The Sports Insanity Network

Let The Madness Begin

By Lawrence Lang

It may only be the opening day of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, but an upset city has already begun in the tournament, and who doesn’t love a good upset? That’s what makes the NCAA tournament so unique: one game super sudden-death type tournament where you win, you go on, you lose, and you go home. For this year’s tournament, some teams that were thought to be heavily favored containers for a national title have had those dreams busted by the lower seeds, so let’s break it down with Thursday’s upsets in the tournament.

We will start with the big upset so far: The 15-seed Princeton Tigers take down the 2nd-seed Arizona Wildcats in a nail-biter of a game 59-55. The Wildcats were up eight in the first half (14-6), which was also the biggest lead of the half for the Wildcats. The Tigers would hang in there, slowly decreasing Arizona’s lead to get to half-time. They would shut out Arizona from scoring in the last four minutes of the half and score six points to end the half and make the score 30-31, only being down one. This was a thrilling game to watch if you were watching.

In the 2nd half, Arizona would be up nine early, and they would take complete control of the game and go on to the next round. But that was not the case. Princeton would begin the comeback with a Blake Peters three-pointer to cut the lead to six, 35-41. Scoring would go back and forth threw the middle of the 2nd half, then in the back half of the 2nd quarter, Princeton took command and began to strike Arizona’s lead down. They are going on a 10-2 run, making it 48-51 Arizona. Arizona would score again 48-53. Arizona would score the last points by Azuolas Tubelis 50-55. After that, Princeton would go on a 9-0 run to end the game, winning 59-55. They become the 11th No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 seed in the tournament and mark the third year in a row a no. 15 seed has beaten a No. 2 seed last two years, Oral Roberts def Ohio state (2021), and saint peters beat Kentucky last year (2022). Maybe the crazy notion of a 15 seed never winning is over, and we are in a new era of the tournament where anyone could beat anyone now, and the theory isn’t a myth anymore. Forward Tosan Evbuomwan leads Princeton in scoring with 15 points.

The other major upset that happened yesterday involves the university of Virginia. If you don’t know, in the 2018 men’s NCAA basketball tournament, Virginia made history in the wrong way when they became the first no. 1 seed to lose to a No.16 seed (UMBC). Granted, the redemption year in 2019 was sweet when they won the national title. History has yet to repeat it since losing to a 16 seed this year, but they have had yet another early exit from the tournament. No. 4 Virginia has lost to the no. 13 seed Furman. Furman is a private liberal arts college out of Greenville, South Carolina. The men’s basketball team has made only a little history before yesterday’s win. They had six appearances in the tournament, where their only significant success came in 1974 when they made the sweet 16. That’s past, and this is today. In another nail bitter of a game, Furman would keep it close with Virgina and even take the lead at one point (61-58). Then Virigna got the lead back and seemed to hunker down for the game’s final moments. With the score 65-67, Virginia leading, they would have to find a way with 12 seconds left to keep the basketball, and they would move on. However, Furman Garett Hien got a steal off Virginia’s Kihei Clark.

The Furman moment was here, and three things could happen: you tie the game and have the chance to go over time. Two, you miss, and the season is over, or three, say, you know what, let’s go for the win. Option three was the choice for Furman, and in the words of Mike Breen, BANG. JP Peguess hit the go-ahead three 68-67 and with two seconds left. Virginia’s last shot was Reece Beekman, a three-pointer was no good, and Furman got upset and moved on. They are the 32nd 13 seed to beat a no four seed, and it was the first time since 2021 that a no 13 seed had beaten a no. 4 seed. North Texas and Ohio were the last 13 seeds to do the job. Forward Jalen Slawson led the team in scoring with 19 points.

Overheating happened yesterday. These games could have gone either easy since they were close in seeding.

No.10 Penn State beat no7. Texas AM 76-59

No.9 Auburn beat no. 8 Iowa 83-75

Your one near upset was no. 13 Louisiana and no. 4 Tennessee. Tennessee just edged out Louisiana 58-55. Tennessee Julian Phillips made a free throw to seal the game for them. This shows that upsets can happen at any point, and it was right here. However, Tennessee made the baskets when needed to ensure their season was still alive.

This was just day one of The Men’s Basketball Tournament, and will we see an upset in today’s action?

