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Dolphins vs. Chiefs playoff preview: Insider look at disappointment, Patrick Mahomes, defense, and Tyreek Hill’s return

The Phinsider — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:29:35 +0000

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesThe Miami Dolphins head to Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Weekend. We get a closer look at the Chiefs with some help from Arrowhead Pride. The Miami Dolphins head into the 2024 NFL playoffs on a two-game losing streak, a streak that led them to fall from the AFC East division lead and the AFC’s second-seed position to the sixth seed. That fall moved them from hosting a Wild Card playoff game in Miami to having to hit the road to face the Kansas City Chiefs in what is forecasted to be an incredibly cold Arrowhead Stadium. The Dolphins and Chiefs faced off earlier this year, a Week 9 game that listed Kansas City as the home team but was played in Frankfurt, Germany. Despite having arrived several days earlier than the Chiefs in an effort to adjust to the time change, Miami looked like they were sleepwalking through the first half of the game, falling behind 21-0 at the mid-way break. They made a strong effort in the second half to get back into the game, including holding the Chiefs scoreless, but fell 21-14 at the end of the game. Now, the Dolphins face the Chiefs again, and this time, wide receiver Tyreek Hill faces his former team in his former home stadium. How will Chiefs fans react to the return of their former star receiver? To answer that question and get a better look at who the Chiefs are as the playoffs begin, I turned to SB Nation’s Chiefs team site, Arrowhead Pride. Maurice Elston was kind enough to sit down with me to give us his thoughts on the Chiefs having a disappointing season, Patrick Mahomes not playing up to his normal standards, the Chiefs’ defense, and Hill’s return. You can check out my side of the conversation as I answered questions about the Dolphins here: The Chiefs are once again in the playoffs and in position to successfully defend their Super Bowl championship from last year, lift three of the last four Lombardi Trophies, and appear in four of the last five title games. It has been an amazing run, yet it feels like Chiefs fans are not happy with this season and “only” clinching the third seed. Is that a valid impression, and is anything less than the Super Bowl a disappointment for Chiefs fans? Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The sentiment across the Chiefs Kingdom reflects a collective disappointment in the current season. It’s not merely the 11-6 record that stands out as disheartening, but rather the manner in which the offense performed en route to that record. With Patrick Mahomes at the helm, there’s an unwavering expectation among Chiefs fans that anything short of a Super Bowl victory feels like a letdown. The standard set by Mahomes and the team has raised the bar significantly, making each season’s outcome crucial in the pursuit of championship glory. Patrick Mahomes, at least from the outside looking in, has not had a typical Patrick Mahomes season – he is still a Pro Bowl quarterback, but he just has not seemed like the NFL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year player we have seen in the past. His completion record is the highest of his career, but he threw for the second-fewest touchdown passes in his career as a starter, his career high in interceptions, his lowest yards per game average in his career,and his worst passer rating as a starter. I know there has been a lot of talk about the Chiefs’ wide receivers – but I do feel like that is a discussion most years dating back to the no-receiver touchdowns season in 2014 – especially with Travis Kelce being such a dominating presence in the passing game. Is there something “wrong” with Mahomes? Knowing this is all relative to Mahomes’ greatness, what has cause this “drop” in his performance. Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images While it’s challenging to pinpoint a specific issue with Mahomes himself, there appears to be a broader concern affecting the overall performance of the Chiefs’ offense. The combination of penalties and pressure conceded by the offensive line, coupled with drops from the wide receivers, has fostered a sense of mistrust within the team. Mahomes, in particular, seems to lack full confidence in both his receiving corps and the offensive line. Photo by Ralf Ibing – firo sportphoto/Getty Images This lack of trust manifests in instances of “happy feet” in the pocket, where Mahomes is compelled to take unnecessary actions due to the perceived unreliability of protection or receiving options. Notably, there are occasions when Mahomes holds onto the ball longer than necessary, possibly indicative of a hesitancy to release the ball even when a receiver is open, suggesting a lack of trust in their ability to secure the catch. However, it’s important to contextualize Mahomes’ performance, acknowledging that what may be considered a down year for him still stands as an impressive season for many quarterbacks. Despite the challenges, Mahomes continues to demonstrate exceptional skills, and addressing the issues within the team could potentially lead to a resurgence in offensive prowess. The Chiefs’ defense ranked second in the league this year, allowing just 289.9 yards per game. They were fourth against the pass, giving up 176.5 yards per game, and 18th against the run, with 113.2 yards per game allowed. In Week 9 against the Dolphins, Kansas City held Miami to just 292 yards of offense, with 175 yards passing and 117 yards rushing – basically right on their averages. They also finished the year second in sacks with 57, including three of them against the Dolphins. What has worked so well for Kansas City’s defense this season and how can Miami find success against it? Photo by Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images The success of the Chiefs’ defense this season can be attributed to the valuable combination of continuity and a deep understanding of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme by the players. The presence of two lockdown corners has been instrumental, providing the defensive line with the necessary time to generate pressure. Additionally, the impactful addition of linebacker Drue Tranquill and his exceptional coverage skills should not be understated. To counter the Chiefs’ defense, the Dolphins might find success by leveraging the speed of their running backs. Creating mismatches with the Chiefs’ linebackers in coverage, especially in a base formation, could be a strategic avenue for offensive success. By exploiting these matchups, the Dolphins may be able to capitalize on the Chiefs’ defensive structure and open up opportunities for their running backs in the passing game The Dolphins were the road team when these two teams met back in Week 9, but the Chiefs were not exactly the home team as the game was played in Germany. Fast forward to this weekend and the Dolphins finally head to Arrowhead Stadium, bringing with them wide receiver Tyreek Hill. As Hill returns to Kansas City, how do fans feel about him and his departure from the Chiefs? Will this be a prodigal son returning home, or could we expect boos and anger directed toward Hill? Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images The Chiefs fan base appears to have developed a complex, love/hate relationship with Tyreek Hill. Adoration for his contributions during his time in Kansas City is undeniable, especially considering the noticeable impact his absence has had on the team’s wide receiver performance this year. However, sentiments have shifted due to some of Hill’s comments since his departure, causing a divide among fans. While it may be unlikely for fans to outright boo Hill, there seems to be a readiness to express a mix of emotions. Supporters may cheer for mistakes or when opposing players make successful plays against him, reflecting a sentiment of disappointment or disagreement with Hill’s statements. The ambivalence in the fan base mirrors the complexities of navigating the aftermath of a beloved player’s departure, with emotions likely to play out audibly during games. The Dolphins’ last three weeks have been a gauntlet of games against the NFC’s second seed, the AFC’s top seed, and the AFC’s second seed. While they started it with a win over the NFC’s Dallas Cowboys, they lost badly to the Baltimore Ravens, then stumbled throughout the second half last week against the Buffalo Bills. Now, as the stretch of facing top-seeded teams continues, they face the third-seeded Chiefs. I am actually a little surprised that the line has been hovering between around 3.5 points for most of the week – though according to DraftKings Sportsbook odds, the line has moved to favoring the Chiefs by 4.5 points on Thursday. Do you anticipate this being a close game as the line would seem to suggest, or are you expecting the Chiefs to smack Miami in the mouth early, continuing that trend as well? Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images Given the challenges witnessed in the Chiefs’ offensive performance this year, it’s difficult to anticipate them overwhelming any team with a barrage of points. Consequently, it suggests that the upcoming game is likely to be closely contested. The key for the Chiefs would be the defensive strategy, particularly in containing Tyreek Hill and putting pressure on Tua Tagovailoa. If the Chiefs’ defense can successfully limit Hill’s impact, forcing Tagovailoa to throw outside the numbers or disrupt his preferred timing, it could significantly benefit the Chiefs’ overall game plan. In this scenario, the Chiefs are poised to cover the spread, leveraging their defensive strengths to create a favorable outcome. The closeness of the game might not necessarily translate to a lack of success for the Chiefs, especially if their defensive efforts prove effective.

