Pilots Lose Home Opener 3-1

Originally posted on jerseypilots.com

The Jersey Pilots lost their season and home opener 3-1 to the North Jersey Eagles at Snyder Ave Park.

All of the Eagles runs came in the second inning. North Jersey catcher Zachary Tondi led off the inning with a single and was soon joined on the base paths by John Kukura, who walked. North Jersey right fielder Shane Woelfel then ripped a double into gap, scoring both baserunners. Woelfel then scored on a Ryan Rivera single.

The Pilots scored their only run in the eighth inning. After being no-hit for the first 7 1/3 innings, Pilots first baseman Greg Kocinski and left fielder Ryan Jennings had back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third with one out. During the next at-bat, Jennings broke for second base. Eagles catcher Frank Mayo threw the ball to second base, where the throw was bobbled. Jennings was safe at second and Kocinski, who broke from third base on the throw from Mayo,

was safe at home. 

Jersey had only two hits on the day, but did draw five walks. Pilots starting pitcher Tommy Giunta went 5 1/3 innings and picked up the loss. Catchers Vic Konstantinovsky and Stephen Petriello both threw out a runner attempting to steal.

The winning pitcher for North Jersey was Mike Sgaramella. He threw three innings of no-hit ball, but did surrender four walks. Daniel Rajkowski also threw three innings of no hit-ball in relief. Jordan Fontenelle closed the game out for the Eagles and had three strikeouts in his one inning of work.

The Pilots fall to 0-1 on the season, while the Eagles improve to 1-2.

The next game for the Pilots is on Sunday with a game time of 6:30 p.m. It is Ben Smookler Day in honor of the Pilots late owner and general manager. There will be pre-game ceremony honoring Smooker. For updates on the Pilots, check jerseypilots.com and the team’s twitter page: @ACBL_Pilots.

The Dodgers-Braves Trade: Impact on the Dodger's Third Base Situation

The Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves

The Deal: Atlanta Receives: 3B Juan Uribe and RHP Chris Withrow
                Los Angeles Receives: INF Alberto Callaspo, RHP Juan Jaime, LHP Eric Stults, 
                and LHP Ian Thomas

The Assignments: Jaime was sent to Extended Spring Training
                              Stults was designated for assignment
                              Thomas was sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Stats: Uribe - .247/.287/.309, 1 HR,  6 Runs, -0.2 rWAR, .981 Fielding%, 2.21 RF/9
                 Withrow - Recovering from Tommy John
                 Callaspo - .203/.293/.252, 1 HR, 12 Runs, -0.4 rWAR, 1.89 RF/9 (at 3B
                 Jaime - 2 G, 0 GS, 0-1, 6.75 ERA, 10.64 FIP, 3.000 WHIP, 0.0 rWAR
                 Stults - 9 G, 8 GS, 1-5, 5.85 ERA, 5.38 FIP, 1.280 WHIP, -0.4 rWAR
                 Thomas - 5 G, 0 GS, 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 6.51 FIP, 1.688 WHIP, 0.0 WAR

Juan Uribe
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While this trade does not appear to be a major deal based on stats alone, it will have a big impact on the Dodgers. Juan Uribe was a beloved teammate in Los Angeles and many players and fans are going to be sad and angry to see him go. Even though he was struggling to start the year, Uribe was coming off of arguably the best season of his career. While I believe Uribe is past his prime, he would have been a good contributor and leader off the bench for the Dodgers. 

This deal opens up the starting third base spot, where Justin Turner and Alex Guerrero will battle for it. Both players have had hot starts, which made Uribe expendable in the first place. Turner and Guerrero are also both in their second seasons in LA, even though their roads to this point are extremely different. 

Turner is a 30 year-old utility infielder in his fifth full major league season. After struggling in his first few seasons, he finally hit his stride last season, hitting .340 with a .404 OBP and 4.2 rWAR in 109 games. He is continuing the trend this season with slash line is .287/.374/.529 and a rWAR of 1.3.

Guerrero is a 28 year-old Cuban defector who signed for four years and $28 million before the 2014 season. He started the season with the Dodgers, but was soon sent to Albuquerque (The Dodgers 2014 Triple-A affiliate). While he hit .329 with 15 homers and 14 doubles in 65 Triple-A games last season, the biggest news involving Guerrero was the fact that he lost part of his ear in a fight with fellow teammate Miguel Olivo. 

