Baseball Blogging Network

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Will We Ever See Tom Brady Again In The NFL?

There is no doubt that Tom Brady has had one of the best careers in the NFL, but could we see him again on the football field. According to Brady he has accomplished everything he did in his career without any regrets or has he. There are many people on the mindset that he could come back to football in a year or even sooner. Where would he land if he did.

Right now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers own the rights to Tom Brady, so if he does unretire could he be a Buccaneer again. The odds are a long shot for that to happen in my opinion. There always an option to go back to New England for one last ride. He seemed to burn that bridge when he kinda of ignored them in some of his internet posts. He did acknowledge them, but I doubt he would return there for a final season.

There really is just one place left for Tom Brady if he decided to come back and that would be the San Francisco 49ers his boyhood team he cheered for when he was growing. It has always been a dream to play for the 49ers, but so far it has not worked out for him. Could the 49ers be his last stop in his NFL career? You never know with Tom Brady he is the GOAT and if anyone could make it back it would be him.

Friday, February 4, 2022

OBJ Living His Super Bowl Dream

It’s crazy how football in the National Football League works out for some players. Take Odell Beckham Jr and his start to the 2021–2022 was a crazy one. He blew out his knee last season and was coming back from that injury for the Cleveland Browns. Many people thought he would be an important part of the Browns run to the playoffs.

It didn’t happen as it seems Odell and Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield could never get on the right page. I do not know who’s fault it was, but in reality it was a horrible marriage on the football field. Even Odell’s dad chimed in with video evidence and shortly Odell was out of Cleveland faster then anyone could have imagine.

Odell was a popular player in the Cleveland locker room and once he was gone the Browns went downhill fast. We do not know how much his departure impacted the Browns, and probably never will know.

The Browns cut Odell and he got signed by the Los Angeles Rams which many people thought could be a mistake. Odell went there and became a model citizen and did what was asked of him. He wasn’t the guy with the most catches, but he carved out his niche in the offense. Like Odell or hate him the one thing you can say about him is when he is on the field he can play football. In the NFC Championship he amassed over 100 yards passing to help lead the Rams in the Super Bowl. If anyone thought Odell Beckham was a cancer to a team look no further to the Los Angeles Rams as proof he just wants to win.

Brian Flores Hopes To Make Changes IN NFL Hiring Process

Brian Flores was the head football coach of the Miami Dolphins before being fired from the team. In the weeks that followed many things have been said about Flores some we just do not know if they are true or not. Players really have not supported him or took shots at him so it’s anyone’s guess. This week Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against some teams for their hiring practices as he has yet to receive a job offer since he has been fired. Does his lawsuit have merit? In this article we will take a look at it and why it could be successful and also a failure as well.

The Rooney Rule is what the lawsuit will be based on. What the Rooney states is you must give minority candidates job interviews and be sincere in hiring them, when you bring them in for the interview. The NFL put this in place to try and get more minority hires as head coaches. Thus far the rule really hasn’t help but a mouthpiece that says we followed the rule when someone is hired. Some of the lawsuit is based on the Rooney Rule and this will be interesting how this plays out in the courtroom.

Should Brian Flores have a job by now? The honest answer is yes. Everywhere he has coached he has made his teams competitive and Miami was no exception. Many people have said Brian Flores is tough to work with and that could be true. Most winning head coaches at times can be tough to work with no matter whom it happens to be.

Brian Flores has several job interviews and every time the owners said great interview, but he was never offered a job. Is he qualified? Brian Flores is more then qualified for any job in the NFL. The Rooney Rule was suppose to fix the problem, but in reality I think it has did the opposite. Teams are less inclined to hire coaches of minority as they feel they are being forced to hire a certain individual.

Owners for the most part are from old school hiring and do not like to change what they do. Most coaches in the NFL these days are rehires from other teams that lost their jobs or did well in other places. Most minority coaches are overlooked because it’s the mentality that these owners have right now. It’s not fair, but it is how it works. Maybe a lawsuit is something that needs to be the catalyst to get teams and the NFL to change things.

It seems one thing that has happen with this lawsuit already is other coaches have come forward to tell their stories as well, Brian Flores is not the only coach who has had this problem. Bringing this out in the open is exactly what we need to do to make the NFL understand there is a problem in the hiring process.

