When the San Francisco Giants met the St. Louis Cardinals last night at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, they were not only honoring the Negro Leagues legends. They also celebrated the life of perhaps the greatest player of all time, Willie Mays. Mays not only played in the Negro Leagues, but he was also a Birmingham native who was born in nearby Westfield, Alabama. Let’s take a look at this historic ballpark, this one kind of ballplayer, and a sometimes forgotten period in baseball that is just starting to get some well-deserved recognition. If These Walls Could Talk http://gty.im/564112885…
Author: gsimbeck1@gmail.com
Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins will sign his franchise tender today and avoid missing the start of training camp. This announcement comes after the veteran receiver skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp. He has been absent from all of the team’s off-season program events. The contract will pay him $21.8 million for the upcoming season. Higgins Sought Trade http://gty.im/1799707803 The signing comes after Higgins made a trade request to team management. The team designated the franchise tag on the veteran wide receiver to prevent him from becoming a free agent. The team had been in negotiations with Higgins and his agent…
Griffin Jax has been a Godsend to the Minnesota Twins in 2024. From the win streaks to the extended downturns, he has been a steady force in a sometimes-unsteady bullpen. He has done everything that has been asked of him and more. He has been the most consistent player on the Twins’ roster this season. Because of this, he should be an All-Star. Jax’s Curious Path to Big League Success Griffin Jax, the pride of Cedar Creek High School, has taken a less-than-direct route to baseball stardom. After his very successful senior year, he was named the 2013 Gatorade Player…
Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa has long been recognized as one of the premier shortstops in baseball. He is a past Rookie of the Year winner, a two-time All-Star, and a Gold Glove recipient. He is a team leader and a great clubhouse guy, and he represents himself professionally and humbly in the community. What’s not to like? But there are some patterns to his performance that are hard to ignore. These patterns may indicate that he has transitioned from being a great player to a good one, from an elite one to an above-average one. A Star is Born in…
After a slow start to the season, Nick Gorman is currently one of the hottest hitters in Major League Baseball (MLB). The power-hitting St. Louis Cardinals’ second baseman is currently laying waste to National League pitching and is showing no signs of slowing down. Let’s take a closer look at this rising star. Nick Gorman’s Rapidly Rising Career Gorman has had a rapid rise to the big leagues since starring at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Glendale, Arizona. In his senior season, he hit 421 while slugging 10 home runs, leading his team to the Arizona Class 6A State…
Much of the Minnesota Twins’ success in the second half of last season can be attributed to the outstanding play of their three rookie call-ups. While stars Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa spent most of the year banged up, the trio of Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, and Eddy Julien brought a spark of energy to the team that lifted them to a spot in the American League (AL) Division Series. They were going to be marquee players for the team for the next ten years—or are they? Twins Welcome Lewis Back Royce Lewis started off the 2024 season right where…
The Minnesota Twins, sparked by Jose Miranda’s power, defeated the Houston Astros today by a score of 4-3. The Twins used six pitchers who scattered six Astros hits to help the team win the series 2 games to 1. Miranda Shows His Power Jose Miranda contributed a solo home run in the sixth inning to knot the game at 3-3. The homer was Miranda’s sixth of the season. He then delivered an eight-inning double to plate Manuel Margot with the winning run. Miranda, who is having a fine season, is creating a positive problem for the Twins as Royce Lewis…
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is on fire. After a very slow April, he went on a record-breaking binge that has yet to subside. So much for the theory that he is past his prime. Questions About Aaron Judge Aaron Judge was batting .207 at the end of April with six homers and 18 RBIs. His stats would have looked even more dismal had he not launched three round-trippers during the last week of the month. Had his reflexes slowed? Had Father Time caught up with a 32-year-old slugger? New York Yankee fans were waiting with bated breath for…
Most baseball fans know that as long as Shohei Ohtani keeps producing the way he is, considering anyone else for AL MVP is a moot point. But there is a player making some noise with his bat. He has a famous baseball name and plays in America’s heartland. Come on down, Bobby Witt Jr. Prized Prospect http://gty.im/2154124924 The eyes of the baseball world have been on Witt for many years now. Witt, son of MLB pitcher Bobby Witt and nephew of another MLB pitcher, Mike Witt, was a standout high school player at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, TX.…
This was not the way it was supposed to go for the Wake Forest University Baseball Team in 2024. They were number one in the rankings when the season started, and five of the top 100 MLB prospects are on their roster. Surely, a College World Series title was just a formality. So what went wrong on their way to the coronation? Wake Forest Has High Hopes It was going to be banner spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. People were enjoying the last bit of temperate weather before the summer heat. And the city was preparing for the 11th Annual…
