The New York Knicks have remade their entire team; acquiring Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah from the Chicago Bulls, Brandon Jennings from the Orlando Magic, and Courtney Lee from the Charlotte Hornets. These four added to Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, Aaron Affalo, Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams, and Tony Wooten, that would be great, right? WRONG! Derrick Rose hasn't been able to stay healthy for more than 60 games and he isn't able to score more than 5 assists!
He's working with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, two guys who work to get open for an easy basket, but if he can't pass the ball this makes no sense. Carmelo still can hit the basket from more than 15 ft. out and Porzingis a is 7 ft. three-point machine, but they need a point guard who knows how to pass the ball outside. Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings are not the greatest pair to put on the team either. Brandon Jennings is a guard who only averaged 7 points a game last year. Granted Courtney Lee averaged almost 10 points per game, he only averaged just over 1 assist per game. This team won't work if the big shooters can't get the ball. No, forget the big shooters, the moderate scorers can't get the ball. The Bronx is making a comeback in baseball with Gary Sanchez, but there's no young prospect for the basketball club. Porzingis was the young hotshot, but there's a difference between basketball and baseball. Baseball, unless you're a pitcher, you'll always have chance to show off because you're definitely going to get to hit. Of course Gary Sanchez is a great fielder, but he's the fastest player to 11 home runs in baseball history. In basketball it depends on what position you play. If you're the point guard, you always get to handle the ball, so you can prove yourself as either an independent scorer or a great passer, however when you're a forward or a center, like Porzingis, you need to wait for D-Rose to pass the rock! It doesn't work, especially with a team made up mostly of players close to retirement. Okay, not most of the team is, but they just made a deal with Joakim Noah. He's only 31, but that's old for an NBA player. They sprint up and down the court all game and it takes a toll on a man. I don't think he'll be able to last much longer, this deal makes no sense. Jesse Cook Crazy Cook "The Knicks You Can't Fix" August 28, 2016
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There are five teams at the top of each league and two at the bottom, here's where they were fifty years ago:
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (Toronto Maple Leafs-International League) Currently, the Toronto Blue Jays sit atop the AL East with a pretty 66-51 record, but fifty years ago, they ended their final International League season in Toronto with an 82-65 record and the Governors' Cup. Back then, they were the Triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Famous graduates of that team are Reggie Smith and Billy Rohr, as well as their manager, Hall of Famer, Dick Williams. Billy Rohr, not a great player, only 3-3 in his career, but in his Major League debut, he pitched a one-hitter. With two strikes on the last batter for the New York Yankees, Rohr had a no-hitter, until a base hit to right changed that. The Toronto Maple Leafs in '68 moved to Louisville, Kentucky to become the Louisville Colonels, but five years later they moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island and they've been there ever since as the Pawtucket Red Sox, otherwise known as the Paw Sox. WASHINGTON NATIONALS and TEXAS RANGERS (Washington Senators-Major Leagues) The Nationals lead the NL East and the Rangers lead AL West. There was no team near Arlington in '66, but the Senators would move there in '72. Since they were based in DC and the predecessor to the Rangers this particular faction of the article will be dedicated to both teams. 71-88, they finished 8th in the American League. CLEVELAND INDIANS At a .500 record (81-81) the 5th place Cleveland Indians were not the team they now are. Leading the AL Central by five games over the Detroit Tigers, they will have an interesting postseason run. CHICAGO CUBS Only 58 years into the curse the Cubbies would have an unsavory '66 season. Fifty years ago they stood "strong" at 59-103, tenth in the National League. The ivy in the outfield is seeing better days this year. Maybe in 2016, 108 years since their last World Series win, they'll win, they do stand at the top of the NL Central. Will the show Parks And Recreation be right when in the show's last season, they talk about the Cubs winning the Series? Despite having Hall of Famers Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Ron Santo, and Ernie Banks they still managed to be even lower than subpar. