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Lakers Get Bullied by Ja Morant, Grizzlies in 17-Point Loss

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While the above shot of Ja Morant posterizing Anthony Davis didn’t go in, it basically summarizes how last night went for the Lakers. A younger, inferior Grizzlies team bullied the Western Conference title favorite Lakers all night.

Sure, Danny Green was out last night in the Lakers’ 105-88 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. But, the Grizzlies were without Jaren Jackson Jr, Brandon Clarke, and Justise Winslow; on paper, the score should’ve been reversed. The Lakers had all the momentum on their side, especially riding an 18-game road winning streak against the Western Conference and a 7-game win streak overall. Coupled by the fact that the Carushow (Alex Caruso) was getting his first start of the season and LeBron was riding the high of seeing his son win the CIF Southern Section Open Division Boys Basketball Championship, I thought they’d have so much energy. But, the Grizzlies are fighting for that 8-seed, and clearly wanted it more. 

The Grizzlies got huge games out of Jonas Valanciunas, Dillon Brooks, and Ja Morant. Valanciunas absolutely bullied the Lakers in the paint all night, as he had 20 rebounds and 22 points. With Valanciunas holding things down on defense (15 DREB), Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant was able to do his thing on offense – he combined for 27 points and 14 assists.

Then you have the Lakers, who as a team, combined to shoot just 40.9% from the field. LeBron and AD can’t save the day all the time, and this was another prime example of the weakness of the Lakers’ supporting cast. The other “scorers”: Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Avery Bradley, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, combined for 36 points on the night, which means they averaged 9 points each. Being that neither LeBron or AD eclipsed 20 points last night, these guys need to be able to step up when those two guys aren’t on their A-game. In my opinion, the biggest storyline for the Lakers to come out of last night’s loss is Anthony Davis’s case for DPOY is growing stronger by the game.

Davis added another two blocks and nine rebounds (7 DREB) to his resume, making his candidacy for the award even stronger. LeBron and Frank Vogel have already voiced their opinion on the issue which goes to show that he is already highly favored at this point.

Via Silver Screen & Roll:

Davis currently leads the Lakers in blocks (2.5) and steals (1.5) per game. Davis is also second in the league in blocks per game. Davis has a total of seven games where he’s finished with three blocks and two steals in a game this season, which is the second most in the league. There are only two players in the league that average at least two blocks and one steal per game, one of which is Anthony Davis.

Davis still ranks further behind in several categories league-wide such as rebounds and steals, but his solid defensive play night in and night out make him a solid contender. NBA Canada doesn’t give “Block of the Night” honors to just any schlub.

The Lakers clearly still have some things to clean up, but hopefully a “rivalry” game tonight against the Pelicans will light a fire under their ass and get them to play harder.

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Nia Dennis Has Made Me a Die-Hard UCLA Gymnastics Fan

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I have always thought that gymnasts are the most athletic people in the world. Sure, football and basketball players might be able to jump higher and run faster, but I am almost certain that Saquon Barkley and LeBron James couldn’t nail an Arabian Double Front. And to be honest, gymnastics is up there with swimming and track & field for hands down the best events in the Olympics – but that’s a discussion for another day. However, it wasn’t until I saw this viral video of UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis that I realized justhow electric a gymnastics competition really is.

First of all, if you add “PERIODT” to any video, I’m automatically forced to watch it…those are just the rules. Then I see it’s a UCLA gymnast, which reminds me of Katelyn Ohashi who went viral last year for scoring a perfect 10.0 in competition. After making that connection I knew I was in for a wild ride since it seems like UCLA is a national powerhouse; after conducting some more research I learned that they’ve won seven national championships, further confirming my suspicion. Now that we have a little background, let’s explore why this routine is so lit.

The Music

There’s a reason everyone listens to music when they workout. Simply put, it gets the people going. The most fun sporting events are those that play music in the arena/stadium (basketball, football, hockey, gymnastics). And I mean contemporary music. I am a diehard baseball fan and I would go to every Dodgers game if I could, but they’d be a hell of a lot more fun if they replaced the organ with Young Thug. Now I realize the music is there for the gymnast’s routine and timing, but it definitely gets the crowd more involved and hypes up the athlete as well. Name a time when Crazy in Love by Beyoncé didn’t make you want to get your ass up and dance. You can’t.

