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Backup QB’s May Save a Season

Foles was all smiles after winning Super Bowl LII and being named MVP

One of the more important positions in football that no one really puts a lot of emphasis on is backup quarterback particularly because they aren’t starting. The reason why it is so important though is because if a team’s starting QB is lost for the season or misses an extended period of time then it will be the backup’s show the rest of the year.

The most prime example of this happening was last season in December when Philadelphia Eagles starting QB Carson Wentz was lost for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL against the Los Angeles Rams. Veteran backup Nick Foles relieved him in the game and the Eagles ended up winning it.

It turned out that this injury didn’t ruin the Eagles season like many analysts and fans thought it would.

The whole team took on the underdog role by wearing dog masks after each victory for the rest of the season. The Eagles ended up getting the #1 seed in the NFC and there were still relegated as underdogs but that didn’t stop them from beating the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round and the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship.

When it came to Super Bowl Sunday Foles shined the brightest as he outplayed Tom Brady and the rest of the New England Patriots en route to a 41-33 victory which gave the Eagles their first Super Bowl victory in three tries.

Foles joined Roger Staubach (who replaced Craig Morton in 1971), Jim Plunkett, Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, Kurt Warner and Tom Brady (who replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe early in the 2001 season) as the only backup QB’s to win a Super Bowl.

I wanted to take a look at the five best backup QB situations in case that team’s starter happens to miss time for whatever reason.

Here are the top 5:

5. Chad Henne – Kansas City Chiefs

Henne has been the starter in both Miami and Jacksonville and while he hasn’t had much success (18-35 career record) he’s shown to be a stable veteran presence. There is a lot of young talent in Kansas City so if the young Patrick Mahomes II were to go down Henne should be able to step right in and the production shouldn’t be that much a drop-off even if it’s Henne’s first year with the Chiefs.

4. Colt McCoy – Washington Redskins

McCoy has even less experience as a starter than Henne, but this will be his fourth season with the Redskins so he knows the system and should be serviceable if former Chiefs QB Alex Smith gets hurt. The Redskins also have young talent on the offensive side of the ball which would make the sting of losing Smith less painful.

3. Matt Schaub – Atlanta Falcons

Schaub started for the Texans for seven straight seasons and led them to a 2012 postseason victory. He actually got his start in the league back in 2004 with the Falcons as their primary backup QB. It has all come full circle for him. He wasn’t the flashiest of QB’s when he started, but he knew how to manage the game. If Matt Ryan goes down Schaub would have go-to receiver in Julio Jones like he did with Andre Johnson back in Houston.

2. Landry Jones – Pittsburgh Steelers

This may come as a bit of a surprise but this is already Jones’s 6th season with the Steelers and over the last three years he’s started five games either because of Ben Roethlisberger being hurt or playing the last week of the regular season so the starters can rest before the playoffs. Jones showed he can handle himself against tough opponents when in 2015 he played well in beating a good Arizona Cardinals team and in 2016 even though the Steelers lost he fared well against the Patriots. Don’t get me wrong, Jones is not the same QB as Roethlisberger, but he has been there long enough where he should know the playbook and having Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown to give the ball to really helps.

1. Nick Foles – Philadelphia Eagles

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Foles is #1 on the list. He was the MVP of Super Bowl LII and had success in the past when he started for the Eagles and took them to the playoffs back in 2013. It’s possible that Wentz still hasn’t recovered fully from that torn ACL so Foles could be in line to start the Week 1 opening game against the Falcons.

Latest Winning Streak Propels Pirates Into Playoff Race

Corey Dickerson was a catalyst during the 11-game winning streak

The Pirates magical 11-game winning streak came to an end yesterday afternoon when they fell to the Cleveland Indians 4-0 at the hands of a 10 K performance by starting pitcher Trevor Bauer.

It was evident that at some point the Pirates were going to lose a game because this streak wouldn’t have gone on forever. It just so happens it was the last game of a six-game road trip and now they start a nine-game homestand beginning tonight against the New York Mets who are the second-worst team in the National League. So perhaps another long winning streak could occur again.

The amazing thing about this second longest winning streak by any team in baseball this season is that it was totally unprecedented.

The Pirates were practically left for dead by many fans and some media members when their record was 42-49 and they were 12 ½ games out the division lead and also double-digit games back for the second NL Wild Card. In fact just a few days prior they had snapped a five-game losing streak which started in Los Angeles where the Dodgers outscored the Pirates 31-8.

On July 11th though, the winning streak would begin with a 2-0 victory over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park. Then came a five-game series continuing at home against the first place Milwaukee Brewers. Now it was plausible to think that maybe the Pirates could take three of five games, but unbelievably they won all five games including a double-header sweep that Saturday during the series.

One problem was that the All-Star Break came after the series and some wondered if it would stop all that momentum. Well it sure didn’t.

Cincinnati was the first stop on the six-game road trip. The Pirates bats came to life and the pitching was lights out as they swept the three-game set from the Reds by outscoring them 27-5. They clubbed nine home runs in the three games and that pushed their winning streak to nine games.

They stayed in Ohio this time to take on the Indians. In the first game they roughed up two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber scoring seven runs off of him. After multiple rain delays the game was called after six innings and the Pirates won 7-0.

The next night it was more of the same. This time the Pirates took advantage of rookie Shane Bieber scoring seven runs off of him too. Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco each hit multi-run homers to give the Pirates an early lead that they wouldn’t relinquish en route to a 9-4 win and getting the winning streak to 11 games.

Up and down the lineup during the streak everyone was producing. Corey Dickerson, Marte, Polanco, Josh Bell and even bench players like Sean Rodriguez and David Freese all chipped in.

Both the starting pitching and bullpen were extremely effective.

And now the real question is what will GM Neal Huntington do leading up to the Trade Deadline?

He challenged the ballclub on his weekly radio show saying a 4-4 stretch during the week prior to the All-Star Break wouldn’t be good enough. He basically said the team would sell off many of their older players who aren’t in their future plans including Freese, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, Francisco Cervelli and Dickerson.

The team responded by going 7-1 in that stretch which was a part of that 11-game winning streak. They are now 53-50, 3 ½ games out of the second NL Wild Card and 7 games back from the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central lead.

Huntington should be thinking buying mode now and the only way that would change is if the Pirates end up losing three out of the four games against the Mets.

They could use another bullpen arm even though the back end which includes Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vasquez have rounded into form. They could also use a veteran starting pitcher because it’s still unclear if they can count on the likes of a Nick Kingham or Trevor Williams to be consistent.

It also might be prudent to add another outfielder if the recent injuries to both Marte and Dickerson are anything serious.

All that matters is that if the Pirates keep winning games only good things will lie ahead the rest of the season.

Steelers hitting stride at right time?

Roethlisberger had 4 TD passes in the victory over the Titans

Before Thursday night’s game against the Titans the Steelers were 7-2 and holding the top spot in the AFC playoff picture. The consensus among the fans and media in Pittsburgh was that the Steelers were a very lackluster 7-2 since some of their victories were underwhelming. Especially the 20-17 nail-biting win over a bad Colts team last Sunday.

The Steelers were one of five teams to not score at least 30 points in a game this year. The other four teams have losing records. If not for the stellar play of the Steelers defense their record might have been 4-5 at this point. Ben Roethlisberger hadn’t been that sharp up to this point, all the drama that surfaced with Martavis Bryant and the team’s redzone struggles were reasons for concern.

Let’s just say after the game Thursday night though a lot of people felt differently about this Steeler team.

This game was a chance for the 6-3 Titans to show they should belong in the discussion with the likes of the Steelers, Patriots and Chiefs as Super Bowl contenders. It’s safe to say that the Titans still have a lot of work to do.

The Steelers offense, especially the passing game, finally clicked on all cylinders en route to a 40-17 trashing over the Titans.

Right out of the gate Roethlisberger looked like his old self and that this would be his night when he hit Antonio Brown for a 41-yard TD on the opening drive. The offense wasn’t able to find the endzone again in the first half, but Chris Boswell added three field goals.

