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Clemson Sweeps Florida State in Wild Weekend Series

by Miguel Mike Medina

An unforgettable weekend, an unforgettable series for Clemson Tigers. No lead is safe when you face this team. The Tigers never quit and are too resilient. There’s a reason why they are having the kind of season they’re having. No. 3 Clemson Tigers swept Florida State Seminoles and Clemson rallied in all three games. Blake Wright had a mesmerizing weekend series for Clemson. Here’s the breakdown of what went down this weekend:

Saturday

Game 1 of the doubleheader

Florida State got the game started by jumping to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Clemson responded by scoring several runs in the second, fifth and seventh innings. The Tigers did the most damage in the fifth and seventh innings by scoring five and four runs. Clemson would go on to take Game One of the doubleheader with the final score of 15-7 in seven innings. Seminoles pitcher Cam Leiter allowed six earned runs through two innings. Tigers’ Jacob Hinderleider and Blake Wright went deep in this game. Tigers’ starter Ethan Darden pitched for six innings, which is the most in his career so far. He earned the win and improved to a 4-0 in the season. 

Game 2 of the Doubleheader

Clemson trailed 8-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Do you think Florida State is going to run away with this? Guess again. The rally party began. Two rallies in one day? Yes indeed. First baseman/third baseman Jason Hinderleider connected a three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning. Moments later, Blake Wright hit a one-out grand slam to tie the score 8-8. Hinderleider hit a single to right-center, to score Jimmy Obertop for the winning run. Clemson scored 8 runs in the 9th inning to win the game. We couldn’t believe what we saw. Two comebacks in two different games in one day. 

Sunday

Florida State led the game by the score of 11-2. The Seminoles are trying to stay away from getting swept. But can their pitching hang on and avoid another Clemson magical comeback? Florida State would go on to have another nightmare game. Clemson struck again. The Tigers’ offense poured five runs in the sixth inning and six runs in the seventh inning. Blake Wright is a fearless clutch hitter. Wright hit another grand slam and has Clemson’s momentum once again. Clemson would win this game 14-12. Clemson has won seven in a row, improving to 22-2 in the season. The Seminoles had a chance to sweep the weekend series but their pitching was a catastrophe. They drop to 19-3 overall. 

Clemson will now face Coastal Carolina on Tuesday night at 6 pm EST. Florida State will host against Florida Gators. 

College Baseball Rankings, Blake Snell Finds A New Home

by Miguel Mike Medina

The power rankings in College Baseball are looking fascinating so far through five weeks. Arkansas remains No. 1 in the rankings. The Razorbacks swept Missouri to move to 17-2 on the year. Behind Arkansas is Oregon State, which is a really good team. Vanderbilt is sitting at No. 3, Clemson at No. 4, and reigning defending champs LSU at No. 5. LSU is looking vulnerable right now. Their offense is inconsistent. It’s a long season. Therefore, they still have a chance to turn it around. The Miami Hurricanes are not in the Top 25 rankings, but they won another season series this weekend, and it came against the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are at No. 20 in the rankings.

The waiting is over. Blake Snell found a new home. Just in time before the regular season. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner agreed to a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. Snell is one of seven pitchers who have won the Cy Young Award in both the American League and National League, taking home the trophy in 2023 after going 14-9 with an MLB-best 2.25 ERA for San Diego. He received 28 of 30 first-place votes.

Defensive end Chase Young has signed a one-year, fully guaranteed $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. Young was part of the 49ers team that went to the Super Bowl last season. We are not sure if Young will thrive with the Saints because they don’t look like Super Bowl contenders. If he can succeed individually, then great, but with his caliber of play, he should be with a contending Super Bowl team. 

After 15 seasons playing in the NHL, Wayne Simmonds announced his retirement. The 35-year-old played 584 of his 1,037 NHL games as a forward with the Flyers (2011-19). His 203 goals in eight seasons are 14th in team history. 

Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kuliko has been suspended for two games, without pay, for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Sheary on Saturday. 

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves rallied back to take a 114-104 win over the Jazz on Monday night. However, the biggest highlight of this game is when Anthony Edwards put John Collins on the poster. It’s one of the best dunks of the season. 

Semi-Pro – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it extremely funny? No. Is it an enjoyable movie that’s not meant to be taken seriously? Yes. 

This is how I describe the 2008 Basketball/Comedy film, Semi-Pro. The film stars Will Ferrell. You had a solid cast with Woody Harrelson and his funny-looking hair in that movie, Will Arnett, Andre 3000, DeRay Davis, etc. You also had interesting guest cameos like Patti LaBelle, Tim Meadows, Ed Helms, and Kristen Wiig. 

