With six games on tap tomorrow with both teams in the top-25 and two games featuring teams within the top ten. Looks to be an exciting weekend! We have seen lately how teams have been in high contention for the playoff. The ideal example of this LSU. The Tigers came into their game against Alabama as favorites not only to win that game, but also represent the SEC in the college football playoff. Now that they lost that game, the Tigers were trounced at home against unranked Arkansas 31-14. So shoutout to you top four (Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame): your turn could be next. Here are your big weekend games:
- #21 Memphis at Temple, Noon ET, ESPNU
- #15 LSU at #22 Ole Miss, 3:30 ET, CBS
- #24 USC at #23 Oregon, 3:30 ET, ESPN
- UCLA at #13 Utah, 3:30 ET, FOX
- #20 Northwestern at #25 Wisconsin, 3:30 ET, BTN
- #9 Michigan State at #3 Ohio State, 3:30 ET, ABC
- #10 Baylor at #6 Oklahoma State, 7:30 ET, FOX
- #18 TCU at #7 Oklahoma, 8 ET, ABC
- Cal at #11 Stanford, 10:30 ET, ESPN
The ML offseason is in full swing! Following the GM meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, things across the league have quieted down quite a bit. Even the Padres and A.J. Preller have been relatively quiet. They have signed a new first base coach along with a new hitting coach after Mark Kotsay went to Oakland to be the A's bench coach. The new first base coach will be Tarrick Brock, a former minor league coordinator for the Houston Astros. Alan Zinter was hired to be the new hitting coach after Kotsay. His previous position was the assistant hitting coach of the Astros. I would like to see some consistency with these coaches one of these days. Hopefully the motivation of Zinter and new manager Andy Green will propel these Padres to a better record next year. I believe things will work out to where we will finish above .500 and be poised at a playoff chase in 2017. Who knows, maybe we'll contend next year now that Preller now has all this money to spend for 2016. In terms of player signings, the Padres have claimed Josmil Pinto off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. The Padres also signed righty Cesar Vargas who spent last season in the Yankees organization. Vargas carries a career 3.12 ERA in 173 career minor league innings. He looks to bolster a bullpen that struggled last year and now has traded away the back end in Joaquin Benoit. If our bullpen can become bolstered, we have a chance.
In the NBA, teams are already starting to separate themselves from the pack. Isn't it hard to believe the Warriors are even better this year than they are last year? I mean, this team came back from 23 down to beat the Clippers last night in Los Angeles. When it comes to other teams, the Bulls and Cavaliers are also competing for the top spots in the east along with the Clippers and Warriors in the west. Meanwhile, the Pelicans have stumbled out of the gate, starting 2-11 but beating the Spurs tonight on their home floor. There are many injury-riddled teams out there including the Pelicans. It's just a matter of using one's resources to overcome the deficit. The 76ers are also struggling. With an 0-13 start, they are the first team in NBA history to start 0-13 in consecutive seasons. There is a long road to the finals. Let us just sit back, relax and prepare for an excellent season of hoops.
Our final segment of the evening is regarding the NFL. How is your fantasy team? Yeah, mine stinks too. I'm in last place in my league. But hey, that doesn't mean we should moan and cry about the results of for-real football, can we? After all, let's look at some matchups for this week. The Broncos travel to Chicago to take on a suddenly resilient Bears team without Peyton Manning. Instead, they will go with the Arizona State product, Brock Osweiler. Expect big things from him in stepping in the shoes of Peyton Manning. Speaking of quarterback drama, the Cowboys are welcoming back Tony Romo after being on the shelf for seven weeks with a broken clavicle (collar bone). His backups did not fare very well in losing all seven games, the worst losing streak for the Cowboys since 1989. Romo will have to pull a miracle if he is to bring this team back into contention. We'll just have to wait and see.
That should do it for this week's edition. Thank you for reading!
With six games on tap tomorrow with both teams in the top-25 and two games featuring teams within the top ten. Looks to be an exciting weekend! We have seen lately how teams have been in high contention for the playoff. The ideal example of this LSU. The Tigers came into their game against Alabama as favorites not only to win that game, but also represent the SEC in the college football playoff. Now that they lost that game, the Tigers were trounced at home against unranked Arkansas 31-14. So shoutout to you top four (Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame): your turn could be next. Here are your big weekend games:
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