Bad Deals

By: Mike Rifkin

On Monday, MLB announced a four-game suspension for Angels’ third baseman Anthony Rendon for his conduct with a fan in Oakland on opening day. For Rendon, this is his second suspension in the last two seasons, and he was suspended for five games in June during a bench-clearing brawl between the Angels and Mariners despite being on the injured list at the time. After winning the World Series with the Nationals in 2019, Rendon signed a seven-year 245 million-dollar contract with the Angels. Before this season, Rendon has played 157 games as an Angel. He has 20 home runs and 90 RBI with a slash line of .249/.356/.415. 

But here’s a question is Rendon the worst contract the Angels have given out recently? In 2013 the Angels signed Josh Hamilton to a five-year 125 million dollar contract. Hamilton played in 240 games with the Angels and had 31 home runs and 123 RBI’S with a slash line of .255/.316/.426. The Angels traded Hamilton back to the Texas Rangers, where he was a star. 

People will complain about Albert Pujols’ contract, but that contract didn’t age well. Pujols had six seasons with 20-plus home runs and three seasons with 30-plus home runs. The CJ Wilson contract wasn’t as bad; he had a 3.87 ERA in four seasons and won 51 games. We’ll have to see what the Angels will have in store for Shohei Ohtani, a free agent after the season.  They also have the Mike Trout 12-year 426 million dollar contract. Now I will not say that is a bad contract because Trout remains one of the best players in baseball. Still, if they don’t surround him with talent, continue to miss the playoffs, and do not let him perform on the biggest playoffs stage, one will have to wonder if that becomes a bad contract they might have to rid themselves of.

Brunson Burner

By : Mike Rifkin

In their first game without Julius Randle on Friday night, the Knicks defeated their potential first-round opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 130-116. Randle sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. With Randle out, Jalen Brunson dropped a career-high 48 points, nine assists, and four rebounds. 

Brunson averages 24.0 points per game, with 6.2 assists per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. That is how much he means to the team, and if he plays well without Randle, that would only help his cause. Many people said in the offseason that the Knicks overpaid for Brunson when they signed him to a four-year 104 million dollar contract. Now I can’t speak for the rest of the contract, but if year one is any indication, the Knicks got a great deal with Brunson, who should get some MVP votes. Once again, I am not saying he is the MVP. All I’m saying is he deserves votes. The Knicks’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth is one. 

Yeah, Nay or Okay: Wrestlemania 39 Hollywood Movie Parodies

By Allison Weiner

For the 2nd episode of Yeah, Nay, or Okay, In honor of Wrestlemania 39 airing tonight and tomorrow night, I am going to rate the Hollywood Movie parodies for Wrestlemania 39 aka Wrestlemania Goes Hollywood. I am not doing any of the parodies for Wrestlemania 21 but comment below if you want me to rate this in a future blog. Here are the movie parodies done for Wrestlemania 39.

  • Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch in “The Joker (Plus Batman)-Yeah (Seth “Freakin” Rollins makes the perfect Joker, especially with his character build-up since they gave him a powerful new entrance theme in 2021. I also give credit to Becky Lynch for pulling off Christopher Nolan’s version of Batman portrayed by Christian Bale as “THE MAN” going to her “MAN-Cave”.)
  • Bianca Belair and Montez Ford in “Titanic”-Nay (First off, Titanic is my least favorite movie of all time. Besides that, the parody wasn’t anything special. I felt they tried too hard to go modern with taking a selfie and using the cloud, plus Bianca and Montez’s acting for this parody was meh.)
  • The Miz and Maryse in “op Gun”-Nay (It felt like a self-promotion for the Miz hosting Wrestlemania and other parts of his gimmick for the past couple of years over trying to make an “AWESOME” version of Top Gun.)
  • Rhea Ripley and John Cena’s voice in a scene from the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things”-Okay (I love the buildup for Rhea facing a “Charlotte Flair” in a can and using her powers to break it. Cena’s voice was an interesting choice to play “Papa” to make Rhea feel angry and stressed. However, they could have picked a better scene in Stranger Things using all the members of Judgment Day.)
  • Butch, Ridge Holland, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus is “The 40-Year Old Virgin”-Yeah (I love how they focused on Ridge Holland being Steve Carell in this parody over Sheamus and Drew. Butch also had an amazing role in the end. Overall, this parody gets the award for being almost an exact replica of the original movie.
  • The Bloodline in “Goodfellas”- Surprising and Acknowledging Yeah (Paul Heyman sells this parody. Roman nails it as Pesci’s role as Tommy Devito and Solo talks at the end.)
  • *Bonus* Audition of multiple WWE Superstars for different movies-Okay ( I didn’t know why they did it. It reminded me of the SNL celebrity audition parodies for different movies. I did get a good laugh out of it.)

