Red Sox play 10 innings of actual baseball in a series that only had 27 innings

The Boston Red Sox had their 2016 campaign come to an abrupt end after being swept by the Cleveland Indians. In Game 1 the Red Sox showed some heart and fight only to be out coached and played in the end. Porcello gave up three homeruns in one inning however the Sox fought back only to have their manager John Farrell bring in Drew Pomeranz who immediately gave up and RBI which all but put the nail in the coffin for the Red Sox. In Game 2 the Red Sox dressed and went through BP and then decided to not play and were embarrassed in all aspects of the game. Price continued his playoff issues by giving up a three run homerun to a lefty that had not hit a homerun off of a lefty all season. Then Corey Kluber decided to remind the baseball world that he won a Cy Young Award and shoved it against the Red Sox. However, the Red Sox obliged his effort by helping him in not swinging the bat or working counts or even remotely trying to play the game of baseball. Balls were going through the legs, off of gloves. Let's just say it wasn't their night. Then in game 3 the Red Sox decided to show up just enough to give the fans hope, but ultimately were a base hit away from at the very least tying the game and sending it into extras. So the Indians aka the Red Sox of Ohio completed the three game sweep and are now set to take on Toronto in the ALDS.
Okay the gloomy and frustrating reality of the situation is over. Besides the fact that the Red Sox lost the ALDS and Big Papi all in one night and besides the fact that they were out coached by their former coach, and besides the fact that they didn't play 1/4 as good as their capable of all is not lost. There are some things that obviously need tweaking and pulled/plugged within the roster but the core of this team is solid and here to stay. Pedro is barring the injury bug has some quality years left in the tank along with Hanley as well. Outside of those two position players, there is extremely talented youth throughout the roster. Mookie, who may or may not be MVP this year, Xander, JBJ, Shaw, Benintendi, Moncada all form a great nucleus moving forward. Another bat is needed to replace Papi.  We will get to see what the Red Sox front office is leaning towards more when the World Series ends, but don't be surprised if Edwin Encarnacion is in the Red Sox uniform by Opening Day. There are some interesting names to consider also, Matt Holiday is another name. With the position players not being to big of an issue I think you have to focus hard on what you have in your starting rotation and bullpen. You have a closer and you have 2 quality starters. You have a young lefty starter who will continue to grow and learn from Price and Porcello as well. I think you have to sure up the bullpen at the very least. Kimbrel, Smith, Kelly, Barnes, Ross and Uehara (who is old and needs to be monitored) all are fine, but would it really hurt to add another arm or two? If you want to make the smartest move, you sure up the bullpen and then go for another quality starter, either a number 2 or number 3 guy. Price and Porcello you can count on, but how much can you count on Buchholz, Rodriguez, Pomeranz, Wright? You can't. They proved all year long you can't. Last but not least, the manager situation needs to be addressed. Look I know I'm not an MLB manger or executive, but Farrell continues to pull the wrong strings or fails to pull any at all. This team was out coached and out prepared time and time again this year and without question in these three games. Francona made Farrell look like an idiot. It wasn't even close. I'd like Dombrowski to look at that situation more. I realize that players play and coaches coach, and he didn't lose the series for the Red Sox, but he sure as hell didn't help. Go back and look at the one run losses this year or the ultimate late inning collapses this year. That's not players to an extent, that's coaching. That's not being able to manage the game in front of you. It obviously didn't end the way myself and other Red Sox fans would have liked, but there is so much to be proud of this year. Won the AL Easy after being dead last, saw our very own legend have an amazing final season, had a cy young and MVP candidate on our team. Saw the birth of the new Red Sox era with the killer B's. It was a great year for the Red Sox no matter the outcome and the future looks even brighter.

