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Hungry like a Wolf: NC State rising in ACC ranks

October 18, 2018

North Carolina State University’s 5-0 (2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) start is good enough to keep them rising in the ranks of college football.

NC State is now No. 16 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 15 in the Coaches Poll. With multiple ranked teams losing over the weekend and dropping, NC State broke from their bye and reaped the benefits. Penn State, Miami, Wisconsin and Colorado lost. By comparison, the highest ranking the Wolfpack received last season was No. 14 in the AP Poll.

The Pack won a 28-23 victory over Boston College in their last outing. The win was NC State’s fifth consecutive this season and they’re one of the few undefeated teams in the nation. Additionally, it’s their first, five-game winning streak since 2002 and their seventh one dating back to the 2017 season.

With one of the best running games in the conference, their half backs went off in predictable fashion. Reggie Gallaspy, Jr. finished with 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Their passing game remained explosive, despite two picks from NFL prospect Ryan Finley as Kelvin Harmon tallied nine catches for 128 yards with a touchdown and Jakobi Meyers got back on track with ten receptions for 99 yards of his own. They simply have the best offense in the ACC.

NC State used their bye week to recover from injuries before traveling to Death Valley to take on the reining conference champions Clemson Tigers. The Tigers are also undefeated at 6-0 (3-0 ACC) with blowout wins against Georgia Tech and Wake Forest in ACC play. An epic battle for the ACC Atlantic Division is looming.

Clemson comes in at No. 3 in the Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the AP Poll this week. With a win Saturday, Clemson will have an open path of light competition until the ACC championship game. the Tigers have been a mainstay in the Top 5 of both polls for years under Dabo Swinney, typically making them the highest-ranked opponent NC State faces each year.

While Clemson has won the last six and 13 out of the last 14 games in this rivalry, the last two games have been separated by a single score. This year, the Tigers are vulnerable with a young QB under center. Clemson pulled out the last home game in overtime, 24-17, after a missed field goal by NC State at the end of the game. The Wolfpack made the game tight again last season at Carter-Finley Stadium, with a final of 38-31.

The Pack’s offense has even more firepower this year with Ryan Finley having six different receivers making their mark of the offensive side of the ball, a balanced running game and a defense that’s surprised many thus far this season.

While Clemson’s line is elite, the offensive output of the Wolfpack can throw them off. If Dave Doeren and his program want to have any chance of an ACC Championship Game appearance this year, knocking off the Tigers in Death Valley is a necessity.

Pruitt’s feel for the game makes him stand out

J.T. Clifton

October 15, 2018

It took Jeremy Pruitt six games to win his first road Southeastern Conference game against a ranked opponent.

That’s tied with Jimbo Fisher for the fastest among active coaches, who also accomplished this feat in his sixth game. That leaves Joe Moorhead, Barry Odom, Chad Morris and Derek Mason still looking. For the record, it took Nick Saban 44 games, and no that doesn’t mean Pruitt is better than Saban before anyone starts yelling. It took Dan Mullen 19, Kirby Smart 15 and Gus Malzahn 20.

Pruitt won this game with a team that’s clearly overmatched when it comes to talent. The senior class at Tennessee is almost non-existent. They’re one of the only teams to not have a senior make a start yet on the offensive side of the ball. It’s Pruitt’s feel for the game that makes him stand out.

Flash back to the West Virginia game in week one. It was the third quarter and Jeremy Pruitt jumped up and down while screaming at Nigel Warrior. He backed up before the play and still got burned for a touchdown, but it was clear Pruitt knew where Grier was going on that play.

In the Florida game, Pruitt called a perfectly timed onside kick when Tennessee had some momentum and had it been executed, the Vols would have recovered the ball as there were three Tennessee defenders to the one offensive player for the Gators.

Back to the Auburn game. With the game tied 10-10 in the second quarter and again before the play, Pruitt jumped up and down while screaming at defensive back Baylen Buchanan to blitz on the play at the last second. Buchanan came in almost untouched and forced Jarrett Stidham to throw a bad interception to Jonathan Kongbo.

See, it’s all about the feel for the game with Pruitt. He doesn’t use a chart he sticks to no matter what. Pruitt knows when to take calculated risks and that’s what it takes to beat good teams. The man also doesn’t try to outcoach himself. If Tennessee needs a yard, he lines up under center. If Tennessee needs to go for two to make it a FG or TD game, that’s what he does. He relies on his instincts and that’s usually what works.

