Entertaining Or Crossing The Line?

You gotta love a good rivalry in sports these days. The one between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers is starting to really heat up. It's really turning into must watch baseball just to see what's going to happen next between these two clubs. A lot of that is now stemming from what happened over the weekend between Fernando Tatis Jr and Trevor Bauer.

Tatis took Bauer deep twice on Sunday. The 2nd home run Tatis was celebrating it rounding the bases and even gave Bauer a little bit of a look Bauer took it all very well. In the post game press conference, Bauer was asked about it and he responded by saying: “I like it. I think that pitchers who have that done to them and react by throwing at people or you know getting upset and hitting people or whatever, I think it’s pretty soft. If you give up a homer, a guy should celebrate it. It’s hard to hit in the big leagues. I’m all for it and I think it’s important that the game moves in that direction and we stop throwing at people because they celebrated having some success on the field.”

Can't believe I'm actually saying this but I agree with Trevor Bauer, at least on this. Its called having fun which is something that the game of baseball really needs. As long as it's not really over the top or crossing the line trash talking (which there has been in the past) there's nothing wrong with celebrating hitting a home run. It's not really hurting anybody. Only thing getting hurt maybe a pitchers feelings if he's really that sensitive about it.

This was taken to a whole new level after the game when video surfaced about Tatis peeking back at Will Smith relaying the signs to Bauer. The next pitch was Tatis's second homer of the game. That was set Bauer off sending a few tweets back and forth between the two players later in the evening That's only adding more fuel to the fire going down the road this season. They meet twelve more times this season: June 21-23 in San Diego, August 24-26 in San Diego, September 10-12 in Los Angeles and finally September 28-30 in Los Angeles. This is going to be far from over between not only the teams but Tatis and Bauer as well. They are now tied (as of this writing) with the best record in the NL West  at 16-9.

This is only going to get better and better as the season goes on and make for more compelling TV down the stretch with the race for the West heating up.

NHL Adds New Media Partner

NBC has been the National TV partner of the National Hockey League since 2005. That membership is coming to an end at the end of this season. It was already announced earlier this year that the NHL is working with ESPN starting next season. The deal for Turner sports is spanning the next seven seasons. With the deal, the NHL now joins the NBA, MLB and NCAA Men's Basketball as the Turner Media sports partners.

As part of the agreement, Turner family of networks, TNT and TBS will broadcast the NHL Winter Classic, the annual New Year's Day outdoor game, in all seven seasons of the deal. It will also televise all games in the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, 2025 and 2027, one conference final series each season, and half of the first two rounds of the playoffs, plus 72 regular-season games per season. The years that the Finals will not be on TNT or TBS will be 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028 when the finals will be broadcast on ABC.

This is a good move for both the network and the league. For the network it adds another quality element of programming to its already stacked lineup. It gets to try its hand at offering a sport it hasn't in the past. It gives its viewership a different look at the coolest game on earth. From the league point of view, it adds yet another platform of exposure to the great game of hockey. This is also an expanded platform, along with the ESPN deal, to expose the new generation of stars in the game to a wider viewership, both the established stars and the up and comers in the league. It will be a great benefit to all parties involved. And you won't have to add any more networks to your cable package to find games

This is a good deal for both the league and the network that will allow both to expand their products and how its presented to the viewing audience.

Randle Busting Out

At the height of an eight game winning streak (and possibly counting as of this writing), 4th place in the Eastern Conference with a 33-27 record. It's good to be a member of the New York Knicks and their fanbase right now. A huge reason for the Knicks being the way they are this year has been the play of star Julus Randle. He has been the center of attention inside the Worlds Most Famous Arena, and the numbers are there to back up his outstanding play.

To this point, in 59 games played in the Blue and Orange, Randle is averaging 23.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists. A double double for the year? Yes please! There have been 38 occasions this season in which Randle has lead the Knicks in scoring in a game, 18 double doubles and a triple double this season. The numbers only really tell half the story. Yes they tell that he's carrying the production on the floor, there's no denying that. Oh, and he's dropped 30 or more points in five of the last six games for the Knicks.