The Boston Red Sox and Carolina Panthers seasons ended on the same night

October 10, 2016
This is the night where two teams from two different professional sports organizations had their season end on their home fields. But that's just the problem, they are from two completely different sports. I'm admittedly a fan of both of these teams, it's no secret and I'm proud to support both of through the good times and the terrible times. The Red Sox's season ended tonight by the score of 4-3  in what was David "Big Papi" Ortiz's last game to the hands of Coco Crisp and the Cleveland Indians/former Red Soxs. That hurts, but I can move past this knowing they made the playoffs after finishing in last place in the AL East the year before. They have a young team, money to spend, and hopefully will move on from a lackluster MLB manager in John Farrell. Am I upset that they got swept and didn't show up all series? Hell yes, but at least they put themselves in position to have a chance. That leads me into the Panthers.
I was so far off on this team, this coaching staff, this whole organization. That's my fault, I bought into the hype. They have proven to still be searching for who they are and have proven that they have overachieved in a god awful division for the past three NFC South titles. I can understand injuries, which they have had a lot of. I can even get past the fact they didn't resign the best corner on their roster, possibly top five in the league, to a max contract. However I can't ignore the arrogance. What you saw last year was not arrogance, that was pride and confidence. From the front office to the coaching staff, to the players there is a disgusting and disturbing level on entitlement. I will put most of the blame on the coaching staff. Yes, Ron is a two time coach of the year, but guess what, so are the likes of  Mike Smith, Lovie Smith, and Marvin Lewis. That means nothing. Defensively, I can't put too much blame except for the fact that they can't get a stop when needed to save their life. The secondary is terrible, but that's to be expected when you lose your backbone of that group over cap room that isn't being used to be productive somewhere else. The problem is on the offense. The offensive line is terrible, actually it's not terrible for Derek Anderson which is perplexing, but the wide receivers are underwhelming (yes even Kelvin Benjamin), and Mike Shula Jr. is awful. In the past 6 games he has been absolutely out coached and has looked unprepared comepletely. So I sadly state to my fellow Panther fans again, this season is over. Get Cam healthy, keep playing the rookies in the secondary so they can hopefully learn from being punished every Sunday, get Jonathan Stewart healthy and finally cut back on Luke and Thomas Davis's snaps. Davis has two more good years left if that and Luke is the only competent one outside of Davis on our defense. Maybe, just maybe the front office and coaching staff will take this reality check and cash it in by getting actual needs. Like offensive linemen, a defensive end, and an offensive weapon. I'm not going to hold my breath. Last years draft was a fail, the whole offseason was. Sorry to tell it like it is and add insult to injury, but the 2016-17 season is a wrap. Keep Pounding, or Keep Losing.

Who are the Carolina Panthers?

Tomorrow night is the beginning of the 2016-2017 NFL season. The Carolina Panthers hope that this one brings redemption in the form of a Super Bowl win. The Panthers are one of the 4-5 teams that have themselves in great position to contend for the Lombardi trophy. But as a fan, even with the certainty from almost every expert that the Panthers will be in the position to compete for a Super Bowl title, I can't help myself from having doubt. I do believe that outside of the Patriots and maybe a random team like the Steelers or Bengals the AFC is all but a lock. The NFC however, is the cream of the crop in the NFL. It's almost like the NBA, but backwards. The Patriots are whatever team LeBron plays on and the Western Conference is the NFC. The Spurs are the Seahawks, the Warriors are the Panthers, and the Clippers/Thunder are the Cardinals/Packers. Not sure which one is which on the last comparison. Not to say that the AFC is bad or the Eastern Conference is bad, but there is a heavyweight/all-time great that dominates that side of their respective league.
So anyways, the gist of the argument is that the Panthers have a much harder path to go through in order to seek redemption. Packers are for some reason everybody's favorite which I don't understand. Rodgers is an all-time great QB in his own right, but I never see the pieces around him even with Jordy Nelson being healthy. But they are a great team and pose a threat. Same with the Cardinals, although I have my doubts with Carson Palmer. I am not sure how he will bounce back from the shellacking he and his team took from the Panthers in the NFC title game last year. Plus, can he really repeat his year he had last year at his age? Then you have the Seahawks, who I believe are the biggest threat to dethrone the Panthers in the NFC, not the Packers. What scares the hell out of me is that they drafted very well, have a great QB, great coach, great defense, and have a revenge factor against the Panthers as well. Also, no one is talking about the Seahawks. Do we forget that they are three years removed from a Super Bowl title, two from being an incredible interception away from going back-to-back? Oh, and they almost made one of the biggest if not the biggest comebacks against the Panthers in the playoffs. So yeah, let's respect them okay?
Here is my prediction. I truly believe, barring injuries, that the Panthers will win the NFC again and go back to the Super Bowl. They have the fourth easiest schedule in football this year, which is extremely lucky. Given that fact I believe that they will be able to finish the season anywhere between 14-2 to 12-4. Personally I'm thinking 13-3 which should get them the number one seed over the Packers and Seahawks along with home field advantage, which is huge.
Panthers Schedule and W/L prediction:
@ Broncos W
vs. 49ers W
vs. Vikings W
@ Falcons L
vs. Buccaneers W
@ Saints W
BYE
vs. Cardinals W
@ Rams W
vs. Chiefs W
vs. Saints W
@ Raiders L
@ Seattle L
vs. Chargers W
@ Redskins W
vs. Falcons W
@ Buccaneers W

