by Nick Brower | Mar 30, 2018 | SPORTS
Baltimore is making it a habit to win their season openers in dramatic fashion. Yesterday’s game against the Twins went 11 innings before Adam Jones sent the crowd home with a walk-off home run against the new Twin Fernando Rodney. If this seems familiar, its because it is. Mark Trumbo hit a walk-off home run in last year’s opener against the Blue Jays, and Matt Weiters was the hero of 2016’s opener with a walk-off single against Minnesota. The Orioles have become the first team to win three consecutive season openers via the walk-off in MLB history, according to Elias. While it doesn’t say much about the team (Baltimore lost the Wild Card game in 2016 and didn’t make the playoffs last year) it is an incredible stat. It amazes me that after 140+ years of professional baseball we still see things that have never happened before. That’s just one of many reasons to love baseball and I guarantee that this won’t be the only time history is made this season. But don’t worry, I’ll be right here to tell you when it happens.
by Nick Brower | Mar 30, 2018 | SPORTS
The Yankees season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start yesterday. The team cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays thanks to dominate pitching and 11 hits from the much-hyped lineup. Giancarlo Stanton looks more than comfortable in the DH spot with the Yanks. He smacked a monster 2-run home run to right field in his first at bat. The last Yankee to hit a home run in his debut? None other than Aaron Judge. Stanton wasn’t done though. He would add an RBI single and another home run in the ninth. Giancarlo joined rare air and became the first Yankee to hit two homers in his debut since Roger Maris. It seems fitting as Stanton and Judge are already expected to put up numbers comparable to the historic combo of Maris and Mantle. Brett Gardner added a home run and Judge, Sanchez, and Walker all had doubles. The pitching staff was equally as impressive. Severino turned in a great 5 and 2/3s, giving up only one hit and striking out 7. Chad Green and Chapman struck out two and three respectfully in their turns as well. The only blip on the radar was one mistake pitch from Betances that ended up in the seats off the bat of Kevin Pillar. Overall, the Yanks looked great. Yeah it is only one game but it does show the formula will work. The Yankees just have to score enough runs to turn the game over to the bullpen with a lead and they have more than enough fire power to do that. This is the type of lineup that can survive a couple of guys having bad stretches. Didi went 0-3 right in the heart of the order and they still put up 6 runs. If the starters can keep a respectable ERA, the Yankees will be in great shape all year long. They’ll be back at tonight in Toronto. First pitch is at 7:07 PM.
by Nick Brower | Mar 29, 2018 | SPORTS
March Madness is always filled with great storylines. Smaller schools upsetting power programs. A young kid playing out of his mind and making a name for himself. This year, family will be the best story. As we get set for the Final Four games on Saturday, news broke that brought a big smile to my face. Kansas’ star center Udoka Azubuike will be reunited with his mother for the first time since he moved to America for basketball in the ninth grade. Azubuike, originally from Nigeria, told reporters “I’m pretty excited. It’s going to be an emotional moment for me.” I can’t imagine putting an ocean between my mother and I. Florence Azubuike had her travel visa approved and will be in San Antonio when Kansas tips off against Villanova. This will be the first time she’ll see her son play basketball, as he played soccer in his native Nigeria. Silvio De Sousa and Svi Mykhailiuk will also have their parents traveling in from overseas (Africa and Ukraine respectfully) to watch them compete in the Final Four. No matter who wins the games, family will always win and this is great to hear.
by Nick Brower | Mar 29, 2018 | SPORTS
You really thought I was only going to give you team predictions for this upcoming MLB season? You must be out of your mind. Here’s some of my picks for the best offensive and pitching performances this year.
Batting Titles
NL- Joey Votto (Reds)
AL- Jose Altuve (Astros)
RBI Leader
NL- Nolan Arenado (Rockies)
AL- Aaron Judge (Yankees)
Home Run Leader
NL- Anthony Rizzo (Cubs)
AL- Giancarlo Stanton (Yankees)
MVP
NL- Nolan Arenado (Rockies)
AL- Aaron Judge (Yankees)
ERA Leader
NL- Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
AL- Corey Kluber (Indians)
Strikeouts Leader (Starter/Reliever)
NL- Max Scherzer (Nationals), Kenley Janson (Dodgers)
AL- Chris Sale (Red Sox), Chad Green (Yankees)
Cy Young
NL-Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
AL- Chris Sale (Red Sox)
Rookie Of The Year
NL- Ronald Acuna (Braves)
AL- Shohei Ohtani (Angels)
by Nick Brower | Mar 29, 2018 | SPORTS
Opening Day always brings excitement to the baseball world. For one day, every team is dead even in the standings. Now of course, that won’t last for long. So why not give some predictions on how these standings will shake out. I’ll break it down by division.
