On Deck Circle 8/1/17: MLB Trade Deadline

By Pat Luhta, @PLuhta


MLB's trade deadline has come and gone, with some big pieces moving to title contenders along with some smaller moves made that could turn out to be just as important to teams.

The big news of the day centered around 2 starting pitchers, with the Yankees acquiring Sonny Gray from the A's and the Dodgers going down to the wire to land Yu Darvish from the Rangers at the last minute. The Yankees were linked to Gray for a few weeks and after the A's tried playing the field a bit, the two teams were able to reach an agreement. Oakland got a boat load in return, both Jorge Mateo and Dustin Fowler are top prospects that will bolster the A's farm system and the Yankees not only get Sonny Gray but didn't have to give up Clint Frazier or Gleyber Torres in the deal.

So this deal works out great for both teams, the Yankees are entrenched in a 3 way division race right now and did not give up either of their top 2 prospects while the A's get quality prospects as they look to reload their farm system during this rebuilding period. The Yankees, now with Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia (who they got from the Twins earlier) gives them enough pitching to make a run for the World Series this season.



When the clock struck 4pm, no deal for Yu Darvish was announced and many assumed that the Rangers got cold feet and did not trade him. Shortly after, the news broke that Darvish did in fact get traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 3 minor league prospects.

This is similar to the Yankees/Gray deal but even better really, the Dodgers kept their top 3 prospects and only traded 1 (Willie Calhoun) that ranked in their top 10. Alex Verdugo, Walker Buehler and Yadier Alvarez were not in the deal, the Dodgers kept their word that they would not trade them and still found a deal that got this trade complete. The Rangers wanted Verdugo in this deal, but Darvish's no-trade clause and dwindling starting pitching market hindered them greatly in finding a deal similar to what the A's received for Gray. Their hands were tied and it was either trade him to the Dodgers or don't trade him at all, they held out as long as they could but took the Dodgers' best offer as the trade deadline struck. MLB's best team, with a 74-31 record just added Yu Darvish to go along with Clayton Kershaw (once healthy) and Alex Wood, it's clear what the goal is for Los Angeles this season.

And watch out for the Kansas City Royals now, this team has been on a roll as of late and patched up some problem areas before the trading deadline. Their main acquisition was OF Melky Cabrera, who can provide some pop in the lineup and will be an upgrade in the field. A week ago, they also bolstered their pitching staff in a multi-player trade with the San Diego Padres, receiving starter Trevor Cahill and relief pitchers Ryan Buchter and Brandon Mauer. The deals haven't been a big splash but they are adding the necessary bits and pieces for a playoff run, they currently are the 2nd wildcard team with Tampa Bay close behind and they also trail the Indians for the AL Central lead by just 2 games.

Other trades that don't have that "sizzle" but could be a huge benefit to teams down the stretch include the Houston Astros acquiring Francisco Liriano. Liriano will be used out of the bullpen but could also make some spot starts as well which may be needed. The Astros starting pitching is starting to unravel a bit, Lance McCullers has been getting knocked around and is now headed to the DL and Dallas Kuechel was roughed up in his first start back from his DL stint. So Liriano could be in play here big time for the Astros as someone who helps keep the ship afloat while the pitching works itself out.

The Cubs got a little better as well, adding C Alex Avila and reliever Justin Wilson from the Tigers. The Tigers did not find a suitor for Justin Verlander as his contract and no-trade clause were deal breakers, but they did clean house a little bit by trading J,D. Martinez, Alex Avila(who is the son of Tigers' GM Al Avila, so yes he traded his own son) and Justin Wilson.

Jonathon Lucroy was on the move again at the trade deadline as he is headed to Colorado. Last season, he was initially traded to the Cleveland Indians but after not receiving a guarantee that he would be their catcher, he used his no-trade clause to block the deal. He was then later dealt to the Texas Rangers and now that the Rangers aren't contenders, he was once again traded to a contender.

Another under the radar deal would be the Boston Red Sox added Addison Reed. The Red Sox already have Craig Kimbrel as their closer so adding Reed to be the setup man puts them in a real good position come playoff time, when pitching really takes center stage.

So there's the run down on some of the bigger trades that have happened over the past couple days. A lot of contending teams bolstered their roster in order to make a run for the playoffs and at the World Series. There's still a waiver trade deadline coming up where some pieces will be moved, but this deadline is where teams really position themselves for October. If you are a fan of any of the teams mentioned above as getting better, then you should feel real good about how the trade deadline deals went and should be excited for how the remainder of the season should go.

This Week In The Show 8.25.16

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

Well, this season has escalated rather quickly.  After a few weeks to digest all that has happened in baseball for the last month, it’s finally time for another This Week in The Show.  A lot has happened since we last had one of these, but now with the season coming down to the final stretch it’s time to highlight the biggest stories in Major League Baseball.  We have a lot to dive into so let’s skip the formalities and dive right into this.

Fallen Angels- Going into the 2016 MLB Season, the Angels were looked at as a potential Wild Card team.  Led by quite possibly the best player in the game in Mike Trout and a young talented pitching staff, the Angels seemed poised to make a run for the playoffs.  But injuries soon started to pile up, especially in their starting rotation losing their ace Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney.  In August the bottom has seemed to fall out on the Angels starting the month 7-15 including an 11 game losing streak.  You got to start thinking that the Angels will probably look in the offseason to replace Manager Mike Scoscia if they continue to struggle down the stretch.

My Thoughts- I’ve seen this coming for a while for the Angels and it’s time to face the facts…it’s time to rebuild the franchise.  I would start by moving Mike Trout for a king’s ransom.  It would replenish an extremely thin farm system and start the rebuilding process.  I would also think that Mike Scoscia is entering his final days as Angels Manager.  Since their 2002 World Series run, Scoscia really hasn’t done anything special as manager.

The Yankees Youth Movement- After dominating the trade deadline and completely rebuilding the franchise, the Yankees took the next big step in their rebuilding process.  On August 13, the Yankees called up outfielders Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin, who proceeded to hit back-to-back HRs in their first at-bats.  The Yankees also have finally seemingly give the spot behind the plate to long time top prospect Gary Sanchez who is answering the call hitting .382 with 8 HRs in the month August so far.  Whether fans want to believe this or not, but with Clint Frazier on the way soon, this looks to be only the beginning of the next Yankee Dynasty.

My Thoughts- Gary Sanchez was brought up slowly and it seems their patience might pay off.  Sanchez is a potential 25 HR/90 RBI threat one day with a great arm behind home.  Austin should be a solid OF for the future, but the emergence of Aaron Judge is no surprise.  If you recall Aaron Judge was my AL ROY dark horse selection and already is proving why I prized him so much.  Once Frazier comes up and backs up the hype, the Yankees got an amazing core going forward.

