Thank You Johnny

Over the last thirteen years, Johnny Boychuk has been patrolling the blunelines in the NHL. He may not have had the best shot, or the greatest passer or skater. He just knew how to play the game and play it the right way. He was one of the best, and most underrated, all around defenders in the league. The last six years of that have been done so in the blue and orange of the New York Isladners. Earlier this year, he got hurt after taking a skate to the face against the Montreal Canadians. Because of that injury, and the complications from it, Johnny Rocket has called it a career.

Johnny played 13 years in the NHL, the last six of them here in New York. Over 725 games, he scored 54 goals, added 152 assists for 206 points, between Colorado (4 games), Boston (317 games) and finally New York (404 games).  He has his name on the Stanley Cup from winning it with the Bruins in 2011. He was shipped to the Islanders in 2014, due to salary cap issues in Boston, for three draft picks. The Isles then signed him to a seven year extension after that first season.

Johnny, when he came to the Islanders along with Nick Leddy, brought a different vibe and influence to the Islanders blue line. They had winning attitudes as both guys had won Cups in the past. Boychuk was great at shutting down the opposition top forwards and helped get the Islanders back on track as one of the better defensive teams in the league. He could score a big goal on occasion, as well as get the play going with a good outlet pass. He helped change the Islanders culture and get it going in the right direction.

With Johnny's retirement, it also opens up a little more cap space for the Islanders to go out and re sign a guy like Matt Barzal and maybe go out and get a free agent off the market to help bolster their lineup.

Thanks for the memories over the last six seasons Johnny. Its been a hell of a ride.

Best & Worst NFL Week Eleven

Another week down in this crazy 2020 NFL Season. The NFC East could be the most wide open division in the entire league, while the Steelers seem to have a strangle hold on the AFC North. Taysom Hill got the time to shine for the Saints, and took full advantage of it. Chargers shined, while Lions struggled. Injuries started to hit a young star in the league as well. We got lots to get to, so lets dive right into it. Here's the best and worst of week eleven in the NFL.

Best: Sean Payton, Head Coach New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees is out for an extended period of time with rib injuries, and there was some concern in New Orleans. There was no Teddy Bridgwater in the lineup to be able to save the day for the Saints like last year. It was either going to be Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill getting the start for the Saints. Payton ended up going with Hill as the starter, the super utility man was getting a starting nod. Some weren't sure what to make of this move. It paid off, for this week, with a Saints24-9 win over the Falcons. Payton is the type of coach who is willing to take calculated risks and get the best out of his players. That's why the Saints have been as good as they have the last number of years. Hill went 18 of 23 for 233 yards, and with the exception of one fumble late, he was on top of his game. Payton going with him over Jameis looks like a smart move now.

Worst: Joe Burrow, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
Its bad enough that the Bengals fell 20-9 to the Washington Football Team. To make matters worse, the teams rookie star QB, Joe Burrow, is going to be out for quite some time. He blew out his MCL and ACL in his knee and will be out for the rest of the season. Cincinnati not having an effective line to protect him is going to be a problem going forward. But from what we saw out of Burrow this season, it looks like things are very very bright for the Bengals under center. He gives them a level of swagger and, once his weapons and protection improve over time, they are going to be a good team. With the rookie year he was having, it sucks to see it end the way that it did.

Best: Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver Los Angeles Chargers
Yes, we know its beating up on a hapless and winless Jets team, which the Chargers did to the tune of a 34-28 win. The take away from this game, is the connection that's starting to develop between Justin Herbert and his new favorite target, Keenan Allen. He finished with 16 catches (most in the league this week) and 145 yards (tied for most this week) to go along with a touchdown. He's not only showing why he's one of the best wide outs in the game today, but that he can find chemistry with his rookie QB. The magic is there for the Chargers, and if it keeps developing at the pace that it is, Los Angeles really has something special brewing with these two as a connection.

Worst: Carson Wentz, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
It seems like same story different week with the Eagles and Wentz. The Browns beat up on Philly, to the tune of a 22-17 Cleveland win, in a wet field in Cleveland. Carson was making poor decisions all day long. I mean this has been bad for Wentz, who's coming off an MVP season a few years ago. But its gotten so bad for Wentz, it looks like the team may consider switching to Jalen Hurts under center if things don't get better. But by some shocking miracle, this is a 3-6-1 Eagles team that sits on top of the NFC East.

Best: Derek Henry, Running Back Tennessee Titans
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anybody anymore, but Derek Henry is a good running back. Not only did he eliminate the Ravens from last years playoffs, he stuck it to them again on Sunday in Tennessee's 30-24 overtime win. During the first half of the contest, Baltimore kept him in check, to the tune of 13 carries for just 37 yards. By the time the day was over, Henry finished with 28 carries for 133 yards, including the game winning 219 yard score in Overtime. There have been seven OT games this season, two of which have been won on touchdowns. Both of those OT TD scores courtesy of  Derek Henry.

