Best & Worst NFL Week Seven

We are almost at the half way mark of the NFL season, with plenty to take away from the week that was. the Pittsburgh Steelers walked away as the only unbeaten team left in the NFL. The NFC East is the worst division in the league and the New York Jets are the worst team in the league. We got some teams around the league that are starting to fall apart, as well as some players too. Week seven saw plenty of frantic finishes and a few breakout performances. So lets get right into it. Here's the best and worst of week seven in the NFL.

Best: Tyler Lockett, Wide Receiver Seattle Seahawks

We going to be talking quite a bit about this game. Seattle suffered its first loss of the season in a 37-34 overtime game to Arizona. It wasn't for lack of effort on Lockett who was targeted 20 times and had 15 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns. The team effort wasn't there from the Seahawks, more on that in a second, but Lockett was a big factor to keeping Seattle in the fight. Having a 200 yard receiving day is something that some wideouts can only dream of. Lockett had it and was a thriving force for Seattle.

Worst: Seattle Seahawks

At the same time, for as great a performance that Lockett had, the rest of the Seahawks failed to really show up and support him. Seattle was outscored 23-7 in the second half, including overtime. They were even given a gift in overtime, with Zane Gonzalez missing a 41 yard field goal early on in OT. But Russel Wilson was off on the day throwing three picks, which is a rarity for him. The third pick went to Isiah Simmons, which set up the winning field goal in OT. Look Seattle is still in good shape and can still make a very deep run. But they came back down to earth this week, and now have to be a bit nervous, with teams like San Francisco and Arizona starting to find their games.

Best: Davante Adams, Wide Receiver Green Bay Packers

Here we have a guy whos been playing with something nagging him since week one. But in the Packers 35-20 win over Houston, Davante Adams went off. He finished with 13 catches for a career high 196 yards and a couple of scores. It seems as Aaron Rogers always finds a way to find a favorite target and this week it was Adams. He got plenty to go and we know he can be a good deep threat. Adams showed off more of that this week in the Packers win, which is making them a more dangerous team as the season wears on.

Worst: New England Patriots Passing Game

New England got blown out to the tune of a 33-6 loss to the 49ers. New England receivers had a grand total of 95 receiving yards on the game. 95! Davante Adams had more yards by himself then anybody on New England combined. To make matters worse, Cam Newton became the 1st Patriots player with no touchdown passes, at least 3 picks and under a hundred passing yards since Steve Grogan in 1983. There was a stretch this year where it looked like the Patriots might be able to keep pace with Buffalo this year, but they have taken several steps backwards and now look out of sync. With the way the passing game looked against the 49ers, they had better get this together otherwise it going to fall apart fast.

Best: Baker Mayfield, Quarterback Cleveland Browns

We talked last week at how bad Mayfield looked for the Browns. Well this week, in a 37-34 win over the Bengals, Baker found himself again. He started the game going 0 for 5 with a pick. After that he was nearly perfect, going 22 of 23 for 297 yards, five touchdowns and an almost perfect passer rating. Something must have finally clicked for Baker as this week he found his groove and became the man under center that the Browns need him to be. It going to be more interesting going down the road without Odell here, because Beckham is now out for the season with an ACL injury.

Worst: Atlanta Falcons

Its been a rough going for the Falcons, as they now sit at 1-6 and are 0-4 at home this year, following a 23-22 loss to the Detroit Lions. They even had a 14-10 lead in this game too, which has been a big problem for the Falcons in the past. All Todd Gurley had to do was fall short of the goal line and help Atlanta kill the clock, but his momentum carried him into the endzone and gave Atlanta a six point lead. It also gave the Lions plenty of time to come back and get the win. This all coming after Atlanta finally got its first win. This team seems to be going down a steep hill and there aren't really any signs of stopping it

Best: Bubba Baker Safety Arizona Cardinals

Arizona pulled off a shocking upset in overtime, knocking off the previously unbeaten Seahawks 37-34. Baker was one of the big reasons why. He had 14 tackles on the day, eleven of which are solo, and one interception. What people are talking about more from this day though was Bakers interception. Not that it was a great catch or a pick six, no. it was the fact that when it looked like he was going to score he got run down by Seattle receiver DK Metcaff, in one of the more entertaining moments of this season. It was a big statement game made by the Cardinals, how well they played on the defensive side of the football. And doing it against one of the best teams in the league. Baker had a huge hand in this win

Worst: Dallas Cowboys Coaching

There had been a lot of hype for Dallas this year, even in a poor NFC East. Once Dak went down with the injury, things went from interesting Now Dallas gets blown out 25-3 by the Washington Football Team. They haven't gotten much right this year. Injuries to Dak two weeks ago, and now Andy Dalton getting taken out with a concussion this week hasn't helped the cause. But even before the injuries struck Dallas, this team was almost as poorly coached as the Jets, which is saying something. Now the Jets are a horribly run team, so Dallas gets a bit of a break but they have had some bad games this year. Too many mental mistakes and bad turnovers. That's not on the coaching staff, but what is is how un prepared that Dallas looked against Washington on Sunday

Another Title To LA

It has been a crazy last couple of weeks in the sports world for the city of Los Angeles. First the Lakers win the NBA title, and now, for the 7th time in their history and first since 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers are champions of the baseball world. LA had the best record in baseball during this shortened season, and capped it off with a title, beating the Tampa Bay Rays in six games.

Two things stuck out about this series. One was how well the Dodgers played over the course of the six games. The other was how poorly Kevin Cash handled his pitching staff in game six, but more on that a little later.

For Los Angeles, this was a bit of a redemption. This was the third time in the last four years that the Dodgers had played in the fall classic, having lost to the Astros in seven games in 2017, and then again to the Red Sox the next year in five games. Last year they didn't make it out of the divisional round, losing to Washington in five games. So this was a big step for LA to finally get over the hump and capture a title that had been waiting 32 years to get back to LA.

What was the big key for the Dodgers to winning the series? For one thing it was the hitting of Corey Seager, who was named MVP of the series. Seager became just the eighth player to be named MVP of both the World Series and League Championship Series in the same year. The numbers in the World Series speak for themselves. He hit .400 in the series (going 8 for 20 at the plate with 6 walks) two homers and five RBI. It wasn't just the offense that had it going for LA, the pitching was a big factor too, more so late in the series. The starters and the pen had done a good job shutting the Rays bats down over the final two games of the series.

Speaking of which, there's a lot you can get into from the other side of the coin. First off, can somebody please explain to me what happened to the Tampa offense after the final two games of the series? two runs on seven hits in game five and just one run on five hits in game six. The Rays offense went ice cold and couldn't manage to do squat with runners on base or even in scoring position. They had noting really going in the latter half of the series. Arozarena, Kiermaier, Diaz and Margot were the only ones who hit with consistency in the Tampa Lineup and Arozarena and Kiermaier were the only ones who produced much of anything in the six games.