NCAA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

By: Mike Rifkin

SOUTH REGION

TOP 5 SEEDS

ALABAMA – The overall number one seed is seventh in the nation in scoring, leading the nation in rebounding. They are led by Freshman Brandon Miller (we can talk about if he should be playing later), who averaged 19.6 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game.
ARIZONA – The Pac-12 Tournament champions score fourth in the country, averaging 82.7 points per game. They are third in field goal percentage shooting 49.6 % from the field. Only a few teams can match up with their bigs, Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubellis.
Baylor – The Bears lost four of their final six games to end the season. The Bears arguably have the best three-guard set in the country with Keyonte George, Adam Flagler, and LJ Cryer. The return of Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua could be a key factor for the Bears.
Virginia – The Cavaliers were ninth in the country in scoring defense. Armann Franklin and Jayden Gardener average 12 points per game. But you know what you’re getting with the Cavs: excellent defense and low-scoring affairs.
San Diego ST. – Balance is the key for the Aztecs. They have a lot of balance, and they rarely beat themselves. Guard Matt Bradley is the only player that averages double figures in scoring.

MOST INTERESTING MATCHUP : (8) MARYLAND VS (9) WEST VIRGINIA – All eight vs. nine matchups are fantastic. The most significant factor is Maryland has only won four games on the road/ neutral sites. Can they turn this around against the Mountaineers?

Team to come out: Arizona

EAST REGION

TOP 5 SEEDS

PURDUE – The Big Ten regular season and tournament champs have one massive advantage over everyone else in Zach Edey. The 7″ 4″ Canadian averaged 22.3 points per game, 12.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. Edey is a matchup nightmare for opponents. Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are outstanding backcourt as well.
Marquette – The Big East Champs are led by point guard Tyler Kolek, the Big East Player of The Year, who averages 13.3 points per game and 7.7 assists per game. The Golden Eagles are dangerous from behind the arc, and they have six players who shoot over 30% from three.
Kansas St- Keyotae Johnson, the Florida transfer, led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Johnson and backcourt mate Markquis Nowell were both First Team Big 12.
Tennessee – Rick Barnes’s team is third in the country in points allowed, giving up 58.0 points per game. They will be without point guard Zakai Zeigler, who tore his ACL two weeks ago. Ziegler led the team in assists and steals and was second in scoring. The biggest question is, can the Vols score enough?
Duke – The Blue Devils found their footing down the stretch, including winning the ACC Tournament in the first season under Jon Scheyer. This team will go as far as Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach take them. Derek Lively on the inside can be a massive factor on the defensive side.

MOST INTERESTING FIRST RD MATCHUP : (6) KENTUCKY VS (11) PROVIDENCE: Kentucky was up and down all season. Their main constant was big man Oscar Tshiebwe, who averaged 16.5 points per game and a nation high 13.1 rebounds per game—Bryce Hopkins, who led Providence in scoring and rebounding, transferred from Kentucky to Providence.

Team to come out: Purdue

MIDWEST REGION

TOP SEEDS

HOUSTON – The Cougars were second in the country in points allowed, allowing 56.5 points per game. Guard Marcus Sasser, who was injured during the AAC Tournament, status is unknown. The Cougars must rely on their stellar defense if he can’t go.
Texas – How about the job Rodney Terry has done since Chris Beard was let go. This team has a lot of experience and is playing well right now; they beat Kansas by double digits in their last two meetings. Marcus Carr leads the way averaging 15.5 points per game.
Xavier – The Musketeers average 81.4 points per game. They are led by Souley Bourn, who averages 16.5 points per game and 4.4 assists. Sean Miller’s team averages 19 assists per game.
Indiana – Trayce Jackson – Davis and Race Thompson are excellent in the front court. If Miller Kopp and Trey Galloway hit their threes, the Hoosiers can make some noise in the tournament.
Miami – Don’t be surprised if the Hurricanes make a deep run in the tournament after going to the Elite Eight last season. Isaiah Wong leads the team in scoring and assists per game.

MOST INTERESTING FIRST RD MATCHUP TEXAS A&M (7) VS PENN ST (10): I’m still trying to understand why A&M is a seven-seed after finishing second in the SEC and losing in the Championship game of the conference tournament Penn St also lost in the Big Ten championship. If Penn St hits their threes, they can win this game. Wade Taylor vs. Jalen Pickett should be a fun matchup.

Team to come out: Texas

WEST

Top Seeds

Kansas – Jalen Wilson is a player-of-the-year candidate averaging 20 points and eight rebounds per game. Dajuan Harris is one of the best point guards in the country, and I still feel he’s underrated. Don’t be surprised if the reigning National Champs go on a long run.
UCLA – Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell are great. They will need someone to step up in the absence of Jaylen Clark.
Gonzaga – The Zags will eventually win the National Title. The Bulldogs led the nation in scoring and field goal percentage. Drew Timme leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Malachi Smith, the UT Chattanooga transfer can be a significant x factor.
UCONN – Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan are forces in the paint. Defensively they allow 65.0 points per game.
St. Mary’s – The Gaels are fifth in the country in scoring defense, giving up 60.1 points per game. Logan Johnso and Aidan Mahaney both average over 14 points per game. They have three players who shoot over 70% from the free-throw line, which could be their downfall.