The Vols have found a football coach. He doesn’t have the best gimmicks or the best quotes, as sometimes it appears he’d rather be anywhere else in the world besides in front of the mic. But, he’s a football coach and that’s what Tennessee’s been looking for.

The Driver of Success

Jeremy Evans

October 14, 2018

nfl-mvp-rodgers — Image courtesy of the Associated Press

Recently when reading that the Creative Artists Agency (“CAA”) closed $5 billion in deals just for sports, it came to mind the principles behind driving success in business. Specifically, in the entertainment, media, and sports space, what makes an agency, law firm, or manager successfully powerful?

CLIENTELE

In the service industry, the start line and marathon endurance required run and maintain a successful business starts with great clientele. The professional provides the servicing needed to the client. The client provides the talent, consistency, and delivery. From the client’s hard work comes the fanfare, industry recognition, and pay day. Without great clients, there is nothing.

PACKAGING

The power of a successful agency, law firm, or manager is in packaging clients with other clients and talent, products, brands, and/or ideas. In today’s age, we have basketball star LeBron James producing content off the court, football legend Tom Brady pushing the Religion of Sports with retired professional sacker Michael Strahan. Kevin Durant is producing and appearing on his own podcast. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is both a WWE and Hollywood movie star. Many athletes like Serena and Venus Williams own and run clothing lines and professional sports franchises alike.

On the entertainment and media side, the same packaging is all important. It is connecting talent with studios, ideas, advertisements, and basically good content that keeps your client motivated, excited, and sells to the consumer. In the end, the clientele today are all the more flexible, multi-faceted, and, well, talented. With a demand for new content delivered immediately, athletes and actors must perform on and off the court and stage constantly expanding their horizons.

Being an agent, attorney, or manager, requires that the vision be there to connect clientele with other people, things, and ideas. Obviously, the greater clientele available the easier it would be to connect.

RESOURCES

Resources to recruit, retain, and deliver clients and services. An agent will talk about the pitch. An attorney will talk about the importance of the client interview. A manager will talk about vision and connectors. Resources could be money or contacts. In California, guided by the Talent Agencies Act, Rules of Professional Conduct, the Miller-Ayala Act, Guild rules, business codes, and players unions, service providers are in competition to land the best clients and to deliver services. Money to travel and contacts help to deliver those services.

RELATIONSHIPS

Green Bay Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said it best, “They are able to connect the dots better than any representation I’ve ever had” referring to his current agency. Relationships are listed last in this article, but they are the most important. The ability to make them, keep them, and utilize them genuinely. Relationships are the driver to meeting clientele, keeping clientele, packaging with other clientele, products, brands, studios, content, and ideas, and producing and generating resources.

In summation, the four R’s of driving success comes down to getting referrals, maintaining great relationships, keeping a wonderful reputation, and taking seriously the representation of your current client’s success as serious if not more than your own success.

Bryant’s Song: Clemson’s former QB hunting fresh game

Stephen Patrick

October 12, 2018

The clock’s ticking for former Clemson University quarterback Kelly Bryant. The Tar Heels host Virginia Tech Saturday and Bryant has one year of eligibility remaining in the 2019 college football season. North Carolina has a home game against Clemson on its 2019 schedule. Also, he’s announced he’ll visit Arkansas.

“I’m going to take my first official visit to Arkansas,” Bryant said Wednesday. “I’m excited to get down to Fayetteville and see what all Arkansas has to offer.”

Since leaving the Clemson football team last month, Bryant has been taking graduate classes while working out to stay in shape. His plan is to wrap up the academic semester at Clemson before enrolling early at the school of his choice in January.

Standing at 6-3, 225 pounds, Bryant was 16-2 as a starter for Clemson. He sat for two seasons behind national championship QB Deshaun Watson. Bryant started all 14 games in the 2017 season for a Clemson team that reached the national semifinals. Last season, he threw for 2,802 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions, completing 65.8 percent of his passes. On the round, he had 665 yards and 11 touchdowns on 192 carries. Bryant looked to take his game to the next level this season, but it was not to be with a major signing.