Hitting seemed to be the biggest killer of the Rays at the end of the series, but there is one thing that a lot of people were talking about that overshadowed a little that lack of production. it was Kevin Cash's decision to pull starter Blake Snell at 73 pitches after five an a third innings in game six. I know he gave his standard explanation about not wanting Snell face the Rays order the third time through, but come on man. The hell with analytics. Just for once I'd love to see a manager say screw it and just let his guys go out and play. I think that's been a big part of the game and its starting to ruin the game a little. But that's another argument for another time.

Los Angeles took full advantage of the Tampa mistakes and walked away with a title. After being a brides made in each of their last two World Series trips, the Dodgers finally get to be the Bride. Congrats to the Dodgers on picking up their seventh World Championship!

Dumpster Fire In Jersey

Ah football season. It has a way of drawing us in every week, whether it's college or the NFL. Every Thursday, Sunday and Monday the NFL has the attention of its fans. They hang on every play and live and die with there teams. I'm just as guilty as any football fan, as I go up and down with my New York Jets every week. There have been rough seasons in the past, just as there have been good years as well. This 2020 season is bad. I'm talking dumpster fire level bad.

Look no further then yesterday's performance against Buffalo. Had a 10-0 lead in the game and the offense looked like it was on the move and could actually find their groove. Then the second half hit and the wheels fell off. Buffalo had made the adjustment that they needed to make and they found their game. The Jets couldn't find the counter punch to the Buffalo adjustment and fell apart. How badly did they fall apart. Four yards of offense in the second half. FOUR YARDS!!!! That's all the Jets could muster over the final 30 minutes of the game. Buffalo's field goal kicker had more points in the 2econd half then the Jets had yards, which is pathetic beyond description.

I will give credit where it is due to the Jets defense for being able to keep that Buffalo offense out of the endzone, but that's about it. This offense had a flow going to it at the start of the game and through I'd say the first quarter and a half it looked like they would finally have turned the corner and might be able to steal their first win of the year. Then the offense shut down. This wasn't even on Adam Gase, who wasn't the one calling the plays this week. Dowell Loggains was, according to Gase. That would make sense the way the game started by how well the Jets managed to move the ball. Then it grinded to a hault the rest of the way and couldn't do a thing to get the ball moving the rest of the way.

Gang Green now sits at 0-7, only the second time in the history of the franchise they have stared off the year with that record. The only other time was in 1996, when they finished that year 1-15. Only win that year was a week eight win over the Cardinals in Arizona. This 2020 team is different then that 1-15 team. There's not much talent here and the coach this year has no clue what he's doing. And there were times during the 1996 season where the games the Jets lost were close. This year, they haven't really shown much life, outside of the loss to the Broncos on that Thursday night.

To call this Jets team a dumpster fire would be an insult to a dumpster fire. They are way worse then the team that went 1-15. They could become the 3rd team ever to go winless in a season. Where the hell could the teams win come from? I'm not seeing it really. Look at the product that's put out on the field every week. Don't get it twisted, there are some good pieces to work with on both sides of the ball. But lets be real here, there isn't enough to be competitive, it really isn't. And it starts from the coaching staff. I think I can speak for most Jets fans when i say that we hated the Adam Gase hiring from the moment it happened. He hasn't made many good decisions in his year plus as head coach here in New York, and he has trouble making adjustments in game. It seems like the bar keeps getting set lower and lower, and in newer and more fantastic ways, by the week. It will be a miracle, at least on paper, if the Jets can get a win this season. They truly are a mess.

Best & Worst NFL Week Six

We are six weeks down in the NFL season and there's a lot to look at. Two teams, the Falcons and Giants, finally got of the slide and actually won a game, while the Packers unbeaten season has come to a close. That leaves Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Seattle as the only unbeaten clubs left, while the Jets are the only team in the league still without a win. We had one running back go completely wild on Sunday and a defense that snuffed out a former unbeaten club this weekend. All in all, there's a lot to take in. With that said, here's a look at the best and worst of the week that was in the NFL.

Best: Derrick Henry, Running Back Tennessee Titans

He went off last year in the playoffs, leading the Titans to an improbable AFC title game. Now this week, in the Titans 42-36 overtime win over Houston, Henry was back at it again. twenty two carries for 212 yards and a couple of touchdowns in the thriller of a game. He also had two catches for 52 yards. One of his scores was the game winner in overtime. Henry has good size and speed to burn. He was a huge reason the Titans had the deep playoff run and showed another flash of that this week with the win.

Worst: Adam Gase, Head Coach New York Jets

To call this team a dumpster fire would be an insult to dumpster fires. The Jets were shut out 24-0 by Miami and a lot of this falls on Adam Gase. He hasn't been very good at play calling or decision making. Not only are the Jets the only winless team in the league, but they did it against a team that hasn't pitched a shutout in six years. Derrick Henry had one more yard of offense by himself then the Jets did as an entire team. Adam Gase has now lost 40 games as a head coach, and including this game against Miami, 31 of those losses have come by at least two scores or more.

Best: Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers

It had seemed like Jimmy G had been out of whack as of late under center for the 49ers. But leave it to a game against the Rams to get going again. San Francisco came away with a 24-16 win over LA and Garoppolo had seemed to find his stroke again. Jimmy went 23 of 33 for 268 yards and three scores. The Rams never got much pressure on Jimmy and that was because of his line actually giving him the time he needs to throw. It was a lot of dink and dunk, not very pretty football, but it worked. This was Garoppolo's way of shutting up his critics who were calling for his benching.

Worst: Baker Mayfield, Quarterback Cleveland Browns

You knew it was going to be a tough game for the Browns going to Pittsburgh and facing a tough defenseive team. Pittsburgh walked away with a 38-7 win, and a lot of fault falls on the offensive line. They allowed the Steelers defense to stifle the Browns run game and get nothing going. There is some blame in this that should fall on Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, who was already banged up going into the ball game, ended up getting pulled in the fourth quarter. He threw for 119 yards a touchdown and two picks. His tendancy for turning the ball over way too much showed up again. That's not good for a Browns team that looked like it was starting to turn the corner and become a threat. They seem like they're right there in Cleveland, and Mayfield can take them to the next level if he can get it together.

Best: Jon Brown, Kicker Jacksonville Jaguars

Again I know its weird putting a team with a losing effort on the best list, but this is another case of it fits. Sure the Jags lost 34-16 to Detroit on Sunday. The story here is about Jags kicker Jon Brown. Jacksonville has gone through five different kickers. FIVE. Josh Lambo (hurt), Brandon Wright (hurt), Aldrick Rosas (hurt), and Stephen Hauschka (poor performance), all haven't worked out year. So Jacksonville turned to Brown, who had never kicked a for football at any level. He stepped on the field and made his first field goal on his first kick. Talk about an awesome story. I really hope for his sake, it works out and he can stay on the field for the Jags. 