The Titans offense was a mess early on and Marcus Mariota never looked comfortable even though they boast one of the better offensive lines in the league. The Steelers pass defense with the formidable duo of Stephon Tuitt and Cam Heyward were disruptive the whole night.

At the half the Steelers were up 16-7 and it looked like this could finally be a blowout win for the home team. The Titans weren’t so quick to concede this game. Mariota connected with Rishard Matthews on a 75-yard TD which made it 16-14. The Titans could have had a chance to win a little later on in the game if Delanie Walker hadn’t dropped a sure TD pass which would have made the score 23-21 Steelers, but instead the Titans settled for a field goal.

From then on the Steelers would dominate the rest of the game. Roethlisberger would go on to pass for a total of four touchdowns and finish with just under 300 yards passing. Brown had himself a night with 10 catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns. The run game was an afterthought in this game because the Titans had one of the worst pass defenses in the league so the Mike Tomlin and Todd Haley drew up a game plan to exploit that. Le’Veon Bell only carried the ball 12 times for 46 yards, but was effective through the air with 9 catches for 57 yards.

The defense was just as impressive. The Titans rushing attack was one of the best in the NFL with DeMarco Murray and Derek Henry. The two combined for just 42 yards on the ground. The most impressive feat by the defense was the fact they intercepted Mariota a whopping four times! It’s the most interceptions in a game for the Steelers over the last two decades. Mike Hilton, Coty Sensabaugh, Sean Davis and Robert Golden came down with the picks.

It was truly a big night for the Steelers who now sit at 8-2. It looks like they’ll be on a collision course with the Patriots when they meet December 17th at Heinz Field which could determine who has home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Steelers have to take care of business first and not play down to the competition which they are prone to do. Their upcoming schedule includes night games vs. Green Bay, at Cincinnati and vs. Baltimore.

Steelers continue to play down to competition

Many Steelers could only hang their heads after another horrible loss on the road

The Steelers once again lost to a team they should have beaten on the road. That has become an alarming trend recently under Mike Tomlin. Last year they started off the season 2-0 and went to Philadelphia to play a young Eagles team which was quarterbacked by rookie Carson Wentz. The Eagles outplayed the Steelers in every facet of the game. Wentz passed for over 300 yards and 2 TD's en route to a 34-3 victory.

Fast-forward to this past Sunday and the end result was the same. The Steelers were going up against a Bears team who were 0-2 and had a QB whose last win came against the Steelers back in 2014. Glennon was mostly ineffective on the day. It was the combined running game of Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. Howard rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns while Cohen rushed for 78 yards.

The Steelers still had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but couldn't come up with any points so it went to overtime. The Bears won the toss and scored the winning touchdown shortly thereafter to win 23-17.

For all three games the Steelers offense is not looking like what many in the media said might be the greatest offense in Steelers history.

Even though the Steelers beat the Browns and Vikings in the first two games of the season the offense did not look very crisp and they left a lot of plays out on the field. It caught up to them in Chicago. The first play of the game should have been a touchdown to Martavis Bryant, but he couldn't make the catch. It's plays like those that the Steelers have to make if they want to be the best team in football.

Ben Roethlisberger hasn't looked sharp in the first three games. The home opener was by far Roethlisberger's best game where he was 23/35 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't play much in the preseason and I'm not saying that he had to play at least a quarter in each of the four games, but it clearly would have helped if he had more game action with the rest of the starting unit because it's showing in the regular season.

Martavis Bryant was playing in his first meaningful game of football since January 2016. In that week one contest against the Browns Bryant only caught two passes for 14 yards. Sunday he again caught just two passes this time for 30 yards. He had a really good showing against the Vikings at Heinz Field where he caught 3 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Bryant needs to be more consistent in order for the passing game to completely click. If he can play like he did against the Vikings mostly every game the rest of the way opposing defenses will have a conundrum dealing with both Bryant and Antonio Brown. Speaking of Antonio Brown, he is the only Steeler on offense that has been producing consistently.

The one Steeler that has been a big disappointment is Le'Veon Bell. Bell missed all of training camp and the preseason because of a holdout. He was still in great shape, but not great football shape. The rust is clearly there and he still hasn't had a bust-out performance like he did in plenty of a games a year ago. It feels like he is not in sync with the offensive linemen. He usually reads how his o-line blocks and then makes his cuts and runs downfield.

What made the team so dangerous over the last two years was the playmaking ability of both Bell and Brown. Teams would have to prepare for arguably the two best offensive players in the NFL. If Bell isn't able to be the playmaker he once was then opposing defenses will be able to hone in on the passing game and try to limit the number of opportunities for Brown and the rest of the receivers.

The only bright side to this loss for the Steelers is that it's against an NFC team. It's possible that they will be battling the Patriots and the Chiefs for homefield advantage. The Patriots loss came to Chiefs in week one and it's highly unlikely that the Chiefs will go 16-0. So if the Steelers take care of business against the AFC and play well against the remaning three NFC teams on their schedule they should get that #1 seed. That is much easier said than done though.

The Steelers defense has been much better than the offense in these first three games. Coming into the year a lot of analysts thought the defense would be much improved especially with the late addition of CB Joe Haden. So far it has been one of the better defenses in the league through three games allowing just under 17 points a game. Once again if the offense can just live up to its potential then this team can really accomplish something special.

Next up on the docket is a road game with the Ravens. The Steelers haven't played well as of late in Baltimore and it looks like the Ravens will be the main competition in the AFC North. The offense needs to come out swinging and get ahead of an offensively challenged Ravens squad who only put up 7 points against the Jaguars this past Sunday in London.

NFC East not looking very special

Elliot found it very difficult to run against an imposing Broncos defense

The NFL season is only just two weeks old, but out of all the divisions the NFC East looks like it will be the most competitive one. Only in the sense that each of the four teams could look mediocre throughout the whole year. The Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles are all 1-1 while the Giants are 0-2.

There were some prognosticators out there that said there would definitely be two playoff teams coming out of this division just like last year with the Cowboys and Giants. Based off of a few games I think a 9-7 record might be good enough for a first-place finish.

Let's start off with the Cowboys. They had a magical season last year with the emergence of rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot. The question would be would either suffer that infamous "sophomore slump." It looks like Elliot will play the whole season after he initially faced a 6-game suspension due to domestic violence accusations. The judge ended up granting an injunction so Elliot won't be suspended which greatly helps the Cowboys.

Prescott played well a season ago, but never really had that breakout game where he put the team on his back and willed them to a win. Now that Tony Romo is no longer there Prescott is the man.

The Cowboys dispatched the Giants 19-3 in Week 1 and looked solid on both sides of the ball. Week 2 was a much different story. They went into

Denver and got completley manhandled by a much hungrier Broncos team to the tune of 42-17. Elliot had an abysmal day running the ball only getting eight yards on nine carries for a horrific 0.9 yards per carry. It also looked like Elliot gave up on a play when Prescott had thrown an interception. That is not anything you want to see from a player who is expected to be a leader on this team. Only time will tell if this result was based off how good the Broncos D is or if the Cowboys offense isn't as good as many thought it would be.

This was going to be the season where Kirk Cousins would finally play his way out of Washington or get that lucrative contract to stay in D.C. I'm thinking this will be Cousins's last season wearing a Redskins uniform. They weren't shy though about adding another weapon for Cousins in the form of Terrelle Pryor. With Pryor, Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed serving as Cousins's main targets their offense should be one of the best in the NFC.

So far it hasn't come to fruition. I know it's still very early, but we have yet to see a breakout game from Pryor. Reed has already been battling injuries and he needs to stay healthy if the Redskins want to have a chance at reaching the postseason. There weren't high expectations for the defense so as long as they are mediocre they should stay afloat for the division crown.

The Redskins are already 0-1 in the division as they lost to the Eagles in their home-opener, but they rebounded nicely with a 27-20 victory in Los Angeles over the Rams. The big difference is that against the Eagles they rushed for 64 yards and against the Rams a whopping 229 yards! Rob Kelley had 78 yards rushing, Chris Thompson 77 yards rushing and Samaje Perine 67 yards rushing. Kelley got banged up and it looks like Thompson will serve as the lead back for the time being. Getting consistent production from the trio of backs is key.