However, Guerrero has put that incident in the back burner and is having a great start to the 2015 campaign. He has a .313/.348/.687 slash line along with eight homers and beat out teammate Joc Pederson for NL Rookie of the Month for April. 

A formal decision between the two will most likely not be made for a few weeks. Nevertheless, Turner has the current upper hand and will probably get the job. Turner has started 15 games at third compared to Guerrero's nine, including four of the last five games. Guerrero has spent most of his games in left field this season and played most of his games last season at second base. 

Justin Turner
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Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman is known for signing and trading for players who have good on-base percentages and defensive skills. In both of those categories, Justin Turner is the better player, which is bad news for Guerrero. Guerrero has gotten playing time this year due to the injuries to Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford. When Puig comes back, it is going to be really tough for Guerrero to get playing time. Pederson and Andre Either are both having monster years and will not be displaced when Puig comes back (unless Either is traded). Scott Van Slyke is also having a good year as a utility outfielder. Guerrero has potential to be a very good player in this league; yet, it looks like he is going to be out of starting job soon. If he becomes available in the near future through trade, I would look to make a deal for him in a heartbeat. But in the meantime, he should focus on playing well and trying to earn a spot on the contending Dodgers. For Turner, he just needs to keep playing well and putting in work. He is on his way to become an above-average major league third baseman, which is exactly what the Dodgers need.

2015 Minor League Baseball Preview: Teams To Watch

Iowa Cubs – Triple-A – Pacific Coast League

Javier Baez
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The Cubs made headline news when they sent down slugger Kris Bryant to Triple-A. He will most likely spend about two weeks with Iowa before he is called up to the big league club. Along with Bryant, former top ten prospect (he was not eligible this year to be on top prospects list) Javier Baez was sent down to the Iowa as well. Baez had 229 plate appearances in the big show last year, but he did not play as well as he would have hoped. He hit .169 with .227 OBP along with 95 strikeouts compared to 15 walks. He had too many swings-and-misses to be successful and has been working on his approach ever since he got moved up. His spring training numbers were not much better than his numbers from the 2014 season (.182 batting average, .237 OBP, 21 strikeouts and three walks in 55 at-bats) and as a result he was sent down to Iowa. This was the smart move. Baez has been in a slump since August and he needs to find his groove, while working on his approach and drawing more walks. Baez is an important part of the Cubs future plans. He does not have to be drawing walks at a substantial clip, but he cannot hit .200 and have an OBP of .250. Those numbers will not lead to success. If he could hit over .260 with an OBP north of .320 to go along with 30+ homers, he could be one of the best second baseman in baseball. He still has that potential. However, he needs to reboot in Iowa first, where I expect he will stay until at least June.

Charlotte Knights – Triple-A  – International League

Also not in Chicago, albeit on the south side, is southpaw Carlos Rodon. Rodon has the makings of a future number one starter. After being drafted third overall in 2014 out of North Carolina State, Rodon rose through the ranks, reaching Triple-A Charlotte. He performed well in Spring Training, where he had a 3.06 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 17.2 innings. However, the White Sox sent him down to Charlotte, where he will start the season. The decision to put Rodon back in the minors raised some eyebrows, but will beneficial for Rodon. If Rodon stayed with the big club, he most likely would have been a relief pitcher, not a starter. While Rodon should be up with the White Sox before the September roster expansion, he may still be slotted in as a bullpen guy. Getting more starts under his belt this year will only help him in both the short-term and the long-term. Having him stay in the bullpen for one full season may set him back long-term. Rodon will be up at soon point this year, especially if the White Sox are in the playoff hunt.

Biloxi Shuckers – Double-A – Southern League

Orlando Arcia
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The 2015 season is the inaugural season for the Biloxi Shuckers. The Shuckers moved from Huntsville over the winter, but their major league affiliate, Milwaukee, stayed the same. Biloxi will play at least the first two months of the season on the road as their stadium, MGM Park, gets completed. The first game at MGM Park is set for Saturday, June 6 against the Mobile BayBears, although the date could be pushed back if delays occur. On the baseball side of the club, the Brewers top two prospects are starting off the season in Biloxi. Middle infielder Orlando Arcia and outfielder Tyrone Taylor are both top 100 prospects according to Baseball America and project to reach the Brew Crew by 2016. Both guys are not big power hitters, but Taylor has good pop (he hit 36 doubles in 2014 and 33 in 2013). If they have solid years, they will be in contention for roster spots with Milwaukee in 2016. 

