Trade deadlines winners/losers
Last weekend and Monday before 4 p.m. was a whirlwind of baseball news.
This deal, that group of prospects, those trades that fell through, you name it and it happened in dizzying final few hours.
How important is the moves made by contenders? Well, know that the Kansas City Royals added postseason stars Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto at the deadline last year, and those two dudes allowed the Royals to win their first World Series in 30 years.
With that in mind - and with the knowledge that all teams are not dealing for the '16 World Series compared to maybe the 2019 World Series - here are three winners and three losers from the trading deadline:
Texas Rangers. The Rangers spent heavily but added the most impact - not unlike the Royals' extravagance last year that equated to a championship - with Carlos Beltran and Jonathan Lucroy. The Rangers had the least production of any AL team from a DH, and now they have gadded to big bats to what is now the best 1-9 order in baseball. The Rangers will likely have a 20-homer hitter in Beltran hitting No. 8 in that order.
New York Yankees. Side note - more times than not when we are typing pretty fast we type Tankees instead of Yankees since the T and Y are right there next to each other. Now, Tankees applies for the first time since 1989 - the last time the Yankees were a seller at the deadline when they dealt Rickey Henderson. New York dealt two lefty closer and Beltran for four top-75 prospects and a slew of other guys with potential. The Yankees, according to the experts went from having an average to below-average farms system to a top-five farm system. And when those guys are ready, you know the Yankees will spend to fill in pieces around them.
Chicago Cubs. You can't forget about the Cubs just because their big move was late last week. The Cubs pushed a ton of chips into the middle with Aroldis Chapman, and with that bullpen need filled, they are the World Series favorites.
As for the other end, Houston and Boston are in the playoff mix, but neither did much to help its chances.
Same could be said for the Detroit Tigers, too.
Dodgers fans. Rich Hill and Josh Reddick are fine players, but for a team spending six times for its players what the Braves are, that's the best you can do?
File photo of Florida Gators vs. Alabama.TV ruling college sports
We've had this conversation before, but TV dollars have long since been the straw that stirs the modern college sports drink.
Now, we'll see how much influence the TV power brokers have in the decisions that affect the power five conferences.
There are several stories out there, including this one from Dennis Dodd at CBSsports.com, that ESPN and Fox are not best pleased with the expansion announcement from the Big 12. We can all understand that the TV officials would not be overly jazzed about adding some major rivalry tilts like USF-Iowa State or Memphis-Texas Tech.
And the increased number of schools will increase the TV payout. Buckle up, this could get interesting.
Skip BaylessESPN shots fired
Skip Bayless took some shots at ESPN, saying the four-letter network held him back and forced him to tone it down.
(Side note: Feel free to wonder what the circus-act that is a non-toned down Bayless will be.) Bayless is an interesting test case in the recent migration of big names at ESPN.
Some have been asked to leave. Guys like Bill Simmons, who had worn out his welcome and his bosses with his childish antics, and then guys like Cris Carter, Tom Jackson and several other high-priced analysts for cost-cutting reasons.
Bayless is in a different category, along with Colin Cowherd most recently and guys like Dan Patrick before him.
Those guys left to bigger checks to networks that need splash and name-recognized talent because ESPN has all of the best deals to broadcast most of the biggest leagues. So Bayless heads West to Fox, and takes his bombastic style with him.
His new show will debut in September, and like most of the folks that leave the mothership, whether his viewers follow will be a million-dollar question. (For Fox, it's actually a $5 million question, since that's Bayless' annual contract. So, yes, screaming does actually pay off.)
Especially if he's going to 'tone-it-up' on Fox.
This and that
- Warren Buffett has challenged Donald Trump to some sort of Tax-off. We have a ton of respect for Buffett and all of his accomplishments. But here's the thing about billionaires trading tax jokes, none of the rest of us get them and in truth, everybody sounds like a pompous jackwagon.
- Kudos to Todd Kelly, who as TFP UT beat ace Downtown Patrick Brown tells us here, switched numbers to honor Zae Dobson, the Knoxville teen who gave his life to protect three girls in a gang-related shooting.
- Congrats to Terry for pulling out the Double Major Major Double challenge. Here are the scores of the top two finishers: Terry - 37/60 = 97 (Stenson 7, Mickelson 33, A. Scott 18, Z. Johnson 33, JDay 2); Jason T. - 40/60 = 100 (Z. Johnson 33, Stenson 7, Scott 18, Day 2, McIlroy MC) They sprinted past first major leader scole023 (Scole023 - 17/129 - 148 (Day 2, D. Johnson MC, Mickelson 33, Sergio 87, H. Stenson 7)). Thanks for playing gang, and as always, if you see a scoring discrepancy please let us know.
- The conclusion to the Pocono race on Monday begs the question that if a NASCAR car cranks its roughly 800-horsepower engine on pit row and no fans are there to see it, does it make a sound?
- In the 'what a difference a year makes' the Dodgers could not move Yasiel Puig before the trading deadline at 4 p.m. Monday. Puig will be sent to the minors. A year ago, the asking price on the five-tool prima donna was very large.
- OK, the media polls at the various conference days are about as factual as a Hillary Clinton email dissertation. We got it. They are built on beliefs and supposition and a little crushed red pepper and who knows what else. Still, the American Athletic Conference poll was not exactly surprising. Houston was a unanimous pick - all 30 votes - to win the West; there was a mix of three teams (USF, Temple, Cincy) to win the East. Houston was picked on 90 percent of the ballots to win the conference title. An undefeated Houston could be in the mix for the college football playoff.
Today's questions
On a true or false Tuesday, let's go here:
True or false, this Dodgers ball girl saved this cell-phone using fan a trip to the hospital. Answer: Most definitely true.
True of false, you will watch the Skip Bayless show on Fox Sports 1 when it debuts in September.
True or false, you know less about NASCAR right now in this moment than you ever have in your life. (And the only way for this not to be true for the non-NASCAR die hards is because you know the same about NASCAR - as in next to nothing - as you did 10 years ago.)
As for a Rushmore, who would be on the Rushmore of best trade-deadline moves? We think Fred McGriff coming to Atlanta would make a strong case, no?