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The other Browns, Texans trade is starting to work out for both teams

Dawgs By Nature — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:14:59 +0000

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY SportsJohn Metchie and Martin Emerson have played well this season The Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans face off in the opening game of this year’s NFL playoffs. The surprising (due to last year’s performance and the youth of the team) AFC South champions versus the surprising (due to injury after injury after injury) top Wild Card team in the AFC with a better record. The Browns and Texans will be linked for a while unrelated to this game. The trade of QB Deshaun Watson from Houston to Cleveland would have been a huge story if Watson was healthy for Saturday’s game. Instead, QB Joe Flacco leads the Browns. The two teams also connected for another trade in 2022. Holding the 44th overall selection, their first due to the Watson trade, Cleveland traded down with the Texans. The Browns received three draft selections in return. Houston selected WR John Metchie III with the 44th pick. Cleveland’s haul of picks turned into three players: CB Martin Emerson K Cade York DT Perrion Winfrey At the time of the draft, Winfrey was seen as the prize of the three, York was seen as a reach due to his position but was the “best kicker in the draft” while Emerson was mostly unknown. Fast forward to the Wild Card round of the 2023 NFL season and Emerson is one of the better young cornerbacks in the league, York has bounced around teams and Winfrey has struggled to find a new team after being released. Emerson’s young career is made easier by being with Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II. For the Texans, Metchie missed his rookie season due to Leukemia. That alone makes him a success but the receiver is starting to find his footing again on the field. With 16 receptions for 158 yards, the Alabama product is finding his place in Houston’s offense while also returning to full health. NFL trades are hard to judge. The Browns would have loved to get more out of York and Winfrey while the Texans are hoping Metchie can return to the player that deserved to be drafted high in the second round. All in all, a trade that is starting to work out for both teams but Emerson’s production in his first two seasons gives Cleveland the edge. How would you grade the trade now between what the Browns are getting from Emerson and the Texans are getting from Metchie?

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NYS Governor postpones Bills vs. Steelers playoff game until Monday due to storm

Buffalo Rumblings — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:12:42 +0000

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty ImagesA fierce lake-effect storm will put Bills vs. Steelers on pause for a day The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers will have to wait a bit longer to decide their playoff fates during NFL Super Wild Card Weekend, thanks to a dangerous January blizzard wreaking havoc on the greater Buffalo area. New York State governor Kathy Hochul has announced that Steelers-Bills has been moved to 4:30 p.m. EST on Monday.— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) January 13, 2024 I’ve been in communication with @NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend. In consultation with our emergency response teams, @BuffaloBills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) January 13, 2024

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40 in 40: The Duality of Carlos Vargas