Bryant started the first four games for Clemson this season, splitting snaps with freshman sensation Trevor Lawrence. Bryant passed for 461 yards with a 66.7 completion percentage, with two touchdowns and an interception with 130 yards and two scores. Upon being informed Lawrence would start game number five, Bryant opted to leave the program. Bryant, who has NFL dreams, knew he had to make a move to showcase himself for NFL scouts.

“I feel like it’s what’s best for me and my future,” Bryant said of his decision. “I was just going to control what I could control and try to make the most of my opportunity, but at the end of the day, I just don’t feel like I’ve gotten a fair shot. I’ve been with this senior class for four years. Seeing how much we built and poured into this program, it’s tough to walk away from it. But at the same time, I’ve got to do what’s best for me. And I feel like this is the best situation for me.”

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has one of the worst Atlantic Coast Conference QB situations and could certainly use Bryant’s services. Currently, UNC sits 125^th in passing rating through four games, despite its offensive line ranking T-15th nationally in sacks allowed per game (1.0). UNC has a 4-12 record during that span.

Fourth-year junior Nathan Elliott has started in all four games in 2018. Third-year junior Chazz Surratt, a 6-3, 215-pound left-handed sophomore from Denver, N.C., tore a ligament in his right wrist against Miami two weeks ago, according to TarHeel Illustrated, which was the first to report the news and is reportedly out for the season. UNC’s quarterbacks have combined in 2018 to pass for 798 yards, with three touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Since announcing his decision to transfer and receiving his release from the Tigers, more than 15 Power Five programs have reached out to Bryant. In addition to UNC and Clemson, Bryant is also reportedly working to schedule official visits to Louisville and Missouri, with those dates to be determined.

Sports Real Estate: It’s all in the Development

Jeremy Evans

October 8, 2018

Yankee Stadium USA Today — Images Courtesy of USA Today

There was a time when professional sports franchises shared baseball and football fields in one stadium, not built as a true home to either sport. Some teams like the Oakland-soon-to-be-Las Vegas Raiders still share baseball and football facilities.

It was Camden Yards in Baltimore that changed the course of history when baseball a franchise turned back the clock in terms of making new look retro and as teams looked to real estate development beyond the field of play as a brand generator and revenue source.

As we look to the future, there are three important reasons why professional sports franchises are looking to entertainment and real estate to grow the bottom line, fan interest, and revenues.

A Place to Call Home

The Hollywood Park Entertainment District in Inglewood, the Green Bay Packers housing and shops development, and even to some extent the Los Angeles Dodgers outfield shops are all aimed at creating an environment and area that is friendly to families, fans, and the casual attendee. In the NBA, 52-56% of a franchise’s budget goes towards paying player salaries, so it makes sense that teams are looking for real estate investment opportunities that bring money back into their coffers. With professional hockey and basketball likely due back in Seattle soon, there is no doubt that Hollywood Producer and owner Jerry Bruckheimer and his executive team will be investing in real estate around the new-Key Arena to grown the fan base and revenues as it is all about creating a home base.

A Place to Visit Year Round

In the past, teams mostly left their venues empty throughout the offseason. Now fans can see Red Bull events and hockey games at ballparks and stadiums in “Winter Classics” during the offseason. Concerts are also booked during the season and offseason. Political rallies, conferences, and events are commonplace and should be at our favorite venues. Interestingly, the cathedrals of our past, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, etc. were treated with deference when it came to having one event played inside their hallowed corridors, a game. Thankfully, ownerships got smart and began opening their doors and utilizing their beautiful spaces to welcome all people for all types of events and entertainment beyond the game. The result is a home to visit year round for fans and Joe Citizen alike.

A Place to Invest in the Brand

Once ownerships realized that their venues could be used for events and entertainment beyond the game, they began to spend more money in building, upgrading, and maintaining their arenas, ballparks, and stadiums. Part of this is cyclical; an investment in the brand is an investment in increasing revenues, increased revenues means the availability to invest in technology, player salaries, winning games, fan safety, business expenses, and community engagement, which fans and casual observers can appreciate, while continuing to invest their time and money back into the club. Where fans have demanded more of their favorite teams, teams have had to invest more in the brand, and therefore the entertainment of every fan and patron.

