Category: MLB

MLB’s Newest 2020 Season Idea and Predictions

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

To avoid having to refund ticket holders, Major League Baseball (“MLB”) is taking ideas out of left field (literally) to try and salvage their season. This time MLB is considering a three-division, 10-team plan in which teams play only within their division. Each division would be realigned based on geography. This plan has been looked upon more favorably by the players as the season would be played at each teams’ ballpark and would severely reduce travel. The season would start in late June and would include at least 100 regular season games with an expanded postseason. The plan is far from bulletproof but fans can at least dream for the time being. With that being said, here are my predictions if the MLB used this format for the 2020 regular season.

East:

The East Division includes the New York Yankees and Mets, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins. The Yankees are the clear favorite to win this division and this time off as allowed them to get healthy. However, how well would the Yankees do without the home crowd behind them? The Rays won 96 games last year and we all know they don’t need fans in attendance to win games. The Marlins, Orioles and Blue Jays might lose 200 games combined, and the Red Sox and Pirates won’t be much better.  The Mets love to disappoint their fans year in and year out but could fare well with added games against the Orioles , Blue Jays and Pirates. The Phillies and Nationals will compete with the Rays to upstage the Yankees. All 3 teams have the necessary arms to do so. It’ll be interesting to see how MLB structures the playoff field as this division features 4 quality ball clubs who all have their eyes on a world series.

1.Yankees
2.Rays
3.Nationals
4.Phillies
5.Mets
6.Red Sox
7.Blue Jays
8.Pirates
9Marlins
10.Orioles

Central:

The Central Division includes the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers. This has to be the deepest division of the 3 as 4 teams made the 2019 postseason and the Indians won 93 games. The Cubs and Reds also have high expectations coming in to the season. The Braves, Cardinals and Twins are the favorites to win the division with the Royals and Tigers likely to bring up the rear. However, after that it is truly a coin flip.

1.Braves
2.Twins
3.Cardinals
4.Indians
5.Cubs
6.White Sox
7.Reds
8.Brewers
9Royals
10.Tigers

West:

The West Division features the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners. The matchup between the Dodgers and Astros should provide fireworks all regular season and Mike Trout vs. Clayton Kershaw will also be memorable. While the Rangers aren’t expected to do much, they did have a surprisingly good record last season through 90 games, and the shortened season could benefit them immensely. Don’t expect much from the Giants and Mariners, but don’t overlook the Padres.  The A’s will once again be contenders as well but will have a tough time taking down a Dodgers team that got even better this offseason.

1.Dodgers
2.Astros
3.Athletics
4.Diamondbacks
5.Padres
6.Angels
7.Rangers
8.Rockies
9Mariners
10.Giants

The Effects of the 2020 MLB Draft

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

Last week, Major League Baseball (“MLB”) and the MLB Players Association (“MLBPA”) reached an agreement on the framework of a delayed and shortened 2020 amateur draft according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. The draft would be pushed back to July, the number of rounds would be drastically reduced to around 5-10, and bonuses would be severely restricted. Meanwhile, the NCAA will permit Division I, Division II, and Division III spring-sport athletes who had their seasons shortened by the Coronavirus pandemic to have an additional year of eligibility. So what does this mean for the future of amateur baseball, and are there any real winners from the aforementioned announcements?

First, the MLB First Year Player Draft has been 40 rounds since 2012. Assuming the 2020 draft is 10 rounds, 900 draft hopefuls will not hear their name called and will have mainly two options: sign as a free agent or go (for some, return) to college.

While the shortening of the 2020 MLB draft is unfortunate news for high school seniors who were hoping to forego collegiate baseball in order to cash in with a major league club, the real losers of this deal are the many college seniors who will most likely not be drafted within these 10 rounds. Now while these seniors are eligible to either sign with a professional club or go back to school there are cons to both. If they choose to sign the professional contract it will be for a lot less money than what has typically been given. Teams will be limited to spending no more than $20,000 to sign any undrafted player. According to Baseball America, of the 960 players who signed professional contracts last year, 680 signed for more than $20,000. This provision severely restricts the bargaining power an undrafted free agent has.