Worst: Mike Zimmer, Head Coach Minnesota Vikings

After signing a three year deal to take over as head coach in Minnesota, there's a chance that Zimmer could already be on the hot seat. Minnesota is now 1-5 following a 40-23 blowout loss to Atlanta. This was a Falcons team that hadn't gotten a win to that point and had just fired their head coach. Matt Ryan found his groove and went off against what was thought to be a good Vikings defense. It was just a rough game to watch form a Minnesota perspective and if this keeps up the way it had been going, then Zimmer might not even last one season in Minnesota

Best: Blake Martinez, Linebacker New York Giants

This should go down as a double win from Sunday. New York got off the slide, beating Washington 20-19. This was the first win for the Giants since they beat Washington before last Christmas. Blake Martinez was a big reason for that, finishing the day with 14 tackles and eight of those were solo. He's been one of the best defenders in all of football. He's lead the NFL in tackles for the last two years and he's been a huge find for the Giants. If they have any hope, they need to get better support on the defensive side for him.

Worst: Buffalo Bills

Buffalo had been hot to start the year, but now it seems that they're coming back down to earth a little bit. They lost their last two games. First to the Titans two weeks ago and now a 26-17 loss to the defending champions in Kansas City. Look I get it, this last loss was to the defending world champions. But if the Bills want to prove that they're really a contender in the AFC< they've got to put better efforts out there against the better teams in not only the AFC but the NFC as well

Thank You Doc

Sports broadcasters. The voices who make the game come alive. For those who call the game of hockey, both on TV and on the Radio, calling hockey games has to be one of the toughest of all sports to be able to call, because of the speed of the game. There have been so many great voices that have stepped behind a microphone to call games in pro hockey. John Foslund, Chris Cuthburt, Jim Hughson, Gary Thorne, Joe Beninati, Dean Brown, Gord Miller, Pat Foley, Joe Bowen, Bob Cole, the list goes on and on. I Think that there's one name that usually comes up at the top of a lot of people's lists to be the very best to ever do this. Mike Emrick is his name, but most know him as Doc Emrick. After 47 years of calling pro hockey games, Doc has decided to step away from the mic and call it a career.

Doc earned that nickname while getting his PhD in communications from Bowling Green in 1976. He began calling hockey games in Maine in 1977 and has been doing it ever since. He started in the NHL with the Devils in 1983, moved to the Flyers in 1986 and went back to New Jersey in 1993, staying there until 2011. While working games in New Jersey, he started calling games on National TV for Fox and NBC. He has been doing strictly national broadcasts since 2011, with his final call being game six of this years Cup Finals between the Lightning and Stars.

What Doc brings to the game is something that is rare to find in a broadcaster, not just hockey but for any sport. He has a vast array of words he uses to describe a play, which makes him more distinguished from other announcers. Doc is also known for his inflections when calling games. Many fans know for Doc screaming HE SCORES or HITS OFF THE POST WITH THE SHOT! in only the way Doc can.

You've heard a lot of people talk about this since the announcement was made and its true, Doc was an inspiration to many in the business and the sports world. For me personally Doc Emrick is one of my hero's. I knew pretty early on that there was no chance I was going to make the pro ranks as a player. So I wanted to do the next best thing, I wanted to be the one talking about it. I wanted to host my own talk show, which I do with this podcast. And I wanted to be the guy up in the broadcast booth of an NHL arena calling a game on the radio. It's something I still dream about doing to this day, even though I don't work there currently. Doc is one of the biggest5 influences on me for wanting to even remotely think about doing this for a living. The way he described the play on the ice was captivating. It drew me in and has kept me here ever since. I said it all the time, and its true. I had three hero's in the hockey broadcasting world I wanted to be like. Jiggs McDonald, who was the voice of the Islanders for years, Gary Thorne, who had national games on ESPN, and Doc, who worked for the Devils and Nationally.

It has been a real honor to hear Doc call games during most of my life. He was almost a soundtrack to the winter months for me. I knew this was going to come at some point, but still am not ready for it. Going to be real hard and tough to imagine watching hockey and not hearing Doc on the call. I'm sure, as time goers on, I'll be able to imagine how Doc would call something while I'm watching a game.

Thanks for an amazing career Doc its been a lot of fun and a true honor to listen to you call a hockey game. You will be missed!

2020 World Series Preview

The time has finally arrived. After a rough start to a very crazy 2020 Major League Baseball season, we have reached the end of the line. Two teams left standing, for a right to call themselves the best team in the game. One team is a club that has a long, rich history and has been to the top of the mountain multiple times. The other is looking to call themselves champions for the first time ever. The World Series is here, lets not waste any time and get right into it.

This year's fall classic puts the NL West Champions the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the AL East Champion Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa had the best record during the shortened regular season and won the East. They swept the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, went five to beat the Yankees in the division sears, and closed it out by beating the Astros in seven in the league championship. This marks the 2nd time ever the Rays are in the series, their only other appearance coming in 2008. As for the Dodgers, they finished the regular season with the best record in all of baseball. They swept the Brewers in the Wild Card round and the Padres in the divisional round, before closing it out with a seven game come from behind series win against the Braves. This marks the 21st appearance, and third in the last four years, for the Dodgers in the World Series.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:

October 20 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field 8:08pm

October 21 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field 8:08pm

October 23 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays Globe Life Field 8:08pm

October 24 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays Globe Life Field 8:08pm

October 25 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays Globe Life Field 8:08pm

October 27 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field 8:08pm

October 28 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field 8:08pm

This is going to be an even series between the two best teams in the game. Tampa has been getting clutch hitting from guys at the right time. Ji-Man Choi has gotten a big hit at times in the playoffs, and Randy Arozarena is coming off his MVP performance in the ALCS. There is also a little bit of a guessing game with the Rays lineup depending on how healthy Kevin Kiermaier is going to be because of his hand injury early in the ALCS. What's been backing the Rays a lot of the playoffs has been their pitching staff. Tampa's pen has been good, just as has the starting staff. They have been the backbone of the Rays playoff run this year and have been on the point most of this playoff run. Glasgow and Snell have been great at the top of the Rays rotation and have been pulling the train from the top of the staff.

At the other side, Kershaw and Dustin May have been really coming on as of late. Kershaw is, well, pitching like Kershaw. May has been putting on a show in his rookie season and is impressing a lot of people with how well he's pitched. Oh, and they still have Walker Beuhler throwing well too. And the Dodgers have shown that the pen shouldn't have problems getting the ball to Jansen at the end of the night. When it comes to putting runs on the board, the LA offense is a step or two ahead of what Tampa is putting out there. LA has power a plenty and have a lower strike out rate then what the Rays are doing.