The result has been fantastic venues like U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and upgrades to Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, AT&T Park in San Francisco, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, among many others that have been completed or are in the development stages. It is any surprise that third party and vendor brands have scampered to partner with professional sports teams in naming rights deals as a successful bid means significant brand trust, recognition, and exposure.

For professional sports franchises, growth of the brand is directly related to real estate development, entertainment, fan engagement and happiness, generally benefited by a great media deal that pushes copyrighted content through a distribution partner for good money. Sports real estate development is where a successful sports franchise begins and ends.

Back to the Future: The Patriots and Brady still have it

J.T. Clifton

October 5, 2018

Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Every year, it seems the dreaded “Patriot Panic” grips the NFL. A couple of years ago, the Patriots were throttled on Monday Night Football by the Chiefs.

This year, New England saw former assistant Matt Patricia and the Lions hold the ball nearly the entire game en-route to a 26-10 win. After that game, it occurred again. The Patriots finally hit their wall. Brady didn’t have it anymore after throwing for 133 yards and an interception.

Fast forward two weeks, and the Patriots have it again. They’ve won two games in a row and those two games weren’t even close. Brady threw two picks last night, both of which were drops by his receivers Chris Hogan and Gronk. It’s like clockwork. Death, Taxes, Atlanta Braves playoff losses and the Patriots turning things around after an early loss.

Since 2001, in the month of September the Patriots are 39-16 (.709). Not a bad record by any means, but it doesn’t match their post-September record of 209-63 (.768). In 2001, the Patriots started 1-3 and ended up 11-5 and won the Super Bowl. Last year, New England started 2-2 and were embarrassed by the Chiefs once again on opening night and ended up in the Super Bowl.

So, it’s the same old song-and-dance for the Patriots. You can credit two people for the fix; Brady and Belichick. The greatest coach in the game and the greatest quarterback of all time. They don’t panic and neither should Patriot’s fans.

Their offense is a totally different machine with Edleman back in the lineup. He caught seven balls on nine targets, but more importantly, he took some of the double-teams off Rob Gronkowski, who caught six for 75 yards (and should have had more) but dropped a 20-yard strike that ended up a turnover. We also got a glimpse of what could be from troubled wide receiver Josh Gordon. He caught a 34-yard touchdown over two defenders in the fourth quarter, which was also Brady’s 500th career touchdown pass.

Patriot’s celebrate Josh Gordon’s first TD

If Gordon emerges as who he once was, this offense will again be one of the most high- powered forces in the league. They’ve been missing that deep threat for a while now, dating back to Randy Moss.

Another piece who’s sometimes overlooked is James White, who’s become one of the few running backs who’s stayed in Belichick’s good graces. He’s caught 24 balls for 145 yards and two TD’s the last two games. He’s also added 44 rushing yards and a TD during that stretch.

So, like it or not, the Patriots are here again. They’ve righted their ship and appear to be clicking on all cylinders again.

Pass in Review: Drew Brees and his date with destiny

Stephen Patrick

October 5, 2018

After a prolific college football career with the Purdue Boilermakers, Drew Brees was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the NFL draft.

He left school as one of the most decorated players in Big Ten Conference history with two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records and 19 Purdue University records. Playing in the same era as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Brees’ greatness sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But, rest assured the future Hall-of-Famer definitely isn’t forgotten by the defenses he torched over the years.

Now, the New Orleans Saints quarterback will suit up with history just in reach. Brees, the consummate professional he is, will only focus on getting a win Monday night. Try as he might, however, part of his attention will be devoted to two records he could break during that game. One being career passing total with only 201 more passing yards, and career TD’s with 4 to go for the 500 TD club. Brett Favre and Peyton Manning are the legends in reach of the passing record.

“I never even thought, ‘Hey, I am going to have to play this many years in order to accomplish something like that,” Brees said. “When my first NFL game in the preseason was at Miami back in 2001, and I remember walking in the stadium for the first time and looking up in the Ring of Honor and seeing Dan Marino’s name and every passing record next to it that is in that Ring of Honor there. Just looking at those numbers is mind-boggling. At the time I was just hoping to solidify the backup position and eventually maybe one day be a starter. So it’s just kind of mind-boggling.”