Worst: Miami Dolphins
Any loss for an NFL team is tough, but this one might have to sting just a little bit more for the Fins. Buffalo was on the bye week, so this gave the Dolphins had a chance to gain ground and tie for the lead in the AFC East. But it didn't happen, as Miami fell short, losing 20-13 to the Broncos. The rushing attack wasn't there this week and, at times, Tua looked in over his head. There were times he looked like he wasn't ready to be able to play at this league. Seeing what went down against Denver showed that there were still holes in this upstart team. They had a five game winning streak snapped with the loss and now seemed to be back down to earth. Some questions are starting to arise now in Miami.

Best: Top Of AFC South
It looks like its starting to turn into a runaway two horse race in the AFC South. We talked about it a little bit with the Titans earlier. Thanks to Henry's heroics, Tennessee is staying in the race at the top of the South. Besides the running game, Kicking and Red Zone Defense are starting to become more strong suits for the Titans, As for the Colts, who are also 7-3 following a surprising 34-31 win over the Packers, they starting to show that Rivers still has more life to his legs. What was most impressive by the Colts on Sunday was forcing three turnovers by the Packers and outscoring Green Bay 20-3 in the second half. With the way both teams played on Sunday, it going to be a fun race between the two teams for the South title this season

Worst: Detroit Lions
Detroit now sits at 4-6, tied for 3rd place in the NFC North. This is coming following a 20-0 loss to Carolina. Not only was the loss bad, but to make it worse, they were shut out by a Panthers team who was without Christian McCaffery and their starting QB (PJ Walker), was last seen playing in the XFL. The lions still think they have a shot at this, otherwise they wouldn't have gone out and gone Everson Griffith at the trade deadline. Had they won, they still might have an outside shot at making it in as a long shot at a wild card team. Now, after losing the way they did to the team they did, that's almmost impossible.

Thank You Taker

Gong............Gong

For the last thirty years, that sound in the Wrestling business meant one thing. The arrival of one of the greatest forces (and characters) that the business has ever witnessed. It signaled the arrival of The Undertaker

November 22nd 1990, the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The 4th annual Survivor Series. The second match on the card that night saw The Dream Team of Bret Hart, Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware, and Jim Neidhart, square off against The Million Dollar Team, of The Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, Ted DiBiase, and a mystery partner. That mystery partner was a 6'10, 325 pound giant from Death Valley in the form of The Undertaker.

This was the first time anybody had seen Mark Calaway in this role, and its the one that would make him a made man the rest of his career, which lasted for three decades. And what a run it was. It's had some transformations over the year. He started as a western mortican, then went to a horror-themed, macabre entity who employed scare tactics and held links to the supernatural. He would transform into a biker gimmick known as the American Badass, before transforming back into the horror themed entity, to a degree, that we saw early in his career. It has earned him a Royal Rumble win in 2007, a six time tag team champion, a three time world heavyweight champion and a four time WWE champion. He's pretty much seen and done it all in this game.

There's so many matches that are in the wrestling business now, in some way shape or form, that have come from the Dead Man. Hell in a Cell, Inferno Match, Casket Match, Boiler Room Brawls. That's just to name a few of the match types that you associate with Taker. This also goes to show one of the greatest traits of the man and the performer. You saw his character always changing with the times. He was able to change up his super powers as the deadman. He went on to modernize the look with the American Badass. He then went back to the supernatural gimmick but with a modern twist. 

He had that ability to capture your attention whenever walked into an arena, or on yo9ru TV screen. It was a look and a style that you can never take your eyes off. When I was a kid, he gave me the creeps, but was a gimmick that I had to watch. The fights he had with the likes of Kane, Mankind and HBK were stuff that will be talked about for years. the two matches with HBK at Mania were two of the greatest matches that have ever taken place at the show of shows, which is saying a lot.

When he made his debut on that night in Hartford, I was just over two years old. He's had my attention and imagination ever since. Even sitting here writing this, its a little tough to put into words exactly what the character, and the man playing the role perfectly I might add, has meant to me as a fan. So for now, I will say this.

There's never been anybody to pull this career off any better. Thanks for the memories Taker.

REST. IN. PEACE

Cano Done For Year

This isn't the first time this has happened. You'd like to think he would have learned his lesson, but I guess not. For the second time in his career, Robinson Cano has been busted for PED usage. This suspension will cost Cano the entire 2021 season. Last time it happened was in 2018, while Cano was in Seattle, and it cost him 80 games.

What does this mean for him and the Mets?

Well for one thing, it frees up $24 million off the books for next season, as Cano won't be getting paid while he's suspended. I'm gonna be honest, Cano had a decent year last year, but in the time he's spent with the Mets, he hasn't been anywhere near the player he needs to be to earn that kind of a paycheck. Sure, he may be a good voice to have in the clubhhouse, but that can only do so much. There needs to be some level of production on the field, and Cano hasn't provided anywhere near close to what is expected of him, either with the bat or in the field. Cano still has two more years left on his deal for 2022 and 2023, but at 38 years old, who knows if the Mets are still going to be willing to take on the rest of that deal and keep him around.

