#Cannot wait for summer/offseason to be over

[amandayetagain]

Hmhmhm well we have to wrap up this season somehow despite it all

true

[cellythefloshie]

;; A Seasons End Chapter One of Cool for the Summer

Table of Contents Playlist «« 🤍 »» Chapter Two

Summary: The Carolina Hurricane's season comes to an unexpected end as the New York Rangers move on to the Eastern Conference Finals and when star forward Andrei Svechnikov cannot return home for the offseason he is left to determine where exactly he will be spending his summer. TW: Mentions of the international conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Word Count: 1k+

Game 7. It was the final game played in the series that would send the Carolina Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time since Andrei Svechnikov was drafted in 2018. It was a game that the team should have laid it out on the line - his only contribution? A 2-minute penalty for tripping against Barclay Goodrow. And while the Hurricanes killed the penalty, the Rangers went on to win the series in a winner-takes-all game. The score was 2-6, a complete and utter blowout of a game in the series after 6 games with nothing more than a 3-goal differential. 

It left a sour taste in the back of his mouth as he walked back into the locker room with his head hanging low on his shoulders. Andrei didn’t look up, not once, as he stripped off his gear for the last time that season. He didn’t hear the last, tired speech given by Rob as he commended the team for their season. Nor did he hear the murmurs between his teammates as they shared brief sentiments on their way out the door. One by one, they left him until he was the only one to remain. 

Andrei sat in the silence, his head in his calloused palms as a heavy breath trembled through him. For the first time in months, he could feel the ach of his tired body, and it brewed with his disappointment that his season was over. There was nothing to look forward to now except 3 things: Exit interviews, training to be better come the next season and going home. 

It had taken the Hurricanes organization 6 days to close out their exit interviews. One by one, they face management and the media, all singing the same tune. This was not how they wanted their season to end. They wanted to be the ones to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final. They wanted to go on to play the champions of the West for the Stanley Cup, but they came up short. Every one of them expressed their own shortcomings and held themselves accountable, including Andrei. It was his fourth playoff appearance, but it had been the first time injuries hadn’t kept him from playing every game. Yet, he failed to bring his regular-season success into the postseason with him. So he did the only thing he could do, promise that he would come back next season and be better and with that, he was free to leave. 

With his bag packed, Andrei was ready to leave the city of Raleigh behind him. He couldn’t wait to return home, to see his family and to train with his brother, but the vibration of his phone in his pocket against his hip was insistent. It had been buzzing there all morning, through each of his interviews, and it had grown more frequent the more he ignored it. It must be important. 

Pausing out in the parking lot, Andrei eased two fingers into his pocket and pressed them firmly to his phone screen. With the pressure, he guided the phone from his pocket and into his grasp. It continued to vibrate with urgency even as he held it, and when he saw just who the messages were from, he was left sighing. It was his mother. 

There was no one Andrei loved more than his mother, but he didn’t like what she had to say. Ever since the end of game 7, she had been messaging him to tell him one thing: Do not go home, Andrei. It was the last thing he had wanted to hear, even if it was the reality of it all. With Russia’s military advancement in Ukraine, they had fallen under heavy scrutiny. Travel into the country was heavily restricted - even if he could book a flight to a nearby country with the intention of making the drive home there - there was no telling if he could return to America come the beginning of the next season. And so, he would heed his mother’s cautious warning. He would not go home to Russia, but where would he go?

The clamour of the door opening and closing shut behind him broke Andrei’s attention from his phone screen, and from his bag that he had dropped down to his feet. Behind him, rookie Seth Jarvis had ended his season by walking out the doors. However, one could argue it had ended the moment he had taken a bad hit from Trouba after playing nothing more than two minutes in what would be their final game of the season. The kid had been concussed so badly that he was still feeling the after-effects of the hit seven days later - and yet he was still wearing a smile as his dark eyes had come to find Andrei in the parking lot. 

“You got a ride coming?” Andrei spoke slowly, his hand raising up to block the sun from his eyes as he called out for his teammate. There was no way he was driving when his head was in such a state. 

“Taxi,” Seth answered simply, carefully struggling his shoulders as he tossed a single bag over it. 

“No, no, my car. Get in,” Andrei pointed back with his thumb back towards his sports car that was parked in the lot. It wasn’t the most practical of things when you were trying to lug your equipment around, but Andrei loved the exhilaration and sex appeal of a fast car. 

“You sure?” Seth perked up in place, but it didn’t take much more than a wave before the rookie was falling into stride. 

The hollow shut of the door had Andrei melting into his seat, his head leaning back against the leather seat as he let out a sigh. “Home?” “Airport,” Seth corrected, his tone jovial. 

Andrei’s heart panged with jealousy. The kid was getting to fly off, while he was still unsure of where his summer would take him. “Big vacation?”

Andrei did his best to keep the casual conversation as he began the drive and listened to Seth as he talked about going home to Winnipeg to spend the summer with his parents. But his envy was clearly written all across his features as his face fell into a frown he couldn’t contain, and Seth noticed. 

“You don’t get to go home, do you?” Seth spoke slowly, his tone a little more concerned than a guy would have liked to let on. But the whole world knew of the conflict and the strain it was putting on the players from those regions. 

“No,” Andrei spoke bluntly, his gaze cast out the driver’s side window. It was the last thing he wanted to talk about. 

“I’m sorry man-” Seth sighed out, but then he was jolting in his seat. An idea had struck him like a bolt of lightning. “Your brother, he plays in Winnipeg!” He was almost laughing, as if he had just come up with the most brilliant solution to Andrei’s problems. “Catch the flight with me, hell, you can stay with me, if you want, and spend the summer in Winnipeg with your family.”

Andrei eased his foot onto the brake as he came to a red light, his head turning to look at Jarvis as he was beaming from the passenger’s side. He was right. Evgeny played for Winnipeg - and while he was at the end of his contract, he and his girlfriend were more than likely stuck in a very similar situation as himself. 

As the light went green, Andrei’s foot remained on the brakes, causing a symphony of honking behind him, but he was in no rush. Not when his plans were so quickly changing. “In Winnipeg, I can train?” Andrei spoke slowly. 

“Train, travel, whatever you want. It’s a great city, really.”

But Andrei had already heard everything he needed to hear, his foot easing off the brake and turning toward his apartment. They would make one quick stop before the airport. He needed to pick up his bags. In the small Canadian city, he would have no distractions beyond those he would allow: Seth and his family. Then, she could focus on doing the one thing that had been on his mind since the final seconds of game 7 against the New York Rangers. He could train and become the player the team needed him to be, even if that meant having to spend the summer in Winnipeg. 

Taglist: @starshine-hockey-girl , @wingedwheelprxncess , @mp0625 , @misunderstoodwerewolf , @callsign-denmark , @puckmaidens , @xciciix , @cixrosie

[welllpthisishappening]

Hi, it's writer appreciation day and I just wanted to remind you that you're absolutely fantastic and I live for your writing. I always look forward to your posts and I am so mad that tumblr never gives me notifications when you update because I literally want to read everything you write, including your tags. You're wonderful and I could live in your Blue Line universe, all your Yankee!Killian universes and YPLAG universe, fuck, just all of your universes. I love them all. Seriously. Much love~

HELLO YOU ABSOLUTE DELIGHT AND MY FAVORITE!! So I don’t know if you know this, internet, but Ro and I are genuinely in love. It’s real. It’s true. CAPITAL LETTERS TRUE LOVE. I cannot tell you what Ro’s friendship has meant to me and she is the reason Blue Line got finished and the reason The PyeongChang Triple happened which means she’s THE REASON Matthew David Jones exists and she’s willing to join me down this Tyler Seguin rabbit hole. Look at him! LOOK AT HIS FACE! Anyway, nothing I write would be anything without @distant-rose to let me flail at her and send her snippets that are just walls of text. 

Earlier today we were talking about Matthew Jones (as we are apt to do) and talking about him getting his first tattoo and, like, this was real nice, so, uh, here’s some words Ro.

It hurt like hell.

A fact he was quick to point out – several dozen times, each one getting louder and more yelpier than the last and that was totally a word Lizzie came up with while she was doing a pretty pitiful job of not laughing in Matt’s face. And Peggy was doing enough laughing for all of them.

Combined.

For, like, the entire world combined.

“MD, this was your idea,” she said, another repeat and more laughter and Matt was pretty positive even the tattoo artist was starting to chuckle a bit under his breath.

“That’s why he’s so mad about it,” Lizzie mumbled. “It does something weird to his brain when he’s not right about every single thing in the world. He doesn’t know how to cope.”

Peggy appeared to be cackling.

“Mar, I swear, if you don’t shut up—“

“—You’ll what, MD? Please, tell me what you could possibly do. From Boston, that I’m going to find so intimidating.”

“Don’t you have something else to do?”

She shook her head, smile tugging at the ends of her mouth. “Not a single thing. I legitimately cleared my schedule for this.”

“What does that say about you?”

“Probably a lot of things I don’t want to acknowledge,” Peggy admitted, eyes flitting towards a clearly amused Lizzie. “You’ve got to stop shaking the phone though, Lizzie, it’s making me dizzy and Mom and Dad are going to know something is going on if Iike…I get vertigo or something.”

“You are sitting down, Margaret,” Matt seethed. He hissed in his breath when the needle passed over what appeared to be the single most sensitive piece of skin on his entire body, and both his sister and his cousin rolled their eyes in practiced tandem.

“Should we point out again that this was genuinely your idea, Mattie?” Lizzie asked. “And you researched this.”

“Almost too much,” the tattoo artist mumbled, and Peggy nearly fell off her bed in New York. Matt groaned. That didn’t have anything to do with the needle.

“Mar, seriously, I’m going to tell Mom and Dad about that time you nearly pushed Chris in front of a cab on Astor Place.”

Peggy stopped laughing immediately. Lizzie cursed under her breath. “Shit, Mattie,” she mumbled. “That’s intense.”

“And patently untrue,” Peggy added. “I refuse to agree that. I didn’t try to push him in front of a cab—“

“—Ehhh,” Matt interrupted. “He was pretty bruised and battered.”

“That’s not true either! Also, he was like six and really enjoyed running away from us and we weren’t supposed to be there!”

Matt widened his eyes, like that answered that, but then the needle moved again and it felt like his entire body was on fire and possibly drowning and he’d take being checked eight-thousand times, directly under the shoulder blades, if this ended quicker.

“God, you’re seriously the world’s biggest wimp,” Lizzie sighed. “Also can someone explain to me why you three were sneaking onto Astor Place and letting Chris run in front of cabs?”

Peggy growled, low and threatening and that was almost more intimidating than whatever the hell the needle in his arm was doing because Matt was well acquainted with that sound. It usually ended with her finding a stick and hitting him, no less than, six times in the ankles. On both feet.

“That’s not what happened,” Peggy promised. “MD is a giant liar who is totally overreacting about the pain of a tattoo in a normal tattoo spot that normal people get every day and worrying because he thinks Mom and Dad are going to be upset about this great, big enormous secret.”

“It’s a secret?”

“Again, because MD is an idiot.”

“And sitting right here,” Matt hissed, grumbling a string of words he’d learned during a particularly emotional game during that final Cup run and both Lizzie and Peggy whistled when they realized what he’d said. The tattoo artist looked confused. “Sorry, sorry,” he mumbled. “I know I’ve got to sit still.”

The tattoo artist hummed in agreement. Peggy had started laughing again.

“So, someone going to finish this story or should I hang up on you, Peg, and just go directly to the Chris-type source?” Lizzie asked archly.

“Oh my God, no, don’t do that either,” Peggy sighed. “He’ll just agree with MD on principle. The highlights—“

“—Or lowlights, as it were,” Matt interrupted, flashing his sister a smile when she flipped him off.

“Highlights,” she repeated. “It was like two days before Christmas, we kind of, sort of, didn’t get gifts for Mom and Dad, we didn’t want to go near Midtown and, well…it was crowded on Astor Place, Chris might have been hopped up on sugar.” She cut herself off immediately, head snapping towards Matt like she was challenging him to object and his smile felt as wide as it had since the needle had started pricking at his arm. It had to be almost over. “There was a lot of sugar involved,” Peggy continued. “And Chris was excited about Christmas and a tree and running and an almost run in with a cab. It was fine. He was fine. He just kind of—“

“—Fell over,” Matt finished. “In the street. A tourist nearly stepped on him.”

Lizzie looked equal parts stunned and horrified. “That’s the worst Christmas story I’ve ever heard.”

“We never guaranteed it’d be a good Christmas story.”

“What did you end up getting your mom and dad?”

Matt considered that for a moment, gaze flicking towards Peggy and she’d collapsed back on her bed at some point. “We got Dad a t-shirt jersey of his own jersey and Mom got some like…trading card thing of Dad that he signed for Steiner sports approximately twenty-thousand years ago.”

Lizzie laughed, shoulders shaking quickly enough that Matt was almost sure she didn’t realize how tightly he was gripping her right hand. “Wow, you guys suck as kids.”

“Ah, that’s not true,” Matt objected. “Something, something, it’s the thought that counts right?”