Now say the college senior decides to go back to school. While he may get another shot to prove himself and climb up draft boards, he does it while tacking on another year to his age. On average, college seniors are 22 years old. In 2021, these seniors will be 23 years old. While the 1 year age difference isn’t drastic, scouts and executives could use the player’s age as a bargaining tool during bonus negotiations after the player is drafted. Further, teams may opt to draft players from the high school or junior college ranks given that these players would be on average 3-4 years younger than the 2021 college seniors.  Unfortunately, a shortened 2020 MLB draft is negatively affecting this year’s college seniors.

Since the vast majority of 2020 seniors will head back to their respective schools for the 2021 season, there will be an overflow of talent at top Division 1, Division 2 and Division III schools. The beneficiary of this overflow of talent will be Junior College (“JUCO”) teams across the country. While JUCO is a route that is often looked upon with scorn by the average parent, it is a fantastic option for an incoming college freshman who realistically won’t touch the field at a top Division 1 or Division 2 school. Instead of sitting on the pine for a year at a 4-year school, an incoming freshman could go to JUCO and play 30 games in the fall, get in the weight room to get stronger, and then play a 50-60 game schedule in the spring. Not to mention if a player has a fantastic season they could enter the MLB draft after one year, whereas they would have to wait 3 years at a 4-year school. While the JUCO ranks already boast hundreds of elite-level prospects, next year there could be “must-watch” baseball at the local community college. If you are a baseball fan looking for something to do next spring, go check out your local junior college where the field could potentially be flooded by MLB level talent.

Major League Baseball has been hoping for an opportunity to decrease the size and amount of players in the minor leagues. The uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 has given them a chance to act on their wish. The NCAA did the right thing by granting spring athletes another year of eligibility. Next year’s college baseball season will be especially intriguing with an influx of talent that will be caused by a shortened 2020 MLB draft. The 2021 “Road to Omaha” will be fun to watch.

This is a Disaster

by Jacksonrboland, posted in MLB, Sports Talk

This has to be some kind of cruel joke. Not even two weeks ago, we got the news Luis Severino would be out for the year after undergoing Tommy John, and now this. Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in his ribs and there’s no telling how long he’ll be out. The Yankees say they’ll rest him for two weeks, and surgery isn’t off the table. Dude, just do the surgery now, we know how this stuff ends.

Three months ago, we as Yankee fans could all but guarantee a World Series after signing Gerrit Cole, but now it’s looking like the Yanks will be lucky just to have nine guys playing. First, James Paxton gets back surgery, then the Severino news, Giancarlo Stanton’s calf strain and now this. The Yankees dealt with not a lot of pitching depth last year and still managed to win 100+, but with Aaron Judge out it’s different. He’s the heart and soul of this Yankees team and if he can’t come back from this, it could be a long 2020.

I hope this two week rest is all he needs to heal, but after it took MORE THAN TEN tests to find the stress fracture, I’m expecting some sort of season ending surgery here. I just don’t know why the baseball gods have it out for the Yankees, man. The Astros cheated their way to a World Series, and their lineup is just fine! Yes, I’m still mad about it and no, I won’t get over it.

I’m convinced Stanton and Judge are just too jacked to play baseball. They need to start sneaking in some cheeseburgers or something to get a little more fat on them, and get well soon, Aaron…..please?

Expanding the Game: Part One

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

On Monday night, SP Gerrit Cole made his highly anticipated Yankees debut at George M. Steinbrenner Field in front of a sold-out crowd along with thousands more watching from home. Who am I kidding? Its Major League Baseball (“MLB”). Naturally, the game was not televised, and one had to scavenge the internet to find highlights from Cole’s first start other than a side view of one of his two strikeouts. Yankees Twitter, a collection of media voices and bloggers that you do not want to upset, was up in arms. How could there not be some sort of way to watch one of the biggest free agent signings in recent memory debut for arguably the most famous sports franchise in the world? If you are the MLB, it’s a question that must be answered.

