Top 5 Moments of the First Quarter of the 2016 MLB Season

We’re about a quarter of the way into the 2016 Major League Baseball season so I came up with an idea to review the top 5 moments from each quarter.  And although the season is only 40 or so games young, a lot has already transpired.  This list is just based on my own opinion, so a lot of you may have other ideas. (Feel free to let me know!) Also, I know you’re probably thinking the Blue Jays/Rangers brawl would at least get a mention but I tried to keep this within the actual scope of the game. Enjoy!

5. Clayton Kershaw strikes out ten in six straight starts.

(USATSI)

Coming in at #5 is the most recent of these moments as Clayton Kershaw strikes out at least 10 hitters in his sixth consecutive game.  Only 4 other pitchers have done this since 1900—3 of which are already in the Hall of Fame.  Over the last 5-6 years, Kershaw has cemented himself as one of the best, if not the best, pitchers in all of Major League Baseball and rightfully so. Meanwhile he continues to back himself up and prove to everyone that he is as elite as they come.

4. Jake Arrieta throws his second career no-hitter.

While Kershaw has been the poster child of the 2010s, perhaps no pitcher has been on a more incredible run since the start of 2015 than Jake Arrieta.  After tossing his first career no hitter last August in the midst of a second half performance no one had ever really seen before, Arrieta followed it up with another in late April.  The 2015 Cy Young Award winner has backed up his breakout season with another strong start, highlighted by this performance against the Reds.

3. Trevor Story hits his seventh home run in first six games.

On April 10^th Story hammered his 7^th home run in just his sixth game, a new MLB rookie record.  His incredible run to open the season put his name on the map of the entire baseball world, not to be soon forgotten.  Too bad the Rockies will never get any decent pitching because their offense is very solid.  Absolute suicide for pitchers in that launching pad of a park.

2. Max Scherzer strikes out twenty.

Roger Clemens. Randy Johnson. Kerry Wood. That’s it. Those are the only pitchers in MLB history to strike out 20 hitters in a single game.  Well, that is until Max Scherzer joined the club last week against his former team in what was easily the best MLB pitching performance of the season.  Scherzer gave 21 a run in the ninth inning after striking out the first two hitters but a ground ball final out kept him from doing so.  Still, to join such an exclusive club has to be a highlight both for him and for fans like us who witnessed it.

1. Bartolo Colon hits his first MLB home run.

“The impossible has happened!!” – Mets play by play announcer Gary Cohen. What a time to be alive. On May 7^th Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon drilled his first career home run to deep left field off of James Shields, and he pimped the SHIT out of it.  Carrying the bat halfway down the first base line was absolute gold, not to mention a 30+ second trot around the bases.  The 42 year old Dominican is always a spectacle to watch, but this had to have been one of the best moments (both for fans and himself) of his career.  Nonetheless, it comes in as the top moment of the 2016 Major League Baseball season so far.

Honorable Mentions:

Giancarlo Stanton hits a home run out of Marlins Park.

Jackie Bradley Jr.’s hit streak

Justin Verlander reaches 2,000 strikeouts.

My Five Takeaways from the 2016 Players Championship

Well another Players Championship has come and gone.  This is always one of my favorite tournaments of the season because in my opinion it’s the event that really kicks off the summer, and also hosts one of the best fields of the season.  Golf’s unofficial “fifth major” witnessed a lot over the course of the weekend, with storylines ranging from the course to the players themselves.  Here are my five big takeaways from the tournament.  Let’s roll.

5. Spieth fails to rebound.

(Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Jordan Spieth walked off of the 18^th green on Sunday at the Masters having blown a five shot lead, highlighted by an all-time collapse on the par-3 12^th hole.  Since then Jordan has been on a month long hiatus, during which we were all introduced to #SB2K16.  The Players Championship was his first scheduled event since the Masters and many of us were unsure of where his game would be.  As I previously blogged, Spieth was my pick to win the Players despite having missed the cut last year because I felt his methodical approach with his caddie would help them navigate around such a challenging course as TPC Sawgrass.  Spieth proceeded to miss his second straight cut at the event after finishing tied for fourth in 2014.  With his early exit this week, Spieth continues to raise questions but I’m not reading too much into this.  As I have also said in the past, Spieth can get red-hot at any moment and there is still a lot of golf to be played this season.  The Players Championship has not seen eye-to-eye with some of the best players in the world, and while Spieth has only played the event three times it may be an event that truly just doesn’t fit his game.