Most Interesting first round matchup (8) Arkansas vs. (9) Illinois: Last year, Arkansas went to the Elite Eight, and this year at times, struggled, including losing four of their last five games. Illinois has lost three of their last four games. Matthew Mayer, the Baylor transfer, could be huge for Illinois because of his extensive big-game experience.

Team to come out: Gonzaga – Everybody loves Kansas and UCLA but don’t sleep on the Zags. They put themselves in a good position and schedule the right way for moments like this, so don’t be surprised if the Zags wind up in Houston.

FINAL FOUR: TEXAS, GONZAGA, ARIZONA, PURDUE

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: ARIZONA DEFEATS TEXAS

AFC NORTH OFF-SEASON PREVIEW

BY: Mike Rifkin

The 2022 AFC North division had three teams finish over .500 and two teams that wound up playing each other in the playoffs.

AFC NORTH STANDINGS

BENGALS -12-4

RAVENS: 10-7

STEELERS – 9-8

BROWNS – 7-10

Ravens: The Ravens’ most important question is, what is going on with Lamar Jackson? They put the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, which means if another team signs Lamar, the Ravens will be able to match the offer, OR they can let him go and be awarded two first-round picks. The Ravens and Jackson will likely agree. If it’s Lamar or someone else, the most significant thing the Ravens need is a wide receiver. GM Eric Decosta said so himself because the team needs to draft better at the position. Guys like Allen Lazard, JuJu Smith-Schuster, DJ Chark, and Odell Beckham are free agents, while the Ravens can trade for DeAndre Hopkins from the Cardinals. The Ravens might also have to look at corners, with Marcus Peters and Kyle Fuller, both free agents.

DRAFT

RD 1 (22) – Zay Flowers – WR – BOSTON COLLEGE – Ravens need a receiver who can make plays. Flowers will make plays in the open field.

RD 3 (87) – Will Mcdonald – EDGE – IOWA ST. – Justin Houston led the team with 9.5 sacks, but he is a free agent, and at 34 years old, how much more is expected of him? Mcdonald and Odafe Oweh could be dynamic on the edges in Baltimore.

Bengals: The quarterback will also be in the headlines this off-season. Most people around the league expect Joe Burrow and the Bengals to agree on a long-term extension. And why wouldn’t they? All the Bengals have done over the last two seasons is gone to back-to-back AFC Championship Games and made a Super Bowl appearance. The Bengals possess one of the best-receiving trios in the NFL with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. One position they will look at is safety because both Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell are free agents. Running back Samaje Perine is a free agent, and Joe Mixon could be a cap casualty.

DRAFT

RD 1 (29) – Anton Harrison – OT – Oklahoma – The Bengals gave up 44 sacks last season, which was 20th in the league. But there are other routes the Bengals could go, but keeping their franchise QB up should be the highest priority.

RD 2 (61) – Antonio Johnson- Safety – Texas A&M – As mentioned above, Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates are both free agents. Johnson and last year’s first-round pick Dax Hill could be versatile in the secondary.

Browns: Cleveland also has their quarterback in Deshaun Watson, who played late last season and, after essentially two seasons off, Watson looked rusty. They will have to look at receivers and on the defensive side of the ball. Nick Chubb put up another fantastic season with 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Draft

RD 2 (43) – Calijah Kancey – DT- Pittsburgh – Kancey was sensational at the combine, meaning the Browns should take him if he is here. They need a presence in the middle of the defense.

RD 3 (99) Adetomiwa Adebawore – EDGE – Northwestern – Jadeveon Clowney won’t return, which means who will play opposite Myles Garrett. The Northwestern product ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and is used to playing in conditions that Cleveland will face.

Steelers: Once again, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. The Steelers were one win away from another playoff appearance. The defense and the offensive line must be the focus for the offseason. Kenny Pickett showed flashes last season, but I want to see what he does for an entire season of starting.

DRAFT

RD 1 (17) – Kelee Ringo – CB – Georgia – Fans will want Penn St. Joey Porter Jr, but he needs to be the pick if Ringo is there. Ringo has the ideal size and strength for a corner.