I gotta say that the Rays have been red hot most of the playoffs and are going to put up a fight. Tampa isn't going to go down quite. But they are facing a team that has been rolling in LA. They blew through the first two rounds and stumbled at the start against Atlanta. Once they got their footing back, Los Angeles became a tough team to stop and that's what the Rays have to try and do. That won't be happening here. Tampa has been having an amazing season, but they won't have enough gas left in the tank to overcome the better team.

Pick: Dodgers in 6!

Best & Worst NFL Week Five

Week five has come and gone in the NFL, with a lot to try and digest. We still have four unbeaten teams left in the league with Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Seattle not having lost yet. Meanwhile, Atlanta, the Jets and Giants are still in search of their first wins of the year. We saw an inspiring return to the football field, as well as a horrible injury to one of the brightest stars in the league. Things got so bad in Atlanta, they finally let go their head coach. San Francisco seems to be coming apart, while the Browns are starting to find their footing and get some solid traction going. Lets not waste any more time and dive right into the best and worst of week five in the NFL

Best: Alex Smith, Quarterback, Washington Football Team

This is, and will no doubt be, the feel good moment of the 2020 season. Maybe even the best moment of the sports year in 2020. Alex Smith was injured in a game in 2018. between then and now, his leg has required 17 surguries. Yes you read that right. Its a miracle he is even back in the NFL as a backup. Sunday, in the Washington 30-10 loss to the Rams, Alex Smith was back under center in an NFL game. Yes I know its the fourth straight loss for Washington, but the fact that Alex Smith went 9 of 17 for 37 yards in an NFL game after what he's gone through the last two years is flat out amazing. Sure he was sacked six times, his line sucks. But he was back in a game replacing Kyle Allen. I don't care who you root for in this league, seeing this is a great moment.

Worst: Dak Prescott, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys

At the other end of the spectrum, there's this. I know Dallas walked away with a 37-34 win over the hapless Giants, but this came as a huge blow. Dak threw 14 of 21 for 166 and a pick, as well as two carries for seven yards. It was on the 2nd run that it all went south. Dak got tackled and came down wrong on his right leg. He fractured and dislocated his right ankle, in a nasty looking injury if you watched the play. he was able to have surgery on it the same night in a Dallas hospital and it looks as if his season is over. Which really sucks for a guy who was having an outstanding season. Hope Dak can make a full recovery and come back good as new, he was really starting to hit his stride this year.

Best: Chase Claypool, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers

In the battle of Pennsylvania, the Steelers came away with the 38-29 win over the Eagles, but the real star, or one of them anyway, was Chase Clayppol. The rookie turned in an amazing performance, scoring four total touchdowns, three of them receiving. He also had 7 catches for 110 yards, as well as three carries for six yards including the other score. The only other rookie in league history to have more touchdowns in a game in their rookie year was Gale Sayers of the Bears in 1965. Somehow, the Steelers have a habit of doing stuff like this. They draft unknown guys in the late rounds and end up getting stars back out of it. He's got 13 catches for 261 yards and four scores on the year. Not bad numbers. Only time will tell if he can build off it.

Worst: Tom Brady, Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In a 20-19 loss to the Bears, Tom Brady had a decent day. He ended up going 25 of 41 for 253 yards and a touchdown, and was able to keep the Bucs in it. They had a 13-0 lead and blew it, and to cap it off, Brady had a big mental mistake in the 4th quarter. A rarity for Tom, he managed to forget what down it was late in the game, causing a turnover on downs to Chicago, giving them the ball back. For a guy who's been as good as he has been and for as long has he has been, it's rare to see something like this. He is human after all.

Best: Cleveland Browns

This incarnation of the Cleveland Browns have been in the NFL since 1999. They have had one playoff appearance, and a grand total of two winning seasons. The way this year has started, they look like they could be on their way to a 3rd ever winning season. They're 4-1 after beating a solid Colts team 32-23. Clevelands offense did its job against a pretty good Indy D. They had Odell Beckham Jr throw a pretty good 37 yard pass to Austin Hooper towards the end of the first half with a seven point lead. What really stuck out for Cleveland this week was how good that defense really is. Miles Garrett turned up the heat on Phillip Rivers, forcing him to throw two really bad interceptions as the game wore on, and recovered a safety against Rivers as well. This is the first time that a Cleveland Browns team has been off to a 4-1 start since 1994.

Worst: Kansas City Chiefs

There no denying that the defending Super Bowl Champions are still one of the elite teams in the entire NFL. They slipped up a little this week, falling 40-32 to the Raiders. What you saw coming out of this loss to the Raiders is that the Champs weaknesses were exposed a little bit. Like how the defense gave up 347 passing yards and a touchdown to Derek Carr. They gave up huge chunk yard plays to the Raiders as well, like a 79 yard touchdown catch by Henry Ruggs III, and a 59 yard score by Nelson Agular. The offense had its share of hicups in this game too. The Raiders defense generated quite a bit of pressure and Mahomes wasn't able to get set the way he'd like and wasn't able to really make plays in typical Mahomes fashion.

Best: Romeo Crennel, Head Coach, Houston Texans

Maybe the change in coaches was just the kick in the pants that this Texans team needed. Crennel stepped in as the interm man on the sideline, and Houston responded with a 30-14 win over Jacksonville. It was the first time that Houston had manged to put up 30 or more points in a game in their last 17 games, including the playoffs. The line actually showed signs of life on the offensive side, managing to keep DeShaun Watson upright the entire day (he was only sacked once Sunday, getting sacked 16 times in the previous four games). Crennel; got the win at 73, the oldest coach in NFL history.

Worst: Tua Tagovailoa, Quarterback Miami Dolphins

There was a lot of hype surrounding Tua coming out of Alabama. It was added to that when the Dolphins took him with the 5th overall pick in this year's draft. But after Miami's 43-17 blowout win of the 49ers on Sunday, it looks like Tua time is going to take a little bit longer to develop then he had hoped. Ryan Fitzpatrick has taken hold again as the Dolphins starter when he threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns. This was the first time that the Dolphins had put up that many points in a game since a week seven win against Houston back in 2015. With the Way Fitzpatrick has been playing this season, and the fact that the Dolphins are 2-3, it makes it really hard to try and pull the plug on Fitz and give Tua Time a chance.

Best: Braiden Cooks, Wide Receiver, Houston Texans

We touched on this earlier with the Texans two score win over the Jags. A big reason for that offensive outburst was Cooks, who finished the day with eight catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. He was Watson's favorite target on the day, getting eleven passes thrown his way. Cooks was brought in after the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona, so he's got some pretty big shoes to fill in the lone star state. This was a bounce back game for Cooks who had no catches in last week's loss to the Vikings. Maybe this will be the kick in the pants needed to get him in gear again.