Cam, you're not LeBron

Today one of my favorite sport talks shows Speak For Yourself on FS1 opened up the show with several hot topics as they always do, one being about Cam Newton. The discussion was Cam's recent video produce and released through the Player's Tribune. Several big times athletes are doing this nowadays such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant so that isn't the issue. The issue is what came from Mr. Newton's mouth. I'm admittedly a life long Panther fan and have been a fan of Cam since his computer days at Florida. Okay sorry that was low. But in all seriousness, I am a believer and supporter of Newton. However, his message about his offseason and early days as a Panther rubbed me the wrong way much like it did Jason Whitlock, a host on the show SFY. Newton repeatedly was about himself and showed some of that immaturity that Panther fans as well as critics have grown to hate. It was all about him, not about the team. Whitlock broke it down and I believe the ballpark number of times Newton said "I" was in the twenties or thirties compared to five or six times of him mentioning "we." Now, I do think that he doesn't mean anything bad when he talks like this, but at some point I as a fan cannot get over how he keeps backtracking on his road to mature, Hall of Fame QB status. A man who just recently embarrassed himself in a press conference after also being embarrassed on the field in the Super Bowl needs to show growth. Not boast about personal accomplishments and goals. Newton is a great talent and the reigning MVP. He is the best player in football, but instead of feeling himself, he needs to keep proving himself. Who knows? Maybe I am jumping the gun and looking too far into the situation. And no matter what I say or feel, it has no affect on Cam and will not effect his play whether he is underachieving this year or continues to produce. It is something worth being concerned about. One way or the other. I'll just hope for the Panthers sake and for Cam's sake this was a marketing ploy to further his brand and doesn't effect the organization in anyway.
Some food for thought, though!
Keep Pounding! Go 'thers!

