NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
With teams like Arizona, Kansas City, and Seattle off to strong starts, this first half of the season is giving us all sorts of fun and interesting storylines. Are the Colorado Rockies REALLY this bad? Major League Baseball powers that be would love for the Cubs to keep up recent play, but the injury bug has creeped into the pitching, and that is never a good thing.
Who Invited You?
Small market teams are using these first few months to not just stack up wins but gain confidence. Of course, the fans love it, but the question is, where will they be after the All-Star break? Let’s just enjoy it for Arizona, it has been all about the bats and leading that charge has been Geraldo Perdomo, whose numbers are up with some of the best in the game. Josh Naylor is also doing his part to keep them above water in the NL West, where the Dodgers rule all things.
Seattle leads the AL West, and this division will be a battle until the final days of the season. While teams full of young talent, like Baltimore, the Mariners are making the most of this youth movement. Guys like Cal Raleigh, Mitch Graver give starting pitchers fits. This is the best start through 36 games since 2003. If Bryan Woo can keep up his work while others get healthy, the rotation is good enough.
This isn’t the first time we have seen the Kansas City Royals making noise. When they aren’t beating up on the White Sox, they are getting the job done. All three of these clubs should look to make some sort of move when the trade deadline comes around. A bat here or there, bullpen help, and depth are three things that can turn a season around.
What Now, Pittsburgh?
The Pirates fired Derek Shelton after 38 games. Ok, so now what? And why is this team being so bad, all his fault? A ball club that hasn’t been to the postseason since 2015, owner Bob Nutting is a joke. You have one of the best young arms and talents in Major League Baseball in Paul Skenes, and have done NOTHING to build the team up. They rank near the bottom in attendance in a GREAT sports town. GM Ben Cherlington is not off the hook either. Look at the farm system who stands out?
Is this a classic tale of a organization changing talent that’s talnets are wasted until he moves to a team that really wants to win? Or will we see some REAL change in Three Rivers and give the fans what they have been wanting for years? You have to spend money to win, and the double bolted lock on the Pirates’ payroll has to be picked soon.
Did I Stutter?
Word from Boston is that Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is not taking one for the team and playing first base. The Boston DH spoke after we found out that Triston Casas was out for the year.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove. I wasn’t going to play another position other than DH. Right now, I don’t think it would be an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
Devers just signed an 11-year deal worth $311 million to stay in Beantown. Is he wrong? Telling the front office to hit the market and find someone to play 1st instead of him? Wonder how this is playing out in the clubhouse? Manager Alex Cora has to treat this with kid gloves and not offset the team flow, something I will keep an eye on.
What headlines caught your attention this week? Let me know and talk soon, baseball lovers.