Chattanooga Lookouts  – Double-A – Southern League

The Lookouts changed their affiliation over the winter, moving from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Minnesota Twins. With the change, two of the best prospects in baseball will start the season in Chattanooga. Outfielder Byron Buxton and third baseman Miguel Sano are both top fifteen prospects (Buxton is the #1 prospect according to MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus, while Baseball America has him #2 after having him #1 last season) coming off injury-riddled 2014 campaigns. Sano did not play one game in 2014 due to Tommy John, while Buxton played in only 31 games due to a wrist injury and a concussion. Buxton has five-tool potential, while Sano has All-Star potential as a slugging third baseman who is competent defensively. This is a big season for both players. Even though both are heading into their year-21 seasons, their injuries put them behind schedule. They need to get back on track, prove that they can overcome injuries, and still have the potential to be All-Stars. 

Potomac Nationals – Class-A Advanced – Carolina League

Lucas Giolito
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Jayson Werth is starting the season with the Potomac Nationals while rehabbing from shoulder surgery. While he is not expected to be there long, the most fascinating player in Potomac is not with the club yet. Lucas Giolito is a top ten prospect and is currently the number one right handed pitching prospect in baseball. He was outstanding during the 2014 season with the Auburn Doubledays and Hagerstown Suns. He went 10-2 with a 2.20 ERA, 10.1 Strikeouts per Nine, and a 1.000 WHIP. Giolito is staying in extended spring training, along with fellow top 100 prospect Reynaldo Lopez, because he started throwing later than the other pitchers. Giolito had Tommy John in August 2012 and the Nationals have been very cautious with Giolito. He only threw 98 innings last season and was not allowed to start throwing until he reported to spring training. He is expected to be assigned to Potomac later this month. Giolito is not the only one with potential in Potomac. Lopez will likely join the club with Giolito. Middle infielder Wilmer Difo, pitcher Nick Pivetta, and third baseman Drew Ward are all top prospects in the Washington organization that are currently in Potomac. P-Nats fans are in for a good year. 

With NHL Season Winding Down, Here Are Four Teams to Look Out For

Winnipeg Jets 

Ondrej Pavelec
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The Jets have won five out of their last six games as they look to claim the first wild card spot. Winnipeg has been the surprise team of the NHL this season. They were predicted to finish in the bottom third of the league by many pundits and started off the season 2-5. Since then, the Jets are 37-19-12. The success of the Jets has been due to the Winnipeg netminders  Goalies Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson have been great. Pavelec, who led the league in goals allowed in each of the last three season, has rebounded this year. He has a .919 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average. Hutchinson, a rookie, has put up great numbers as Pavelec's back-up. He has a .913 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average. With seven games left, the Jets need to win a few more games to secure their playoff spot. They play the current #7 seed Minnesota Wild on April 6 and the Calgary Flames, the team right behind Winnipeg in the Wild Card race, on April 11 in the last game of the season. The Jets have upper hand in the playoff race and should be able to clinch a playoff spot. While there have been hiccups (Most notably, the Evander Kane track suit incident), the Jets have surprised the hockey world by being a playoff team that will be a tough out in the playoffs. 

Boston Bruins

Boston has struggled this season. Yesterday, they snapped a six game losing streak (that included an shootout loss to 20-46-8 Buffalo) with a 4-2 win over the Rangers. The Bruins are currently in the eight spot in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Ottawa. Tuukka Rask has been good, but not as good as he was last season. Team leaders Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara have also been worse this year than in previous seasons. There have been some bright spots on the squad; most notably defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Loui Eriksson. The Bruins have seven games left to clinch the final spot in the Eastern Conference. With games against Toronto and Carolina, Boston has some easy games; but, the Bruins also play the Red Wings, the Lightning, and the Capitals. All three of those teams are in the playoffs. The playoff teams may sit their starters, but that does not mean those games will be shoo-ins. If Boston misses the playoffs, the teams in the East will breathe a sign of relief because a high-quality team will be watching the playoffs from home.