“And this is way better than any Christmas or birthday or anniversary gift we could have given them,” Peggy added. “Top-tier Jones Line sentimentality.”

“You’re not the one with a needle jabbing your skin, Mar.”

“And now neither are you,” the tattoo artist said, far too much joy in his voice, like he couldn’t wait for all of them and their very loud FaceTime call to get the hell out of his shop. “Done.”

Matt blinked. “Done?”

“Done.”

And, really, Matt knew his parents wouldn’t freak out about the tattoos. Or tattoo – singular, the first one, probably the first of man, but some of his earliest memories were his mom putting his dad’s wedding ring back on over the ink that wrapped around his left ring finger so he figured he was kind of free to do what he wanted.

But Peggy was right too and it was absurd and kind of sentimental and he hadn’t actually told anyone except Lizzie or Peggy he was thinking about doing it.

They didn’t notice at first.

That made sense too, his arms were covered by his jersey and he was on the ice more often than not and there wasn’t really time to come home during the season, but then it was the offseason and summer in New York refused to allow anything except short-sleeve shirts and it was only a matter of time.

As both Peggy and Chris kept muttering under their breath whenever Matt walked by them in the hallway for the few weeks he was home.

His dad saw it first. Figured.

“What is that?” he asked, sitting at the table in the kitchen with a mug in his hands and a pile of papers next to him that probably detailed the incoming rookies strengths and weaknesses.

Matt nearly tripped over his own feet. “What’s what?”

“Matthew.”

“Ah, you just…jumped right into serious, huh?”

He lifted his eyebrows, mouth set in a thin, straight line and he didn’t actually ever put the mug down. That felt more threatening. “Matthew,” his dad repeated. “What’s on your arm?”

“I feel like you already know the answer to that question.”

“And that’s a pretty God awful answer.”

“I figured you’d be cool about it.”

“I’m not uncool about it. I’m curious.”

Matt sighed, well acquainted with that tone of voice as well and he might have mumbled that’s not fair, hooking his foot around a free chair and sinking onto it with a distinct lack of grace. His dad peered at the ink on his arm, a string of black and he didn’t understand.

“Ok, ok, so I totally was going to tell you,” Matt started, already rushing over the words and there were few things he hated more than whatever his dad’s eyebrows did whenever he was trying to explain some sort of ridiculous situation. “But then I kept thinking about it and it’s honestly the dumbest thing I’ve ever done—“

“—I hate to tell you this, Matt, but it’s kind of tattooed on your body.”

“No, no, I’m not regretting the actual ink. I think that’s kind of cool, right?”

The eyebrows got higher. They defied gravity and the expectations of fatherhood. Matt tried not to slink in his chair.

“It’s kind of cool,” he mumbled. “And you’ve got ‘em, so…”

He trailed off, not sure he could finish that sentence without saying something else he’d regret and he probably wouldn’t if he just told his dad I kind of always want to be you, but neither one of them had actually finished their coffee yet. That felt like something to say while properly caffeinated.

“Anyway,” Matt continued. “I, um, I did a ton of research and talked to the artist about font choices and where to do it and it hurt like hell, but it’s—“

“—They’re coordinates,” his dad said suddenly, and Matt could almost hear the metaphorical light bulb. “Aren’t they?”

He nodded. “Yeah, uh, the longitude and latitude of the Garden.”

It took a moment to find enough room on the table for the coffee mug, and Matt wasn’t entirely prepared to be yanked across the kitchen floor in an actual kitchen chair, but his dad’s arm wrapped around his shoulder and caffeine was probably bad for him during the offseason anyway.

“I like it a lot.”

“Thanks,” Matt muttered.

“It hurt?”

“Like hell. Mar laughed the whole time.”

“Was your sister there?”

“You think Mar snuck to Boston to watch me get tattoos?”

“It honesty wouldn’t surprise me at this point. And there was a plural in there. Are there more than one?”

Matt shook his head, lungs feeling less pinched than they’d been a few minutes before and he grunted when Chris flew into the kitchen, jumping into his stomach and kicking both his legs in the process. “God, C,” he groaned. “Control your limbs.”

“Yeah, good luck with that,” his dad laughed. “I think I still have bruises from you.”

“There’s only one tattoo.”

“For now.”

“Eh,” Matt shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe it won’t hurt the second time around.”

“Next time you see Scarlet ask him how loud he yelled when we got the tattoos after the first Cup. I think there’s still video evidence of his inability to cope out there in the world.”

Matt laughed, tugging Chris further up onto the chair and it was only a matter of time before his mom showed up to remind them the chairs can’t hold that much body weight. “Can I get a tattoo, too?” Chris asked, two heads shaking in response and he, somehow, managed to kick Matt again.

“Wait a couple years, C,” Matt grinned, twisting to grab his dad’s coffee mug and grinning when he was met with a decidedly non-English curse. “Then we’ll talk."

[tsegss]

Travis Konecny: Is This the End?: Part 5

masterlist

author’s note: y’all asked for this, and i know this is light, but I’ve got a surprise coming for ya this weekend (:

word count: 968

“I still don’t get why you left though.” Nolan Patrick, Travis’s teammate and best friend in Philly, said shaking his head. As per usual, Travis had told Nolan what had happened between the two of you while they played video games at Nolan’s apartment.

“Dude, I fucking told you.” Travis said, a hint of frustration in his voice, focusing on the xbox controller in his hands. “I cannot watch her leave again, especially when I know it’ll be for good.”

“But like it’s the offseason?” Nolan stammered. “You could’ve gone with her.” Travis sat there looking at Nolan, shaking his head. “What am I supposed to do, go to L.A. and just sit in her apartment, waiting for her all summer while she basically has a whole new life, without me?”

Nolan paused, easily being able to tell that he had pushed his friend too far.

“And then come back here for the whole season so we can be long distance?” He added. “No, absolutely fucking not.” Travis finished, still looking down at the ground, his knuckles whitening form gripping the controller so hard.

Nolan decided to not press on and quickly he turned their attention back to Fortnite, which silently, Travis was appreciative of. He hoped it could distract him from everything.

However, it didn’t matter what was on the screen in front of him, the only thing he could ever think about was you. 

Sitting in the Philadelphia airport clutching a scorchingly hot Starbucks cup, early-era Taylor Swift blaring into your headphones, you couldn’t wait for your flight to leave. You had spent the two days after your night with Travis packing all your stuff, trying to forget about what had happened. For the most part you had succeeded, which was mostly due to the fact that were so stressed about moving more than 2,000 miles away.  

You glanced up at the TV for a second. Literally, just a second. Unfortunately, in that second you had managed to see Travis’s face, as the channel the TV in the airport was set to was doing a post season Flyers report. They were highlighting Travis’s incredible goal from their first round series against Pittsburgh.

Damn it. Why did he have to look so good in his post game interviews? Nobody should look that good when they’re tired and sweaty.

As much as it killed you, you couldn’t look away. You paused the song playing on your phone and took out your headphones, trying listen to what the reporters were saying. No matter what happened between the two of you, you would always care about him and his career.

“Wow, he’s a cutie?” The older woman next you said, smiling, looking to you for reassurance. “Am I right?”

“Ya.” You nodded your head, offering her a weak smile, trying to blink away the tears that had formed just a minute ago. “He sure is.”

“And so young. What is he, 21?” She said. What was this woman- his wikipedia?

“I’m not sure.” You said, looking at your phone, concentrating on the screensaver, a picture of your dog. She started to speak again, but you quickly excused yourself, telling her you wanted to run to the bathroom before your flight boarded.

Really you were just going because you needed a more private place to cry. 

You sat in your empty new apartment, checking your phone for the hundredth time in the last three minutes, making sure you hadn’t missed a text from someone. Not just someone, Travis. You thought for sure he would have texted to make sure that you had actually made it to California.

He knew when you were leaving and you had half expected him to run and find you at the gate and profess his love to you, telling you not to get on the plane, rom-com style. But, alas, nothing had happened. You hadn’t talked to him since the night you had slept with him.

You sighed, looking at the mountain of boxes around you. You had three days until your new roommate, Julia, moved in, and you wanted to unpack all of your stuff before she got here. But so far the only things you had done in L.A. were sleep and buy an over priced latte. Sighing, you grabbed one of the boxes, cutting through the tape and opening it.

Damn it.

This box wasn’t supposed to be here.

You sat down on the cold, dark hardwood floor of your new apartment. You should have shut it. But instead you started to go through it paying careful attention to each item. Each had memory attached to it.

You pulled a shirt out of the box and hugged it against your chest. It was shirt you had left at his apartment to sleep in. 

“What are you doing?” Travis asked. “Umm, I’m packing. I wanna drop this stuff off before my class at noon.” You said, continuing to put things in your small duffel.

“Don’t”

“Excuse me?” You looked at him, puzzled.

“You should leave some stuff here.” He said it so nonchalantly, you were shocked.

“Are you sure?” You asked. “That’s like a huge step.” You were still in complete disbelief.

“Yeah.” He smiled. “Unless you don’t want to.” His face quickly turning to worry.

“I do.” You said quickly, trying to put him at ease while walking over to him.

“Yeah?” He smiled, his head cocking down to meet yours. You nodded, genuinely. “Good.” Travis added before kissing you softly. 

Quickly, you wiped away the tear forming in your eye. You practically threw the shirt you were holding back into the box before shoving it in the first closet you could find.  

You were trying as hard as you could to get over him. But, fuck it was going to be hard.

[junker-town]

7 winners and 3 losers from Week 11 in the NFL

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The NFC East is inspirational, and the Lions are definitely not.

There are plenty of people who are going to look back on the 2020 season and see the NFC East as an abhorrant garbage pile of mediocrity. An affront to the sanctity of NFL parity, which presents itself as a perfect, almost infallible system which allows the best teams in to the playoffs, and the others to retool and try again. Ask me a decade ago and I’d agree with the grand, presentational beauty of football as the be all, end all bastion of competitive hustle. Now, I confess that 2020 has broken me. I cannot help but love, with all my heart, just how ridiculous the NFC East is.

Gaze upon its beauty and majesty.

We laughed when the teams had losing records weeks ago, but nobody expected this scenario to remain manifest with a month remaining in the season. Four, utterly hopeless teams, one of which will make the playoffs — not by merit, but default. Nobody in the NFC East will deserve a playoff shot. Instead they’ll be handed it by circumstance, and it’s really not worth getting worked up over.

Every few years a season like this happens in a division. Football writers wax poetically about whether the playoff system is fair. Fans of an excellent, deserving team will watch as their beloved 10-6 squad misses out — while someone from the NFC East will head to the post season with a 5-11 record. They’ll scream about how it’s all “bullshit” and “unfair,” and it is. It really, really is. I feel for those fans of (probably) an NFC West team, but once that anger subsides you’ll appreciate how hilarious this all is.

There’s only one appropriate way to cap off 2020: Whoever makes the playoffs from the NFC East needs to go on an impossible Cinderella run and win the Super Bowl. The most asterisk worthy team deserves to win the asterisk season and send us into a (God help us please), better 2021. Then this can all be a fever dream.

For now, you’re all winners ... for making me smile.

Loser: The hapless Detroit Lions.

Let’s break this one down in stages.

The Lions lost. Bad.

To the Carolina Panthers. Worse.

Who didn’t have Christian McCaffery. Even worse.

And were starting a quarterback whose prior experience in pro football was playing in the XFL, and threw two red zone picks. YIKES.

I know it’s not entirely as simple as this. The Panthers defense is better than most people expected, and P.J. Walker, to his credit was better than he had any right to be. Still, this was an absolute mess.

Keep in mind the Lions were a team who still believed they had a shot in the NFC North. They believed it so much they traded for Everson Griffen at the deadline, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. They thought they could actually find a back door in. There is almost no way that happens now. This season has fallen apart for Detroit, and it’s difficult to see where the team goes from here.

Winner: Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen, new BFFs.

There isn’t really some glowing award anyone should win for beating the Jets. It’s kind of like beating a three-year-old at miniature golf. Sure, you’re happy you got the W, but you also feel kinda bad for making them realize they suck.

That said, Herbert and Allen are quickly becoming one of the best duos in the NFL. On Sunday this was on full display, with the rookie quarterback throwing for 366 yards and three touchdowns, while Allen caught as astonishing 16 passes, en route to a 145 yard day.

This duo should be able to hang together for another solid 4-5 years before decline sets in, and the way they’re meshing already should bring a smile to the face of Chargers fans.

Winner: The New York Jets, kings of tanking.

Every journey requires a first step, and you did it guys. Getting eliminated from playoff contention began the sojourn in ensuring you’re on the path to Trevor Lawrence. But, the hard work doesn’t end here. Now you need to lose again, and keep losing — no matter what. That is your lot in life, so you can select, and ruin yet another promising quarterback.

Loser: Patriots.

New England already faced an uphill battle to make the playoffs in 2020, but losing on Sunday to the Texans more or less sealed their fate. It would take a small miracle, and a heck of a collapse by the Bills to change the course of the division at this point, and that’s not going to happen.