Year two of Carson Wentz is starting off pretty good. They got an important road victory within the division and played well enough in Kansas City to get a win but fell to the Chiefs, 27-20. They, like the Redskins, needed to add another weapon for Wentz. They signed WR Alshon Jeffrey and RB LeGarrette Blount. The running game hasn't gotten it going through the first two weeks because Wentz has already attempted 85 passes. It will not be good for Wentz's progression if he continually attempts almost 40 passes a game.

If the running game doesn't exist though it's a good thing he can throw it to Jeffrey, a possibly surging Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz. Agholor was the go-to receiver against the Redskins and Jeffrey was the prime target against the Chiefs while Ertz is a reliable safety blanket for Wentz. The Eagles defense just like the Redskins has to just be adequate. It's all about not letting up the big play.

The Giants have the misfortune of starting the first two weeks without a win. Since 1990 only 12% of teams to start 0-2 make the playoffs.

Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants offense has looked lost out on the field. They have only scored a total of 13 points in both games. Manning has thrown for just one touchdown and two interceptions and doesn't look as crisp as he once did so maybe age is starting to catch up with him.

It also doesn't help that Giants have the worst rushing attack of the four teams in the division. If it's worse than the Eagles then it is really bad. Their trio of Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa is nothing to call home about. Each of the them is much better at pass catching than as a conventional runner.

The way their offense can move the ball is through the air. They brought in Brandon Marshall to complement Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard. So far through two games Marshall has just two receptions for 27 yards. They need to find a way to get him more involved and hopefully Beckham will be healthier for their next game against the Eagles because the Giants do not want to start off 0-2 within the division.

The only positive for the Giants is that they have the best defense at least on paper in the division. They haven't played too bad through the

first two games. They were without their best cover cornerback Janoris Jenkins against the Lions on Monday, but he should be back for Sunday's tilt. They also boast one of the league's best front four in Damon Harrison, Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon and Jay Bromley. It looks like

the Giants may need to win some games here and there with a lot of help from that defense.

So we'll see later on in the regular season if all four of these teams are bunched together in the division or if one or two of the teams creates separation.

AL Wild Card race heating up

Buxton is hoping to lead the Twins to the postseason for the 1st time since 2010

Ladies and gentlemen hold on tight because it is going to be one heck of a finish in the race for the second American League Wild Card. There is about a month left in the regular season and only three games separate seven teams for that all-elusive playoff spot.

The Yankees hold the first wild card spot and have a 3.5-game lead over the Twins, who currently hold the second spot. The teams that follow are the Angels (1.5 games back), Mariners (1.5 games back), Orioles (2 games back), Royals (2.5 games back), Rays (3 games back) and Rangers (3 games back).

There would have to be a big collapse in New York if the Yankees won’t reach the postseason. They are still hoping to win the AL East because they are just 2.5 games back of the Red Sox. I will just assume though that the Yanks end up with that first wild card spot.

Of the 7 teams vying for that last spot the Twins have had the best offense over the last week. They have won 13 of their last 20 games. Brian Dozier has had another late season surge in power numbers like he did a year ago. Eddie Rosario has been very consistent at the plate and defensively. Byron Buxton has been on a tear and was recently named AL Player of the week after hitting .333 with five home runs and 10 RBI in his last eight games. The starting rotation is still a concern after Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios. If their offense continues to click they have the best chance of reaching the postseason.

The Angels were able to stay afloat when their star Mike Trout spent a part of the season on the disabled list and now they have a legitimate chance to make the postseason for just the second time in Trout’s career. Like the Twins they have a pretty good offense with the likes of Trout, Albert Pujols, Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons and Cameron Maybin. Their pitching staff has a lot of question marks. The rotation right now consists of Andrew Heaney, Troy Scribner, Parker Bridwell, Ricky Nolasco and Tyler Skaggs. Bridwell has had a string of nice starts and Nolasco is a crafty veteran, but aside from them a lot of unknowns down the stretch run.

When the Mariners have a chance to reach the postseason GM Jerry Dipoto tries to make the ballclub better any way he can and he did that through a number of trades over the last month. They have been bogged down by a lot of injuries. Jarrod Dyson, Felix Hernandez, James Paxton and Hisashi Iwakuma are all still on the DL. Iwakuma is a long shot to come back and rejoin the rotation. It’s unclear when Hernandez and Paxton will return and Dyson should be back in the lineup as soon as next week. Their offense has been inconsistent but if the older guys like Cruz and Cano start heating up then the team should be in good shape.

The Orioles are an interesting team. It’s pretty much like they go on a four-game losing streak, then a five-game winning streak then another losing streak. They have currently won four in a row and are coming off an impressive three-game sweep of the Red Sox in Boston. The Orioles outscored the Red Sox 25-4 in the series. Manny Machado has completely turned his season around after the All-Star break and Tim Beckham has provided nothing but dividends in the leadoff spot since he was acquired from the Rays at the end of July. Their offense will have to be the catalyst if they want to reach the postseason.

The Royals are headed in the wrong direction. They have lost four in a row and the offense has sputtered as of late. Now playing the Indians and going up against that stellar rotation has a lot to do with it, but they need to start playing better baseball fast. A lot of the players remain from the 2015 World Series run. So they know what it takes to make it to the postseason. Just like so many of these other teams the offense will need to play the biggest part if they want to succeed. Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas need to be their “big 3” and carry this team. They have a big series coming up with the Rays who are right behind them in the race.

The Rays and Rangers might have the longest odds of the seven to reach the postseason even though they are just three games back. Both teams are two games under .500. The Rangers had a great opportunity to gain traction with a three-game series in Oakland, but instead they were swept. The Rays took two out of three from the Cardinals in St. Louis. The Rays arguably have the best staff of these seven teams, but the offense is wildly inconsistent. Just think if the Rangers still had Yu Darvish. I know he struggled his last few starts with the team, but he and Cole Hamels would be a nice 1-2 punch down the stretch. I would expect these two teams to fall just short of the last wild card spot.

Having the second wild card introduced has made baseball that much more interesting and a lot of fun when we have a race like this that will undoubtedly go down to the last week of the regular season.

Patriots are team to beat again

Brady has a lot to smile about in the upcoming season

For Tom Brady’s 40th birthday some of his teammates decided to bring goats to training camp to signify that Brady is the definitive GOAT (greatest of all time). It’s hard to argue considering he’s won five Super Bowl’s and was the MVP in four of them. He also might be coming off of his best season where despite only playing in 12 games managed to throw for over 3,500 yards, 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

The Patriots are the reigning champs and predicted by many to once again represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. They have made it to the AFC Championship the last six years so it’s safe to say they will be in the mix again. Some analysts out there think the Patriots will finish the regular season undefeated just like they did back in 2007. Going undefeated might be a stretch because it’s so hard to do, but if one team can do it it’s the Patriots.

No one will ever forget the miracle comeback in the Super Bowl against the Falcons. The Patriots were down by 25 points in the third quarter and won the game in overtime 34-28. One of the most important players on their team didn’t even play in that game in Rob Gronkowski. This year he is fully healthy and hopefully will stay that way the entire season.

This year could actually be the most talented roster around Brady and you know he won’t want to waste this opportunity to get another ring.

On the offensive side they added two running backs to make up for the loss of LeGarrette Blount who was a force in the redzone last season. Mike Gillislee was a complimentary piece in Buffalo to LeSean McCoy. In New England he just might actually lead the pack when it comes to number of carries. Rex Burkhead was also acquired. Burkhead was a dual-threat back in Cincinnati a year ago and toward the end of the year was their most effective option out of the backfield. The running back depth in New England with the likes of Gillislee, Burkhead, James White, Dion Lewis and Brandon Bolden will make it hard for opposing team’s coaches to plan for.

They also lost TE Martellus Bennett who ended being essential in their playoff run with the absence of Gronkowski. To make up for that loss they signed former Colts TE Dwayne Allen.