A week ago, my good friend Ethan Myers proposed this question to me: “You get named commissioner of MLB. You have 3 years to maximize growth. How do you do it?” In an era in which current commissioner Rob Manfred seems to be doing everything possible to ruin the beautiful game of baseball, it was a rather intriguing inquiry. From a business standpoint, how do you in fact grow a multi-billion-dollar entity?

This is the first of a 3-part series in which Mr. Myers and I will try to take on the task of expanding the game of baseball.  From the complaints of an overly long season to the objections to the length of the games, there are numerous items that must be addressed to ensure MLB’s success and future growth. With a growing number of parents concerned about the safety of their children playing football, MLB has a golden opportunity to attract thousands of new fans. It all starts with MLB’s presence on social media.

While I won’t go into too much detail in this article, MLB has a marketing problem that was highly evident in their ability to televise Gerrit Cole’s Yankee debut. Last summer, the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) highly marketed Zion Williamson’s Summer League debut with the New Orleans Pelicans. Williamson had yet to play a single minute of professional basketball, yet the way the NBA promoted him it appeared as if Jesus Christ himself was going to come down from the heavens and throw down a windmill slam. Gerrit Cole had just finished 2nd in Cy Young voting, put together a tremendous postseason in which he was practically unhittable, and was then rewarded with a $324 million contract from the New York Yankees, the most valuable team in professional baseball. Cole is as accomplished a pitcher there is in the league and generated a large amount of buzz in the offseason. Yet, one could not even find highlights from his two innings of work. MLB has to have hundreds of cameras out there capturing his every move. Every pitch, every strikeout, heck every step he takes as to be captured and uploaded onto social media. Yankees fans are captivated by his every move and for good reason as the man has as an electric of an arm as anyone in the game. Without even throwing a pitch, Mr. Cole is already New York royalty and is beloved by fans.

You want to grow the game? Start by showing kids on Twitter how baseball treats its stars. Illustrate how baseball players are beloved by their team’s fans and you may just catch the heart of young little leaguers who dream of making it to the pros. Furthermore, showcase the talent level that is found at the big-league level. Gerrit Cole averages a 96.5 MPH fastball and also possesses one of the nastiest sliders in baseball. Market those pitches. Make the videos accessible via Twitter and highlight the difference in pitches by signifying the high level of velocity or the exemplary spin rate. While the duration of the game may make it “boring,” there are still flashes of brilliance that must be emphasized to the novel baseball fan for the game to see consistent growth.

As a devoted Yankees fan, I was highly disappointed that Gerrit Cole’s first Yankees start was not broadcasted. However, it brought to light an important issue that MLB must address as its lack of marketability is concerning.

Shut Down Everyone

by Jacksonrboland, posted in MLB

When the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole in December, it was basically a foregone conclusion the Yankees would represent the American League in the World Series. Now, Yankee fans are holding their breaths once again. Luis Severino needs TOMMY JOHN SURGERY. This is not the news I needed to hear to start my week.

It’s understood we won’t see Severino pitch in pinstripes this year, but at least there’s a bright side. The Yankees won 103 games last year without Severino, and were able to add the best pitcher in baseball in Cole. It’s still an awesome team with a revamped pitching staff, talented young arms and fantastic bullpen. Still, this news sucks.

Add in the fact we probably won’t see Paxton pitch for another 3 or 4 months, and I’m having flashbacks to last year when no one could stay healthy. He’s supposed to start throwing next week and I’m crossing all the fingers I have to make sure that goes well. They’ll also get German back in the summer, so the reinforcements will be there. But, a healthy Severino would have really put this team over the top.

I still see the Yankees as the favorites in the American League, but Sevy going down makes me want to cry. The Yankees need to do all they can to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Shut down all the starters for the rest of spring, let the bat boys play, I don’t care. The Yankees need to protect their players at all costs.

