by Nick Brower | Feb 27, 2018 | SPORTS
We’ve now gotten our first looks at Japanese player Shoei Ohtani. The two-way star got his first start on the mound Saturday and was in the lineup as the DH on Monday. His start was less than impressive but showed signs of light. He was scheduled for two innings but only made it through one and third after his pitch count started to climb. His fastball hit 97 mph and his breaking stuff looked absolutely nasty at times. The Brewer’s Keon Broxton took Ohtani deep with a bomb over the left field fence off a fastball that caught too much of the plate. Ohtani gave up two hits, two walks and struck out two. We shouldn’t read too much into this start because we all know that pitchers use spring training to get their stuff right and this definitely wasn’t Ohtani at his best, but he showed glimpses of great stuff. Look for him to continue working on his control as spring continues. In contrast, Ohtani’s bat didn’t seem to have any rust on it. He showed a sweet left handed swing and great plate discipline, going 1-1 with an RBI single and two walks in three plate appearances. Ohtani said post game that he was focused on seeing a lot of pitches to figure out the differences in strike zones between Japan and the US. He also said that his bat is normally ahead of his pitching this time of year and is looking forward to his next start, which will most likely be Friday. The Angels expect Shoei to make more of an impact from the mound this season but he showed on Monday that he will be a difference maker at the plate as well. One thing is for sure, he will continue to be one of the most intriguing stories of this season as he looks to become the first true two way contributor since Babe Ruth.
by Nick Brower | Feb 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Lonzo Ball will return to the Lakers’ lineup tonight against Dallas. Ball has missed the team’s last 15 games after spraining his knee. The team announced that he will be playing tonight on a minutes limit and will sit out tomorrow’s game against Sacramento. Lonzo comes back to a totally different Lakers team after the trade with Cleveland and now will share minutes at point guard with Isiah Thomas. It will be interesting to see how Coach Luke Walton balances time between the two guards and if he will play them together. The two play a very different style of point guard and I think they could work well together as Lonzo is definitely a pass-first player that could help Thomas get some more looks. Both of them like to have the ball in their hands more often than not and that might cause some problems at first but if they can find a balance they could prove to be a potent one-two punch.
by Nick Brower | Feb 23, 2018 | SPORTS
As Spring Training starts all over Florida and Arizona, teams will wear the hat of the baseball team from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in a sign of solidarity. The Parkland, Florida school was devastated by a mass shooting earlier this month in which 17 people were killed and 15 more were left injured. Half of the league calls Florida home for the spring and everyone was on board for this show of respect. The shooting hit even closer to home for Cubs All Star Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo is from Parkland, Florida and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas. He spoke with the media before the Cubs game this afternoon and said, “It’s unfortunate that the city is getting so much recognition for this reason, but I think it’s amazing that you know you see the golfers yesterday with all the ribbons and you see everyone honoring what’s going on right now and these kids [and] the whole city is rallying around a lot to see the changes. It’s nice to see.” I for one am glad that baseball is back occupying headlines and giving us something happy to think about while a lot of people continue to focus on what and what not to do about a clear issue we have in this country with gun violence.
by Nick Brower | Feb 23, 2018 | SPORTS
The Wizards spoiled the home debut of the Cavs’ new players last night, beating them 110-103. This win makes them 8-2 since John Wall went down with an injury. The team has been moving the ball very well and the offense has been playing with great flow. No one is saying that the team is better off without the former All-Star, but Wall will need to adjust him game big time when he comes back. Wall loves to dominate the ball, but the team has been playing much better offense with more ball movement. As for the Cavs, this seemed to be a productive loss. All the new pieces are beginning to come together and the team looked good, the Wizards were just better. Lebron was also encouraged by the performance. ”I think we played well tonight, even though we lost,I hate losing, obviously, but I think the way we played, the way we shared the ball. Defensively, we were flying around as well and those guys, they just played better than us tonight. I like the start, I like the direction we’re headed.’’ said Lebron postgame. We were shown glimpses of different lineup combinations from Ty Lue and I’m sure we will see more as he tries to figure it out. The lineup featuring Lebron and the four newcomers showed promise. It gives the team a great balance of defensive strength and offensive firepower. With this win the Wizards move a half game behind Cleveland for the third seed in the East. While Lebron has never put much emphasis on seeding, I’m sure he doesn’t want to slip much further back in hopes for some playoff series at home. So they better find their stride soon and start playing championship caliber ball.
by Nick Brower | Feb 23, 2018 | SPORTS
News broke this afternoon that the Los Angeles Rams agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire cornerback Marcus Peters. The deal cannot be made official until March 14th per league rules, but the Chiefs are expected to receive draft picks in return for the Pro Bowler. While the Rams offense took great strides and absolutely blew up in the first year under Sean McVay, the defense was troublesome at times. Peters will go a long way to helping this secondary, especially with the cornerback depth being a huge question mark going into 2018. Peters has 19 interceptions in his first three seasons in the league and has become a bonafide playmaker on the backend. As a big Rams fan myself, I’m pumped up to have both Peters’ playmaking ability and his attitude coming to LA.
by Nick Brower | Feb 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Documents obtained by Yahoo! gave the public their first glance into an FBI investigation into possible corruption in college basketball. These documents centered around former NBA agent Andy Miller and his agency ASM Sports. It is reported that the FBI has information, including paperwork, detailing cash payments, and travel and entertainment expenses that were covered for recruits and then college athletes. More than 20 Division I programs are cited in the investigation including household names such as Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State. At least 25 players are named in the reported documents including current players Miles Bridges of MSU, Duke’s Wendell Carter and Collin Sexton from Alabama. Also cited are two lottery picks from last year’s NBA draft, Dennis Smith Jr. and Markelle Fultz. NCAA president Mark Emmert said, ”These allegations, if true, point to systematic failures that must be fixed and fixed now if we want college sports in America,” in a statement this morning.
I don’t think anyone thought that the NCAA was completely pure. If you thought this wasn’t happening anywhere in the country, you’re just naive. The startling part of this report is the scope of the corruption. The documents released implement some of the most successful programs of recent history. And this is just one part of the FBI investigation. There is more to come and most likely more bad news. The fallout will be interesting to see. With Louisville having just lost their 2013 National Championship in the wake of their own recruitment scandal, we could see more titles taken away. The teams mentioned in the report have been Final Four regulars and if it comes out that they competed with players who should have been ineligible, those wins could be vacated. It is also interesting to see what happens with players currently playing. Miles Bridges was a preseason favorite for the Wooden award and now his season could be done. This will definitely be a story to watch as it continues to unfold.