Brian Flores is giving up a lot to go forward with this lawsuit. He may never coach in the NFL again. This is bigger then a job this is about doing the right thing and changing the NFL hiring process. There are so many great minority prospects there is no excuse for not having more minority hiring then we get every year. At worst, maybe this will shed light on the practicing of keeping good guys who are qualified with out a coaching opportunity. The other thing this has also showed us is the art of tanking can be a viable option for teams. Tanking should never be part of the NFL and teams should always strive to win. Its cheating the fans who pay hard earned money to see teams. Let’s hope The NFL makes some changes and this lawsuit makes some changes in the process.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Joe Burrow Leads Bengals To Super Bowl

Coming into the 2021-2022 season no one thought Zac Taylor would last all season as the Cincinnati Bengals head coach, but now he is in the Super Bowl. Thanks to a defense that played lights out in the second half, and quarterback Joe Burrow making the runs and the passes when needed to get a 27-24 overtime victory over Kansas City. Now I never gave these Bengals much of a chance this season, but they have proved so many of us wrong.

No one had Cincinnati winning their division or even being a playoff team. During the season they had some bad losses, but they stuck together and slowly became a very good football team. Across the board on offense and defense they are impressive. They went to Kansas City twice this season and came away with wins. That is tough to do against Patrick Mahomes, but it didn't matter to them as they had sheer confidence in their resolve.

When Joe Burrow was taken No.1 overall everyone knew he was talented, but this season he has surpassed all expectations and now he is headed to the Super Bowl. Burrow leads a Cincinnati team that hasn't been to the Super Bowl in 30 plus years and the City couldn't be happier. I hate to tell people this the Cincinnati Bengals could be in the playoffs for a number of years with Joe Burrow leading the offense.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Freddy Peralta Has Shown He Can Be An Elite Pitcher.

Freddy Peralta over the years has slowly progressed through the organization and has shown now what he can do. The last few years Peralta has struggled, but the Brewers has faith in him. This season he has rewarded with the Brewers with a 7-2 start and one of the most consistent starters on the staff.

Will Freddy Peralta get his first All-Star nod this season? I think he has a great chance the way he is going. Josh Hader right now is an automatic bid and Peralta is in the running for a spot. Corbin Byrnes and Brandon Woodruff are also in the running for a spot.

When Peralta came up he had only one pitch, but has worked on a variety of pitches. No longer can hitters look for just want pitch from Peralta anymore. The one thing that I love about Peralta is his desire to succeed. When he walks a guy he gets upset. That’s the kind of pitcher you want on your staff a guy who wants to be the best every time out.

Peralta is still very young and has been good years ahead of him. For the Brewers he is still at a great price as they extended him awhile back. These days young starters are hard to come by, but so far Peralta has been a gem for the Brewers.

Monday, March 29, 2021

Michigan Basketball Carving It's Own Niche In College Basketball

When Juwan Howard was given the reins of the Michigan Basketball program no one really knew how it was going to work out. Yes, Howard was a Michigan guy but that is not a given that he would have success. Could he get guys to buy in on what he was selling. As a player, Howard was a guy who did whatever it took to win games. Would his persona be what Michigan Basketball would become in 2021?

Along the way, there are always bumps in the road and Juwan Howard has been able to gravitate the Covid-19 waters and his team is playing deep into the tournament. Howard has a very talented team that has played well together. I've been able to watch of there tournament games and you can see his imprint on the program. Michigan moves the ball well and plays team defense. Players have that tough mentality that Howard play with when he was younger.

Michigan could make it all the way to the NCAA Championship game because they have a coach who believes in them and who has been there before. This team has grown over the last two months of the season. They have been battle-tested and the sky is the limit for them. No one expected Michigan to be this good this fast under Juwan Howard. Of course, he was part of the Fab5 so he definitely knows about winning and it's showing.

Ted Simmons One Player People Forget About Behind The Plate

Here as Baseball Blogging Network, we try to give guys some love people sometimes overlook or forget about. People know I love Milwaukee Brewers players and one guy often overlooked is Ted Simmons. When you talk about great catchers names like Berra, Bench, and Mike Pizza are mentioned, but you will be hard-pressed to find someone to name Ted Simmons. Why isn't Ted Simmons named more when you talk about catchers. Let's take a look at Ted Simmons and his career and see what he accomplished.

Ted Simmons was a Silver Slugger winner and an 8-time All-Star along with finally getting elected into the Hall Of Fame in 2020 by the veteran's committee. Simmons played a total of 21 years which consisted of 13 in St. Louis, 5 in Milwaukee, and 3 with the Atlanta Braves. During his career, he had some impressive numbers for a catcher that many people seem to dismiss.

Six times he hit 20 or more home runs and three times he hit 100 or more RBI's in a season. He played 2,456 games and garnered 2,472 hits and 8 times he batted .300 or better in a season. Simmons numbers were very consistent across the board and was a very good defensive catcher. Being a switch hitter also made him a very dangerous hitter and a guy you could play against anyone. His 182 switch-hitting home runs rank #1 in the National League.

Ted Simmons may not be a household name to many, but during his time in the MLB he was a gritty tough ballplayer that you could count on day after day. He gave you everything he had and now he is in the Hall Of Fame. Well deserved for a guy who played 21 years in Major League Baseball.