Canadian Takeover- After starting off the year slow, the Toronto Blue Jays have started to heat up in the 2nd Half of the year, going 12-9 in the month of August.  This is coming without star slugger Jose Bautista.  The Blue Jays have been led by Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion for the most part this season, but Troy Tulowitzki is finally starting to swing the bat like he’s supposed to and has offset the loss of Bautista.  What’s more surprising is the great starting pitching they’ve gotten this year, especially with Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ leading the way.  The Blue Jays it seemed all season were underachieving and now they’re finally playing to their potential and aren’t at full strength still.  With a month and a half to go, the Blue Jays are getting hot at the right time.

My Thoughts- The Blue Jays were my preseason pick to win the AL East and it never made sense why they weren’t in control of the division early on.  Their offense is their strong suit and it carried them especially in the 2nd Half.  I think their rotation really hasn’t even reached its potential yet, especially with the inconsistency of Marcus Stroman.  If one more starter can get hot with Happ and Sanchez, the Blue Jays might not only win the division, but could be a very tough out in the playoffs.

Dry Spell in Phoenix- After their big moves in the offseason, the Diamondbacks looked to be everyone’s pick to win the NL West, but instead the Diamondbacks look to be the biggest flop in recent memory.  The acquisition of Shelby Miller and Zack Greinke signaled the start of a new dynamic duo of starters to go with a lineup led by Paul Goldschmidt.  Instead Zack Greinke has been anything but his 2015 form and Shelby Miller has pitched so terribly, he was sent down to the minors.  On top of that, a report by ESPN’s Keith Law explained how messed up the Diamondbacks Front Office is during what he called, “The Timeline of Error”.  In it he explains that Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart has no knowledge of the rules when it comes to making moves.  On top of that he explains how little they understand how the draft works.  And we haven’t even mentioned trading 2015 #1 Overall draft pick SS Dansby Swanson and Diamondbacks 2014 1st Round pick SP Touki Touissant for a simple salary dump.  When you read what Keith Law writes, it’s alarming.

My thoughts- Whether Dave Stewart or Tony La Russa is at fault here, the moves they’ve made over the past few years are inexcusable.  It definitely shows total incompetence by the Front Office and I’d argue they took incompetence to the next level.  When your GM makes a trade that would’ve violated rules and it takes the OPPOSING GM to tell your GM the rules…he must be fired.  I can run the Diamondbacks better than Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart and that says a lot.

Here Come The Champs- It seemed like a month ago, the Kansas City Royals were dead and buried and weren’t going to be able to defend their crown and might actually be virtually out of contention by September, but the Royals got back to the basics.  They’ve played smart and efficient baseball and have racked up a 16-6 record through the month of August.  Their offense is finally getting back some of the players they’ve lost to injuries earlier this year and the Royals starting staff has gotten a major boost from lefty Danny Duffy who has been red hot over the past few months and has an 11-1 record with a 2.66 ERA and might garner Cy Young contention if he continues this.

My Thoughts- The Royals seemed to underperform all year on both sides, now with a starter to anchor the rotation in Duffy and players like Kendrys Morales who have played better as of recently.  They were efficient and clutch when it came to scoring runs last year and with their bullpen still looking good, nobody should be sleeping on them.  They could make a run at the Wild Card and while a long shot, could make a run at the division, with 6 games against the Indians in the last week, including the last 3 games of the year, which will be played in Kansas City.


Thank You A-Rod- On August 12, one of the most talented, yet polarizing players in the history of Baseball took what looked to be his final bow in Alex Rodriguez.  A-Rod had been having the worst season of his career and was a shell of what he once was.  But what has happened since August 12 is the speculation of if Alex Rodriguez is really retired.  Rumors have said Miami was among a few of the teams that might want to bring in Rodriguez for a potential pennant run.  But it seems for now those rumors have gone away, but nobody seems sure if A-Rod is done for good.  I find it completely interesting myself that people are so intrigued about a player who is a shell of his former self and whether he’s really retired or not.

My Thoughts- Bottom line… A-Rod is done.  He would look like Baseball’s Brett Favre if he plays anywhere else at this point.  Rodriguez is 41 years old and had hit only 9 HRs and was hitting .200.  Who would want that on their team, plus the fact he’s a highly controversial character for the locker room.  It seemed after the game A-Rod was at peace with his decision and I expect that his playing days are done.


I Don’t Believe What I Just Saw- I have to throw this in there because of how improbable this victory was.  The Cleveland Indians down 1-0 going into the bottom of the ninth against the Toronto Blue Jays faced their dominant closer Roberto Osuna.  Up stepped Jose Ramirez who proceeded to get a hanging off-speed pitch and get a hold of it and the ball just barely cleared the wall to tie the ballgame.  The next batter was rookie CF Tyler Naquin.  Naquin would proceed to hit another fly ball that RF Michael Saunders missed leaping at the wall and the ball hit the wall and rolled to center field.  Naquin would fly around the bases and after Melvin Upton Jr. slipped grabbing the ball, Naquin would proceed to be the first Indian in 100 years to hit a Walk-Off Inside the Park Home Run.  While that was rare, it was more rare that it was back to back HRs, capped off by the Inside the Park Home Run.

My Thoughts- THIS IS WHY BASEBALL IS THE BEST SPORT.  YOU CAN’T SCRIPT THIS, I REST MY CASE!



The playoff picture is finally starting to take shape and teams are bracing for the final month of the season.  As we’ve seen so far this year that anything can happen in a split second.  We’ve seen sudden retirements, amazing comebacks and historic feats already this year.  Once again Baseball continues to show why it’s the best sport of them all.  You cannot predict what you’ll see next and trust me, I think this season has one more shocker left in store for us yet.

This Week In The Show 7.18.16: MLB Trade Deadline Preview

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy


With the Mid-Summer Classic now past us, the Baseball season now heads into the 2nd Half with quite a few races up for grabs with teams looking to improve.  Teams will be looking to upgrade their teams for the final months of the season by the end of the month at the Trading Deadline.  Fans have been used to in the past having an idea of which teams would be, “buyers” or “sellers” but in an era of having 2 Wild Card teams teams normally don’t have any idea of what their plans are until the last moment.  Unlike previous years though, there seems to be a good number of teams that seem to have their plans made for the deadline and are going through with putting those plans into motion.  With that said this is going to be my MLB Trade Deadline Preview, I’ll be doing a separate Indians deadline preview early next week.