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick!

by andrewcline33, posted in MLB

Theodore Roosevelt once said the iconic phrase: “Speak softly and carry a big stick”. While this phrase was talking about foreign policy, it may just be the perfect motto for the Houston Astros moving forward. In what has been one of the darkest and most ruthless off-seasons baseball has ever seen, the Houston Astros come limping into Spring Training, and they have not even played a single game yet. Their cuts and bruises do not come from hit by pitches or slides into second base, but rather verbal and electronic attacks from opposing players, media, and fans. Rightfully so, as we found out this offseason that this team, which had been the victors of over 300 games in the past 3 seasons, had been using an in game sign stealing operation to gain an unfair advantage on their competition. In dictionary terms…they cheated.

When the news broke in November, the baseball world went into a fury. When the commissioner released his report detailing the punishments, that fury really started to heat up, and hit what probably was the boiling point when Jim Crane gave his contradictory press conference last Thursday. This situation is a fiery mess and unfortunately for everyone, the Astros have just poured gasoline on the fire the entire time. From the Altuve and Bregman’s scripted Fan Fest answers to AJ Hinch beating around the bush and trying to explain his, now discredited, leadership techniques instead of just answering the questions to Carlos Correa calling out Cody Bellinger. The team has handled this situation poorly. With Spring Training here and Baseball games to begin starting soon, the Astros have missed their window to speak.

The time to speak and say sorry was back in November when the news broke. The time to speak and say sorry was in December when the investigation was happening. The time to speak and say sorry was in January when the report came out, or fan fest, or before Spring Training. The last chance to speak was this past Thursday. The team spoke and said sorry, but it was too late. So now they must speak softly, which basically means they can’t speak. Nothing they can say will make the situation any better. They can only make it worse. Everywhere they will go this year they are public enemy number one. No one will care what they say, yet everyone will be dying to hear what they say. Attempts for empathy are pointless and a waste of time. Along with attempts of empathy, expectations of the Astros apologizing from fans and opposing players are just as pointless. If you are a fan and waiting for an apology, it ain’t happening. And while they must speak softly they will be asked more questions now than ever before. Not only will they have the pressure of performing on the field in 2020, but they will also have to answer questions about the last 3 years and what was going on inside the clubhouse. The firing squad waits for the Astros outside the clubhouse every day ready to grill the team for what they did. If there is a team who is capable of speaking softly and being able to overcome the noise, it is this team. That will discourage many fans of other teams, but the truth of the matter is the Astros are a really good team. With a rotation that still has the reigning AL Cy Young winner, a veteran Zack Grienke, a healthy Lance McCullers Jr., and a lineup that returns 5 All Stars, 2 Rookie of the Years, 2 MVP finalists and a MVP, this team has what it takes to win it all. They will just need to be able to carry the big stick.

Carrying a big stick means to be strong and produce if you say you are going to do something. In the case of the Astros, they will need to do that this year more than ever. The reason is because this season is a lose-lose situation for the team. On one hand if the team goes out and wins 85 games and misses the playoffs, the fans will say that the only reason they won is because they cheated. On the other hand if they go out and win 100 plus games and cruise into October as the American League West champions for a fourth straight season, the people will say that it was stupid to cheat since you didn’t have to because your team was good enough to win already. There is no winning in this situation. However, the backlash and hate will be much more severe if they do not produce. They have to go out and show the world that they are an elite team. They have to do that for their team legacy and their individual legacies. With players like Altuve, who is on a hall of fame pace, he will have to show that he is a good hitter and can produce without the aid of a trash can. Alex Bregman, who has stepped into a spotlight role since 2017 and has branded himself as one of the faces of the game and a perennial MVP candidate, has to have another MVP caliber season to show he is for real. Even players like Yordan Alvarez will have to perform at an elite level or else the questions of whether cheating took place last season will only intensify and increase. The list goes on and on. The first 2 months of this season are crucial for the Astros to get off to a good start, because come the dog days of August, when they are bound to hit a rough patch, the Astros fans hope they have enough of a cushion in the standings to last until they start producing again. While this scandal will not go away for a long time, it sure can help their cases if they can swing the big stick to another AL west title and another lengthy October run.