It is indeed mind-boggling that any of Peyton Manning’s records are in danger. Rule changes have certainly helped the quarterback and offense, but that doesn’t take away from Brees’ greatness. Eventually, his records will be in danger. Brees is now the last man standing from the 2001 NFL draft class. Here he is now as one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the sport of American football. Even so, that destiny seemed grim at one point in his career.

In the last game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos, Brees tore his labrum while trying to pick up his own fumble after being hit by Broncos safety John Lynch. Brees, who was supposed to sign with the Miami Dolphins, instead inked with the Saints following a misdiagnosis by Miami. Brees helped spearhead the rebirth of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Now, at a time when so much focus is being placed on how long Tom Brady Will play, few question Brees’ career staying power. Perhaps Brees, who turns 40 in January, will end up playing so long, his upcoming career yardage record will stand for a very long time. The forgotten man of his era has secured his place in the history books.

Hoop Schemes: Our ACC basketball preview

Stephen Patrick

October 2, 2018

As the calendar changes to October, that round, orange ball and hardwood courts usher in one of the greatest times to be a college sports fan. Sports Radio America looks at this year’s Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) contenders.

North Carolina

North Carolina followed their 2017 National Championship with a down year, losing in a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Roy Williams must replace his two, primary, offensive factors from last year’s team. UNC never rebuilds, only retools. And with three, returning starters, they’re looking at their best recruiting class in years.

Replacing Joel Berry will be UNC’s biggest challenge coming into the season. Williams will rely mostly on the incoming freshman. Coby White, a 6’5” top 25 recruit and the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high school history, appears to be the likely favorite to win the starting spot. White will definitely bring a score-first mentality to the paint and light up the scoreboard. He’s an excellent perimeter shooter who can drive to the rim and finish 4-out 1-in offense opportunities. Joel Berry was also a score-first point guard, so it won’t represent a huge change for White to take over.

Virginia

Last season, Virginia won their third ACC regular season title in five years. March Madness was truly insane for the Cavaliers. They followed through on their regular season, becoming the first 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history. Now, they come into the season looking to recover from that humiliation. Minus two senior leaders, the same group of players return. This is without the addition of any key recruits likely to immediately contribute.

With Devon Hall’s departure, more pressure from the offense will be placed on the shoulders of the junior backcourt of Kyle Guy (14.1 ppg., 39.2% 3pt.) and Ty Jerome (10.6 ppg., 3.9 apg. 37.9% 3pt.). This duo has shown you can trust in the big games. The pair improved as sophomores, with Guy being named First Team All-ACC and Jerome being named to the third team. The rest of the team is where questions remain. Both Guy and Jerome can create off the dribble and find teammates as well as create their own shots and both men are excellent shooters.

Duke

Turning to the Duke Blue Devils, Coach Mike Krzyzewski has one the youngest squads of his tenure. It appears four, five-star freshmen will start to accompany a lone senior with additional young talent coming off the bench. Having great success is nothing new when Coach K has a young team, as the nation’s premiere recruiting class reached the Elite 8. Krzyzewski has the advantage of college basketball’s top recruiting class, despite the departure of his entire starting lineup.

Duke’s freshman class includes the top three recruits in the country. Running the team is point guard Tre Jones. He’s a top 10 recruit nationally and the brother of former Duke Blue Devils great Tyus Jones, who brought a National Title to Chapel Hill in 2015. Jones is a pass-first point guard who can create offense whenever needed. However, it will be particularly important for Jones to pass the ball. He’s not the greatest scorer, so it will be up to him to get the ball to other talented players in their sweets spots.

‘Go West, Young Man [And Expand the MLB Postseason]’

Jeremy Evans

October 1, 2018

AP 1903 First Image — Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press: An aerial view of the first World Series between Boston Pilgrims & Pittsburgh Pirates at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston OTD in 1903.

Years ago, as Lewis and Clark explored North America, treading across the continent from the Established East to the Wild West, it did so with expansion in mind. Later with the Monroe Doctrine and “Manifest Destiny” driven by American Presidents, the Congress, and the Judiciary, the United States of America became a union of fifty states, spanning from sea to shining sea.

When organized baseball began play in the 1870s and 1880s, the Senior Circuit National League was growing and expanding and eventually teamed up with the start-up American League to create Major League Baseball. It was, like America, westward expansion that grew the league and eventually its postseason schedule.

