could they do more? They are wading in uncharted waters. How much rest does he need between starts to keep his arm fresh. If I was managing, I would try to get him in more games. He has been one of their most productive hitters. If he can handle it, I would play him everyday except the day before a start. Give him the one day to rest and get his mind right. He has already said that he gets his work in on the mound and at the plate everyday regardless, so why not try to maximize his efforts. It’s worth a shot, and if he can’t handle it then you can back down. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, Ohtani is for real and everyone around the league wants to see as much of him as possible, except his opponents. His next start is scheduled for Sunday against the Royals.
Yes, you read that right. Dez Bryant, the Cowboys’ franchise leader in receiving touchdowns, was released this afternoon and will become a free agent. This move comes as a bit of a shock, but also makes sense. Dez’s production has been down the last few years and he has struggled to mesh with Dak Prescott. His off the field personality cannot be overlooked as well. The Cowboys will save $8 million against the salary cap this year and will likely turn their focus to replacing the dynamic wideout either through free agency or the upcoming draft. Bryant, on the other hand, will not be a free agent for long. He is still one of the most explosive players in the league. He’s a massive guy who can go up and get it with the best of them, I’m sure he’ll find work. Both sides are taking a business approach to this decision, and it seems as if there aren’t any hard feelings. The Cowboys needed to move in a new direction and this will let Dez control his next move. As for the fans, Dez will be missed, and he will miss the fans. He recently tweeted, “Cowboy nation I need you to know this wasn’t my decision.. I will always love y’all… forever Dallas in my heart”. It will be interesting to see where Dez lands. He will be a difference maker wherever he goes and is sure to have an impact on the layout of the league favorites for next season.