Lookout Landing — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Photo by Adam Bow/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesA flawed reliever that just might figure it out Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Harvey Dent and Two-Face. Katy Perry’s fiancé in her 2008 smash hit Hot and Cold. All three of these gentlemen are famously in cahoots with themselves, never able to truly pin down whether they desire to be their best selves or give into the voices and spurn good for evil. When Carlos Vargas, the latest addition to the Mariner Bullpen Lab, is on the mound, it’s no different. Deciphering which alter ego of Vargas will prevail will ultimately decide whether or not the Mariners acquired their next relief ace or just another journeyman reliever. The Jekyll The primary acquisition in the Eugenio Suárez trade this winter, Vargas throws gas like few others on planet Earth can. With his average four-seamer sitting at 99.4 mph, Vargas just edges out Andrés Muñoz (99.2 mph) for the hardest thrower on the team. Perhaps even crazier, Vargas throws a slider (Statcast calls it a cutter) that averages 91.7 mph. That’s pretty ridiculous! Here’s Vargas striking out former top prospect Joey Wiemer with a 93 mph slider. And here he is dotting up Mariner Legend Chris Taylor with 101 down and away. This is the good Vargas. The Vargas that chooses to do the right thing and throw his stuff for strikes. Vargas’s 116 Stuff+, a metric created by Fangraphs to grade the raw characteristics of a pitcher’s arsenal, would have been third best in the current bullpen behind Matt Brash and the aforementioned Muñoz. The stuff is good enough to dominate. Going further into Vargas’ good side, he’s been a master at inducing groundballs. His GB% in the upper minors has sat above 60%, an excellent mark. Perhaps the piece of his game that inspires the most hope, however, is the ease in his delivery and mechanics. Recent Mariner relievers that have thrown gas with little control (Yohan Ramirez comes to mind) had high effort deliveries with a lot of moving parts. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing and pitchers should absolutely try to throw harder, a pitcher that can hit 99 on the radar gun with relative ease certainly has a leg up on a guy who has to empty the tank to hit the same mark. Vargas is an athlete on the mound and both his mechanics and release point are repeated well. The dominant relief ace is in there somewhere, but as of now, the demons are rearing their ugly head a bit too much. The Hyde Vargas and the little devil on his shoulder whispering “walk him, walk him” every time a hitter comes to the plate have become a bit too close for my liking. Surrendering a free pass to a hefty 15.2% of batters in AAA for Arizona this past season, the last time Vargas had a sub 10% walk rate was 2019 at a level of the minor leagues that no longer exists. He cannot say no to walks and it has largely led to the slide in his prospect pedigree. Additionally, for a guy with as good of stuff as Vargas has, he’s never been a huge strikeout guy. Throughout his minor league career, Vargas has routinely run mundane K rates, typically a tick or more below average. Having as large of a walk problem as Vargas does with little uptick in K rate doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for his major league career. Strikeouts are king, especially when there’s traffic on the basepaths. Having both a control problem and a strikeout problem doesn’t necessarily spell disaster for a pitcher, but if there isn’t some other other carrying trait like inducing lot of soft contact or high levels of deception, it’s tough to see a way out other than alleviating at least one of those problems. To date, we’ve yet to see this happen over a meaningful sample size. The Verdict From my vantage point, I see a pitcher that has one key flaw and if this flaw is fixed to a level within tolerance for the organization, he’s got a good chance at pitching late in ballgames. Do I think it’s fixable? It’s possible. This needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt as there is a rather small sample size of video and/or Statcast data, but his misses aren’t all that bad. From what I’ve seen, he tends to be a bit too fine and aim for the edges when the pure stuff is good enough to play wherever. Whether or not this is true for the entirety of the season, I don’t know. He very well could be the next Yohan Ramirez and I wouldn’t bat an eye. But, if you squint hard enough, there’s just enough there that makes me want to naïvely believe. I don’t want to sell you on Carlos Vargas. Hell, I don’t even know if I’m sold on him. He’s a bit of a polarizing profile that can either provide immense value to a club or next to nothing at all. It’s fun to dream on, but last year he wasn’t all that dissimilar from Riley O’Brien, a guy the Mariners gave away for next to nothing. This being said, I don’t think the Mariners would have acquired Vargas if they didn’t see something in him and they deserve the benefit of the doubt for the job they’ve done at developing bullpen arms. Vargas is the highest ceiling guy the Mariner Bullpen Lab has had in ages, but his Mr. Hyde has nearly engulfed him entirely. Should he conquer his demons and cut ties with walks, Vargas will be a boon to this Mariner bullpen and a staple for years to come. If not, he’ll be cast off to fight his battles elsewhere. Only time will tell.

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Top 100 Yankees: #24 Elston Howard