I find the movie enjoyable because I love basketball, and I like the ABA/the merger plot. We need to see more stories on screen about the ABA. It’s an important time in basketball history. The movie is set in 1976. A singer named Jackie Moon played by Will Ferrell, uses his profits from his only hit to buy a basketball team that is in danger of going under when the ABA and NBA merge.

You had corny lines from this movie, as well as things that you would see in a typical Will Ferrell movie. In my opinion, it’s not one of his best films. Semi-Pro had good moments in the movie, especially a light-hearted scene between Will Ferrell and Patti LaBelle. The scenes with Will and Woody are good. I’m a fan of Woody Harrelson. He’s a versatile actor. The supporting cast does a solid job, especially Andrew Daly and Will Arnett. 

Semi-Pro reminds me of Dodge Ball. The difference is that Semi-Pro is a basketball movie. My overall review for this movie is 3.2 out of 5 stars. 

St John’s Falls to UConn, Mississippi State Shocks Volunteers, Texas A&M Advances

by Miguel Mike Medina

St John’s made their first Big East semifinals since 2000. Excellent progress. On Friday evening, they faced off against the reigning defending champions, UConn. We knew it was going to be a tough matchup for St John’s. The Red Storm started off the game on a 7-0 run. UConn came back and started firing off cylinders. The Huskies shot 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from distance. The Red Storm came up short and lost to the No. 1 UConn 95-90. We gotta hand it to UConn. They’re too good, too talented. 

The Johnnies are waiting and hoping that the selection committee can give them a sweet spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket. It’s not going to be easy. 

Daniss Jenkins led St John’s with 27 points, five assists, and two steals. Guard Tristan Newton led UConn with 25 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. Connecticut will face No. 10 Marquette for the Big East Championship on Saturday at 6:30 pm. 

Mississippi State upsets Tennessee Volunteers on Friday. This is their second victory over Tennessee this season. If there’s any team that should be able to get into the bracket, it should be Mississippi State. The way I saw this team play, you can argue that they earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

No. 7 Texas A&M got a huge victory over No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats with the final score of 97-87. Guard Wade Taylor IV had a game-high 32 points, shot 11-of-24 from the field, and 6-for-14 from downtown. This is a win that the Aggies needed. The Aggies will play the No. 6 Florida Gators in the semifinals on Saturday. 

High Expectations and Dilemma Lingering in 2024

by Miguel Mike Medina

The Yankees are coming off their worst season in three decades. The pressure is on for the Yankees this season. If they miss the playoffs again, then big changes will come for sure. If it were up to me, I would start cleaning house in the front office and the manager position. We are in March and there’s already unfortunate news for the Bronx Bombers. 

Yankees captain and 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge underwent an MRI on Monday after reporting discomfort in his abdominal area. Judge has played in six Grapefruit League games this spring, collecting two hits in 14 at-bats (.143), with a double, one RBI, two walks, and three runs scored. 

Will Aaron Judge be ready for Opening Day? Well, you have to look at his track record. Judge has a history of staying durable on the field. As talented as he is, he can be a liability when it comes to his health. Yankees offense doesn’t perform well when Judge is not in the lineup. 

Gerrit Cole

Staff ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole is hurting. He will have an MRI on his pitching elbow. The Yankees are hoping this is not a serious injury. The 33-year-old is not an injury-prone player. He has not missed a start for something other than COVID-19 since 2016 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Cole went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts last season.

The Possibility of Landing Dylan Cease

The Chicago White Sox have been trying to trade pitcher Dylan Cease throughout the offseason. So far, there haven’t been any takers, but the Yankees could be a possible option. 

Although Cease struggled during the 2023 season, with a 7-9 record and a 4.58 ERA, had a breakout campaign in the season prior, with a 14-8 record and a second-place finish in American League Cy Young voting.

Cease will make $8 million this season. He has one more arbitration season before hitting free agency after the 2025 season.

Anthony Volpe Needs to Take it to the Next Level

Anthony Volpe needs to raise his on base percentage this season. He had a .283 ob base percentage last season. Strikeout less, walk more. Volpe is the first rookie Yankee to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases since Derek Jeter. 

Volpe is an exceptional talent. He doesn’t seem scared or overwhelmed. If anything, he’s embracing the package that comes with being a Yankee. We hope he can stay healthy and produce consistently for years to come. He’s surrounded by veterans. So he’s in good hands. 