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS Now one game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, fifty years ago they finished 1.5 games behind them (back then rain-outs would be played at the end of the season, but if they made no impact on the final standings the game would not be played). With the stars of Willie McCovey, Willie Mays, and Juan Marichal it's no wonder that the team of San Francisco Bay won a dominant 93 games. BALTIMORE ORIOLES Currently only a half game out of first in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles had an even more dominant 1966 season. Finishing 97-63 (they had two rain-outs, but were nine games above the second-place Minnesota Twins, so the two make-up games were not needed), Baltimore boasted an impressive crew including Luis Aparicio, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Jim Palmer. I wonder who they'd start at third, between Brooks Robinson and Manny Machado, I think it would be a tough choice that we luckily do not have to make. Later that year, with Frank Robinson as the series' MVP, the Baltimore Orioles would claim the title of "World Champions." LOS ANGELES DODGERS They're the first Wild Card spot, half a game out of first place in the NL West, and the National League champion of fifty years ago. That's right, beating out their rivals from San Francisco Bay, the Los Angeles Dodgers faced off for the World Series with the Baltimore Orioles, losing four straight. Despite, in Game 2, Sandy Koufax giving up four runs in six innings, and eventually the team losing 6-0, the Dodgers picked up, only letting up to the O's 1-0 in the next two games. Claude Osteen pitched a wonderful Game 3, only faltering to Paul Blair in the fifth for a home run. Don Drysdale lost Game 4 only on a third inning Frank Robinson home run. LA is hoping to make it back to the series this October, but they're also hoping for a different result. BOSTON RED SOX Currently one and a half games ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the second Wild Card spot, the Boston Red Sox have higher hopes than they did fifty years ago. Fifty years ago they boasted an "impressive" 72-90 record in 9th place in the American League. Despite having Jim Lonborg in their starting rotation and having a masterful lineup including Tony Conigliaro and a Hall of Fame left fielder, Carl Yastrzemski, the BoSox were a disappointment to their fans, the Fenway Faithful as they're often called. Only 48 years into the 86 year curse that would end in 2004, Fenway Park, only 54 years old at the time (currently 104 years old, the oldest Major League ballpark), had seen better days... Those days are being seen this year. In contrast to Lonborg, Conigliaro, and Yastrzemski, Beantown now is happy to show off David Ortiz, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Andrew Benintendi, Brad Ziegler, David Price, and Craig Kimbrel. Boston's chances at the playoffs this year, in 2016, are optimistic. MIAMI MARLINS (Miami Marlins-Florida State League) Operating at 61-56, the name of Miami Marlins baseball is known nationwide, but fifty years ago it was barely known outside the state of Florida. Affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles, the Miami Marlins finished fourth in the entire Florida State League with a 75-63 record. While they have Dee Gordon, Adeiny Hechavarria, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Ichiro Suzuki, and Jose Fernandez on the 2016 team, only five of the '66 Miami Marlins ever made to the Major Leagues. TAMPA BAY RAYS (Tampa Tarpons-Florida State League) Second to last in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays are terrible, however fifty years ago, the Tampa Tarpons of the Florida State League finished dead last. The Cincinnati Reds Single A affiliate had a 47-94 record. Their current record is not much to brag over, though: a "strong" 47-69. Jake Odorizzi, Kevin Kiermaier, Evan Longoria, and Chris Archer are the most impressive names on the Rays roster, but there were no future Major Leaguers on the 1966 Tampa Tarpons. They haven't been impressive this year, nor were they fifty years ago. CINCINNATI REDS 48-68 in 2016, the Cincinnati Reds have not been much to look at, but back in '66 they were only 7th in the National League, not 