Month: September 2019

2019 NFL Week 4 Picks

S. Samek

Eagles at Packers

Titans at Falcons

Redskins at Giants

Chargers at Dolphins

Raiders at Colts

Panthers at Texans

Chiefs at Lions

Browns at Ravens

Patriots at Bills

Buccaneers at Rams

Seahawks at Cardinals

Vikings at Bears

Jaguars at Broncos

Cowboys at Saints

Bengals at Steelers

NFL Pick 2019 Week Three

S. Samek

Titans at Jaguars

Bengals at Bills

Lions at Eagles

Jets at Patriots

Raiders at Vikings

Ravens at Chiefs

Falcons at Colts

Broncos at Packers

Dolphins at Cowboys

Giants at Buccaneers

Panthers at Cardinals

Steelers at 49ers

Saints at Seahawks

Texans at Chargers

Rams at Browns

Bears at Redskins

AFL Pirates Representatives 2019

S. Samek

With The MLB winding down and MILB season pretty much complete its time to start thinking of other sports. Or is it?

The Arizona Fall League announced the rosters for 2019.

Pittsburgh Pirates players are assigned to the Peoria Javelinas roster for the league.

Blake Cederlind ,Nick Mears, Cody Ponce and at least one other pitcher will represent the Pirates on the roster.

Jason Delay, Oneil Cruz and Jared Oliva are the position players that will represent Pittsburgh on the roster.

Cruz is the highest rated Pirates prospect going at number three in the system. Oliva is rated number 11 in the Pirates system. Cederlind is the 28th rated prospect in the Pirates system. Ponce is known for coming over in the trade that sent Jordan Lyles to the Brewers.

I think this is a good shot for some of the lesser-know prospects to shine. This league seems to be a mix of the higher level prospects and some that could be good, but aren’t as well known. I think the selections made to represent Pittsburgh do a good job in matching that plan of attack.

It will be worth watching to see how well they do in the league. You can check out the AFL starting September 18,2019 to track the Pirates prospects and any other of note.

PBA Purchased

S. Samek

Its been announced that the PBA now has a new owner.

Bowlero Corp has added the PBA to its ownership group.

Bowlero is an owner of many bowling centers. This just adds to their involvement in the sport.

The ceo of the Bolwero company will take over as CEO of the PBA, while the commissioner will stay the same.

The overall direction of the PBA looks to be the same. Yet it looks like media partnerships, TV deals and social media are going to be a focal point of the new ownership.

I like where this is heading. The sport needs an ownership group that cares for it. This should help keep the sport relevant and fresh in this age of social media.

Reynolds Looks Like Rookie of the Year Candidate

S. Samek

Well its September and with that comes familiar ground. That is the Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen out of Playoff contention.

However Bryan Reynolds continues to be a spark for the offense and the team.

On September 6th, 2019 despite a 10-7 loss Reynolds had a two-home night. He homered from both sides of the plate and is only the third Pirate to do so ever.

As of this writing, he owns a .331 batting average ,which ranks first on the team. Theres also 16 home runs and 65 RBIS to pair with that. Those numbers rank third and fourth on the Pirates so far.

Reynolds sits second in the NL batting race behind Anthony Rendon of the Nationals who sports a .338 as of this writing.

He also makes plays in the outfield. Just take a look at this catch.

Sadly even with the great production I can see him not being chosen for rookie of the year. Pete Alonso of the Mets has 45 homers so far to led the majors. Alonso is hitting .267 with 107 RBIs in 513 at-bats this season. Should be more then enough to win him the aword even with a lower batting average than Reynolds.

Yet it’s good to see a trade piece actully do something for once. So sit back and watch Reynold’s be the sliver lining to the remainder of a rough Pirates season in 2019.

Brother Vs. Brother

S. Samek

Its a battle as old as recorded history itself. Cain vs. Abel and many more started the trend of brothers competing head to head for something.

So flash forward to 2019 and we finally have a brother vs. brother match-up at the MLB level.

Thursday September 5th ,2019 the Pirates and Marlins were a part of this historical feat. The first brother to face his sibling in a Major League debut as a pitcher vs. batter combination.

Brian Moran of the Marlins was the pitcher making his big league debut. The hitter was Colin , the Pirates infielder.

Brian is older at 30 to Colin at 26. Yet Colin has been playing the past to seasons in Pittsburgh, while Brian has bounced around a little bit in the minors and had to have Tommy John surgery.

They matched up in the bottom of the fourth inning. Older brother got the best of younger brother has Brian struck out Colin and then went on to finish a scoreless inning.

This is such a unique ,but cool thing to happen. I can’t imagine facing off your brother in a major league game. its impressive that they were both able to make it and it should be a moment they both can savor.