Overall the Wrestlemania 39 Promos are almost as good as the Wrestlemania 21 promos.

2023 American League Preview

By : Mike Rifkin

2023 MLB season is upon us. Here is a preview for the American League. 

AL EAST : 

 Orioles : If they’re young players play as well as they did last season the Orioles can hang around in the beast of a division.

Red Sox : They signed Rafael Devers to a long term extension. A lot of their season is about banking on health of some older players like Justin Turner and Corey Kluber. If Chris Sale is healthy for the whole year that would be a major boost. 

Yankees :  The team hasn’t won a World Series since 2009, but at least they res-signed Aaron Judge and didn’t have to settle for his brother Arson. Health is already a factor for them. Early on they may have to out slug people, but if Gerrit Cole goes down then the season is over. 

Blue Jays : I already loved their roster, but adding Chris Bassitt to their rotation which should get Hyun Jin Ryu back is a great addition. They also added Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier which will help their outfield defense. Brandon Belt will provide leadership to a team with a very young core. I have high expectations for the Jays.

Rays: One thing we’ve learned over the years is to not count the Rays out despite their payroll. If Tyler Glasnow can return and be the ace he was prior to Tommy John Surgery the Rays rotation will line up accordingly. If Randy Arozarena can carry over what he did at the World Baseball Classic, he along with Wander Franco will lead the charge offensively. 

AL CENTRAL

White Sox : Hands down the White Sox were the biggest disappointment in baseball last year. They really need a bounce back season from Lucas Giolito. If Giolito returns to form along with Lance Lynn and Dylan Cease the White Sox would have one of the best pitching trios in baseball. Offensively they won’t have Jose Abreu, but if they stay healthy expect Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez to bounce back.

Guardians : While the White Sox were the biggest disappointment in baseball the Guardians were the best. They came from nowhere to win the division ( reminded me of Major League). Jose Ramirez remains one of the best players in the game. The Josh Bell signing was one of my favorites of the offseason. A rotation led by Shane Bieber and Triston Mckenzie and a dominant bullpen, Terry Francona’s team could win the Central again.

Tigers : It was announced that this will be Miguel Cabrera’s final season, so baseball fans will get to watch the legend one more time. Young players Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson will have to take the next step in their development for this to be a successful season in the Motor City. 

Royals : Bobby Witt and MJ Melendez are coming off of solid seasons and will only get better. Sal Perez is aging like a fine wine with another 23 homers last season. My biggest question is who steps up behind Brady Singer in the rotation? 

Twins : Carlos Correa is back after failing physicals with the Giants and Mets. They added Pablo Lopez to the rotation, but traded batting champ Luis Arraez to do it. Byron Buxton hit 28 home runs in 92 games, imagine what he can do if he stays healthy.

AL WEST

Astros : The reigning World Series Champs lost the reigning AL CY Young Award winner to free agency, and lost Jose Altuve for a couple of months with injury. They did add former AL MVP Jose Abreu. But expect whoever plays in Altuve’s place to step up. Jeremy Pena had to fill the shoes of Carlos Correa and all he did was win ALCS and World Series MVP. 