14th, with a 76-84 record. They still had in their bullpen Joe Nuxhall and Milt Pappas, Pappas who the team got for Frank Robinson. They also had these two young, kind of okay players, one at first base, one at second, their names were Tony Perez and Pete Rose. Of course now, the Cincy Red Legs are rebuilding their team, yet not around Pete Rose and Tony Perez, but Adam Duvall and Billy Hamilton. MINNESOTA TWINS At 89-73, the Minnesota Twins trailed the first place Baltimore Orioles by nine games in 1966. If the '66 team's star, Harmon Killebrew, was still alive, he'd probably be horrified by the current team! Last in the American League, the Twins somehow are chasing the 14th place Tampa Bay Rays and still behind them by over one game! The 2016 team is nothing to look at, but their farm system is hoping to amend that in coming years. ATLANTA BRAVES Last place in all of baseball, the Atlanta Braves stink. They made a rather confusing trade at the deadline with the San Diego Padres to trade their outfielder, Hector Olivera, for Padres' outfielder, Matt Kemp. Both players are the same age and they hit roughly the same, however I guess the plan is for the Braves to rebuild their team around Kemp. That's their only glimmer of hope for the future, but back to the past, in 1966 they were fifth place in the National League with an 85-77 record. They had stars like Phil Niekro, Sandy Alomar, Felipe Aloud, Joe Torre, Eddie Mathews, and the Not-On-Steroids Home Run King, Henry "Hank" Aaron. Despite what their placing may say about them, not a bad team, eh? Atlanta's experienced quite a change over the last fifty years. As you can plainly see, the league was a very different place fifty years ago, but this season will be one for the books. Jesse Cook Crazy Cook "August 13, Division Leaders, Where Were They Fifty Years Ago?" August 14, 2016 Bo Jackson, Dion Sanders, and Tim Tebow? You heard me, right; Tim Tebow will tryout in front of Major League scouts to prove his baseball worthiness. Seems like a bit of a stretch for him, doesn't it? Well, let's look at the facts:
He's very athletic and that's very useful in baseball. He's been training for about a year. In High School, he made the all-state team for Florida, a great producer of baseball players including Billy Butler, Wade Davis, Jacob DeGrom, Ian Desmond, Josh Donaldson, Dee Gordon, Zack Grenkie, Eric Hosmer, Jonathon Lucroy, Manny Machado, Andrew McCutchen, Andrew Miller, Daniel Murphy, Mike Napoli, Anthony Rizzo, Chris Sale, and Addison Russell. Now, let's look at all the facts: He couldn't make at football, the sport he trained for his entire life, why should he be any good at baseball when he's only been training for the past year? He was good in High School, eleven years ago! Who cares how good he was in High School, the competition is much harder even in Single A! His football career is viewed as a joke, anyway; he only got lucky in 2011 with the Denver Broncos making the playoffs. Tebow's fame merely spawns from him having been an okay NFL quarterback at one point, who believed strongly in the Christian faith and broke up a few of Aaron Hernandez's bar fights in college. I don't think he'll be any good at baseball, so why doesn't he go back to the NFL and try to make it as a backup quarterback? He's made good enough money in the NFL, why does he need the MLB to juice up his bank account even more? What, does he think it'll be a "fun, new challenge?!" Is fun to find out you stink at yet another sport? Is this a publicity stunt? The dude's embarrassing himself, he's already the butt of many jokes! I liked him better as the sports analyst, what in God's name happened to his brain here? The competition's way too advanced, he'll be struggling to make the bench of a Rookie Ball team. The answer to "seems like a little bit of a stretch, doesn't it?" is, yes, of course it is! It's a huge stretch! If he didn't think football was a sufficient sport, anymore, fine, but couldn't he stick to being on talk shows?! Tim Tebow is not cut out for baseball, and I'll be truly surprised if I can find anybody who thinks he is. Jesse Cook Crazy Cook "The Tebowpacolypse Descends Upon The MLB" August 9, 2016 Yesterday, Sunday August 7, 2016, Alex Rodriguez announced that he would play his final game next Friday, August 12. We don't yet know what his career stats will be after Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, however the 696 home runs he has currently, compared to his two convictions of PED use raise speculation over what the writers will view of A-Rod's career.