At the rate he's playing, Randle looks to be a lock for the All-NBA team this season, and why not with some of the performances he's had this year. He's been the breakout star on Broadway and a massive reason why the Knicks are sitting as a four place team in the East heading into this weekend. He's the only Knick averaging over twenty points a game, sitting at 23.9 PPG as of this writing. He's only done that once in his career over a full season, his lone year in New Orleans two years ago, when he finished with 21.4 a game. He just missed out on that average last year starting all 64 games for the Knicks a season ago. He got himself into better shape for this season, and his play on the court reflects that with the better overall game. He's now really coming into his own and starting to show why the Lakers picked him 7th overall in the 2014 draft.

With twelve games left to go in the regular season and New York sitting in a prime playoff spot, there's not a whole lot of margin for error. With the way Randle has been dominating games for the Knicks this year, they should be alright. If they want to go deep into the playoffs, they going to need a little bit stronger support staff going around the team MVP.

Marleau Breaks Record

Patrick Marleau has been around the NHL a long time. He was taken second overall in the 1997 NHL Draft, behind only Joe Thornton. He started his career in October of 97 for the San Jose Sharks. And he hasn't stopped since. Over the weekend, Marleau joined elite company, tying Gordie Howe for the most games played in NHL history. He then played in game 1,768 tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights, setting the NHL record for most games played in the history of the league.

October 1st, 1997 was the date of an 18 year old Patrick Marleau's NHL Debut. Since then, he's registered 1,196 points (as of this writing) over 23 years in professional hockey. Not quite as many as Gordie Howe put up during his career, but still pretty impressive never the less. At 41 years old, Marleau can still play and is still productive, with 8 points in 44 games this season. Yes, the scoring production has gone down, but he's still able top step foot on the ice and take a regular sift every night he throws on a sweater.

It was almost tough to imagine anybody taking down this record. Jaromir Jagr could have done it, having not spent so much time during his prime years playing over in the KHL. Mario might have come close, had he not had injuries and health scares to worry about. Joe Thornton got drafted and started in the NHL the same year as Marleau, but has played in a thousand less games because of injuries.

Marleau wasn't the point producer that Howe was, and wasn't quite the same physical presence that Gordie was. What he was, and still is, is a steady hand. He's been productive in every year, scoring 20 or more goals in a full season in all but seven of his twenty three years in this league. He been a steady hand in the Sharks lineup for years, coming up with the key play when its needed. He may have been outshined by flashier players in the Sharks lineup like Thornton, Owen Nolan, Joe Pavelski, and Jonathan Cheechoo. Marleau has always been there being a steady hand and bieng healthy for most of his career. Sure he made a pit stop for a couple of years in Toronto and a cup of coffee last season in Pittsburgh, but there's really only one place to be for Patrick, and that's San Jose.

Congratulations for Patrick Marleau on braeking Gordie's games played record!

Dr J's Hot Take

When somebody like Julius Irving talks, people listen. And why not. He's considered one of the greatest basketball players to ever step foot on a court. And he knows something about getting big deals. So when Julius calls out the Nets for what they're doing, it could mean something. In a recent podcast interview with Danny Green, Irving called the Nets, the New York Yankees.

Irving said in the interview: “It’s reminiscent of how the Yankees used to do it all the time. They load up – they call it ‘buying a championship.’ The Lakers are known for doing that too. They’re getting all these pieces … they don’t know at the end of the season what it’s going to look like or what it’s going to feel like, but they’re going to be formidable. You’ve got a team with six former All-Stars, and three [All-NBA] guys who have been there and succeeded in the playoffs.”

Lets start here. This isn't the same as what the Yankees did. I mean it is but it isn't. The Yankees had all the cap space in the world to do whatever they wanted when they went out and got those players. The Nets its different, they have to worry about dealing with Cap space. They were able to pick up a couple of players after buyouts in Blake Griffin and a now retired LaMarcus Aldridge.