Nashville Predators

After two consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, the Nashville Predators have the best record in the Central Division, the best division in the NHL. After missing a good chunk of the 2013-14 season, goalie Pekka Rinne is having a great season. He has 41 of the team's 47 wins and has a .926 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average. The Predator offense is led by Rookie of the Year candidate and 2015 All-Star Filip Forsberg. Forsberg has 23 goals, six of them game winners, and 36 assists. Forsberg along with defenseman and fellow 20 year-old Seth Jones are two of the most promising players in the NHL. The Predators mix of young talent and seasoned veterans has led them to become one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup.

New York Islanders

John Taveres
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In their final season on Long Island, the New York Islanders are giving their fans a season to remember. The Isles are 44-27-5. The last time a Islanders team had more than 44 wins was the 1983-84 season when they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. This year's team has the potential to go farther than the 1983-84 team. John Taveres is having another fabulous year. He has 34 goals, 40 assists, and averages just under one point per game. While Taveres is the team leader in all of those stats by a large margin; however, he is not the only player who is playing well on offense. Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Kyle Okposo, and Ryan Strome are all playing extremely well, just not earning as many points as Taveres. In net, Jaroslav Halak is having a very good first season as an Islanders goaltender. He has been a stabilizing force New York has been missing recently. The Islanders have the potential to make a run to the Stanley Cup Final, but it will depend on its young stars living up to their potential. 

The Five Most Interesting Players in Basketball Right Now

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook
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Is there anyone more fascinating in sports right now than Russell Westbrook? With Kevin Durant missing extended time this season, Westbrook has stepped up this year, especially recently. The 2015 All-Star Game MVP has average a triple-double over the last five games with 30.6 points per game, 11.8 assists per game, and 10.6 rebounds per game. In the last two games alone, he has taken 70 shots and 30 free throws. He has not been a one-man wrecking crew (Serge Ibaka has averaged 17.2 points and 9.0 boards and Enes Kanter has averaged 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds over the last five games), but he has been playing on a whole another level. While that has not translated to wins, OKC lost the last two games where Westbrook had over 30 shots, it has made Westbrook mesmerizing to watch.

Any of the Top Players on Kentucky

Devin Booker. Willie Cauley-Stein. Aaron Harrison. Andrew Harrison. Dakari Johnson. Marcus Lee. Trey Lyles. Karl-Anthony Towns. Tyler Ulis. Take your pick of any of these nine players as the most interesting on the team and, therefore, one of the most interesting in all of men's college basketball. If I were to pick one, I may pick Trey Lyles because he was the number two power forward in the Class of 2014 recruiting class, yet he is the starting small forward on the Wildcats and is playing the position at an exceptionally high level. Or Willie Cauley-Stein, the junior, who has come into his own on the offensive end of the court. Or Karl-Anthony Towns, the elite freshman who is dominant when he plays, evident by his per 40 minutes and per 100 possession stats. Or Devin Booker, who is a really good player who can score the basketball. Even players who are not currently on Kentucky but were previouslyare some of the most fascinating (a.k.a. Kyle Wiltjer of Gonzaga, the former Kentucky player and National Champion, who transferred after winning the 2012-13 SEC Sixth Man of the Year and is now one of the best players in the country).

Nina Davis

Nina Davis
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The best player on the one of the best teams in women's college basketball, Nina Davis is an intimidating threat in the post. The Baylor sophomore is averaging 20.6 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. Baylor was 26-1 heading into this week. However, they lost to Oklahoma 68-64 on Wednesday and to Iowa State 76-71 today. Both are good teams, but they are not on Baylor's level. Davis had 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Sooners and  16 and 5 against the Cyclones. While she played well in these games, she needs to keep up the good work. The Bears have one more game against Texas Tech before the conference tournament. They are going to need big games out of Davis to be successful in the conference tournament before going to the NCAA Tournament. If they lose against Texas Tech and/or in the conference tournament, the Bears may be in for an upset early in the NCAA Tournament.