Angels : How is it possible to be a bad team when two of the best players in the world are on your team? Asking for the Angels, I know what Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout will give them if they’re healthy. They signed Tyler Anderson, who is coming off a career year with the Dodgers, The guy this team needs to step up is Anthony Rendon, who hasn’t made much impact since signing with the Angels. Can the Angels be a playoff team? Sure but they have to show me before I believe in them. ( Or they need Joesph Gordon – Levitt back for Angels in the Outfield 2)

Athletics : Are they going to be so boring that more people will have sex in the crowd? Set your expectations low, we’re still waiting to see if a new ballpark is in the future of the A’s or if they will relocate. But in player talks Seth Brown had a solid season last year. 

Mariners : Ok remember when I said I loved the Blue Jays rotation, well I love the Mariners rotation as well. Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby is a great top four. As for the lineup they added some thump with Teoscar Hernandez and Kolten Wong. Julio Rodriguez who is coming off a Rookie Of The Year campaign, is ready to become one of the faces of Baseball. 

Rangers : No team changed their identity in the offseason more than the Rangers. Bringing in future Hall Of Fame Manager Bruce Bochy. They also brought in Jacob DeGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to the rotation. The Rangers will be one of the more fascinating teams to watch this season. 

DIVISION WINNERS:  EAST: Blue Jays

Central : White Sox

WEST : Astros

WILD CARDS : Mariners, Yankees, Rangers

AWARDS : 

MVP : Shhoei Ohtani: I know this is the easy answer because there is nobody in baseball who does what he does. But if asked outside of him I would say Julio Rodriguez. But expect Ohtani to put on a Sho prior to his free agency. 

CY YOUNG : Alek Manoah : Last season Manoah was 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA. He pitched to a 2.24 ERA in the AL East, if he can replicate that or even pitch better. 

Rookie Of The Year : Gunnar Henderson : In 34 games last year Henderson hit .259 with four home runs and 18 RBIS. If the Orioles are as scrappy as they were last season, Henderson will be a big reason why. 

Manager Of The Year ; Bruce Bochy: The future Hall of Famer doesn’t need any more accolades, but I think he will turn the Rangers around. 
ALCS :  Blue Jays DEF Astros in seven games.

2023 National League Preview

By: Mike Rifkin

The 2023 MLB season is upon us. Here is a National League preview.

The National League is loaded with talent. The reigning National League Champion Phillies bolstered their lineup by adding Trea Turner and tried to solidify their pitching with the additions of Taijuan Walker and Craig Kimbrel. The Padres signed ace Yu Darvish and third baseman Manny Machado to extensions, bringing in shortstop Xander Bogaerts and DH Nelson Cruz. They will also get back star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. in April after he was suspended for PEDS. The Cardinals have two-thirds of the NL MVP finalists in Nolan Arenado and the reigning MVP, Paul Goldschmidt. They also added Willson Contreras from the Cubs. The New York Mets added reigning AL CY Young Award Winner Justin Verlander to pair with former teammate Max Scherzer. Then there are the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been the class of the National League over the years. 

One team that I’m genuinely curious about is the Milwaukee Brewers. They led the NL Central most of last season until they faltered late in the second half. The Cubs and Giants were active in the free-agent market. The Marlins and Diamondbacks have a chance to surprise some people this season with their talent. It is about looking to the future for the Pirates, Reds, and Nationals. Then there’s the curious case of the Rockies. Their owner said they were shooting for .500, but if Kris Bryant is healthy for the whole year and their pitching takes the next step, they could be better, but the top half of the NL is powerful. 

DIVISION WINNERS

EAST – BRAVES – The Braves have won the East for five consecutive years. They will get battles from the Mets and Phillies, but until proven otherwise, they will repeat. 

CENTRAL – CARDINALS – I don’t think the Cardinals get enough credit as most of the top teams of the National League. But I think they can win the Central going away. 

WEST – PADRES –  If there was a year for the Padres to overtake the Dodgers, it’s this year. The Padres are too talented not to win the West. 

WILDCARDS: METS, PHILLIES, DODGERS

AWARDS :

MOST IMPROVED TEAM: CHICAGO CUBS – I know many people could be high on the Giants and Diamondbacks, but I loved the offseason the Cubs had. If Cody Bellinger can recapture his MVP form, the Cubs could challenge the Cardinals in the National League. 