But first let’s quickly mark off one pitcher now off the market

Boston Red Sox acquire SP Drew Pomeranz from San Diego Padres in exchange for SP Anderson Espinoza

Analysis- I LOVE this trade for San Diego.  Boston seems to once again betting on a pitcher finally, “figuring it out” and willing to trade a prized prospect.  They traded Yoenis Cespedes in 2014 offseason for Rick Porcello and that hasn’t worked out the way they hoped.  Pomeranz is in the midst of a breakout season, but remember he was pitching in Petco Park, a very pitcher friendly ballpark.  He now goes to Fenway Park where the ball can fly out of the park.  Pomeranz still struggles with giving up fly balls and playing in Boston might hurt everything he’s been working on in San Diego.  San Diego gets the 18 year old fireballer Anderson Espinoza, one of Boston’s top prospects and Baseball America’s #15 Prospect in Baseball.  While Espinoza is having an average season Low-A Greenville, he’s young and has a ton of potential.  I don’t get why Boston didn’t just make a package with Espinoza for a more proven pitcher like Braves SP Teheran.  I’d give Boston a B- grade and San Diego an A for the deal.


Anyways let’s get into the Trade Deadline Preview.

Buyers

Houston Astros- I wanted to lead with the Indians here but at the last minute after they announced the signing of Cuban sensation 3B Yulieski Gurriel as this puts the Astros are my most intriguing buyer.  The Astros are finally playing the way they should’ve been all year and are poised to make a lot of noise in the 2nd Half.  Gurriel is a Major League ready talent that will be up in the Majors in probably a few weeks.  What makes them interesting is SS prospect Alex Bregman has been tearing up the Minors and is ready to debut at any time now.  Bregman has been rumored that he would move to 3B with Correa at SS.  But the catch is Gurriel is primarily a 3B, now while the Astros have said they won’t move Bregman I’m not buying that one bit.  If an ace pitcher becomes available, why shouldn’t they add a real ace since defending Cy Young winner Dallas Kuechel has struggled all season.  While the Astros have other prospects worth dealing, Bregman can land them their ace, you know…Chris Sale would fit in perfectly in Houston.

Cleveland Indians- The Indians stand in first place in the AL Central and quite a few national writers are starting to prep for a Fall Classic in Cleveland.  The Indians offense has come alive and shown consistency through the first half.  We all know the Indians strength in their Starting Rotation, but it seems the Indians have a major problem in the bullpen.  Cody Allen seems to be okay as the team’s closer, but the Indians need a lefty arm in there that can work in the 8th to setup for Allen.  It seems the Indians are really scouring all options for the bullpen and at least monitoring the hitters on the market to maybe find another bat to put them over the top.

Miami Marlins- Don Mattingly has done an outstanding job in his first year really putting together a very formidable team in the AL East that has them right with the defending NL Champion New York Mets fighting for 2nd behind the Nationals.  They added All-Star RP Fernando Rodney to their bullpen to create a great back end of the bullpen of Rodney and fellow All-Star RP AJ Ramos.  While the Marlins offense and bullpen are pretty much set for a playoff run, they need another arm behind ace Jose Fernandez.  Wei-Yin Chen was expected to be that #2 guy, but hasn’t lived up to his contract.  If they really want to compete with the Mets and Nationals in their division, they must acquire another front of the rotation starter.

Baltimore Orioles- We all know the Orioles have one of the better lineups in the American League and with the emergence of Mark Trumbo to go with Manny Machado, their lineup seems as dangerous as ever.  Not to mention they still got a great bullpen led by Zach Britton, the Orioles should be able to sustain their success in the 2nd Half.  With all that said, the Orioles starting rotation is average to say the least.  Outside of Chris Tillman, the Orioles don’t have a real reliable option in the rotation.  If the Orioles want to continue to hold off Boston and Toronto, they must find another arm to go in their rotation by the deadline.

New York Mets- The defending National League Champions are in quite the interesting spot here.  They already lost 3B David Wright and now have lost SP Matt Harvey for the year.  Coming into the year, it was thought that the Mets rotation and bullpen would carry them to the NL East crown.  Instead it’s been injuries and lack of help behind OF Yoenis Cespedes that is holding them down.  Cespedes has followed up hist 2015 run in the Big Apple with another monster year, yet the Mets need more.  Neil Walker has been a solid addition, yet no David Murphy.  Outside of those two, the Mets next 2 most reliable hitters are James Loney and Asdrubal Cabrera.  Mike Conforto hasn’t lived up to the hype, Lucas Duda has been injured, and Travis D’Arnold is proving to be a mediocre hitting catcher.  The Mets should look to upgrade their Outfield and add another bat to help out Yoenis in the 2nd Half.


Honorable Mention- Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals


Sellers

San Diego Padres- As evidenced by the Drew Pomeranz trade, the fire sale is already underway.  While Pomeranz was one of their more intriguing players on the block, the Padres have numerous others that teams might be interested in.  Wil Myers has been rumored, but for now SD has no intention of trading him.  Melvin Upton is quietly having a great year, but the Padres might need to throw in cash to get a team to trade for him.  Matt Kemp is always an intriguing name, but his contract and his mediocre play make it hard for me to imagine a team trading for Kemp.  Andrew Cashner might have some value, but his decline has hurt the value he had a year ago.  Derek Norris is an intriguing trade option for teams looking for an upgrade at Catcher.

Minnesota Twins- I admit, I never expected the Twins, who took a huge step forward last year to take as huge of a step back this year.  Now the Twins are the worst team in the AL and fighting the Reds and Braves for the worst record in Baseball.  What makes the Twins so intriguing as a seller is that they don’t offer much to begin with as a seller.  While Eduardo Nunez is having a career year, most buyers don’t need an IF like Nunez.  The Twins could put up Kurt Suzuki and Trevor Plouffe, they don’t have a lot of value to begin with.  On the pitching side, it’s just as bad.  Ricky Nolasco has a big contract and really isn’t a great pitcher to begin with.  Ervin Santana may be the Twins best asset.  While he has a big contract, there are teams that will make a good offer to get a veteran starter like Santana to stabilize their rotations for the playoffs.  The Twins can try to be sellers, but reality is there’s not much to sell.

Atlanta Braves- Since April, we’ve known the Braves were going to be sellers at the Trade Deadline, but the question is who is on the market from the Braves?  A month ago it seemed to be a sure thing that SP Julio Teheran would be dealt, but now the Braves seem to be hesitant and have moved other starters like SP Bud Norris instead.  I think after the Pomeranz deal, Teheran staying in Atlanta seems to look better now.  After Teheran, the Braves have hard throwing CP Arodys Vizcaino that could intrigue teams looking for a young reliever.  As for the offensive side, as much as teams may want 1B Freddie Freeman, the Braves won’t deal him.  They still have OF Nick Markakis that could really benefit a team looking for a consistent bat and a great defensive outfielder.  There also have been rumblings of C Tyler Flowers getting moved as well.  Expect the Braves to be active at the deadline.