4. TPC Sawgrass: A tale of two courses.

(PGA)

It is always one of the most exciting (and most recognizable) courses in all of golf, with its signature three hole stretch (16 through 18) capping off an overall mentally challenging track.  That being said, it can yield low scores when the northeast Florida conditions settle and we saw just that on Thursday and Friday.  Jason Day (more on him in a bit) set the tone with a course record-tying 63 (-9) to open his Players Championship, but that was just the beginning.  The next day Colt Knost matched Day’s round with a 63 of his own, while Rory McIlroy flirted with the number as well.  However, a bogey on his final hole of the day limited Rory to a 64.  Overall the average score for the first two days of the tournament was 71.06—almost a full stroke under par.

Then Saturday came, and the average score shot up to 75.59.

The biggest factor contributing to MANY high scores on Saturday was the speed of the greens, rolling much faster than the previous two days.  With so many slopes on Sawgrass’ greens combined with lightning fast speed, players could simply not figure out how to make putts when they needed to.  If that’s not enough to convince you, just look at the record 149 three-putts recorded on Saturday by the 76 players who made the cut.  Jason Day, who shot a 75 on Saturday, called it “the toughest day I’ve ever had to play in my life.”  Sunday’s conditions were more feasible, but Saturday will go down as one of the toughest days in Players Championship history. 

3. Sunday drama? No thanks.

(24 Hour Sports)

Over the last several years, we’ve been treated to some awesome finishes to the Players Championship.  Last year especially.  But this year was a bit different as Jason Day had things on cruise control for pretty much the entire back nine, being challenged by virtually no one. His four-shot victory was the largest since 2009. I guess we were due for a drama-less finish one of these years though, but it honestly sucks that it came right after such an electric finish last year when Rickie owned the 17^th hole down the stretch.  While it was still great to see such a talented player like Day close out a victory there, I never felt any sort of real excitement like the Players has given us in the past.  Of course, there’s a great chance next year may return to a truly exciting finish. 

2. KEN DUKE.

(Golf Digest)

What a week for Ken Duke! Five missed cuts on the season and his best finish was a tie for 37^th. WHO CARES? Ken Duke is a great story to anyone that follows golf like I do (so probably no one).  He has been plagued by many injuries in the past and has only one career victory, but has still managed to continue playing on the PGA Tour.  Entering this week no one really thought anything would come out of Ken Duke.  That is until he shot 65 on Saturday at the 2016 Players Championship.  Are you kidding me?! He blitzed the scoring average by ten shots. TEN. He’s 47!  Ken Duke’s Saturday round, which launched him into the second to last group on Sunday, may very well be the round of the year—and one of the best rounds in recent golf history.  Seriously.  On a day where no one could do anything right, Duke came within two of tying the course record at 47 years old. He finished tied for 3rd, his best finish since that lone victory almost three years ago. Spectacular. 

What wasn’t spectacular? The missed birdie putt on 18 on Sunday.  Had it dropped, Duke would have made an additional $430,000.

1. Jason Day continues his dominance.

(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

I think we’re really running out of things to say about Mr. Day at this point.  He now has 7 wins in his last 17 starts, 3 of which were wire-to-wire.  In the last 9 months, Day (among his other victories) has collected a major, two playoff wins, a world golf championship, and now a Players’ Championship. Not bad huh? Not once did Day look uncomfortable or phased this entire tournament, and his game may very well allow him to remain atop the World Golf Rankings for a significant amount of time.  No one on tour may ever be able to copy the type of player Tiger Woods was, but this run that Jason Day has been on (and the way his game looks) has to be drawing some comparisons at this point.  Hats off to him on a great victory.

Tiger Woods Deserves the Respect of the New Generation: Here's Why

On Monday ESPN reported that Tiger Woods had registered for the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont this June.  On the surface this just seems like another precautionary move that Tiger has taken over the last several months to work his way back into the golf world after battling serious back injuries the past couple years.  So what does that really mean? Well, as all true golf fans can only hope, we should see Tiger back out on TOUR at some point this year.  But as the case has been the last two years, we just don’t know when and how Tiger will return. He keeps us talking, that’s for sure. 

Since the start of 2014 Tiger has taken a back seat to rising stars such as Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.  McIlroy and Spieth both represent the next wave of golf, giving the new generation of fans a couple of superstars to follow, just as Tiger had for those at the turn of the millennium.  I’m sure most of you are aware of Tiger’s mishaps off the course six years ago. While his reputation as an individual was severely tarnished, his on-the-course ability understandably went south...but not for long.  What remained though was a public perception that intertwined Woods’ life on the course and off the course, which simply should not be done in any sport. (To be fair, this piece is written solely within the context of Tiger Woods’ playing career, and I do not condone any of Tiger’s actions years ago.  In fact, I can’t even really call myself a true fan of his.  What I do have though is a deep respect for his ability and contributions to the game of golf.) This new generation only knows Tiger Woods as someone who hasn’t won a major since 2008.  Someone who “sucks.”  Someone who should not be around golf anymore.  The thing with Tiger is, whether you love him or hate him he still commands your attention.

