Death of the PAC12? Timberwolves get Rudy; Durant on the move…AGAIN!
Guest Host, Gil, with Chris in the studio tonight, so you know it’s going to be a good one!
The O’s are 35-42 currently, and if they can get to .500 by August they become a massively interesting story in the AL.
As Chris posits, the revival of the O’s could be the precursor to a bit of revitalization of the city as a whole. The Yard needs to find a way to fill seats. As Gil mentions, the old $10 Bleacher Seat tickets helped keep the place at least half-full, mostly with college kids, but full nonetheless. As the O’s have fallen from grace over the last 20 years, so too has Baltimore City; an interesting observation from the outside looking in.
Hays & Mullins have been so fun to watch, and this young team has a spirit we haven’t seen in Baltimore for quite some time. As the season progresses we may see some familiar names on the trade block, including Trey Mancini. The expectation is that the front office will be starting to look very hard at acquiring some starting pitching, both veteran and senior prospects.
What is going on at the Castle with Lamar and the Ravens?
Chris is right when he says, QBs are getting outlandish money, and arguably, Lamar is the most outlandish talent at that position.Even without looking at the numbers, wins and losses alone tell the story - the Ravens win when he’s in.
He is in an option year this year and if a long-term deal isn’t struck then the Franchise Tag is clearly on the table for next year. It certainly feels like he is simply waiting out Burrow and Herbert to see where the ceiling is. That being said, it’s not a scenario to panic about.
Looking at the rest of the squad, the Ravens are healthy again; Dobbins and Edwards are back and working, Ronnie Stanley’s ankle is said to be good to go, and the secondary is back to full strength, and has the addition of Kyle Hamilton from Notre Dame. The real story of this team will be the O-Line to keep Lamar protected, the aforementioned Stanley is a massive return, and DeCosta got what appears to be a quality center straight out of the draft. The Pass Rush looks like the weakest link currently, so we’ll see how things progress.
Can the Raven’s win the Division this year?
Gil says, “it’s hard to call…” The Browns are still up in the air, and the Steelers are always a problem when we’re talking about the Ravens, regardless of the standings. The Bengals are for real, so we’ll see how it all plays out.
Big Ten Additions - UCLA & USC and
2024 will see UCLA and USC leave the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten which is a scary prospect for Maryland fans, and most likely the Maryland FB staff.It looks like the Big Ten is stacking up to match-up with the SEC, with the likes of Michigan, Michigan St., Ohio St., Penn St. Wisconsin, and more! Adding these two teams would make it on-par with the SEC
Chris asks, “what about UNC and Clemson” are they the next to switch conferences? Clemson fits in the SEC but UNC does not, especially with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC in the near future. The SEC, as we all know, has Alabama,Georgia, and even though they had a bad year last year, Florida, LSU, and Auburn will all be back. Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M has ALL the recruits.
Does this benefit college football? Money talks, but only 4 teams go to the playoffs, does this benefit the teams in these conferences, really? Interesting times for College Football!
NBA Free Agency
Zach Levine (Chicago) and Bradley Beale (Washington) have both signed Max contracts and Chris isn’t sold that they will move the needle in the Eastern Conference. As a basketball fan, seeing both players move to different teams could have provided a more entertaining, competitive landscape in both conferences.
Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves along with a host of bit players and a ton of future 1st round picks. Minnesota seems to be in the mindset of “win now” which may be easier said than done in the Western Conference. If D’Angelo Russell progresses, we could see some more positives, and Karl Anthony-Towns should remain productive, but they maybe aren’t upper echelon with their moves.
Kevin Durant, has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets which was a bit of a surprise. The Nets did not offer Kyrie a long-term deal so that could’ve been a sticking point. Also Ben Simmons is on his roster, which is probably reason enough to leave, honestly. Miami, Toronto, Phoenix, are all in the mix for Durant, allegedly. If the Suns keep Devin Booker they could be a legit threat in the West with Kevin Durant. Toronto would need to part with some young talent to make this happen, which is unlikely. Miami, will probably not get rid of Butler or Adebayo
Washington Commanders
Terry McLaurin got his extension; 130 targets with 77 Receptions to lead the team with over 1000 yards. For context, the next most receptions was 43 by JD Mckissic, a Running Back. Overall, extending McLaurin is a great thing for the offense and especially Carson Wentz.
Wentz’ upside is much higher with McLaurin on the roster, so this was a major part of the Commanders’ off-season. For fans this was a huge win, especially for an organization that often does the “wrong” thing in these situations.
The Defense is an interesting story as well, Daron Payne is entering the final year of his Rookie contract, and the feeling is they would like to re-sign him either now or in the off-season. There is some trade interest in him and the Commanders don’t want to lose him just yet. Linebacker may be a more pressing concern, and Jack Del Rio may be on the hot seat if the Defense doesn’t produce.