RD 2 (32) – Dawand Jones – OT – Ohio ST. – Jones is a massive individual. Yes, the Steelers have Dan Moore Jr. at Left Tackle, but his upside is too high to pass up if Jones is there.

SIN’S MLB OFFSEASON Recap

Baseball season is almost here. It was an exciting winter. Here is how we saw the offseason through a questionnaire.

THE QUESTIONS

FAVORITE OFFSEASON SIGNING AND WHY?
WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE OFF-SEASON SIGNING, AND WHY?
FAVORITE UNDER-THE-RADAR SIGNING ( A SIGNING THAT OCCURRED AND DIDN’T GET ENOUGH TALK)
TEAM THAT HAD THE BEST OFFSEASON
TEAM THAT HAD THE WORST OFFSEASON

Jeff Knapp – As a Yankee fan, how can I not talk about the re-signing of Aaron Judge? He set the AL Record for home runs in a season and is one of the most beloved Yankees since Derek Jeter. The other signing I love is Trea Turner going to Philly. The Phillies won the NL pennant last year and are adding a guy who hits .320 and 20 homers and can steal many bases, plus plays solid defense.

Mark Halpern – Xander Bogaerts going to San Diego was a huge move. Adding him to a lineup that includes Machado, Juan Soto, and eventually, Fernando Tatis Jr. Bogaerts, Machado on one side of the infield is as good as it gets.

Mike Rifkin – I’m going the Jeff route here and taking two. Jose Abreu is going to Houston. The Astros won the World Series last year and only got better. Adding Abreu, a .292 career hitter, to a lineup that still has Altuve, Bregman, and Yordan Alvarez, this Astro lineup can be scary. The other signing I love is Willson Contreras going to the Cardinals. Yadier Molina has retired. There isn’t a better replacement for him than Contreras. He is outstanding defensively and gives the Cardinals a much-needed bat to go with Goldschmidt and Arenado in the middle of the lineup. Also, the Cardinals got to steal a Cub, which might not hurt either.

2. Jeff Knapp – Carlos Correa. This guy had two deals with the Giants and the Mets but wound up staying in Minnesota. I am still determining what the Twins will be this season. I am also concerned about his ankle.

Mark Halpern – Jacob deGrom – This one hurt when I found out about it, but Texas won 68 games last year. The Rangers invested much money into Jake, but is he still the same pitcher he was three years ago? Can he stay healthy for an entire season?

Mike Rifkin – Joey Gallo – I was going to say Arson Judge. Joey Gallo has struggled over the past couple of seasons. I thought that when he got traded to the Dodgers, that would bring him new life in his career, but he still struggled. Losing the shift could help Gallo in Minnesota.

3. Jeff – Jose Abreu’s signing happened so quickly in the offseason that I don’t believe it gets enough hype. Yes, he’s 36, but he is still coming off a season with a slash line of .304/.378/.446. Adding him to the Astro lineup is enormous.

Mark – Justin Turner – Turner turned his career around in Los Angeles. He is a solid third-baseman and DH option for the Red Sox. He can have much fun with the Green Monster.

Mike – Chris Bassitt – Blue Jays Bassitt was a workhorse for the Mets last season, going 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA. Adding him to a rotation with Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and Hyun-Jin Ryu is solid for the Blue Jays.

4. Jeff – The team that had the best off-season was the Phillies. I’m not one to praise anything from Philadelphia, except for Rocky Balboa, but being objective, they were not only able to add one of the biggest free agents by signing shortstop Trea Turner, but they added starting pitcher Taijuan Walker after losing Thor and bolstered their bullpen by adding Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto. These moves might help them repeat as the NL champions once again.

Mark – I agree with Jeff that the Phillies had a good off-season. Despite being a Mets fan, the Phillies had a great off-season. Trea Turner is a star, and Taijuan Walker is a terrific addition to their rotation.

Mike: The Phillies did have a good offseason, but so did the rival New York Mets. People are questioning Justin Verlander’s age, but he was dominant last year in winning the AL CY Young award. They also added Kodai Senga from Japan. Steve Cohen also retained Brandon Nimmo, who is a spark at the top of the lineup, and Edwin Diaz, the most dominant closer in Baseball.

5. Jeff – Looking at who might have had the worst offseason, where possibly the LA Dodgers. I don’t care how long it’s been, but that’s what you get for leaving Brooklyn. It wasn’t surprising that they brought back Clayton Kershaw, but they lost position players like Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Craig Kimbrel. When it comes to bad, I have to add the San Francisco Giants in there because they could have had both Correa and Judge, but both options fell through. They did sign Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto, but Conforto is coming off a severe shoulder injury, and Haniger has an injury history.