Pinstripe Alley — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000

As talented as he was inspirational, the catcher was a pioneer on the field and beyond. Name: Elston Gene HowardPosition: Catcher/Left FieldBorn: February 23, 1929 (St Louis, MO)Died: December 14, 1980 (New York, NY)Yankee Years: 1955-67Primary number: 32Yankee statistics: 1,492 G, 5,487 PA, .279/.324/.436, 161 HR, 635 R, 733 RBI, 110 wRC+, 27.6 rWAR, 31.2 fWAR Biography In so many ways Elston Howard was a man constantly on the edge of history. He played for the near-mythic Kansas City Monarchs under Buck O’Neil, perhaps the single greatest Baseball Man to ever put on a uniform. He batted behind Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and Yogi Berra in the legendary 1961 season. He won four rings as a player and another two as a coach with the Yankees. But Elston Howard was not simply a passive observer of the grand story of baseball. Indeed, he had an outsized role in making it himself; the first Black man to wear Yankee pinstripes, he won an MVP while facing racial epithets from his own manager. It’s so hard to talk about the players who were part of breaking the color barrier, since their stoicism and grace that’s so frequently remarked upon was often a mask they were forced to wear, in order to be properly palatable to the White fan — or indeed, teammate — who may still reject their belonging in MLB. St. Louis Standout Discovered on a St. Louis sandlot at 16, Howard was signed to the Tandy League, a high-level, semi-independent league in the Deep South because the ball just sounded so damn loud off his bat. His mother, a dietician, stood opposed to him playing until team officials could assure her that her son would receive better meal offerings than she could provide. A year later, Jackie Robinson became MLB’s first Black player, and while finishing at the all-Black Vashon High School, Howard turned down three different football scholarships to go play for those famous Monarchs. He debuted in 1948 at just 19. For those who don’t know, the Kansas City Monarchs combined on-field achievements — 10 Negro League titles — with the celebrity and cultural status that we’d associate with the Yankees or LA Lakers. Starting his time in KC in left field and rooming with veteran starting catcher Earl Taborn, balancing his new lifestyle with a higher level of play would be the perfect apprenticeship for a player destined for New York. One of the ways the Monarchs stayed ahead of the rest of the Negro Leagues was by being proactive in selling the contracts of players to MLB clubs, including Howard’s roommate Earl Taborn. Elston’s youth and tools made him an attractive target, alongside teammate Ernie Banks, and Buck O’Neil himself pushed Yankee scout Tom Greenwade to bring the catcher east. Signed along with Frank Barnes for $25,000 midway through the 1950 season, Howard was assigned to Class-A Muskegon, posting an .824 OPS in 200 minor league PAs. Drafted into the US Army at the close of the season, he was initially ticketed for combat on the Korean Peninsula, before the GIs figured out what a talented ballplayer they had just conscripted. Transferred to Special Services, Howard played ball in Japan for his two years of service — what would have been his age 22 and 23 seasons. Barrier Breaking Photo by Louis Requena/MLB via Getty Images Back in Kansas City, this time with the Triple-A Blues, Howard spent the summer of 1953 with teammate Vic Power, a Black Puerto Rican at first base. Seven MLB teams had by that point signed a Black player, and by the end of that season, Howard’s old teammate Ernie Banks would be the first Black player on the Cubs. The momentum was building, and it began to be speculative material when the Yankees were going to decide to be on the right side of history. Howard had a solid year, but Power was a star, with a .900 OPS. George Weiss, onside with a directive from ownership that prospective Black players had to be the “right” kind of person, deemed Power not “the Yankee type” due to his relationships with white women. A year earlier, Weiss had privately remarked a Black Yankee would bring an undesirable element to the Yankee Stadium crowds, as recounted in The Boys of Summer “We don’t want that sort of crowd. It would offend box-holders from Westchester to have to sit with n—s”. It wasn’t just ownership and management that was so anti-integration. The hatred directed toward Black players was held by other administrators, including traveling secretary Bill McCorry, who saw no value in Willie Mays: “I got no use for him or any of them. No n—– will ever have a berth on any train I’m running”. Vic Power never made it to MLB with the Yankees. While the baseball world speculated on his promotion in July, Weiss instead promoted Double-A hand Gus Triandos. Joe Bostic of The New York Amsterdam News wrote that Triandos’ advantage “was one of circumstance in not being born a Negro”. It wasn’t enough for Black players to be good — very good, at that. Major League Baseball has always been the highest level of ball in the world, you don’t get a roster spot as a stocking stuffer. To be a Black MLB player, especially at the time the league was propping the door open just an inch, you had to take the lasting effects of 350 years of subjugation and an administrative apparatus dedicated to devaluing you with a straight face. Anger or rejection of that system would play into some of the oldest racist tropes that exist. A Black player must simply put his head down and run. Barack Obama famously paraphrased the quote about Ginger Rogers, backwards and in heels, about women in politics but the analogy extends to any pioneers, though the reality for Black players was perhaps even more violent. This is the context that Elston Howard existed in when he received an invite to spring training in 1954. As the Yankees prioritized his flexibility behind the plate and in left field, legendary catcher Bill Dickey took the prospect under his wing, although the New York media wondered about ulterior motives. Writers openly questioned whether this was a way for the Yankees to delay integrating their team — with Yogi Berra in his prime, there was little need for another catcher, giving the club an easy excuse to keep Howard off the roster. Whether that media skepticism was true or not, this existing context makes it understandable why people might think it was. For whatever it’s worth, the Yankees wanted Howard a little closer to home than Kansas City, arranging for him to spend one final minor league season with the Toronto Maple Leafs — a long tradition of Black players finding success, though not altogether avoiding prejudice, in Canadian minor league baseball. Elston Howard was the MVP of the International League that year, his age-25 season. If the Yankees were deliberately holding him down, the excuses were running out. That they lost the pennant to Cleveland and the AL’s first Black player Larry Doby, may have been the final point that integration was more than the morally right thing to do; but a way of attracting and retaining the best talent across the sport. Spring 1955, Howard bats cleanup most of the spring and it quickly becomes clear that he’s going to be the Yankees’ first Black major leaguer. The announcement is official, and celebrated on The Ed Sullivan Show. A Star Among Stars Gil McDougald 4Andy Carey 5Mickey Mantle 8Yogi Berra 2Bill Skowron 3Hank Bauer 9Bob Cerv 7Phil Rizzuto 6Whitey Ford 1 That was the Yankee starting nine on Opening Day, April 13th 1955. Seven of those nine guys will be featured in this countdown. Those Yankee teams weren’t just great in their eras, they are all-time collections of ballplayers. Elston Howard’s name belongs right up there with the rest of them, but what a nut to crack in your rookie season. You’ll notice that he didn’t crack it in the season’s first game, nor to start the second. A Black player finally saw action in a Yankee uniform in the sixth inning on April 14th, when Howard took over for Irv Noren following Noren’s ejection. Whatever fans at the time felt about the integration of the Yankees, Howard was there to play ball — notching an RBI single, driving in the Mick, in the 8-4 loss to Boston. The tough part about being a prospective catcher in the Bronx in 1955 is, Yogi Berra’s en route to his third AL MVP award. Even in the best possible circumstances, when you’re not fighting the bigotry of your team’s owner, GM, manager, and traveling