Worst: Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers

The defending NFC Champions have hit a rough go of it at the start of this season. Jimmy G's play hasn't been helping the 49ers get back on track. It got so bad against Miami on Sunday, he ended up getting benched. C.J. Beathard ended up taking over under center, after Garoppolo went 7 of 17 for 77 yards and a pair of picks. He's been throwing off his back foot a lot this year and his mechanics aren't quit as on point as in the past. If the 49ers hope to get back anywhere close to what they managed to do last season, they're going to need their franchise QB to figure it out and find his game again.

Bell Rung In New York

In the history of the franchise, the New York Jets have had some pretty good running backs suit up for them. Thomas Jones, LaDainian Tomlinson, Freeman McNeil, Emerson Boozer, John Riggins and Curtis Martin are a few of the big names that have suited up to carry the ball for Gang Green. In the summer of 2019 the Jets added three time thousand yard rusher Le'Veon Bell to that list. It was a move that hoped to not only get Bell's career going again, but reestablish a solid running game for the Jets. In less then two years, that test drive went nowhere, ending with the Jets cutting Bell yesterday.

The Jets released the following statement yesterday in regards to letting Bell go: 

"After having conversations with Le’Veon and his agent and exploring potential trade options over the past couple of days, we have made the decision to release Le’Veon, the Jets organization appreciates Le’Veon’s efforts during his time here and we know he worked hard to make significant contributions to this team. We believe this decision is in the best interests of both parties and wish him future success.”

There's no doubt in my mind that this had been a rocky relationship right from the word go between Bell and head coach Adam Gase. Bell wasn't a Gase guy, and Bell didn't really like the way Gase was operating things. Granted when the Jets signed him, Bell was coming off missing a year after the contract dispute with the Steelers cost him the entire 2018 season. When he signed with the Jets, the deal was for four years and $52.5 million. In just a season and a half, not even, with the Jets, he had 264 carries for 836 yards and three touchdowns.

The opinion of most is that Bell did this to himself. He had done more on social media to get himself out of New York then he did productively on the field. Hey, he put up decent numbers, but nowhere near the numbers a guy of his talent level should be doing, or what he was doing before his contract dispute in Pittsburgh. What stuck to me was the social media outbursts. He was liking posts on how he should be used in the passing game and that the team should trade him ect. He was also very outspoken about head coach Adam Gase and how he was used in the Gase offense. It wasn't hidden very well by Bell that he wasn't happy with Gase at all. I also think the feeling was a bit mutual, in that Gase wasn't a fan of Bell to begin with, so there's that.

Now this leads to two questions: What does this mean for the Jets run game? Where does Bell end up?

Well as far as the Jets run game goes, they have Frank Gore, who they brought on board in the offseason. As a Jets fan, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the ageless wonder in Gore stays healthy and can be somewhat productive. At least it will give some hope to this offense. If anything happens to Gore on the injury front, there's no real depth at the position for the Jets and its going to make an already uphill battle this season even harder.

As for Bell and where he could land, there are a few options. He still in the prime of his career and may have plenty left in the tank to prove he can be an elite level back in this league again. One landing spot that would come as a huge irony spot would be the Steelers, but I really think that bridge has been burned and he won't be going back there. He could land with the Bears, who really need help in the running game. Tampa and Cleveland could also be a good spot to land as both are in need of back help. So too are the Giants, who yes have Devante Freeman but haven't been anywhere near the same team in the run game since Barkley went down with the season ending knee injury.

Wherever Bell ends up playing, I just hope the team that signs him can get him back on track. He's too talented a back to not be playing in the best football league in the world

Schedule Changes

We know that there's been a lot to take in around the NFL the last few days/ Because of COVID-19 and having teams get hit by it, a lot of parts had to be moved around. Even those teams that are being hit by the virus are being effected. The league does not want to have to add another week at the end of the season and push back the playoffs, unless there is no other alternative.

With that in mind, the NFL has taken to shifting around the schedule to handle those clubs that have been hit by the virus. To help keep everything straight and figured out, here's what games got moved around to what weeks. 

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots: Sunday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. ET; CBS

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills: Moved from Thursday, Oct. 15 to Monday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. ET; FOX/NFL/Amazon

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins: Moved from Week 10 to Week 6 on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 4:05 p.m. ET; CBS

New York Jets at Los Angeles Chargers: Moved from Week 6 to Week 11 on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET; CBS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers: Moved from Week 8 to Week 7 on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 4:25 p.m. ET; CBS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers: Moved from Week 8 to Week 7 on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 4:25 p.m. ET; CBS

Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos: Moved from Week 11 to Week 8 on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 4:05 p.m. ET; CBS

Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins: Moved from Week 7 to Week 10 on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4:05 p.m. ET; CBS

Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos: Moved from Week 6 to Week 11 at 4:05 p.m. ET; CBS

Rest of the games on the NFL schedule the rest of the season, baring anything unforseen, remain unchanged.

Title To Hollywood

2020 has been a crazy year, on both a sports and global perspective. For the Los Angeles Lakers, in the middle of the regular season, they saw the tragic passing of one of their, and the games biggest stars ever, in Kobe Bryant. This season became more than just another title run for the Lakers, it had more meaning to it. There was something special about this basketball team. They capped the year off with a 17th NBA title in team history, tying them with the Boston Celtics for the most in league history. It came after a six game series win over the Miami Heat. This title comes ten years after the Lakers last title, and finals appearance, which featured Kobe Bryant.

Miami gave the Lakers all they can handle in this series. They put up a hell of a fight, thanks to the play of Jimmy Butler. Butler showed that he still has something left in the tank. But Miami was just outplayed by the better and more powerful team in the Lakers.

This title brings a seventeenth to the Lakers, tied with the Celtics for the most in the history of the game. This marks the 4th title for LeBron James, having won before with the Cavs and twice with the Heat. LeBron also took home the MVP for the finals, his 4th finals MVP award. The only guy who's won more finals MVP's then James is Michael Jordan, who had six.

Give credit where it's due to the league, for being able to get this thing figured out. When the season was paused in March after the Rudy Gobert positive test, nobody was sure how it was going to work, trying to crown a champion. The NBA went to work trying to figure out a bubble situation, and they did. Everybody shipped down to Wide World of Sports down in Orlando. There were no positive tests along the way, and the league was able to get this thing done without a hitch.

LeBron and company marched through the playoffs like a team on a mission. There wasn't much doubt, as the playoffs went along, that Los Angeles was going to walk away with the title. The question became, is anybody going to come close to stopping them? The one team that pushed them the hardest was Miami, going six games. Everybody else, Portland, Houston and Denver, all bowed out to the Lakers in five games.

Congrats to the Lakers this years NBA Champions!