Speak softly and carry a big stick! This will serve the Astros well as they tread the murky waters of the 2020 season. If you ask the author what he thinks about this team and the situation. He believes they have dug themselves a hole that cannot be climbed out of this season, but they have the talent and the manager to navigate this season. This is still a very good team, one that can still win the World Series. They have an uphill battle ahead of them, but if they stay the course by speaking softly and swinging a big stick, they could end up raising a certain piece of metal known as the Commissioner’s trophy.

Jim Crane: Even Billionaires can Lack Utter Competence

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

“Our opinion is this didn’t impact the game.” – Astros owner Jim Crane.

Please try telling that to the 3 teams the Astros beat that year in the playoffs: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers. Lest we forget, in game 1 of the 2017 ALDS at Minute Maid Park the Astros lit up Red Sox starter Chris Sale who finished 2nd in AL Cy Young voting that year. In game 2, also at Minute Maid, they smacked around Drew Pomeranz who was 17-6 with a 3.32 ERA that season. While they won game 3 in Fenway to sweep the series, the Astros offense seemed much more out of a sync and was actually held in check by Sale who was on 3 days rest. But no. The Astros cheating scandal did not impact the game at all.

Everyone knows what happened in the ALCS the next week when the Yankees took the cheating Astros to 7 games. In that series, the Astros didn’t win a game at Yankee Stadium. In fact, in the 3 games in the Bronx the Astros only managed to score 5 runs, whereas in the other 4 games at home they plated 15. But once again, there was no impact on the game. Just take a look at these splits. Absolutely laughable. The Astros organization is a joke and they continue to show their cowardice with each press conference.

Dear BBWAA: Do your Job!

by andrewcline33, posted in MLB

Dear BBWAA,

I would first like to congratulate you on another wonderful year of Hall of Fame voting. This year’s class is another deserving collection of individuals. Both Larry Walker and Derek Jeter were terrific players who played the game at the highest level and with the highest level of sportsmanship. They are prime examples of what it means to be a hall of famers. I know the process can be time consuming and I think the countless amounts of research paid off, as you selected the right people who deserve to be in this class. So for that I congratulate you. To be a member of the BBWAA is a great honor, but to be a hall of fame voter is an even higher honor. And while many of you are doing the right thing by voting for those who are truly deserving, there are some who are omitting certain individuals for various reasons.

In the case of Derek Jeter, you have an individual who was an iconic figure in the game of baseball due to the magnitude of his situation. He was playing shortstop for the New York Yankees during a period in which the Yankees were at the forefront of sports. He was the leader of the pack and was following suit of other Yankees who had been headliners during pivotal Yankee dynasties (Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Jackson, etc.). Jeter was a durable force for the Yankees and had accumulated a number of awards and statistical achievements. He was the 1996 Rookie of the year, a 14 time all star, 5 time gold glove winner, 5 time silver slugger, 5 time World Series champion and he was the MVP of the 2000 World Series. He was also a member of the 3,000 hit club. The numbers and awards are there and that is why he is a hall of famer, but that is not the issue at hand.

In the 84 year history of the Baseball Hall of Fame, there has been one person to be elected to the hall unanimously. That person is not Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Joe Morgan, Nolan Ryan, Ernie Banks, Honus Wagner, Tom Seaver, Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, Or any of the handful of guys you might expect to be unanimous. Instead the only unanimous member of the Hall of Fame is Mariano Rivera and he was elected in last year. And while I agree that Mariano is deserving to be unanimous, so does Derek Jeter and the fact that 1 of you did not vote for him is terrible.

I know that you have the right to your opinion and you have your reasons and methodology for voting, but in what delusional world is Derek Jeter not a unanimous hall of famer. If you did not vote for him because of the old “well Babe Ruth wasn’t unanimous” argument, then you are outdated. That argument went out the door when Rivera was elected unanimously last year. If you voted by the strategic voting method of supporting other guys because you knew Jeter was going to get in, then you miscalculated the number of hall of famers on the ballot. In recent years the ballot has been flooded with guys who have legit resumes to be in Cooperstown, so not voting on slam dunk guys to help the other guys stay afloat was seen as ok. But this year was not great since Jeter was only compelling first year and other than Larry Walker, your next best candidates were all worthy but come with baggage. If you did not vote for him for any other reason, the public would like to know. We just want to hear your reasoning and logic.