As far as on the field goes for, Jeff McNeil is likely to be playing 2nd next season, his more natural position and one in which, honestly, he should have been playing all along. I really feel that, because Cano was a former Brodie Client, he was thrown into the trade that brought Edwin Diaz to New York. If this had been the same hitter that had been tearing it up in the Bronx, I would have gotten a little more excited about it. That never happened and, as anybody who follows the show knows, I never liked the deal from the second it was made

Now the Mets can put McNeil at second and have the cap space cleared to go out and add more weapons to this team, once a new GM is finally put in place. The team has holes to fill in Center Field, Catcher 3rd base and pitching. They got the money to work with, and new owner Steve Cohen has said he got no problem spending it.

Now the big question, what does this really mean for Cano? Well his playing days might be a lot closer to being over. He's going to be 39 when the suspension is lifted, so who knows really how much tread is going to be on the tires, if you will. He getting paid a huge yearly salary, one in which I'm not sure the Mets are going to be willing to keep on the books./ He's going to miss the entire 2021 season, which is going to be doing a little harm for a guy his age. He won't be able to keep his skills as sharp

There had also been some speculation, as there always is around this time of year, as to whether or not Robbie had a shot at making the Hall of Fame. He had good numbers, but with the two suspensions, that sealed his fate that he has no chance of getting into Cooperstown. He was good, no doubt about that. But it would have been a tough debate, suspensions not withstanding, about if he would have had the kind of career to be able to get in.

Really makes you scratch your head that, with all the talent that this guy has, he has to resort to this.

Best & Worst NFL Week Ten

 Week Ten had come in gone in the NFL and what a week it was. Still got one unbeaten left in the Steelers, while we got three teams in each conference fighting it out for the final playoff spots available. Kyler Murray is impressing more and more people by the week, further adding his name to possible MVP considerations. Meanwhile you have guys like Carson Wentz who are having trouble holding onto leads in a division, even as weak as the NFC East is. Lots of stuff going on this week in the league, so lets not waste any more time. Here's some of the best and worst from the week that was in the NFL.

Best: Kyler Murray, Quarterback Arizona Cardinals
Pulling out a 32-30 win over the Buffalo Bills is impressive enough. But what makes this even more impressive is how Murray handled himself under pressure at the end of the game. Murray went 22 of 32 for 245 a touchdown a pick and was sacked three times. What everybody is going to remember, and talk about, is the touchdown. The end of the game Hail Mary. Murray had to escape pressure and let go on what looked to be a great pass, and did so while on the run. Then it goes to DeAndre Hopkins, who fought off three Buffalo defenders, who was able to make a pretty remarkable grab for the game winning score. With the performance put on in this game, Murray is turning up the heat on him being considered the best player in the game this season.

Worst: Drew Brees, Quarterback New Orleans Saints
Yes the Saints came away with a 27-13 win over the 49ers, but it came at a cost. Brees took a heavy hit in the first half of the game, and was taken out for Jameis Winston. Brees has multiple fractures on both sides of his ribs and collapsed lung on his right side. The Saints now sit at 7-2 with the win, but with Brees out hurt, who knows how things are going to go in New Orleans. Same thing happened last year when Brees got hurt, but Teddy Bridgwater was there to save the day and help keep the Saints in the race. This time, its up to either Taysum Hill or Jameis Winston. I got no real faith in Winston and Hill is a bit uncertain.

Best: Cleveland Browns Running Game
Cleveland came away with a harrowing 10-7 win over the Houston Texans, a lot of it had to do with how impactful their running game was. Cleveland, who is known for its passing attack, ran the ball with great effectiveness. 231 total running yards for the Browns on the day. Kareem Hunt had 19 carries for 104 and Nick Chubb was the second best runner in the NFL on the day, with 19 carries for 162 yards. They also managed to get three carries for you yard out of Baker Mayfield, but Hunt and Chubb's efforts were the big stories. Its the first time that a pair of Browns teammates had done that since 1966. Clelvenad is now 6-3 a\nd looks primed to break its 17 year playoff drought.

Worst: Buffalo Bills Defense
We touched on it before with Murray, but I feel the need to gloss over this again. The defense let get away a game they should have won. With how well the Buffalo offense was rolling on Sunday, you'd have thought the D could have been able to match it and make that lead stand up. I mean, after all, Josh Allen threw for over three hundred yards and was looking like he had regained some of his form from early in the season. Nope, not the case here as the defense had let it slip away. Arizona's offense looked like it pretty much had its way with the Bills D, same thing that happened against Seattle the week before. There's no excuse for what's going on with what had been a hallmark of Buffalo the last few years. It's really been a waste of a good year for the Bills offense.

Best: NFL Kickers
Being a kicker in the NFL this week seemed to be paying dividends. Kickers were 49 of 53 through the Sunday night game, pretty impressive numbers. Three legs, more so than the others, had themselves impressive days. First, we have Jason Myers of the Seahawks, who smacked a 61-yarder as the first half expired in the loss to the Rams. Then there's Matt Prater of the Lions, who managed to connect on a 59-yarder as time expired to beat Washington. Finally, there's Tyler Bass of the Bills converted on field goals of 54, 55 and 58 yards in the loss to the Cardinals.  