secretary, it’s going to be tough to find time behind the dish. Howard didn’t make his first start for two weeks after his debut, in what must have felt like his second home, Kansas City. In his typically excellent fashion, 3-for-5, two runs scored, two driven in. The way you get over with Yankee fans is postseason performance, and in the 1955 World Series against the Dodgers, Howard notched a quintet of hits and a home run in his first at-bat. Although the baseball world was warming to the idea of Black players, violence in support of white power structures was omnipresent, and even an ascendant New York Yankee was never more than a degree or two removed from it. The winter of ‘55-56, Howard left for spring training early, planning to spend time with Martin Luther King Jr., a friend of his godfather ahead of camp. En route to Montgomery, King’s home was firebombed in response to his first major bus boycott campaign. The bomber was never found, a pertinent reminder of just how close to the edge Black people, even those nominally protected by pinstripes, were in 1950s America. On the field, the 1956 campaign wasn’t as bright as ‘55 for Howard. Breaking his finger in spring training, he was now physically prevented from catching as much as he wanted. Appearing in just 98 games, Elston did at least make a mark on the postseason, clubbing an opposite-field home run in the decisive Game 7 win over those same Dodgers. World Series heroics became something of an expectation for Howard, and he would have earned a spot in this ranking almost off his performance in 1958 alone. Facing elimination in Game 5 against Milwaukee, Howard’s diving catch in left, then doubling off a runner straying too far from the bag, was the moment that turned the miraculous series around for the Yankees. Followed up by a Game 6 extra-innings victory, the cherry on top of the whole damn season was driving in what would be the Series-winning run in Game 7. While pitcher Bob Turley took home the official World Series MVP that year, with a 2.75 ERA and 13 strikeouts, without those two shining moments, one of the greatest comeback stories in World Series history would have ended differently. While Howard was entrenched for the rest of the decade as a useful platoon player — Casey Stengel did love those platoons — his mere presence pushed the organization in different directions. One bemoans the fate of that wayward traveling secretary, who was now compelled to put players up in non-segregated hotels. By 1962, the Yankees finally desegregated their spring training accommodations — just over a full year after Stengel and Weiss were relieved of their duties. New manager Ralph Houk preferred Howard at catcher, as Berra was now in his late-30s, still a capable hitter but not the game-breaking force he had been. Of the 129 games Howard played in 1961, he was behind the plate in 111 of them, and would have been one of the best offensive stories of the season if not for that little home run race by the guys directly ahead of him in the order. Coronation and Confrontation That constant theme in Howard’s life, on-field success perennially met with racist obstacles, reared its head again as the team’s starting catcher entered the prime of his career. In the winter of 1962-63, ahead of his best season, Elston spent time convincing Teaneck mayor Matty Feldman that the world would not, in fact, end if he and his family built a house in the then-white neighborhood. He would spend that summer tweaking his offensive profile and scrubbing away the racist graffiti that sprouted up around the build site. We spend a lot of these kinds of profiles talking about how different these guys are — they’re the standouts of the game’s premier franchise, of course, they’re going to be unique compared to the thousands of other MLBers. Perhaps the one way Elston Howard was most like just about every other ballplayer was the lust for Yankee Stadium’s right-field porch. Switching to a heavier bat at the beginning of the 1963 season, Howard was planning to be just a hair later getting to balls, pushing fly balls out to the then-301-foot sign. He made the same decision the Babe did a half-century before, and heck, the same one Luke Voit made more than 50 years later. Get the ball in the air to that short porch, and you’ll be a plus hitter in your sleep. Indeed, he set career highs in home runs and ISO in ‘63, with 28 balls clearing the fence. With the Mick battling injuries most of the season, Howard was a clear choice for MVP, the first Black player to take home the AL’s top award. He also won his first Gold Glove the same year, in recognition of his continued development as a backstop. The hardware led to a healthy raise, and a national profile — the first Black man to model for GQ. Tinkering again with his approach, Howard became more interested in base hits than long balls the next season, and simply did it. 172 hits in 150 games were both career highs, and he finished third in MVP voting that season, although the loss to the Cardinals in the World Series signaled the end of Camelot for a post-war Yankee dynasty. Elston Howard and the Yankees themselves would never have it that good again. Elbow problems ate away at the catcher’s ability to field and hit, and while bone chips were removed, the issue became chronic. Dealt to the Red Sox in 1967, Howard needed to be personally assured by deeply racist owner Tom Yawkey that he really could be a contributor. The Impossible Dream season, the veteran catcher’s biggest impact was his depth of experience in the American League. When you’re a team that doesn’t win, sometimes the best asset is a guy that has won, that can keep you level and brings that air of “yeah, I’ve been here before”. Elston Howard had been in the World Series nine damn times by then, so the nail-biting finish against Minnesota, the scoreboard watching with Detroit, all the things that led to the Sox’s first pennant in 21 years, much have felt like old hat to the veteran star. The end was near for Howard’s career. He came back for one more season, after spending the winter developing the “donut” bat weight — he must have been tired of swinging two or three sticks in the on-deck circle. Leaving the playing field with a goal of being the game’s first Black manager, he was back in the Yankee fold as a coach for the great late ‘70s teams, although he never got the top job. The bigs wouldn’t see a Black skipper until Frank Robinson in 1975. In a better world, Howard would’ve received a shot at least in the ‘80s when George Steinbrenner was cycling through skipper left and right, but he tragically succumbed to myocarditis at the end of 1980. He was only 51. His former teammates and the players he coached were heartbroken. Four years later, New York retired his No. 32 and gave him an overdue plaque in Monument Park. His widow, Arlene, did a beautiful job of keeping his legacy alive and representing him at Old-Timers’ Days until her own passing in December 2023. This is the part where we would sum up the career accomplishments of the player in question. How does one even begin that process with someone like Elston Howard? As supreme an athlete as you’ll find in the history of the game, Howard’s very existence made it implausible that he would compete on the sport’s biggest stage. At any time, it would have been understandable for him to turn around, walk away from fans’ epithets and spray-painted walls, walk away from an organization that didn’t see him as fully human. He never did. Howard is one of the very great players in the game’s history, but his importance is so much more than what WAR can measure. He was unapologetically great, and unapologetically Black, at a time when one of those carried deep risk. The Yankees, and baseball, are better off because of him. Staff Rank: 22Community Rank: 25Stats Rank: 412013 Rank: 33 References Appel, Marty. Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Character, 2017, Penguin Random House. Baseball Reference Brennan, Douglas M. Greatness in the Shadows: Larry Doby and the Integration of the American League, 2016, University of Nebraska Press FanGraphs History of the Muskegon Clippers History | GLCBL: Muskegon Clippers – Pointstreak Sites Kahn, Roger. Boys of Summer, 1972, Harper & Row Rosengren John, “Elston Howard became the Yankees’ Jackie Robinson 60 years ago” Sports Illustrated, April 13th, 2015 Tan, Cecilia. SABR Bio. Previously on the Top 100 26. Robinson CanóFull list to date