Derek Jeter is in the hall of fame and that was never an issue. It just disturbs many that one of the 327 members of your organization, the BBWAA, did not vote for one of, perhaps the most iconic baseball figure of the last 30 years. And while Mariano is great, I can say that kids growing up were not practicing sawing off Minnesota Twins hitters with a 1-2 cutter in their back yards. Those kids were rolling to the right and making jump throws across the infield like Jeter was. They were not asking for 42 in little league, and if they were it was because of a much more inspiring pioneer in Baseball history. They were running to their coach and asking to wear number 2 and play shortstop. That is the impact he had.

Voting for the Hall of Fame is hard, and I respect many of you for doing it. But if you are going to continue, you need to vote for those who deserve and truly should be in the hall. Take bias out, and pick the guys who should be in. Derek Jeter is a hall of famer, and had a perfect career. He was robbed by 0.3 percent of a perfect ending. I truly hope you do not screw up like this again.

Sincerely,

A Baseball Fan

(PARODY) If You Care About Integrity in Sports, Boycott the 2020 MLB Season

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

After reading Ethan Myer’s absolutely insane article prompting fans to boycott Monday’s College Football National Championship, I have decided to write a satirical piece of my own. However, this time I will be urging fans to boycott the 2020 MLB season. Please remember this is mainly a satirical article and in no way should this be taken seriously. The sport of baseball is one of the most beautiful blends of pure athletic skill and strategy. While there are some teams who like to cheat more than others *cough *cough (the Astros and Red Sox), there are still a vast majority of organizations around the league who operate within the rules of the game. Here are 5 items that must be addressed before I will tune into another MLB game again.

  1. A.J. Hinch, Jeff Luhnow, and Alex Cora should be banned from MLB and subject to 10-20 years in the federal penitentiary.

On Monday, MLB announced that both Hinch and Luhnow would be suspended for one year due to their active involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal. Alex Cora is still awaiting his punishment. Meanwhile, all three have been fired from their respective positions.

In my opinion, if you told any person in professional baseball they could cheat profusely to win a coveted World Series title and only be suspended one season, 95% of them would do it in a heartbeat. Heck, I think if you offered the scenario to the team’s janitor they would offer up their own trash cans for the cause. Getting to the summit of MLB by winning a World Series is a grueling task and any and all shortcuts are probably discussed at length before the season. Thus, if MLB really wants to set an example they will ban Hinch, Luhnow and Cora from the game and send them to the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas where they ought never to be heard from again. Pete Rose received a lifetime ban for betting on games which is nothing compared to the unethical actions taken by the three degenerates mentioned above. Rob Manfred, you finally have the chance to make a lasting impact that 100% of true baseball fans will agree upon.*Houston Astros fans are not true baseball fans and therefore, were not included in this tally.

2. 2020 Houston Astros are forced to play every game on the road and each player is subject to use their non-dominant hand in competition.

In all honesty, I stole this from Twitter yet I still believe this is a great idea. In a press conference Monday, Astros owner Jim Crane repeatedly told reporters he had absolutely no idea what was going on in the Astros dugout in 2017. While I respect Crane for immediately firing Hinch and Luhnow upon completion of MLB’s investigation, I find it hard to believe that he hadn’t a clue of what was truly happening behind the scenes. Thus, his ballclub should be punished. Minute Maid Park should be ceased from opening its doors in 2020 and the organization should be barred from selling any merchandise. This punishment should be financially crippling to the Astros. In addition, there are still many players from that 2017 team on the current roster. Thus, any member of the 2017 team that is currently on the Astros must use their non-dominant hand throughout the season. Right-handed hitters such as Alex Bregman and Build-A-Bear Workshop Jose Altuve must bat left-handed. If you thought Verlander was terrible during the playoffs, imagine him now as a southpaw. I suspect the Astros go around 10-152, with 10 wins over the Texas Rangers.