MVP : RONALD ACUNA JR 

CY YOUNG: YU DARVISH

MANAGER OF THE YEAR: OLI MARMOL

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: CORBIN CARROLL

NLCS: PADRES DEF BRAVES IN SIX GAMES 

Why We Love March

By: Mike Rifkin

This Saturday, the Final Four will be played in Houston. Florida Atlantic, San Diego State, Miami, and UCONN will play for the right to be the National Champions. UCONN is playing in their sixth Final Four, and they have won the National Championship in four appearances, last time in 2014. As for the other three teams, this is their first appearance ever in the Final Four. 

Fans love March Madness because there is always an underdog story, but having three teams who have never won a National Title yet played in the Final Four is something that fans will get behind. There is a chance that we could get two teams who have never won a National Title could compete for it, but we do know at least one team will go to the National Championship when Florida Atlantic plays San Diego State. 

Either way, this tournament has been incredible in so many ways. If the Final Four plays out like the rest of the tournament, expect the unexpected. That’s why everyone loves March.

Japan Wins WBC 

By: Lawrence Lang

This past Tuesday was the World Baseball Classic Championship between Team Japan and Team USA in Miami, Florida, at LoanDepot Park. To much surprise, this had to be the final to WBC that everyone wanted to see that two very best teaming going at for probably the top prize in baseball behind the World Series and a Gold Medal to the Olympics. Tuesday’s Championship game was a game that will be remembered for a very long time. This game had all the emotions from the start. The excitement when Trea Turner gave the US the early 1-0 lead with a Homerun 406 ft shot to left field was also Turner’s fifth WBC Homerun in the Classic this year. Then you got the clear mind of Munetaka Murakami, and the first pitch he saw tied the game  1-1 in the bottom of the 2nd with a 432 ft home run to right field. 

Japan would take the lead later in the inning, going up 1-2. Then this was just pure baseball for the next five innings. Japan would add a run in the bottom of the 4th with a home run by Kazuma Okamoto, making it 1-3. The US would make it 2-3 with a Kyle Schwarber home run. What makes the game so perfect is the final out of the game. It was between two teammates that are not only playing for glory for their country but also getting ready for the Major League Baseball Season. Los Angeles Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani ( Pitching for Japan) and Mike Trout (Batting for the USA) squared off. With two outs in the game, the US was down to their final out and down by a run. Could Trout get the job done against his teammate and try and get a rally or tie for the US? 

Trout at bat against Ohtani went as followed.

First Pitch: Ball was called in the bottom left of the strike zone (could have been called a Strike)

Second Pitch: Strike ( Trout Swung and missed)

Third Pitch: Ball was called in the middle of the zone to the left (The pitch could have gone either way for a ball or strike) 

Fourth Pitch: Strike ( Trout swung and missed again) 

Fifth Pitch: The ball is called in the bottom left outside the zone. 

Sixth Pitch Strike three (Trout strikeout swinging  

You could feel the energy during this moment because you know that Trout wanted to homer off of Ohtani to tie the game. You know that Ohtani wanted to strike out Trout to win the WBC for Japan, and for this round, Ohtani won the battle, and Japan won the WBC 3-2 and their third title since the tournament started in 2006. Ohtani would win MVP for the tournament. 

It was not going to be him Trea Turner would have been runner-up for MVP because of the performance; he had nine hits, five of which were home runs, and had 11 RBI’S.  

With the WBC now over, The MLB season is upon us. However, with a moment of reflection with the expectation of a few MLB players getting hurt, this was fun and exciting to watch because baseball brought the world together for a few weeks. There was no drama with the teams. You had memorable moments throughout the whole WBC. We had a fantastic championship game, and who would have thought it would come down to Ohtani vs. Trout to end the 2023 WBC? If that’s not a Hollywood story ending, then you are crazy. WBC will return in 2026, and I can’t wait because unless a trade happens with Trout or Ohtani in the next two years, I want to see them square off again. After all, their face-off in the final of the WBC was a moment I think fans won’t forget, and Trout wants redemption.      