League Championship Preview

We are now down to four. After the crazy start to the season, we have just four teams left standing. Winners go on to face off for the biggest prize in all of baseball. We're coming off two sweeps, a four game and a five game series in the divisional round. So here we now sit in the League Championship series. One team hasn't been here since 2001, another hasn't seen this series since 2008 and the other two seem to be here a lot in recent years. Lets get right into in. Here's how the league championships break down.

We start with the NLCS, which puts the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the NL East Champion Atlanta Braves. Atlanta got here by sweeping the Reds in the wild card round and the Marlins in the divisional round. This is the first time that the Braves have managed to reach the NLCS since 2001. This marks the 12 time ever that Atlanta has made the NLCS. As for the Dodgers, they had the best record in the NL, they got here by sweeping the Brewers in the Wild Card round and then the Padres in the divisional round. LA has made the NLCS for the 4th time in the last five years and 14th time overall. This also marks the first time since 2010 that an NL Central team isn't playing in the NLCS. This matchup marks the fourth time that we will see the Braves and Dodgers meeting in the playoffs. The previous three match-ups were the 1996 National League Division Series, 2013 National League Division Series, and 2018 National League Division Series, with Atlanta winning the former and Los Angeles winning the latter two.

Here's the dares and times for every game in this series:

October 12 Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field 8:08PM

October 13 Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field TBA

October 14 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves Globe Life Field TBA

October 15 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves Globe Life Field TBA

October 16 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves Globe Life Field TBA

October 17 Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field TBA

October 18 Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field TBA

This is going to be a bit of a slugfest of a series. The only team in all of baseball this year, at least in the NL, that was able to outscore and out homer the Braves this year? Yep it was the Dodgers. As good as Atlanta's offense is, being led by Freeman and Acuna, as well as playoff step up Travis d'Arnaud, they can produce runs. So too can the Dodgers, with Seager, Turner, Muncy and a guy who has proven that he has been worth every cent they've paid him in Mookie Betts. Starting pitching is even, maybe slight edge to the Dodgers. Top has a slightly better edge to Kersahaw and Dustin May in LA compared to Max Fried and Ian Andersen in Atlanta. What has the edge for the Dodgers is the Pen, which had the best ERA in all of baseball this year. Atlanta has a good pen, not taking anything away from what they've done, but I have a little more faith in the Dodgers pen, at least on paper.

Yes, I know Atlanta shut out Miami in the final two games of the divisional round, but they aren't playing the Marlins now. They're facing off against the best team in all of baseball in the Dodgers. I feel the offenses can kind of balance out in this series. It'll come down to pitching and I have more faith in the Dodger staff then I do the Braves. Going to be a fun series, but pitching experience will win out here.

Pick: Dodgers in 7!

Now we look at the ALCS, which has the 2nd place in the West Houston Astros taking on the AL East Champion Tampa Bay Rays. Houston got here despite finishing with an under 500 record, are making its fourth straight ALCS appearance. They got here by sweeping the Twins in the Wild Card, and beat the Athletics in four in the divisional round. As for Tampa, they won the AL East for the 3rd time ever and first title since 2010. This marks the first ALCS appearance for the Rays since 2008 and their 2nd appearance here every. Tampa got here by by sweeping the Jays in the Wild Card, then beat the Yankees in five in the Divisional Round. This marls the second ever playoff meeting between the teams, with Houston winning in five games in last years divisional round.

Here's the dates and times of every game in this series:

October 11 Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays Petco Park 7:37PM

October 12 Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays Petco Park 4:07PM

October 13 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros Petco Park TBA

October 14 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros Petco Park TBA

October 15 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros Petco Park TBA

October 16 Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays Petco Park TBA

October 17 Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays Petco Park TBA

Houston's hitters have woken up during the playoffs. Carlos Correa is hitting .500 in the playoffs. Kyle Tucker is hitting .400, while Brantley and Bregman are both hitting over .300. The offense found a way to make its mark during this playoffs, which was a down spot of the team during the season. Hitting has rolled up for the Astros over the last two weeks. Tampa can match the hitting, being powered by Austin Meadows, Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena. Power has been what's been getting Tampa going, leading baseball with 14 home runs in the playoffs. Pitching, much like in the NLCS, is going to be a big factor here. Starting depth is more in favor of the Rays here then Houston. Bullpen too for Tampa has been great. No Justin Verlander, due to Tommy John Surgery, has been tough for the Astros, giving Tampa yet another edge.

What's really been keeping Houston has been their hot bats. But look at what the Rays just did in the last round. They managed to not only hang with, but beat the high powered Yankees offense. And it was the pitching staff that did it in game five. Tampa has been the best team in the AL all year long and they keep that going now. Houston got hot at a good time, but at the end of the day, the better team will be the one that wins out.

Pick: Rays in 6!

Yankee Legend Passes

When you earn the nickname The Chairman of The Board, you know you've done something great. That's what Whitey Ford was to the pitching staff of the New York Yankees. As the Yankees ace, during his seventeen year career, he won more games than any other Yankee pitcher and won more world series games then any other pitcher in baseball history. He passed away today at the age of 91. Cause of death unknown at time of writing.

Ford made his first appearance on a Major League mound on July 1st, 1950. Ford started 12 games for the Yankees that year, finishing the season with a 9-1 record, a 2.81 ERA and 59 strikeouts. He missed time due to military service, but came back to the staff in 1953, giving the Yankees a top four at the rotation of Ford, Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, and Eddie Lopat. As time went on, Ford went from being the number four starter on that team to the unquestioned ace for the Yankees. He earned the nickname the "Chairman of the Board" for his ability to remain calm and in command during high-pressure situations.

Whitey was known more for being a control pitcher more than anything. Ford never really had an overwhelming fastball, but being able to throw several other pitches very well gave him pinpoint control. Ford was an effective strikeout pitcher for his time, tying the then-AL record for six consecutive strikeouts in 1956, and again in 1958. Ford never threw a no-hitter, but he pitched two consecutive one-hit games in 1955 to tie a record held by several pitchers.

He appeared on eight all star teams between 1954 and 1964. He was a six time world series champion, going 10-8 lifetime in the fall classic. He also leads all pitchers in world series starts, innings, hits, walks, and strikeouts. During regular season play, he had double digits in wins in every full year he played in the majors, except his last two seasons, finishing with 236 victories. That total is the most ever by a New York Yankees starter, five more than Red Ruffing. The only other Yankee Pitcher to win more than 200 games in a Yankees uniform is Andy Pettite, who had 219.

Sure the Yankees have a storied history of great offensive players, but when you think of pitching staff, Whitey was to that staff what the Babe was to the offense. He had a unique ability to be able to command a game on the mound and will go down in the books as one of the greatest to ever play this game. He's hands down the best pitcher to ever play in the Bronx.

Thanks for all the memories Whitey, you will be missed.

