I have been waiting for the return of baseball since the Red Sox beat the Dodgers in Game 5 back on October 28th. This first week was pretty much what I expected, with some surprises along the way. but My main storylines: Bryce Harper's first series as a member of the Phillies, my Rays taking on one of the best teams in baseball in recent years, the Houston Astros and of course, the Nationals post-Bryce Harper taking on the New York Mets.
The 2019 Regular Season actually kicked off back on March 20th with a 2-game series between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's in Tokyo, Japan. The OFFICIAL start of the season occurred this past Thursday and after the conclusion of some of these games today, I realized that I'm back in my happy place.
To recap some of the notable series, my Rays took 3 out of 4 from the Astros. Game 1, they started off the game with a lead-off home run by newcomer Austin Meadows, but gave up multiple home runs and lost 5-1. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Rays looked like a totally different team, winning the final 3 games of that series and took 3 of 4 from Houston. The Nats struggled their first two games but avoided the sweep by beating the New York Mets on a walkoff home run by shortstop phenom Trea Turner.
Now about the Nationals' ex, Mr. Bryce Harper. He went 0 for 3 in his debut on Thursday, but on Saturday, he hit his first home run in a win over the Atlanta Braves and his home run was a BOMB!!! Harper makes his return to DC on Tuesday as the Phillies battle the Nationals in what is going to be a big night and we will see how he is going to be welcomed. Bold prediction: it ain't going to be pretty.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
What an Elite 8...on to Minneapolis!
The caption says it all: this Elite 8 in this years' NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was one to remember, with all four games having close finals and two of them going to overtime to decide which team would move on to Minneapolis' US Bank Stadium to play in this year's Final Four.
Texas Tech, who was the 3rd seed in the West, defeated #1 seed and heavily favored Gonzaga 75-69 on Saturday. Also on Saturday, #1 seed Virginia defeated #4 seed Purdue 80-75 in OT in the South region. Today, in an all SEC battle in the Midwest region, #5 seed Auburn beat #2 seed Kentucky 77-71 in OT and in the East region, #1 seed Duke fell in a close game to #2 seed Michigan State 68-67.
The Final Four begins next Saturday in Minneapolis. Auburn will take on UVA at 6:09 and Texas Tech will take on Michigan State soon after, where both winners will advance to the National Championship on Monday, April 8th. Virginia will play in their first Final Four since 1984, Texas Tech in their first ever, also the same with Auburn and Michigan State's first since 2015.
If these Elite 8 games were good, one can only imagine if the Final Four will as well!
Texas Tech, who was the 3rd seed in the West, defeated #1 seed and heavily favored Gonzaga 75-69 on Saturday. Also on Saturday, #1 seed Virginia defeated #4 seed Purdue 80-75 in OT in the South region. Today, in an all SEC battle in the Midwest region, #5 seed Auburn beat #2 seed Kentucky 77-71 in OT and in the East region, #1 seed Duke fell in a close game to #2 seed Michigan State 68-67.
The Final Four begins next Saturday in Minneapolis. Auburn will take on UVA at 6:09 and Texas Tech will take on Michigan State soon after, where both winners will advance to the National Championship on Monday, April 8th. Virginia will play in their first Final Four since 1984, Texas Tech in their first ever, also the same with Auburn and Michigan State's first since 2015.
If these Elite 8 games were good, one can only imagine if the Final Four will as well!
Monday, March 25, 2019
America's Pastime is Almost Here!
One day, a student asked one of my former professors how he was doing that day. His response: "It's a great day in America. Baseball is back!"
To this day, hearing that quote totally relates to me. Thursday will be the official Opening Day for all 30 MLB teams and a lot of high expectations are in place for some of those teams!
Here are some questions going into this season. Can Bryce Harper live up to his $330 million contract? Can the Red Sox defend their World Series title? Can the Nationals return to the playoffs after not making it last year?
Some will argue the Nats are actually better than the Phillies because of their experience and amount of talent. One person can't make all the difference (Bryce Harper). It has to be done with the entire team working together.
With that being said, here are some of my predictions. I do, in fact, think the Nationals will be fine without Bryce Harper because I have them not only making the playoffs but defeating the Houston Astros in the World Series in 6 games. How bold is that?! Juan Soto will become the new face of the Nationals post-Bryce Harper and Harper will become the new face of the Phillies. Speaking of the Phillies, I have them making the playoffs but losing to the Nats in the first round.
March Madness...Literally
Yesterday, I saw one of the craziest endings to a game I have ever seen for as long as I have been watching March Madness! Counting the ending to the UNC/Villanova National Championship game a couple years ago, this one is definitely going to be up there!
It took place yesterday between #1 overall seeded Duke and #9 seeded UCF in the East Region Round of 32 in Columbia, SC. The winner of this game would advance to the Sweet 16 here in DC, getting closer to their goal of advancing farther in the tournament. This game also featured a coaching legend (Coach K) and one of his former players and assistant coaches (UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins), as well as one of the greatest players to ever play college basketball.