We now look ahead to one of the most fascinating offseasons in recent memory for a team. How long does Belichick keep going? Do the Patriots think Cam Newton showed enough to try this again? How do you revamp a roster, with holes everywhere, without the promise of dominating wins or the once-vaunted “Patriot way?” I’m anxiously awaiting it, because I have no real stakes in it and can enjoy it more without the stress of this being my team to worry about.

Winner: The AFC South elite.

The concept of divisional statements is a bit of a beleaguered one. After all, every team plays for themselves in isolation, giving this idea of “divisional pride” not much meaning. Except for our beautiful, sweet summer children the NFC East where everything is bad.

That said, the Colts beating the Packers in overtime, and the Colts beating the Ravens — also in overtime, makes a heck of a statement for the health of the division. Both teams deserve a playoff spot based on their recent play, and it’s going to be a brutal stretch for the spate of teams locked in second in AFC divisions trying to find a way into the playoffs.

Loser: Matt Leinart.

LA just closed all dining INDOOR/OUTDOOR for 3 weeks? Can’t wait to move out of this awful place. Ridiculous.

— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) November 23, 2020

‘Nuff said.

[rickhorrow]

15+5+5 To Watch 2320

15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 3

with Jacob Aere 

Patrick Mahomes leads the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years, and the sky’s the limit for the quarterback phenom, his team, and their city. Mahomes, who also captured NFL MVP honors, doesn’t turn 25 until September. His likely longevity, and the youth of many of the Chief’s other stars, are the main reasons that the Chiefs could be starting a string of Super Bowl appearances. Kansas City will now experience a new chapter in its community brand, one much more prestigious than the footnote of appearing (and getting beat) in the very first Super Bowl game 54 years ago. Look for local businesses such as respected international architecture firm Populous and greeting card giant Hallmark to capitalize. Also in line to cash in is Mahomes himself. As his rookie deal ends, Mahomes is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, which will likely see him land the NFL’s first $200 million contract and emerge as the league’s highest paid player. Whatever deal his agent Leigh Steinberg – not the fictional State Farm hack – negotiates, it’s a price the Chiefs should be willing to pay to continue their quest for more championships, and an international elevation of their brand.

The NFL reported that more than 30 charitable activities and community outreach events were on deck ahead of Super Bowl LIV. The big game in Miami served as the conclusion of the NFL’s season-long Huddle for 100 initiative, which encouraged people to donate 100 minutes of their time in honor of the NFL’s 100th season, totaling 100 million minutes – a goal in which the league surpassed in November. Super Bowl Week activities include the announcement of the annual Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide winner, a series of community projects made possible by NFL Foundation Super Bowl Legacy Grants and the Super Bowl LIV Host Committee and a number of youth health and wellness events including the NFL PLAY 60 Kids’ Day. During the week, the NFL and Verizon also hosted an Unsung Heroes luncheon for volunteers and employees at local domestic violence and sexual assault prevention organizations and shelters, among other activities. Even though the NFL season has now drawn to a close, the league’s tradition of giving back and making a positive impact in communities continues throughout the year.

Super Bowl LIV is in the record books, but celebrations in Miami continue. On Monday night, HSBC and Rick Horrow present SportBusiness 50: Lessons And Leadership From Legends Of The Game. The event, held at the University of Miami, features panelists including Dolphins Vice Chairman Tom Garfinkel, NFL Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker, and RISE CEO Diahann Billings-Burford. The “Lessons And Leadership” Series will draw on contributors to Horrow’s latest book, The Sport Business Handbook: Insights from 100+ Leaders Who Shaped 50 Years of the Industry. The collaboration between HSBC and Horrow kicks off in Miami, focusing on the greatest moments in South Florida sports history and how technology has disrupted the industry. “We are always looking for new and interesting ways to connect with our clients and support their personal and professional growth,” said Michael Rogan, Head of Corporate & Strategic Partners, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC USA. “Collaborating with Rick on the launch of his new book provides us with an exclusive platform to share insights, perspectives and solutions from luminaries in the sports industry that will help support the long-term business success of our clients and prospects.” We will share the top “greatest moments” next week.

A new report predicts that sports sponsorship spending will increase the most it has in a decade. Global spending on sports sponsorships by advertisers is predicted to total $48.4 billion this year, up 5%, according to a new report from marketing intelligence firm WARC. The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is expected to garner $5.94 billion in sponsorship dollars, with $1.95 billion coming from Olympic partners including Coca-Cola and P&G, double the amount sponsors spent at the previous games. The report also predicts that local sponsors in Japan including Canon, Asahi, and Fujitsu will spend $3.33 billion, four times the amount spent during Rio's 2016 games. The report also forecasts that brand investment in esports will total $795 million this year, up 23.1%, with $584 million going to sponsorships and $211 million to ad breaks. Further, NBC projects that the Summer Olympics in Tokyo will set a record by surpassing the $1.2 billion in TV commercials it sold during 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, per Front Office Sports. The network has already booked $1 billion in ad revenue commitments, and the Games are still five months away. 

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has postponed all national soccer leagues at all levels, including the top-flight Chinese Super League club competition, due to the escalation of the coronavirus epidemic. China’s premier soccer league was due to start play on February 22. A new start date for the Super League and China’s soccer tournaments has not yet been announced. The CFA said in a statement, “In order to help prevent and control the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, and to protect the health of fans, media, players, coaches, game officials, clubs and staff, the CFA has decided to postpone the start of the 2020 national football competitions at all levels.” The Chinese women’s national soccer team arrived in Brisbane on January 29 for their Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifier match versus Australia after the players and staff passed a coronavirus screening. The match, which was due to be held in Wuhan, was moved to Australia due to the escalating situation in China. The coronavirus outbreak has also seen the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships, which was due to take place in the Chinese city of Nanjing March 13-15, postponed on the advice of the World Health Organization until next year.

Tokyo 2020 organizers enter the final stretch of a decade of Olympics planning. According to Japan Today, the organizers are dealing with fewer issues than their counterparts did in the build-up to Rio four years ago. But a few challenges still remain before the opening ceremony on July 24, including the city's notoriously hot summer weather. "Everything is coming together now, and we are extremely excited," Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya told Reuters. "It has been a long journey, with some bumps here and there, but for the most part everything has gone well. Everything is where we wanted it to be with six months to go – sometimes in an even better place." Noticeably different from Brazil is the weight of public support behind the Tokyo Games, with almost 4.5 million Olympics tickets having already been sold on the domestic market. By contrast, the Rio Olympics were met with widespread criticism over the use of public funds, as money was poured into venues that have since largely become white elephants. The centerpiece of Tokyo's Olympics is the 68,000-capacity National Stadium, opened by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in December.

Anheuser-Busch announced a partnership between the iconic Dominican pilsner Presidente Beer and Alex Rodriguez, with Rodriquez joining the company as Chairman of Presidente USA. “Growing up as a Dominican-American in the US, Presidente was not only a beer, it was part of our community. It connected my parents to their home and was a part of every major community event, big or small,” said Rodriguez. “It is truly an honor to get behind a brand with such a deep connection to my heritage and culture, and I cannot wait to help build its future.” As Chairman of Presidente USA, Rodriguez will help grow the Presidente brand presence in the U.S. in 2020 and beyond, including the release of new products and materials. Rodriguez’ fiancée and Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime performer Jennifer Lopez was, in the minds of many viewers, an even bigger star on Super Bowl Sunday than the victorious Chiefs. With every international deal, Rodriguez and Lopez cement their reputation as the leading power couple in sports and entertainment.

A U.S. House of Representatives resolution targets minor league contractions in baseball. Less than two weeks before major league pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training on February 12, a group of U.S. representatives led by Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) have introduced a resolution imploring MLB to "abandon its proposal to strip major-league affiliation from 42 minor-league teams across the country." The bipartisan legislation, according to the Boston Globe, is an "outgrowth of the 'Save Minor League Baseball' Task Force formed late last year." The measure is "non-binding, but after being assigned to a committee, the sponsors' goal will be to bring the measure to the floor of the chamber for a full House vote." Approval is "not guaranteed but the bipartisan support suggests passage would be more likely than not, an outcome that could stiffen headwinds MLB is already facing” in its talks with MiLB over a new working agreement. As baseball season inches closer and the 2020 elections heat up, look for more candidates nationwide to come out in support of MiLB and what it means to our communities.

The World Golf Group (WGG) events organization has unveiled plans for a new 18-event global tour featuring a $240 million total prize fund. The Premier Golf League (PGL) is scheduled to launch in January, 2022, with an eight-month season and 10 U.S.-based events. New York-based merchant bank the Raine Group is backing the new series as it aims to shake up the golf landscape by recruiting 48 top players for the tour. The format will see a champion decided after the 17th event, and the final staged as a team playoff. Select players would be awarded part-ownership of a team franchise, which would then give them the chance to share in “significant equity value.” A WGG statement read, “We believe we’ll succeed because the league is what fans, sponsors and broadcasters want — and the best players deserve.” WGG is eager to work with the PGA Tour and European Tour rather than act as a breakaway league. However, golf’s premier tours have dismissed the concept.

The PGA Tour announced that the Tour and its tournaments have surpassed $3 billion in all-time charitable giving. The charitable total, which includes a record $204.3 million in 2019 to bring the all-time total to $3.05 billion, includes donations made by tournaments on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Series-China. “It’s truly a pleasure to thank our fans, sponsors, tournaments, players and volunteers for helping us generate over $3 billion for charity and positively impact millions of lives,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Together, we look forward to continuing to reach – and celebrate – millions more.” That’s an impressive number – as is the winner’s take just announced for the 2020 Players Championship. The PGA Tour, according to the Florida Times-Union, has “boosted the purse" for the event to $15 million in total and restored it to its "position as the tournament with the richest purse in golf.” The 2020 winner will take home $2.7 million, up from $2.25 million for the 2019 event won by Rory McIlroy.

Kobe Bryant will be recognized at the 92nd Oscars ceremony. The LA Lakers icon, who was killed with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others last Sunday, has been honored – and appropriately so – at seemingly every international and domestic sporting event over the past week, including during last Sunday’s Grammy awards and during the Super Bowl LIV pregame ceremonies. Now, Bryant will be honored on the motion picture industry’s biggest stage. Bryant won an Animated Short Oscar in 2018 for “Dear Basketball,” a short film that revolved around an essay he wrote as he neared retirement from the NBA in 2016. The 2020 Academy Awards air Sunday, February 9 on ABC. With the recognition at that event, Bryant will posthumously garner accolades at America’s trifecta of major awards shows, this year falling on back to back to back Sundays. And alongside the respects paid to him are remembrances of the eight other people who tragically lost their lives last Sunday, including Bryant’s daughter Gianna and two of her teammates, taken way too young.

Snapchat promotes its ability to reach millennials and Gen Z during March Madness. While everyone else’s mind is on Super Bowl LIV, Snapchat is focused on March Madness. According to Snap Inc. internal surveys, as reported by Hashtag Sports, nearly 75% of Snapchatters who intend to watch the 2019-2020 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship use the messaging application while watching live sports. Additionally, over 65% of that group will use Snapchat to chat with their friends about the games. Snapchat saw incremental reach up 23% on average among its advertisers’ target audiences, according to Nielsen, and 72% of the app’s Gen Z reach was not reached by TV. Snapchat concluded, “Marketers can look forward to March Madness on Snapchat in 2020 because of the hyper-relevant content on our platform, Snapchatters’ engagement during live sports events, our proven ability to add incremental reach to TV advertising and the strong performance advertisers saw during March Madness in 2019.” Reaching a desirable young demographic, clearly, is a snap.

While young American Sofia Kenin captured the women’s Australian Open title, 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu is fast becoming a heavyweight commercial asset in tennis, capable of commanding $35,331 per social media post, according to a recent study undertaken by Nielsen Sports. Drawing on data from the Influencer Selection and Measurement framework study, which saw Nielsen analyze athlete social media profiles over the last six months, the 19-year-old Canadian is ranked as the highest-performing athlete aged 25 or under. Andreescu’s social media followers grew by 585% over the course of the study, averaging 97,000 likes and 1,100 comments per post. Based on Nielsen’s framework grading, Andreescu scored 19 out of 20, which accounts for factors such as follower growth, engagement levels, and overall media value per post. Andreesu was forced to withdraw ahead of the Australian Open after failing to recover from a knee injury picked up at the WTA Finals in October. However, her and Kenin’s Slam victories represent a growing youth takeover in women’s tennis.

SoFi Stadium builders said that the venue is 85% complete, but "finishing touches will take up much of the construction horde's remaining time" before the Inglewood venue opens in late July. Rams Executive VP and COO Kevin Demoff told the Associated Press, "Everybody here feels confident about the timeline and how it will come together. There's been no indication to us that there's been any slippage." The Rams and Chargers will take advantage of the stadium's "late-summer concerts and their own preseason games to work out any quirks or adjustments before the regular season begins." The 298-acre Hollywood Park development surrounding the stadium will "take longer to complete, although construction is already underway on the 450,000-square-foot building that will house NFL Media" beginning in 2021. Crews also are "currently building the stadium's translucent roof, with roughly 40% of the panels already in place." USC School of Architecture Associate Professor Alvin Huang said, "They're going against the historic convention of stadium design where it is a closed roof or a retractable roof." He added, "You will literally have millions of people looking at it from above. The roof not only becomes an architectural signature, it also becomes a branding signature." 