The Stunts

Why has hurdling become so popular in the NFL? Why is a windmill dunk the easiest way to get the bench guys to wave their towels around in excitement? People love seeing athletes fly through the air. Enter gymnastics. And I’m not even going to pretend I know the names of the moves Nia Dennis was able to pull off in her routine. All I know is that when I see someone land a double (could’ve been triple) back flip and immediately bounce into a jumping push-up, I won’t be able to look away until the video ends. And the dancing in between the flips is world-class too! She couldn’t just do flips for a minute and a half – that would be insane and nearly impossible. So the dancing provides a nice segue for her to add some pageantry to the routine, interact with/pump up the crowd, and recharge for the next big series of flips.

Teammates Hyping Her Up

One of the most noticeable parts of Dennis’s routine isn’t even about what she’s doing on the floor. It’s her teammates hyping her up on the sidelines. This is commonplace in sports like baseball and softball, but gymnastics takes it to another level. Coupled with the music, I’m sure there’s no better feeling than the people you’ve put in blood, sweat, and tears with all year cheering you on while you’re killing it on the floor. And unlike baseball and softball where your teammates are in the dugout 30+ feet away from you, these ladies are able to get right next to you and cheer/dance/sing. Just an electric environment all around. I literally got goosebumps when they shouted (and I could be way off here) “WOGY WOGY WOGY WOGY”. By that point Dennis was in the zone and she was going to nail the rest of that routine if it was the last thing she did.

The worst part of all this is that the judges gave her a 9.975. If I know one thing about gymnastics, it’s that that routine was a perfect 10. I’ve never been surer about something in my life. Obviously 9.975 is still an impeccable score, but a 10 would’ve added an even bigger exclamation point to the end of that routine. But if I know anything about Nia Dennis (I don’t really) it’s that she’s going to continue to bring that same intensity to every routine and will eventually (if she hasn’t already) get that 10.

So, I am officially declaring myself, as a Los Angeles native, a die-hard UCLA gymnastics fan. Being that the University of Spoiled Children doesn’t have a team (probably because they know they couldn’t compete with MY Bruins) and I am faithful to LA, these are my girls. Even though the no. 3 ranked Bruins ended up falling to the University of Utah in a narrow 198.025 – 198.075 loss, I know that they’ll bounce back and make a deep run in the PAC-12 and NCAA Championships. Oregon State should be shaking in their boots over having to face Nia Dennis and the rest of this UCLA team tomorrow. We’re coming for you, Beavers.

Via UCLA Athletics
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Say Goodbye to Jimmy McGill. It’s Saul Goodman From Here on Out – Season 5 Episode 1 of ‘Better Call Saul’

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After a 16-month hiatus, Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad spinoff series, Better Call Saul has returned for its fifth season. While it is forced to live in Breaking Bad‘s shadow, Saul as a standalone series is one of the best shows currently on TV. It has kept pace with the preceding series revolving around Walter White, focusing on con-man lawyer Jimmy McGill (Saul Goodman). If you’re reading this it’s not too late, as I’m assuming you’re all caught up, so I won’t waste any time going into the previous four seasons. Let’s get into season 5 episode 1, shall we?

The episode opens with present-day Saul, now Gene Takovic (new identity) franticly rushing to his car after he was made by a cabbie in Omaha, who is from Albuquerque and knows “Gene’s” true identity. This is a continuance of the opening scene from season four, and gives us an update as to how Saul is adjusting to life on the run. Obviously paranoid, he races home and skips town for a few days. Upon his return to work at Cinnabon, he sees the cabbie while on his lunch break. The cabbie claims to be a fan of Saul the lawyer and gets him to say his catchphrase.

We have no idea what this guy’s intentions are, and Saul, being a wanted man, can’t afford to have people knowing where he’s hiding out. Saul then calls the vacuum repair man (the late Robert Forster), who you might recall from Breaking Bad, is the best in the biz at relocating wanted criminals. However,  Saul recalls his request and says he will fix it himself, which is code for “that motherf*cker is dead”. If they follow the trend set by the previous seasons, this might be the only glimpse we get of current-day Saul for the rest of the season, which is disappointing to me. As intriguing as the prequel storyline is, I need them to incorporate more post-Breaking Bad Saul into this show. He’s being hunted down by the Feds and is an extremely “hot” criminal- how am I supposed to not want to see more of that? Regardless, it was good to see what Cinnabon Saul was up to, and I hope to be seeing more of him than in previous seasons.