The man deserves your respect.  Here’s why:

1. He was on his own level.

(AP)

In 2015 Jordan Spieth won Player of the Year after a stellar performance, winning two majors (while nearly winning the other two), five events total and a FedEx Cup.  It was a year that for a while no one had really seen or even thought was possible.  Many, including myself, were calling it a “Tiger-esque” year.  Why? Well simply put, it was.  And that alone should speak for just how good Tiger Woods was in his prime.  Oh Jordan won two majors? Try four in a row from 2000-2001, most likely the closest we will ever see to the single year Grand Slam.  In 2000 alone he won nine times. NINE. Three of which were majors. With 14 major victories (2^nd all time) and 79 PGA Tour wins (2^nd all time), Tiger redefined the word dominance in a sport filled with inconsistency and mental struggle.  This is why for years I’ve held the claim that Tiger is the greatest athlete of their sport...of all time.  He wasn’t just good. He was ruthless. He was intimidating.  When the red shirt came out on Sunday, you just knew he was going to win and do something special.

2. He made golf athletic.

(AFP)

To be fair, Gary Player was probably the first golfer to actually incorporate fitness into his career.  But he was not American and so it did not resonate with Americans as well as it should have.  Enter Tiger Woods, putting fitness on the map in the modern world of golf.  There’s a reason why so many guys on tour now look so athletic.  They have Tiger to thank for that, and have shown that a fitness regimen can go a long way in honing muscles used to produce a consistent swing that can lead to lower scores.  No one was working out before Woods came on board and now the out-of-shape ones have become the minority.

3. He revolutionized an industry.

(Nike)

One of my favorite things ever when I’m out on the golf course is hearing 27-handicappers talk about how Nike should get rid of Tiger because “he sucks now.”  Yeah you’re right, Nike really should just get rid of the sole reason they’re in the golf industry.  After all what has he even done?  Oh nothing except to help Nike Golf increase revenue by $380 million over a ten year span.  Nothing except pave the way for future stars like Rory McIlroy, Michelle Wie, and Paul Casey (among others) to carry on the Nike legacy.  It's amazing. Besides that, before shit hit the fan, Tiger’s name was on EVERYTHING.  Razor blades, cars, sports drinks, video games, watches, etc.  Tiger proved that even athletes from a non-major sport like golf could still be highly marketed.

4. He transcended golf norms.

If I’m being honest, I don’t know what Tiger’s entire career would have been like if he was white.  While he was one of the most, if not the most, dominant athletes of his era, it was the fact that he did so as a minority that made it truly special.  While golf had seen a few players of different races, it was still predominantly a white sport.  And his talent paired with his race made him the greatest in his prime. 

Tiger also did things with a golf club no one had ever seen before.  Most guys would usually play conservatively but Tiger embodied the aggressive attitude and attempted, often times pulling off, impossible looking shots.  It was absolutely electric to see what he could do and how much of an advantage he had over the rest of the TOUR by not only having the guts to play miraculous shots, but also having the ability to routinely make them look easy. 

213-yard 6 iron from a fairway bunker over water.  Yawn.

5. He still has some game.

(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

While he isn’t the player he was in his prime, nor will he ever be, Tiger has shown us signs of life in recent years.  In 2012 and 2013 he won a combined 8 times, including a Players Championship and two World Golf Championships.  Not to mention shooting a 61 to tie his career low round. I really don’t think this is the end for Tiger and I think he can make a comeback.  It all comes down to getting off to a fast start one week and snowballing it into something bigger.  If he can get on a roll, his mental stamina can pair up with his patented swing to still potentially pull out some more wins.  Tiger does not "suck" when he is healthy, as we saw in 2012 and 2013.  His inabilities have come at the hands of back injuries, something that cannot be taken lightly when it is such a crucial part of the golf swing.  To me he has one or two majors left in him that will most likely come at Augusta and/or maybe a PGA Championship. 

P.S. – Came across this one day.  You could drop 1,000 golf balls in front of me and I wouldn’t be able to hit a shot half as pure as this. Vintage Tiger. 

Five Things I'm Tired of Hearing About the 2016 Red Sox

I want to start this off with a massive disclaimer.  I love the Boston Red Sox, more than most things in my life.  We've been through thick and thin and I've stuck by them through it all.  Maybe it's because they always seem to surprise us.  That's why this blog is kind of bittersweet to write. For all that it's worth, I really hope the Sox make the 2016 playoffs.  I really do.  That being said, I wanted to put this together and discuss these issues from a strictly unbiased, baseball perspective. These are things that I have heard and read that I just simply do not think are true. Some of you may find these takes to be rational, others may find them scorching hot. Nonetheless, these are my thoughts on what people have been saying about the 2016 Red Sox.

