Tag: sports

The Uneven Five of the American League Central

By Mark Martinez

     It amazes me that we have a cluster of American League Central Division teams below .500. With the American League East being so competitive, and the complete opposite, I guess some division has to be that way. 

     Looking back at last year’s standings, the Cleveland Guardians won the A.L. Central while the Chicago White Sox finished 2nd, with an 81 and 81 record. The Minnesota Twins seem to be the team, this year, that will win the division outright.

        In 1995, Major League Baseball expanded to three divisions in each league. In the last 28 seasons, believe it or not, the Cleveland Guardians have had the most division wins with eleven. If you follow baseball, you know the Cleveland Guardians were the laughing stock for a long period of time. From 1995 to 2001, they won the division 6 times. The Guardians put some great players on the map. There was Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Grady Sizemore, and C.C. Sabathia, just to name a few. Before researching this topic, I honestly didn’t expect to see such dominance from one franchise. 

     The Minnesota Twins rank 2nd, in the same time frame, with 8 division wins. The Twins are a smaller market team. In all the years the Twins have won the A.L. Central, only one time, in 2019, did the payroll exceed over 100 million dollars. In fact, the Minnesota Twins payroll, in 2002, was just 40 million dollars. 

     What I noticed about this division is the cluster. A franchise gets hot, for a few years, steady. The pattern seems to be if you win one year, you will probably win the year after, as well. The shocking part of this division, besides the under .500 factor, is how much the Kansas City Royals do not actually win. From 1995, until the present day, the Kansas City Royals have only won the A.L. Central one time. The only year the Royals actually won the division was in 2015, going on to also win the World Series that year. When you think of the Royals, you think of a small market team automatically. The Minnesota Twins are basically in the same position of being a small market franchise.

     Although 4 out of the 5 teams will finish under .500, you have to guess that eventually the tide will turn, and 4 out of the 5 will be above .500. Playoff contention for 80% of one division makes every game critical. 

Baby Bombers’ Era is DONE

By Miguel Mike Medina

The Baby Bomber era is doomed. It’s over. It’s finished. The Yankees have lost nine in a row. No Division lead, no wild card lead. This team isn’t going anywhere this season. This is the worst second-half performance from the Yankees since 1995. Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls we’re still alive. Although they made the playoffs as a wild-card team that year, this current roster was supposed to perform way better than this. 


The Yankees’ best years to try to win it all during the baby bomber era were from 2017 through 2019. Jose Altuve’s ALCS home run did some psychological damage to that team. They couldn’t recover from that loss. It’s time for the Yankees to rebuild. Yes! You heard me correctly. The YANKEES NEED TO REBUILD! BABY BOMBERS ARE DEAD! The group of Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, and Luis Severino has been a bust. 

Look at the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, and Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees don’t have a chance against those teams. Those teams have a good farm system and know how to develop their young talent. The Yankees have to make some decisions soon. 

James Harden: A Generational Talent and A Quitter

By Miguel Mike Medina

Philadelphia Sixers end trade talks about 10-time All-Star James Harden. Harden will remain with the team for the start of the season. It is a messy situation in Philadelphia. The Sixers’ breakup will be an ugly one. Joel Embiid is losing patience. Too many distractions in the organization. 

First, it was the Ben Simmons situation, and now it’s James Harden. The “beard man” strikes again with his whining and complaining. Harden recently called Sixers general manager Daryl Morey a “liar” and that he won’t play for no organization that he’s part of. Harden and Morey were together in Houston. They seemed like they were on the same page. That’s not been the case in Philadelphia. 


Harden is not happy and he didn’t get what he wanted. Harden wanted to be traded to the Clippers. Best of luck to any team that wants James Harden. Let’s take a look at James Garden’s contract situation:


– exercised $35.6 million player option for next season

-15% trade kicker (would receive $5.4 million from Sixers) 

-cannot sign an extension with Sixers or any other team

-will be an unrestricted free agent next Summer 2024 

This is not a good look. He’s not going about it the right way. It’s getting annoying to see James Harden make these kinds of headlines. He’s becoming one of the biggest laughingstocks in the NBA. I wouldn’t want him on my team. James is one of the greatest offensive players I’ve ever seen. However, over the last few years, he’s developed a reputation and it’s not a good one:


– Harden is great in the regular season but disappears in the postseason, especially in elimination games

-He doesn’t care about winning or doesn’t take losing a playoff series to heart. Great players suffer when they lose. They hate losing. Great players don’t go on vacation. They go harder in the summer to get ready to win it all the following season. In James Harden’s case, he has been spotted going out to clubs and comes into the following season out of shape

-He quits on every team that he has played for
Harden had Dwight Howard, didn’t work out. Harden had Chris Paul, didn’t work out. Harden had Russell Westbrook, didn’t work out. Harden had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, didn’t work out. Joel Embiid and several shooters, that’s not going to end well. 