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A comprehensive guide to the Royals free agent acquisitions

Royals Review — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha (52) delivers a pitch during a Major League Baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago White Sox on September 30, 2023 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, IL. | Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesEverything you need to know about the free agents the Royals’ signed prior to the 2024 season The Royals made significantly more moves in free agency this year than we’re used to. As Spring Training approaches, now seems like a good time to sum everything up and answer a few questions you may have. Who did the Royals sign? The Royals signed starting pitcher Michael Wacha, starting pitcher Seth Lugo, utility player Garrett Hampson, reliever Chris Stratton, reliever Will Smith, and outfielder Hunter Renfroe. How much did the Royals spend in free agency? The Royals committed between $62 million and $105 million to free agents this off-season, depending on which player options are selected and which are not. The Royals added $47 million to their 2024 salary. They have signed the third-most free agents. Their $105 million promised amounts to six percent of the total free agent spending completed so far this off-season. Overall, free agent spending appears to be down across baseball as the $1,746,675,000 spent so far is less than half of what was spent the previous off-season. And almost half of that was committed to one player when the Dodgers added Shohei Ohtani. Did the Royals overpay for their free agents? No. The deals for similar pitchers around baseball have been around the same rates the Royals paid for Lugo, Wacha, Stratton, and Smith. If anything, the Royals might have gotten good deals. Renfroe and Hampson appear to have been bargains compared to other outfielders and utility players signed so far this off-season. Will the Royals be good in 2024? That seems unlikely. While the free-agent additions should significantly improve the team, they were so bad last year that this probably only gets them to mediocre levels of competitiveness, barring breakouts from returning players. Will the Royals win the American League Central division in 2024? This actually seems within the realm of possibility. You still probably shouldn’t go out and bet on it, but considering how weak the AL Central has been for years and how other teams in the division seem to be getting even worse while the Royals improve, it almost seems like the other teams prefer to lose the division. Will the Royals make the playoffs in 2024? Again, unlikely, but possible. The Royals almost certainly won’t make it as a Wild Card team out of the AL Central, so they’d have to win the division outright. Last year the Twins took that crown with 87 wins. No other team in the division won more than 78. With the decline of the Guardians, White Sox, and Twins rosters, if the Royals can play close to .500 baseball, they should be in the thick of the race for most of the year. Who is the Royals’ closer in 2024? Your guess is as good as anyone else’s. In September, the Royals had James McArthur closing games. Candidates for this year include McArthur, John McMillon, and Will Smith. Last he said anything on the matter, Manager Matt Quatraro indicated he had not chosen a closer for the team and it likely won’t be determined until the end of Spring Training or possibly even later. Who is the best player on the Royals in 2024? Some might say catcher Salvador Perez, but he had a down year in 2023 while shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. broke out in a big way. Bobby Witt Jr. had the Royals first ever 30-30 season, hitting at least 30 home runs and stealing at least 30 bases. He actually had their first 30-40 season as he finished with 30 home runs and 49 stolen bases. He was also caught stealing five times in his final 10 games while he attempted to reach 50 stolen bases. Who is the best pitcher on the Royals in 2024? There’s still a lot of uncertainty in the group, but the most likely candidate for this honor is Cole Ragans. Ragans was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Texas Rangers and pitched like an ace for the Royals during the second half of the season. In 12 starts for the Royals, he pitched to a 2.64 ERA and a 2.49 FIP. The left-handed fireballer regularly touched triple-digits with his fastball but also fooled hitters badly with nasty breaking stuff, including a slider he added only after being acquired by Kansas City. Ragans is still only 26 years old and under team control until 2029. Assuming last year was no fluke, he should be headlining Royals rotations for years to come.

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Knicks Bulletin: Losing at Dallas, Mitch’s return, shorthanded Grizzlies…