Best & Worst NFL Week Four

We are through the first quarter of the season in the NFL and we got a lot to talk about. We have six unbeatens still standing in Tennessee, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Green Bay and Seattle. At the other end of the spectrum, Atlanta, Houston and both New York teams are still seeking their first win of the year. The NFC East appears to be one of the weakest in the league, while the AFC North appears to be one of the toughest. Dak goes off again, but Dallas still can't, for whatever reason, seem to be able to get a break for him. Thursday night's game was just horrible football to watch all the way around. Seems like that's starting to become a recurring theme with some teams. Lets not waste any more time and lets dive right into it. Here's some of the best and worst from week four in the NFL.

Best:

George Kittle, Tight End San Francisco 49ers

I know I've been doing this quite a bit this season, putting players in this category when their team loses, but I'd be a fool not to put Kittle here. Sure the 49ers fell 25-20 to the Eagles, but it wasn't for lack of effort on George's part. Mullens threw for 200 yards on the day (more on him in a moment), with 183 of those yards being caught by his tight end, who did it all on 15 catches. He also had one of those catches go for a touchdown. To say that Kittle was performing like a man possessed would be an understatement for the Niners. He was the go to target for Mullens and almost got San Francisco the win over the Eagles. He's only one guy and he can do only so much. it was an outstanding performance never the less

Worst:

Nick Mullens, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers

As touched on above, it was a rough day for the Niners QB, who through for 200 yards and two picks including the worst INT in the history of football, throwing to a wide open Alex Singleton (who plays for the Eagles) that was returned for a TD. He had a god awful day on the field. he was replaced at times by CJ Beathard, who had a slightly better day then Mullens did. Without Jimmy G under center, this is what the Niners have to go with at QB. He played pretty well during his first nine career starts, but at the end of start ten, it all started coming apart for Mullens. Now Kyle Shanahan has to figure out who's going to start next week.

Best:

Odell Beckham Jr, Wide Receiver Cleveland Browns

This was really his best game he's ever played in a Browns uniform. Cleveland beat Dallas 49-38 and Beckham was a key player for the Browns. He finished with 154 yards from scrimmage, with five catches for 81 yards and two runs for 73 yards, including a big 50 yard for a score. He showed great speed and moves that haven't been flashed in quiet some time. Beckham was at the top of his game on Sunday and helped the Browns seal the win over Dallas. Lets put it this way. Through the first three games of the year, Beckham had 155 yards and one score total. He almost matched that in week four alone. Maybe this is a sign that he's turned the corner for the Browns and the rest of the league is on notice.

Worst:

NFC East Teams

We touched on it at the top, this is by far the worst division in all of football through the first quarter of the season. Giants are winless, and the other three clubs have one win each. The only team to win this week was the Eagles, who beat San Francisco to move to 1-2-1 which is good enough for first place in the division. Dallas was down by 27 at one point to Cleveland before losing by 11. Washington is on a three game losing skid, after losing by two scores to the ravens. Meanwhile the Giants are fighting it out with the Jets for the worst record in the league, after losing a slogging game to the Rams. Things aren't looking all that pretty for the East right now.

Best:

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

I feel so bad for Dak man. As talked about a little before, Dallas lost 49-38 to Cleveland, but it sure as hell wasn't for lack of effort on Dak's part. He had another eye popping week in the stats department. Sunday he went 41 of 58 for 5012 yards, four touchdowns and a pick. And STILL the poor guy can't get a win under his belt. Dak has thrown for over four hundred yards each of the last three weeks and has thrown for three or more touchdowns in back to back weeks. the only win he has to show for it was a one point win over a chocking Atlanta in week two. I feel so bad for Dak, with these kid of performances, he deserves a better fate then what he's got through the first quarter of the season.

Worst:

Bill O'Brian, Head Coach Houston Texans

After starting this season 0-4, Bill O'Brian is now on the outside looking in for jobs in the league. Houston fell 31-23 to Minnesota on Sunday, leaving this team winless. They were a playoff team a year ago and looked like they could be on their way to finally turning that corner and being a serious threat for AFC title contention at the end of the year. Everything seems to have fallen apart for the Texans, and the team needed a fall guy. Happens to be O'Brian that become that fall guy, being outed as Head Coach and General Manager. He made some questionable moves in the front office too, trading away some valuable draft picks that could have been used to help plug holes on this team.

Best:

Joe Burrow, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals

Welcome to the NFL winners circle Joe Burrow. The top pick from this year's draft finally earned his first win in the NFL, leading the Bengals to a 33-25 win over the Jaguars (we got a little more to get to on this game coming up). Burrow finished the day against the Jags going 25 of 36 for 300 yards, a touchdown and a pick. With the 300 yard day, Burrow became the first rookie to ever throw for 300 or more yards in three consecutive games. He's completed a shade over 65% of his passes this season. Sure he's made a few rookie mistakes this year, but that naturally comes with the territory of being a rookie QB in this league. Cincinnati is a little ways away from being a major player in the AFC, but it's starting to look like they're heading in the right direction. They may have finally found their man under center.

Worst:

Arizona Cardinals

Everything was supposed to be in place for Arizona this season. They got the QB in Murray, the traded for and landed, one of the top receivers in this league in DeAndre Hopkins. They had the pieces in place to look like a team that was going to turn the corner and join the likes of San Francisco and Seattle at the top of the NFC West and be a contender. They must have missed the memo this week, falling 31-21 to Carolina, and dropping to 2-2 on the year. The Panthers beat them up, and did so without Christian McCaffery in the lineup. All this coming after the Cards had started the year off at 2-0.

Best:
Joe Mixon, Running Back Cincinnati Bengals

For the top rushing performance in the league this week, we gotta go back to the Bengals 33-25 win over Jacksonville. Joe Mixon was a beast on the day, with 25 carries for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also added in 30 receiving yards to finish with 181 all purpose yards for the day, helping power the offense and allowing Joe Burrow to taste victory at this level for the very first time. Going to be a bit more of a challenge next week against a tough ravens defense, but this is one game where Mixon had to play big, and he did.

Worst:

Matt Patricia, Head Coach Detroit Lions

Been a bit of a tough go of it for the Lions this year. Sunday's 35-29 loss to the Saints stung, and now puts the Lions winless on home field. To make matters worse, all three games the Lions have lost this year have come at the expense of leads. They've had leads in all three games and blown them. This has to fall at the feet of the coaching staff. I mean Matt Patricia is supposed to be a pretty good defensive coach, with that you'd think the Lions would be able to hold leads. That hasn't really been happening much this year.

2020 Division Series Preview

Took us quite a while and its been a crazy year, for sure. But we finally made it. The 2020 MLB Playoffs are well underway, as we now are set for the beginning of divisional round play. The irony of all this, is that the four matchups in the division series also happen to be a battle of divisions. The East plays the East, while the West squares off with the West. Lets get into it right now, here's how divisional rounds are going to play out.