Worst: Greg Roman, Offensive Coordinator Baltimore Ravens
New England knocked off Baltimore in a 23-17 Pats win, but the story is how little the Ravens were able to do against a shaky New England defense. Roman couldn't dial up plays to try and get the Ravens going. Yes, the weather was a factor, that much is true. But look at the 4th and 1 direct snap call to Mark Ingram near midfield. Ingram couldn't get a grip and it lead to a tunrover on downs. This is an ugly changeup from last year, as Jackson was league MVP and the team was playing a dominating level of football, This year, the offense can't seem to find its stride. Baltimore is slipping behind the Steelers in the race for a division title, and they need to get back on track fast if they want a shot at making this.

Best: Miami Dolphins
After a solid 29-21 win over the Chargers on Sunday, Miami got themselves right back into the thick of things in the AFC East, and the AFC playoff picture for that matter. The Fins have now won five in a row, including the last three with Tua under center. They're a game back of the Bills for the top spot in the AFC East, a position which few really saw out of the Dolphins this quickly. This also marks the 3rd week in a row that Miami has gotten scores from either special teams or the defense. Case in point, Andrew Van Ginkel's blocked punt was returned to the Chargers' 1-yard line, leading to an easy touchdown. It's showing that Miami has found new ways to be able to win and stay in games.

Worst: Seattle Seahawks
Don't look now, but the Seahawks once tight grip on the NFC West lead is starting to slip, this following a 23-16 loss to the Rams. Seattle is one of the highest scoring teams in the NFL, averaging 34.3 points a game. But the Rams persistent pass rush and thrown the Seattle offense off of its game. DK Metcaf had been held in check, not making his first catch till late in the 3rd quarter. Seattle has been out of its groove the last couple of weeks after a red hot start. They need to find that groove again.

New York Hockey Lineup

I know what your thinking. Based on the headline, this is going to be a lineup of the best players from New York. That is true, but its not quite what you think. This isn't a lineup of guys who have played from the Rangers, Islanders and Sabres. No. This is actually a lineup of guys who made the NHL from the state of New York. When it comes to producing hockey players from America, most of them have come from the likes of Massachusetts or Minnesota. New York has produced its fair share of talented players.

 With that being said, we are going to divide them up into line combinations. We';re going to give you what we think would make the best of the best lines from New York Hockey players. Combinations will be made based on career totals and general role on this hockey team. So with that being said, here's the best New York Hockey Lineup

Patrick Kane - Craig Conroy - Joe Mullen
Why not have the two highest scoring players from the state of New York playing together. Mullen has more goals and points then any other New Yorker in the history of the game. Kane is right behind him in points and has more assists then anybody else and is still going today. You need a guy to be able to get either one of them the puck. That's where Conroy comes in. Fifth most helpers by a New Yorker and most by a pivot from the state. The three of them together make a pretty high powered starting line.

Brian Gionta - Tim Connolly - Brian Mullen
Need a good second line that can still put pucks in the back of the net? This is the one to go with. Connolly wasn't much of a goal scorer, but he had very solid playmaking abilities, which makes him a perfect fit here. In fact, you could possibly switch him and Conroy on either line and still not go wrong in my book. Gionta was a big threat with the Devils (he had a 48 goal season there) and for the first half of his run in Montreal. Good playmaker with a nose for the net. Same thing with Mullen, who had a slowdown over the final three years of his career. Even so, his time in Winnipeg and with the Rangers was quite productive.

Dustin Brown - Erik Cole - Ryan Callahan
Generally speaking, the third line on a team is usually the best defensive unit that can pack some offensive punch. Brown has offensive upside to him, having been a 30 goal scorer and put up 55-60 points a year more often than not. He's also gotten votes for best defensive forward in the past and is an outstanding leader. Cole was a very quite point producer who's managed to overcome some pretty bad injuries. Also solid all around game. Callahan rounds out that bunch, with close to the same skillset as the other two guys. Callahan had a bit more of an offensive roll on Broadway, but turned into more of a defensive player when he went down to Tampa. Could balance out very nicely for all three guys.

Nick Fotiu - Todd Marchant - Andre Roy
Every hockey team needs a grinder line. Can't survive in this game without one. Marchant was considered the bad boy of the bunch, despite having the lowest penalty minute total of the three. He knew how to hit hard and make an impact. None bigger for him then in the 97 playoffs, when it was hist OT heroics that knocked the Stars out of the playoffs. Andre Roy had all the elements your looking for in a grinder from the fourth line. Occasionally put the puck in the net, but more known for his solid body checks. Then there's Fotiu, who kind of set the stage for Roy, but was a better fighter then Roy. All three guys know how to handle the body and are very effective at their jobs.

Mathieu Schneider - Rob Scudari
Perfect balance for a top defensive pair. Schneider has more points then any other New York Blueliner, and the third most points by a player from the Empire State.  Had a solid shot and was a damn good passer. Scudari is the stay at home type for when Schneider rushes the puck up the ice. Scudari played over 700 games in this league, with just 110 points. He knew he had to take care of his own end of the ice and did so pretty well

Kevin Shattenkirk - Francis Bouillon
Patrolling the blueline in Montreal is a pretty tough thing to do, but Bouillon managed to do a pretty good job of it over eleven seasons. He had decent puck moving skills, was a pretty good skater and knew how to take forwards out of the play in his own end. Shattenkirk's skills have been on display his whole career. Great skater, excellent shot blocker and knows how to move the puck really well. Shot is decent, but known more for his passing and skating skills.