3. MLB revokes the 2017 World Series Title from the Houston Astros.

Now we get to the part which Yankee fans shall relish. Since it is proven that the Astros are lying, disgraceful cheaters, their 2017 WS title should be revoked. Now should the Dodgers just be handed the World Series since they lost to the Astros that year? Since Clayton Kershaw has been deemed the worst playoff pitcher in recent memory, I believe it is only fair that the New York Yankees, the runner-ups in the ALCS to the Astros, get the chance to face the Dodgers for a chance at the title. Thus, the 2017 Yankees and 2017 Dodgers will regroup and play a best of 7 series in the Dominican Republic beginning on February 14. Both Joe Girardi and Didi Gregorious will be summoned from their posts in Philadelphia to take part in the series. Likewise, C.C. Sabathia will come out of retirement to start game 3 which will be turned into a slow-pitch softball game to give the big man a chance.

4. MLB revokes the 2018 World Series Title from the Boston Red Sox.

Since we know Alex Cora was heavily involved in the 2017 Astros scandal, we can only assume he brought his sign-stealing ways to Boston. I highly doubt it was a coincidence the Red Sox won the World Series in his first year at the helm. Thus, it is only reasonable that the Red Sox be stripped of their 2018 World Series title. This time, however, the Dodgers should be crowned champions of baseball.

5. Houston Astros organization is subject to pay off any and all minor league pitchers whose careers they ruined through their deliberate stealing of other teams signs.

Throughout all this corruption, there had to have been several pitchers whose careers were ruined by the Astros’ cheating ways. MLB should do an active investigation into the monetary damage that was caused by the sign-stealing and force the Astros organization to pay any and all pitchers who were victims of such heinous crimes.

If you care about integrity in sports, boycott the 2020 MLB season until the aforementioned items are addressed.

Video by Jomboy Media

The Wednesday Morning News Dump

by noblequy, posted in MLB, NCAA Football, NFL, Sports Talk

Wow. Only two weeks into the new decade and the last weekend alone had huge breaking news in the sports world. This will be a succinct rehash of the many storylines that came out in the last week; more details to follow in their own articles.

Monday, January 7, 2020: Jerry Jones Hires Mike McCarthy to be new Dallas Cowboys Head Coach

After an interview that included a sleep over at the Cowboys practice facility with owner Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy was announced to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. This comes out a week after the Cowboys announced they would not be renewing Jason Garrett’s contract, and supposed head coaching candidates such as Marvin Lewis, Urban Meyer, and Lincoln Riley. The McCarthy hire has been viewed mostly with mixed to ambivalent feelings by most of the media and Cowboys fan, though most people do view this as an upgrade over Garrett. It appears that McCarthy will be able to hire his own staff and will retain Kellon Moore at Offensive Coordinator. The Cowboys organization and the fans hope that McCarthy will be the final piece to bring the Cowboys back to playoff success.

Saturday, January 11: Tennessee Titans Crush #1 Seed Baltimore Ravens

The Titans rolled into Baltimore and to everyone’s astonishment, absolutely destroyed the #1 seed Ravens that came in as heavy favorites to make it to the Super Bowl. On the legs of Derrick Henry, the stout Titan defense, and 88 passing yards from Ryan Tannehill, the Titans stymied and frustrated the NFL MVP candidate, Lamar Jackson, and ran rough shod all over the Ravens. The Titans have now knocked off the #1 and the #3 seed in the AFC and are headed from wild card to the AFC Championship.

Sunday, January 12: Epic Meltdown & Epic Comeback: Patrick Mahomes vs. Houston Texans

We witnessed what a fully functional Chiefs offense can do and how bad Bill O’Brien is really at coaching. Also, all the metrics that attempt to disprove the existence of momentum in sports, apparently didn’t take into account people like Patrick The GOAT Mahomes, and how a single explosive kick off return could set off a Chiefs offense that would put up 41 unanswered points, quickly erasing a 24-0 lead the Texans had, to cruise to a 51-31 to make a consecutive return to the AFC Championship to face the red-hot Tennessee Titans.