We start it off with the Battle of the NL East. Its the two seed Atlanta Braves taking on the six seed Miami Marlins. The Marlins are in the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and only third time ever in the divisional round. They got here after beating the Cubs in the Wild Card series. Atlanta won the NL East and beat the Reds in a sweep, making it the 20th time in the last 30 years they've reached this point. This marks the 2nd time ever these teams will face off, the last coming in the 1997 NLCS, which the Marlins won in six games. All games in this series will be played at Minute Made Park in Houston.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

October 6 Miami Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves Minute Maid Park TBA

October 7 Miami Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves Minute Maid Park TBA

October 8 Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins Minute Maid Park TBA

October 9 Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins Minute Maid Park TBA

October 10 Miami Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves Minute Maid Park TBA

He, you'd have to give credit where it's due to the Marlins. They're a team that nobody expected to be any good this year. To make matters tougher, they had missed games due to COVID. But this shows the moxy of this Marlins team,. making the playoffs finishing two games over .500 on the year. Having this shortened season played right into the hands of the Marlins, who managed to take full advantage of it. They got good pitching from guys like Sandy Alcantra not only during the season, but against the Cubs as well. They're facing a really balanced Braves team though. They have no problem putting runs up on the board with Ronald Acuna Jr and Freddy Freeman powering that offense. Max Fried has come back from injury and looks strong to be the ace for the Braves staff.

Look lets not take away from what the Marlins have been able to do. With vets like Jesus Aguilar and Matt Joyce leading the way with their playoff experience, the Marlins could make things interesting. At the end of the day though, the Braves are just too good of a team. Miami's aces might be able to steal a game in this series, but Atlanta is just too well balanced a team to go out like this.

Pick: Braves in 4!

Next up, its the first seeded Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the fourth seeded San Diego Padres. This is the 8th straight year that the Dodgers are in the playoffs and won a round for the first time in two years. LA got here by beating the Brewers in a sweep in the wild card. The Padres finished second in the West this year, making the playoffs for the first time since 2006. They're looking to win a playoff series in the divisional round for the first time since 1998. They beat the Cardinals in three games to get to this round. This will be the first time these teams will face off in the playoffs. Every game in this series will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

October 6 San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field TBA

October 7 San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field TBA

October 8 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Globe Life Field TBA

October 9 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Globe Life Field TBA

October 10 San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Globe Life Field TBA

Give credit where its due, the Padres have done a fantastic job getting a return on their drafts and signings over the last few years. Fernando Tatis Jr has been showing everybody that he could be (and probably will be) the next big thing in the game of baseball. The only thing that could worry the Padres in this series is the health at the top of the rotation. Dinelson Lamet (biceps) and Mike Clevinger (elbow), could be back for this series, but there is nothing set in stone yet. Also if they do manage to come back, who knows how effective they are going to be. They go up against a Dodgers team that proves once again they are the best team, at least during the regular season, in the National League. Mookie Betts has been more than worth his weight for this team and has been a big cog in the Dodgers offense. Pitching hasn't really been an issues.

If San Diego wants to have a chance at even sniffing a win in this series, they need Lamet and/or Clevinger to come back and steal a game. Otherwise it will be a quick series. The Dodgers are too good and too balanced a team, on offense and defense. This will be a fast series.

Pick: Dodgers in 3!

To the American League we go. The 2nd seed Oakland Athletics take on the 6th seed Houston Astros. Houston is looking to get back to the ALCS for the fourth year ion a row. They started that off by sweeping the Twins in the wild card round. Oakland won the West for the first time since 2013. They beat the White Sox in three in the wild card round, their first win in the playoffs since 2006. This is the first ever playoff meeting between the two teams. All games in this series will be played at Dodgers Stadium in LA.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

October 5 Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Dodger Stadium 1:07 p.m

October 6 Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Dodger Stadium TBA

October 7 Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros Dodger Stadium TBA

October 8 Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros Dodger Stadium TBA

October 9 Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Dodger Stadium TBA

This could make an interesting series for the Astros. They are used to playing the role of bad boys, they been doing it all year. They took a bit of a blow during the year to the pitching staff, losing Verlander to Tommy John surgery. On offense, they had an average year at best, with only one .300 hitter on this team in Michael Brantley. When push comes to shove, the Astros can dial it up if they need to. Zack Grenke has stepped in to take over and pick up slack with Verlander not there. The offense can get it done in the playoffs, they made deep runs the last three years. They are facing an A's team who's also banged up, with Matt Chapman not being ready to go for the start of this series. Matt Olsen has stepped up with Chapman not there. Pitching for the A's has been there most of the year too.

There's a bit of bad blood here, as we already had one bench clearing dust up in August this year. So you know good and well this is going to be a lively series. Houston has a chip on its should cause of everything that has hit this year from 2017. But the A's may be a deeper and a bit more patient team at the plate. This goes the distance.

Pick: A's in 5!

Finally, we have the top seeded Tampa Bay rays taking on the 5th seeded New York Yankees. This is the 4th straight year that the Yankees have won a round in the playoffs, doing so by sweeping the Indians in the last round. Tampa won the East for the first time in team history, starting the playoffs off by sweeping the Jays in the wild card round. This is the second year in a row the Rays have won in the wild card round. This marks the first ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs. All games will be played at Petco Park in San Diego.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

October 5 New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Petco Park 5:07 p.m

October 6 New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Petco Park TBA

October 7 Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees Petco Park TBA

October 8 Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees Petco Park TBA

October 9 New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Petco Park TBA

New York I feel had a lot riding on it this year, with adding in a guy like Gerritt Cole. He's been good for the Bombers. There's no doubt that the Yankees can score runs, just look what they did against the Tribe. Scoring 22 runs on 23 hits in two games. No doubt that the bats will come out. The only thing that even remotely has me worried about this team is how up and down are they going to be? Sure they brought the lumber in the last round against the Indians, but will it keep going against Tampa or will they disappear for a few days? They might have the pitching to hang around if the bats don't show. If that bats still stay hot, look out. Tampa isn't a pushover, they were the best team in the AL this season. Tampa has the staff on the hill that looks like it can match the Yankees. They have a good offense too but, when push comes to shove, the Yankees hitters are better. Not to take away from Yandy Diaz or Brandon Lowe, I'm not sure if they can match the firepower on the other side.

Much like the A's-Astros series, this one is going to have fireworks too. We have had guys throwing at eachother and had some bench clearers in this series too. Its going to be a fun one to watch. Starting staffs cancel out, but the Bombers have the hotter bats right now. Rays are going to make it a go, and a fun series to watch. At the end of it all, the deeper hitting will win out.

Pick: Yankees in 5!