That's not the point, the point is Irving was a little off the mark. Yes the Nets went out a got some big name talented players and went all in on trying to win a title coming out of the East, same way the Yankees did for years in baseball. There's also a big difference between what the Yankees did and what the Nets are doing. This has nothing to do with what Irving said, its about the sports themselves.

What the Yankees did was, when they got their star lineups, they actually played them every night. If they were healthy, they played. The Nets give their guys days off for maintenance. Sure, the Nets are going to be in good shape for a deep run come playoff time. But the fact that they sit players for rest when they fighting for the top seed in the East and what could be home court advantage throughout the playoffs really boggles my mind. And this is turned up even more after the comments made by Dr J.

For the Love Of The No No

Ah, the art of the No Hitter. Its a rare thing in baseball anymore, seeing somebody throw a no hitter. There have been now 307 such performances in a Major League Baseball game, with two coming in the last week. First was on April 9th when the Padres got their first no hitter thanks to Joe Musgrove blanking the Rangers 3-0. Then on the 14th, Carlos Rodon of the White Sox tossed a no hitter (and was nearly perfect) in an 8-0 win over the Indians.

What's so great about both of these games, is that its rare these days. Sure, we've had a few no hitters the last couple of seasons. But with the world of Analytics now, you don't see too many pitchers going the distance with complete games anymore.

With the Rodon no no, he threw 114 pitches on the night, and had it not been for Roberto Perez getting hit in the foot in the 9th inning, we could very well be talking about a perfect game right now. This is also the 2nd White Sox no hitter in as many years, as Lucas Giolito threw one last year on August 25th against the Pittsburgh Pirates. All this coming a few days after Joe Musgrove tossed the first no hitter in Padres history in the win over Texas on the 9th.

The takeaways from this rare feet are this: we never really see complete games in baseball anymore. The most in a season we've seen in the last five years in baseball in one season is six by Chris Sale with the White Sox in 2016 and nobody's done more then 10 in a season since James Shields threw 11 in 2011. As a matter of fact, Sheilds 11 is the only time since the turn of the century we've seen somebody hit double digits in complete games in a year. Look back at the 90's and that was almost common place to have double digits in complete games in a year.

That's one thing that grinds my gears about baseball now a days. Everybody is so worried about pitch counts its almost sickening. I get it that you want to save a pitchers arm and don't want what happened to Johan Santana after his 2012 no hitter with the Mets. At the same time, when a pitcher has a pitch count that is under 100 and he's going well through five or six innings, let him stay in. It drives most baseball fans I've talked to crazy. Just wish there was more distance out of pitchers and maybe some bullpens won't be as worn out towards the end of the season.

Real Deal Returns

When the conversation starts about who is the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time is, Evander Holyfield's name usually ends up in the conversation. And why not. The man called the Real Deal had 57 professional fights, and went 44-10-2 in his career. He hasn't had a professional fight since 2011, when he announced his retirement. Or so we thought.

June 5th is the date when the 58 year old fighter comes out of retirement for an exhibition fight against Kevin McBride. This coming off the heels of the Tyson-Jones fight a couple months back. Oh and it gets even better from here. On March 22, Holyfield released a statement through a publicist that said Holyfield and Tyson were in negotiations for a third fight between the two men. They fought in 1996 and 1997, with the second fight ending in a Tyson disqualification after he bit Holyfield's ear. According to Holyfield, Tyson's camp turned down a $25 million guarantee to face Holyfield in Miami during Memorial Day weekend (ESPN).

From a nostalgic standpoint, these are great ideas. From a quality fight perspective, this isn't making a whole lot of sense. McBride it might, but not for Holyfield. Evander is 58 and hasn't had a fight in ten years. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that he is one of the greatest fighters to step foot inside a boxing ring. At this point in his life, though, is it really worth it? I guess it must be worth it with a lot of old time boxers coming out for fights now a days. Thankfully its only exhibitions and they aren't returning full time to fight

Islanders Make Splash

Gotta love trade deadline season. With the deadline approaching on Monday, the New York Islanders were on the market. They have been looking to make a move ever since losing their captain, Anders Lee to injury. Well, general manager Lou Lamorillo went to work, making a deal with his former club, the New Jersey Devils. New York snagged Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac in exchange for prospects A.J. Greer, Mason Jobst, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 conditional fourth-round pick. New Jersey also agreed that they will retain 50 percent of both Zajac and Palmieri’s salaries. This kind of move looked good for both teams actually.