Mark – Colorado Rockies – Last winter, they added Kris Bryant, and he had a disappointing season mainly due to injury. This offseason, they only did a little. So I don’t want to hear their owner complain about other teams spending when he refuses to.

Mike – Red Sox – They re-signed Rafael Devers to a massive extension. But outside of that, I’m still determining. What do I expect from Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, and Corey Kluber? Five or six years ago, that would’ve been great. I also hate the loss of Xander Bogaerts, whom I viewed as this team’s version of Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox are hoping for many veterans to regain their form; otherwise, it might be a long year in Boston (At least they’ve got the Celtics and Bruins)

Being Comfor-TUA-ble

By: Mike Rifkin

It is widely reported that the Miami Dolphins are picking up the fifth-year option on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tua led the NFL with a passer rating of 105.5 last season and had 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Tua had a great season when he played, and he did miss time last year due to multiple concussions, including the last three games of the regular season.

Picking up on the fifth-year option makes sense for multiple reasons. The first is that paying Tua 23 million dollars instead of 43, which is what the franchise tag would be, is a win. But look at what the New York Giants did with their quarterback Daniel Jones. We can debate if it’s a good or bad deal later, but declining his option and he put together his best season, which costs them 40 million dollars a year. The Bengals, Chargers, and Eagles will all have to pay their quarterbacks this offseason, which could hamper their rosters. Another reason this move makes sense is that the organization is not locking in a lousy deal. They are still evaluating Tua. To most people, that seems like a bad thing, but despite Tua putting together a tremendous regular season needs to show he can stay healthy for an entire season. If he plays well, they’ll give him the long-term deal. They can go elsewhere if he struggles to stay healthy or struggles in general.

Now I need people to bear with me on this. Here is a hypothetical situation, but a part of me wonders if the organization would sit Tua for the season with the concussion issues and let him get his mind right. Sitting Tua for the season would mean the Dolphins need a quarterback for 2023. Enter Aaron Rodgers into the conversation. The Packers are moving the 39-year-old future hall of famer. The only team that has shown interest is the New York Jets. Now if the Dolphins enter the conversation, it would have to be a one-year deal, and then Tua gets back his job next season, and if something happens to Rodgers, you still have Tua. Remember, this is a hypothetical situation. Does that happen? No, I don’t, but it would be something I would consider monitoring because acquiring Rodgers is not like acquiring Lamar Jackson because you don’t have to make a long-term commitment. From an organizational perspective picking up the option on Tua makes all the sense in the world for the Dolphins.

WBC preview: Canada

By: Ross Mazin

The WBC is upon us, and I couldn’t be more excited. The WBC is where the stars get to play for national pride.

Canada last played in the WBC in 2006, where they had their signature win over the United States. Despite that, Canada has never made it out of pool play. They are overall a very competitive team. Before being eliminated after the first round, Canada played in Pool B, which consisted of Mexico, South Africa, and the United States. Canada will be in Pool C with the United States, Colombia, Mexico, and Great Britain this year.

The 2023 roster includes notable players such as Freddie Freeman, Tyler O’Neil, and Bo Naylor. Freeman, who finished fourth in NL MVP voting last season, is one of the elite players in all of baseball. Tyler O’Neill’s numbers went down in 2021, somewhat due to injuries. Naylor is a Guardians prospect who played in five games last season. When the scouts talk about Naylor, they talk about his power.

I expect Team Canada to perform very well and make the semi-finals for the first time.

Team Israel and Japan Previews

By: Lawrence Lang

As The World Baseball Classic Approaches, it’s time to break down Team Israel and Team Japan.

Starting with team Israel they are making its first appearance in the WBC since 2017. In the 2017 WBC, Israel went 3-0 in the first round beating South Korea, Chinese Taipei, and the Netherlands. But in the second round, they would go 1-2, losing to the Netherlands and Japan and only getting a win over Cuba.

In the 2023 WBC, they will be in Pool D, including the team countries of the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. They will kick off Pool play against Nicaragua on March 12th, Then Puerto Rico on March 13th, and finish Pool Play against Venezuela on March 15th.

Two People who have won a World Series can ruffle some feathers with their team. This Israel Team is a decent-looking ball club with Ian Kinsler as Manager and Kevin Youkilis as Hitting coach. One good piece to this team is Outfielder Joc Pederson, who, in the 2022 season, had 104 hits, 23 home runs, and 70 RBIs. The Only player on the team born in Israel that is on Team Israel is Shlomo Lipetz, a Relief Pitcher who is also the oldest active player on the team and is 44 years old.

