Baseball Blogging Network

Friday, December 25, 2020

Justin Fields Snub And Who Should Win The Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy finalists were announced and some surprises did come out of it to some people. For me, it went as I expected. Justin Fields who was an early Heisman front runner did not even make the final cut. I know Ohio State Buckeye fans are not happy with this, but in reality, it's correct. In the last few weeks, Fields has not played as well as he did when he started. This is why he did not make it into the Top 4 and it should fuel him against the Clemson Tigers.

Here are the Final Four Finalists:

1. Trevor Lawrence

2. Mac Jones

3. DeVonta Smith

4. Kyle Trask

All four players are very good and well-deserving of the award. People ask me who I like If I had a vote and it's really about winning and that is the bottom line. Trevor Lawrence has a 34-1 record as a starter and that is tough to dismiss. He missed two games this year and Clemson did not look the same on the field. He brings so much to the table. He's my pick for the Heisman Trophy.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

NBA Pre-Season Schedule December 16, 2020

NBA Schedule December 16, 2020

CAVALIERS

KNICKS

7:30PM

BULLS

THUNDER

8:00P

TRAIL BLAZERS

NUGGETS

9:00PM

LAKERS

SUNS

9:00PM

Scott Frost Program Is A Work In Progress

When Scott Frost was hired as Nebraska's football coach people were hoping for instant success, but it has been a long and losing road so far. It's not because Scott Frost isn't trying hard enough, he is doing all he can to turn the program around quickly. Most people on the outside do not realize how bad off the program happens to be. Long-time Husker fans such as I knew how bad they were and Frost was going to have a long building project when he took the job. Let's look at where Frost is right now with the program.

One of the biggest problems with Nebraska was the talent they had very little and was not competitive at all. As far as being competitive it's still a work in progress right now. Some weeks they are competitive some weeks you just shake your head. This is what happens when you are rebuilding the program from the ground up. Frost is working on getting the guys he needs to compete against the better teams. Getting the best talent is not always easy as others are after the same talent. Nebraska has improved talent, but still nowhere close to where they need to be.

Frost's other big problem is converting the fan base to understand it takes time. I'm looking at around 5 years before you will see anything that will resemble a competitive program. Some people do not want to wait that long, but it's going to take time. I'm worried they won't give Frost the time he needs to build it back to where it needs to be. Is Frost the man to do it? From what I see so far I cannot complain as he is making slow steady improvements. That's all you can ask for in this kind of environment right now.

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Ohio State Could Become Big Alabama Fans Real Soon

Now, this really wasn't unexpected news as the Big Ten Conference let the Ohio State Buckeyes slide into the Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern. Ohio State was undefeated, but there was a six-game minimum to get to the Championship game. After Michigan canceled Ohio State couldn't make the number of games needed, but Big Ten changed their mind once again.

I could feel bad for Ohio State, but they would have made the minimum without any help if they wouldn't have to cancel a game on their own. So, I can't really feel bad for them, but as usual, the Big Ten decides to do what they want no matter what rules they set forth. I guess this should not surprise anyone really. Did Ohio State deserve this break?

The answer is probably yes, as they were undefeated in the limited schedule they did play. Are they the best team in the Big Ten the answer is yes, so I can't be too upset about this decision? My only problem is you cannot keep changing rules to benefit one team over another. It's interesting though that Iowa did not vote on this rule change they just listened to a conference call when the decision was made. That tells me some people were not happy with this special treatment for Ohio State.

Alabama could become the biggest friend for Ohio State. If Florida upsets the Crimson Tide and Clemson beats the Irish the Ohio State Buckeyes could find themselves on the outside looking in. I just can't see them getting in with only six wins. Florida, Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame's resume is just better than the Buckeyes. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

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.