Scheffler Wins At TPC

Scottie Scheffler and the Players Championship By Ross Mazin

The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974.[2] The field usually includes the top 50 players in the world rankings, but unlike the major championships and World Golf Championships events, it is owned by the PGA Tour and not an official event on other tours.

Last weeks players championship was quite something. Each golfer was out to prove himself. The first round had its shares of ah ha moments. This is one of the more challenging courses on the tour. The 17th hole is the most famous hole in all of golf. The tournament had 51 eagles last weekend.  Scheffler lead most of the weekend and was -14 heading into the weekend. He is quietly establishing himself as an elite golfer this year. He really went out and proved himself last week 

Go For It

By: Mike Rifkin

NFL free agency is in full force, and one of the major questions is what is going on with Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson? The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the former MVP, meaning a team can offer Lamar a contract, and the Ravens would get the right to match the offer, and if they don’t, they will get two first-round picks. We saw teams say they weren’t interested in Jackson when this occurred, and they went to other places on the market. But there is one team that makes sense to offer sheet, Jackson.

That team is the Indianapolis Colts. Look, I know the Colts were one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season, but I still like a lot of their roster. Since Andrew Luck retired, the Colts have gone with many stop-gap guys, including Phillip Rivers and Matt Ryan last season. You must take that risk if you can sign Lamar Jackson and pair him with Jonathan Taylor. Jackson is only 26 and can be the next Colts franchise quarterback. 

The Colts have the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft and could select a quarterback. But they might not get the guy they have the most interest in because the Carolina Panthers moved up to the number one overall pick to take a quarterback, presumably, and the Houston Texans, who pick second, also are presumed to take a quarterback. Now the top two picks in either order are most likely to be Bryce Young of Alabama and CJ Stroud of Ohio State. So if the Colts only like those two guys, they are in a challenging position. Lamar is a known commodity, while a rookie is not. Also, by bringing in Lamar, the Colts could entice other free agents in the future to go to Indy. I’m not saying the Ravens will not match the offer on Jackson, but if the Colts at least make him an offer, it will show the fanbase and the rest of the league they are going for it. 

Not Again

By: Mike Rifkin

Last Wednesday started the NFL’S league year. While most people focus on the free agency period of the league year, another thing that occurs is teams can file potential rule changes that the owners and the competition committee can discuss. The Los Angeles Rams proposed the rule change and want to make roughing the passer penalties reviewable.

Roughing the passer was one of the most discussed penalties during last season. There are multiple you can look at throughout the season, and I still don’t understand why the penalty was called. But here’s my thing I don’t know if the referees know how to officiate it and throw the flag out of caution. We’ve been down this road before with making penalties challengeable when the NFL made pass interference reviewable. The problem with that was that the calls would often side with whatever the refs had called on the field. I do have a solution to the roughing the passer rule, and it doesn’t involve making it reviewable, but it will make the NFL do some work. 

Instead of making the penalty reviewable, the league should change the rule. The league should keep shots to the head and below the knee as part of the penalty, but I think we need to say a graze of the helmet shouldn’t be called. With what we know about concussions, they can if they want to keep it. But the other parts are where I think fans get confused. The other rules are that a defender can’t land their bodyweight on top of the quarterback and cannot drive the quarterback to the ground. In essence, what the league has done has protected the quarterback so much that every time they go down, a flag will be thrown. So, what would the replay show on bodyweight landing or driving the quarterback to the ground? We will run in circles as they did with the pass interference challenge. I wouldn’t say I like harping on the refs, but when these networks air the games, and their rules analyst is as confused as the fans, that’s not a good thing, so the league should tear up the rule and rewrite it.

If I was in charge and left to change the roughing of the passer penalty, here’s how I would go about it. First, we will leave shots to the head ( I would change for non-forceful blows but understand why the head should be kept) and below the knee. I would throw out the bodyweight rule because it’s hard enough for defenders to get them down. Now they have to focus on where they land. Driving them to the ground should only be enforced if the hit is late or if the whistle has been blown, but that is on the refs to make the in-the-grass ruling more if needed. If roughing the passer continues to be a problem in the NFL, there is one last solution that nobody wants to see: to put flags on the quarterbacks.