Cincinnati Reds- Quite possibly the most intriguing team at the Trading Deadline.  The Reds are obviously going to start the rebuilding process here at the deadline, but the question is how much are they going to, “blow it up”?  All talks about the Reds starts with OF Jay Bruce who is having one of his better years.  Teams have already talked to the Reds regarding Bruce and people forget that the Reds did have a deal done with Toronto in Spring Training.  I would expect Bruce dealt by the deadline.  Teams might call on veteran Brandon Phillips, but it looks like the buyers on the market are already set in the middle infield.  Adam Duvall is having a breakout year and teams might be calling, but I doubt he’s moved.  The big question is if someone calls on team icon Joey Votto, do the Reds listen?  My prediction, the Reds will listen on the Votto and don’t rule out maybe a Boston or New York Mets work out a deal.

Honorable Mention- Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s

On The Edge

New York Yankees- The struggle for power of the Yankees is real folks.  GM Brian Cashman sees that the Yankees need to rebuild by trading away one or two of their relievers for prospects in a market where everyone will want their relievers.  Unfortunately Hal Steinbrenner is in his way.  The Yankees will probably play out the week and make their decision then on whether to buy or sell at the deadline.  With Carlos Beltran to go with their relievers, the Yankees have pieces teams could be interested in. 

Colorado Rockies- Surprisingly the Rockies are sitting in 3rd Place in the NL West and 7GB in the NL Wild Card.  Like usual, the Rockies calling card is their stellar offense and their pitching needs help.  I don’t think the Rockies will be buyers, but if they start the 2nd Half strong, they won’t be sellers at the deadline.  Obviously if a Carlos Gonzalez was on the trade market, it would make things very interesting, but Rockies know they can always trade him in the offseason.

Pittsburgh Pirates- The Pirates are very intriguing as they are right in the Wild Card race.  The Pirates are in my opinion at a point where they must retool instead of contend.  I’m not saying rebuild, but because their prized young arms are finally arriving in Pittsburgh.  The Pirates have some nice young players to be excited about but I’d consider some form of retooling the roster that makes the Pirates even better in 2017.

Kansas City Royals- The defending World Champions have had quite the interesting first half.  They’ve suffered through injuries to key players and having to call up unknown players to replace the shoes of key players.  While the Royals sit in 4th in the AL Central, the Royals still think they can make a run.  They really need starting pitching help, but it might cost the rest of the farm system they haven’t traded over the past few years to get that.  The question is will Kansas City mortgage the rest of their future to try to overcome a big deficit in the AL Central?

Honorable Mention- Seattle Mariners


While I know we covered a lot in there, since the introduction of the Wild Card Game and adding a 2nd Wild Card team, teams have proven at the deadline to be indecisive.  Only the teams truly out in front of everyone and those clearly out of it really make deals.  I would expect things to really pick up over the next week as teams start to figure out where they stand and decide what they want to do.  I hope this gives Baseball fans a wide perspective of what to expect at the deadline.  I’ll follow this up in the next few days with my Cleveland Indians Trade Deadline Preview and before the Trade Deadline passes I’ll give you guys the 5 trades I want to see happen.  This is possibly my favorite time of the Baseball season as we finally will start to see which teams are going to make a run for their chance to win the Fall Classic later this year and I’m excited to see what the next few weeks bring us that shape up the hunt for October.

The Stars Shine In San Diego #MLBAllStarGame #AllStarGame

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

It’s that time of year again when the American and National League All-Stars are announced for the MLB All-Star Game.  After last year’s debacle of watching Kansas City Royals fans stuffing the ballots, I realized that there really should be an unbiased opinion giving their own take on the All-Star Game.  So instead of writing about the Indians and their trade options, we’re going to go through my choices for the American and National League All-Stars.  This will include my starting choices and my selections for the reserves.  I decided to do this after the announcement of the All-Star Rosters to compare to see how a Baseball fan like myself compared with how the Fans voted.  I’m pretty sure I’m not going to agree with everything the fans did.  This is a completely unbiased opinion of my choices for the 2016 Mid Summer Classic.


National League

Catcher- Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals- First off, how can anyone vote Yadier Molina who is past his prime and the numbers clearly show it.  Ramos is having a career year hitting .340 with 13 HR and 46 RBIs.  Most people honestly have no idea who Ramos is and the fact he is a very good hitter.  Ramos has been a big part of the Nationals this year and currently is in 3rd place behind Yadier Molina and Buster Posey.  Compared to those two ahead of him, Ramos is the starter and its not even close.

First Base- Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs- This isn’t much of a debate here.  The leader of the Cubs who is once again having a big year with 20 HRs and 61 RBIs.  This was a tough call because Paul Goldschmidt is just as deserving as Rizzo.  What really was the deciding factor as the numbers in their own rights were equally as impressive was the fact that Rizzo is playing for the Cubs, the best team in baseball.  So in a way by default Rizzo for me would get the nod.  But again for the record, Paul Goldschmidt is just as deserving.

Second Base- Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals- A .347 average, 14 HRs, and 56 RBIs, Washington really looks smart for paying Murphy the money they did to get him.  While I can understand the support for Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist, but the debate isn’t even close.  I’m surprised especially after his October stretch last year from a national standpoint that more people aren’t voting for him.  He should be the starter here over Zobrist.

Shortstop- Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers- First off…HOW IS ADDISON RUSSELL AN ALL-STAR?  That’s a joke, the guy is hitting barely over .240 right now!  Corey Seager in his first full year has clearly lived up to the hype.  He has 17 HRs, is hitting around the .300 level and guys, this kid is for real.  What’s more alarming was Seager was behind Trevor Story and Addison Russell in the voting.  This is a joke if Russell starts.  You cannot deny Seager is the best SS in the NL right now.

Third Base- Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies- I get it Cubs fans…you’re stuffing the ballots this year but once again there’s another player whose numbers are far better than your player.  America meet Nolan Arenado, the 2015 NL HR and RBI leader and your current NL RBI leader.  Nobody knows about him most likely because he plays for the Rockies, but he’s the most talented 3B in baseball today.  He plays great defense and although he plays in Coors Field, he really is that good of a hitter.  I know Kris Bryant is having a good year as well, but if the 2015 NL HR and RBI leader is following up with another strong year like Arenado, he must start.