I’ll never forget when he called his former head coach and Hall of Famer Kevin McHale a “clown” after McHale said that Harden is not a “leader,” but Harden didn’t see the full clip of what McHale was trying to say. The media took a little part of what McHale said and asked James Harden about it. McHale didn’t slander James at all. He did praise him on his game and elaborated that there are different kinds of leadership. James can lead in certain aspects but not at the level of the likes of Chris Paul. 

James Harden is not a championship player. You can’t win with him. He’s a generational talent but a notorious quitter. The GOAT of quitting in the NBA. He cares more about his money than about winning. 

Saturday Night Collision Can Be Considered the A Show For AEW

By Jim Biringer

All Elite Wrestling has a new show on Saturday night called Collision. Ever since the show hit the airways back on June 17th, it has given off a vibe of being the A Show for All Elite Wrestling. Not to mention it is giving fans vibes of what the old AEW was like when Dynamite first launched back in September 2019. 

The company has been around longer than that. January 2019 is when All Elite Wrestling was launched. The foundation started at All-In that fall as Cody Rhodes, Matt and Nick Jackson (Young Bucks), Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, and Marty Scurll gave the fans an alternative product to WWE. You can go back even further than that when Omega and Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom earlier that year set the tone for what was to come for AEW. 
Now fast forward to now with AEW Collision. Dynamite feels like its own show and Collision feels like its own show even though they are under the same company. This was similar to what WWE was like with the original brand split in 2002 coming off the purchase of WCW. Smackdown had its own roster giving high quality matches. And RAW had its own roster giving fans different matches and more storylines. 

Collision and Dynamite has that feel now too. Think about it. Collision has been more wrestling over the past several weeks and less storylines. While Dynamite is giving fans the storylines with a dose of wrestling mixed in. But each show is pushing the other show to be better and we have seen it. 

As much as AEW does not mention a roster split, Collision has the wrestlers they feature the most and Dynamite has its roster it features the most. Again that had to happen with the return of CM Punk. And Punk is proud to lead the charge on Saturday calling it his show. We know the history of The Elite and Punk. There is a reason they are not on the same show right now. Maybe one day they will bury the hatchet and do what is best for business and give the fans that feud, but right now it is now happening. 

But back to Collision. Saturday Night AEW Collision does not feel as rushed as Dynamite does on Wednesday night. They let things settle a little more than Dynamite does. You could see Dynamite doing that early on, but now they just wanted to cram as much in as possible within the two hour time block. AEW Collision has only a handful of matches each week. But again the company is producing high quality television each Wednesday and Saturday night.


While AEW does not want to admit it, and MJF said it Saturday it is not Collision vs Dynamite, there is a little bit of that competitive drive between the two shows. Over the past several weeks, Collision and Dynamite have each put on great matches, but it has been Collision leading the way with Punk, Ricky Starks, FTR, Jay White, Juice Robinson, Andrade El Idolo, and the House of Black. 

Think about the matches FTR has had over the past couple of weeks. Two matches with White and Robinson. One of which went 58 minutes in a best two out of three falls match. Oh yeah the champions defended their tag team titles against the red hot act of MJF and Adam Cole this past Saturday. Another instant classic. 
Robinson and White have been excellent as well. CM Punk hand picked these guys to work with before Collision started. These guys wrestle every week. And Bullet Club Gold is gaining momentum.


And of course the rivalry between Punk and Joe culminated on a Saturday night on Collision. Punk and Starks have a nice rivalry going through the Owen Hart Tournament and now beyond. Starks will get a AEW World Title match this Saturday as Punk claimed he is still the real champion, more on that in another story. But giving the show a major belt says something about the quality of the talent before the titles are merged again.


Let’s not forget about Andrade and the rivalry he had with the House of Black over his mask. What a tremendous ladder match. Like the Old AEW, Collision is giving banger matches each week. Now it will be interesting to see if they continue that. At times Dynamite slowed down with that, but recently, Tony Khan has been pulling out all the stops as each show is bringing out the best in the other.


The ratings are getting better each week too. Now let’s see what happens when college football comes around and when there is a WWE PPV. But Tony Khan and Warner Bros Discovery took a chance on another two hour wrestling show and it is paying off.


Collision is giving the fans of what the old AEW was like and showing why it can be considered the A show now. 

Saturday Hockey News with Miguel

By Miguel Mike Medina

Vince Dunn signed a four-year, $29.4 million contract with the Seattle Kraken. The defenseman had NHL career highs in goals, assists, points, plus-minus and power-play points.