Then we are back to prequel Saul, picking right up from where we left off at the end of season four. He was just reinstated as a lawyer and has decided to change his professional name to Saul Goodman – his alter ego as the phone salesman to criminals. I really thought it would have been a huge reveal when he decided upon the name of “Saul Goodman” but it really wasn’t made to be a big deal at all last season. Like, he never even talked about it. He just had business cards with that name all of a sudden and all of us at home were just like “oh, okay, guess that’s how it happened!”. Either way, Saul has made the realization that he will always be “Chuck McGill’s loser brother”, which couldn’t be more accurate. He has to carve out his own niche in this city, and do it without the connection to his older brother’s legacy.

Lalo Salamanca is determined to continue a legacy as well, that of his family name, which is being threatened by Gustavo Fring’s operations. Lalo’s actions last season has led to the delay of Fring’s meth superlab’s construction, as well as partial responsibility for the death of German engineer Werner Ziegler. Nacho, who is now working for both Fring (secretly) and the Salamanca’s, is forced to admit to Lalo that the meth they’ve been selling lately, which is supplied by Fring, is stepped on. Subsequently, this forces a meeting between Lalo, Fring, and Juan Bolsa.

Fring claims the reason his meth has not been pure is because Werner was overseeing the construction of a “chicken chiller” for Los Pollos Hermanos, and stole two keys from Fring’s operation. This then forced Fring to falsify the weight of his batches by adding foreign substances. Obviously we as viewers know this is all bullshit, only said to cover up the meth superlab he is really building, and while Bolsa believes the story, Lalo sees right through it. While Lalo is not 100% aware of what Fring is up to, he does know about a “south wall”, which he was able to learn about last season in his call with Werner – something that would not be necessary for a chicken chiller.

The Magic Man

Jimmy is now officially Saul Goodman, and he has put on an event to:

  1. Get rid of the rest of the pre-paid phones he has.
  2. Build a client base for his new life as a lawyer for Albuquerque’s hardened criminals.

The best part about this entire scene was seeing how a name change can influence the style of a person. Not that he was well-dressed before, but…let’s just say a red suit wouldn’t have been acceptable office attire at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill. I guess changing his name to Saul Goodman was what influenced the ridiculous color schemes that were his signature in Breaking Bad.

Back to Europe

Now that their boss is dead, there’s really no reason for Werner’s crew to stay, so they are headed back to Europe. Further proving that Gus and Mike are the two most careful sons of bitches ever, they even spread out the airports that each guy is flying out of. They split six guys up throughout four airports, making them drive on their own to Denver, Dallas, El Paso, and Phoenix. The highlight of this scene was when Mike landed a right hook on Kai after he basically said Werner deserved to die. Aside from Kai being a complete prick, before escaping, Werner was Mike’s guy, and he took no pleasure in having to kill him, so disrespecting him in any way wasn’t going to sit well with the ol’ geezer. Safe to say Kai got what he deserved.

After sending the Europeans on their merry way, Mike and Gus discuss next steps in their operation. Gus says he will continue to pay Mike even though they will not continue construction as long as Lalo is around sticking his nose in everything – understandably so. However, Mike is still pissed that he had to take out Werner, so he basically tells Gus he can keep the money and shove it up his ass. Gustavo Fring isn’t the type of guy you say no to, but Mike is also not a guy you fuck with (an outstanding feat for a 73 year-old man), so we know there won’t be any serious retaliation from Fring.

To cap off the episode, we have Saul’s trusty UNM film students (now posing as a TV news crew) rush up on a prosecutor in the courthouse, who Saul claims is prosecuting an innocent man – his client, Carl Gravenhorse. They’re basically just filming a commercial to spread the word about Saul Goodman, but we are also blessed with an iconic Saul Goodman terrible suit color scheme.

Saul then meets Kim (can’t believe I haven’t mentioned her until now) in the courthouse as she is trying to convince her clearly guilty client to take the plea deal she got him. She was able to get him five months in prison instead of years, but he wants to take it to trial to hopefully get off scot free. This guy already has a baby, plus his wife/girlfriend is pregnant with another on the way, and he’s willing to risk going away for years.

