Month: August 2021

The Price of “Thumbs Down”

The Mets have been struggling in the second half of the season. When you play in New York, fans will rebuke you when you are not playing well. The Mets have gotten booed, and the players haven’t forgotten.

On Sunday, Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, and others gave a “thumbs down” to the crowd after they got hits. Baez explained in the post-game interview what the thumbs down meant. Baez said the fans booed them when they struggle, so they will use the thumbs down to “booed” them back when they start producing and winning.

The Mets players were probably having some fun and being petty, but not in a negative way. However, knowing the sensitivity nowadays, people will see it differently. One of those people is the Mets general manager Sandy Alderson. Here’s a short statement from the general manager:

“The Mets will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meaning or is directed in a negative way toward our fans.”

Alderson said more in the statement, but this was a summary of the information. Alderson will talk with the players. He’s the general manager, so there are no surprises why he reacted the way he did.

Thumbs down or not; the Mets will need to have a strong September if they want to make it to October Baseball.

New Beginning For The Wizards

A new beginning for the Washington Wizards. A season with several new faces joining the team. Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Aaron Holiday make his presence known at the point guard position, with his defense and perimeter.

Spencer Dinwiddle was injured most of last season, and he is just a year removed from averaging 20.6 points in 2019-20. Dinwiddle is a very good player, and we will see if he can be better than ever after going down with an ACL injury.

The 26-year old Kyle Kuzma can still play in this league. People have forgotten that he averaged 18.7 points in his second season with the Lakers. He was doing this before Anthony Davis joined the Lakers. Kuzma needs to be in a team where he can get more shots. The Wizards is an excellent new clean slate for him and shows the world that he’s for real.

Caldwell-Pope is a good reserve player. He’s good from the three-point line and can play defense: a two-way player and a solid pickup for the Wizards.

Montrezl Harrell is a defensive-minded center/forward who was the 2019-20 sixth man of the year after averaging a career-high 18.3 points for the Los Angeles Clippers, but his time with the Lakers wasn’t a good one. Lakers coach Frank Vogel didn’t use him much as he should’ve in the playoffs. Just like Kyle Kuzma, this is Harrell’s chance to be great again in the Nation’s capital.

Changing the Culture

Two-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is trying to change the culture to a winning program at Jackson State University.

In his first season with the Tigers, he went 3-2. Sanders and his staff, wasted no time to go out and recruit players to join their program. There are 13 transfers from Power Five programs. One of the recruits is linebacker James Houston IV. Houston was previously a member of the Florida Gators.

Sanders has been a champion. He knows what it takes to win. Prime Time has brought national attention to Jackson State. He always wanted to coach a team. He tried his luck with his alma mater Florida State and Arkansas, but no opportunity to coach in either programs. Jackson State gave him an opportunity and Sanders has a chance to build something special with their program.

Jake Paul Remains Undefeated

Jake Paul remains undefeated. Paul defeated former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley via split decision on Sunday to improve to 4-0 in his professional career. He now holds wins over an MMA fighter, another MMA fighter, a former NBA player and a fellow YouTube star.

The YouTube star just keeps on winning. Tyron Woodley, on the other hand, wants revenge. He wants a rematch with Jake Paul.

What is Jake Paul going to do next? Will he accept a rematch in the future or will he focus on his next opponent Tommy Fury?

Either way, Jake Paul has all the confidence to go into his next fight.

Ed Asner Dead at 91

Ed Asner, best known for portraying TV newsman Lou Grant from the classic sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” passed away on Sunday of natural causes. He was 91 years old.

Most people from this generation will remember him for voicing Carl from “Up” but he mostly made his mark in the industry for playing Lou Grant.

Asner won seven Emmy Awards. The most Emmys won by a male actor.

Sunday Sports Shorts

Welcome to our very first Sunday Sports Shorts! We will write articles every Sunday about Sports short stories and highlights. The sports we will feature are Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Hockey. Exciting, isn’t it? We have a few topics for you: last night’s UFC Featherweight main event, Yankees’ winning streak snapped, Shotei Ohtani makes history, J.K. Dobbins injury, and Carmelo Anthony’s thoughts on Denver Nuggets.

The featherweight main event between Barboza and Chikadze ended in three rounds. Chikadze got a TKO over Barboza in the third round. Chikadze connected with a left and right combination punch to finish the fight. We were hoping for the battle to go to the distance, but Chikadze had other plans in mind. He was in the zone.

Oakland A’s snapped the Yankees 13-game winning streak after beating them 3-2 yesterday. Yankees trail five games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East division.

Angels star Shotei Ohtani became the first Angels player to hit 40 homers and 20 stolen bases.

The Baltimore Ravens lost their running back J.K. Dobbins to a knee injury. He was carted off the field and might miss the entire season.

Carmelo Anthony confirmed that he didn’t want to leave the Denver Nuggets, but the front office didn’t leave him with any other choice. Nuggets went to the Western Conference Finals in 2009. According to Melo, the front office traded away pieces instead of keeping the core together and adding more depth. Melo wanted the front office to continue building, not rebuilding.

The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman Jordie Benn to a one-year, $900,000 contract on Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo is Coming to Manchester

Manchester United will have smiles all over their faces. One of the all-time greats, Cristiano Ronaldo, is heading back to Manchester United – the team he started his career in 2003 and made him a global superstar.

Ronaldo is 36 years old. He’s different than the player he was in 2003. However, we believe he still has something left in the tank.

Miguel’s Friday Thoughts

Welcome to Miguel’s Friday Thoughts! Today’s edition will discuss Phillies’ first baseman Rhys Hoskins, Jameis Winston named Saints starting Quarterback, and Caroline Hurricanes signing Andrei Svechnikov.

If you are a Phillies fan, you are worried and concerned about your season. Phillies’ first baseman Rhys Hoskins is out for the season. He will have surgery to repair a lower abdominal issue—a devastating loss for the Phillies.

Hoskins is one of the best hitters in their lineup and considered a good clubhouse leader. He’s hitting .247/.334/.530 with 27 home runs. Bryce Harper must step up in September, and something needs to inspire their pitching and defense. Phillies are five games behind the Atlanta Braves for the National League East division.

The Drew Brees era is over. Now, it’s the Jameis Winston era. Winston has been giving the keys to be the new starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. This is a chance for Winston to redeem himself at the quarterback position. He needs to take this New Orleans team to high levels. Winston can’t be the turnover machine that he was in Tampa Bay. We will be tuning in to see if his game improved over time.

The Carolina Hurricanes will keep one of their young cores for the long term. Hurricanes signed Andrei Svechnikov to an eight-year deal worth up to $62 million. Money, money, money! This is an excellent signing for the Hurricanes. Andrei was a former No. 2 draft pick, and he was outstanding in the playoffs. He scored nine goals and 20 points in 26 playoff games. The Hurricanes are building something special, and it starts with Andrei Svechnikov.