Zach Bogosian - Aaron Miller
Miller had one or two years where he had solid offensive output, but he was known more for his stay at home abilities. He's best remembered for patrolling the LA blueline and making a name for himself with his defensive game. Same thing with Bogosian in Winnipeg, but he's got a little more of an offensive upside. He's got good passing skills.

Jimmy Howard
This should have been a given for the native of Syracuse. This last year in Detroit is one he wants to forget, with just two wins. But when his career started in the Motor City, he was in the 30 win or more range. Biggest thing with Howard is that he's been consistent his entire career in Detroit, again this past season not withstanding. He has great movement side to side, a good glove hand and is a solid puck mover.

Guy Hebert
Had a couple of average seasons with mix results when he started in St Louis. Once he got to Anaheim, Guy got the starts, found his game, and the rest as they say is history Had won 20 or more games four times, including a 31 win year in 1999. Very underrated guy in the league and helped to solidify the Ducks in the blue paint.

MLB Awards

Ah its that time of year once again. The time when the best of the best in a single season of Major League Baseball get honored. Its a time to acknowledge individual achievement in a great team sport. Naturally, 2020 wasn't exactly the year everybody was expecting or hoping to see, but still it left us with some pretty cool moments and memories. And it gave us some pretty impressive performances along the way as well. We will break down all the big awards as well as revel the silver slugger winners for 2020. So here's who walked away with the hardware.

Silver Sluggers:
American League:
Catcher: Salvador Perez (Royals)
1st Base: José Abreu (White Sox)
2nd Base: DJ LeMahieu (Yankees)
3rd Base: José Ramírez (Indians)
Shortstop: Tim Anderson (White Sox)
Ootfield: Teoscar Hernández (Blue Jays)
Outfield: Eloy Jiménez (White Sox)
Outfield: Mike Trout (Angels)\
Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz (Twins)

National League:
Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud (Braves)
1st Base: Freddie Freeman (Braves)
2nd Base: Donovan Solano (Giants)
3rd Base: Manny Machado (Padres)
Shortstop: Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres)
Outfield: Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
Outfield: Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
Outfield: Juan Soto (Nationals)

Designated Hitter: Marcell Ozuna (Braves)

Manager Of The Year: AL Kevin Cash (Rays) & Don Mattingly (Marlins)

Both winners here won in pretty convincing fashion too. Start with Kevin Cash. He had been a finalist in each of the last two years but came up short in the voting. This year, Cash lead the team to an AL East title with the second best record in all of baseball. This coming with at least 10 guys who had been projected to be regulars on opening day missing time this year with injuries. Still they won the East and came within two games of becoming world champions. As for Donny Baseball, he's no stranger to winning awards, as he won AL MVP in 1986. He joins, Joe Torre, Kirk Gibson and Don Baylor as the only guys to win MVP and Manager of the Year. And what Mattingly did with the Marlins is truly amazing. Miami hadn't made the playoffs since their 2003 World Series win, but this year they clinched one finishing 2nd in the NL East. What makes that even more impressive is that he did it with a team that had been so riddle with man games lost due to COVID. For what he did with that Marlins team, Mattingly deserves a medal of honor.

Rookie Of The Year: AL Kyle Lewis (Mariners) & Devin Williams (Brewers)

Its the first time that a relief pitcher has snagged top rookie honors since Craig Kimbrel did it in 2011, so thats a pretty big accomplishment for Devin Williams. He also made history in another way in that Williams became the first pitcher ever to win the award without logging a single win or save. How is that possible? Just look at his numbers in the 2nd half of the summer. From July 29th on he didn't allow an earned run in 24 and a third innings in 20 appearances. That's a level of domination out of the pen. Then there's Kyle Lewis, the Mariners outfielder who won via unanimous vote, becoming the first Mariner to win the award since Ichiro in 2001. He lead Seattle in batting average, home runs, walks and runs and was high up in the AL rookie ranks in runs scored (37), walks (34), total bases (90) and games played (tied, 58). Lewis tied for first in home runs (11), finished second in hits (54) and RBIs (28), and tied for fifth in stolen bases (5). Impressive numbers for a kid who, at the start of camp, didn't look like he was going to make noise in the Seattle lineup/

Cy Young Award: AL Shane Bieber (Indians) & Trevor Bauer (Reds)

For the first time since Justin Verlander in 2011, we have a unanimous winner in the AL Cy Young award and it's the Tribe's Shane Bieber, the fifth time that an Indians pitcher has won the award. He went 8-1 in 12 starts with a 1.63 ERA and a league best 122 strikeouts. Oh and opponents were hitting just .167 off him this year, which is tied for the lowest in the AL since 1969 (Pedro had the same number in 2000). Yes it was a shortened season, but the fact that he was still the fastest to hit the 100 strikeout mark says a lot. Bauer wasn't as dominating in the NL, going 5-4 in his 12 starts on the year, finishing with a 1.73 ERA, two complete game shutouts and 100 K's on the year. To win the award, he managed to fight off Yu and back to back winner deGrom with an insane 1.29 ERA over his final five starts of the season. Bauer did it by keeping hitters off balance most of the year.