So, Saul comes over and starts talking to Kim like he’s from the district attorney’s office, which she is completely against. What I don’t understand is that one moment Kim is all about the scam and then she’s completely against it out of nowhere. Remember last season when she and Jimmy went to Lubbock and switched out the building plans for Mesa Verde? I want that Kim back. But the funny thing is…she still went along with it because it ended up working! However, this exchange between Saul and Kim showed that it might be the beginning of the end for these two lovebirds. And surprisingly, it’s not due to the fact that they have the least sexual chemistry of any couple I’ve ever seen. I don’t know…I just don’t see it. Regardless, it’s  Saul Goodman’s time to shine, and Kim is clearly going to be a hindrance to his evolution as a criminal mastermind.

The episode was also dedicated to the late, great Robert Forster, rightfully so. He will be truly missed by TV and movie fans everywhere, but his magnificent work will live on forever. 

And if you haven’t seen Jackie Brown, that’s your homework for this week. 

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Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling Have to Feel a Little Awkward at Dodgers Spring Training

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I can’t imagine what it must be like for Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling in the Dodgers clubhouse right now. On the one hand, they are staying with the only organization they have ever known, and don’t have to acclimate themselves to an entirely new organization. On the other hand, they now realize that like any other player in this league, they are expendable.

Like I said, the Dodgers are the only organization these guys have ever know. Stripling was drafted by them back in 2012 out of Texas A&M, and has spent the past four years in the Bigs, starting and making appearances out of the bullpen. Joc was drafted in 2011 out of high school, and has been with the big league club since 2014, and a staple in the starting lineup every year. Both of them have played significant roles for the Dodgers the past few years, making it all the more surprising that they had been dealt to the Angels.

But, it was for Mookie Betts and David Price. If it meant parting ways with a back-end starter and career .233 hitter, so be it. I was fine with it, too, if that means anything. But then the deal fell through, and the Dodgers were able to keep both Chicken Strip and Joc. From a career standpoint, it might’ve actually benefited Stripling and Pederson to be traded because they both would have been starters. The Angels’ lineup could have used Joc’s pop, and Stripling is a proven starter who would have been a nice addition to a rotation whose #1 is Andrew Heaney – yikes. But now, aside from them having more competition at their respective positions, they are on a team that was willing to get rid of them.

However, despite the slight awkwardness, both Pederson and Stripling are ready to move on.

They’re handling things the best way they can, and I’m sure could not be happier to still be on the Dodgers. As heavy favorites to make the World Series, it wouldn’t have been easy for them to go to a team like the Angels, who won’t be as competitive as the Dodgers this season. Sadly, now that they were on the trading block once, it’s likely that their names will come up throughout the season if the Dodgers choose to make some moves. And if the Dodgers were to deal away Pederson and/or Stripling and go on to win the World Series that would be completely devastating. But, professional sports is a business at the end of the day, and players need to come to terms with that. All Stripling and Pederson have to do is play well to keep their names off the trading block, and as tough as it may be, they can’t think about the Angels trade.

Rob Friedman has called things “awkward” as well, but management needs to continue to reassure them that it was necessary to get Mookie Betts and David Price – which it was. Plus, it seems like there are no hard feelings between Mookie and Joc…even though he is taking his spot. Gotta love the camaraderie!

 

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Is New NFL Schedule Good for the League?

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Yesterday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote an article saying that the NFL is considering making changes to their preseason, regular season, and postseason schedules. The changes would reduce the preseason to three games, extend the regular season to 17 games, add another team in each league to the playoffs, and eliminate the first-round bye for the no. 2 seeds. Apparently since the NBA (new All-Star game format) and MLB (new postseason format) have made changes to their seasons, the NFL thought they would join in on the fun, so they don’t feel left out. I think I could’ve taken one, maybe two changes across the four major American sports leagues…but THREE?? There just isn’t enough space in my ol’ noggin to wrap my head around another revised season format.  Is this a good idea? Let’s discuss.

I am in favor of a longer NFL season

And the players should be too. What I didn’t mention in the first paragraph, but is in Schefter’s article, is that the players will benefit significantly from a monetary standpoint if the season is lengthened.