AL East: Big free agent signings in the offseason really made this division a two-horse race. The historic rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees will be in full swing this season as those two teams will be battling for the division once again. Both offenses will be spectacular this year. The Yankees have the bats to have a historic power season while the Sox have a deep lineup of professional hitters that are sure to produce. I think it will come down to who’s pitching holds up over a full 162. I have to give the edge here to the Yankees with one of the best bullpens in the league and a serviceable starting rotation. The Yankees will win the AL East, but it will be a close race.
AL Central: The Indians seem to be the clear favorite here as they kept the majority of their roster in tact from last year’s division title. The Tigers, Royals, and White Sox are all a few pieces away from truly competing. Don’t sleep on the Twins though. They had an amazing turn around season last year and look poised to build on it. The continued growth of speedster Byron Buxton will be key to their success. But in the end, I don’t think Minnesota has enough firepower to outrun the Indians. Cleveland will win their 10th AL Central title this year.
AL West: The defending champs are far and away the best team in this division. If they stay healthy, the Astros should run away with this division. The Angels will be fun to watch this year with Trout and Ohtani, but the roster is pretty weak after those two. The Rangers could compete but will probably need some trade deadline upgrades if they want to make a run at Houston. Houston was great last year, and with a full year of Verlander and the addition of Gerrit Cole, their in position to be even better. Expect them to clinch early.
NL EAST: This division is once again the Nationals’ to lose. The Mets have a decent roster but their season will hinge, once again, on the health of that starting rotation. The Marlins and Braves are destined for seasons at the bottom as they are in different phases of a rebuild. Watch out for the Phillies. I love the Arrieta signing here to bolster a young, talented team. They will be competitive this year and have a very bright future. But for now, the Nationals are still the team to beat.
NL Central: This division has always been tightly contested and I expect nothing less this year. The Cubs are definitely the front runners out of the gate but the Cards and the Brewers are not far back. It will be interesting to see if the Brewers can duplicate the unexpected success of last season. The Cardinals have a good roster right now, but I expect them to make a move around the deadline to really put pressure on Chicago. But will it be enough? I don’t think so. This Cubs lineup is too loaded with young talent that only seems to be getting better.
NL West: The NL West is one of the more intriguing divisions this season. Will the Giants shift to an older roster pay off? Will the Dodgers be able to duplicate last year’s success? And will the Diamondbacks be able to replace the power they got from JD Martinez? Yes to all of them. I love the moves that the Giants made and if they can keep all those old bodies healthy they will be playing meaningful games in September. The Dodgers have all the pieces in place to be dominant again. The D-backs did well to fill the Martinez gap. Souza Jr. will bring back some of that power and Jarrod Dyson will prove to be a great fourth outfielder with great speed and defense. The West will be close and I think the Giants will surprise some people and beat out the Dodgers for the title.
Wild Cards: First off, the addition of the second Wild Card a few years ago is one of the best changes the game has made in awhile. It adds so much excitement to the last few weeks of the season culminating with two insane win or go home games. This year will be no different. I believe the Red Sox will host the Twins in the AL and the Dodgers will host the Cardinals in the NL. All four teams will come real close to winning their divisions, but will have to settle for a high stakes play-in game.
World Series: When it is all said and done I believe we will be watching the Astros and the Cubs battle it out in October. We will see a matchup of the last two Champs and it will be one for the ages. A lot can change between now and October, but on day one this is my pick. And I’ve got the Astros coming out on top to repeat as World Series Champions.
by Nick Brower | Mar 29, 2018 | SPORTS
Spring officially started back on March 20th but for baseball fans like myself all over, today marks the true start of spring. Baseball is finally back in season with a full slate of games on the schedule today. Not even the rainy weather here in New Jersey could keep me down. There’s just something magical about the start of a new season. The bunting is out, the grass is greener than ever and stadiums around the country are packed. Every team starts off in the same place and they all have the same hopes. Everyone is in the race at this point and fans everywhere have something new to root for. I’ve been waiting for this day since the Astros won game 7 of the World Series back in November. I am a diehard Yankee fan and will never be shy about my biases but there are plenty of other storylines to look forward to as well. There are a lot of teams primed to have great seasons. New players are looking to make a name for themselves and older veterans are looking to prove they can still produce. No matter who you root for, no matter your team’s outlook, Opening Day feels like a holiday. So wherever you are on this Thursday afternoon, find a screen, turn on some baseball and celebrate with me. The long winter is finally over, and baseball is back.