College Football Preview

Unless you live under a rock or literally puke at the thought of sports, in which case I am sorry for you, then you just like myself and everyone else are preparing for the start of the NCAA football season. Along with the beginning of what will be another season filled with surreal endings yet more moments that embed themselves in history, you also have the hot takes from every analyst, coach, and fan there is. So why not join along?
The popular preseason topic are the preseason rankings and whether or not they are hurting college football or not. I absolutely have my "hot take" on that, but first I want to discuss some other takes I have going into this season. For starters, let's go with the premature Heisman race. According to CheatSheet.com the odds-makers list the top five in this order Deshaun Watson (9-2), Leonard Fournette (5-1), Christian McCaffrey (7-1), Dalvin Cook (14-1), and a three way tie at the 5th spot with Mayfield/Kelly/Barrett all at 16-1. Not bad. I have to be logical in making these picks because so many scenarios go involved. I thought the old Heisman voters had finally gone away from the old ways in selecting the best player on best team as the Heisman, but as we all know Derrick Henry won last year and quite frankly it was very disappointing from a fan's view.
Anyways, going off the notion that the best player on best team will winit again this year then I believe the Clemson vs. FSU match up is HUGE. Whoever loses that will not be in Final Four thus eliminating either Watson or Cook and yes, I know Watson is the media darling and they have all but etched his name of the trophy. That game just has so much riding on it this year per usual. McCaffrey is great, but Cook is arguably the best back in college football which might I add is LOADED at the running back position this year. Watson is the overwhelming favorite and rightfully so, but something tells me Clemson loses to FSU this year. Fournette is great and I don't mean to be underwhelming or disrespectful to him, but him and Cook are neck and neck. LSU is on the hype train this year again, but unless a formidable QB emerges I think they fall short of expectations again this year, thus hurting Fournette's chances. My final option is McCaffrey unless McCaffrey 2.0 emerges from a cinderella team those are your four contenders. Miss me with Mayfield, Kelly and Barrett because that isn't happening. Listen, McCaffrey should've been the Heisman last year, no questions asked, it was honestly poor on the Heisman committee and all of college football voters to have not had him take his rightful crown. Which could very well have been his only chance. He still plays on the west coast, so half 2/3 of America will have to see him on the highlight reel the next morning before NFL Sunday starts. And can this man really top what he did last year? I mean go look at the stats for yourself, college football hasn't seen that type of impact player on both offense and special teams in years. I don't know, anything less will just come off as poor which will not be the case because he could still have Heisman numbers. Plus Stanford has to be good, they have to make Final Four or at least a big bowl. So after going back and forth I came up with this as my "Final Four" for the Heisman trophy. Again, wins and losses play a huge factor.
4- Fournette (I trust him, just not his supporting cast, cough cough...QB play)
3- Watson (He probably will win it, and I love him as a player, but I think FSU beats Clemson as well as runs the table in the ACC)
2- McCaffrey (He has another great year with eye popping plays/numbers, but he plays on the West Coast and Stanford doesn't win Pac 12 or have enough wins)
1- Dalvin Cook (Cook is a Seminole and I love the Gators so this hurts, but it's just life. Cook and FSU will run the table because of Cook and defense and make it to Final Four. They must go undefeated for him to win though otherwise I think Watson wins it.)
So there you have it, my shot-in-the-dark picks for the final Heisman rankings. Didn't go to far out on a limb and there are so many reason for that, the media being the biggest one.
Next lets talk about rankings, conference winners and Final Four. The AP Top 25 from ESPN.com is as followed:
Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, FSU, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford, Tennessee, ND, Ole Miss, Michigan State, TCU, Washington, Houston, UCLA, Iowa, UGA, Louisville, Southern Cal, Oklahoma State, UNC, Baylor, Oregon, Florida. This issue in preseason has been how these rankings are bad for college football and I agree to an extent. We need a starting point but I think the voters should completely wipe the slate clean and vote on a new one 3 weeks before conference championship games take place. Do not update the rankings week to week, stop showing rankings on the screen beside the team name, professional sports don't it, neither should the NCAA. Do all the power rankings you want I don't care because I've never really understood the point in those, but eliminate rankings until the last 3 weeks of the season, so that bias from preseason rankings can be thrown out the door. Okay? Yeah, sounds logical to me as well.
Quickly here are my winners by conference and Final Four pool, with the WAY TOO EARLY champion. No worries I'll follow my plan and give you a revised decision with 3 weeks left in season.
ACC:
Best two teams are in the Atlantic which sucks. So I go FSU to win Atlantic. Coin flip between UNC and Miami in the coastal, think UNC finds way to win Coastal again.
FSU beats UNC easily to win ACC
Big 12:
Thank god the Big 12 finally gets their title game back next year, but until then I will reluctantly pick a winner. Baylor will be awful, don't even understand why they are ranked. Texas will be better but still not relevant. Comes down to OU, OSU, and TCU. Want to see what Kenny Hill does with his second chance at TCU, but I think OU wins, but with a loss.
Big Ten:
I want to like the Big Ten, but until they realize that restructing the divisions within the conference is okay if it means it brings your fans and viewers a better product, I can't get on board. You can keep it the same in basketball and other sports, but having Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State all in the same division is bad for business. They can still play each other. Anyways, love Meyer, but he lost A LOT, still think OSU is top 15 team. MSU lost a lot as well still think they are top 25. Michigan wins the East and Harbaugh strips on the field after beating Ohio State. Umm, the West stinks, but I'll go with Iowa. Michigan beats Iowa. Harbaugh is in Final Four.
Pac 12:
LOVE the balance in this conference. Great races in each division, but I go with Stanford out of the North and its a three way race between Utah, USC and UCLA in the South, but I go with Utah. Utah beats Stanford in a close game to win conference title.
SEC:
Bama wins the West. Sorry, I gotta see it happen to actually go against them. LSU is hyped up, Ole Miss doesn't have enough. I think it comes down to UT vs UF in the East. Crazy that a game the fourth week of the year will probably determine the division winner. UT WILL NOT beat Bama, UF WILL NOT beat FSU. UGA will eventually be good under Smart but not with starting a true freshman in the SEC. UF beats UT to win East. Surprising from me right? Bama beats Florida by 10 to win SEC title game.
Final Four:
Bama
Michigan
FSU
Utah
First two out:
Clemson
Stanford
Championship game:
Bama vs. Michigan
Bama wins, Saban retires after season, Harbaugh wins in it 2017