As part of the deal now on the table, players would go from a 47% revenue share under the current deal to 48% share at 16 games, and then to a 48.5% share if they go to 17 games, shifting $5 billion of revenue to the players’ side.

This 1.5% increase in revenue share doesn’t seem like much to the naked eye, but considering how wealthy the NFL is, that’s how it translates into an extra $5 billion to the players…or 3.7% of Jeff Bezos’ net worth.

Now that the players are on board, this shouldn’t be an issue for fans. More football is always better than less football (at least during the regular season). Case closed.

Is another Wild Card team what we need?

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) 

If this system were in play for the 2019-2020 NFL season, the Rams and Steelers would have made the playoffs. That’s right. The 9-7 Rams and the 8-8, Duck Hodges-led Steelers would have been the no. 7 seeds last year. That just doesn’t seem right. There’s already such a significant gap in talent between the no. 1 and no. 6 seeds, that adding an even worse team into the mix would be embarrassing. 

Additionally, another playoff team means that only one team would get a bye (odd numbers!). So, as if the no. 1 seed didn’t already have a huge advantage, now they’ll be the only well-rested team in their conference’s championship, plus they’ll have home-field advantage! Not that it’ll be given to them, but it makes the road to the Big Game a whole hell of a lot easier.

Thank God they’re shortening the Preseason

(Getty Images)

The preseason is mostly used as a way to try out players that are clamoring for those last few roster spots. The starters barely play because a preseason game is not worth them getting hurt over, which several teams can agree with. Plus people have been calling for the preseason to be shortened for a while now, so everyone’s happy this has finally come to fruition.

All in all, I like two out of the three changes the NFL is proposing. It doesn’t make sense to have half of the league in the playoffs, as the talent drops off so significantly with those later seeds that I’m sure even fan bases would rather have their season be over than to drag out the inevitable for another week. Only two no. 6 seeds have ever won the Super Bowl, so it’s not like by adding in a no. 7 seed they’re denying too many other “teams of destiny”. But, as I said earlier…more football is better than less football, and six wild card games the first weekend of the playoffs would be absolutely electric. I remain conflicted as ever.

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Giannis to the Lakers Isn’t out of the Realm of Possibility

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In an interview with Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today Sports, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hinted at the possibility of joining the Los Angeles Lakers in the future. The Lakers were only brought up because Giannis’ younger brother, Kostas, is currently serving as a bench player for the Purple and Gold. His older brother, Thanasis, is ON the Bucks, though he doesn’t get much playing time. Regardless, Salmon was inquiring about whether or not Giannis would be open to teaming up with “having everyone together”. To which he replied “I think that would be amazing. Obviously we’d spend more time together, and I’m 100% sure my mom would love that, but if we could team up in a team — Milwaukee, L.A., whatever — that would be awesome.” Not exactly music to Bucks fans’ ears.
Personally, I think Lakers fans need to chill out on Twitter, because this is a very unlikely scenario. The Bucks currently have the best record in the league and are (obviously) in championship contention. The earliest the Lakers would be able to sign Giannis is in 2021, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent However, a lot could happen before then. Most likely, the Bucks throw as much money at him as possible because he’s Giannis. Unless they’ve learned nothing from the Red Sox, there’s no way they part ways with their franchise player in his prime. He is the future of Milwaukee, and if they want to continue to be in championship contention for years to come, the Bucks front office needs to pay him – which they will.
NEVERTHELESS, the Lakers have structured their roster so that they will have maximum cap space in 2021, which is (as you might recall) the same year Giannis is a free agent. With Anthony Davis’ future in Los Angeles uncertain, it’s not hard to imagine the Lakers making a run at Giannis if they fail to sign AD to a long-term contract. Plus, with LeBron getting older, being the star of the Los Angeles Lakers once LeBron is out of the league could be appealing to the Greek Freak. Plus, Southern California’s Mediterranean climate (shoutout Geography 110) would certainly be more appealing to the Athens, Greece native than the blisteringly cold winters endured in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It would almost be like a homecoming.
Again, I don’t think it’s likely that Giannis ends up in the purple and gold, but it’s not technically out of the realm of possibility. Rob Pelinka is already making moves.

