The Miami Heat tied their series with Philly up at one last night with a 113-103 win. Joel Embiid took to social media after the game to air out his frustrations. He posted the classic black screen with words on his Instagram story, “Fucking sick and tired of being babied.” Embiid is pissed that he has been held out of the first two games of the series due to an orbital bone fracture. He thinks he’s ready to play after being fitted for a mask. This is a funny turn of events from the man who has been preaching “trust the process” harder than the Philly execs. I don’t really blame him though. The 76ers have a legit shot at making the Finals this year. The East is real weak and if they got hot they can take any team. But they have no shot without Embiid, an last night proved that. Without Embiid, this is a very average team. But with him, they are a true contender. Yes, the future is bright in Philly and they should be cautious. But you can’t throw away a chance at a title run here over an injury that he can play through. You never know what next year will bring. I would expect to see Embiid in the next game and his presence will allow the Sixers to roll past Miami.
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.
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.
The Colin Kaepernick story refuses to go away. News broke today that the former NFL QB was offered a workout with the Seattle Seahawks, but that invite was rescinded after Kaepernick refused to commit to stopping his National Anthem protests. Kaepernick and the NFL are currently going head to head in a lawsuit in which Kaepernick is accusing the league and its owners of colluding to keep him unemployed. Kaepernick has not received a contract offer since he last played for the 49ers. This isn’t a coincidence. The owners did not take kindly to Kaepernick and his actions. Kaepernick is responsible for starting a chain reaction of players all over the league taking a knee during the National Anthem before games. This hit the owners where it hurts the most, in their pockets. Many fans became upset with the league and vowed to boycott teams with protesting players, or the league in general. The owners are trying to send a message to players all over that this will not be tolerated. Kaepernick isn’t going quietly though, and I don’t blame him. No one in their right mind can make the argument that Kaepernick is not one of the top 64 quarterbacks in the world. Is he a superstar? No. But he is definitely a better quarterback then a lot of backups on current rosters and even a handful of starters. He deserves a job and he is being blackballed by the owners because he refuses to play their game. It is flat out wrong. No employer, regardless of your job, has the right to force you to mimic their political views. Kaepernick’s protest had nothing to do with the league, it was centered around social injustices, mainly those committed against people of color. I hope Kaepernick continues his fight against the league. This latest incident was likely a chess move in the current collusion case. I believe it was an effort by the NFL to show that they were giving him a fair shake, and I believe they walked right into Kaep’s trap. This is only more proof that the owners are working against him to keep him, and his politics, out of the league. “Sure, you can come back, but only if you cut that kneeling nonsense out.” They are trying to stop these protests by cutting off the head of the movement. I firmly believe Colin Kaepernick will never play in the league again, but other players cannot let his sacrifice be in vein. The protests should continue, and the league should be made to suffer for trying to silence them.