The only stats, according to baseball reference, is from 2007, when he was 28 years old, where he went 3-1 and had an era of .98. He gave up 17 hits, three earned runs, one home run, six walks, and had 30 strikeouts.

The Youngest player on this team is 22-year-old Josh Wolf. Wolf is a Cleveland Guardians prospect who is in Single A. right now. In three seasons between Rookie Ball and Single-A ball, he has gone 3-6 with a 5.26 era in 35 games with 56 Walks and 104 strikeouts. This WBC will be a big test for Wolf pitching on the biggest stage in Baseball that’s not the World Series.

Heading a little west, we now see Team Japan as a two-time winner, winning the inaugural WBC in 2006, then again in 2009, and finishing third twice in 2013 and the most recent WBC in 2017. In 2017, WBC Japan Entered Pool Play beating Cuba, Australia, and China. Then went 3-0 again in the second round, beating The Netherlands, Cuba again, and Israel. They would lose to the eventual winners in the semi-finals to team USA 2-1 and beat the Netherlands in the third-place game to cap off the 2017 WBC.

The 2023 Japanese baseball Team has two MLB Stars on their roster, one being starting pitcher Yu Darvish who in 2022 went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA with 197 strikeouts and in 10 seasons has an overall record of 95-75 3.50 Era and 1788 strikeouts. The other is the two-way star in Shohei Ohtani. The 2018 Rookie of the Year is coming off a 2022 season where he went 15-9 as a starter with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts. At the plate, he batted .273 with 160 hits, 34 home runs, and 95 RBIs with 11 stolen bases and has already made way in Exhibition play, having two monster home runs even before the WBC starts.

The other notable player on team Japan is infielder Tetsuto Yamada from the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon, who in 2022 batted .243 with 114 hits, 23 home runs, 65 RBIs, and ten stolen bases.

Japan will be in Pool B with South Korea, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic. Pool Play will begin against China on March 9th, Then Play South Korea on the 10th, The 11th play the Czech Republic, and close pool play on the 12th against Australia. With Pool play beginning on Tuesday with Cuba and Netherlands, it’s great to have The WBC back because it’s a great way to prepare for Baseball before the regular season starts.

WBC Preview: Cuba and Great Britain

By: Mike Rifkin

The World Baseball Classic is upon us. Baseball players worldwide will take center stage and represent their country in this great tournament.

Cuba will be a part of Pool A along with Italy, Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, and Panama. Some of the best Cuban players should be playing in the WBC. Yordan Alvarez, Jose Abreu, Randy Arozarena, and the Gurriel brothers are not on the Cuban national team. White Sox players Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert will headline the lineup along with former Met Yoenis Cespedes. Roenis Elias is the most experienced pitcher at the big league level and has a career ERA of 3.96.

Great Britain has a lot of young players, including Harry Ford, one of the Mariners’ top prospects. Ford is a big athletic kid with a lot of power in his bat. Other prospects on this team include Lucius Fox of the Nationals, Matt Koperniak of the Cardinals, BJ Murray of the Cubs, and Tahnaj Thomas of the Pirates. Trayce Thompson, who has 39 career home runs, headlines the roster along with former pitcher Vance Worley. Great Britain is in Pool C, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States.

What If (Pro-Wrestling Edition)- What if AEW and WWE came together and mashed the best of the best in each specialized battle royal? Part 2

By Allison Weiner

Welcome to What If? (Pro Wrestling Edition). In this series, I give a predicament that could or could have potentially happened in the pro wrestling universe. Previously, I have decided to mash AEW and WWE’s famous battle royales for their tag team, women’s, and men’s division.

I have decided that the women competing will participate in a 21-Woman Casino Battle Royale, the tag teams will compete in a 24-tag team Royal Rampage, and the men will compete in the Greatest Royal Rumble and make it a 50-man Royal Rumble.

*Disclaimer: Jon Moxley and Roman Reigns are not on any of these lists as they deserve a match of their own, and Bray Wyatt is not on any list as we have only seen 1 match out of him since his return to WWE. Cody Rhodes and MJF are not on this list as I feel either of them will face the winner of the 50-man Royal Rumble at a PPV of their choice and could face each other in this type of event.

As a reminder, here are the entries for each famous battle royal….