Outfielder #1- Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals- This doesn’t deserve much explanation at all.  Unanimous 2015 NL MVP, and while he isn’t have a strong year, this is the most talked about player in baseball, for the sake of the game he has to start.  Also…Bryce be in the HR Derby please.

Outfielder #2- Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies- Carlos Gonzalez is somehow 7th in the voting for NL Outfielder behind the entire Cubs outfield and that’s a crime.  CarGo is hitting .317 with 18 HRs and 51 RBIs…how is this not as good as anyone in the Cubs outfield?  Reality is this guy should be in the starting lineup without question, yet again fans are too biased to be allowed to vote.  CarGo is a proven MLB star who deserves the respect of fans everywhere as one of the games best.  It’s not his fault people he’s played in Colorado all these years.

Outfielder #3- Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets- As it stands Yoenis Cespedes and Bryce Harper seem to be locks on the current balloting to start for the NL and at least we got 2 of the 3 outfielders right.  Cespedes has followed up his MVP level 2nd Half with the Mets last year and had it carry over this year.  He has 20 HRs, 50 RBIs and has his average at the .300 mark.  There’s no question that the Mets offense revolves around his stellar performance.  He’s earned his spot on the NL Starting lineup.

Starting Pitcher- Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs- Does this really warrant an explanation now that Clayton Kershaw won’t be available for the All-Star Game?  No it doesn’t.  Arrieta has continued his 2nd Half dominance from last year into this year so yeah I’m starting him.

NL Reserves

C Buster Posey SF
C Jonathan Lucroy MIL
1B Paul Goldschmidt ARI
1B Wil Myers SD
2B Ben Zobrist CHC
2B Neil Walker NYM
SS Aledmys Diaz STL
3B Kris Bryant CHC
OF Starling Marte PIT
OF Marcel Ozuna MIA
OF Obdel Herrera PHI
OF Jay Bruce CIN

NL Pitchers

SP- Julio Teheran ATL
SP- Madison Bumgarner SF
SP- Jon Lester CHC
SP- Noah Synergaard NYM
SP- Jose Fernandez MIA
CP- Jeurys Familia NYM
CP- Kenley Jensen LAD
CP- Mark Melacon PIT
CP- AJ Ramos MIA



American League

Catcher- Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals- Arguably the heart and soul of the defending champion Royals has continued his stellar play in 2016 and looking at really the rest of his competition in the AL, this is a no-brainer.  The next choice would be Matt Wieters, but Perez’s stats clearly top Wieters offensively and its arguable the two are equal defensively.  By where their respective teams stand, Wieters’ Orioles are in 1st in the AL East, while Perez and the Royals are in 2nd in the AL Central.  My theory is if the stats are equal, team record is the tiebreaker.  In this case, Perez’s stats surpass Wieters and gets the nod from me.

First Base- Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers- Who else am I going to choose?  Chris Davis has shown great power this year, but his average has dropped.  Eric Hosmer might be a good selection as well, but like the case of Perez over Wieters, Miggy’s stats top Hosmer.  Besides who else in the AL should start at 1B?  As long as Miggy is having a, “Miggy” type season, he needs to start.  With a .300 avg, 18 HRs and 51 RBIs, Miguel Cabrera edges Hosmer and gets my selection to start at 1B.

Second Base- Jose Altuve, Houston Astros- This position was extremely hard for me to vote on.  Robinson Cano has had an outstanding first half, looking like the Yankees Robinson Cano who was an offensive force to be reckoned with.  The problem is…Jose Altuve is that damn good now.  Altuve is hitting .353 leading the MLB.  On top of that, Altuve has had a power explosion in the first half with 14 HRs so far (his career high is 15 last year).  Add to that he’s at the top of the AL in steals with 21, Altuve might be a leading candidate in the AL for AL MVP.  At the end of the day, love the bounce back year by Cano, but it’s not enough.

Shortstop- Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians- To the National Fans of Major League Baseball…stop hating on Francisco Lindor.  First off, the Writers Association ROBBED Francisco Lindor of the AL Rookie of the Year last year.  Now because Carlos Correa got all that publicity, nobody knows who Lindor is and it’s shown in the voting for AL Starting SS.  This is not even a debate.  Yes, Xander Bogaerts is having a great year, but Lindor matches him offensively, far surpasses him defensively (can I see seriously Altuve and Lindor turn a double play in this game?)  The National Media is going to rob the fans of last year’s Gold Glove 2B turning two with this year’s Gold Glove SS.  While Bogaerts beats Lindor out in average, the rest of the stats are somewhat the same.  So that tiebreaker comes into play, Indians are in 1st in AL Central, Red Sox are in 2nd in AL East.  Therefore Lindor wins in my book.

Third Base- Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles- We all talk about Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper as these big name hitters in the game, but where’s the Manny Machado love?  Well I’ll admit people are starting to notice the talent he has.  After a great season last year quietly hitting 35 HRs and had 20 steals, he’s followed it up with 18 HRs and 50 RBIs this year.  Although he doesn’t have any steals this year, his average has jumped from a .286 avg to right now a .330 avg on the year.  Honestly if I had to vote for the AL MVP today, it’s going to be Manny Machado.

Outfielder #1- Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels- Well the Angels might be in last place in the AL West, but it’s not because of Mike Trout.  Once again Trout is the one bright spot in the Angels season so far as nothing has gone right for them this year.  After socking 41 HRs last year, he’s followed it up with 17 HRs so far and is back to hitting over .300 on the year.  If he only was on a better team that made it so he didn’t have to carry the load and just play his game…the numbers he’d put up.

Outfielder #2- Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox- My MLB Preview dark horse pick to be the AL MVP hasn’t disappointed me at all.  Mookie has made a major jump from his first full MLB season into his second full season.  While his average is around the same area it was last year (.296 avg.), he’s already hit 18 HRs and has 57 RBIs and 13 steals.  Betts will probably have a 25-25 season when its all said and done, but for right now to put Mookie Betts in the same outfield as Mike Trout is a treat for every MLB fan in the All Star Game.

Outfielder #3- Ian Desmond, Texas Rangers- Yes I’m going out of the box in a way with my 3rd AL Outfielder selection.  Remember last year when Ian Desmond was the SS for the Washington Nationals?  Now he’s the CF for the Texas Rangers and has done an outstanding job with the defensive transition and not letting the change in position and jump to the AL effect his offense.  It’s arguable that he’s better than what he was offensively last year.  Currently he’s hitting a career-high .321 with 15 HRs, 52 RBIs and 14 steals as well.  So basically he’s on pace for a 30-30 season, which basically is Mike Trout/Mookie Betts territory, bottom line…he deserves to start with them.