Nashville Predators signed veterans Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn. The Predators are trying to make a playoff push for next seasons

Professional Wrestling is in a Good State

By Jim Biringer

When people look at the landscape of professional wrestling in 2023, they will see it in a good place. There are many healthy companies from WWE and AEW to Impact Wrestling, New Japan, AAA, ROH, and GCW. Despite all the hate on the Internet and the tribalism between WWE fans and AEW fans, the wrestling business is actually thriving. 

Now nothing will beat the mid to late 1990s Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWE, but in this day and age, it reminds many people of the old territory wrestling days. Except it is on a bigger scale. Remember during the territory days, only the major champions traveled to the old territories. For the most part, they worked in their region.


Vince McMahon Sr and the WWF ruled the Northeast. Jim Crockett and the NWA ruled the Carolinas and down into Georgia. There were promotions up and down the midwest from Minnesota and the AWA to WCCW in Texas. Even Florida and Memphis had good promotions. 
Once Vince McMahon Jr took the WWF national with Hulk Hogan a lot of things changed. The territories went away and WCW was on the rise behind Eric Bischoff. It really picked up with the nWo and the Monday Night Wars. And nothing will beat that time. Ask anyone who grew up during that time period, Mondays were the most watched television and the numbers showed it. 
Once WCW was bought by WWE, there was not much competition and fans were looking for another outlet. TNA was good for a while from 2004-2010. However, they could not compete with WWE in terms of a national stage. They tried and failed, but their brand is back to doing what it did during that time period. 


Obviously, fans tuned in to NJPW and ROH when Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks worked those promotions with the Bullet Club. Cody Rhodes going on the independent scene helped too. But the inception of AEW has been a game changer for the business. 


AEW has really given new life to the business of professional wrestling. President and CEO Tony Khan has allowed his wrestlers to work other promotions. The company started because of the Wrestle Kingdom match between Omega and Chris Jericho. From there things took off. The company is doing well and is going to have its biggest gate ever with All-In at Wembley Stadium. 


The addition of two hours of Collision on Saturday nights has really helped showcase the other wrestlers in the company. AEW was being innovative during the pandemic and now they are finding their groove again. Because of AEW, WWE raised its level with the Bloodline Storyline. Not to mention Triple H taking over and the rise of NXT during that time period before AEW came about really helped the business. 

More people were watching NXT when Triple H ran it than WWE. It just felt that an old-school show and he is bringing that to the main roster. WWE still has work to do cultivating new stars for the future but they are doing well. And that is a good thing. 


Just because you like one does not mean you have to hate the other. There are other wrestling companies out there for everyone. If you just like one fine. If you like them all that’s cool too. While the numbers may never reach the level of the attitude era and the Monday Night Wars, fans have more to choose from than they did back then.


There is so much more to choose from and that is what makes it so good. Just take this past Saturday night, there were great matches on Impact Slammiversary PPV, AEW Collision, and AAA TripleMania. It was a loaded Saturday night. You did not have that back in the 1990s and 2000s. 


One thing is for sure professional wrestling is in good shape regardless of the fans. The fans are the reason there is so much hate It is not the promotions. Like what you like and don’t compare other companies to each other. The companies sure don’t. 


People are talking about professional wrestling because of what is going on because there is so much of it. Again just enjoy it and have fun. Like what you like and let others like what they like. There is so much to choose from and support.


Now is truly the Golden Age of Professional Wrestling. 

LSU Must Vacate Wins

By Miguel Mike Medina

The NCAA Independent Accountability Resolution Panel has dropped the hammer on LSU Football. LSU will have to vacate all the wins they accumulated from 2012 through 2015. 

Photo Credit to: Crescent City Sports Staff


As a person who has been watching sports for 24 years, It never made sense to me that you are making teams vacate their wins and championships. I don’t think you gain anything from it because the games were already played. The only person I see this affecting is LSU head coach Les Miles. The current LSU football players shouldn’t suffer for something that happened a decade ago. I’m saying this just in case if NCAA wants to take things into deeper measures.

Photo Credit to: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


With that being said, coach Les Miles will probably not make it to the College Football Hall of Fame and won’t be eligible. In those four years, the Tigers will have to erase 37 wins including two bowl games. Mike’s’ head coaching winning record will drop from 145 wins to wins. 

Is Hockeytown in… Seattle?

by Avry Jones

Seattle, Washington, has been a great sports town for several years. Before the Supersonics left Seattle to become the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gary Payton electrified crowds for 13 years. The Seattle Seahawks brought a Super Bowl Championship and numerous winning seasons in the mid-2010s, led by Coach Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, and the Legion of “Boom.” The Seattle Mariners joined the American League of Major League Baseball in 1977. The Mariners best years involved a young man named Ken Griffey, Jr. and a Japanese import named Ichiro Suzuki. But currently, the wave of sports fever that has enveloped Seattle grew in 2021 with the newest expansion hockey team, the Kraken. Seattle was the first U.S. city in 1919 to win the Stanley Cup under the nickname the Metropolitans (NHL, 2023).