Bauer win was the first for a Reds pitcher

MVP: AL Jose Abreu (White Sox) & Freddie Freeman (Braves)

Freddie Freeman collected all but two of the first place votes, Mookie got the other two, in the NL for MVP voting. When the year started, it didn't even look like he was goign to play this year. He was so sick, he couldn't walk from one end of the house to the other. Now he's the NL MVP.  Freddie hit .341 on the year with 13 homers and 53 RBI. He also had the second highest OPS in all of baseball, behind only Juan Soto of the Nats. He also had the second highest WAR in the NL, behind only Betts of the Dodgers. As for Abru, he finished the year hitting .317 with 19 homers and an AL best 60 RBI. The numbers for Abru only tell cold facts. That White Sox team is a really young club, and he was a big factor playing the role of mentor on that baseball team

Stroman Stays Put

Lets face facts, this was a move that really made the most sense for all parties involved right now. Marcus Stroman has accepted the qualifying offer from the Mets, a one year deal worth $18.9 million. The right hander, who is from Medford, returns to the mound in Queens for at least one more season, after opting out of last year after calf issues and COVID concerns.

This is a great move for both Stroman and the Mets and leaves so much more open on the table for the Blue and Orange. From Stroman's point of view, this is big for a couple of reasons. He missed last year after opting out, a move which might have hurt his chances at finding a long term deal somewhere else this offseason. Because of the current climate surrounding the game, a lot of teams aren't exactly going to be ready to hand out massive contracts just yet. Most teams are going to play it safe in some moves. Which is why this was a big deal for the Mets. It adds more depth to the starting rotation, and it gives Stroman another opportunity to showcase his stuff this year.

He's coming off the injury and missing the entire year last year, short one that it was. Last season would have been a good audition for Stroman for both the Mets and the rest of the league. Its no secret that he wants a long term deal, anybody in baseball does these days. Stroman went 4-2 in his 11 starts with the Mets in the summer of 2019 and is 51-47 with a 3.76 career ERA. He has good stuff and knows how to control a game when he's on his game, there's  no doubt there. Would I put him in the same stratosphere as deGrom? No. But is he a solid two or three on a staff? Hell Yes!

The way I see it, this gives the Mets a good solid look at what they have in Stroman pitching here next year and it gives them first crack to sign him to a long term deal before he hits the market again next winter. From a Stroman point of view, this is an audition year for a long term deal whether it be the Mets or some other organization.

Its also worth noting from yesterday, a few big names turned down their qualifying offers from teams and will hit the free agent market. Trevor Bauer (NL Cy Young Winner), Kevin Gausman, DJ LeMahieu, J.T. Realmuto and George Springer all turned down their offers and will hit the market. With the Mets new ownership in place, and the expressed desire from said ownership to spend money on players, expect the team to try and go after some of those big name fish. Adding Stroman back into the mix may make things a lot more interesting to see how the Mets make moves on trying to improve the club before the start of next season.

Best & Worst NFL Week Nine

Week nine has come and gone in the NFL and what an eventful week it was. We learned that the NFC East is still very wide open, while Seattle might not have as tight a grip on the NFC West as we once thought. Hell, the top teams in the NFC are all within a game or two of eachother, which will make for very entertaining races going down the stretch run. The future is looking very bright for two young QB's in this league, while running backs in Minnesota were again having a field day, as we once again see just how pass happy the NFL is. Lots to cover this week, so lets get right into it. Here's some of the best, and worst, from the week that was in the NFL.

Best: Dalvin Cook, Running Back Minnesota Vikings

This is starting to become a weekly habit and a lot of fantasy owners really, really like it. Minnesota pulled off a 34-20 win over the Lions and had himself another day for the books. This week, it was 22 carries for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Last two weeks combined: 52 carries, 369 yards, 4 catches for 109 yards and six total touchdowns. Those are almost video game like numbers. And it makes it even more eye popping when you realize just how much of a pass happy league that the NFL has become. He's one of the most efficient backs in all of football and there's nobody hotter in the game right now then he is. Only thing this could be hurting this year is Minnesota's draft stock at being able to get another star player.

Worst: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Talk about the wheels falling off. This was supposed to be a big year, at least on paper, for the Bucs. New star players, plenty of weapons and one of the best defenses in all of football. But it didn't look that way Sunday night, as the Bucs got steamrolled to the tune of a 38-3 loss to New Orleans. This 35 point loss was the biggest of Tom Brady's over 20 years in football. The next closest one was a 31-0 loss to the Bills in 2003. Didn't help the fact that Tom threw three picks on the day, which is rare for a guy of his talent level. There was no offensive flow for the Bucs on Sunday, even with Antonio Brown in the lineup replacing an injured Mike Evans. Tampa needs to get the ship righted quick or its going to be an offseason of what ifs, and a quick closing window for Brady.