Sunday, January 12: Coach Jimmy Johnson is announced to join the NFL Hall of Fame on live TV

During the halftime show of the Sunday night NFL playoff, Jimmy Johnson- 2 time Super Bowl winning coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s-, in front of his colleagues and a national televised audience, was announced into the Pro Football Hall of Fame much to his shock and surprise. The emotion was quite visible as Coach Johnson struggled to stifle the tears of joy and speak as he was being congratulated by his colleagues and TV studio members. Troy Aikman, the Dallas Cowboy’s quarterback during Johnson’s tenure, watched on his monitor from his commentator’s booth and was clearly emotional as well as he saw his former coach join the hall of all-time greats, that includes himself as well. It is important to note that it is upmost tragedy and injustice that Johnson was admitted into the prestigious NFL HoF before getting into the Cowboys’ own Ring of Honor, and it is safe to say that all this deserved praise for Coach Jimmy Johnson has once again brought to light the enormity of Jerry Jones’ personal ego which drove Coach Johnson away in the first place. Only time will tell if Jones and the Cowboys organization will give Coach Jimmy Johnson the recognition he is due, which has already been acknowledged by the league.

Monday, January 13: Houston: Bad News- Texans Meltdown, Worse News- MLB suspends Astros Manager & GM, Worsest news- Astros owner fires GM & Manager

The last couple days have been reallyyyy rough on Houston sports fans. First the Texans blown lead against the Chiefs on Sunday and now the release of the MLB’s findings from their investigation of the Houston Astros and their now-confirmed cheating in their World Series winning team in the 2017 season. The penalty passed down from the MLB was a $5 million fine, the loss of 1st & 2nd round pick for the 2020 and 2021 and the suspension of manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow from all MLB activities for one year. Astros owner, Jim Crane, followed up immediately with a press conference where he fired both Hinch and Luhnow on live TV. While the MLB and the Astros organization are all in a very serious and somber mood, most of baseball is outraged by what is viewed as a slap on the wrist. Other baseball owners believe that the cost of draft prospects, the suspension of a GM and a manager, and $5 million (pocket change for baseball owners) would be worth it to hold onto a World Series title.

Monday, January 13: LSU Completes the Undefeated Season of Destiny- One of the Greatest to Ever do it

LSU left no doubt as they wrapped up the 2019-20 college football season and defeated the reigning national champions, the Clemson Tigers, 42-25 in the New Orleans Super Dome. In a stadium that seemed to be filled 75% LSU fans, LSU won their first national championship since 2007, the 3rd in the last 20 years. Initially Brent Venables, the Clemson defensive coordinator, stymied the prolific LSU offense and forced 3 punts on LSU’s first 3 possessions. However, Coach Orgeron and his staff did what few have been able to do before: out-coach Dabo Swinney. After trailing for most of the 1st half, LSU made the necessary adjustments and were able to better protect Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, allowing him the time to find his receivers downfield for gigantic chunk plays and take the lead going into halftime. The 2nd half, LSU’s offense continued to fire on all cylinder as the LSU defense tightened down and handed Trevor Lawrence his first loss in his collegiate career. LSU became the first school in NCAA history to defeat 7 Top 10 opponent, with 4 Top 4 opponents, to finish, not only as National Champions, but also potentially as one of the greatest college football teams to ever play.

Tuesday, January 14: Boston Red Sox Fire Manager Alex Cora

On Tuesday evening, the Boston Red Sox ballclub has decided to “mutually agreed to part ways” with Alex Cora in an official statement, effectively firing him, one day after serious cheating implications came to light from his days as a bench coach with the 2017 Houston Astros, and potentially with his own ballclub in the 2018 year when the Red Sox won their own World Series title. Alex Cora was mentioned explicitly in the official MLB investigation report that cited him as one of the primary ring leaders in their sign stealing cheating scheme. Time will tell what kind of punishment the Red Sox organization may have to face, depending on what the MLB investigation report reveals.