1. “It’s way too early in the season to judge this team.”

(Bleacher Report)

Well we’re already into the second week of the regular season and the Sox aren’t looking so hot.  Look, I understand that they’ve only played 7 games.  I understand it completely.  But the ghosts of 2014 and 2015 are already starting to creep back into the picture.  Yes, Dave Dombrowski went out and got his guys: David Price, Craig Kimbrel, and Carson Smith.  Yes, Smith hasn’t pitched yet and both Price and Kimbrel have only had one bad outing each (unfortunately on the same day).  But the rest of the rotation and staff are STILL THERE, and guess what? Once again we find them at the bottom of the barrel, ranking 27^th out of 30 in ERA.  They weren’t just going to magically go away or turn into aces.  This isn’t about this season; this is about the last three out of four years in which the Sox have finished dead last. Any average fan will say that 2012, 2014 and 2015 were fluke years.  Any true fan will tell you that 2013 was the fluke year.  They were not supposed to win the World Series that year but a lot of things just fell their way.   While the 2016 offense has been outstanding, a team cannot be built so that a lineup bails out pitching every night.  It didn’t work last year and it won’t work this year.  Fans have every right to judge this team because the trends are so visible and they have seen what happened and what can continue to happen. As I’ve said before, this is not a playoff team this year but next year should be a much different story when all of this young talent really breaks out.

2. “The Red Sox overpaid for David Price.”

(Winslow Townson/Associated Press)

I really dislike that word in the context of baseball.  Overpaid.  People watch Moneyball one time and all of a sudden they think every team should follow Billy Beane.  Listen, Billy Beane "underpaid" because that was all he had.  Oakland was and still is a SMALL MARKET team.  The Red Sox are a LARGE MARKET team.  This is exactly what blows my mind.  The team needed an ace, and preferably wanted the one who had the most experience and the most success in the AL East, not to mention Fenway as well.  David Price was going to make this type of money no matter where he signed.  The beauty (or flaw depending on your own opinion) of the MLB is that there is no salary cap.  Why would any team who could afford a big time player not go ahead and spend what they can in order to get their guy?  They did not overpay.  They paid him for his dominance in a division they’ve only won twice in the last 20 years.  Furthermore, why are fans so up tight about what teams spend? Higher salaries do not lead to higher ticket prices. In order to get back to a winning season, you have to pay for someone you can build and anchor your staff around.

3. “You can’t really blame John Farrell.”

(USATSI)

The hell I can’t!  Listen, I will always remember 2013 when Farrell led the Sox to a championship in his first year as their manager.  That truly was a special, special year.  But John’s time is up—he has to go.  Farrell is such a poor in-game manager, especially for a team so dependent on its offense right now.  Yes, the moves to start Holt and Shaw have paid off.  But instances such as his inefficient use of the bullpen and substituting Chris Young for Travis Shaw (who has more success against lefties than Young) to face lefties have only compounded his previous record of two straight last place seasons.  The 2013 Red Sox were a team filled with experienced veterans, similar to other teams Farrell had been around in his career up to that point.  Now, the team is much younger and his style of “veteran” leadership has not translated well to on-field success over the last couple of seasons, including 2016.  It’s time for a change, and I think that change is bench coach Torey Lovullo.

4. “The Sox should trade Blake Swihart.”

(Unknown)

Why? Trade the organization’s best offensive homegrown catcher in who knows how long?  To me it makes no sense.  Everyone ripped into Swihart last night after he misplayed a foul ball that would have prevented a game-tying home run. People also constantly denounce his ability to call a game.  Swihart is still very young, and this rotation is filled with veterans (for the time being) who should have the presence of mind to shake him off here and there if they don’t agree on pitches.  The rotation was just as poor last year when he was not the everyday catcher.  Yes, Christian Vazquez is a better defensive catcher and will take over a large workload when he returns.  But for now, I just don't view trading a top-10 hitting catcher in the MLB as the answer. 

5. “Trade Pablo Sandoval for some pitching.”

(Jim Davis/Boston Globe)

Yeah, this might’ve worked a few months ago.  Not now.  Sandoval has pretty much sunken every ounce of value he had left in him with a miserable (and embarrassing) start to the season.  A lot of offseason talk surrounded a possible trade for James Shields as the Padres had been eyeing Sandoval closely.  But with Pablo on the bench making very little of his opportunities, most teams including San Diego have shied away from acquiring him.  A recent shoulder injury certainly hasn't made him any more attractive either.  Unfortunately, Sandoval just isn’t worth enough for the Red Sox to land another pitcher to help boost the staff and at this point it might be best to just release him to free up a roster spot, even though his guaranteed money would have to be eaten.