The Padres fired Bud Black in June and then proceeded by hiring Pat Murphy as the interim manager for the remainder of the year. But we all know that, right? Let me tell you something new. Earlier this week, Murphy was hired by the Brewers to be their bench coach under the wing of manager Craig Counsell. Counsell played for Murphy at Notre Dame and they have remained friends ever since. Murphy has since worked his way up the totem pole after coaching the Arizona State Sun Devils. Before being named the interim manager in June, Murphy was the coach of the Padres AAA affiliate in El Paso, the Chihuahuas. The Padres have been without a manager since dismissing Murphy on October 4. Since that time, The Mariners have hired Scott Servais as their manager. He was the assistant GM for the Angels when his boss, Jerry Dipoto resigned and eventually signed with the M's. Later, just this past week, the Nationals closed the deal in signing Bud Black as their new manager over Dusty Baker. Black, the Padres former manager, inherits an extremely talented team that could come out and win the world series as soon as next year. Will buddy be able to do it? Bruce Bochy went from the Padres to the Giants and have made them a dynasty. Maybe Bud Black will make the Nationals into annual contenders. Meanwhile, after the Dodgers were eliminated from playoff contention, the team decided to part ways with their manager, Don Mattingly. The Dodgers have yet to find a replacement. Mattingly went on to take the helm in the dugout of the Miami Marlins. The Marlins have lots of talent year after year yet never seem to click even with a stud in Giancarlo Stanton and a former player of his with the Dodgers in Dee Gordon. The final managerial hiring of the week occurred in the wonderful paradise of San Diego. The Padres hired former D-Backs third base coach Andy Green to become the seventeenth manager in franchise history. Green is known for his fire, drive and passion for the game. Just view the video above to see what Padres fans can expect on the field. Now I am not going to say that he is the guy to fix the team's issues. Who would have expected this roster to be worse of at this time of year than at this time last year. This lineup was too right-handed, too prone to errors and lacked consistent pitching. Last year there was only one glaring issue: offense. There are so many areas to blame this time around. We'll see how Green handles this team. Just look at the Blue Jays and Marlins of 2013. They both expected to go far with the players they signed but folded under the pressure. Now, two years later, the Blue Jays were this close from a world series appearance while the Marlins are still not doing so hot. Hopefully the Padres can quickly turn this team around and make it to the promised land shortly.
Speaking of the world series, the Royals have taken a 2-0 series lead in convincing fashion. Now the series heads back to New York with the Mets trying to make a comeback. During the NLCS, this team relied on their offense and pitching to run into the world series. Now the offense is nowhere to be found and the pitching is a little shaky. Sure, the Royals are a very balanced team and have the tools to win the world series, which I predict will happen. Tune in all weekend on FOX as each game begins at 8:07 ET. Yordano Ventura takes on Noah Syndergaard in game three tonight.
The first college football playoff rankings are released this coming Tuesday, so who will be on top? As of right now, Ohio State is first, but this might change because their resume is not very impressive thus far. Experts believe a team like Michigan State or Baylor ought to be on top because of the wins they have shown. Another week comes with some intriguing games. Just wait until next week (LSU-Alabama)
- #19 Ole Miss at Auburn, noon ET, ESPN
- Georgia at #11 Florida, 3:30 ET, CBS
- #15 Michigan at Minnesota, 7 ET, ESPN
- #9 Notre Dame at #21 Temple, 8 ET, ABC
- #8 Stanford at Washington State, 10:30 ET, ESPN
Last week we discussed the undefeated members of the NFL. But this week I want to talk about only one match-up. Packers-Broncos 8:30 ET on NBC Sunday night. Both teams are undefeated and both teams have superb defenses. The only advantage is that the Packers have a phenomenal offense to go along with that defense. Peyton Manning will have to use some of his magic at his old age to try and beat the Pack. This seems like a tough challenge...because it is. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
The NBA season has tipped its season! Opening night had some good games with the Cavs falling to the Bulls in Chicago and the Warriors topping the Pelicans in Oakland. The next night's featured games also turned into some nail biters with the Thunder defeating the Spurs in the debut of Lamarcus Aldridge while the Lakers fell to Karl Anthony-Towns and the Timberwolves 112-111 in Los Angeles. Expect more of the same excitement throughout the rest of the year!
Well that should do it for this week. Thank you for reading and for all of your comments. I appreciate it.
Speaking of the world series, the Royals have taken a 2-0 series lead in convincing fashion. Now the series heads back to New York with the Mets trying to make a comeback. During the NLCS, this team relied on their offense and pitching to run into the world series. Now the offense is nowhere to be found and the pitching is a little shaky. Sure, the Royals are a very balanced team and have the tools to win the world series, which I predict will happen. Tune in all weekend on FOX as each game begins at 8:07 ET. Yordano Ventura takes on Noah Syndergaard in game three tonight. 
Last week we discussed the undefeated members of the NFL. But this week I want to talk about only one match-up. Packers-Broncos 8:30 ET on NBC Sunday night. Both teams are undefeated and both teams have superb defenses. The only advantage is that the Packers have a phenomenal offense to go along with that defense. Peyton Manning will have to use some of his magic at his old age to try and beat the Pack. This seems like a tough challenge...because it is. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
The NBA season has tipped its season! Opening night had some good games with the Cavs falling to the Bulls in Chicago and the Warriors topping the Pelicans in Oakland. The next night's featured games also turned into some nail biters with the Thunder defeating the Spurs in the debut of Lamarcus Aldridge while the Lakers fell to Karl Anthony-Towns and the Timberwolves 112-111 in Los Angeles. Expect more of the same excitement throughout the rest of the year!