From a Devils point of view, GM Tom Fitzgerald was able to snag a couple of draft picks and prospects for two guys who are going to be free agents at the end of this season anyway. Adding the draft picks gives New Jersey nine picks in the 2021 Draft to help build around an already budding core.

On a bigger scale, this move is a great one for the Islanders. They now add two more proven forwards into the mix, one of whom is a hometown kid. Kyle Palmieri is from Smithtown originally. By adding these two into the lineup, it adds more depth to an already solid hockey team. One that, at times, looks like it needs an injection of scoring punch to it. Zajac had 18 points in 33 games, while Palmieri had 17 points in 33 games. Good numbers, but not quite as great as they need, or have the potential to be. Zajac has been a 20 goal scorer in this league before, so we know he can put the puck in the back of the net. Palmieri has at least 24 or more in each of the last five seasons and was a 30 goal scorer in his first year in New Jersey in 2016. There's no doubt that he can score.

So now the question becomes, where do you put these guys in the lineup. Its only speculation at this point, we will actually find out tonight when the Islanders square off with the Flyers at 7 at the Coliseum. The way thinks look, at least in my mind, they would be the perfect fit together on the 3rd line with Jean Gabriel Pageau in the middle. Keep Barzal and Eberle together, same thing with Bailey and Nelson. You can then put Wahlstrom and Beauvillier on either the top or second line other wing. Smart money would be put Beau with Barzal and Eberle and keep Wahlstrom with Bailey and Nelson.

We will see how things actually shape up, but so far its looking promising. And with the deadline not until Monday, who knows. There could still be more moves to be made.

Sam's Moving On

Getting taken 3rd overall in the NFL draft means something. Or at least it did once. The Jets used the 3rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft to take Sam Darnold and make him their starting quarterback. After a three year trial run, the experiment with Sam in New York is over. The Jets announced today that they traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a 2021 NFL Draft sixth-round pick (No. 226) plus second- and fourth-round selections in the 2022 draft.

During his three year tenure as the Jets signal caller, Sam went 13-25 as a starter, threw for 8,097 yards, with 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. To be fair to Sam, he had flashes in which he looked like he could be the next star in the making as the QB in New York. More often then not, however, it wasn't there. There was too much inconsistency in New York, It was either Sam couldn't stay healthy, which the Jets went 0-10 without Sam on the field in his three seasons. When Sam was healthy and played, there was so much change over with Gang Green I'm surprised Sam knew which end was up.

He went through two different head coaches, the second of which was a horrible decision to begin with. He had a couple of different offensive coordinators, and he lost quite a few of his offensive weapons around him. He actually had decent chemistry with Robbie Anderson before the Jets let him walk away in free agency to Carolina, which is now ironic that the two are now back together again in the Queen City.

This actually has the potential to be good upside for Carolina. Look they tried Teddy Bridgewater, and he was alright. Bridgewater threw for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 starts. Those numbers aren't horrible, but they aren't exactly the answers either in Carolina. At least not in the long term. Its obvious that the Panthers are in a rebuild and they brought Sam in to try and take it over with a fresh start to see what he can really do. He's back together with Robbie Anderson. He's got a star back in Christian McCaffery to hand the ball to. Lets see if he can actually do something here.

The same thing goes for the Jets with getting more picks and still maintaining the second overall pick in the draft coming up. Zach Wilson, the Quarterback out of BYU looks to be heading to New York according to some of the latest mock drafts. I don't put much stock into that stuff myself, but that's what its looking like. Hopefully this can actually be something solid for the Jets. I for one, as a Jets fan, am getting sick and tired of seeing all the constant changes with this team on the coaching staff and players its driving me up the wall. Its been ten years since the last playoff appearance and the losing is starting to take its toll. So hopefully for this trade can work out for all parties involved.