Rodriguez holds a candle to many of the over 300 Hall of Fame baseball players, however would he do so without the aid of steroids? He was suspended for the entirety of the 2014 season due to his abuse of the drugs, but that was for his second offense! He admitted to having used performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003; Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa had been in the home run race in 1998. They'd been using them in '98, yet A-Rod was still using them 3 years later. Seems a little fishy, huh? Yes, in a way, it's fishy, but what we know Pete Rose did was a little fishy. What A-Rod did was just down-right against the rules of the MLB! If he used it once (well, by once I mean he had been juicing himself up for only a period of time that we know of, and it had been only in effect then), early on, fine I guess you can let it pass, I mean he admitted to it and lots of guys did back then without the knowledge of the public. The cover up is worse than the crime and Rodriguez didn't try to cover it up, but while it seems okay to let it go, it's still recorded as an offense. A first offense means that there should be a harsher sentence for a second offense. Wouldn't that give the player cause to not to commit the crime again? In most cases, yes, but A-Rod thought that if almost a decade had passed, he must be fine. What went on in his head when he used PEDs for the second time, who knows? To me, it's pretty mindless to use steroids in the first place, but it's just a malarkey to do it again, especially after having been caught the first time. But of course, Rodriguez must not have thought so! Does this lack of thought disqualify him from the chance at immortalization in Cooperstown? Well, I think that depends on whether or not Barry Bonds is accepted. Bonds used steroids and everybody knows it, yet he holds the all-time home run record at 762. Number 13 has hit only 66 home runs less than the San Francisco Giants star. Is it fitting that Rodriguez would announce his retirement exactly 9 years after Bonds would break the home run record? It's probably merely coincidental, but these two players share some similarities. Both players are in the top four for career home runs, both players might have had a shot at the Hall of Fame if they had played without the use of PEDs, both players were greatly celebrated by the fans of their teams, and they were both admired as young players. The greatest similarity between the two is their fatal mistakes, that they made the wrong choices when if they both said "no," they might still hold incredible records. While the future of the Mariners and Rangers shortstop and Yankees third baseman will be determined by the writers, I believe it really rests in the fortune of Barry Bonds. It's like squares and rectangles; a rectangle is a square, yet a square is not necessarily a rectangle. If A-Rod ends up in the Cooperstown, that means Bonds has gotten there already, but if Bonds is there, that doesn't mean Rodriguez will be. It's not their stats at stake, it's the validity of how they achieved them, and when push comes to shove, that's how their careers will be judged. Jesse Cook Crazy Cook "And What Of A-Rod's Future?" August 8, 2016 This week may be the most historic week in baseball history. We'll start with last Thursday:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 August 4, 1985: "O.J. Simpson, not a Jew, but you know is, Hall of Famer, Rod Carew!" Adam Sandler's iconic performance on Saturday Night Live is not what's being commemorated, however one of the subjects of the verse, Rod Carew, is. He stepped up to the plate against his former team, the Minnesota Twins, and singled to make himself the sixteenth member of the 3,000 hit club, the first player to hit the record 3,000 with an expansion team, the California Angels, and the first player born in a foreign country to hit 3,000 hits. August 4, 1985: Rod Carew's record only made the day more special because it was paired another record on the same day, Tom Seaver's 300th win. On a road trip with the White Sox from the south side of Chicago, Tom Seaver would take the mound with 299 wins under his belt. In a 4-1 victory against the New York Yankees, August 4, 1985 would become a very historic day for baseball when Rod Carew joined the 3,000 hit club and when Tom Seaver joined the 300 win club. August 4, 2007: The 500 home run club would welcome its youngest member on August 4, 2007, twenty-two years to the day after the heroics of Rod Carew and Tom Seaver. Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees became the twenty-second player to record the historic number when he smashed a three-run bomb off of Kyle Davies of the Kansas City Royals. FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 August 5, 1969: Hall of Famer Willie Stargell would crush the first home run out of Dodger Stadium to mark an important moment in Los Angeles Dodgers history. It would go 506 feet and 6 inches to right field for the Pittsburgh star off of Alan Foster. Very few people can say that they hit a ball more than 500 feet. The famous red seat at Fenway Park marks Ted Williams' 502 foot homer, and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins would hit a 504 foot bomb in Denver earlier this week. August 5, 1999: Mark McGwire's home run August 5, 1999 joined the many historic moments in baseball history because McGwire became one of the few with 500 home runs. The St. Louis Cardinals star crushed a bomb off of San Diego Padres pitcher Andy Ashby to solidify his place in the history books. August 5, 2007: At Wrigley Field in 2007, the New York Mets would face the Chicago Cubs. Tom Glavine, about to take the mound, looking for a place in the history books as a 300 game winner, would complete his task. And what timing?! 