DJ LeMahieu to Raise his Batting Average

DJ LeMahieu batted .243 which was 120th ranked and hit only 15 home runs. That’s not going to cut it. We need to see DJ returned to the DJ of 2019. Be more consistent on the plate and stay healthy. He also struck out 125 times. He’s 35 years old. Could you say that father time is kicking in? I hope not. Players are better conditioned and have better facilities nowadays. We want DJ to be back his old self. 

DJ has batted over .300 in five seasons throughout his career. 2024 campaign he will need to answer the bell. 

Stanley and Iris (1990) – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Stanley and Iris is a 1990 Romance/Drama starring two talented actors: Robert De Niro and Jane Fonda – two living legends in Hollywood who are still going syrong to this day. Stanley and Iris is one of those movies that is a hidden gem, in my opinion. I never heard about it until two weeks ago when I discovered the film on Tubi. Yes, God bless Tubi for continuing to stream free movies. The platform is a God sent. 

Robert De Niro plays Stanley Everett, a man who works as a cook in a bakery, but Stanley struggles with his lack of reading and writing. Stanley meets Iris Estelle King, portrayed by Jane Fonda, who works in the same bakery, and she has her struggles. She is still grieving over the loss of her husband and has a dysfunctional family, and one of those issues is to learn that her teenage daughter is pregnant. Both Stanley and Iris try to find some comfort in being around each other and bring some happiness into each other’s lives, which ends up being a happy story between them.

Iris became a massive part of Stanley’s progression because she became his teacher/tutor. Iris helped Stanley to learn how to pronounce words and sentences. Stanley improved his reading and writing. Stanley helped Iris by having more faith and believing in love again. He brought happiness and joy into Iris life again, something she didn’t have since her husband was still around. 

One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Iris catches her bus while it is raining profusely, and Stanley tells her by the bus door that he wants her to teach him how to read. It’s one of the most crucial moments of the movie because it sets the stage for what is about to come. Another scene I like is when a family member tells Iris’s son that he’s like the spitting image of his father. The camera shifts focus to Iris’ facial expression, and you can see the bittersweet moment in her face by reminiscing her deceased husband. I felt for Iris’ sadness. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I understood what Iris was going through at that moment. 

Another scene that made me feel sad is when Stanley tells Iris’ son in the park scene that he had no other choice but to put his deceased father in a home. He did this because he couldn’t read or write, which limited him to have a steady job. Since he couldn’t keep a steady job, he couldn’t help his father. That scene was hard for me to watch because I’m against putting your parents in a home. They die more quickly. I prefer to take care of my parents and risk it all for them instead of putting them away. I feel it’s harsh when a son or daughter does that. 

In addition, any and every scene of Iris’ tutoring Stanley is an intriguing scene. You can see the outstanding chemistry between them. Stanley considers Iris his favorite teacher. 

The story ends with Stanley getting a job in Detroit, and he found an apartment as well. He proposes to Iris and wants her and her kids to come live with him in Detroit. Stanley is aware of everything. Stanley is willing to put up with everything because he wants to be around the family, and he loves and cares for them. Stanley is a kind-hearted person. 

My overall review for Stanley and Iris is a 3.9 out of 5 stars. The film is directed and co-written by Martin Ritt. Stanley and Iris was Martin’s last film. He passed away ten months later due to heart disease. He was 76. Ritt is considered one of the most underrated filmmakers of his generation. 

Wilson to Pittsburgh, Fletcher Cox Retirement, World Tour Series

by Miguel Mike Medina

Year 13 will be in Pittsburgh. Quarterback Russell Wilson announced on social media on Sunday that he plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a failed experiment in Denver, Russell will be competing for the starting position for the upcoming season. There is no guarantee that he will be the starter just yet. The Broncos will be paying $38 million of Wilson’s 2024 salary.

Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Bucs are reportedly nearing a deal that would keep Mayfield in Tampa for three years and pay him $100 million with half of that guaranteed. Mayfield and Tampa are a perfect match. The system is right for him. His teammates believe in him. He got better as a quarterback when he arrived in Tampa. We can only hope he continues to succeed in the Sunshine State. 

Fletcher Cox will be the second Eagle to announce Sunday his retirement. Cox spent all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Eagles. Cox was part of the Eagles’ first Super Bowl 2017 championship team.

Cox was the 12th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. From 2015-2020, he made the Pro Bowl every season and was first-team All-Pro once. He finished his career with 70 sacks.

Yankees outfielder Juan Soto continues to have a mesmerizing Soring Training. Soto connected his 

fourth home run of this Spring training. The Yankees won 9-8 over the Atlanta Braves in Tampa, Florida. 

Speaking of Tampa, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox played their series in the Dominican Republic. On Saturday, the Red Sox shut out the Rays 4-0. On Sunday, it was no different. The Red Sox scored 5 of their 7 runs in the sixth inning to beat the Rays 7-6 and sweep the 2-game series. 