The biggest addition was no doubt WR Brandin Cooks from the Saints. Cooks is coming off of back-to-back 1100+ receiving yard seasons. He automatically becomes the most dangerous receiver on this team and just might be the best weapon along with Gronk. Cooks is not nearly as tall as Randy Moss, who Brady loved throwing too back in 2007, but he has the same playmaking speed.

Just the like the running back depth, the receivers on the team include Cooks, Julian Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Matthew Slater. We saw all the problems the Steelers had with the Patriots receivers in the AFC Championship game a year ago. Adding Cooks makes them that much better.

For the defense they acquired a lot of nice pieces. LB David Harris, DE Lawrence Guy and DE Kony Ealy will improve the unit up front. Their big free agent signing was CB Stephon Gilmore formerly of the division rival Buffalo Bills. Gilmore is a true #1 and a cover specialist. He clearly makes this Patriots secondary one of the best in the game.

The concern is when age will finally catch up with Brady. He said he wants to play until he is 45. If he plays like he did last season he will no doubt be in the league that long.

There is no real threat in the AFC East. The Jets are a complete mess, the Bills are mediocre at best and the Dolphins just lost their starting QB in Ryan Tannehill for what could be the entire year. They just signed Jay Cutler, but that probably won’t be enough to dethrone the champs.

Bottom line is the Patriots have a really good shot to win back-to-back Super Bowls for the second time in franchise history.

Trade Deadline all about starting pitching

Gray will be the most coveted starter during the trade deadline

Every trade deadline there’s usually an emphasis on starting pitching and this year is no exception. Mostly all contenders at this point could add another arm because you can never have enough pitching especially when you get to the postseason.

Deals already started before the deadline.

Jose Quintana stayed in Chicago but switched leagues as the Cubs acquired him from the White Sox. The price was very high though as the White Sox ended up getting four prospects in the deal. OF Eloy Jimenez and P Dylan Cease were two of the Cubs top prospects and the other two 1B Matt Rose and INF Bryant Flete were also highly regarded prospects.

The White Sox are clearly in rebuilding mode but now have a bevy of prospects going back to the Chris Sale deal in the offseason too. If all these players live up to their potential then the Sox should be a very competitive team within the next two to three years.

For the Cubs it’s just another move to bolster their rotation in the hopes of winning the NL Central for the second year in a row. Theo Epstein, the GM of the Cubs, wasn’t afraid to make this move because if he waited closer to the deadline another team may have swooped in with a better deal to get Quintana. This move will doubt hurt the Cubs farm system, but they get a pitcher who is under control until 2020. In just two starts with the Cubs he’s 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 19 strikeouts.

Another starting pitcher changed teams this week as Jaime Garcia went from the Braves to the Twins. Garcia, along with catcher Anthony Recker was sent to Minnesota for a 19-year-old righty Huascar Ynoa. Garcia has been average at best this year going 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA. He should at least be an upgrade to a struggling Twins pitching staff. The starting staff’s ERA is 24th in the majors at 4.92.

There are still plenty of pitchers available but most of them will come at a steep price.

Justin Verlander, Yu Darvish and Sonny Gray are the top three pitchers who will more than likely be dealt by next week’s deadline.

The Tigers are looking for a lot in return for Verlander plus they would no doubt have to consume some of his astronomical salary. He is under control until 2020 and his average salary is a whopping $27 million! Verlander is 34 years old and clearly not the same pitcher he was five years ago. If he is put on a team vying for the postseason though he will more than likely pitch at a better level. The Cubs and Brewers have been linked to Verlander.

Darvish is an interesting case because he is a pure rental as he is due to become a free agent after this season. The Rangers are just 3.5 games out of the second AL Wild Card spot, but need to pass four teams in front of them so it’s more than likely they will sell unless they go on some kind of an extended winning streak.

Darvish has always been a swing and miss pitcher and it’s hard to believe this is only his fifth season pitching in the majors. A lot of teams have been linked to Darvish like the Dodgers, Cubs, Astros and Yankees.

Gray might be the most coveted piece left on the trade market because he is under control the next two years and is only 27 years old. He is still in his prime and whichever team acquires him could potentially have him for the foreseeable future if he excels.

In 2014 and 2015 he went a combined 28-17 and finished third in Cy Young voting in 2015. A lot of analysts think that Gray going to a team where he is not expected to be their top starter at this point will be best for him. The Nationals are thinking about pursuing Gray if Stephen Strasburg has to be put on the DL. The Yankees really want to add Gray to a pitching staff that has a lot of concerns since Michael Pineda’s injury. The Astros would also like Gray because aside from Lance McCullers Jr. and Dallas Keuchel when he comes off the DL they need that third guy to rely on.

There are still some other pitchers that teams will be focusing on like Jeff Samardzija, Johnny Cueto, Jeremy Hellickson, Derek Holland, Francisco Liriano, Dan Straily, Marco Estrada and Anibal Sanchez.

At this time next week a flurry of moves will be going down during the deadline.

Dodgers and Astros are top teams in baseball

Bellinger has been key in the Dodgers rise to 1st place

The second half of the Major League Baseball season is already underway and there are two teams clearly separating themselves from the rest of the league. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros look like they are the favorites to meet the Fall Classic.

Both teams would have to seriously collapse in order for them not to win their respective divisions. The Dodgers hold a 10.5-game lead over the Diamondbacks and the Astros have a whopping 15.5-game lead over the Mariners. It would actually be quite a shock if both of these teams didn’t end up with home field advantage during the playoffs in their respective leagues either. Right now it looks like the Nationals have a slight chance to unseat the Dodgers out of that top playoff seed. In the American League it looks like it’s the Astros for the taking.

It’s hard to believe that at one point early in the season the Dodgers sported a 10-12 record. And now their record is 64-29! Over the last 33 games they are an astounding 29-4! They are excelling at defense, offense, fielding and pitching. They are doing no wrong.

Their lineup 1-8 has no holes right now. When Yasiel Puig is hitting eighth in the lineup and has 18 home runs and is hitting a respectable .252 your team has to be doing pretty darn well.

The rookie phenom that is Cody Bellinger has really helped this team. Since being called up when Adrian Gonzalez went down with an injury Bellinger has been red-hot. He is fourth in the majors in home runs to go along with 61 RBIs and is hitting at a .268 clip. Another player in the heart of that lineup is Justin Turner. Turner doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify but if he did he would be leading the league in hitting. Batting .374 with 238 at-bats is nothing to shrug your shoulders at though. Corey Seager has avoided the sophomore slump and is still playing well after a stellar rookie campaign. Even Chris Taylor who has turned into their utility man has had a hot bat as of late.

The scary part about this team though is their pitching. Kenley Jansen might be the filthiest reliever in the game right now. He has converted all 23 of his saves this season and has 61 strikeouts while pitching just 40 innings.

At the top of the rotation is Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood. Kershaw has been his usual dominant self. He leads the league in wins (14), is second in ERA (2.18) and third in strikeouts (159). Alex Wood might be the best #2 in all of baseball. He is 11-0 and would be leading in ERA (1.56) if he had enough innings pitched.

The only question mark for this team is who they will be able to rely on after the top two starters. Brandon McCarthy, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda have been solid while Hyun-Jin Ryu has been a bit of a disappointment. If they go after a #3 starter that might be the missing piece that puts them over the top.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Astros lost over 100 games three consecutive seasons. Now they are 62-31 and own the AL’s best record. They are doing it because they have the most complete lineup in baseball.

The Big 3, George Springer, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are perhaps the best 1-2-3 in baseball. All three are hitting over .300 and providing power, speed and nifty glove work. The rest of the lineup though with Josh Reddick, Yuri Gurriel, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Evan Gattis, Alex Bregman, Jake Marisnick, Marwin Gonzalez and Nori Aoki have all been great. There are some nights that this team can get away with having Gonzalez on the bench which shows just how deep this team is.

The bullpen has been really good especially at the backend with the likes of Chris Devenski and Ken Giles. Devenski has 77 strikeouts in just 56 innings and Giles has converted 20 of 22 saves.

The one hiccup with this team is their starting rotation. Lance McCullers Jr. has been nothing but spectacular. He is 7-2 with a 2.38 ERA and looked good since coming back from his injury earlier in the year. Dallas Keuchel was looking like he was going to win another Cy Young before he got hurt. He was 9-0 with a 1.67 ERA.