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The NBA All-Star Game MVP Award Has Been Renamed After Kobe Bryant

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Tied for the most All-Star game MVP awards all time, the NBA announced they would rename the award after the late, great Kobe Bryant.

The league couldn’t have named the award after a player more deserving than Bryant, who was an 18x All-Star, winning the MVP 4x.  At this point it would, I think the only thing left for the league to do is retire the numbers “8” and “24” (won by Bryant) throughout the entire league. It’s not really feasible to rename the other two major trophies: the championship (Larry O’Brien) or the MVP (Maurice Podoloff) trophies.

Tonight we’ll see the second installment of Kobe-related tributes this All-Star weekend, as the game rules were changed to honor the Black Mamba. In tonight’s game, the “Final Target Score” (as they’re calling it) will be determined by taking the leading team’s total cumulative score through three quarters and adding 24 points (Kobe’s number). I said I thought it would make both teams play harder, and I still hold that belief. But with emotions high and the cloud of Kobe’s untimely death present as ever, these players are going to have to dig deep to put on a show Kobe would be proud of. Now that the damn MVP award is named after him, whoever wins it better be deserving of the honor.

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Cody Bellinger Roasts Rob Manfred, Astros Over Cheating Scandal

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Cody Bellinger got extremely candid about what he thought about the Astros cheating scandal, and what he thought about Rob Manfred’s punishment.

This is what the entire league was waiting for. An extremely relevant Dodgers player giving his real thoughts in front of the media about the disgraced Houston Astros. Guys like Alex Wood and Trevor Bauer, who has thoughts on other topics as well, have been very active on Twitter lately talking about the Astros. But, we needed a guy like Bellinger to come out and speak his mind to confirm what we are all thinking. He played against the Astros in that tainted 2017 World Series. They robbed him and Los Angeles of their first title in 29 years. He deserves to be pissed about this, and Dodger fans finally have someone speaking on their behalf from inside the clubhouse publicly.

However, as bad as the Astros have looked throughout this whole debacle, Rob Manfred and the league office are looking like complete clowns too for how they handled this situation. We all thought the punishment was extremely weak, and yet, only a couple managers have lost their jobs over it. Especially after showing absolutely no remorse through this whole fiasco, players most certainly should be punished.

The only thing I will commend the Astros for is that they are officially the only athletes ever that I have actually hated. And more than just sports hate. Actual hate…something I don’t take lightly. They are terrible people. Yeah they do charity work or whatever, but who knows how much of that stuff is fabricated as well. They managed to keep the biggest secret in sports for years and stole a championship from team(s) more deserving, so I will dedicate the rest of my life to h-a-t-i-n-g them.

By now we’ve all heard that former MLB pitcher Mike Bolsinger is suing the Astros by alleging that they cost him a chance at a longer career. As far-fetched as that might seem, it’s still a worthy point to be made. You never know if you’ll get another shot in the big leagues, and in an outing against the Astros back in 2017,Bolsinger got lit up. He faced eight batters and permitted four hits and three walks in what would be his final outing as a Major League Baseball player. There were also twelve trash can bangs recorded from the Astros dugout during Bolsinger’s outing – the system they used to relay signs to hitters.

The Bellinger video released today, along with the Bolsinger story just adds to the outrage from current and former MLB players. We are nowhere near the end of this drama, and I think the Astros are in for the roughest season any professional sports team has ever endured. The scrutiny will be unmatched (fittingly) and I absolutely can’t wait to see how they handle the relentless heckling.

Devil’s Advocate: This helps with ratings and attendance. I nowwant to go to an Astros game when they come to Anaheim because I want to boo the living hell out of those guys. We’ll have to see how strongly their own fans stick behind them, but I’m sure opposing fans are thinking just like me when the Asterisks roll into town.

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MLB Executives Are Taking Steps in the Right Direction to Grow the Game, but New Postseason Format Ain’t It

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Major League Baseball is considering a shake-up of the postseason format, as reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Here’s how the new format would work:

The team with the best record in both the American and National League would receive a first-round bye, automatically advancing to the Division Series. The other two division winners would host all three games in a best-of-three Wild Card round, as would the Wild Card team with the next-best record.

Three other Wild Card teams would also advance to the best-of-three round, though none would host a game.

