BRONX, NY – Hey, working from home today on what was a very snowy Tuesday morning here in New York. It was a fast-moving, yet fairly-impressive, storm, and I’m now being entertained by the drone of multiple snowblowers outside my window. As everyone knows, the Super Bowl is over and baseball’s Spring Training still hasn’t really ramped up, so we are smack dab in the middle of a bit of a sports lull. That’s okay, we’ll figure out something to talk about.
Blake Snell. So, the guy who has one of the most boring-sounding names in pro sports also just won his second Cy Young, and he remains a free agent. It probably doesn’t help that his agent is Scott Boras and that they are reportedly seeking a 9-year $270 million deal. But, somebody’s got to sign this guy for something, right? Also no coincidence that Cody Bellinger, another Boras client, also remains unsigned. Matt Chapman? Jordan Montgomery? Boras aaand Boras. So, basically, Scott Boras controls all of the decent remaining unsigned free agents. Guess we’ll see how long playing hardball bleeds into actual hardball season.
Kyle Shanahan. I think I was a tad harsh on Kyle Shanahan the other day when I called out his choice to receive the ball in overtime and the fact that a bunch of his players didn’t know the new rules that both teams get to possess the ball no matter what. Turns out the latter is worse than the former. Your players definitely should know what the heck is going on in the biggest game of the year, but Shanahan opting to get the ball first did have some thought behind it. If both teams scored TDs and kicked the extra point or both kicked FGs, the Niners would have gotten the ball back and the ability to win on their next possession. Once both teams have a shot, next to score wins. Maybe still not the savviest move by Shanahan (the Chiefs probably never intended to let SF get the ball again no matter what) but there’s at least a chance it could have played out that way. So, in summation, San Francisco lost and none of this really matters anymore, but Chris Jones still thinks they’re crazy for not deferring.
Warriors Come Out to Play. Have been paying a bit more attention to basketball, seeing as how the Knicks are somehow relevant and my Warriors have actually played and won a few exciting games recently. Still think they are too old to keep up with the kids on other Western Conference teams, but at least they aren’t riding off into the sunset just yet. When you’ve got a healthy Steph Curry and some other guys that can occasionally flip the switch, you’ve still got a shot… albeit a long one.
As I sit here trying to figure out what else I can possibly write about, you know what used to fill the February void perfectly? ABC’s Wide World of Sports! You could always count on a great episode of The Superstars (who knew Russ Francis was so good at rowing?) or The Harlem Globetrotters humiliating a bunch of guys who looked like substitute teachers or a wildly entertaining boxing match between fighters with nicknames like “The Beast” and “Hard Rock” and “Vampire.” Yessir, Wide World of Sports, we need ya back.
That’s all for me today. Come back tomorrow for Buddy Diaz, who’s probably still miffed about how the Knicks lost to the Rockets on Monday.