What a difference a week makes for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last Sunday, on the heels of their comeback win against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, they were the toast of Minnesota and the NBA. Today, they are 0-2 against the suddenly dominant Dallas Mavericks and are two losses away from being flushed out of their Western Conference Finals series. Week in Review http://gty.im/2126142294 After the Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 98-90 to clinch their Western Conference Semifinals series, Anthony Edwards (Ant) was yucking it up with Charles Barkley and the rest of the TNT crew. Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT) was smiling from…
To say that Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was upset with the team’s performance against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals would be an understatement. Fresh off a dramatic Game 7 win against the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the NBA Semifinals Series, expectations were high for the team. That thud you heard on Wednesday night was the Timberwolves coming down from the stratosphere. Setting the Stage http://gty.im/2153091774 After the Wolves’ come-from-behind win on Sunday night, they were the talk of the NBA. The TNT studio team was effusive in its praise of the…
The Minnesota Twins, seething from a seven-game losing streak, took it out on the Washington Nationals tonight. Their 10-0 win in Washington had to release some of the pent-up and not-so-pent-up frustration that had invaded the Twins clubhouse. Twins Play Home Run Derby Nothing gets a team out of its doldrums better than an old-fashioned home run derby. Byron Buxton started the fun in the second with a solo shot to right field off Nats starter Patrick Corbin. Corbin would suffer both an unlucky and unimaginable game this night. Then, after Carlos Santana hit a fielder’s choice to score Willi…
On a team as talented as the Minnesota Timberwolves, it is very easy to be the forgotten man. With future GOAT Anthony Edwards (Ant), All-Star forward Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT), and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, there is only so much headline space left for other players. But to a man, the Timberwolves players will tell you. If Jaden McDaniels has a good game, we win. Humble Beginnings http://gty.im/1712261120 Jaden McDaniels’ career with the Minnesota Timberwolves started with a whimper, not a bang. A High All-American out of Federal Way High in Seattle, he spent one tumultuous year…
The Minnesota Twins slumped to their fifth straight loss yesterday. All of the goodwill they generated in their recent 17-3 streak has been washed asunder in a sea of bad fielding, inconsistent pitching, and lack of clutch hitting. One player can’t do it all, but perhaps the Twins’ revival will only take place when Royce Lewis returns to the lineup. Old Demons Return to Twins http://gty.im/2153134347 The Twins must be feeling a bit of deja vu these days. Many of the sins that have visited them in the past have returned with a vengeance in 2024. Their defense is reminiscent…
Do the Minnesota Twins have the best catcher in baseball? No Twins’ catcher has been part of that conversation since Hall of Famer Joe Mauer moved to first base in 2014. So, move over Salvador Perez, step aside William Contreras. Move to your left, Adley Rutschman and Will Smith. Here comes Ryan Jeffers. Who is Ryan Jeffers? http://gty.im/1057612738 Ryan Jeffers was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He played his high school ball at Sanderson High School in Raleigh. After high school, he was not drafted by any MLB team, so he walked on to the University of North Carolina Wilmington…
The Minnesota Vikings selected Alabama edge Dallas Turner with the 17th pick in the NFL Draft to shore up a leaky defense. Turner steps in after Minnesota lost its two best edges, Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum, to free agency. Dallas Turner is a Thoroughbred An explosive player, Turner is one of the elite defenders in the 2024 draft class. He may also be the best pure athlete of this year’s prospects. Turner can pressure the quarterback with either speed or a bull rush. He plays angry, which seems to motivate his play. He also improved as a defender against…
As expected, the Minnesota Vikings moved up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select their preferred quarterback of the future. But defying all expectations, they didn’t move up as far as they had planned. And they did not give up the capital that they had anticipated. Minnesota Vikings Select JJ McCarthy In a trade with the New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings selected Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. To acquire McCarthy’s rights, Minnesota sent their 11th overall pick, a fourth-round pick, and a fifth-round pick to the Jets for picks the 10th overall pick and 6th-round pick. It was long speculated…
The Minnesota Vikings currently have two first-round picks in the NFL Draft. The conventional wisdom is that they will use both picks and more to trade up and select one of the marquee quarterbacks early in the proceedings. Think Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy. Between now and the beginning of the draft later today, I will run a series of mock drafts with different scenarios to show the variety of outcomes that their choices may produce. If you don’t like the current mock draft you are viewing, stick around. There will eventually be one that is more agreeable to you.…
The Minnesota Vikings currently have two first-round picks in the NFL Draft. The conventional wisdom is that they will use both picks and more to trade up and select one of the marquee quarterbacks early in the proceedings. Think Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy. Between now and the beginning of the draft tomorrow, I will run a series of mock drafts with different scenarios to show the variety of outcomes that their choices may produce. If you don’t like the current mock draft you are viewing, stick around. There will eventually be one that is more agreeable to you. My…
