It’s time for Miguel’s Friday Thoughts. I will give my own thoughts about the Caribbean Series, Yankees Bullpen and Kobe’s last All-Star.
The Caribbean Series concluded with Mexico winning it all on a walk-off homer. Mexico played their tales off in the Caribbean Series and deserve all the acclaim they are receiving. I’m more disappointed with the Dominican Republic team. My country, my nationality. For the first time in Caribbean Series history, a team finishes the tournament with no wins. What? Dominican Republic with zero wins? It just kills me even more to learn about that statistic. I guess I have to wait until next year to see if they can rebound from this embarrassment.
The addition of Aroldis Chapman gives the Yankees the recognition of becoming a potential threat from a bullpen standpoint. Teams don’t want to come across Betances, Miller and Chapman. Betances reminds me of Mariano Rivera from 1996. Rivera was a setup man for John Wetteland, but his performance in the 1996 season is one of the most important reasons for the Yankees success. Betances, on the other hand, will most likely be a 7th inning guy. It all depends how the Yankees will handle it. One of the things I love between the similarity of Rivera and Betances is their confidence in their pitching. They make it look so comfortable.
As many of you know, this will be Kobe’s last All-Star Game. He’s entering his 18th All-Star appearance and this one will be a night to remember. It’s going to be emotional and inspiring for everyone around the world. This night will be nothing but love and respect to the Black Mamba.