Best: Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs

It was a nail bitter between Kansas City and Carolina. At the end of the day Kansas City walked away with a nail biting 33-31 win. Mahomes had himself another solid day, going 30 of 45 for 372 and four touchdowns. With those touchdowns, Mahomes made history becoming the fastest player to reach 100 career touchdowns, doing so in just 40 games. That shattered the mark that had been set by Dan Marino. Its really hard to argue against Mahomes as the best player in the game today. Russell Wilson had that for a while this year, but Mahomes has seemed to over take him the last couple of weeks. He's good and he's performed at this level before. The sky really is the limit for this guy.

Worst: Chicago Bears

Chicago looked like they might be a contender at points. But it looks like they're in trouble now, following a 24-17 loss to the Titans. Chicago was unable to convert on any of their 3rd downs in the 3rd quarter, going 0 for 9. Their leading rusher was Barkevious Mingo, a linebacker, who had one carry for 11 yards. They had just four offensive first downs. The Bears offense couldn't get out of its own way on Sunday, and because of it they are now on a three game losing streak. whatever chances the Bears had now seem to be nothing but a pipe dream

Best: Quarterbacks in Arizona and Miami

The two teams squared off in a showdown of what could be the future of Quarterbacks in the NFL. Sure, Miami beat the Cardinals 34-31, you had to be pretty optimistic about how both young signal callers played. Start with Murray, who's developing into the young gun that Arizona had hoped for. he was one of two runners this week to have over 100 yards on the ground this week, the only other one was Dalvin Cook. Oh and Murray is a QB. He finished with 11 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown, and threw 21 of 26 for 263 yards and three scores. That's a performance that only few could have. Then, on the flip side, there's Tua. He went 20 of 28 for 248 yards and two scores. This was a showcase of the young talent playing quarterback in this league.

Worst: Seattle Seahawks

Now it seems the holes are starting to become apparent in Seattle. This is a team that looked to be at or right near the top in the NFC this year. But thanks to a 44-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills, it seems as if the Seahawks are human after all. Buffalo exploited the Seattle D for big plays and for huge chunks of yards. They gave up 415 yards and four total TD's to Josh Allen. The Seahawks secondary has given up more pass yards against then anybody else. And as good as Russell Wilson has been, and at times he's been playing at an MVP level, but it could all be for nothing if that defense doesn't step it up.

Best: Davante Adams, Wide Receiver Green Bay Packers

This is becoming a weekly habit for Adams with Rogers at full tilt. Green Bay rolled to a 34-17 win over the 49ers on Thursday Night, and again Davante was a huge factor. He had 10 catches for 173 yards and a score. Two of the last three games, Adams has had double digit catch games with well over 100 yards receiving. He's proving that when the big games are on the line, Adams can deliver. If this is how he performs against the Niners, then I can't wait to see what Adams is going to do come playoff time. He's going to get better as the season goes on.

Worst: Los Angeles Chargers

It looked to be a history setting day for Justin Herbert. Vegas beat the Chargers 31-26 and Herbert broke Cam Newtons rookie record for most passing yards through his first seven career games. But at the end of the day it wasn't enough as the Chargers let this game slip away to the Raiders. And it couldn't have come on a stranger circumstance. On the final play of the game, the Chargers appeared to have a game-winning touchdown, but a replay reversal showed that tight end Donald Parham bobbled what would have been a touchdown grab as he fell to the turf. This is now a team sitting at 2-6, and all six loses have come by about a score or less and have come in some of the most heartbreaking ways.

Gold Gloves Go To........

Yes it was a shortened season in Major League Baseball this year, but that doesn't mean there was a shortage of great plays and players. They still were able to hand out some hardware. Sure, they will still hand out the bigger awards, such as MVP and Cy Young's and what not. Those will be given out in early December. Before that though, baseball honored the best in defense this season with the presentations of the Gold Glove winners for 2020.

Here's the full list of the winners.

American League:

Catcher: Roberto Pérez (Indians)

1st Base: Evan White (Mariners)

2nd Base: Cesar Hernandez (Indians)

3rd Base: Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Rangers)

Shortstop: J.P. Crawford (Mariners)

Left Field: Alex Gordon (Royals)

Center Field: Luis Robert (White Sox)

Right Field: Joey Gallo (Rangers)

Pitcher: Griffin Canning (Angels)

National League:

Catcher: Tucker Barnhart (Reds)

1st Base: Anthony Rizzo (Cubs)

2nd Base: Kolten Wong (Cardinals)

3rd Base: Nolan Arenado (Rockies)

Shortstop: Javier Báez (Cubs)

Left Field: Tyler O'Neill (Cardinals)

Center Field: Trent Grisham (Padres)

Right Field: Mookie Betts (Dodgers)

Pitcher: Max Fried (Braves)

What do you say? Did baseball get it right with these awards this year?

Best & Worst NFL Week Eight

We've hit the half way mark of the 2020 NFL season, and what a first half of the year its been. Pittsburgh is still unbeaten, the Jets are still winless. Week eight saw Dalvin Cook go off on a monster game. Miami seems to be finding their footing and getting into the thick of things, while New England seems to be losing their way, which has to be a strange feeling for that organization. It's almost a scary level seeing the flaws coming out in such a consistent club. Seattle is taking off, while San Francisco is starting to fall fast, due to the injury bug taking hold. Lots to get into, so lets not waste any more time. Here's the best and worst from week eight in the NFL.