The launch of non-profit organization USA Cornhole has nailed a partner in NBC Sports, which will carry four National Events on NBCSN in 2020. Coverage begins on NBCSN on May 24, 2020 with the USA Forces Cornhole Championship, and will be followed by presentations of the USA Cornhole Club Championship, USA Cornhole Pro-Celebrity Charity Invitational, and USA Cornhole National Championship, in the second half of 2020. USA Cornhole will be based out of Denver. Kevin Warner will serve as Executive Director, and the new league will have a board of directors with representation from around the country made up of athletes and individuals from the business community. In news that’s not related but seems like it should be, Foster Farms Corn Dogs locked in a new partnership with WWE, launching a campaign featuring WWE Superstar Lacey Evans and her daughter Summer, as they face off against the “Hunger Monster.” The deal will run through 2020 and feature retail activation, a sweepstakes, micro site, and social media engagement rolling out into WWE SummerSlam in August, 2020.

Top Five Tech

Verizon and the NFL developed AR technology on the NFL OnePass App for Super Bowl LIV. According to Sports Video Group, Verizon and the NFL jointly developed applications that came to life for fans at Hard Rock Stadium within the NFL OnePass app. All fans using the NFL OnePass app will be able to take advantage of AR overlays of big plays and stats across 4G networks, including new features such as in-stadium wayfinding and augmented reality entertainment experiences. And for Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband customers attending the game, the application also offered a new multi-camera angle streaming feature to choose the best angle for live action and instant replays. In addition to the Verizon-built features for fans in the stadium, the app included the full schedule of events, appearances, maps, and a chance to win prizes including game tickets. This was likely a first test of an app that will be used widely at official NFL events next season and allow fans to be better connected, even when they are at the game

Online Super Bowl betting was projected to take in $400 million. According to Yahoo Sports, legal online and retail sportsbooks across the country were on track to take in $400 million in total bets for Super Bowl LIV. Even if that is an overestimation, it is likely that the February 2 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs brought in more money via legal sportsbooks than ever before. The Super Bowl is by far the most bet-on sporting event in the U.S., drawing an estimated $6 billion in legal and illegal bets in 2019, according to the American Gaming Association. That number will reach almost $7 billion in 2020, the AGA estimates. This year thirteen states, representing a combined population of 70 million, offered a means to place a legal bet on this year's Super Bowl with eight of those states offering both online and retail sports betting. Prop bets, including who would win the coin toss and the color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach Andy Reid (purple) would keep more fans invested in the game and the online betting community happy with its biggest result in the U.S. to date.

ESPN is rolling out 500 live shows across YouTube, Facebook and other platforms. According to Digiday, the TV network opened 2020 by announcing that it had hired House of Highlights founder Omar Raja. The company has also renovated the studio previously used by one of its most popular TV shows, “First Take,” to give ESPN’s digital programming its own, 2,750-square-foot home. This year, ESPN plans to air more than 500 live original shows across its own digital properties and platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook. And the tally tops the more than 400 digital shows that ESPN aired in 2019, which was double its 2018 figure. In December 2019, all ESPN sites and apps combined received 102.4 million unique visitors in the U.S., a 4% increase from the December 2018 mark; ESPN’s video viewership via social media has ballooned over the past year with 2.2 billion video views in December 2019, a 58% increase, according to Tubular Labs. The expansion of ESPN’s live digital programming and social media presence should help its business at a time when TV advertisers are planning to shift more money online, particularly to reach younger people who are less likely to tune into traditional TV.

Hyundai unveiled TikTok video to support Super Bowl campaign of Boston stars. According to Mobile Marketer, the carmaker is the first automotive brand on the social media platform, and it debuted a TikTok video to support a Super Bowl campaign that included a 60-second commercial starring Boston celebrities. Hyundai's TikTok video stars former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Rachel Dratch, who also appeared in the Super Bowl spot, completing the #onedayafterwatching challenge. The popular TikTok challenge urges people to share videos of how watching a TV show or movie changes their behavior. Hyundai's Super Bowl social media campaign included a takeover of its Twitter account by Boston-area comedians Robert Kelly and Tony Viveiros. They live-tweeted from the @Hyundai account and responded to fans and viewers during the Super Bowl, and hosted four segments of "The Hyundai Quartertime Show" that were posted online throughout the game. With Super Bowl smartphone viewership on the rise among millennials and Gen Z, Hyundai is looking to connect with a young audience through the TikTok challenge.

YouTube and Google sign an exclusive streaming deal with esports Activision Blizzard. According to The Verge, video game publisher Activision Blizzard will see the Google cloud platform power all of its game hosting and technical needs. As part of the deal, YouTube will become the exclusive streaming partner for all of the game publisher’s big e-sports titles, including the upcoming season of the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty League. The deal is a huge win for YouTube, which has struggled to compete with game streaming leader Twitch, despite YouTube being the largest video site in the world and the second most-visited website on the planet behind only its parent company’s search engine. Twitch has long been the go-to destination for live gaming entertainment. In the larger esports streaming context, it’s Amazon-owned Twitch competing against Google-owned YouTube, while Facebook is also trying to build out its own live-streaming platform to capitalize on the popularity of gaming content. It is only a matter of time before other big streaming players, such as Disney, HBO, and Netflix try to get more involved in the live-streaming and gaming spaces, so Twitch and YouTube need to solidify their foothold on the new industry quickly.

Power of Sports Five

Vanessa Bryant announces a fund to direct donations to other families of helicopter crash victims that killed her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna. According to Business Insider, Vanessa Bryant posted on Instagram about the crash, thanking the "millions of people who've shown support and love during this horrific time." She also announced a new fund called the MambaOnThree Foundation set up to support the families affected by the tragedy. The new fund is being set up in conjunction with Kobe Bryant's youth sports charity, the Mamba Sports Foundation, in order to further Kobe and Gianna's legacy, Vanessa Bryant conveyed. According to information on the new foundation’s website, all proceeds from the fund will be directed to the families of the other victims. As the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to investigate the crash, there is a way to show financially support for all of the loved ones of those who lost family in the tragedy.

Didier Drogba and Dwight Yorke to play in a charity game to combat the Australian bushfires. According to the BBC, FootballForFires match will take place at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on Saturday, May 23. Former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke, ex-Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, former Juventus striker David Trezeguet, ex-Manchester United midfielder Ji-sung Park, and former Sunderland and Leeds striker Michael Bridges are players confirmed to play in support of relief efforts for the widespread Australian natural disaster. Since September, blazes have killed at least 30 people, destroyed over 2,000 homes, and burnt through 10 million hectares of land - an area almost the size of England. Proceeds from ticket sales and donations from the match will be used to help football clubs affected by the fires across Australia. The damages from the fires are widespread in the sports world but the Australian Football League, Rugby Australia, Cricket Australia, Football Federation Australia, National Rugby League, Netball Australia, and Tennis Australia plan to work together with the government and relevant agencies to rebuild sport facilities.

The NBA makes major All-Star Game format changes that include a tribute to Kobe Bryant. According to Larry Brown Sports, the 2020 NBA All-Star Game will be broken into a series of mini-games in which teams can raise money for Chicago-area charities. Scores will be reset to 0-0 at the end of the first three quarters, with the winners of each of the first three quarters receiving $100,000 to donate to their charity. When the fourth quarter begins, the scores for each team from the first three quarters combined will be redisplayed, and the team that wins the All-Star Game will be the first to reach a target score in the untimed fourth quarter. That target score will be determined by the total score the leading team through three quarters, plus 24. The 24 is a nod to Bryant’s jersey number. The final score is worth $200,000, making the total game worth $500,000 for local charities. If one team leads the entire way through, the losing team will still get $100,000 to donate to its charity. In an effort to honor Kobe Bryant and contribute to local charities, the NBA will make sure to place the Lakers star center stage during this year’s All-Star game. 

Adidas will launch new fabrics from recycled polyester and ocean plastic. According to Reuters, the new fabrics will be expanded into Adidas product lines after the success of shoes made with the eco-friendly Parley for the Oceans initiative. Adidas first teamed up with Parley in 2015 and gradually ramped up production of shoes using plastic collected on beaches and coastal regions to make more than 11 million pairs in 2019, still just a fraction of a total of more than 400 million shoes. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation says less than 1% of material used for new clothing is recycled, a loss of more than $100 billion worth of materials each year. Adidas will continue to make Parley-branded shoes and clothes out of ocean plastic in 2020 and will also launch “Primeblue” fabric containing Parley marine waste that it will use in existing lines like its popular Ultraboost shoes, with the aim of having 100% of its polyester recycled by 2024. In total, the German sports giant will produce 15-20 million pairs of shoes using ocean plastic in 2020. While recycled polyester costs about 10% more than the other material, Adidas ultimately wants to get the price down so more consumers can afford to choose sustainable products and help save the planet.

New York Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland receives NFLPA's Alan Page Award. According to UPI, the award is the NFLPA's highest honor presented to an NFL player each season. Copeland will receive a $100,000 donation either to his foundation or a charity of his choice. Copeland was presented the award by Alan Page himself at the NFLPA's Super Bowl week news conference in Miami. Copeland received the honor after taking 300 children on a Christmas shopping spree to Target, with each child getting $200 gift cards to spend. Many NFL players made differences in their communities throughout the football season, and ahead of the NFL’s biggest game, it is important to remember the players like Copeland who make their communities better year-round.

[flauntpage]

The 2019 MLB Home Run Derby Running Diary: So Many Dingers

Back back back back back back back back back back back back back to the well with another running diary because what else am I going to write about during the worst sports week of the year!? What else am I going to write about right now? The Philadelphia 76ers NBA summer league (tempting), the frightening ineptitude of Jake Arrieta and his bone spurry elbow (too depressing), or the Flyers?! THE FLYERS?! I think not.

Let’s see who can hit the most dingers in the second most worthless exhibition that will be played this week as I waste nearly three hours of my life watching the 2019 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby.

8 p.m. – Bob Eucker opens the festivities. If he could just do all his lines from “Major League” for the rest of the night that would be better than the planned ESPN broadcast. Thanks.

8:01 p.m. – Karl Ravech and his totally not a toupee and absolutely natural hair welcomes us to lovely Cleveland, Ohio for the 2019 T-Mobile Home Run Derby! What a historic event. Who could ever forget when Dave Parker slugged six home runs in the first ever T-Mobile Home Run Derby in 1985? Unforgettable. Mark Teixeira and his wet ham personality joins the broadcast and is immediately tuned out by the entire viewing audience.

8:03 p.m. – Something called DJ Irene is pretending to play music in centerfield as the night’s entrants are announced. Let’s meet the 2019 candidates who will fuck up their swings for the rest of the season to win bragging rights for an outdated exhibition that nobody cares about.

#1 seed Matt Chapman (21 home runs) – A last minute replacement for the #1 overall seed Christian Yelich. A third baseman for the Oakland A’s, Chapman apparently plays professional baseball while he’s not selling awful used cars for Chapman Ford in the offseason.

#2 seed Pete Alonso (30 home runs) – Pete “The Polar Bear” Alonso, a rookie for the New York Mets, has mashed 30 home runs so far this season and is eager to see how his very promising career will be derailed by his franchise.

#3 seed Josh Bell (27 home runs) – An outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates and apparently not the former co-star of the Teen Nick sitcom smash “Drake and Josh.”

#4 seed Alex Bregman (23 home runs) – A third baseman for the Houston Astros and official workhorse for the Coggin Toboggan, who bet $10 on him to win at +850. Real good guy, nothing but great things to say about this exciting young man. Salt of the earth.

#5 seed Joc Pederson (20 home runs) – Outfielder and first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers with the most infuriating first name of any of the competitors. Joc. JOC. Fucking gross. He shall be known as JP for the rest of the proceedings.

#6 Ronald Acuna Jr.  (21 home runs) – Some loser for the Atlanta Braves. BOOOOOOOO.

#7 Carlos Santana (19 home runs) – Phillies legend Carlos Santana. Immediately resurrected his career after losing all athletic ability playing one year for Philadelphia. Sounds about right.

#8 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (8 home runs) – Third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. Rumor has it his dad actually played a little professional baseball. That’s crazy, I can’t believe the media has never mentioned that before.

8:10 p.m. – Bryce Harper was invited right? He’s an All-Star, isn’t he? I’m sure he’s just late.

8:14 p.m. – Marly Rivera interviews Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who may or may not have a father who played professional baseball.

8:20 p.m. – The first match-up of the night features JP against our boy Bregman. Pederson hits 21 home runs and I can taste that $10 just slipping away. GOD DAMNIT, JP, I GOT KIDS. Most of his home runs only went one or two rows deep into the outfield. Should be disqualified.

8:25 p.m. – Trying to convince my wife that if a ball hits one of the kids shagging fly balls in the head and goes over the fence it counts as two. She is not convinced.