AEW Womens	WWE Womens	AEW Tag Teams	WWE Tag Teams	AEW Mens	WWE Mens
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D	Becky Lynch	Best Friends	Imperium	Kenny Omega	Drew Mcyntire
Ruby Soho	Natalya	Butcher & The Blade	Street Profits	Nick Jackson	Sheamus
Saraya	Bayley	Dark Order	Judgement Day	Matt Jackson	Gunther
Jaime Hayter	Asuka	House of Black	The O.C.	Chris Jericho	The Miz
Nyla Rose	Liv Morgan	Gunn Club	Viking Raiders	Hangman Adam Page	Brock Lesnar
Athena	Bianca Belair	Top Flight	Brawling Brutes	Darby Allin	Bobby Lashley
Riho	Raquel Rodriguez	Young Bucks	Legado Del Fantasma	Sammy Guevara	Sami Zayn
Hikaru Shida	Shayna Baszler	FTR	Alpha Academy	Bryan Danielson	Kevin Owens
Toni Storm	Rhea Ripley	Lucha Bros	The Creed Bros.	Brody King	Seth Rollins
Jade Cargill	Charlotte Flair	Red Dragon	Gallus	Malakai Black	Finn Balor
	Alexa Bliss	JAS	Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin	Jay Lethal	Damian Priest
		The Acclaimed	Usos	Adam Cole	Dominick Mysterio
				Hook	Rey Mysterio
				Jungle Boy Jack Perry	Braun Strowman
				Claudio Castagnoli	AJ Styles
				Wheeler Yuta	Shinsuke Nakamura
				Mark Briscoe	Kofi Kingston
				Samoa Joe	Xavier Woods
				Max Caster	Elias
				Anthony Bowens	Austin Theory
				Orange Cassidy	Randy Orton
				Wardlow	Matt Riddle
				Eddie Kingston	Johnny Gargano
				CM Punk	Tomasso Ciampa
				Ricky Starks	Edge

Let’s see the entries I have made for the 21-Women Casino Battle Royal

Suit	Women	Eliminated	Eliminated by	Total Eliminations
Clubs	Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.	Winner	N/A	3
Clubs	Toni Storm	2nd/20th Place	Dr. Britt Baker DMD	0
Clubs	Riho	1st/21st Place	Bayley	0
Clubs	Bayley	9th/13th Place	Becky Lynch	1
Clubs	Liv Morgan	3rd/19th Place	Saraya	0
Diamonds	Saraya	10th/12th Place	Ruby Soho, Becky Lynch, and Jaime Hayter	3
Diamonds	Nyla Rose	7th/15th Place	Rhea Ripley	2
Diamonds	Hikaru Shida	5th/17th Place	Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley	0
Diamonds	Alexa Bliss	4th/18th Place	Nyla Rose	0
Diamonds	Rhea Ripley	16th/6th Place	Bianca Belair	3
Hearts	Natalya	8th/14th Place	Saraya	0
Hearts	Ruby Soho	15th/7th Place	Charlotte Flair	1
Hearts	Jade Cargill	6th/16th Place	Nyla Rose	1
Hearts	Becky Lynch	18th/4th Place	Charlotte Flair	1
Hearts	Raquel Rodriguez	13th/9th Place	Rhea Ripley	0
Spades	Shayna Baszler	14th/8th Place	Asuka	1
Spades	Athena	10th/11th Place	Shayna Baszler	0
Spades	Asuka	17th/5th Place	Charlotte Flair and Dr. Britt Baker DMD	2
Spades	Jaime Hayter	11th/10th Place	Saraya and Asuka	1
Spades	Bianca Belair	Runner Up	Dr. Britt Baker DMD	2
Joker	Charlotte Flair	19th/3rd Place	Bianca Belair and Dr. Britt Baker DMD	3

Here are the entries for the 24-tag team battle royale

I didn’t give any extra details of who was eliminated by whom because it would be complex, but the final two are Jey Uso and Matt Jackson, and 3rd place is Cash Wheeler.

Color & Entry #	Tag Team	Eliminated overall
Red 1	The New Day	40th and 37th
Red 2	Hurt Business	48th and 47th
Blue 1	Best Friends	46th and 44th
Blue 2	FTR	19th and 3rd
Red 3	Legado Del Fantasma	45th and 36th
Blue 3	JAS	30th and 29th
Red 4	Judgment Day	37th and 31st
Blue 4	Alpha Academy	43rd and 39th
Red 5	Dark Order	42nd and 41st
Blue 5	House of Black	35th and 26th
Red 6	Butcher & The Blade	38th and 32nd
Blue 6	Usos	11th and WINNER
Red 7	Imperium	28th and 20th
Blue 7	Gunn Club	34th and 33rd
Red 8	Young Bucks	10th and RUNNER UP
Blue 8	Acclaimed	27th and 14th
Red 9	Gallus	23rd and 16th
Blue 9	Viking Raiders	25th and 24th
Red 10	Brawling Brutes	21st and 15th
Blue 10	Lucha Bros	18th and 8th
Red 11	Top Flight	22nd and 17th
Blue 11	Street Profits	9th and 7th
Red 12	The O.C.	12th and 6th
Blue 12	Red Dragon	5th and 4th

Finally, here are the entry prediction for the 50 Man Royal Rumble with the final 2 participants in the rumble fighting it out for almost 10 minutes.