22 years and one day after Tom Seaver would pitch his 300th win, this day could be something special. Though on the road, pitching at a historic stadium, Tom Glavine would not be phased. He would receive the credit for an 8-3 Mets win and he would have his place in history as a 300 game winner. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 August 6, 1999: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Québec, would mark the spot where Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres would hit his 3,000th hit. A smash up the middle to center field would make the career Padre the first player in baseball history to achieve the record outside of the United States. SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 August 7, 1999: Wade Boggs of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays would become the first player in baseball history to hit a home run for his 3,000 hit as he smashed a ball at the Trop off of Chris Haney of the Cleveland Indians. Only Derek Jeter, 2011, and Alex Rodriguez, 2015, would follow in his footsteps of a home run for their 3,000th hit. August 7, 1999: An eventful week in just that year, for Frank Thomas would smash a home run to become the 84th player in baseball history to hit 300 home runs. Though his White Sox would fall to the Oakland A's, the record still stands as a quite impressive feat for the Hall of Fame hitter. August 7, 2004: At SBC Park, San Francisco, California, home of the San Francisco Giants, Greg Maddux of the Chicago Cubs would become one of the few pitchers to pitch 300 career wins. The 8-4 victory would make the great righty grin, knowing he'd done something great. August 7, 2007: It's quite a feat to hit 755 home runs, (Henry Aaron did that), but it's something else to hit 756 home runs, (Barry Bonds did that). Immediately he knew that ball was gone. Three years to the day after Greg Maddux would pitch his 300th win, Barry Bonds would become the foremost home run hitter in baseball history, in the same exact ballpark. The lifelong Giant would set the record by smashing a fastball pitched by Mike Bascik of the Washington Nationals to right-center field. August 7, 2016: Boston Red Sox playing against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The final season for two greats, one on either side. They'd never met before this date. The BoSox DH, and the iconic voice of the Trolley-Dodgers meeting for the first time now shows that it's the end of an era. David Ortiz, the man who holds the record for most home runs by a Boston player, has made himself a beloved figure, not just in New England, but throughout baseball. Vin Scully, the man whose voice is often imitated, but never equaled, has been the voice of the Dodgers since they were in Brooklyn and is one of the best known names in all the majors, though he never played in them. The two met on camera in the Dodgers broadcast booth and had a wonderful discussion about baseball, their lives, but they talked most about their pure admiration for one another. An iconic meeting on an iconic date truly conveys that one of the greatest ages of baseball is coming to an end. August 7, 2016: After a historic, however controversial, career, Alex Rodriguez announced his retirement. He said he'd finish his career the ensuing Friday, August 12. He'll finish his career at Yankee Stadium, against the Tampa Bay Rays, the team he'd played against in his first game as a Pinstriper. Of course, the day before that, he'll play against his hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park, another place where so much of A-Rod's career had taken place. August 7, 2016: In Denver, Colorado, up in the Rockies, against the Rockies, at Coors field, Ichiro Suzuki would make history. Earlier in the day, A-Rod had announced his retirement, but of course on the same day, Ichiro said he wanted to play until he's at least 50 years old. The current 42 year old, after an 0-3 first few innings would step up to the plate for the Miami Marlins and smack the ball over the glove of Colorado Rockies' right fielder, Gerardo Parra, for a triple. He would then follow in the footsteps of Paul Moliter for becoming the second player in MLB history to triple for 3,000th hit. Ichiro's stats from his career in Japan, combined with his stats from the Major Leagues, have his hits add up to more hits than Pete Rose (the all-time MLB hit leader at 4,256). Becoming the first Japanese Major Leaguer to accomplish the 3,000 hit feat, the longtime Seattle Mariner, former New York Yankee, and current Miami Marlin, Ichiro will most likely turn out to be the first Hall of Famer from Japan. This has been a historic week throughout baseball history. From August 4 to August 7, from 1969 to 2016, we can only watch for future years to see what else this week will bring. Jesse Cook Crazy Cook "This Week In Baseball" August 8, 2016 What to do, what to do? January 9, 2016, a day that shall live to make complete fools of Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pac-Man" Jones. The Cincinnati Bengals versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Bengals could win their first playoff game since late in 1990, and "Oh my!" they have to do it with their backup quarterback, A.J. McCarron, instead of Andy Dalton. Complete underdogs! This extreme motivation must rile up the team to make sure that they win! Oh, how they got riled up?! So riled up that all this momentum goes to waste.