8:27 p.m. – Dear God it’s a rocky start for our boy Bregman. One home run in the first 30 seconds. PICK IT UP. It’s a home run derby, not a line drive derby, THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR THE PLACE TO SHOW OFF YOUR LEVEL SWING. UPPERCUT THE SHIT OUT OF IT AND LET’S GO.

8:28 p.m. – Bregman has hit 6 in a minute and a half and takes a timeout.

8:30 p.m. – He keeps hitting the very top of the left field wall. Is that wall regulation height or what?!

8:31 p.m. – Pathetic. HIT ONE OFF THE KIDS AND HOPE IT GOES OVER, THAT COUNTS AS TWO.

8:32 p.m. – 16 home runs and he’s out. Christ. Mark Texeira: “If I’m going to teach my kids how to swing, I’m showing them Alex Bregman’s swing.” Shut up Mark. JP moves on and I wish I didn’t have to watch the rest of this.

8:33 p.m. – Guerrero Jr. vs. Chapman up next. Guerrero Jr. is the youngest player to ever participate in a home run derby and he promptly hits a scorching grounder to third… and then a 462 foot home run to dead center.

8:35 p.m. – What kind of waivers does MLB make these kids’ parents sign before letting them go out to the outfield to try to catch 110 MPH juiced ball rockets?

“Sign here, initial here, sign here again…this waives us from all liability if your child has his skull caved in after losing a ball in the lights. Good news though, if your child does slip into a coma we’ll give you 20% off all purchases from the official MLB merchandise store for all purchase of $100 or more.”

8:40 p.m. – Good lord. He hit 29 home runs. Tied Josh Hamilton for most in a round ever. I will say he hit a few before they actually landed, a clear violation of home run derby rules. I expect MLB officials to announce his disqualification shortly.

8:43 p.m. – Matt “thanks for coming out” Chapman is up next. His dad is pitching to him. Knowing my dad he would have yelled at me for “not keeping my hands low and my head down on the swing” and I would have stormed off the field in tears after hurling my bat at him like I was 10-years-old again. Good times!

8:45 p.m. – I’ll be the first to say it; we’re all just watching this to see one of the kids get scorched off the dome, aren’t we? Half of them aren’t even paying attention to the action. FOCUS.

8:46 p.m. – Chapman’s dad keeps throwing balls outside of the zone and up by his head,  JUST LOB IT OVER THE PLATE, JESUS CHRIST. The only explanation for his poor pitching performance is he’s been playing the long con, waiting years before he had the opportunity to publicly humiliate his son in front of millions of fans on a national stage. Mission completed.

8:47 p.m. – His dad cannot throw a strike and looks completely gassed. Chapman has 13 home runs with 30 bonus seconds left to hit 17 more for the win. His dad promptly throws two balls to start things off. Something tells me his invitation to the next Oakland A’s father/son weekend is going to be conveniently lost in the mail. Guerrero moves on.

8:53 p.m. – Tracy Morgan is apparently hosting the ESPYs this year. Oh boy, I can’t wait to hear him read three hours of canned sports jokes off a teleprompter with the same amount of energy as John Kruk when his blood sugar dips.

8:57 p.m. – Ronald Acuna Jr. vs. Josh Bell next. Sadly, Acuna Jr. has a great swing and it will be extraordinarily depressing to see him blast a 600-foot home run off of Vince Velasquez on Sept. 1 to officially eliminate the Phillies from postseason contention.

9:03 p.m. – Acuna Jr. smashes 24 home runs off of Phillies great Tomas Perez, proving once and for all that if you want to hit as many home runs as possible you just need to face Phillies pitching.

9:04 p.m. – I’m already tired of people making the Phillies pitching joke on Twitter. Alright we get it:

I'd be the betting favorite in the Home Run Derby tonight if I announced I was flying Jerad Eickhoff in to throw to me.

— CogginToboggan (@CogginToboggan) July 8, 2019

This guy made the same recycled joke last year. What a tool:

If Rhys Hoskins brought Hector Neris to pitch to him he would have hit 50 home runs.

— CogginToboggan (@CogginToboggan) July 17, 2018

9:06 p.m. – Betting favorite Josh Bell hit four home runs in a minute and a half. Feel sorry for all the people who bet on this loser and will be out of the derby after the first round. Couldn’t imagine making such a poor bet.

9:10 p.m. – Mark Teixeira: “You really need the person throwing you the balls to put them in the same place every time to get into a rhythm.” Wow, thanks Mark. Should the hitters also try to put the balls over the fence for them to count as a home run?

9:13 p.m. – Bell hits 18 home runs and is eliminated, proving once and for all that nothing good ever comes out of Pittsburgh.

9:15 p.m. – Carlos Santana is up next vs. Pete Alonso. At the All-Star break last year, Santana was hitting .209 with 14 HRs and a .747 OPS. This year, Santana is your starting AL All-Star cleanup hitter and is smashing .297 with 19 HRs and a .958 OPS. Fuck my life!

9:18 p.m. – Santana promptly shits the bed and only hits 12 home runs, the lowest in the derby so far. That’s a shame. A damned shame. Somewhere Gabe Kapler is fist pumping in a dimly lit basement as he knocks out another 5,000 angry crunches under a bare light bulb.

9:19 p.m. – Watching Santana hit in the derby and be elected to his first All-Star team was worse than listening to Ben Davis last year opine on the extraordinary value of Santana’s ability to take a walk while hitting .229 for the entire season.

9:22 p.m. – Pete “The Polar Bear” Alonso is up next. He’s nicknamed the Polar Bear because he bought a pair of illegal polar bear skin batting gloves off the Dark Web, which he attributes to his great success.

9:25 p.m. – Alonso is letting history’s greatest monster off the hook so far after only hitting six home runs in 2:30.

9:27 p.m. – “That just hit the scoreboard” Teixeira mentions for a home run that comes about 20 rows short of the scoreboard.

9:28 p.m. – Alonso! Alonso! Alonso! 14 home runs to send Santana packing, HUMILIATING Carlos in front of his friends and family. DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?! YES!

9:29 p.m. – As is tradition, Santana must now eat a mouthful of Chris Berman’s wispy skullet hair for hitting the least amount of home runs in a round. Rules are rules, sorry Carlos.

9:34 p.m. – Disappointed ESPN hasn’t trotted out the bloated gin corpse of Chris Berman to give us one epic BACK BACK BACK BACK BACK before banishing him back to the extra-large cryotherapy chamber he spends 360 days a year in.

9:36 p.m. – Guerrero Jr. vs. JP in the semis. Christ, I’m already bored with this. Just bring back the MTV Rock and Jock Softball game instead of this nonsense. Who else remembers when Frank Thomas hit a home run with the eight ball in the 1993 event to lead the Dan Cortese coached “Awayboys” to victory over the hated Corbin Bernsen coached “Homeboys.” Anyone? Just me? Ok then.

9:41 p.m. – GUERRERO JR. HITS 29 HOME RUNS AGAIN! The potential 30th home run came within an inch of going out on the final hit. Did you know his dad was Vlad Guerrero? Who won the event in 2007? WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THIS?

9:44 p.m. – Mother of God, JP isn’t going away. Despite his terrible name he hits an impressive 14 home runs with two minutes left to go.

9:48 p.m. – Holy shit, JP hits 27 home runs and needs to hit three more in his 30 second bonus to defeat Guerrero Jr.

9:50 p.m. – They both hit 29 overall and each get to take a swing at Karl Ravech’s head and whoever hits his toupee furthest goes to the championship round.

9:55 p.m. – ESPN goes the PC liberal route and opts for a two minute home run tie breaker. They both hit another 8 home runs, tying again. YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WATCH MORE OF THIS BULLSHIT?! JUST END IT ALREADY.

9:56 p.m. – THEY TIED AGAIN. AFTER A THREE SWING HIT OFF, THEY TIE AGAIN. They both hit a home run in three swings and go to ANOTHER overtime round. Did I die before overtime started? Is this purgatory for me? Am I going to watch these two hit dingers for the rest of my days until my soul is absolved of all its sins? It could be worse, I could have to watch the Flyers.

10 p.m. – For this overtime round whoever is the son of Vladimir Guerrero wins and goes on to the championship.

10:03 p.m. – That was amazing.  Guerrero hits two bombs with his three swings and JP hits one. JP, like every Dodgers fan ever, leaves immediately before the contest is over so he can beat traffic.

10:03 p.m. – The only thing that could have made that any better would have been a quick shot of Zack Hample being trampled as he ran for one of the home run balls.

10:05 p.m. – Christ, I forgot we still have more of this. Just end it now and give it to Guerrero Jr., he deserves the trophy and the $1 million. I don’t care about anything else.

10:06 p.m. – Somewhere Chris Berman looked up from his third Reuben sandwich of the evening, grunted at the TV, and squirted Thousand Island dressing directly from the bottle into his mouth.

10:12 p.m. – I’d respect Acuna Jr. more if he just bunted for the rest of the competition.

10:16 p.m. – Acuna Jr. is gassed despite the three hour break he got watching Guerrero Jr. and JP put on the greatest home run derby round of all time. He hits 19.

10:19 p.m. – Alonso is up and the crowd gasps off-screen after his first hit. Maybe DJ Irene was beaned by an Alonso line drive as he was looking for the club remix of the Cupid Shuffle.

10:20 p.m. – The broadcast just revealed that Alonso is actually called the Polar Bear because of an incident in high school where he tossed a second grader into the polar bear enclosure of the Bronx Zoo for a laugh.

10:24 p.m. – Alonso hits 20 to send Acuna Jr. packing. Because he is a promising young member of the Mets, I look forward to reading about his MRI results tomorrow showing he tore both rotator cuffs simultaneously at some point during the competition.

10:28 p.m. – Apparently Paul Heyman announced on Monday Night Raw that BROCKKKKK LESNARRRRR would cash in his Money in the Bank contract this Sunday at Extreme Rules in Philadelphia. I found this exponentially more interesting than anything Mark Teixeira has said all night.

10:31 p.m. – Guerrero Jr. has hit 69 total home runs going into the championship. Somewhere, Rob Gronkowski is giggling to himself.

10:35 p.m. – Guerrero Jr. hits a paltry 22 home runs in the championship round. He is one pathetic loser.

10:40 p.m. – Oh my God just end this. I’ve had it. I’ve been out of contention to win money for 95% of this entire broadcast.

10:41 p.m. – A gorgeous shot of downtown Cleveland and its historic Applebees that LeBron James once refused to step foot in.

10:45 p.m. – Alonso hits 23 in the final round to beat Guerrero Jr. It should be fun to hear Mike Francesa rationalize how this is on par with the Mets 1986 World Series championship.

10:51 p.m. – What a night, what a derby. Guerrero Jr. and JP put on a show, Alonso won the championship after Guerrero Jr. punched himself out, and most importantly Carlos Santana embarrassed himself on national television.

The post The 2019 MLB Home Run Derby Running Diary: So Many Dingers appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The 2019 MLB Home Run Derby Running Diary: So Many Dingers published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[thrashermaxey]

Eastern Edge: Production and Expected Production from Atlantic Right Wingers

  Last week we covered LWs in the Atlantic and this week we’ll stay in that division to look at some of the RWs.  We’ll cover the same stat areas and throw in some of the historical data to show whether it is likely a player that performed well in the year 2018-2019 has a reasonable chance of repeating next year in 2019-2020.

The graph depicting used to highlight RW goal scoring abilities this year is below. The graph can help you visualize where a player falls with regards to their actual goal totals and the difference between actual and expected goals scored (X-Axis), and their individual shooting percentage from this year (Y-Axis).  Given that the league average shooting percentage is around 11% you can see if there are any big names on the list that fall in the category of having a below average shooting percentage and room to grow in the actual goals scored.  More than anything I think that this graph can find you a couple extra goals and make sure you realize that 40 goals by one player may mean that they could fall back to 32 next year.  Player skill/opportunity is still something to remember – just because Ondrej Palat ends up in quadrant that tends to be a BUY area doesn’t mean he’s a 40-goal scorer.  Please note that all the data used to create this graph is for a 5v5 situation and was obtained via Corsica.Hockey.

    That leads us to discuss Nikita Kucherov, don’t worry I told everyone to not draft him if you were in the top three picks after he scored 100 points in 2017-2018 it seemed unlikely he could smash the 100-point barrier again.  Interestingly part his goal scoring this year was due to his high shooting percentage of 16.7%.  As an elite player we can expect to see the season where top players produce extraordinary results, it was interesting to see him perform even better this year despite taking 33 less shots in two more games this year.   Last year I was wrong and so I won’t make that mistake again – aside from a high shooting percentage and relatively large ixGF-G gap; you can safely hang your hat on drafting Kucherov if he is available at your draft table last year.   Sorry for being so wrong – again I didn’t hate Kucherov last year I just didn’t think his ADP was going to return 100+; boy was I wrong.