Starting Pitcher- Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians- This was a tough call between Chris Sale and Danny Salazar.  Ironically, Sale was my preseason AL Cy Young pick, while Salazar was my dark horse pick.  As of now I’d give the nod to Salazar over Sale.  Right now Salazar leads the AL in ERA at 2.22 with a 10-3 record, while getting June AL Pitcher of the Month with a 5-0 record, with a 1.91 ERA.  Everyone is talking about how historically great the Indians rotation is and as long as Salazar keeps it up, because of how good the Indians rotation has been, Salazar must get the nod.

AL Reserves

C- Matt Wieters BAL
1B- Eric Hosmer KC
2B- Brian Dozier MIN
2B- Robinson Cano SEA
SS- Xander Bogaerts BOS
3B- Danny Valencia OAK
3B- Evan Longoria TB
OF- Jackie Bradley Jr BOS
OF- Carlos Beltran NYY
OF- Mark Trumbo BAL
DH- David Ortiz BOS
UTIL- Jose Ramirez CLE

AL Pitchers

SP- Chris Sale CWS
SP- Josh Tomlin CLE
SP- Cole Hamels TEX
SP- Steven Wright TEX
SP- Marco Estrada TOR
RP- Andrew Miller NYY
CP- Wade Davis KC
CP- Zach Britton BAL
CP- Craig Kimbrel BOS
CP- Alex Colome TB


Now I’m not going to compare pick for pick with what the real MLB All-Star Game rosters are like.  This was my unbiased view of the players who thought should go to San Diego.  It really is a shame that the players couldn’t get the right players in front the teams at the bottom of the division.  For example Adam Duvall who is having a great season for Cincinnati got the nod over teammate Jay Bruce.  In my opinion, Bruce should’ve been the choice.  I also think the Indians were disrespected by the league with only 2 All-Star players.  Everyone keeps talking about how great the Indians rotation is and while Corey Kluber ruined it for himself in Toronto, Josh Tomlin deserved an All-Star appearance.

In the end when it comes to All-Star Starters, fans need to do their homework.  In no way should Cubs SS Addison Russell be a starter.  Over the past 2 years, we had the Royals fans almost vote 2B Omar Infante as an All-Star (who is now a FA), and now Cubs fans picked their entire Infield.  Fans need to know the longer this kind of voting occurs, the more likely that in the future, you might lose your power to vote for All-Stars.


Fans must remember, the Winner of the All-Star Game determines Home Field Advantage for the World Series.  So for next year, make sure your vote is counted.  The All-Star Game is normally a fun and competitive game to watch so enjoy the game because after the All-Star Game, the fun is just beginning…

This Week In The Show 5.31.16 #MLB

By Alex Hale, @DaSportsGenius7

As I’ve said since the beginning of the year, the MLB Regular Season is one big 6 month roller coaster.  Only a few weeks ago we were praising the Chicago White Sox starting rotation and then the Cleveland Indians started to bring them down to earth.  Injuries are plaguing multiple teams, yet somehow most of those teams are weathering the storm.  Plus come on we ALL had the Minnesota Twins somehow fighting the Atlanta Braves for the worst record in baseball.  Every time I come back to write these for everyone to recap the past few weeks, it never ceases to amaze me the unpredictability of this game.  Well once again let’s go over my biggest observations over the past few weeks in the MLB Season.

Royal Pains- For the defending World Champions, the Kansas City Royals were considered by many that as long as they were healthy, they would compete for a chance to repeat as World Champions.  While as it stands the Royals are in 1st Place in the AL Central, it has come at a cost.  Over the past few weeks the Royals lost 2 cornerstone players in Mike Moustakas (Torn ACL) and Alex Gordon (Fractured Wrist).  They barely escaped another major injury in Salvador Perez who only has a bruised left thigh.  As talented as the Royals are, they’re potentially one major injury away from their chance to defend their title going away completely.

My thoughts- As it stands, Eric Hosmer has been the entire offense for the Royals.  With Kendrys Morales having a rough season so far, they need others to step up to offset their losses offensively.  While their bullpen has been as advertised and the rotation has been solid, my major question is how much of that magic from last year they had is still there?

The Trade Winds Are Blowing- While a bit early for Trade Deadline talk, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from swirling over the past week.  According to multiple sources, the Chicago White Sox have already spoken to the San Diego Padres about SP James Shields.  Although there’s been “significant” talks about this deal, I think it won’t happen until after the trade deadline.  With teams like San Diego, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and Atlanta pretty much out of it, teams normally check out the market to see who’s interested.  With how historically bad Atlanta and Minnesota have been playing, plus San Diego wanting to cut bad contracts, it seems already this Trade Deadline could have multiple blockbusters.

My thoughts- Names I’ve heard that might be available are OFs Matt Kemp, Nick Markakis, and Ender Inciarte.  On top of James Shields, I think the Padres could move Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross.  Add to that the onslaught of trades Atlanta has made over recent years, I think any trade possible is on the table.

Houston We Have a Problem- For a team that was my personal World Series pick, the Astros have not lived up to their full potential this year.  Carlos Correa is going through a sophomore jinx so far and really only Jose Altuve is hitting consistently for them.  On top of that Dallas Kuechel has fallen off completely after winning the Cy Young award last year.  Plus we all had the Astros big trade acquisition CP Ken Giles being a total bust and Luke Gregerson to still be their closer now.  Something needs to be done to the Astros to wake this team up as the Mariners are currently in 1st and the Rangers are set to finally welcome back SP Yu Darvish and to finally pair him with Cole Hamels.  I do repeat… HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

My thoughts- I honestly don’t understand this other than teams figured them out.  The Astros have all the talent offensively you could want, a solid rotation with the defending Cy Young winner and a very good bullpen (outside of Giles).  If I’m the Astros I start looking at potential trade options for another starter because I feel the hitting will come around, the starters need help right now.

Who’s Philadelphia Taking #1 Overall?- Okay I know, nobody cares for the MLB Draft, but this is where teams can turn a 5 year rebuild into a 3 year rebuild.  With the Phillies surprising most of the baseball world with a 26-24 record (as of 5/30), the Phillies are only a few weeks away from being on the clock.  In this year’s draft, the top players in this class are Florida SP AJ Puk, HS SP Jason Groome, Tennessee 3B Nick Senzel and Mercer OF Kyle Lewis.  As it stands right now, it seems like Puk will be the #1 pick by the Phillies, but the feeling is that there is no lock on who the Phillies would take.