Major League Baseball’s league and postseason growth has mirrored America’s expansion west to the Pacific Ocean. Starting with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants move to Los Angeles and San Francisco in California, Major League Baseball later added the Angels in Anaheim, Astros in Houston, Rangers in Arlington, Texas (formerly the Washington Senators), Padres in San Diego, Twins in Minneapolis, Minnesota (also formerly the Washington Senators), Athletics in Oakland (formerly the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics), Royals in Kansas City, Mariners in Seattle, Rockies in Colorado, and Diamondbacks in Arizona, all of which were due west of the Mississippi River (a total of 13 teams). Where there has been expansion and movement east of the Mississippi (New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays, Miami (Florida) Marlins, the movement mirrors either the growth of cities and towns, replacing teams that moved, or filing a long existing need.

On Monday, October 1, 2018, Major League Baseball found itself in a peculiar situation, a first of its kind, specifically two game 163’s to determine the Division winners in the Central and West Divisions. Whereas most watching the postseason games would never complain about their team getting a shot to win, it does take a toll on head and heart ache and it could be improved, for financial, and health reasons.

Of the five major professional sports leagues in America, basketball (NBA), football (NFL), hockey (NHL), and soccer (MLS), nearly all accept more teams into their annual postseasons/playoffs compared to baseball (MLB).

As of 2018, the NFL has 32 teams and accepts 12 teams into its playoffs. The NHL has 31 teams and accepts 16 teams into its playoffs. The NBA has 30 teams and also accepts 16 teams into its playoffs. The MLS has 23 teams and accepts 12 teams into its playoffs. The MLB has 30 teams and accepts 10 teams into its postseason. Breaking that down, the NFL with two more teams than the MLB in its league accepts two more teams into its playoffs, but every other league accepts 2-6 more teams into its playoffs/postseason compared to the MLB with nearly the same or fewer league teams. Interestingly, the MLS has 7 fewer league teams compared to the MLB and still accepts more playoff/postseason teams (+2).

Historically, baseball has never been generous to teams seeking postseason eligibility. In the beginning, the team with the best record at the end of the season was crowned the champion with some variations and oddities. However, Since the beginning of what is accepted as the modern baseball postseason that existed between 1903-1968, although organized baseball began in 1876 and has had some semblance of a postseason since 1884, only two teams made the postseason, the winner of each League’s pennant (the team with the best record in each League), American and National, who went on to play each other in the World Series. Starting with the 1969 season, however, instead of two Leagues with no Divisions, the East and West Divisions were added to each League so four teams made the postseason each season between 1969 and 1993. The winner of the league series was crowned with the Pennant and went on to play the other League’s Pennant winner in the World Series.

For the 1995 season, when baseball actually implemented its new and now more familiar postseason structure, since the 1994 season was shortened due to a labor-management dispute, which led to a strike, Major League Baseball added one Wild Card spot and a Central Division to each League making three Divisions in each League. By doing so, Major League Baseball added a Division Series to the postseason where the first seed in each League (the team with the best record) would play the Wild Card team (the team with the fourth best record in the same League), while the second and third seeds along the same formula would play each other. When calculating both Leagues’ postseason entrants, the new rules allowed for eight postseason eligible teams. The winner of the best of five series would go on to the League Championship Series with the winner taking their League’s Pennant onto the World Series. Both the League Championship Series and the World Series were and still are best of seven game series, while the Division Series is a best of five games.

In 2012, Major League Baseball made its most recent postseason change by adding a second Wild Card team to each League, which is awarded to the team with the fifth best record, who plays in a one-game playoff against the second Wild Card team (the team with the fourth best record). The winner then plays the first seed in a Division Series with the same format as described above. Here, ten teams make the postseason, but two teams only get one game to decide 162, or 163 games.

Like the Louisiana Purchase, Major League Baseball would be wise to expand its postseason for three reasons:

More Postseason Television Dollars

Simple, more teams in the postseason means more copyrighted broadcasts to sell to traditional television partners or streamers. More advertisements. More drama.