One player that I did nail last summer before ADPs were released was Brendan Gallagher.  Gally scored 30+ goals for the second year in a row and did this by producing 300 SOG this year.  It was also the second year in row that he has been able to play 82 games after having two straight seasons cut short because of injury problems.  What is so exciting about a player like Gallagher is that he fills two needs on every fantasy hockey team 1. Goal scoring 2. Shot generation.  Why is that exciting? ADP – he’s usually super cheap at the table and typically can be drafted while the other teams in your league are scrambling for their third defenseman.  Interestingly this year despite what was assumed to be a larger workload in Montreal this year, Gallagher saw the same amount of power play time on ice and the time on ice per game.  His 52 total points were all buoyed by average IPP, 5 on 5 S%, and PDO.   Aside from an injury risk, and given how hard Gallagher plays on his smallish frame this will never really go away, Gallagher is as easy as it can get when hitting the draft button next year.  You’ll notice that he lines up in the perfect position on the graph too – not too high of a shooting percentage and not too wild an ixGF – G

Anthony Mantha is a player that I cannot wait to see next year – I’m already mentally building my roster for next year expecting Mantha to be on my team.  He checks all of the boxes of a young star waiting to vault himself into the 70-80 point club.  He has shot 11-12% every year in the league so far – which is a consistency not often shown in consecutive four-year samples.  This year he only played in 67 games but was able to produce at a 59-point pace. He’s so close to 70 points already and he’ll likely slip down draft boards because he plays in Detroit and he was hurt last year.  Outside of some crazy offseason moves it also looks like he’s a lock to be flanking Dylan Larkin all of next year so we can add that to the growing list of why he will be a must draft in the later rounds.  Additionally his relatively close to zero ixGF – G ratio shows that the goals he is scoring at five on five are not a fluke, he creates quality chances and converts them as well.

Alright next week we’ll travel over to the Metro and look at the wingers there for the next two weeks.  Enjoy the first round of playoff action.

*

Last week's Eastern Edge: Production from Left Wingers in the Atlantic 

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/eastern-edge/eastern-edge-production-and-expected-production-from-atlantic-right-wingers/

[placetobenation]

With the midpoint of the 2018 season upon us, it’s time to check back in with our July Power Rankings.

Teams now are clearly contenders, pretenders, or non-tenders. As the contending group looks at the also-rans to pick their bones and acquire some stretch-drive talent, the fun of the MLB trade deadline looms.

While we wait to see what shakeups await our favorite teams and players, let’s dive into another round of rankings!

All records and stats as of Tuesday July 9, 2018.

With an OPS+ of 199, Mike Trout is basically having TWO good seasons at the same time, making him beyond great.

1. Houston Astros (Last month: 3; 56-31) — Really, any team listed in the top six could have a decent case for a No. 1 ranking, but the Astros have reeled off a 12-game winning streak this month. They also have not lost more than three games in a row all year and have five winning streaks of five games or more. And the reigning MVP Jose Altuve (.334/.398/.472) is still incredible, while Justin Verlander is marching toward another Cy Young (9-4, 2.12 ERA, 178 ERA+). His closest competition is maybe rotation-mates Gerrit Cole (9-2, 2.50, 151) and Charlie Morton (10-2, 2.55, 148). Also, Alex Bregman has become another star for the ‘Stros (16 homers, 27 doubles, 152 OPS+).

2. Boston Red Sox (LM: 2; 58-29) — The Sox have such an interesting offense — five everyday betters with great numbers (Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and Mitch Moreland) and four that are just putrid (Christian Vazquez, Eduardo Nunez, Rafael Devers, and Jackie Bradley, Jr.). The starting staff is mostly solid, with Chris Sale and Rick Porcello leading the way, with the bullpen doing a fine job. That said, they’ll probably acquire Manny Machado and Bryce Harper while Dave Dombrowski burns the farm to the ground…/sarcasm/

3. New York Yankees (LM: 1; 55-28) — Despite anticipated pitching woes, the lineup is so up-and-down good that this team is still mashing — 5.16 runs per game is second only to Boston and 141 homers is tops in MLB. Can the offense and crazy-great bullpen carry them into October?

4. Seattle Mariners (LM:4; 55-31) — If the Mariners go .500 in their remaining 76 games, they finish with 93 wins. This is a sneaky-good offense despite sitting mid-pack in runs per game (4.38) and a good-not-great staff (11th in MLB at 4.09 runs per game). All this with a down year from icon Felix Hernandez and missing arguably their best player Robbie Cano.

5. Milwaukee Brewers (LM: 5; 50-35) — We all knew Ryan Braun, Lorenzo Cain, Travis Shaw, and Christian Yelich would be contributors to a strong Brew Crew offense this year, but where did Jesus Aguilar (team-best 19 home runs and 55 RBIs, 159 OPS+) come from? Wow.

6. Cleveland Indians (LM: 13; 47-37) — The Tribe still has not fully broken out, but in June the team outscored its opponents 113-91 and has firmly taken the lead in the weak AL Central. The season-ending shoulder injury to Danny Salazar hurts, but with a front three of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and Mike Clevinger, the Indians are still a playoff threat. Not to mention the crazy-good years Jose Ramirez (24 doubles, 24 homers) and Francisco Lindor (27 doubles, 23 homers) are having. They just need some relief aid, which should be plentiful in July deals.

7. Chicago Cubs (LM: 6; 48-35) — No. 4 starter Tyler Chatwood has issued 66 walks in 73 ⅓ innings. Yu Darvish (4.95 ERA in 40 innings) has been a bust as well. But the bullpen is excellent — a third-in-NL 3.19 ERA for the unit — and every single regular in the lineup, including semi-regulars Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ, has an OPS+ north of 100. A very good team, despite a few weak spots.

8. Atlanta Braves (LM: 8; 49-35) — Much like the team right below, the Braves seem to have arrived a year early. Freddie Freeman’s excellence (153 OPS+) is expected, but the strong showings of Johan Camargo (120) and, in particular, Nick Markakis (143), are pleasant surprises in the Peach State. On the mound, Mike Foltynewicz (2.02 ERA) and Sean Newcomb (3.10 ERA) look great, too. As a Tigers fan, I have to ask: What the f***, Anibal (2.89)? What the f***?

9. Philadelphia Phillies (LM: 11; 46-37) — In our preseason predictions, young arm Aaron Nola (2.48) was lauded, but the breakout of Zach Elfin (2.97, 137 ERA+) has been a nice surprise, especially as Jake Arrieta (3.54, 115) slides into mediocrity. The bullpen will need some help for the Phils to hang in there, though.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (LM: 12; 48-38) — After his craptacular April/May, Paul Goldschmidt has blasted a line of .379/.478/.789 over the last 28 days. His season line now sits at .277/.385/.538 with 19 homers. That’s more like the Goldy we know and love. Hope is that the return of center fielder A.J. Pollock (141 OPS+) can help the Snakes fight off the coming Dodgers.

Will the return of center fielder A.J. Pollock help Arizona fend off the Dodgers?

11. Los Angeles Dodgers (LM: 15; 46-39) — If your preseason picks had Max Muncy (2.9 bWAR) as the Dodgers’ best hitter, Ross Stripling (2.7 bWAR) as their best pitcher, and Matt Kemp (.318, 15 homers, 145 OPS+) playing like it was 2011 again, then stop reading and get on the next flight to Vegas.

12. Oakland Athletics (LM: 18; 47-39) — Matts Olson (18 homers) and Chapman (119 OPS+) look like cornerstones of Billy Beane’s next Frankenstein’s monster, while Jed Lowrie (.293/.355/.502) has apparently morphed into Ponce de Leon. And that bullpen looks full of trade bait. Sweet, sweet trade bait…

13. Los Angeles Angels (LM: 9; 43-43) — Wunderkind Shohei Ohtani is back as a hitter (.280/.361/.517, 142 OPS+), and Mike Trout is still insane (.310/.454/.626, 199 OPS+). Yes, that OPS+ means Trout is essentially twice as good as an average hitter. Mercy! As for the rest of the team? Well…

Actual photo of the 2018 Angels training room.

14. San Francisco Giants (LM: 16; 45-42) — The Giants have hung around while Bumgarner, Cueto, and Samardzija have battled injuries. If they can get healthy, the G-Men could still make a nice push later this summer. Also, Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria still look weird in those cream and orange unis.

15. Colorado Rockies (LM: 14; 43-43) — Nolan Arenado, defensive wizard, hitting machine, and 2019 free agent, has recently stated he is tired of losing. Arenado made his MLB debut on April 28, 2013. Since then, Colorado has run up a 398-474 record, good for a .456 winning percentage. If Arenado is sick of losing, he should either learn to pitch or start packing his bags.

16. St. Louis Cardinals (LM: 10; 43-41) — Marcell Ozuna (.277/.321/.406) has been decent, while Dexter Fowler (.171/.276/.278) has been swallowed up by injuries. It’s the bats of Jose Martinez (131 OPS+) and Matt Carpenter (133) carrying the offense, while pitchers Jack Flaherty (3.19 ERA), Miles Mikolas (2.61), and Michael Wacha (3.20) have been very good. This team, on paper, is much better than the results have shown. Maybe they have a run in them yet?

17. Washington Nationals (LM: 7; 42-42) — When preseason predictions are made, a lot of things are assumed. Good health, consistent production, everything going just right. Maybe it’s a function of us missing the game over the winter. Maybe it’s the eternal optimism that comes with being a fan. Whatever the case, we have pooped the bed on this one. 

18. Tampa Bay Rays (LM: 23; 40-45) — I still think it’s weird that, as much of an amateur baseball haven the state of Florida is, it cannot sustain ANY type of decent MLB team. At least the Rays appear to be trying, unlike those jokes further south. Blake Snell (11-4, 2.24) is pretty amazing. Watch him, damn it! Watch him!

19. Toronto Blue Jays (LM: 21; 40-45) — Kevin Pillar is still amazing on defense, and Teoscar Hernandez is having a nice season too. But outside of those two, there isn’t much worth crowing about north of the border. Oh, someone seems to have kidnapped Marcus Stroman and replaced him with an inferior version (1-5, 6.02 ERA, 56 hits in just 49 ⅓ innings). He’s gotta be hurt more than he’s letting on, right?

20. Pittsburgh Pirates (LM: 20; 40-45) — The Pirates have a lot of slightly-above-average talent, and a lot of slight-below-talent. You know what that adds up to? An average team having an average season.

A great hitter on a bad team…please watch some Votto ABs and appreciate him, people!

21. Minnesota Twins (LM: 19; 35-47) — Offseason adds Jake Odorizzi (4.57 ERA, 91 ERA+) and Lance Lynn (5.49, 76) have been awful, while the homegrown talents of Jose Berrios (3.52, 118) and Kyle Gibson (3.58, 116) have done fine. Overhyped by most at the start of the year, myself included, we often forget that injuries cannot be predicted and development, such as that of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, is not linear.

22. Detroit Tigers (LM: 17; 38-49) — An 11-game losing streak sunk the Tigers down to where we all thought they’d be coming into the year. Detroit has fashioned a bottom-tier offense, an adequate defense, a mid-tier starting staff, and a still crappy bullpen. Hope for a few trades to keep building the system, Tigers fans.

23. Cincinnati Reds (LM: 26; 37-49) — One day in the future, we may look back on Joey Votto (.291/.425/.440) as one of the greatest players to never win a ring. Because the Reds have no pitching. We often talk of how the Angels are “wasting” Mike Trout’s greatness. No, they’re not. They have actively spent money to contend with him on the roster; they’ve just spent poorly (see Pujols, Albert and Hamilton, Josh). The Reds, on the other hand, have not made a real stab at contention for the bulk of Votto’s career. It’s just been one long circle-jerk rebuild with no pitching.

24. Texas Rangers (LM: 25; 38-48) — These guys are bad, but they’re not unsightly bad. Well, except for Joey Gallo (98 OPS+), Robinson Chirinos (97), Ronald “Who?” Guzman (92), the entire bench (led by Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s 81), and garbage person Rougned Odor (77). Remember, 100 OPS+ is average. So, maybe this team is unsightly bad after all.

25. San Diego Padres (LM: 22; 37-50) — This season, the Padres’ top player, according to Baseball Reference’s WAR is reliever Kirby Yates at 1.7. As for the rest of the team, well, it’s a bonafide “Who’s That?” of baseball. That said, off the final 10 teams in these rankings, the Padres probably the brightest future coming soonest.

Note: Hold your nose, kids, it’s about to get nasty…

26. Chicago White Sox (LM: 27; 30-55) — Irrepressible toad Bruce Rondon has an ERA of 8.00 with 22 walks in 27 innings. A million-dollar arm with no clue or care what to do with it. A complete and utter waste of talent.

27. Kansas City Royals (LM: 28; 25-60) — And the Royals’ GM is “publicly musing” about signing a sex offender under some bullshit guise of morality. F*** off, Dayton.

28. New York Mets (LM: 24; 33-49) — A dumpster fire that the ownership seems to more than happy to douse with gasoline. Here’s hoping Thor and deGrom get traded somewhere better.

29. Miami Marlins (LM: 30; 35-52) — Here’s how forgettable wretched this team is. Each time I compile these rankings, I write out a checklist of all 30 teams to make sure each is included. When scribbling out the five NL East teams, I wrote “Phillies” down twice.