Reggie Jackson

Jackson, the former disgruntled Thunder backup, is now running point in Detroit. Even with a 23-36 record, the Pistons are only one game out of the eighth seed in the east and have the talent with big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, and Jackson to be a tough eight seed. For them to reach the playoffs, Jackson has to play like the player he believes he is. In his four games for Detroit, he has 16.0 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, and 5.3 rebounds per game in 32.3 minutes of action. However, his PER is 12.3, he shot a dismal 5-24 against the Knicks on Friday, and then shot 4-12 on Saturday and played less minutes than backup Spencer Dinwiddie. While Jackson wants to be the man, he has to take a backseat to Drummond and Monroe and work with them. He can be main guard, but he has to allow Drummond and Monroe to be "the guys" on the team. If he can do this, the Pistons should be the eight seed. But it is easier said than done with Jackson, making this a fascinating storyline for the rest of year.

Jahlil Okafor

Jahlil Okafor
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Okafor is one of the two best players in college basketball with Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky. What makes Okafor a more interesting player is that he is a freshman, the projected number one pick in the NBA Draft, and his amazing skill set. If you watched Duke's game vs. Virginia on Wednesday, you saw the greatness of Okafor. He scored 30 points on 13-18 shooting (albeit 4-9 from the charity stripe) and nine rebounds. He dominated and manhandled the Hokies in the post. Okafor was absolutely unstoppable. While he was not as great against Syracuse today, he still managed to score 14 points and grab 13 boards. Okafor did shoot only 1-7 from the free throw line, which seems to be his only liability. Okafor is going to make a name for himself as the calendar turns to March

The Problems with the Cavs and Other NBA Notes

Kevin Love
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After losing six straight games (the first five without LeBron James), the Cleveland Cavaliers have rattled off seven consecutive wins behind Kyrie Irving and James. James has averaged over 30 points and Irving has averaged over 24 during the stretch. Both dropped over 30 last night against Detroit. While that seems like a great thing, there is something looming underneath those two players point totals. Kevin Love dropped only seven points while taking less than half of the shots of the two leading scores (Love had 11 shot attempts, eight of those from behind the arc, while James had 24 and Irving had 23). 

Stats via basketball-reference.com

During this same seven game stretch, Love is averaging 14.5 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. Kevin Love is becoming the new Chris Bosh. Love's current numbers and Bosh's numbers from his first season in Miami are extremely similar and both have had tough times fitting in around James and a high-profile guard. There is one big difference between Love and 2010-11 Bosh. Love can leave Cleveland at the end of the season and the Cavs can get no one in return. Bosh was locked up until 2014 and was only leaving if he was traded. 

If I was Kevin Love, I would, at this point, leave Cleveland at the end of the season. He is not getting the touches he deserves and is slowly becoming the fourth option behind J.R. Smith. Love is the second best player on the team behind James (He is better than Irving) but is being treated like he is a bench warmer. In the last game of the six game losing streak against the Suns, Love was benched at the end of the game, while James Jones, Mike Miller, Smith, and Tristan Thompson all at some point played over him. After the game, Cavs Head Coach David Blatt was highly criticized for benching him and the rumors of Love leaving were at a peak. All of those rumors have gone away for the time being because of the win streak, but that does not mean they are gone for good. 

Kevin Love
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One of the big reasons that Love is having trouble in Cleveland is that he is not a player who creates his own shot. As a big man, he needs to be fed the ball in the post or be the screen setter in a pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop. He has never been a man who can take his defender off the dribble consistently  Because of this, he does not get the ball as often as he should. And if he does not get the ball in a scoring situation, he will not try to create his own shot by taking his defender off the dribble. Love has to pass the ball. On the flip side with Irving, James, and even Smith, these players can receive the ball anywhere on the court and just go one-on-one with the defender. Love cannot go one-on-one with a defender outside of the post and or mid-range area. To add on to that, all three of those players are players who run a lot of isolation plays and take their defenders one-on-one. This hinders Love's offense ability because he cannot get opportunities when the ball stays in only a select few hands. 

Kevin Love is better than Chris Bosh. Love can be a guy who drops 25 and pulls down 12 rebounds every night. He is not going to get that in Cleveland. He is not being treated and used right with the Cavs and if there is not a change for the better, there will be a change at power forward next season.