Posting and Toasting — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty ImagesStraight outta sources. The New York Knicks lost the first game of the OG Era on Thursday, falling 128-124 to the Dallas Mavericks. Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson returned to the Lone Star State, Luka Doncic missed the game, Tom Thibodeau was a bit lost, and Kyrie Irving dumped more than a few buckets. After the game was over and leading up to Saturday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, many Knickerbockers as well as a certain former legend of NYK lore shared some quotable statements. Here’s what they had to say. Jalen Brunson (On getting called for a technical foul in the second quarter of the game against Dallas…) “I love to keep my money, so I’m going to keep my money. It’s tough. I can’t be in that mindset of letting things frustrate me, whether it’s anything that’s going on in the game. I got to be better. And we got to be ready from the start of the game, and that’s on me.” (On returning to Dallas to face his former franchise on Texan soil…) “That place meant a lot to me, it means a lot to me.” (On the Mavericks drafting and developing him for his first professional years of play…) “My first four years [in the NBA], they introduced me to the league, they gave me my chance, they built me up. The organization and those guys over there, they mean a lot to me.” (On his links to Dallas and the Mavs…) “At some point when I’m done playing basketball I’ll look back and think about the evolution of how I became a basketball player. I’m definitely thankful for them and what they did for my career.” “This place means a lot to me. The fans were great to me, the organization is great. They had my back. There were definitely ups and downs and stuff like that. But they always had my back. This team and this city gets around its sports teams. They have a great fan base and I’m very thankful for the time I was here.” (On his present as the face of the New York Knicks…) “I love where I’m at. This city, this organization has brought me in. And It’s meant the world to me. And it’s honestly been a dream come true. I just want to get better every single day and keep working on my game. It’s been nothing but amazing.” (On the potential return of Mitchell Robinson before the playoffs…) “It’s very important. He’s a huge part of what we do. I think him being healthy, a hundred percent healthy is a really big thing for us when he comes back. Not to rush back. But that’s definitely exciting news.” Julius Randle (On the New York Knicks‘ comeback in the third and fourth quarters against Dallas…) “We just shut up and played. To be completely honest, stopped worrying about the officials, what we were getting and not getting. Just shut up and play basketball. That’s what we did. When we do that, we’re pretty good.” (On taking the L and dealing with it…) “The quicker we let go of this one, quicker we can focus on the next one. Self-correct what we did today. Evaluate it, but got to move on.” Isaiah Hartenstein (On Brunson’s comments about JB’s return to Dallas…) “I mean, he got a new haircut so he might be trying to look good for the people in Dallas.” “I know it’s always something special. Last time we were here I don’t think he played. I think it’s something special. He was here for a long time.” (On what it means to play at a place that one called home once before in their career…) “I always think—me even going back to the Clippers and Rockets, it’s still special to this day.” (On the optimism regarding Mitchell Robinson’s early comeback…) “I’m excited for him. The process is not easy, any injury—especially for that long, is always hard. But having the hope that at the end of the season, he can come back and still contribute to a team is big for him.” ”We’re excited that it’s moving forward like that. We just want to keep supporting him through the process and make sure when he comes back it’s right and we’re not forcing him.” “He wants to come back before the season ends, but you never know with injuries like that, if there’s a setback, if it goes better than expected. So that’s kind of where he was at. I think it’s something good for him, a point where he can strive to. So I’m excited for him. I think it’s going to help him be more optimistic about the whole situation.” Tom Thibodeau (On the referees and their calls on Thursday at Dallas…) “Hey, look, I don’t really care if the game was called tight or it was called loosely. I just want consistency. So there was some frustration there, but that’s all part of it. We’ve got to handle that.” (On Mitchell Robinson’s return before the regular season is over…) “To me, you take the information you have and you deal with it accordingly. As we mentioned earlier, after he had the surgery we knew we had to wait eight to 10 weeks to get more information and so we’re about halfway there now. Once we get to that point we’ll have more information and we’ll have a clearer plan.” Donte DiVincenzo (On losing against Dallas after starting slow and falling behind early…) “Recently we’ve been hitting teams in the mouth first and just running away with it. I think this was our first test of adversity as this new group together. I think we responded well in the fourth quarter. You take the good and learn from that as well.” “I think we just got hit first in the mouth tonight and they just kept going. In the NBA, when teams start to feel good about themselves, you know something’s coming. I think it’s a humbling game for us, but I know the team we have, everybody is going to respond and be ready to go on Saturday.” (On facing a shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies team on Saturday…) “We have to be ready on Saturday. It doesn’t matter if Ja’s out or not. They’re playing really well. And they’re going to play hard.” “Thibs is going to have us ready. I think our effort to start the game will be better.” Carmelo Anthony (On Tom Thibodeau’s style of play leading to winning playoff games…) “I think [the Knicks] can [make the Conference Finals]. Not many teams [are] structured that way, like, to stop you first.” “They are created and built to stop the other team—like defense first. The only thing that comes down to that is no matter how great your defense is, the offense always outweighs. The game is about a bucket, so you could play all the defense that you want in the world… You got to score to win the game… Defense is just to control the game and possessions, you know what I mean? Like, let’s win every possession. So you got to lock down, you got to lock in, you got to focus. It’s more team defense in the postseason.” (On RJ Barrett’s career and legacy as a New York Knicks player…) “He’s just a bland player, bro. That’s not a shot. That’s not disrespect. I ask a lot of people who are Knicks fans to see what they say, it’s just like, ‘He’s good, he gets it done sometimes, but he’s not an exciting player.’ You don’t know if he’s going to get four (points) or 26.” (On new Knick OG Anunoby and his impact on the team compared to RJ’s…) “OG is doing the same thing RJ doing. He just don’t demand it the way that RJ demanded to be a part of the offense. Like, OG is cool sitting on the wing and moving around and cutting and waiting for somebody to swing into him and knock down a three. He still is going to play defense no matter what.” (On RJ Barrett getting frustrated in New York and thinking about leaving the Knicks…) “You’re (scoring) 20, 22, 24, and that’s as the third option on that team. So now you feel like, ‘I’m putting up 24, I’m the third option. I’m not really getting it. ‘Alright man, I got to go.’ He was probably feeling that—like, ‘I’m ready to go.’ I’m sure he was questioning it.”

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NFL Wild Card Playoff Picks: Can the Packers pull an upset in Jordan Love’s playoff debut?