30. Baltimore Orioles (LM: 29; 24-60) — The Birds are 5-14 in one-run games, 14-40 against righties, 7-23 in their last 30 games. The only thing interesting about them is wondering what they get for Manny Machado and any other veterans they trade away.

[usatrendingsports]

Scorching Range: Discovering one of the best matches for all of the unsigned prime 50 MLB free brokers

Spring coaching is a bit more than two weeks away, and but, the free agent market has but to get going. Lorenzo Cain signed a five-year cope with the Brewers final week, so possibly that may get the market heated up. Then once more, we stated the identical factor when Shohei Ohtani signed, and when Giancarlo Stanton was traded, and when Carlos Santana signed.

In the meanwhile, solely 26 of our prime 50 free brokers have signed, together with solely three of the highest 10. In a “regular” offseason, possibly 5 – 6 prime 50 free brokers could be unsigned at this level, and 0 of the highest 10 could be unsigned. For no matter motive — and I am certain there are a lot of small causes, not one large motive — free company has been a slog this winter. Spring coaching is coming and a few legitimately nice and plenty of excellent gamers are unemployed.

So, with spring coaching coming and so many prime free brokers on the board, that is pretty much as good a time as any to seek out these gamers some houses. Listed below are one of the best matches for the remaining unsigned prime 50 free brokers. And by greatest match, I imply one of the best match for each the workforce and the participant. Let’s dive in.

A painfully apparent match. The Crimson Sox completed useless final within the American League in residence runs final season and Hanley Ramirez has been fairly underwhelming within the three years since he returned to Boston. J.D. Martinez would give the BoSox that fearsome center of the order energy menace they lacked final 12 months. First base could be slightly difficult with each Hanley and Mitch Moreland underneath contract, however that is a type of conditions the place the free agent is so good you signal him and determine the remaining out later.

Mike Montgomery needs to begin and has made it no secret he needs to begin, however he’s extra useful to the Cubs in a swingman position. Yu Darvish would value Chicago nothing however cash, which they’ve numerous, and he’d slot into the rotation properly alongside Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, and Tyler Chatwood. The window to win is not getting any extra open on Chicago’s north facet. Darvish is an enormous rotation improve over Montgomery and he helps get the membership nearer to a different World Sequence title.

Of all of the unsigned free brokers, I believe Jake Arrieta is most definitely to enter the season with out a contract as a result of he is but to obtain what he considers a suitable provide. The Nationals appear to signal no matter prime Scott Boras shopper stays on the board on the finish of the offseason, and let’s not child ourselves, this could be Washington’s final 12 months as a World Sequence contender. Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy will likely be free brokers subsequent offseason, and Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg will not be of their primes eternally. This season could be this group’s final greatest probability to win. Arrieta would change both A.J. Cole or Erick Fedde within the rotation, which might be a transparent improve even when he is not the 2015 Terminator model of himself.

I believe it might be fairly enjoyable to see the Rockies swoop in to signal Eric Hosmer, however realistically, this comes right down to the Padres and Royals. Hosmer is a rock star in Kansas Metropolis and he is younger sufficient that he ought to nonetheless be in his prime by time they’re able to contend once more. That stated, the Padres have a dynamite farm system — ESPN’s Keith Regulation ranked it the third greatest farm system within the recreation just a few days in the past (the Royals have been 27th) — and are theoretically nearer to competition than Kansas Metropolis. How lengthy does Hosmer need to wait to win once more? Plus, it is San Diego! Cannot beat that metropolis or the ballpark.

This looks as if such an apparent match. The Braves have an incredible large opening at third base and their prime two prospects on the place, Rio Ruiz and Austin Riley, aren’t the kind of prospects you are worried about blocking, particularly when Moustakas could be accessible at a reduction this late within the offseason. Within the rebuilding hellscape that’s the Nationwide League, the Braves are mainly an excellent third baseman and one or two younger pitchers breaking out from being related within the wild-card race in the course of the summer time.

In our hypothetical, the Twins are shedding out on Darvish, reportedly their prime pitching goal. Lance Lynn is the subsequent neatest thing. He is an enormous time fastball pitcher — greater than 90 % of Lynn’s pitches have been some sort of fastball final 12 months (four-seamer, cutter, sinker) — with fly ball tendencies who would match greatest in an enormous ballpark with an excellent outfield protection. That is the Twins.

The Brewers added Christian Yelich and Cain final week, and in our hypothetical free agent world they got here up brief within the Darvish chase. They nonetheless want a pitcher although, and Alex Cobb is a fairly good backup plan, particularly because the finances acutely aware Brew Crew would not have to interrupt the financial institution to get him. Miller Park is just not a enjoyable place to hit, although Cobb should not have a lot bother in a troublesome atmosphere after spending everything of his big-league profession going by way of the AL East grinder.

I am certain numerous people are penciling Todd Frazier in for a return to the Yankees, however the crosstown Mets make extra sense. David Wright is an entire unknown and there is no manner the workforce can depend on him being wholesome this 12 months. They want a backup plan, and Frazier could be an incredible one, particularly since he’d assist shore up their second base place by transferring Asdrubal Cabrera over. And Frazier would get to remain near his New Jersey residence. A win-win.

It is onerous on the market for a power-hitting first baseman. Logan Morrison put up a .246/.353/.516 (135 OPS+) batting line with 38 residence runs in 2017, and but nobody appears to need him. The Rays’ present first baseman is … Brad Miller? Brad Miller. Yeah. LoMo, return to Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay, deliver again LoMo. It makes an excessive amount of sense.

The Diamondbacks certain do love Jeff Mathis and his protection at catcher, although they want an offensive complement behind the plate as properly, and Lucroy is one of the best backstop in the marketplace. Chris Iannetta, who had a nice season a 12 months in the past, signed a free agent with the Rockies, leaving Arizona with Chris Herrmann, John Ryan Murphy, and Josh Thole as backup catcher choices. The D-Backs ought to signal Lucroy. They will thank me later.

One other apparent match. The Cardinals haven’t got a more in-depth in the intervening time — just a few weeks in the past president of baseball operations John Mozeliak stated Luke Gregerson could be the man if the season began in the present day — and Holland is much and away one of the best accessible free agent reliever at this level. St. Louis did properly so as to add Marcell Ozuna just a few weeks in the past. Now they should care for the pitching employees, and that begins within the ninth inning.

Powerful to discover a good match for Carlos Gomez, until he needs to play for peanuts with the skeleton crew the Marlins will run on the market in 2018. The Indians have an all left-handed hitting outfield (Bradley Zimmer, Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall), so the right-handed hitting Gomez would give them a middle subject succesful platoon choice. Additionally, Brantley has missed a number of time with accidents the final two seasons. Lots. Gomez could be insurance coverage and likewise a late-inning defensive alternative. He’d fill the Austin Jackson position, mainly.   

The Yankees have openings at second and third bases, and will very properly go into the season with extremely rated prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar on the positions. (MLB.com ranks Torres and Andujar because the fifth- and 65th-best prospects in baseball, respectively.) That’s fairly dangerous, particularly with Torres getting back from Tommy John surgical procedure on his non-throwing elbow. Neil Walker has been a second baseman the majority of his profession, and final season he performed some first and third bases as properly. He’d give the Yankees a switch-hitting bat, safety at second and third, and likewise depth at first base in case Greg Chicken will get damage once more.

The D-Backs have an incredible large J.D. Martinez-sized gap within the outfield, and the entrance workplace would not appear notably keen on Yasmany Tomas. Carlos Gonzalez would transfer from one hitter’s ballpark into one other, and he’d assist Arizona change a few of the thump they’re shedding in Martinez. Not all of it, however a few of it.    

The Crimson Sox may actually use a top quality reserve infielder. Dustin Pedroia is anticipated to overlook the beginning of the season after present process knee surgical procedure, and whereas third baseman Rafael Devers appears like a future stud, he had some large ups and down final season. Nunez would fill in for Pedroia and supply a security internet behind Devers. Additionally, Nunez had large success with the BoSox after coming over on the commerce deadline final 12 months. He appeared to suit the roster and the ballpark completely.   

Does not Andrew Cashner simply really feel like an Orioles pitcher? They desperately want rotation assist, and it appears Cashner’s low strikeout fee — he fanned 86 batters in 166 2/Three innings in 2017 (four.6 Ok/9) — is scaring groups away. That is the kind of free agent pitcher the O’s are likely to pounce on. The large-ish identify veteran with questions. Suppose Yovani Gallardo and Ubaldo Jimenez. Cashner is subsequent in line.

Jaime Garcia spent about 5 minutes with the Twins between stints with the Braves and Yankees final 12 months, so Minnesota’s entrance workplace preferred one thing about him. Even after including Lynn in our hypothetical free agent world, there may be nonetheless room within the rotation for an inexpensive fifth starter that pushes guys like Adalberto Mejia and Aaron Slegers a bit additional down the depth chart.

Matt Wieters is coming off a brutal 2017 season and Washington’s backup choices (Pedro Severino, Raudy Learn) aren’t all that interesting. I do not suppose another contender provides Alex Avila a higher alternative to wind up with a starter’s workload, a minimum of not with out damage. And once more, the Nationals ought to be doing all the things doable to win proper now, and that features taking at-bats away from Wieters.

The Indians misplaced Bryan Shaw to free company this offseason and subsequent winter each Andrew Miller and Cody Allen will hit the open market. That’s fairly scary for a workforce attempting to win the World Sequence on a finances. Tony Watson would assist change Shaw and likewise give the workforce some late-inning bullpen insurance coverage going ahead in case they cannot afford to re-sign Miller and/or Allen.

Like I stated, it is onerous on the market for a power-hitting first baseman. Particularly one who has missed as a lot time as Lucas Duda over the previous couple of years. The Astros strike me as a workforce mendacity within the weeds ready for an excellent cut price deal for a DH. Proper now that job belongs to some mixture of Evan Gattis, Marwin Gonzalez, and Derek Fisher. Duda would assist stability the lineup with an enormous lefty bat — George Springer, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Yuli Gurriel all hit from the appropriate facet — and provides the workforce a defensive different to Gurriel at first. A sneaky good match.

The Orioles have outfield our bodies behind Adam Jones and Trey Mancini. The query is are any of them any good? I am speaking about Joey Rickard, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander. Hays is a prime prospect — he hit .329/.365/.593 with 32 homers in 128 minor league video games final 12 months — although he ignored Triple-A fully earlier than making him MLB debut late final 12 months, and slightly extra time within the minors would not be the tip of the world. If nothing else, Jon Jay could be a confirmed depth/platoon choice, and a extra pure leadoff hitter than the hacktastic Tim Beckham.

The Giants needed to enhance their outfield protection this offseason and so they did that with Austin Jackson and Andrew McCutchen. Jarrod Dyson would enhance it much more. He can platoon with Jackson in middle subject on a budget, and provides the membership a extra viable late-innings defensive alternative. Given the strikes they’ve made this winter, it would not make sense for the Giants to cease now. Hold including items and attempt to win.

As with Cashner, Jason Vargas simply feels like an Orioles pitcher. They’re woefully brief on beginning pitching and an innings man like Vargas — excuse me, a 2017 All-Star innings man — would symbolize a fairly vital improve over tentative starters like Miguel Castro, Mike Wright, and Gabriel Ynoa. The O’s have a historical past of ready till late within the offseason to chop free agent offers. Choosing up a veteran depth starter with the phantasm of upside like Vargas (and Cashner) feels inevitable.

I believe it is time for Chris Tillman to maneuver on from the Orioles. His stuff hasn’t been the identical since his 2015 shoulder damage, and at this level, he’d match greatest with a Nationwide League workforce in an enormous ballpark. That is the Giants, who’re at the moment have Ty Blach and Chris Stratton slotted into their rotation. Even when Tillman is available in on a minor-league contract as a non-roster participant, chances are high he’ll be wanted sooner or later. Getting out of the AL East and into spacious AT&T Park makes an excessive amount of sense for Tillman, and the Giants can use the pitching depth.

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[junker-town]

5 MLS offseason signings that could reshape the league

This offseason’s biggest MLS signings may be unfamiliar to many American fans, but their impact could be enormous.

This MLS offseason didn’t feature a ton of big-name signings, as teams likely decided to wait out collective bargaining before making long-term plans. With the CBA now settled for the next five years, you can expect to see some major moves this summer, when contracts expire on European-based players.

Teams that did make big signings mostly went after players based in Liga MX. Three of the five players highlighted in this list come to MLS via Mexico, and should be the new focal points on their teams. I’m not sure if the teams that bought these players got great value for money, 28-year-olds generally don’t have much resale value in the transfer market later on, but it’s positive to see that MLS’s smaller market teams are willing to pay up to win now.

And they are undoubtedly good players, though they may not be familiar to fans who primarily engage with American and western European soccer. These are the five MLS offseason signings that I think are going to be the most important to their teams right away.

Lucas Zelaráyan — Attacking midfielder, Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew went through a rough transition period last season. New ownership wasn’t finalized until late in preseason, and aging club legend Federico Higuain struggled in his final year with the club. This offseason, head coach Caleb Porter and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko have had time to build the team they want. By signing Zelaráyan, they have a players who can directly replace Higuain and become the team’s focal point.