Brad Peacock was inserted into the rotation a few months ago and has done well with that opportunity. He is 7-1 with a 2.63 ERA in nine starts. The rest of the rotation (Mike Fiers, Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove) have been pedestrian. David Paulino and Frances Martes were called up and started 10 games between the two but haven’t been consistent enough to hold down spots in the rotation. Come the trade deadline it is a must that the Astros find another pitcher if they want to reach the World Series because you don’t know if Peacock will continue to surge and you don’t know how Keuchel will pitch after this injury.

Penguins defy odds, claim back-to-back Stanley Cups

The Penguins captured the franchise’s 5th Stanley Cup

When it was announced Kris Letang had to undergo neck surgery in early April and miss the playoffs it was thought to be a foregone conclusion that the Penguins chances of repeating as Stanley Cup Champions was a pipe dream.

When Matt Murray had to be pulled during warm-ups in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs against the Blue Jackets because of a torn hamstring the chances of the Penguins winning the Cup again became even fainter.

When many key players like Sidney Crosby, Carl Hagelin, Chris Kunitz, Trevor Daley, Justin Schultz and Patric Hornqvist missed a few games here and there due to injury winning it all two years in a row seemed impossible.

However, when the clock wound down to 0.00 at Bridgestone Arena last Sunday in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals the Penguins overcame all of that and became the first team in 19 years to claim back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Through trials and tribulation this path to the Stanley Cup might have been even sweeter than the run in 2015-16.

The biggest storyline throughout the regular season was the play of the two goaltenders. Marc-Andre Fleury got the majority of starts at the beginning of the season because Murray was nursing an injury he suffered in the World Cup of Hockey. Fleury played really well, but when Murray was fully healthy Mike Sullivan made him his #1.

During the seven-month regular season Murray and Fleury were clearly the best goaltending duo in the league. GM Jim Rutherford didn’t feel any pressure to trade Fleury during the Trade Deadline and it turned out to be his best move.

Fleury really put the team on his back during the first two rounds of the playoffs when Murray went down. The Blue Jackets outshot the Penguins in four of the five games. Fleury made an unbelievable 49 saves in the clinching game of the series. In the next round against the Capitals the Penguins had a 3-1 series lead and looked dominant in their three wins, but the Capitals had some push back and won Games 5 and 6 to set up a Game 7 in Washington.

Just like in 2009 when the Penguins won Game 7 in Washington in the second round history repeated itself. Fleury shutout the Presidents’ Trophy winners 2-0 which sent the Penguins to the Eastern Conference Finals where they would battle the Senators.

The Penguins lost the first game on home ice 2-1 in overtime and won Game 2 1-0 thanks to a Phil Kessel third period goal. Game 3 in Ottawa turned out to be a disaster. Fleury allowed four goals on nine shots due in large part to some bad bounces and poor defensive play in front. Murray was back in and didn’t miss a beat. The series eventually came down to a Game 7. In the second overtime Chris Kunitz netted the game winner and once again the Penguins were in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Penguins and Predators held serve on home ice. With the series deadlocked 2-2 the Penguins slaughtered the Predators at PPG Paints Arena to the tune of 6-0. Finally a road team won a game and it turned out to be the clincher for the Penguins. Hornqvist scored with just under two minutes in regulation and Hagelin added an empty net goal.

Sidney Crosby, who suffered a concussion in the Capitals series, won back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies. He finished the playoffs second in scoring with 8 goals and 27 points. He was one point back from teammate Evgeni Malkin. Kessel was third in the playoffs with 23 points and rookie Jake Guentzel led the playoffs with 13 goals. Guentzel now holds the record for most points by a rookie in the playoffs. Murray had a .937 save percentage and three shutouts while Fleury had a .924 save percentage and two shutouts.

All the defensemen stepped up in a big way to fill the Letang’s shoes. Schultz, Daley, Olli Maatta, Ron Hainsey, Brian Dumoulin, Ian Cole and even Mark Streit played key roles throughout the playoff run.

Sullivan made all the right coaching moves whether it was sticking with Murray over Fleury or making some lineup changes like inserting Carter Rowney or sitting Conor Sheary for a few games and dressing seven defensemen on different occasions.

The fact of the matter is the Penguins are Stanley Cup Champions once again and is it really that absurd to think they can do it again next year?

Pirates very much alive in crowded NL Central

McCutchen could be heating up at the right time

The Cubs were supposed to win the NL Central without much of a challenge with the Cardinals posing a slight threat. After the two-month mark of the season though it is the Brewers, not the Cubs, who sit atop the division. In fact, just four games separate the first-place Brewers and the last-place Reds.

The Pirates sit in fourth place by a mere percentage point over the Reds with a 26-31 record. Now at the beginning of the season a record like that through the first two months would have been considered a bit of a disappointment for the team. Last year they finished five-games under .500 and this year was expected to compete for one of the NL Wild Card spots.

Once Spring Training rolled around the whole DUI-situation with Jung-Ho Kang escalated into an even bigger problem. He still is over in South Korea and it looks like he won’t be suiting up for the Pirates at all this year. Then just a few weeks into the season Starling Marte was suspended 80 games for using PEDs. Add to the fact that just a few weeks ago the Pirates best pitcher Jameson Taillon had to undergo surgery for testicular cancer.

Amid all of that turmoil the Pirates have floated near the .500 mark and remained competitive in the NL Central because no team has pulled away. As it stands right now the Brewers (30-27), Cubs (28-27), Cardinals (26-28) and Reds (25-30) cannot get any separation.

The Pirates are 23rd in hitting and 13th in pitching in the majors right now. Through the first two months of the season there have been times when the pitching was the strong suit and the hitting not so much and vice versa.

There is a stretch coming up where the Pirates can make up a lot of ground and work their way to the top of the division. Starting tomorrow they play two in Baltimore and then come back to PNC Park for a 10-game homestand against the Marlins, Rockies and Cubs.

During that homestand it is very possible the team could back Taillon if his next rehab start in Indianapolis on Wednesday goes well. It’s absolutely amazing to think that he could be back pitching for the Pirates after having that surgery not even two months ago.

The offense is looking to stay hot too after taking two of three from the Mets over the weekend in Queens. In the two victories the Pirates outscored the Mets 23-8.

One player who looks like he’s starting to heat up is Andrew McCutchen.

McCutchen struggled once again the first month and a half of this season batting third in the lineup. He was hovering around the Mendoza line and striking out in bunches. Ever since Clint Hurdle moved him down in the lineup to the six spot he’s starting to produce.

He’s seeing better pitches, drawing more walks and hitting the ball to the opposite direction which was always a strong suit when McCutchen was playing at a MVP level.

Adam Frazier and Josh Harrison have also been catalysts at the top of the lineup as both of them are batting over .300. At the bottom of the lineup too Jordy Mercer has also been hitting the ball well as of late pushing his average up to .264. A few weeks ago he was nearing the .220 mark.

Most analysts seem to the think that the Pirates have a capable enough lineup to do well the rest of the season. It is the pitching staff that will need to be more consistent. Ivan Nova has been steady all year long. Gerrit Cole has been hot and cold up to this point. The first month he was pitching really well and not getting enough run support. His last three starts have been pretty bad and so far he has already surrendered 15 home runs which is the most he has allowed in a single season so that number will surely keep rising. Tyler Glasnow has been and up-and-down in his 11 starts. Chad Kuhl is vastly underperforming and Trevor Williams has been solid since filling Taillon’s spot.

If the top three in Nova, Cole and Taillon can pitch to their capabilities then the Pirates should be in good shape the rest of the way. Glasnow and probably Williams would be at the back end of the rotation and would primarily be inning eaters.

I know it’s a lot of “ifs” but if no team really pulls away in the division and the Pirates are right in the thick of things they just maybe could steal this division and sneak into the playoffs.

