BETHANY BEACH, DE – Yup. You see that dateline?
Yes, I’m at the beach on vacation and still writing my column. Some millennial bump on the log I am, right?
OK, I’m pretty agitated right now with something that happened over the weekend in the sports world. So no witty intro this week. I’m just going to jump right into my latest batch of Ebs’ Hot Takes.
Enjoy!
What was that? So the Battle of Brisbane was an awesome fight. There’s no denying that. Granted if this was Manny Pacquiao of fie years ago this would have been a first-round KO, but that’s besides the point.
What was that decision?
Pacquiao almost had the KO in the ninth round, and honestly, if the round was 10 seconds longer, Pacman knocks out Jeff Horn. Pacquiao was the one landing the punches consistently, not Horn. Sure The Hornet landed some good blows and showed some admiral courage. Heck, it was impressive that he went all 12 rounds. But you don’t win a fight because you show guts and battle back from the referee threatening to end the fight on you.
Pacquiao was the better fighter all Saturday night. He earned the unanimous decision. Not Horn.
To the one judge who had Horn winning the fight 117-111, I ask how? It just doesn’t make sense.
Boxing needed a fight like the Battle of Brisbane. But now the question looms, did this help the sport? Sure, the fight was great, but the decision has left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths.
What a start to NBA free agency! Wow, has it been an exciting couple of days or what? First, Jimmy Butler gets traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. Then we see Chris Paul sent to Houston leading up to free agency. Now Paul George to OKC.
There has been some serious shakeup in the West. While I’m not sure if any of these moves threaten the Golden State Warriors all that much, it could all add up.
I can tell you this much, the Warriors’ path to the NBA Finals has gotten tougher. They’re not going to go 12-0 through the Western Conference again, and at the end it could be the difference.
Not to mention, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ path to the Finals got a whole lot easier. All the superstars left.
Enjoy these Baby Bombers while they’re here. Four of the New York Yankees’ top positional prospects were called up last week, and three made big impacts in their debuts. Miguel Andujar went 3 for 5, Tyler Wade walked and later scored in his first plate appearance and Clint Frazier homered and doubled in his debut on Saturday. Special stuff.
However, Dustin Fowler’s debut was memorable for all of the wrong reasons. The outfielder collided into the wall while tracking down a foul ball. The collision ruptured his patellar tendon and ended his season. But if there’s anyone that can fight back from a serious injury like this, it’s Dustin Fowler.
The question is, are these permanent editions or just temporary?
For the healthy trio, Wade has the best chance at sticking the remainder of the season. He’s a utility guy that can play everything but first base and catcher. However, he could go back to Triple-A when Starlin Castro returns from the DL. Andujar is already back in Triple-A and will likely stay there unless there’s an injury. Frazier has a great bat and will add some spark to the Yankees’ lineup, but even the electric outfielder will likely return to Triple-A when Aaron Hicks gets back.
But it’s extremely likely that these three players will return when the rosters expand toward the end of the regular season, if not before then.
If you’re looking to learn more about this batch of Baby Bombers, here’s some info on Wade, Andujar and Frazier and here’s what Fowler’s road to recovery likely looks like.
Come back tomorrow for Ben Whitney and please follow us on Twitter at @ByDJEberle, @MeetTheMatts & @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