Expect Zelaráyan to line up as the central attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 and pull off a fair number of tricks en route to a solid return of goals and assists. Check out his highlights; he’s going to be a ticket and jersey seller:

Zelaráyan has had nothing but praise for the Columbus organization and coaching staff. He seems to be preparing for a long career with the club.

Edison Flores — Winger, D.C. United

D.C. United had the tough task of replacing Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta this offseason. Realistically, it’s impossible to expect an MLS club to find like-for-like replacements for players like that. Instead, United signed adequate, but stylistically different players for striker and attacking midfield, then tried to upgrade elsewhere.

Flores is one of many United players who can play on the wing or at attacking midfield, but preseason lineups suggest he’ll be the starting left winger. From there, he’ll likely spend his time embarrassing fullbacks before cutting inside and looking to score. He’s a dribbling machine with a quick first step, and he’s proven adept at scoring with both feet at Morelia.

The man slated to start on the opposite wing, USMNT regular Paul Arriola, is out for the season after tearing his ACL in preseason. That’s going to put even more pressure on Flores to be the star of D.C.’s attack if they’re going to make the playoffs.

Jarosław Niezgoda — Striker, Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers have been unlucky with strikers in recent years. The club traded Fanendo Adi after his downturn in production, which left a rotation of average players. Brian Fernández performed well, but entered the league’s substance abuse program shortly ahead of last year’s playoffs. MLS then terminated his contract after he failed to comply.

Portland hopes that it has finally found a long-term solution in 24-year-old Polish striker Niezgoda. When he was signed from Legia Warsaw, Niezgoda was leading the Polish league in scoring with 14 goals. He’s an all-around player with solid size and pace, along with a powerful left foot.

Portland coach Giovanni Savarese prefers more of a direct, counter-attacking style than his predecessor Caleb Porter, and Niezgoda looks like a good fit with his complete set of physical tools. He’ll probably enjoy the service he gets from Diego Valeri and Sebastián Blanco, too.

João Paulo — Midfielder, Seattle Sounders

The Seattle Sounders have been a consistent contender throughout their time in MLS, but they’ve lacked depth at central midfield over the last couple of seasons. Paulo’s arrival from Botafogo in Brazil solves those problems. He’s a box-to-box midfielder who’s equally capable of beating a defender with a flick, getting a shot on target from distance, or putting in a stiff challenge.

Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer is probably thrilled about what João Paulo’s arrival allows him to do tactically with some of his other players. Cristian Roldan’s best attribute is arguably his versatility, but Schmetzer hasn’t been able to put him at the No. 6 or on the wing to take advantage of the opposition as often as he may like. With a star player at the No. 8 spot, Schmetzer can now use his Joker however he wishes.

Alan Pulido — Striker, Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC fans have been screaming for years: Please, for the love of God, just give us a goal-scoring true No. 9.

No one has scored more than 13 goals for Sporting in any of the last four seasons. Last year’s team was downright bad, finishing 21st in the overall league table, with Krisztián Németh leading the team in scoring with just 10 goals.

Enter Pulido, who cost a whopping $9.5 million to sign from Chivas de Guadalajara. The 28-year-old Mexican international finished the 2019 Apertura as the top scorer in Liga MX, and he’s proven that he can score in a variety of ways.

Pulido’s career has been a roller coaster. During a 2014 contract dispute, he and his agents believed that he was free to leave UANL Tigres, while the club believed it had a valid option to retain him. The big clubs that were previously interested wouldn’t touch him while the case was pending, and he ended up at Levadiakos, a relegation fodder club in Greece, where he struggled. He got his career back on track in 2016 with Olympiacos, but it wasn’t until 2019 that he once again looked like the best version of himself.

At 28, Pulido has essentially no resale value, so Sporting is counting on him being a difference maker that propels them into MLS Cup contention. Given their struggles last season and the way Pulido’s career has gone so far, it’s a huge, risky bet.

Honorable mention:

Javier Hernandez — Striker, LA Galaxy — Everyone knows who Chicharito is, so I don’t need to tell you about him. He’s going to get into the six-yard box and score some goals.

Lucas Cavallini — Striker, Vancouver Whitecaps — I think the Canadian international is going to be a really good player for the ‘Caps ... next year. Coach Marc Dos Santos and sporting director Axel Schuster are in the process of cleaning up a mess and I think they need one more offseason to get it right.

Matheus Rossetto — Attacking midfielder, Atlanta United — Rossetto is a very entertaining player, but fun-hater Frank de Boer will bench him for trying fun things.

Ignacio Aliseda — Winger, Chicago Fire — Aliseda’s highlights are bananas, but he’s 19 and the Fire are in full rebuilding mode. This year is about getting his feet wet in a new country. Expect him to pop off next season.

Younes Namli — Winger, Colorado Rapids — I cannot say with any confidence that the Colorado Rapids are going to be good. But they finished last season strong, and I like the offseason acquisitions and upcoming homegrown players that Namli will have around him. He could make the Rapids a playoff contender.

[junker-town]

Anthony Davis is caught in a gnarly web of his own making

His trade request failed, and now he and the Pelicans have to keep up appearances even though it doesn’t benefit anyone for him to play.

If he does not already, Anthony Davis is going to rue the day he allowed his agent to make an official trade request to leave the New Orleans Pelicans.

Davis did not get dealt by the Feb. 7 in-season deadline, which means he’ll remain on the Pelicans until at least the 2019 offseason. The trade request came too close to the deadline for New Orleans to have a reasonable process to move the All-NBA big man, one of the most talented players of his generation, with more than a full season left on a below-market value contract.

Further, the mere specter of a wild NBA offseason leaves the market in odd shape, further incentivizing the Pelicans to wait. (Never mind that one of the top suitors for Davis — the Celtics — could not trade for Davis in-season due to a salary-cap quirk. Davis’ camp knew this going in.)

The Pelicans would only have traded Davis in-season if they had panicked. They did not. So now a gnarly web of mixed-up goals and incentives has ensnared Davis, the Pelicans, and even the NBA.

Here’s the situation:

The Pelicans, well outside the West playoff race at this point, have no incentive to win games. Their best assets after Davis are their own first-round picks in 2019 and 2020. Every win the rest of this season gets New Orleans further from the top of the 2019 NBA Draft, and further from replacing Davis with a star.

Further, a serious injury could be catastrophic to Davis’ trade value.

Davis is the Pelicans’ best player, and really improves the Pelicans’ chances of winning when he plays.

Davis wants to play because, err, he’s a basketball player and would like to make a run at the All-NBA team, surely.

The NBA is cognizant of the public attitude against tanking, not to mention the frailty of the New Orleans fan market and Louisiana corporate-political support.

Davis wants to play, but it’s in the Pelicans’ interests to hold him out. The NBA, which created and maintains the perverse incentive structure that leads to that position from the Pelicans, cannot allow the team to hold out a healthy player for draft purposes without massive backlash from other teams and the players’ union.

The upshot is that the league reportedly threatened to fine the Pelicans $100,000 per game for sitting a healthy player, so Davis is playing. Except the Pelicans still have latitude over how much he plays, and how the rotation shakes out.

In Friday’s ESPN game against the Timberwolves, A.D. was benched for the entire fourth quarter, despite having 32 points in 25 minutes and the Pelicans being +22 in his minutes. Minnesota nearly rallied, only for New Orleans to hold on for a win that the franchise didn’t want. Davis played a more reasonable 34 minutes on Saturday against the Grizzlies (a fellow tanking team), but the Pelicans lost.

Perhaps this is how things will settle: New Orleans will realize that it’s pretty bad without trying to be bad, Davis will lilt along playing hard but not too hard, and the NBA will pretend this whole situation can’t be fixed by changing how teams acquire superstars in the first place. That’s comfortable, that’s soothing.

Then, the world can shudder with glee when the Davis sweepstakes starts again when the basketball ends. Yes: everyone is waiting for this generational superstar, this highly entertaining and entrancing basketball hero, to stop playing, because the real sport is everything that happens off the court.

It’s just all so weird and so unnecessary.

And it’s Davis’ fault for allowing the trade request to be made.

There was no need for that. By virtue of telling the Pelicans he did not plan to sign a supermax extension offer in the summer, he would have forced New Orleans to begin shopping him. The trade request on top of that was unnecessary and put unnecessary pressure on the Pelicans, which the front office reacted to poorly, but understandably. We know why Davis did it — to try to get to the Lakers before the Celtics could get into the mix. It just totally backfired.

Much of media has turned against him. (He’s not getting the All-NBA spot unless he takes it by force.) He’s hurt his chances of getting to the Lakers before 2020. Pelicans fans are booing him. His team is tanking, yet being forced to give him playing time. His front office and the team’s fans want the Pelicans to lose every night. And he’s stuck until at least the end of the season.

Is this what the NBA wants? Is this what Davis wanted? Is this what the Pelicans want? This is all so unnecessary, but there’s no way out of the web.

[junker-town]

Get ‘em next time, Sixers

We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.

The Sixers fell 114-112 to the Celtics in Game 5 on Wednesday, ending Philadelphia’s season. That was a wild game, and Joel Embiid had a chance to tie it up three times with less than 20 seconds to go. Had the Sixers gotten the win and taken the series back to Philadelphia down 3-2, who knows what could have happened. But they didn’t and they didn’t, so their season’s over.

What a season! As Paul Flannery wrote in his series capper, this is the beginning of what should be a beautiful rivalry given both teams’ youth and excellence. The Sixers really don’t need to be asking themselves any tough questions this summer. Of course their young stars have flaws -- Ben Simmons’ jump shot, Joel Embiid’s endurance -- but this is Step 1 of their journey. Once they won 50 games and made the playoffs, everything else was really icing.

Tim Cato enumerates all the reasons to be excited by Philadelphia. Don’t forget that on next Tuesday, the Sixers will likely officially pick up the No. 10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft from the Lakers. (If the pick ends up No. 2 or 3, Boston gets it. These teams’ assets are wild.) They still have Markelle Fultz in the bag. The Process isn’t over.

This really is the beginning of something special for the Sixers. Losing in the playoffs hurts more than losing all those dozens of games over the past four years. But it’s a good kind of hurt, isn’t it?

Wednesday’s Score

Celtics 114, Sixers 112 Boston wins 4-1 Recaps: CelticsBlog | Liberty Ballers

Thursday’s Schedule

There is no schedule! Because all four conference semifinals series ended in five games or less, we have three days without basketball. Consider it a dress rehearsal for the looming offseason.

Links on Links on Links

Yep, Marcus Smart probably traveled on that critical steal on Dario Saric late in the game. But it’s never ever going to get called.

Zito Madu is absolutely right about the ridiculous assertion that Becky Hammon is somehow cutting the line by getting an interview for a head coach position. There is no line. On his side of the debate, ESPN’s Amin Elhassan laid out some criteria that all recent head coach hires meet in some way: they played in the NBA, or they have been a head coach somewhere, or they have been an NBA assistant for five years. Hammon meets none of them. But here’s what particularly striking to me. Elhassan is strictly limiting the player lane to those whose careers were in the NBA, which rules out Hammon (one of the very best women’s players during her time). There’s no such limit placed on the head coach lane. That’s how we get criteria that allows in Brad Stevens, who had 100 percent of his coaching experience in the Horizon League (a mid-major college conference) before coming to the NBA. That’s how we get criteria that allows in David Blatt, whose coaching experience came entirely overseas in inferior league. Former coaches can come from anywhere -- minor NCAA conference, European leagues -- but players can only come from the NBA? You see the problem here, yes?

Tremendously fun post from Rick O’Donnell assessing LeBron’s claim that the 2018 rookie class was the best since his own 2003 class. Don’t sleep on 2013!

Luka Doncic picked up the youngest triple-double in Spanish league history. I cannot wait for Wonder Boy in the NBA.

Great Zach Lowe piece on the Kyle Korver-Kevin Love two-man game. You forget how good these guys are at passing because we’re always so focused on their shooting and, in Love’s case, rebounding.

Kevin Arnovitz asks if The Process was worth it.

Jayson Tatum has a nasty little stepback.

Seriously, go watch the episode of REWINDER on MJ’s most famous shot. So much fun.

Well, that’s ... uh, something: Paul George will have a knee scope. No basketball for 6-8 weeks.

Here come the Jazz. Again.

Dwane Casey won the Coach of the Year from the coaches’ association. There was a good deal of hubbub that Brad Stevens got shut out of the voting, which tells you more about Brad Stevens’ broad internet fanbase more than it does about the other coaches.

On the Timberwolves’ troubling trend of turning a blind eye to abuse allegations when hiring players and staff.

Rockets celebration meme video: genius or an incomprhensible mess?

The upside of the lack of viability of leaving school early for most women players is that many players attain some wonderful degrees, which really helps their post-playing careers, as is the case with Bethany Donaphin, who has been promoted to head of WNBA league ops.

Rick Carlisle declares he is not interested in the Bucks job, quashing a rumor that like basically no one outside of Milwaukee or Dallas even heard in the first place.

And finally: a very sweet letter from Victor Oladipo to a Leukemia patient.

Be excellent to each other.