It's 16-15, Bengals on top late in the fourth quarter, the game is virtually over, for with under two minutes left, Cincinnati has the ball! All they need to do is run out the clock and not do anything stupid! Oh my, oh my, oh my, it seems so easy, doesn't it? NOPE. Okay, so Jeremy Hill fumbles the ball into Steelers hands. Fine, it happens, but the least the defense can do is pick him up by stopping the Pittsburgh club, dead in their tracks, out of field goal range, right? NOPE. Pittsburgh passes the ball downfield, and about twenty to twenty-five yards out of field goal range there's a football version of a bench clearing brawl. Not much goes on except for the hot-headed antics of Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones. You know, when you play the game, you don't often enter the mode when Pac-Man and his friend, Bur-Fict, have to beat the ghosts and punch the coaches. As they say, "You play to win the game!" Did Burfict or Jones do this? NOPE. They focused on their own personal image(which did they improve or even maintain as relatively good? NOPE.), and their own personal gain. It's just disgraceful! You have your team, just about to win their first playoff game in just over twenty-five years, and two guys singlehandedly blow it for the other players, coaches, and fans of the team. The players receive personal fouls, one each of them, totally a thirty yard gain for Pittsburgh. Now, they're in field goal range, they hit the field goal, and now Cincinnati has the ball, again, however there's too little time left for them to go eighty yards downfield and score. So, the Steelers win 18-16. You'd think Burfict and Jones would be reprimanded! NOPE. It's now training camp and the Cincy football team has a chance to boot these guys off the team. There's only one problem. They're good at the sport, which gives upper management a difficult choice to make. Skill with bad behavior, or finding new talent with good behavior. I, personally, believe that new talent with behavior that won't cost you a playoff game is the way to go. These morons have had their second chances. They've done idiotic stuff like this before and Cincinnati last year was their chance to recover. Last year was their last chance, and they failed! They can't be trusted to act like adults and they need to be released from the roster! Cincinnati needs to move on and move them out. Jesse Cook Crazy Cook "What To Do About Burfict And The Pac-Man" August 3, 2016 Yes, the MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and here's who won, and who lost:
TEXAS RANGERS The Texas Rangers had a definite win, yesterday. They acquire catcher, Jonathan Lucroy and closer, Jeremy Jeffress from Milwaukee, and outfielder, Carlos Beltran from the Yankees. These deals make the remainder of the MLB season, a cake-walk for Texas. Their already fantastic offense just got a boost, and like Washington and Chicago in the National League, they just got an upgrade at the closer spot. Sam Dyson's been excellent, with 22 saves, but I see no reason for the Rangers to have made the trade if they don't want Jeffress at the closer position. Anyhow, the man has 27 saves, so it's pretty clear, the Rangers are winners. ATLANTA BRAVES Uh, what? Yeah, the Atlanta Braves traded Hector Olivera to the San Diego Padres for Matt Kemp. Why? That's a valid question; Olivera, 31 years old, outfielder, Kemp, 31 years old, outfielder. The answer is, I don't quite know. My only justification for San Diego is Kemp's pay. He gets paid much more than Olivera. Which, again, raises the question for Atlanta, "Why?" I guess the Braves want to rebuild around Matt Kemp. But, why Matt Kemp? Aging and talent-decreasing Matt Kemp? Atlanta lost here, but not by much, yet still, it's just weird. All I can say, is "What?" BOSTON RED SOX The Red Sox traded the nervous wreck, Pat Light, for a Fernando Abad, an actual major league pitcher! The BoSox definitely won at the deadline. They made one minor trade, but held onto their best players and prospects. It would have been a mistake to trade Andrew Benintendi, Yoan Moncada, and Rafael Devers, so Red Sox Nation, you can breathe easy, now, your future is safe. The Beantown club won, and they won big. CHICAGO WHITE SOX This was a loss for the Chicago White Sox. No, they didn't trade anyone, but that's my issue. There were so many teams willing to give them so much for Chris Sale, but they sat idly by, and four o'clock came and went, and nothing happened. Jose Quintana and David Robertson would also have gone on the market for a lot, however, nothing