Capitals undone by Penguins yet again

The Capitals once again were ousted in the playoffs by the Penguins

This year was going to be the year. The Capitals were finally going to get past the second round of the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. It felt like it was going to happen. The Capitals were down 3-1 in the second round to the Penguins just like a season ago. This time instead of losing Game 6 in Pittsburgh they won it in rather impressive fashion 5-2. There would be a Game 7 this time at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The Capitals had all the momentum and when the dust settled Wednesday night it was the Penguins, not the Capitals, moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

After looking so slow in Game 6 the Penguins played their most complete game of the playoffs thus far. Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan should get most of the credit because the day before Game 7 he had his players go through a vigorous practice. He switched up the lines and made a few personnel moves too. Carl Hagelin and Tom Kuhnhackl were replaced with Scott Wilson and Carter Rowney.

The Capitals took it to the Penguins early on in the first period as they spent most of the time in the Penguins end. The only problem for the Capitals though is that they weren’t getting any pucks past Marc-Andre Fleury and little did they know that Fleury was going to be a stone wall in the net the rest of the game too.

The Penguins looked like a completely different team from Game 6 to Game 7. Everyone was more aggressive and the defense played much better as a result of it. In Game 6 guys like Ron Hainsey, Brian Dumoulin and Olli Maatta looked like they had tired legs, but the following game it’s like they had some renewed energy.

Going into the game a lot of people around Pittsburgh didn’t like the Penguins chances because of how poorly they played at the end of Game 5 and all of Game 6. Plus in the backs of a lot of their minds they probably though the Capitals are due at some point to beat the Penguins in the playoffs. It didn’t happen and now the Penguins have won 9 out of 10 playoff series against the Capitals. Washington’s only series victory happened in 1994.

All the analysts and fans in Washington are starting to blame a curse. Since 1998 the Capitals have not made it past the second round of the playoffs. They’ve been to the playoffs 12 times since 1998. There might be a curse on this team, but that shouldn’t be the blame for why they lost.

Fleury was absolutely brilliant most of this series. He faced over 200 shots for the second-straight series and was the better goalie each time. With the 2-0 win in Game 7 he already has to be the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Penguins are to win the Stanley Cup.

When push came to shove the Penguins experience of winning elimination games in the playoffs on the road was a big factor too. In Game 7’s on the road the Penguins are now 6-0 and they have won their last four Game 7’s against the Capitals.

The reason the Capitals lost this series is because of the first two games they lost on home ice and they weren’t able to win Game 4 when the Penguins were without their best player Sidney Crosby.

Washington is filled with plenty of good players. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Kevin Shattenkirk, T.J. Oshie, Andre Burakovsky, and Evgeny Kuznetsov are premier players in the NHL. Braden Holtby is a pretty good goaltender too. Their problem is though that they are an excellent regular season team, but when it comes to the playoffs they just can’t get over that hump.

It will be a very tumultuous offseason Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan. They may have to say goodbye to some beloved players and their head coach.

For the Penguins it’s business as usual. They are now in the Eastern Conference Finals once again this time taking on the Ottawa Senators. I think it might be safe to say at this point the only way the Capitals will ever reach the Stanley Cup again is if they don’t run into the Penguins.

Steelers have a fantastic 2017 draft

The Steelers chose T.J. Watt with their first-round pick

It was the first time ever that the NFL Draft was held outdoors and this year it was in the "City of Brotherly Love." The draft took place at an outdoor theater on the steps of Philadelphia's Art Museum. After seeing the first round Thursday night it looked like the entire city was out in full force. This had to have been one of the more surprising drafts over the last decade considering all of the teams that decided to take wide receivers and quarterbacks way higher than they were expected to go. One team that had a pretty successful draft were the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers picks were as followed: Round 1 - Pick 30 - OLB T.J. Watt (Wisconsin), Round 2 - Pick 62 - WR Juju Smith-Schuster (USC), Round 3 - Pick 94 - CB Cameron Sutton (Tennessee), Round 3 - Pick 105 - RB James Conner (Pittsburgh), Round 4 - Pick 135 - QB Joshua Dobbs (Tennessee), Round 5 - Pick 173 - CB Brian Allen (Utah), Round 6 - Pick 213 - LS Colin Holba (Louisville) and Round 7 - Pick 248 - LB Keion Adams (Western Michigan).

Most analysts among ESPN and the NFL Network graded the overall draft of the Steelers at about an average of an A-/B+. It did not seem that many of the fans around Pittsburgh felt the same way after hearing a lot of their complaints on local radio stations and social media. I tend to agree more with the analysts. I actually thought this was one of the best drafts ever in the Kevin Colbert/Mike Tomlin era.

The Watt pick on day one was a perfect match. A lot of draft prognosticators had Watt going to the Packers right before the Steelers, but when the Packers traded down and Watt was still on the board it was easy pickings for the black and gold. Watt has really only had one true season as an outside linebacker but it was an impressive one. The name recognition is there because of what his brother J.J. has done with the Houston Texans. The younger Watt may not be as explosive as his brother, but he surely will help out what was an average pass rush a year ago. Come mid-season it could be Watt and Bud Dupree rushing the QB on the outside with the age-defying James Harrison subbing in when needed.

The most surprising pick for the Steelers was Schuster. The Steelers already had a plethora of wide receivers on the roster and it was announced earlier in the week that Martavis Bryant had been conditionally reinstated. What this tells me about the pick is that the Steelers still don't have complete faith in Bryant staying out of trouble and their young receivers stepping up in big games. Cobi Hamilton, Sammie Coates and Eli Rogers had their moments but were too inconsistent. Adding Schuster who is extremely talented will only make the receiving group that much better. They gambled taking a receiver this high. We will see if it will pay off down the line.

The Steelers addressed the much maligned cornerback position in the first round last year by taking Artie Burns. This year they waited a few more rounds to get Sutton. Sutton is at his best in man coverage which should be a big boost. The selection of Conner is another perfect match. The kid who shared the same practice facility with the Steelers during his time at Pitt will provide them with a nice 1-2 punch at the running back position.

Le'Veon Bell was a workhorse last year and I'm sure the Steelers would like to give him some rest now and then. Conner will be a nice change of pace back because he is more of a bruising back. He can also be a nice goal-line specialist. Add in Knile Davis who was signed earlier in the offseason and the Steelers running backs group can be just as special as the receivers.

Dobbs is the first quarterback taken in the draft since Landry Jones who was also picked in the fourth round. The Steelers may have taken Dobbs with the idea that he could be Ben Roethlisberger's succesor amid all of the retirement talk over the offseason. Dobbs would need to be groomed for a few years and the only concern is that he relied a lot on his running ability in college and he had some accuracy issues. Jones was thought to be the heir apparent to Big Ben, maybe instead it will be Dobbs.

Two of the final three picks were on the defensive side of the ball. Allen is a converted wide receiver. If he is able to polish up his coverage skills he has a chance to be a playmaker in the secondary. I can't remember the last time the Steelers had a quality cornerback who was 6-foot-3. Adams is very versatile and could play both linebacker and defensive end. He could provide some much-needed depth for the Steelers up front.

One of the more controversial picks was the Steelers taking a long snapper. It's very rare that a specialist like Holba is drafted. The Steelers really care about the long snapping position. Greg Warren will be entering his 13th season as the teams long snapper. Having a good long snapper is quintessential to having a good special teams unit. I remember one year not long ago when the Chargers had their issues snapping the ball and it cost them a lot of games. Holba may be able to beat out Warren or be his replacement next year. I understand that they could have picked an inside linebacker, safety or tight end, but I won't knock the pick.

Colbert and Tomlin should feel very happy with this year's draft because a lot of them should make some key contributions during the regular season.

Marte’s suspension spells uncertainty for the Pirates

Marte will be suspended 80 games for using PEDs

With only a week left in the first month of the MLB season the Pirates find themselves in last place in a crowded NL Central with an 8-10 record. Before the most recent series victory over the Yankees at PNC Park today the Pirates previous five series were all sweeps. The Pirates swept the Braves and Cubs and were swept by the Red Sox, Reds and Cardinals.

The offense has had its share of struggles so far early on this season and to make matters worse they along with the rest of Major League Baseball found out that star center fielder Starling Marte was suspended 80 games for using performance-enhancing drugs. With Marte unable to play again until mid-July the Pirates offense will have to figure out how to stay afloat.