The division winner with the second-best record in the league would then get to decide which of the bottom three Wild Card teams it wants to play in the opening round — a decision that would be aired on live television on the final Sunday night of the season, just hours after the regular season concludes.

The best-of-three format in the Wild Card round would set up the potential for as many as 18 first-round games, 12 of which could be elimination games. Every Game 2 would be an elimination game, while a Game 3 would then serve as a win-or-go-home series finale.

As part of the change, MLB would also eliminate any Game 163 tiebreakers, using the season series between clubs to break any ties.

In a league where teams already play a 162-game regular season, executives are considering making the road to the championship even more grueling. I actually started writing this in defense of the league, but the more I wrote, the more I fell out of love with the idea. For starters, I have never been the biggest fan of a first-round bye for the highest-seeded teams. I understand that it’s a reward for having such an outstanding regular season, but isn’t playing the lowest-seeded team (current MLB playoff format) enough of a reward?

I’ve always loved that unlike the NBA and NFL, only the best teams in MLB make the playoffs. Twelve teams make the NFL playoffs (first round bye for highest seeded teams in each league) and sixteen, that’s right, SIXTEEN teams make the NBA playoffs. In its current format, only ten teams make the MLB playoffs, which is just one-third of the teams in Major League Baseball. In reality, it’s more like eight teams, since the bottom two teams only compete in a single game playoff, and not a series.

Another problem teams will face is that their pitching staffs won’t be able to carry the workload of an additional best-of-three series. Teams are already carrying less position players to make room on the roster for more relief pitchers, but this will only exacerbate the issue. With the potential of teams having to play twenty-two games in the postseason under this new format, pitching staffs will be running on fumes by the end of the World Series.

Another change proposed by MLB is to the regular season format. And this one I can get behind.

Via Tom Verducci of si.com: 

MLB realizes that with more teams competing for playoff spots the regular season must be addressed. Such thinking likely pushes it to a more balanced regular season. The current thinking is that every team will play all 29 other teams every year, as in an NBA model. And if and when that concept is embraced, it’s more likely that all teams would be playing by the same rules–including a DH adopted for NL teams.

Interleague play is something I think everyone can get behind. I mostly just want the Astros to have to play in Los Angeles so they can get the living shit heckled out of them, but it would also be interesting to see matchups that wouldn’t normally happen. This is the best way to grow the game of baseball. Get Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger to play in every city and expose every fan base to the game’s greats. And it’s great for ticket sales too. Do you realize how much ticket prices skyrocket when a star comes to town?

Well would you look at that. I’m no scientist, but there has to be some correlation between the starpower on the Kings vs. the Lakers, and ticket prices. So MLB, if this needs to serve as a reminder…it will benefit the league monetarily to re-format the regular season schedule to bring teams to cities in both leagues.

While the new postseason format isn’t expected to become implemented until 2022, the more inclusive regular season should happen as soon as possible (in my opinion). However, it’s clear that the league is taking steps in the right direction to make themselves more appealing to a larger audience. But since it’s still the second-most profitable professional sports league in the world, I don’t think they need to make such a drastic change to an already thrilling postseason.

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Dodgers/Angels Trade Involving Joc Pederson & Ross Stripling Falls Through. Sources Still Not Completely Sure Why.

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Well, it now seems that the Joc Pederson/ Ross Stripling deal for Luis Rengifo has fallen through. After multiple reports from Ken Rosenthal and John Heyman, it is clear that either the Angels or the Dodgers lost interest in this deal after the Dodgers completed their three-way trade with the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. 

As John Heyman speculated, he believes after the Mookie Betts deal was completed that the Dodgers backed out cause they didn’t think it was necessary to go through with the Pederson deal. I could see this as a possibility but also think it could have a lot to do with Angels owner Arte Moreno pulling the deal because he grew impatient, as Ken Rosenthal stated in a Tweet as well. 

Whatever the case may be, the Angels definitely missed out on this deal particularly with Ross Stripling in my opinion. This would have boosted the strength of the Angels’ starting rotation and it is a bummer for Angel fans everywhere that this fell through. 

However, I would not be surprised if they continue trying to move Luis Rengifo since they have a surplus of infielders. Let’s hope they can figure out another way to get a quality arm!

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