happened. Teams were willing to give them an arm and a leg, but nothing happened. I just don't get it! Teams disregarded the whole Chris Sale cutting up the jerseys issue! The White Sox need to rebuild and this was there chance. The White Sox blew it. CLEVELAND INDIANS Cleveland landed Andrew Miller and Brandon Guyer. Granted, they missed out on Jonathon Lucroy, due to his no-trade option, but they have the pieces, right now. Andrew Miller is the arm they need in the pen, and Guyer is an added boost to their lineup. The Tribe won in the final minutes. CINCINNATI REDS The Red Legs have been abysmal at the deadline, the last few years. Sure, they finally did something and made a wonderful deal by trading Jay Bruce for some New York Mets minor leaguers, but they still have not traded away Joey Votto or Brandon Phillips. They could've gotten something for those guys, but you look at this, and they're minor league system has next to nothing going for them. They need to start building around Adam DuVall and Billy Hamilton, yet here they still have the aging and injury-prone Votto and Phillips. Cincy lost, and they made minimal gain. LOS ANGELES DODGERS The Dodgers didn't so much win at the trade game, however acquiring Josh Reddick is no small victory, but sending down Puig is, in my mind, one of the smartest actions they've made all year. That's why getting Reddick is so important. They're out an outfielder due to the need to send Yasiel Puig to the minor leagues. LA won, and not just at the trade, they won for moral! SAN FRANSISCO GIANTS Who is running this organization that didn't get a closer at the deadline?! Sure, kicking Sergio Romeo out of the top spot, but why Santiago Casilla? There's a reason that Casilla didn't hold the spot for a while, he was tested, and he failed. After the 2014 World Series, something just went wrong. They need a closer if they want to win the 2016 World Series. The Chicago Cubs made the deal for Aroldis Chapman, the Washington Nationals made the deal for Mark Melancon; their two top contenders have got it down, why don't they? The Dodgers are only two games back, and they made the deal for Reddick, sent down Puig, and they've got a good closer in Kenley Jansen. Santiago Casilla needs to be amazing, or else the Dodgers will take the NL West, and the Giants will have lost at the deadline. SAN DIEGO PADRES The Padres managed to get rid of Matt Kemp, Andrew Cashner, and Colin Rea for young prospects. Okay, for Kemp they got an almost exact duplicate in Hector Olivera, the only difference is that Olivera gets paid way less, so an overall win there. And, they managed to trade Cashner and Rea to the Miami Marlins for prospects! This is exactly what they need! They can use them to build the team around Wil Myers. As an added bonus, they traded away Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox for Anderson Espinoza, an eighteen year old flame-thrower! San Diego will not win a title this year, but due to this victory at the deadline, I expect to see them make a great run for one in soon years. DETROIT TIGERS Nothing. Nada. No trades, from a contending team? They're only one and a half games out of the second wild card, behind Toronto, and they're only four games out of first in the AL Central. They could've dealt out prospects for someone like Chris Sale or Jeremy Hellickson, but they jeopardized their chances by not doing a thing. The Tigers lost by not making any deals. WASHINGTON NATIONALS and CHICAGO CUBS The Nationals and Cubs go together because they made similar trades, for players of similar caliber. Cubbies trading for Aroldis Chapman and the Nats making the deal for Mark Melancon basically wrap up the NL Central and East divisions. These two teams were leading by the ninth inning, and they got the guys to close out the win at the deadline. These teams are the winners and the losers at the trade deadline. Obviously, this is based somewhat on my opinion, yet it is mainly based on fact. In conclusion, this is my take on the future of this season, and the future years of this game, based on the outcome of the MLB 2016 trade deadline. Jesse Cook Crazy Cook "Who Won And Who Lost At The MLB Trade Deadline" August 2, 2016 |
AuthorJesse Cook: High school junior. Does play-by-play for the Sharon Varsity Eagles softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football teams. Fanatic of the Boston and Cincinnati teams in the Big Four sports. Designs graphics of athletes, politicians, and musicians at Picsart.com. Archives
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