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James
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The Love Dilemma is not the only problem with the Cavs. The "Big Three" are playing too many minutes. Coming into the season, Blatt said that James would be playing less minutes this season. While he is averaging the lowest minutes per game of his career, James is still averaging just over 37 minutes a contest which is third in the league. Just ahead of him at second in the Association is Irving. For James, he needs to be rested more often so he will not wear down in the playoffs. LeBron is 30 now and he needs to manage his minutes. Irving may be only 22, but his minutes need to be managed better as well. At his current rate, he is going to worn down by the playoffs. Irving has a injury-history and has never played in the playoffs before. He needs his minutes to be managed so he will not crash and burn by the first round of the playoffs. Blatt needs to pace Irving. Also, by sitting James and Irving, the Cavs can play their younger players so they can get experience. Shawn Marion and Mike Miller cannot play forever. There is talent on the Cavs bench that they could exploit when James and Irving are on the bench.

There are problems with the Cavs and there will continue to be problems with the Cavs. Changes need to happen if Cleveland wants to be real contenders because if Love is not happy and James and Irving are playing forty minutes every night, the chances of them winning the title are slim to none.

Other Notes

Brandon Jennings
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Brandon Jennings tore his ACL on January 24. This a major loss for the Detroit Pistons, who are currently two and a half games out of the eighth spot in the East. With Jennings and big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, the Pistons had a great trio of players that were beginning to click. If Jennings was not injured, I would not be surprised if the Detroit made the playoffs and were a tough team to beat. Now, the Pistons are going to have a tough time making the playoffs with the current roster assembled.

Andrew Wiggins is having a fantastic January. He is playing great basketball and making a bad Timberwolves team watchable. Yet, the T-Wolves are still 7-37 and are on their way to possibly gaining the number one pick in the upcoming draft. If they end up getting the number one pick and they draft Duke star Jahlil Okafor, Minnesota will have a nucleus to base their team around for the next ten years.

The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA because they not only have stars, but great role players. Everyone knows about Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, but Marresse Spreights is third on the team in scoring, Andre Iguadola is still going strong, and Shawn Livingston and Leandro Barbosa are playing really well as back-ups to the Splash Bros. The Warriors have the makings of a powerhouse. 

After a bad rookie season where he was oft-injured and could not gain much playing time, Phoenix Suns center Alex Len is having a good season. While the numbers are not much, under seven points and seven bounds a game, he still leads the team in rebounds and blocks. Len is not going to be a star anytime soon, but he is going to be a major contributor to these playoff contending Suns.

Book Review: The Death Row All Stars by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss

Wyoming is anything but a hotbed for baseball. There have been only 14 major leaguers from the state and only one minor league team in the state since WWII (Casper Rockies/Ghosts 2001-11). However, that does not mean the state is void of good baseball players, teams, and stories. The Death Row All Stars: A Story of Baseball, Corruption, and Murder by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss tells the story of a baseball team in Wyoming in 1911 made up of players in the state's penitentiary, many of them who committed hanious crimes. The book talks about corruption and murder, but baseball's role in the story is surprisingly minimal.

Cover of The Death Row All Stars
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What was most annoying about the lack of baseball was that the Wyoming State Penitentiary team was not the main focus of the book. The Death Row All Stars is a short book at only 156 pages, with the last 30 being the notes, bibliography, and index. So, I was not expecting the book to be filled with detail and intently describe specific moments. But I did expect the book to focus on the team and it's players, not just management and one player. The main focus was on four characters: Warden Felix Alston, former Warden Otto Gramm, team manager George Saban, and right fielder Joseph Seng. The team was only used as a way to connect all four. While the story of Seng was interesting, the story of Alston, Gramm, and Saban runs dry at the end. However, with that being said, I understand why the story did not revolve around the team: their story was not long enough and detailed enough to carry it for the length of a book.

One of the reasons the books disappoints is not only its lack of information on the team, but also the team's players. Other than Seng, very little is given about the other players on the team. The reader is given the bare minimum on the background of these players. While there may be little information on some of the players, I find it hard to believe that all the players either had a boring background or little information in their backgrounds.

I had high hopes for The Death Row All Stars and when I finished the small paperback, I was throughly disappointed. I was reading the story for the story of the baseball team at the State Penitentiary, not about the lives of people around the story. The Death Row All Stars is a misleading title to a book not really about baseball.