Best: Dalvin Cook, Running Back Minnesota Vikings

There's having a day, then there's what Cook did for Minnesota on Sunday. The Vikings pulled out a huge 28-22 win over the Packers on Sunday and Cook was a massive part of it. He finished with two catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, and added 30 carries for 163 yards and three scores. 226 total yards of offense and four scores. To say that Cook was in the zone on Sunday would be an understatement. He lit up the Packers defense like a cheap cigar, something which could be a problem for Green Bay going forward. Sure it a long shot for the Vikings to make the playoffs, they sit at 2-5 after this win. But with Cook now appearing to be fully healthy, this makes him a dangerous man and makes the Vikings at least a little more fun to watch the rest of the season.

Worst: Ben DiNucci, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys

To say that its been a rough year for the Dallas Cowboys would be an understatement. Dallas fell to Philadelphia 23-9 and having DiNucci start under center was a failed experiment for the Cowboys. I get it, Dallas doesn't have much of a choice under center, with both Dak and Andy Dalton out with injury. DiNucci was having problems all day long, as he lacked not only the proper throwing skills, he also lacked the processing speed to run the Cowboys offense. He was clearly overwhelmed by the speed and tenacity of the Eagles’ pass rush, dropping 48 yards on four sacks while losing two fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown. His 180 passing yards was a little weak too. Nothing was clicking for the Boys to try and gain advantage in this weak division.

Best: Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback Kansas City Chiefs

I know its going against a pathetic excuse for a football team in the Jets, but come on you have to put Mahomes on this list here. Kansas City rolled to a 35-9 victory over New York. Mahomes finished the day going 31 of 42 for 416 yards and an amazing five touchdowns. He was playing at another level on Sunday, leading all passers with 416 yards this week. Again it was against the Jets, but still throwing for over four hundred yards and five touchdowns is still pretty impressive.

Worst: Ronnie Stanley, Offensive Line Baltimore Ravens

This was a rough week for the Ravens. One the one had, they fell 28-24 to the Steelers to be a couple steps further behind Pittsburgh in the division. It was bad enough they fell to Pittsburgh, but it was a worst day for Ronnie Stanley. Heading into the game, Stanley had just signed an extension that is paying him close to $98 million, which is making him the highest paid linemen in history. Sunday, he injured his ankle during the game, had to get carted off the field and looks like he will be out the rest of the season. This comes as a huge blow to the Ravens, because he's a massive reason why Lamar Jackson is able to play great ball. He's the most important player to this offense other then Lamar and now he won't be there. His absence will be crucial to see how well the Ravens can hold up and try and hang with the Steelers in the race for the division, if its even really a race anymore.

Best: Brian Flores, Head Coach Miami Dolphins

This will tie into what we have coming up in a little bit, but the Miami Dolphins seem to have things going right on Sunday. They knocked off the Los Angeles Rams28-17 on Sunday and Brian Flores always seems to have the right game play against this team. There had been some question that a 3-3 team could keep a game back of the Bills in the division. So now they go face the Rams and made a switch to a rookie. He did alright but it was the defense and special teams that managed to be able to get the Fins over the hill and get the win. They put a ton of pressure on Geoff and forced him to make bad decisions and turn overs.

Worst: San Francisco Health

First off, its bad enough that the 49ers went down 37-27 at the hands of the Seahawks. Seattle has been that good this year, and with the loss, San Francisco now sits at 4-4 and is fading in a tough NFC West. To make matters worse for the Niners, some of their key players are getting hurt at the wrong time. George Kittle is going to miss a lot of time with a foot injury. Oh and there's no real idea who's going to be under center next week, as Jimmy Garoppolo aggravated a right ankle injury. The Niners two best offensive players getting hurt at a really bad time and it happening in a really tough divisional race to boot.

Best: Tua Tagovailoa, Quarterback Miami Dolphins

Sure it was the defense that helped get the win here for the Dolphins, but hats off to Tua for getting his first career win. Tua was average at best, with 54 yards of offense in the first half, but an amazing 28 points for the Fins. Still Tua finished with a decent day throwing, despite fumbling the ball once. It could be a step in the right direction and could be showing signs that it really is Tua Time in Miami and that this was the right decision to make the switch. They were going to wait till later in the year to do it but it seemed like the right move. This week it was the defense that really made the difference against the Rams. Lets hope that Tua can step his game up and find his footing in this league as the year goes along.

Worst: New England Patriots

This has been a bad year in New England, slipping to a 2-5 record on the year, following a 24-21 loss to Buffalo. And this was even coming close for Buffalo blowing this game, but Cam Newton fumbled the ball late in the game, knocking the Pats out of field goal range, and it gave the game to the Bills. Its starting to become more clear that the Pats are starting to move into transition phase and are moving away from the Brady era. Newton isn't the answer under center, but he is better then any other options that the Patriots have right now. They've hit a slide, but at least thankfully they aren't at a Jets level bad