Acme Packing Company — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesThe Packers are 7-point underdogs in Texas, so they’ll need some magic from Love and the young offense to advance. Six games in three days — that’s the schedule on tap for the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend. The first round of the playoffs for the 2023 season get underway on Saturday afternoon with the Cleveland Browns taking on the Houston Texans, and football fans will have a fascinating and compelling slate of games through into Monday night. There are a few storylines that will dominate the headlines this weekend. On Saturday night, the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins are expected to play in one of the coldest NFL games on record, with temperatures forecasted to be below zero Fahrenheit and wind chills of minus-20 degrees or lower. Then on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will play against their former head coach, Mike McCarthy, and the Dallas Cowboys. In that game, we also have Jordan Love’s first postseason game to add to the intrigue. Sunday night’s game features the Detroit Lions playing a home playoff game for the first time in 30 years, and they will be welcoming in their former quarterback, Matthew Stafford, when they do so. But through all of the narratives, there are six football games to be played, and we at APC have made our picks for each of them. The Packers are seven-point underdogs in Texas this weekend, so they’ll need to overcome that touchdown spread if they want to advance to a Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers next week. Here are our picks for this weekend’s games, and be sure to bring it back to APC on Sunday afternoon for full coverage of Packers-Cowboys! APC Game Picks Odds courtesy of DraftKings sportsbook

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Hula Bowl prospects for Bears to target in 2024 NFL Draft

Windy City Gridiron — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesWCG’s lead draft analyst looks at players in today’s Hula Bowl the Bears should keep an eye on. The 2024 Hula Bowl is taking place on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CST in Orlando, Florida, and some really intriguing draft prospects will be participating. With the end of the college football season comes collegiate all-star games, and the Hula Bowl is among the top options for players looking to enter the NFL level. NFL scouts and coaches do deep dives on these prospects, and the more hands-on they get to be in their interactions with them leading up to the draft, the better. Through my preparations for the 2024 NFL Draft, there are a handful of Hula Bowl participants who particularly stand out. Here are some of the top Hula Bowl prospects in this year’s class whom the Chicago Bears would be wise to keep their eyes on. Blake Watson, RB, Memphis One of the best receiving backs in the 2024 draft, Watson had 90 receptions for 794 yards in his last two seasons between Old Dominion and Memphis. With two 1,000-yard rushing seasons to his name, he’s also been quite productive on the ground, too. He’s a twitchy athlete with great breakaway speed and good shiftiness coming out of his cuts. He also processes soundly in between the tackles. His 5-foot-10, 187-pound frame and lack of ideal physicality could prevent him from being an every-down back, but he’s a fun change-of-pace back who deserves to get drafted. Hayden Hatten, WR, Idaho The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Hatten is a well-built receiver who was a first-team FCS All-American in 2022 and a second-team All-American in 2023. He offers very good ball skills, demonstrating ideal body control when the ball’s in the air. He’s a good blocking receiver with good physicality along the perimeter, and he’s a reliable hands catcher. Though he won’t wow scouts with his track speed or his agility after the catch, he’s crafty, strong and coordinated and could outdo his eventual draft status. Clark Barrington, OL, Baylor Barrington started 40 games for BYU prior to starting at Baylor, making him an experienced collegiate starter with guard-center versatility. He’s an athletic blocker with ideal range as a blocker and good flexibility in his lower half. He’s a hair under 6-foot-7, and for such a tall guard, he does a good job of keeping his pads low. Play strength is a concern for him, and he graduated high school in 2016 as a result of his Mormon mission, so he’s much older than the average prospect. He doesn’t carry a draftable grade, but he could compete for a roster spot at the next level. Matthew Jones, OG, Ohio State Jones was a three-year starter at Ohio State with in-game experience at guard and center. He’s a stout interior lineman with a powerful style of play and ideal weight distribution. When he gets his feet set, running into him is like running into a brick wall. He also has ideal zonal awareness in pass protection. His lack of top-notch agility and strike location hurts him a bit, but his resume warrants late-round consideration. Omar Speights, LB, LSU Speights was a three-year full-time starter at Oregon State prior to transferring to LSU for the 2023 season. He’s an athletic linebacker with good burst coming out of his lateral movements and some pretty nice straight-line speed. His high motor is apparent when you watch him on tape, and he’s comfortable in shallow zones in coverage as a WILL linebacker. If he can work on his physicality against blocks, he could be a very good special teamer at the next level. Jackson Mitchell, LB, UConn With 432 tackles in the four seasons he’s played in college, Mitchell was a difference-maker for UConn’s defense as their MIKE. He’s a reliable form tackler who takes precise angles in run support. In between the tackles, he showcases good activity in his hands deconstructing blocks near the line of scrimmage and good awareness filling up gaps. Though his athleticism and length aren’t tremendous, he does the little things right and should be able to clean up tackles well at the second level in the NFL. Demani Richardson, S, Texas A&M A five-year starter at the SEC level, Richardson is a well-built safety at 6-foot-1 and 214 pounds. He has a wingspan of over 80 inches, and he’s a physical downhill defender who wraps up well as a tackler. His high motor and quick processing abilities made him a reliable playmaker for the Aggies. While his athletic upside isn’t top-notch, he projects as a valuable special teamer and a good Day 3 selection.

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Confidence in the Cowboys grows, victory expected over the Packers

Blogging The Boys — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesCowboys fans are pretty confident in the team these days. Time to put away childish things. The NFL regular season is over and it’s time to get down to the real work. The NFL playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys have punched their ticket for the playoffs, and did it rather emphatically. They not only walked down the Philadelphia Eagles and took the NFC East, but their win over the Detroit Lions late in the year ultimately gave them the number two seed in the NFC. Because of that, they get to start off with a home game against the seventh-seed Green Bay Packers. If they win this week, they get another home game. The end of the year had a slight wobble when Dallas dropped games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, which cratered the confidence number for the team. But recent wins over the Lions and Washington Commanders have changed the mood. We asked if you have confidence in the direction of the team, and that number has climbed all the way back to 88%. We also asked if the Cowboys would win their game against the Packers on Sunday, and 92% off fans think Dallas will win. Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

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