This game was back and forth throughout the entire game but the real action happened in the last minute of the game. With 14.1 seconds remaining, Zion Williamson was at the free throw line, misses his second free throw, and then fellow teammate RJ Barrett rebound the miss and laid it in, giving Duke a 77-76 lead.
It gets better. With under 5 seconds remaining, UCF's BJ Taylor missed a layup and also the coach's son, Aubrey Dawkins couldn't tip in the rebound, which was literally inches from going into the rim and that would've won the game for UCF! Some would argue that UCF should've won and I was one of those individuals!
Duke wins 77-76 and will play #4 seeded VA Tech in an ACC rematch in the Sweet 16 this coming Friday night here in DC.
It took place yesterday between #1 overall seeded Duke and #9 seeded UCF in the East Region Round of 32 in Columbia, SC. The winner of this game would advance to the Sweet 16 here in DC, getting closer to their goal of advancing farther in the tournament. This game also featured a coaching legend (Coach K) and one of his former players and assistant coaches (UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins), as well as one of the greatest players to ever play college basketball.
This game was back and forth throughout the entire game but the real action happened in the last minute of the game. With 14.1 seconds remaining, Zion Williamson was at the free throw line, misses his second free throw, and then fellow teammate RJ Barrett rebound the miss and laid it in, giving Duke a 77-76 lead.
It gets better. With under 5 seconds remaining, UCF's BJ Taylor missed a layup and also the coach's son, Aubrey Dawkins couldn't tip in the rebound, which was literally inches from going into the rim and that would've won the game for UCF! Some would argue that UCF should've won and I was one of those individuals!
Duke wins 77-76 and will play #4 seeded VA Tech in an ACC rematch in the Sweet 16 this coming Friday night here in DC.
Monday, March 18, 2019
John's 2019 March Madness Predictions
I may not be the best at predicting some of these March Madness games but it is so much fun! With no further ado, here are my predictions for the tournament from the Sweet 16 and beyond! A picture of my bracket will be shown at the bottom too.
East Region (Washington, DC) - Duke over Virginia Tech, Yale over Michigan State in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, I have Duke and Michigan State with Duke winning and advancing to yet again another Final Four,
South Region (Louisville, KY) - UVA over Kansas State and Purdue over Tennessee in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, I have UVA meeting up with Purdue and Purdue pulling off the upset over the 1 seeded Cavaliers to move on to Minneapolis.
Midwest Region (Kansas City) - North Carolina over Kansas and Houston over Kentucky in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, I have North Carolina meeting up with Houston and the great Roy Williams will find a way to coach his Tar Heels past Houston and into the Final Four.
West Region (Anaheim, CA) - Gonzaga over Florida State and Michigan over Buffalo in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, Gonzaga meets Michigan and Gonzaga will move on to another Final Four.
Final Four Semifinals - Duke vs. Gonzaga and Purdue vs. UNC. Winners: Duke and UNC
National Championship Game - Zion Williamson and Coach K's Duke Blue Devils take on coach Roy Williams and his North Carolina Tar Heels in the greatest rivalry in College Basketball for the fourth time this season! In the end, North Carolina will be cutting down the nets in Minneapolis in what I feel will be a really great game!
Happy March Madness, everyone!
East Region (Washington, DC) - Duke over Virginia Tech, Yale over Michigan State in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, I have Duke and Michigan State with Duke winning and advancing to yet again another Final Four,
South Region (Louisville, KY) - UVA over Kansas State and Purdue over Tennessee in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, I have UVA meeting up with Purdue and Purdue pulling off the upset over the 1 seeded Cavaliers to move on to Minneapolis.
Midwest Region (Kansas City) - North Carolina over Kansas and Houston over Kentucky in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, I have North Carolina meeting up with Houston and the great Roy Williams will find a way to coach his Tar Heels past Houston and into the Final Four.
West Region (Anaheim, CA) - Gonzaga over Florida State and Michigan over Buffalo in the Sweet 16. In the Elite 8, Gonzaga meets Michigan and Gonzaga will move on to another Final Four.
Final Four Semifinals - Duke vs. Gonzaga and Purdue vs. UNC. Winners: Duke and UNC
National Championship Game - Zion Williamson and Coach K's Duke Blue Devils take on coach Roy Williams and his North Carolina Tar Heels in the greatest rivalry in College Basketball for the fourth time this season! In the end, North Carolina will be cutting down the nets in Minneapolis in what I feel will be a really great game!
Happy March Madness, everyone!
The Two Great M's: March Madness
Well, it's that time of year again, my friends: MARCH MADNESS! A time of year that brings coworkers and/or friends together. Some people have great knowledge of College Basketball, while some have no darn clue about it as well.