Starsky and Hutch (20th Anniversary) – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

About two days ago, it was the 20th anniversary of the release of the Starsky and Hutch movie starring Ben Stiller. Own Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, and many more. I’m unfamiliar with the 1970s TV show because I haven’t seen it yet. I Might watch it in the future. When I looked it up, I saw that the show ran for four seasons.

As for the movie, I’ve known about it my whole life. I remember watching the trailer and marketing campaign back in 2004. Starsky and Hutch is not hilarious. It’s okay, in my opinion, but I do like the chemistry between Stiller and Wilson as two cop buddies. 

Vince Vaughn is pretty good in this movie. Snoop did his thing as well. Vince Vaughn is the one who steals ever since he’s in. Without his screen presence, the film would’ve been less entertaining. The script is not great, but the actors brought flavor and uniqueness to their performances. I understand that this is one of those movies that is not meant to be taken so seriously. You had fun scenes. For example, the bar fight scene, after the 30-minute mark. The nightclub scene is also fun to watch when Dancin’ Rick and Starsky were in a dance battle. 

Starsky accidentally shooting the pony that was a gift to Reese Feldman’s daughter cost him and Hutch to get suspended indefinitely. The suspension caused issues between the two partners. The song “We’ve Only Just Begun” by Carpenters made me laugh because it describes or symbolizes the great times of Starsky and Hutch’s relationship. They miss being around each other. I mostly laughed because it brought back memories of Carlton Banks when he sang the song in a Valentine’s Day episode in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air show. Carlton performed this song during a karaoke he hosted. His parents were in attendance and were having issues on Valentine’s Day. 

My overall review for this movie is a 3.4 out of 5 stars. 

Oklahoma – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Oklahoma is a 1955 Musical/Western film directed by Fred Zinnermann. The story is about the city of Oklahoma, where several farmers, cowboys, and a traveling salesman compete for the romantic favors of various local ladies. The plot of the story is not that good in my opinion. It’s weird and parts of the script come off as cheesy, but the musical to go along with the dancing is what makes this movie a must-see film. 

Oklahoma stars Gordon MacRae as Curly McLain, Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie Carnes, Gene Nelson as Will Parker, and so on. 

During Act One, I like that there was no dialogue. Just dancing and body movement. Sometimes I like watching a movie where there’s little to no dialogue. The horse ride scene is one of my favorite scenes of the film. The scene starts very calmly and then the pace of the action picks up. That scene has some great camera work and sound editing. The following scene starts with an amazing master shot or wide shot which is a party happening and everyone is dancing. It’s like a Cowboys-themed party that’s taken place. The scenery of that scene is beautiful with the lightning and choreography. 

In the second half of the movie, there’s a point where there’s like a 15-20 minute stretch of no dialogue, just dancing and some stage combat. The choreography in this film is phenomenal. The cinematography and color correction is impressive. The technical aspect is one of the things that grabbed my attention about this movie. The last 20 minutes of the film was entertaining. You had some funny moments, the wedding scene, and I liked the last song of the soundtrack, which is a song about Oklahoma. 

My review for Oklahoma is 3.5 out of 5 stars. This is another movie that you can watch on Tubi. I first found out that it was free on YouTube, but I ended up watching it on Tubi. 

Russell Wilson, St John’s, Jason Kelce’s Retires

by Miguel Mike Medina

The Denver Broncos have informed quarterback Russell Wilson he will be released at the start of the new league year. Wilson’s tenure in Denver turns out to be a failed experiment. There were high expectations. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to be a good one. Plus, the AFC West division got tougher. Kansas City is not going anywhere anytime soon. 

St John’s Red Storm will travel to Chicago for the last Big East road trip of the season. The team hasn’t been good on the road this season (4-6) and are hoping to extend their winning streak. St Johns has a three-game winning streak going right now. In addition, news, according to the New York Post, St. John’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are getting a new practice facility. Head Coach Rick Pitino has been critical about the team’s facilities and university president Rev. Brian J. Shanley revealed the plans that will include a new recreation center and basketball-only facility. The plan is to have it ready by 2027. 

Iowa junior Dayton Sandfort, who recorded the first triple-double in Towa history, earned his first career Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and three blocks, tying a career-best in points and posting career-highs in assists and blocks.

Jason Kelce has officially announced his retirement from football. He played his entire 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s not easy to play for one team for your whole career, but if anyone deserves it, it should be Jason Kelce. He won the Super Bowl with the Eagles. He’s made it to the Pro Bowl seven times and made six First-Team All-Pro selections.