It’s the return of the one and only, Miguel’s Friday Thoughts. I will touch on the latest that’s going on around the sports world. Mets closer Jeurys Familia, Men’s basketball Team USA and MLB Trade Deadline.
It’s been a disasterous 18-hour stretch for the Mets closer as Familia blows two saves in a row: one against the St Louis Cardinals, one against the Colorado Rockies. It cost the team two games and this is not the right time for missed opportunities. This is probably the most tough stretch we have ever seen from Familia. The All-Star closer had gone nearly a calendar without blowing a save in the regular season. It all started on Wednesday against the Cards. He allowed two runs in the ninth in the Mets’ 5-4 loss. It was the same situation on Thrusday afternoon. Familia allowed two runs in the ninth again in the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Rockies at Citi Field. The Mets have dropped to 1 1/2 games back in the wild card.
Men’s basketball Team USA is off to a great start during these Olympics. Although, they are missing great players such as Lebron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and others. They are still favorites to win the gold medal this year. The members of the USA team still have a lot of talented players such as Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Kyle Lowry alongside with a superb perimeter players like Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler and Paul George. The one player that I felt that didn’t need to be there is Carmelo Anthony. Yes, I do understand that he’s trying to become the first player to win three gold medals and I can’t never question his commitment to play. However, I’m worried about his durability and I won’t him to be at his best for this upcoming season. With the additions of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, I do expect for Melo to give me and other Knick fans so much more. Throughout his 13-year career, Melo has gotten out of the first round TWICE. I can only desperately pray for at least an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
The MLB Trade Deadline is one of the most interesting times during the season. Teams try to make moves to help them get that boost in the second half and make a run for the postseason or the World Series. You will have some winners and some losers. Yankees decided to finally get younger and traded their closer Aroldis Chapman for four players in return: Adam Warren and three other young prospects. I rather have the Yankees make these kinds of moves instead of signing aging veterans and overpaying players that don’t deserve that amount of money.
The Nationals are discouraged the fact that they couldn’t get Chapman. Nationals manager Dusty Baker expressed that he was disappointed that he couldn’t reunite with Chapman like they did in Cincinnati. Cubs and Nationals are trying to win now. You can make a strong case that the Cubs are likely favorites to win it all. However, this is not basketball, this is baseball. Baseball is very unpredictable. You never know whose going to the World Series and whose going to win. In the NBA, we can say that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will meet in the Finals for the third consecutive year in a row.