To recap, the four #1 seeds in the tourney this year are Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Gonzaga. Duke, led by their star player Zion Williamson, were the overall #1 seed and will play in the East Region, going through the great city of our nation's capital. Virginia, the #1 seed in the South Region, will go through Louisville, North Carolina is the 1 seed in the Midwest and will go through Kansas City, and the #1 seed in the West Region is Gonzaga, which will go through Anaheim.
Every year on Selection Sunday, one can put up arguments for any teams making the tournament and some being a #1 seed themselves. However, it all depends on team's overall schedule, as well as good wins and good losses being put into affect. For those teams that were close but not close enough to make it into the tournament, they can be selected to play in either the NIT or the CBI, which are still good tournaments, but just not the big dance.
My predictions and my bracket are coming up soon! 👀
To recap, the four #1 seeds in the tourney this year are Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Gonzaga. Duke, led by their star player Zion Williamson, were the overall #1 seed and will play in the East Region, going through the great city of our nation's capital. Virginia, the #1 seed in the South Region, will go through Louisville, North Carolina is the 1 seed in the Midwest and will go through Kansas City, and the #1 seed in the West Region is Gonzaga, which will go through Anaheim.
Every year on Selection Sunday, one can put up arguments for any teams making the tournament and some being a #1 seed themselves. However, it all depends on team's overall schedule, as well as good wins and good losses being put into affect. For those teams that were close but not close enough to make it into the tournament, they can be selected to play in either the NIT or the CBI, which are still good tournaments, but just not the big dance.
My predictions and my bracket are coming up soon! 👀
Sunday, March 3, 2019
The Best Environment in a Sporting Event? College Basketball
I am intrigued to see everyone's reaction for those that read this and hear that last Wednesday, I attended my very first George Mason basketball game as a student. Yes, I know. As a huge sports fan like I am, I haven't attended a Mason game as a student and after I left the game that night, my immediate thought was, "Man, I have really missed out!"
It wasn't my first time attending a college basketball game. I have been to a Mason game before, but it was over 10 years ago and really wasn't too familiar with it. I also attended a Georgetown/DePaul game about 8 years ago and attended the Men's Atlantic 10 Championship here in DC last year after winning tickets.
What made attending the Mason game even better was going there as part of shadowing a feature story for my internship that is being aired at a later date on NBC4. I was given an all-access pass so I was able to go on the court, sit on the media sideline and even better, went to Coach Paulsen's postgame press conference. It was such a phenomenal environment by not only seeing Mason beat Richmond by a pretty wide margin, but just the overall environment. The fans, the Green Machine, the passion of the fans. In my opinion, that is what makes attending a college basketball event in person one of the best in the world.
It wasn't my first time attending a college basketball game. I have been to a Mason game before, but it was over 10 years ago and really wasn't too familiar with it. I also attended a Georgetown/DePaul game about 8 years ago and attended the Men's Atlantic 10 Championship here in DC last year after winning tickets.
What made attending the Mason game even better was going there as part of shadowing a feature story for my internship that is being aired at a later date on NBC4. I was given an all-access pass so I was able to go on the court, sit on the media sideline and even better, went to Coach Paulsen's postgame press conference. It was such a phenomenal environment by not only seeing Mason beat Richmond by a pretty wide margin, but just the overall environment. The fans, the Green Machine, the passion of the fans. In my opinion, that is what makes attending a college basketball event in person one of the best in the world.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Former Nat Moves Up North
After former Orioles star Manny Machado signed the biggest free agent contract in MLB history last week with the San Diego Padres, attention immediately turned to how much fellow free agent superstar Bryce Harper's contract would be whenever he would sign with a new team, since it had been said, according to reports, Harper wouldn't return with the Nats. Yesterday, that entire speculation came into an end.
Yesterday afternoon, Bryce Harper agreed to a 13 year/$330 million contract with the Nationals' NL East division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. With that contract, Harper not only has the biggest contract in free agent history, he also now has the biggest contract in all of sports. His contract includes no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause, according to reports. He will take a physical today with the team and will be officially introduced in a press conference on Saturday.
It just adds to the amount of players Philadelphia added to their roster this offseason: Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, JT Realmuto, and of course, Harper, just to name a few. The Phillies now have 10-1 odds to win the World Series now that they have signed Harper, so it remains to be seen if this team can pull all this chemistry together and be successful.
Yesterday afternoon, Bryce Harper agreed to a 13 year/$330 million contract with the Nationals' NL East division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. With that contract, Harper not only has the biggest contract in free agent history, he also now has the biggest contract in all of sports. His contract includes no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause, according to reports. He will take a physical today with the team and will be officially introduced in a press conference on Saturday.
It just adds to the amount of players Philadelphia added to their roster this offseason: Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, JT Realmuto, and of course, Harper, just to name a few. The Phillies now have 10-1 odds to win the World Series now that they have signed Harper, so it remains to be seen if this team can pull all this chemistry together and be successful.
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