Cant wait to see how wrong this is! Thanks for reading!

Baseball: The Game That Shaped Me

The journey is over. A part of my life is over. This is almost the degree of pain I have felt from losing a loved one. After roughly 17 years of my life, the game that shaped me is no longer apart of my day to day life. Sure there are adult leagues, yes I will be playing slow pitch softball, but the competitive game of baseball is over for me. I thought this day would never come. Even at the beginning of this year, my senior year of college, I never thought it would materialize to what it has.

I have never been destined for the big leagues. I'm an overpowering five foot six inches with average to below average speed, very little pop in my bat, with a solid glove in the field. Nothing special, nothing elite. So I knew I was playing for more than that. I was playing for my love of the game. I was playing for the little kid who was the bat boy at every one of his father's high school games. I was playing for the kid that was the 12 year old hero to his peers. I was playing for the kid who was lucky enough to win a national championship. I was playing for the kid who lived it up under the lights on Friday nights in high school. I was playing for the kid who just wanted four more years of baseball in college. From all of that I became the man who gave his heart to the game he loved. 

This blog/venting memoir/sappy post, whatever you want to call it, isn't just for me. It's for those just like me who had a part of their livelihood taken  away from them. It is for those who are about to approach this point in their life. I can only tell my story, share my feelings, and send my thoughts to you.  

For those who don't already know me. My life was baseball. My time outside of school and friends was baseball. My weekends, baseball. This game has always been a huge factor in my life. 

My father was a high school baseball coach from when I came into this world until I was roughly 8 years old. If I wasn't at school I was either at his school at a practice or game, playing at my little league, or just spending all weekend at his field imitating his team's lineup while he did field work. After the games I would run the bases (my favorite part was sliding into home). 