Thoughts on the First College Football Playoff National Championship

Cardale Jones
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Coin Toss

Oregon, being the higher seed, got to call the opening coin toss. They chose heads and it was heads. The Ducks elected to receive. In the 2011 BCS Championship Game, Oregon called tails, the coin came up tails, and they elected to receive the kick as well. Oregon lost both games.

Missed Tackles

What lost the game for Oregon was the amount of tackles they missed. Multiple times, Cardale Jones bulldozed an Oregon defender, who had stopped the 6'5", 250 pound signal caller a few yards from a first down, and got a first down. The Ducks also had difficulty tackling running back Ezekiel Elliott and Jalin Marshall on kick returns. If Oregon tackled Jones or Elliott on a few third downs behind the first down marker, Ohio State would have punted more often, giving Oregon more chances to score. Oregon's inability to make a big tackle, especially on third down, was the team's downfall.

Turnovers

Ohio State had four turnovers. Oregon had one, an interception at the end of the game. While, it is never good when a team commits four turnovers, the Buckeyes need to be applauded for their ability on defense to make stops after turnovers and for the offense for forgetting about the turnovers. The Ohio State defense stopped the Oregon offense twice after turnovers, including one time inside the five, and gave up only ten points off of turnovers. That is very good when facing a fantastic Oregon offense. On offensive, Cardale Jones had a bad fumble and an interception, yet put that behind him to lead Ohio State to the victory. 

The Dropped Passes

Oregon scored first, stopped Ohio State on the Buckeyes' first possession, and looked to be rolling on their second possession. Then, on a 3rd and 3, Charles Nelson drops a pass and Oregon punts. On the next Oregon possession, Mariota throws a beauty to Dwayne Stanford on a 3rd and 12 that was guaranteed to be a big play. But, Stanford dropped it. On Ohio State's possessions after both drops, they scored a touchdown. Those two drops changed the whole momentum of the game. Oregon's offense was not the same after the drops, while Ohio State gained confidence and momentum.  

Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elliott
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Ezekiel Elliott may not have had an 80+ yard run like in the Big Ten Championship or Sugar Bowl, but he did have the best game of his career and won of the best performances of all-time in a championship game. He rushed 36 times for 246 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs. Elliott could not be stopped Monday night. It seemed like every time he got his hand on the ball, he was running for eight or nine yards. Elliott was the best player on the field at AT&T Stadium. Right now, he is the best running back in the country.

76 Years Ago

The First NCAA Basketball Tournament was in 1939. Eight teams competed in the tournament. The final was between: Ohio State and Oregon. In this first tournament, however, Oregon pulled off the victory 46-33 behind John Dick's 13 points. 

Now What? Oregon

Before the game, it was almost guaranteed that Marcus Mariota would declare for the NFL Draft. Now, there are some murmurs that Mariota will stay for a final season at Oregon. While I love it when college players stay an extra year (or two), Mariota should go pro. It is his time to leave Oregon and become a professional. He is at a peak ranking (even after the championship) and is more likely to be highly criticized and lose his high ranking (ex: Jake Locker). Mariota's draft stock may fall slightly after the loss, but there are too many teams in need of a QB in the top ten, even top five, for him to slide to far down. The next QB for the Ducks will most likely be either Jeff Locke or Morgan Mahalak. With either of them, there is likely some struggles in 2015, but Oregon should still be a good team.

Now What? Ohio State

Cardale Jones, JT Barrett, and Braxton Miller
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The big question heading into the 2015 season for Ohio State is going to be the QB situation. Urban Meyer will have to chose from three high quality QBs: 2012 and 2013 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Braxton Miller, 2014 Big Ten QB of the Year JT Barrett, and starting QB of the Big Ten Championship, Sugar Bowl, and National Championship Cardale Jones. However, it is likely to be a two-horse race between Barrett and Jones, as Miller will graduate in the spring and be able to transfer and play immediately. Schools reportedly in the running for Miller are Florida State, LSU, Oregon, and Duke. All are better options than possibly sitting the bench at Ohio State. In the decision between Barrett and Jones, Meyer has to chose Jones. The man just won his first three starts in the three most important games of the season. He started and won the National Championship. While Barrett might have done that if he were healthy, Meyer can not base his decision on alternate timelines. He needs to base it on performance and success.