Entry #	Men	Eliminated	Eliminated By	Total Eliminations
1	Elias	1st	Damian Priest	0
2	Max Caster	2nd	Damian Priest	0
3	Damian Priest	10th	Young Bucks	3
4	Darby Allin	3rd	Judgment Day	0
5	Finn Balor	9th	Kenny Omega	1
6	The Miz	5th	Jay Lethal	0
7	Dominik Mysterio	8th	Young Bucks	1
8	Sammy Guevara	7th	Eddie Kingston	0
9	Jay Lethal	12th	Adam Cole	0
10	Xavier Woods	4th	Kenny Omega	0
11	Kevin Owens	24th	Bryan Danielson	2
12	Kenny Omega	WINNER	N/A	7
13	Kofi Kingston	6th	Kenny Omega	0
14	Eddie Kingston	13th	Kevin Owens	1
15	Austin Theory	11th	Johnny Gargano	0
16	Matt Jackson	16th	Braun Strowman	1
17	Nick Jackson	17th	Braun Strowman	1
18	Adam Cole	14th	Edge	1
19	Johnny Gargano	23rd	Tomasso Ciampa	2
20	Edge	25th	Tomasso Ciampa	1
21	Hook	19th	Brody King	0
22	Orange Cassidy	15th	Kevin Owens	0
23	Anthony Bowens	18th	Braun Strowman	0
24	Braun Strowman	20th	Brody King	3
25	Brody King	21st	Drew Mcyntire	1
26	Drew Mcyntire	36th	Claudio Castagnoli	2
27	Sami Zayn	22nd	Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano	0
28	Tomasso Ciampa	30th	Gunther	3
29	Bryan Danielson	32nd	Randy Orton	1
30	Wardlow	28th	Samoa Joe	2
31	Bobby Lashley	26th	Wardlow	0
32	Matt Riddle	27th	Wardlow	0
33	Gunther	33rd	Claudio Castagnoli	2
34	Samoa Joe	29th	Wardlow, Gunther, and Drew Mcyntire	1
35	Seth Rollins	49th/Runner Up	Kenny Omega	3
36	Jungle Boy Jack Perry	31st	Gunther	0
37	Claudio Castagnoli	43rd	Hangman Adam Page	3
38	Randy Orton	37th	Sheamus	1
39	Sheamus	38th	Claudio Castagnoli	1
40	Wheeler Yuta	35th	Drew Mcyntire	0
41	Ricky Starks	34th	Drew Mcyntire	0
42	Rey Mysterio	39th	Malakai Black	0
43	AJ Styles	41st	Chris Jericho	1
44	Malakai Black	40th	AJ Styles, and Kenny Omega	1
45	Shinsuke Nakamura	42nd	Hangman Adam Page	0
46	Chris Jericho	47th	Hangman Adam Page	2
47	Hangman Adam Page	48th/3rd Place	Seth Rollins and Kenny Omega	4
48	Mark Briscoe	44th	Brock Lesnar	0
49	Brock Lesnar	45th	Hangman Adam Page, Seth Rollins, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho	1
50	CM Punk	46th	Seth Rollins	0

Making A Lasting Impression

By: Mike Rifkin

The Nashville Predators announced last week that General Manager David Poile will retire on June 30th. Poile is the only General Manager in Predators history and will be replaced by the first coach in team history, Barry Trotz. Poile said, “I am incredibly proud of everything the Predators organization has accomplished during my time—all the wins, our appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, and winning the Presidents’ Trophy. But I am most proud of helping and developing Smashville into one of the best markets in the NHL”.

Friday was the NHL trade deadline, and David Poile has set up Barry Trotz and the Predators with a pleasant future. The Predators added nine draft picks, three roster players, and four prospects at the deadline. The Predators traded away Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm, Nino Niederreiter, and Mikael Granlund. Now the Predators have five first-round picks, six second-round picks, five third-round picks, and six fourth-round picks over the next three seasons. Barry Trotz will have options based on what David Poile did at the trade deadline. Depending on how successful the Predators are with those picks or how they are used, David Poile has left his mark in Nashville.