The start of Seattle Hockeytown’s dream began in March 2018 when early season ticket deposit exceeded the minimum requirements in 12 minutes and crushing all previous expansion team records (NHL, 2023). Over the next two years, the new Seattle hockey ownership group conducted focus groups, naming sessions, and confidential internal reviews to finalize the name of the NHL’s newest franchise. On July 23, 2020, CEO Tod Leiweke announced the team’s name at the Climate Pledge Arena to the men and women building it at the time. The Seattle Kraken was released to the world and immediately embraced by Seattle (NHL, 2023).A logo on the water Description automatically generated with low confidence

Credit: NHL

In 2021, the Seattle Kraken hired Dave Hakstol as their inaugural head coach, and their team’s first captain was Mark Giordano. Their first regular season game was on October 12, 2021, against the last NHL expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the Kraken lost 4-3, but Ryan Donato scored the team’s first goal (NHL, 2023). The Kraken’s first win was in their second regular season game on October 14 when they defeated the Nashville Predators 4-3. The Seattle Kraken first their inaugural season in last place in the Pacific Division with a record of 27-49-6 and 60 points (NHL, 2023). Although the Vegas Golden Knights broke the mold of what an expansion team should be, the first season for the Seattle Kraken could be considered a great success due to the fan base of the packed Climate Pledge Arena, where the Kraken play their home games. The fan base of the Seattle Kraken is what has fueled the excitement for hockey in Seattle.A picture containing graphics, font, symbol, logo Description automatically generated

Credit: NHL

In 2022, the Kraken finished their second season on a very high note. The Kraken clinched their first playoff berth in the Western Conference with a record of 46-28-8 (ESPN, 2023). During their first playoff series, the Kraken won and defeated the defending 2021 Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in the opening round in seven games. AlthoughA picture containing screenshot, art Description automatically generated

Credit: NHL

the magic did not continue in the second round with a seven games loss to the Dallas Stars; pride continued to flow through the Seattle Kraken organization. A person in a suit and tie Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Credit: NHL (Dave Hakstol, Head Coach Seattle Kraken)

The Jack Adams Award is recognized for being the NHL Coach of the Year, and Dave Hakstol was voted as one of the three finalists. This should be no surprise considering Kraken’s vast turn-around from their first to their second season under his leadership (NHL, 2023).

The Seattle Kraken has a unique outlook on the ice, and the organization continues to innovate throughout the NHL. Everett Fitzhugh serves as the team’s primary radio play-by-play announcer. Fitzhugh had previously play-by-play experience with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. Fitzhugh is the first full-time play-by-play announcer of African-American heritage in NHL history (ESPN, 2023). Fitzhugh grew up a massive hockey fan in Detroit, Michigan (Hockeytown, USA to many), which inspired him throughout his childhood (NHL, 2023).

Credit: NHL (Everett Fitzhugh pictured on the right)A couple of men wearing headsets and looking at a computer Description automatically generated with low confidence

Moreover, during this writing, the inaugural Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Seattle Kraken AHL affiliate team, went to the Calder Cup Finals but lost in Game 7 (NHL, 2023).Hockey players on ice Description automatically generated with low confidence

Credit: NHL (Coachella Valley Firebird Captain Max McCormick)

Moreover, the General Manager of the Seattle Kraken Stanley Cup Champion, Ron Francis, signed a 4-year extension to helm the leadership of the Seattle Kraken until the 2026-2027 season.A person in a grey jacket Description automatically generated with low confidence

Credit: NHL (Ron Francis, GM Seattle Kraken)

The goals of the Seattle Kraken are abundant, and many NHL teams are looking to the Kraken’s winning formula to see how their teams can succeed. Overall, success starts within the group, however small, and grows with each small victory as those become more significant and outstanding achievements. Afterward, the fanbase continues to support the team, and the team organization should listen to the fans to help their organization grow for the team’s and city’s growth.A collage of a crowd of people Description automatically generated with low confidence

Credit: NHL

Data and Statistics were provided by NHL.com and ESPN.com

Subway Series Recap

By Miguel Mike Medina

The two-game Subway Series is over. Yankees won the first game. The Mets won the second game. This Subway Series felt like a playoff atmosphere. Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso were not in the lineup due to them being in the injury list.

I collaborated with a passionate Mets fan twice this week to talk about the Subway Series. His name is Anthony Rivera. He’s the creator and host of ‘Subway to Shea’ Podcast.

Listen and watch the Subway Series recap video with special guest Anthony Rivera on our YouTube channel. The video premieres at 7pm.

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