The Pirates suffered two consecutive 2-1 defeats to the Cardinals in St. Louis. In both games it seemed they were just one hit away from taking the lead late in the game and possibly holding on for the wins. It could be a sign of things to come for this team.

Luckily over the weekend the Pirates were able to take two of three from a hot Yankees team. There were some alarming trends in a few of these games though.

On Saturday the Pirates looked poised for a second-straight victory over the Yankees with their best pitcher on the mound Jameson Taillon cruising. After a couple of bad plays defensively let a few runners reach base Taillon gave up a three-run home run to Starlin Castro to tie the game 3-3.

Later on in the game with the score tied 5-5 Felipe Rivero gave up a three-run pinch hit home run to Chris Carter to put the Yankees up 8-5 and eventually they would go on to win 11-5.

In today’s game the Pirates were able to hold on for a nail-biting 2-1 win. The bad thing in this game was that offense couldn’t come up with key hits to extend their lead.

The Pirates had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 7th inning and failed to score a single run. They got out of trouble in the 8th inning and Tony Watson was able to survive the bases loaded with just one out to get the save. In that 9th inning the game would have been over sooner with a double play, but second baseman Josh Harrison bobbled the groundball and everyone was safe.

Marte’s absence makes the bench much weaker and they also lose a power bat and speed on the bases. Jose Osuna was called up who can play both first base and the outfield. Through a few games though it would be prudent for the Pirates to have Osuna play in the outfield because both John Jaso and Adam Frazier have barely played the position.

The only positive right now with this 8-10 team has been the starting pitching. Four of the starting five, Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Ivan Nova and Chad Kuhl all have had quality starts and the fifth starter Tyler Glasnow is making strides after his poor showing in his season debut.

If the Pirates can continue to get good starting pitching throughout the season it will give them a chance to be a competitive team. What needs to improve are the offense and the defense. They are tied with the Oakland Athletics for most errors at 17. They also are second to last in the National League with only 62 runs scored. A way that can improve is by getting more quality at-bats and executing with runners in scoring position.

Players like Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco, Josh Bell and David Freese will have to provide the power. There is still some optimism too that Jung-Ho Kang will be back at some point within the next couple months to help the team in that department too. The only hope is that the team still has a shot to make the playoffs by the time Marte returns and if so that he can contribute.

Who is the face of Major League Baseball?

At 24 years old Harper might be the face of the league

In the NHL you have Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. In the NFL it’s Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt. In the NBA it’s LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook. When you think of the major sports in the country you think of those players as the faces of their respective leagues. When it comes to Major League Baseball there really is no clear cut “face” of the game.

One of the big reasons why so many young kids and teenagers over the last decade aren’t crazy about baseball is because the league doesn’t have those identifiable players that fans can clamor to.

In the ‘60s it was players like Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente and Mickey Mantle. In the ‘70s it was Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson, Tom Seaver and Mike Schmidt.

In the ‘80s it was Orel Hershiser, Nolan Ryan and Rickey Henderson. In the ‘90s it was Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. In the ‘00s it was Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Ichiro, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson.

Since about 2010 there really hasn’t been that one player that’s synonymous with the league.

There needs to be that “it” player. The type of player that could pull the casual fan in and make him or her a hardcore fan. The one player that met this test was Ken Griffey Jr.

I first started watching baseball in 1997 and for the first few years I end up getting more and more interested the sport because of Griffey Jr. The Pirates are my hometown team and back in the late ‘90s there wasn’t that great player. Sure they had the likes of Jason Kendall and Brian Giles, but they weren’t household names outside of Pittsburgh.

Griffey Jr. did it all during the 1990s. He was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glover, and the 1997 AL MVP. He was on the cover of multiple video games and who could forget the way he had so much fun during all the Home Run Derby’s he took part in. The image of Griffey Jr. smiling with his Mariners hat on backwards taking batting practice showed just how much of a kid he was. He was the ultimate role-model for all those young fans and I guarantee you if you asked a lot of people between the ages of 25 and 35 years old what player did the most for the sport their answer would be Griffey Jr.

There have been plenty of really good players over the last six or seven years like recently retired David Ortiz, Andrew McCutchen, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Braun, Justin Verlander, Albert Pujols and Jose Altuve. Cabrera is the only one that ranked near the top of the major stat categories consistently over the last five years, but doesn’t have that superstar appeal.

The three players that can make a case for being of the face of baseball are Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw and Bryce Harper.

Since being an everyday player in 2012 Trout is already a two-time AL MVP and a three-time runner-up in that same category. He can do it all with the bat and the glove. He is probably the league’s best marketing tool. The only thing that separates him from Griffey Jr. status though is that he plays on a bad team. The Angels with Trout have made the playoffs just once back in 2014 and were swept by the Royals in the ALDS. Even though Griffey Jr. never reached a World Series he played on a lot of really good Mariners teams.

Kershaw is the premier pitcher in the league. He already has three Cy Young’s to his name and a MVP. There was a four-year stretch where he led the league in ERA, the highest during that four-year period was an astonishing 2.53. Kershaw is on a Dodgers squad that seems to make the playoffs every year, but never can get over that hump and get into the World Series. Plus Kershaw has had his fair share of struggles in the postseason.

Harper is the youngest of the three and essentially is the NL version of Trout. Harper can do it all on the diamond. Out of the three he might be the most marketable simply because he isn’t playing on the west coast. He also has been infamous for his comments to the media. His hairstyle has also made waves throughout the league. Harper basically said that he wants to inject fun back into the league. There are a lot of fans out there though who dislike Harper. He may be one of the top villains in the league, but who says a villain can’t be the face of the league?

A truly unique Final Four

It is a very unpredictable Final Four

The best postseason tournament among all of sports is about to wrap up in four days with the Final Four on Saturday and the National Championship on Monday in Phoenix, Arizona. The 7-seed South Carolina from the East Region, the 1-seed Gonzaga from the West, the 3-seed Oregon from the Midwest and the 1-seed North Carolina from the South are the last four teams remaining.

At first glance you think ok, Gonzaga, North Carolina and Oregon were all highly ranked teams throughout the season and the one big surprise is South Carolina. A 7-seed though reaching the Final Four shouldn’t come as that much a shock. All you have to do is look back at five of the last six Final Fours and you’ll notice a familiarity. A team seeded 7th or worst made it to the last weekend of the tournament. In 2011 11-seed VCU, 2013 9-seed Wichita State, 2014 8-seed Kentucky (7-seed Connecticut defeated the Wildcats in the National Championship), 2015 7-seed Michigan State and last year 10-seed Syracuse.

The biggest shock is how all four of these teams got to this point.

Let’s start with the Cinderella of the tournament, South Carolina. When the brackets first came out South Carolina matched up against Marquette in the 7-10 game. A lot of the experts thought Marquette’s three-point shooting would get them the win. South Carolina trailed at the half and stifled Marquette in the second half en route to a 94-73 win. Then they took on a Duke squad that a lot and I mean a lot of people had winning the whole thing because they looked so dominant in winning the ACC Tournament the week before. Once again South Carolina came back from a deficit in the second half and put up a massive 65 points in the second half to complete the upset. In the Sweet 16 their defense stymied Baylor and in the Elite Eight they beat one of their conference rivals Florida to reach the Final Four.

What makes this run so unprecedented is that the Gamecocks finished the year 3-6 before the tournament. No one had them on their radar when it came to picking a team to make a deep run. They have got this far with swarming defense and outstanding play from Sindarius Thornwell. The rest of the team doesn’t have those household names and the fact they are only two wins away from being a National Champion is unbelievable. Coach Frank Martin is already a legend in South Carolina.

