Baseball Blogging Network

Monday, November 23, 2020

The 4 Things We Must See From Nebraska vs Iowa

After last week's debacle against Illinois, there are four things we need to see from Nebraska this week on the field of play. Let's look at these four critical areas of the team that need to see steady improvement.

1. We need to figure out the quarterback to lead this team. Both Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffery are players who can get the job done, but so far neither has shown much. One of the biggest issues I have with both of these players are bad decision making and turnovers. You cannot have the leader of your team making bad decisions and turning the ball over. Play from the quarterback needs to be a lot better from the start of the game.

2. The Blackshirts must play a lot better as well. On defense, Nebraska is giving up too many rushing yards to opposing teams. Getting to the quarterback has been another issue as well. If you cannot rush the quarterback then you cannot expect your secondary to make up for it all the time. A pass rush is needed every week if you want to improve. Stopping the run should also be high on the list of priorities on defense as well.

3. The passing game is horrible as well. Receivers are not getting separation which makes it tough on the quarterback. Until our receivers do a better job of getting open the quarterback will continue to struggle. The running game is also something that must be improved. Once it does it will help open the passing games as well.

4. Coaching in the last game was totally unacceptable. Players were not ready to play and that falls on all aspects of coaching. A fake punt like Illinois did to Nebraska should never happen. This falls on coaching and cannot keep happening on a weekly basis. Coaching needs to lead the way and right now that's not what is happening.

After last week Nebraska needs to go back to the basics if they want to win. Play defense, move the ball on offense and get good coaching. Another week like last week is totally unacceptable.

NFL Roundup Monday November 23, 2020

Some interesting games took place yesterday in the NFL. You can tell we're getting closer to the playoffs as these games are getting more chippy in nature. I got to watch many games yesterday and I will go over a few quick ones I liked a lot. One of my favorite games was the Titans vs the Ravens where we had a confrontation at midfield and it ended in overtime. Derrick Henry scored in overtime to give the Titans a hard fought win. The Ravens are slowly slipping out of the playoff hunt. This week against Pittsburgh will tell us a lot about the Ravens. Pittsburgh continued to roll and now is 10-0.

Round two of Kansas City and Los Vegas Raiders did not disappoint. Give the Raiders credit they held their own against the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes again was elite as Kansas City won 35-31. It was a crazy weekend where we saw the Dallas Cowboys win and Joe Burrow hurt his knee. Let's hope Burrow is okay but it's not looking good right now for him. Tonight the Buccaneers host the Rams which should be a good game for Monday Night Football.

The Browns also kept winning and now 7-3 and the Miami Dolphins lost to the Denver Broncos which ended their winning streak. This season has been enjoyable so far and can't wait for the Thanksgiving weekend of NFL and college football.

Friday, November 20, 2020

Jordan vs Lavar In Basketball Would Be Fun To Watch

The one thing you can say about Lavar Ball is he is a great marketer as he was able to get two sons drafted in the NBA by two different legends. Magic Johnson drafted Lonzo Ball and Michael Jordan drafted LaMelo Ball this year. Both players should be in the NBA for a number of years, but who becomes the best still is undetermined.

The big question people are asking is will we finally see a one-on-one contest between LaVar Ball and Michael Jordan. Many people forget that LaVar Ball did play college basketball and average a whopping 2.2 points in college. I'm still at a loss on how he thinks he could beat Michael Jordan one on one is beyond me. I guess we must give him credit for being confident or just misinformed about his abilities.

Jordan for his part has mostly kept quiet about this, but I'm sure we will hear more about this in the future. To be totally honest, I do not expect Jordan to ever consider playing one on one against LaVar. It does make good press for people and talk shows, but that's probably as far as it will ever go.

Monday, November 9, 2020

Tom Brady Look Bad Against The Saints But Don't Count On That All The Time

The one thing we have learned about Tom Brady over the years is when we think he is done he comes back with a vengeance. The other thing we know about Tom Brady he never forgets games or what people say after losses in his career. He has a long memory and he usually gets even before it's all said and done.

Watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady last night was very painful, but sometimes you need to be taught a lesson. Many people had Tampa Bay as headed to the Super Bowl already and that is not how it works. Give the New Orleans Saints credit as they had a great plan in place and dominated the Bucs.

Sean Payton many times does not get the credit he deserves as he exploited the Buccaneer's defense and how to attack it. This loss will do one thing for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Either they will learn from it and get better or will spiral downward and miss the playoffs.

Knowing Tom Brady he will not let this loss keep him from his goal. Throughout his career, he has had these kinds of moments and has always bounced back. I look for him to do that in this situation as well.

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Watching Michigan Football Is Painful Anymore

After another horrible loss, Jim Harbaugh thinks Michigan is close to getting back to their winning ways. I don't know what game Jim Harbaugh was watching but it couldn't have been Indiana vs Michigan. Indiana dominated Michigan throughout the whole game and there never was a doubt who was winning this game. Indiana held Michigan to less than 20 yards rushing and racked up 460 yards to an easy 38-21 win over Michigan.

Please Mr. Harbaugh tell me how your team is ready to turn the corner and start winning. Defensively, Michigan is horrible especially against the pass. They have no defensive backs that can cover the opposing best receivers. They seem to give up over 300 passing yards on a weekly basis. I can't imagine how bad the loss will be against Ohio State.

At 1-2 Jim Harbaugh is right it's got to get better for Michigan. If they continue this downward spiral I think it's time to vote Jim Harbaugh out of his job. Michigan football has a proud tradition and what I have been watching is not Michigan football. Michigan football fans deserve a better product than what Jim Harbaugh is selling these days.

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Nebraska Falls To Northwestern 21-13 And Start Season 0-2

The Nebraska Cornhuskers gave a great effort but fell short again this time by a score of 21-13 to the Northwestern Wildcats. Give Northwestern credit because in the second half they did not let the Cornhuskers score after down 13-7 at halftime. Nebraska had plenty of chances to pull this game out, but could not get the job done. Let's look at some of the problems the Cornhuskers encountered in this game.

Just like Ohio State, Nebraska had too many penalties that hurt them. Turnovers also were a problem as you must protect the ball. Adrian Martinez played three quarters and Luke McCaffery played the fourth quarter, but both quarterbacks made mistakes, so nothing has really changed in that department.

Nebraska still struggles to stretch the field. They have no wide receivers that they can count on play after play. The wide receivers we have need to be more consistent and get better separation from the defense. This would make it easier on the quarterbacks when it comes to throwing the ball.

In the end, Nebraska did not make enough plays to win this game. Nebraska played hard all game long so they have nothing to hang their heads about. They gave a great effort, but it just was not enough to win this game. Compared to last year this team has improved a lot. Scott Frost is getting this team competitive week after week and that is all you can ask.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

How Can The Milwaukee Brewers Get Better In 2021?

The Milwaukee Brewers made the playoffs in 2020 which was really a great accomplishment considering how bad the offense was on this team. Now that the Brewers are looking towards many tough decisions will need to happen and some already have happened. Brewers declined the option on Ryan Braun's 15 million dollar contract. They also declined options on Jedd Gyroko, Eric Sogard, and Ben Gamel. Of these three players, all of them struggled to hit the ball in 2020. Now maybe some of these players might be resigned but it will be for a lower amount of money.

This season coming up players I think will see less money being offered by MLB teams. Many are struggling financially without fans in the stands. Even some of the bigger ballclubs will probably watch their spending as well. This actually could help the Brewers get some players normally they could not afford. These players though will most likely sign one or two-year deals hoping to make a higher wage down the line.

Finding the right players can be tough in this kind of climate. Last season I thought Milwaukee made some good choices, but it did not exactly work out well for them. The pitching was good enough, but offensively they were challenged to say the least. The problem is will Milwaukee spend the kind of money that is needed to get the free agents they need. One option I guess is to rely on the minors, but there really is not anything great down there either. Milwaukee could be stuck for a couple years if they go the minor league route.