My thoughts- The top player in this draft is AJ Puk, a lefty starter who dominated LSU in the SEC Tournament.  He’s a front of the line starter and Philly doesn’t have a future star lefty pitcher.  Pair him potentially with Vince Velasquez, Aaron Nola, and Mike Appel (if he can turn it around), that’s a scary rotation there by pure talent and potential.  Only other player I’d consider if Kyle Lewis, but Puk is the pick.

From April to October, the MLB season is an odyssey unlike anything.  I mean what other sport do we see a team like the Yankees win a game after recording 1 HIT for the first time since 1913.  The Yankees hadn’t won their first World Series yet when this happened.  The Orioles struck out 52 times… IN A SERIES!  I know a lot of younger fans might think Baseball is a boring sport, but things like this that have happened almost every year, it’s just a matter of what historical accomplishment good or bad will happen next?  We’re 2 months into the baseball season and I’m starting to sense that something historical will happen when we reach the end of this road.  I’m excited and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next!

The Raven Report 11.2.15: #Royals #LeVeonBell #Brees #Broncos

By @nevaRWilliams


Well folks, its all over. The Kansas City Royals took the crown to become the 2015 World Series Champions.

Royals catcher and World Series MVP Salvador Perez drove in the tying run in the ninth inning, and singled to lead off the 12th inning, which set up Jarred Dyson's run on a pinch hit by Christian Colon. During the series, Perez hit .364, while anchoring the Kansas City pitching staff.

As they have done all season, Kansas City rallied and fought back, this time in the ninth inning against Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia of the New York Mets. Lorenzo Cain had a huge bases clearing three-run double that officially put the final nail in the Mets coffin.

All in all, it turned out to be a more entertaining series than people would have believed at first. Congratulations to the Royals and the people of Kansas City. Soak it up now, as pitchers and catchers report in just over 100 days.

Tough news for the Steel City. Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Le'Veon Bell is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a torn right MCL, suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday afternoon. Bell caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger, whom just returned from injury himself, when Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict tackled Bell, with his knee rolling awkwardly under him. Bell will be re-evaluated today, but it's expected that he will be confirmed to be out for the season. Bell had just 511 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season after getting a late start due to a suspension. Sources say that former St. Louis Rams running back Isaiah Pead will have a tryout for the Steelers to help with their roster issue.

Unfortunately, Le'Veon Bell was not the only injury from Week 8 of the NFL season. While facing the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens wide out Steve Smith was lost for the season with a torn Achilles. Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte had a knee injury of his own on Sunday, against the Minnesota Vikings. His status as of right now is still unknown.

Elsewhere around the league, Drew Brees and Eli Manning lit up the scoreboard in New Orleans, but the Saints came out victorious 52-49 over the Giants. Brees threw for SEVEN touchdowns and 511 yards, with only 1 interception. Tight end Benjamin Watson had 147 yards and 1 touchdowns while Marques Colston had 114 yards and a touchdown of his own. Wide outs Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead had 2 touchdowns each of their own. On the other sideline, Eli Manning had 350 yards passing and 6 touchdowns, with 3 of them going to star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Both the Giants and Saints are now 4-4.

Another game that stood out to me was the Sunday Night game of the week, which saw the Denver Broncos improve to 7-0 over the previously undefeated Green Bay Packers, 29-10. Peyton Manning had 340 yards passing, but the real story was the Broncos defense that held Aaron Rodgers to just 77 yards passing on the night. Along with that, Eddie Lacy only had 38 yards rushing. The Broncos defense had 3 sacks on Rodgers, to go with 7 QB hits. It should go without saying that this was Rodgers and Green Bay's worst played game of the season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in action tonight as they travel o Philadelphia, to take on the young 76ers. It should be a good game to help the Cavs continue to gel early on in the season, coming off of their 102-92 home opening win against the Miami Heat on Friday. Tip-off is at 7 PM on FOX Sports Ohio.

And in case you missed it, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett will be suspended for this week's game Nov. 7 against Minnesota. Barrett, 20, was cited with a misdemeanor charge for operating a vehicle while impaired (OVI). A breathalyzer test revealed Barrett had a BAC just above the 0.08 legal limit in Ohio for drivers 21 years of age or older. But, at 20, the legal limit stands at 0.02. When J.T. was released, it was teammate and backup quarterback Cardale Jones who picked him up and took him home. Barrett if eligible to return the following week for Ohio State's game versus Illinois.

Inside the Batter's Box: #Indians vs. #Royals Recap

By @B_Rock1978

The Indians were back home this week to start a two series, seven game set. The Tribe kicked off their first series with three games against the 2014 American League Champion, Kansas City Royals. Unique about this series was all three games had a 6:10 start time. The Indians are trying to aim at having more family oriented baseball games, by having the games start at 6:10, instead of the normal 7:05 times. The Indians feel that by starting the games an hour early, it would make families more likely to bring their kids to a Tribe game and not have to worry about it ending too late in the evening, on a school night.

Unfortunately for the Tribe, during this new experiment, it probably didn't make families want to rush down to the stadium, as the Tribe still can't find a way to win a series against a division opponent.

In game one, thing's got off to a rough start for the Tribe, as ace Corey Kluber, gave up an infield single to Omar Infante, in the second inning. Shortstop Jose Ramirez, botched the ball, but it was ruled a single for Infante. Eric Hosmer sent a line drive single into left field in the third inning and KC was up 2-0. Bottom of the fifth, the Tribe get back in the game, as Mike Aviles sends a two run homer into the seats, tying the game 2-2. KC's Alex Gordon doubles in the top of the sixth and KC is back on top 3-2. Top of the seventh is when KC put things away on the Tribe. Mike Moustakas picks up an RBI single. Kendrys Morales sends a infield hit to third baseman Mike Aviles, who makes an error and allows a run to score. Alex Gordon picks up another RBI single and KC ends the seventh with a 6-2 lead.

W: Jason Vargas 2-1 (KC)
L: Corey Kluber 0-3 (Cle)

Game two, Alex Gordon was at it again. Gordon hits a solo shot in the second inning, putting KC up 1-0. The Tribe fires back in the bottom half of the second, as Michael Bourn drives in two on a single. Tribe up 2-1. Top of the fourth, Omar Infante ties the game at 2 with an RBI single. Top of the sixth, KC goes up 3-2, as Alex Gordon delivers another RBI, this time on a single. Bottom of the sixth, Brandon Moss jacks a three run homer into the seats and the Tribe are alive 5-3. KC comes back from the dead in the top of the seventh, by scoring six runs on the Tribe. Alcides Escobar brings in two with a double. Mike Moustakas singles in an RBI. Kendrys Morales sends a three run dinger into the seats and KC is up 9-5. Salvador Perez and Omar Infante both single in RBI's in the top of the ninth and KC goes on to win 11-5.

