STAMFORD, CT – Strange days in the AL, with the coastal elites beating the hell out of the flyover states in the central. The winner of that division may not be too deserving of a playoff spot… As I write, Deandre Hopkins is still unsigned. Time for the Giants to swoop in… The Miami trade to the Niners for the right to draft Trey Lance looks like a coup for the Dolphins and a huge fumble for the Niners. Let’s break it down.
AL Whooping up on the Central
Have you looked at the AL standings lately? In the East, all five teams are over .500. The Rays still led the way but the upstart Orioles have cut their lead to four and a half games. The Yankees and Blue Jays are lurking at 9 and half and 10 games back, respectively. The Red Sox are one game over .500.
Over in the West, the Rangers lead the way with a 47-30 record, while the Astros and Angels are five and a half and six games back, respectively. The Mariners are two games under .500 while the lowly A’s have already lost 60 games and are 40 games under .500.
Now, the Central. The Twins are in first but only one game over .500, the same as the last-place Red Sox in the East.
Amazingly, 8 of the 10 teams in the AL not in the central would be in first place or tied for first place. The only exceptions are the Mariners, who would be only three games back of the Twins, and the aforementioned A’s. Talk about an argument for baseball to go to an NBA-type conference system! The Wild Card team that draws the Central winner should be in good shape.
Giants Need to Get D-Hopping
I’m surprised that Deandre Hopkins is not getting more interest. He definitely has more tread of his tires. He is trying to get more teams involved, with only the Titans and Patriots being serious suitors. He can’t be too pumped about the unsettled QB situation on both squads.
Joe Schoen: opportunity identified. An outside threat like D-Hop would open things up for Waller in the middle and possibly help the speedster rookie Hyatt find a role as a deep threat.
The Giants would have to create some cap space but it seems worth pursuing. Sadly, we haven’t heard a peep.
Trey Lance Debacle
The Dolphons trade to the Niners allowing them to move up and take Trey Lance is beginning to look like a Herschel Walker-level fleecing. The Niners gave up their first round pick in three straight drafts, plus a third rounder to take Lance in 2021. The first of the first round picks was used on Jaylen Waddle and the next two were traded for Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb.
I know they had to give big bucks to Chubb and Hill, but still, that’s a massive haul, my truckers. If only they had taken Herbert instead of Tua in 2020, we’d be talking about a contender.
And on the other side, the Niners are talking about starting the embattled Sam Darnold over Lance. Checking my notes, yeah that’s not good
Come back tomorrow for Angry Ward – who is still seething over his Vikings and Herschel.