From that point my father became my coach. From the time I was eight years old, to when I was 14, our relationship was more than just father and son. These were the best years of my baseball career, which should tell you a lot. The memories of travel ball and little league will never fade. What I would do to drive to Concord one more time and play 4-5 games a weekend (sometimes more). What I would do to play one more game on Field #3 at Southwest Forsyth Little League. What I would do to suit up in a Clemmons Middle School uniform and win another middle school championship. Those are the memories that only baseball can bring you. Without baseball, I have no idea what Kyle Humphrey would've been doing today and where his life would've gone. Then there was High School Baseball. Ahh, nothing can compare to playing with your childhood friends, classmates, teammates under the lights. During high school season it seemed impossible there could be any bigger stage than that. Every team you play is your "arch rival." State playoffs were bigger than the actual World Series. Every year you thought you would make a run, you looked at the bracket and saw a path for you. We would lose before ever getting to the championship, the farthest we made it was third round. But that didn't matter because there was always next year and "oh, I have summer ball coming up." Until the day I didn't. 

It was now time for college baseball. A place where I learned more about life than baseball. A place where I learned there was more to life than baseball. I went to a Division III school with no chance of me moving on to the next level, but the chance to play four more years. What I would give for four more. I never made All-Conference. I never was that "dude." I wasn't the player that I was in high school. I was playing with guys just like me and better than me now. And yes it was tough to swallow in the moment, but as I reflect, I wouldn't want it to be any other way. 

This beautiful game gave me so much. It gave me great times and it gave me heartbreaks. It gave me trophies and it gave me injuries. I always loved the game even though it may not have always loved me back. I owed it that much because what Baseball gave me is something you can't quantify. So I say goodbye, just like some like me are and like others will soon do. I challenge every player, baseball or any sport, to remember why you play. Remember why you love it so much. For the baseball guys and softball girls I have a quote for you. 

"You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time."- Jim Bouton

I Love You, Tar Heels GDTBATH

Everyone who knows me, close or not, knows the emotions going through my body right now. I want to start off by saying congrats to Villanova for winning the national championship. I will never watch that shot again, but that was one of the best plays, if not the best, that has ever occurred in a sporting event at that magnitude. I have do give credit where it is due. As much as it hurts me to do so. 

Now I want to focus on the team that lost. Mine and many others beloved Tar Heels. Every national championship game has to have a loser and unfortunately Carolina was the loser. So many emotions entered my body when that shot went in. Anger, Sadness, Depression, Numbness come to mind. My heart along with probably every other true Tar Heel player and fan has been ripped out for the time being. But time will pass and one day this loss will lessen in pain. It will never be forgotten, but the best thing about being a fan of a team is that no matter the ending, there is always going to be another game. As I settled down after the initial heartbreak all I could think about was Marcus, Brice and the other seniors on the team. The ABC fans and Nova fans will disagree, but those guys deserved and earned the right to capture the national title. They have been through so much and given so much to the program. I cannot begin to express how proud I am of them give us their heart and hustle game in and game out. I realize Nova and their seniors have done the same thing so I want to say that while taking nothing away from them. So thank you Marcus, thank you Brice, thank you Joel, and thank you to the rest of the seniors. I know you wanted this even more than the fans and supporters wanted and I am sorry you came 4.7 seconds short of your dream. 

As for my fellow Tar Heel fans, take time and let the emotions settle. The jokes, the memes, the tweets, and other slander will come, AS IT SHOULD. If roles were reversed for any other rival of ours we would do the same. You may initially disagree, but you're kidding yourself if you honestly believe you would not react the same. As hard as it is take it as a compliment, without being in the position to capture a title that ridicule would not come, the attention would not be on the Heels. 

Lastly, I want to send a message to the people like me, not saying I am more of a fan than anyone else because I'm not, but this is for the ones that believe in something bigger than yourself. The Tar Heels are bigger than my every day life, when a UNC game is on I become consumed by what is going on. To some, that is crazy, but I call it passion and belief. Belief in something that is bigger than myself. For those that can relate to myself especially the others that eat, sleep, drink, breath, and bleed Carolina Blue, better days as well as more heartbreaks will happen. Take it as they come, but make sure to never ever lose the love for the Tar Heels. They love you and sacrifice so much for not only themselves but for us that support them game in and game out. Thank you Heels, I love you and will always be proud to be a fan of the best university there is. And don't forget, it is always a GDTBATH.