W: Brandon Finnegan 1-0 (KC)
L: Scott Atchisan 0-1 (Cle)

Game three, Kendrys Morales struck in the top half of the first with a 2 RBI single. The Tribe fire back in the bottom of the third, as Jason Kipnis crushes a three run shot, putting the Indians up 3-2. Eric Hosmer steps up in the top of the sixth and jacks a two run shot, putting KC back up 4-3. The Indians come right back in the bottom half of the sixth and score three runs. Jason Kipnis delivered an RBI grounder. Michael Bourn and Roberto Perez both doubled in RBI's. Tribe go up 6-4 after six. Bottom of the eighth, Roberto Perez tacks on another run for the Tribe, with a solo shot, making it 7-4. Indians closer, Cody Allen, takes the mound in the ninth and gives up an RBI single to Omar Infante. Allen calms down an is able to slam the door and avoid the KC sweep. Tribe escapes with the 7-5 win.

W: Danny Salazar 3-0 (Cle)
L: Yordano Ventura 2-2 (KC)
S: Cody Allen 4 (Cle)

So the Tribe drop two of three to the Kansas City Royals and continue to struggle against their divisional teams. At least we didn't get swept, right? The Tribe move on to the Toronto Blue Jays for a four game weekend set! #RollTribe

Diamonds and...Gems? With Cliff G. (@CLG2282)

By @CLG2282

While baseball doesn't always display the gravitating pull on it's fans and heaven sent aura of The Artist formerly know as.., tonight's game 7 was nothing short of rhythmic lyrics set to a hypnotic track.

Watching what was probably the most entertaining MLB playoff series in the last decade,  the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals put on a story book performance that would likely earn a standing ovation from Prince himself. And what better way to end it than with a Game 7 played with near perfection (In a baseball sense anyway).

Both teams came out firing like an old Western cowboy film, sending the starting pitchers to the dugout for good before the start of the 4th inning, like a classic tumbleweed scene. But then the grit of defense reared it's rugged head.

Pulling out all the stops, both managers rotated pitchers. The fielders made play after game saving defensive play. And then, Bumgarner.

While offensively Pablo Sandavol swinging hot a bat, Madison Bumgarner came in and essentially closed the door. In the 5th INNING. Yes the 5th. On only two days rest Bumgarner, the clear highlight of the World Series, pitched lights out for 5 innings of RELIEF. Yes you read that correctly.

In what is the most dominate pitching performance in a playoff series that I've ever seen, "Mad Bum" ended with a total of 21 innings pitched while only allowing one, yes ONE, earned run. After giving up a single to the first batter he faced, Bumgarner gave up only one more hit and struck out four over the next FIVE innings.

Backed by tremendous defensive gems from his teammates,  Bumgarner made pitching in the biggest game on the biggest stage look as easy as warming up in the bullpen. I guess winning the World Series twice before you turn 25 will give you those kind of calm nerves.

After closing out their third MLB title in 5 years, the San Francisco Giants are now getting their name tossed into the dynasty hat. Winning it all every other year, with an anchor of an ace, will draw that kind of attention for your organization.  And kudos to the Kansas City Royals in their efforts and near perfection of "small ball".

Overall, this was a great series. And probably the greatest series that no one ever watched. With the NFL hitting it's stride and the looming NBA opening week, this amazing series will forever be under appreciated because of the marketing mammoths that are the NBA and NFL. Not to mention the very competitive NCAA football. With that said, LeBron is home and the NBA is back. I am very proud and excited (as always) to be a Clevelander today (and forever but especially today) with all the buzz swirling around our city.

Leadoff with Lee 10.22.14

By @cleeverizon

-The Giants are hunting "Blue October". Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants dominated the Kansas City Royals in their 7-1 route, giving San Francisco a 1-0 lead in the World Series. Bumgarner improved to a 5-0 postseason record while pitching 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run with 5 strikeouts. Hunter Pence was 2-3 with a home run, 2 RBI and scoring 2 runs. James Shield lasted 3 innings for the Royals giving up 5 runs and exploding his post season era to 5.74. Game 2 of the series is tonight with Yordano Ventura getting the start for the Royals, while Jake Peavy takes the mound for the Giants.

-It's a party in Cleveland October 30th for the Cavaliers season opener against the New York Knicks. TNT, with Kenny Smith and his knees, Shaq and Sir Charles Barkley, come to town for a concert featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar who will perform his latest single "I", which is the featured promo song for TNT and the NBA. Comedian Kevin Hart will be the host of the night, so expect to see him at the concert and during pregame, halftime and postgame festivities.

-Johnny vs Hoyer? I say give Brian Hoyer a full season to play. The quarterback position hasn't been stable in 15 years, no need to rush Manziel in at this point. Did you see Blake Bortles throw 3 interceptions on Sunday? W.W.J.D under that Jaguars D-Line and pressure? Thanks to a ESPN and FOX, the national media has Cleveland going as crazy as the Ebola story. Just wait and see what happens. If the Browns are a playoff team with Hoyer under center, let him be. If we are out of the picture, let Johnny play. I don't mind throwing in a Johnny package or two during games.

-Ray Rice has filed a grievence against the Baltimore Ravens for terminating his contract. Rice was cut after the TMZ video surfaced of him dragging his girlfriend, now wife, out of an elevator was made public. Soon afterward, the NFL suspended him indefinitely. Rice has since appealed his suspension with a hearing set for November 4-5. Rice could receive $3.5 million dollars if his grievence and appeal are approved.

-The Dallas Cowboys waived rookie linebacker Michael Sam yesterday from their practice squad. Sam was the Co-Defensive player of the year and First team All SEC selection in 2013. Sam made $6,300 per week as a practice squad player with the Cowboys. You'll remember that Sam is the NFL's first openly gay player.

-Peyton Manning has a NFL record 510 touchdowns. Do you think he discriminates on who he throws the ball to? Here is a breakdown of his touchdown passes thrown.(Add unproxx October 20 chart) or any other TD chart.

-South African paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to a 5 year prison term for the culpable homicide (U.S equivilent of manslaughter) of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. According to Pistorius, after he was frightened and awakened by what he thought was a intruder, he shot his gun at them, who ended up being his girlfriend. Pistorius could be released after 10 months to serve the remainder of his sentence on house arrest.

-Baseball America ranked the Cleveland Indians 2014 draft tops in Major League Baseball. Among the prospects, the Tribe walks away with the best defensive player Alex Pantoja who plays shortstop and best pure hitter Bradley Zimmer, first baseman (Arizona League MVP). Just to name a few.