Their opponent on Saturday night is the Gonzaga Bulldogs who have lost just once during the entire season. Yet many are still surprised that Gonzaga and Coach Mark Few are in the program’s first Final Four. Many thought that the 2-seed in the region, Arizona, would get to their home state and give Sean Miller his first Final Four but 11-seed Xavier had other plans and upset the Wildcats in the Sweet 16. The Zags toughest test came in the Sweet 16 against West Virginia, aka Press Virginia where the Bulldogs couldn’t find a rhythm on offense but were able to match the Mountaineers toughness. With under a minute to go and Gonzaga down 58-57 Cal transfer Jordan Mathews hit the go-ahead three-pointer that sealed the win. After the Zags tacked on a free throw West Virginia couldn’t even get a clean shot off at the end of regulation to force overtime.

After getting by West Virginia Gonzaga was able to run their style of offense against Xavier in a fairly easy 83-59 victory. Johnathan Williams, the Missouri transfer averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds in the two games to spark the Zags. A lot of people doubted how good this Gonzaga team is because they play in the West Coast Conference. Well I hope they see how good they are now because out of the four teams left there is no better center/guard duo than Przemek Karnowksi and Nigel Williams-Goss.

The other 1-seed is the “blue-blood” North Carolina. The team that was oh so close to winning it all just a year ago against Villanova. Of the four teams still standing they had the most difficult region with fellow blue bloods Kentucky and UCLA waiting in the wings. They survived Arkansas in the Round of 32 and blew out Butler in the Sweet 16. Their toughest test came against 2-seed Kentucky in the Elite Eight. This game was also being played in Memphis which is relatively SEC country. The Tar Heels were in command most of the game until a late Kentucky run gave the Wildcats a five point lead with under four minutes to go. UNC then answered with a run of their own. Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox wouldn’t go down without a fight though. Each hit crucial three pointers to keep it a one possession game. With the score at 73-70 in favor of UNC Justin Jackson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Malik Monk nailed the tying three with about 10 seconds. UNC’s Luke Maye though hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. UNC won what arguably is the best game of the tournament so far 75-73.

It’s hard reaching back-to-back Final Four’s let alone back-to-back National Championships. UNC is trying to be the first to do so since the 2010 and 2011 Butler squad. Their success all comes down to the health of Joel Berry II. Both of his ankles are now injured so if he isn’t 100% then there won’t be any redemption for this team.

Last but not least the Ducks of Oregon. Many experts who dissected the brackets didn’t give Oregon much of a chance to advance past the Sweet 16 because of the injury to big-man Chris Boucher right before the tournament. He led the team in blocks and was third in scoring. With Boucher’s absence certain players have found more succinct roles. Tyler Dorsey, Dillon Brooks and Jordan Bell have all upped their game. After close victories over Rhode Island and Michigan their toughest test came against 1-seed Kansas in Kansas City. So it was basically a road game for Oregon. Kansas looked dominant in their 98-66 win over Purdue a few nights before. The Elite Eight game however belonged to the Ducks. From start to finish Oregon was the more aggressive team. They took an 11-point lead into the half and they left off where they started. Kansas took bad shots and never looked comfortable.

Oregon is back in the Final Four for the first time since 1939. There players knew how close they were a year ago when they lost to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight and they didn’t want to have that same feeling again.

Once the dust settles Saturday night there could be some compelling matchups for the National Championship. It could be the battle of the Carolina’s, an all-west battle, two 1-seeds going head-to-head or a clash of the underdogs.

There is nothing like the NCAA Tournament

South Carolina over Duke is the biggest upset so far in the tournament

The madness began last Thursday in an already wild and unexpected NCAA Tournament. In year’s past a lot of the major upsets occurred in the Round of 64 while this year it was the Saturday and Sunday games that gave us the most surprising results.

Once the matchups were announced everyone looked at which of the lower seeds had the best chance of winning one or two games. The sexy picks were 12-seed UNC Wilmington, 12-seed Middle Tennessee, 13-seed Winthrop and 14-seed Florida Gulf Coast. After the dust settled though and we were down to 32 teams there were no significant upsets.

Middle Tennessee did in fact beat Minnesota but it was hardly an upset because it seems like every year a 12 seed beats a 5 seed. Plus going into the game the Blue Raiders were slight favorites over the Golden Gophers. Teams like Princeton, Bucknell, UNC Wilmington, Florida Gulf Coast, Nevada, Vermont, New Mexico State and Winthrop failed to come up with the upset. This year just didn’t serve up that eye-popping win. The one thing to take note of though was the 11 seeds. Out of the four 6 vs. 11 games only one 6-seed advanced (Cincinnati defeated Kansas State). Xavier, Rhode Island and USC reached the Round of 32. So even though these are schools from major conferences their victories were still considered minor upsets based on the seed they were given.

The games on Saturday and Sunday presented a much different feel.

Almost every one of the 16 games played during the two days was filled with back-and-forth action, heartbreak and jubilation. There wasn’t a doubt in everyone’s mind that on Monday morning millions of brackets were busted.

It all started with the defending National Champions. Villanova squared off against a Wisconsin group that was extremely under-seeded so the committee didn’t do any favors for the Wildcats. Wisconsin matched Villanova the entire game and in the closing seconds they made the plays that Villanova couldn’t. They held on for the 65-62 victory and now have reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season. Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig know what it takes to get this far and they have a legitimate shot as an 8-seed to reach the Final Four.

Gonzaga, another 1-seed, almost bowed out of the tournament just like Villanova. They jumped out to an early 22-point lead over 8-seed Northwestern in the first half and eventually led by 18 at halftime. In the second half Northwestern came out and played like a bunch not wanting their season to be over. The huge lead by Gonzaga was cut down to five with just under five minutes remaining then a missed call sealed Northwestern’s fate. Gonzaga’s Zach Collins reached through the net to block a shot which should have been goaltending. That would have made it a three-point game and who knows what would have happened. The missed call infuriated Northwestern coach Chris Collins who was assessed a technical foul. The Zags held on for the 79-73 win.

It was a back-and-forth affair between 5-seed Iowa State and 4-seed Purdue. The Boilermakers led by 13 halftime, but as we know in this tournament no double-digit lead is safe. The Cyclones came back and took the lead late thanks in large part to the efforts of Monte Morris and Deonte Burton. Once that happened Purdue answered, and then Iowa State answered, back-and-forth we went until Purdue shut the door on the Cyclones season, 80-76.

Sunday’s games were even more heart-wrenching.

Everyone knows the story of this Michigan squad. As an 8-seed in the Big Ten Tournament they defeated Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin to win the title. They did all of this after the airplane they were on slid off the runway which caused quite a scare for the team. They held on to beat a pesky Oklahoma State bunch 92-91 in the Round of 64 and then they knocked out 2-seed Louisville 73-69. For the better part of the first 31 minutes of the game they were down by either eight or nine points until they put together a run to knock out the Cardinals.

Fellow in-state team Kentucky also had themselves a game with 10-seed Wichita State. The Shockers were also under-seeded by the committee. Kentucky needed two blocks in the final minute of the game to stave off the Shockers despite a poor performance from star freshman Malik Monk.

North Carolina, Oregon and Baylor also barely held on to advance to the Sweet 16. 3-seeds Oregon and Baylor had a few calls go their way down the stretch in their respective games. Rhode Island gave Oregon all kinds of fits in the first half, but the Ducks rallied late in the game to send the Rams packing. Baylor had to hold off a USC squad that just wouldn’t go away.

North Carolina losing to Arkansas would have been the biggest upset by far. Arkansas led the Tar Heels 65-62 with just over three minutes remaining. The problem for the Razorbacks was that they wouldn’t score another point the rest of the game. UNC finished the game on a 10-0 run to secure a Sweet 16 berth.

The upset of the tournament came in one of the final games Sunday night. 7-seed South Carolina defeated 2-seed Duke 88-81. Duke led by seven at the break, but in the second half it was all Gamecocks. South Carolina put up a whopping 65 points! Sindarius Thornwell led the way with 24 points. Duke looked like the favorite to cut down the nets in Phoenix after winning the ACC Tournament, but too many mistakes (18 turnovers) against a quality team like South Carolina undone the Blue Devils.

The Sweet 16 is set and the only double-digit seed to make this far is 11-seed Xavier. They’ll have to fight with a lot of other teams though like 7-seed South Carolina, 7-seed Michigan and 8-seed Wisconsin to be deemed the Cinderella of this tournament.

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