More Division Series (eliminate the one game WILD CARD)

It makes sense that where the NFL plays 16 games per season it has a one-game elimination format based on injuries, timing, and the length of season. It also makes sense that the NBA and NHL have series in the playoffs where they each play 82 games during the regular season. The MLS has 34 regular season games per team and they play two (home/away) games per playoff matchup (most goals wins). When compared to the NFL, the MLS plays a little more than double the amount of regular season games and has double the amount of playoffs matches. However, the MLB plays 162 games during the regular season and yet has fewer postseason games in terms of ratio to games person season when compared to the MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL. Where the 162 game season is a strength of Major League Baseball in that it allows the teams to battle it out making the playoffs that much more exclusive, if the MLB wants to add more dollars, equity, and eyes, it would be wise to implement some change.

In terms of timing, the “Wild Card Series” between the fourth and fifth best teams could be three games in length to limit the length. It would also help if the MLB went back to 154 games per season to limit length by eliminating length. The MLB should also consider a football model of taking the top two teams from each division, plus the two wild cards for 8 postseason teams per League, more in line with the NBA and NHL playoff formats for 16 total teams. Again, more television dollars. More advertisements. More drama. More equity.

More Teams Motivated to Win

When a team has a chance to make the playoffs or postseason, where anything can and does happen, the Murphy’s Law of Sports Playoffs (“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”). Similarly, in the playoffs and lead up thereto, anything that can go right will go right. Therefore, if teams have more opportunity to make a run for the postseason as opposed to trading players and giving up at the July 31 trade deadline every year, fans and teams might and will see more excitement down the road. Furthermore, the longer series match-ups provide that a 80-90 win team will have to beat a 90-100+ win team for multiple games to advance. Again, more television dollars. More advertisements. More drama. More equity.

Baseball is a beautiful game, but a little postseason expansion will help the game survive, compete with other major professional sports, and succeed into the next generation.

Kentucky in the playoffs? “So, you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

J.T. Clifton

October 1, 2018

Benny Snell vs Florida — Benny Snell vs. Florida USA Today

Kentucky and Syracuse are ranked in the top 25 this week, and I’m not talking about basketball season. Every week so far, I’ve thought, “this is the week Kentucky finally loses.” Instead, they beat Florida for the first time in 31 years; they defeated a hot, Mississippi State team by 21 points and now they’ve vanquished Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks for the fifth straight year.

The Wildcats jumped to number 13 in the AP poll today, moving up four spots after beating South Carolina. This is Kentucky’s highest ranking since Oct of 2007. It’s never easy in the Southeastern Conference, but there’s a real chance Kentucky could be 8-0 heading into a game against Georgia that will almost certainly be undefeated at that point, too. This could potentially be the biggest game in Kentucky football history.

Benny Snell celebrates. Image courtesy of: USA Today

This week, Kentucky plays a Texas A&M team that looked very bad at times against an abysmal Arkansas team. The Aggies won 24-17, but it didn’t come without stress, including Jimbo Fisher grabbing the facemask of a player on the sidelines that was widely criticized. If they get by A&M, the wildcats have Mizzou and Vanderbilt before Georgia.

Even with a loss to Georgia, the Wildcats would still be in the hunt for the playoffs. They play Tennessee, Middle Tenn and Louisville after the Dawgs. So, if the Wildcats play the Bulldogs close and Georgia ends up winning the SEC, they’ll have a real shot at the playoffs. The problem is, Alabama would also have potentially one loss if that happens and Kentucky is a Cinderella story. However, the committee doesn’t like fairy tails as much as they like Alabama.

So, what else do the Wildcats need to happen? They need Ohio State to lose in the Big 10 Championship, which seems paved for them now that they’ve beaten Penn State. Kentucky would also need an Oklahoma loss in the Big 12 Football Championship Game. Notre Dame is also hurting the Wildcat’s chances with one loss, so they’d need the luck of the Irish to run out. LSU is also a big factor in the Wildcats getting in. Kentucky would need a huge loss to Alabama or Georgia by the Tigers.

How are they doing it? Two words; Benny Snell. He is the heart and soul of this team. Snell, a junior from Ohio, already had 639 yards rushing and 8 TDs. The Wildcats are also playing defense. They’re giving up 12.6 points per game and that includes holding Nick Fitzgerald from Miss State to 7 points. If they keep this up, the Wildcats could find themselves in a good position in January, win or lose, against Georgia.

So, in the words of Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber, “so, you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

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