Passed Ball Show

11/18/2021 Passed Ball Show. John starts this show giving some credit to the progress of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. He discusses the depth of their roster and talks about some of the tough decisions they have to make going forward. He states how the team’s expectations should be raised and how they are a playoff team right now. John then states Rex Ryan’s place as NFL commentator and how it relates to his criticism of current New York Jets football coach Robert Saleh. John backs Ryan’s right to be critical, then states the last person he ever wants to hear from- Saleh’s brother. John compares the latter to LaVar Ball and Odell Beckham Sr. Finally, John breaks down his version of the NFL Quarterback carrousel for the 2022 season. He gives every team a starting QB, including new teams for Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garappolo. He then explains why as many as four NFL teams will have rookie starting QB’s NEXT season and there may be another two serving as backups.

11/17/2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens the program by expressing his excitement for the near completion of his broadcasting studio, which will have some decorations up in time for his next broadcast scheduled for tomorrow. He then hits a "Top Ten" topic when he questions society's obsession with dragging people's names down because of their popularity regarding the DUI of Duke Basketball player Michael Savarino. John explains his point of view that Paolo Banchero was nothing more than a passenger in the car driven by Savarino and there is a public attempt to destroy Banchero because of his guilt by association. Had Banchero not been touted as... as much of a star, the police likely would not have charged him. If they had probable cause, than any passenger in a car driven by a drunk driver should be guilty as well, and John proves that is not the case. John then expresses his concern that the New York Mets are behind the other 29 MLB teams in regards to their interest in upgrading their team. John explains why it is imperative that teams that are expecting to compete in 2022 be as active early on as they can and the Mets cannot identify their needs without having a new GM in place. John adds the expiring CBA on December 1 is the reason that many high profile free agents will likely be signed by then. John then talks about the MLB Awards finalist, a system that he believes is not necessary. John lauds the original Monday Night Football broadcast team of Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Frank Gifford (Keith Jackson during season one) and how they turned the weekly game into a National event. After mentioning how watered down MNF has been during the past 20 or so years, he feels the Manning broadcast has the ability to revitalize what has been sagging ratings. Finally, John laughs off the take of the Mile High altitude in Denver helping Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts' completion percentage before calling out whether there really was a legitimate person that actually said that.

11-11-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens this discussion by talking about those who continuously blame officials (umpires in baseball) for their teams losing. There are fewer takes that come off lazier than that; it gives the impression the person is a sore loser, and straight up makes the complainer look bad. John stresses the need for more accountability when it comes to officiating in sports, but points out that winning teams rise above calls that do not go their way. John also talks about the annual comments made by top MLB player agent Scott Boras. He agrees with Scott’s points about teams that are not trying to win, but disagrees with his assertion that MLB would not benefit from having a salary floor. In regards to the Atlanta Braves, they were able to take advantage of the fact that up to six teams had already stopped competing during a given season. (The Braves made trades for outfielders Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Adam Duval, and Eddie Rosario.) John believes the Braves were rewarded for their commitment to winning even though they were not leading in the standings. Finally, John explains why John Wall not playing for the Houston Rockets is bad for the NBA, looks bad for the player, and encourages tanking.

11-8-2021 Passed Ball Show. John spends this program talking about the his weakness for the Super Team and why he will likely take the bait this offseason when a particular MLB team "wins the offseason." He talks about the Los Angeles Lakers slow start and whether Russell Westbrook is a good fit there. He talks about Odell Beckham and how much of a fit he was in Cleveland, and then mentions the 1992 New York Mets and his excitement during that offseason. He then talks about Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars. As the media is trying to destroy and plan his demise, John makes a bold statement on record about Urban Meyer's future in Jacksonville. He then picks three of the 14 MLB players given the qualifying offer by their parent clubs as ones he has picked to accept and take the offer. Finally, he pays some respect to former MLB and Mets pitcher Pedro Feliciano who passed away today.

11-4-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this show talking about two things he hates to discuss. The first being a crime involving a professional athlete. The other being a primadonna pro athlete that expects everything to just revolve around them. First is the terrifying accident involving the now former Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs which sadly involved the death of the woman he collided with. John breaks down the simple difference between murder and killing, stating that the latter is not a choice, premeditated, or was done on purpose. That being said, Ruggs' negligence led to the woman's death and there is a penalty to be paid for it. Ruggs' life will never be the same, but he should have the opportunity to continue to live his life once he was paid the price/ served his time. John then discusses the selfishness of Odell Beckham, Jr. with the backdrop of how a star player may not necessarily have control of the impact they have on their ballclub. OBJ can walk away from Cleveland, but he now has two strikes against him. Two separate teams would not handle his bullshit. His next opportunity may not be his last, but he is out of excuses, he is out of chances to rectify the perception that he is a selfish player and an awful teammate. Finally, John talks about the career of Buster Posey and the fact that he is likely headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame in five years. John then talks about the cases of Thurman Munson, Joe Mauer, and other catchers that may need some reconsideration.

11/3/2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this version of the program by congratulating the Atlanta Braves for their victory in this year's World Series. John discusses some of their keys to victory which started with the decision to go six innings with Max Fried in Game Six, the fact that the Braves managed their bullpen better (John discusses how the Braves held back their top relievers a little better in the World Series), and the fact that the Houston Astros offense was a complete no show. John talks about the trades General Manager Alex Anthopoulos made at the trade deadline to strengthen their outfield and offense in spite of being behind in the standings. He also mentions how there is no "Braves model" for winning and it is time to stop with the cliche and rhetorics. John spends some time talking about his disappointment in Scottie Pippen for his decision to voice his displeasure of his tenure in Chicago with the Bulls. John discusses why Pippen was a favorite to him and to many others and how Scottie would have better addressed his fans by not talking about these topics. It comes off as selfish and takes Pippen off the pedestal he was on for being a great team player, an unsung star, and certainly portrays him in a more unlikeable state. John is happy he admitted his mistake by casting Phil Jackson as a racist, and he understands how hard it is to get us to get over his decision to take himself of the playoff game when the play was not designed for him. While the intention is not to knock Pippen, still one of John's favorite players, he needed to express his disappointment. John finishes off the program by explaining reasons why it is very difficult to market stars in Major League Baseball and compares it to the National Football League.

10-26-2021 Passed Ball Show. John spends this show talking about the World Series in Baseball history prior to the start of the World Series era (1903). He adds two World Series Championships to the New York/ San Francisco Giants and another to the St. Louis Browns/ Perfectos/ Cardinals. The Giants now have ten (+1888 and 1889) and the Cardinals now have twelve (+1886). John discusses natural reasons why the World Series will never seen in the same light as the Super Bowl. John talks about what the Braves need to watch out for (and resist doing) in the World Series that will cost them if they do. John shows his respect for Dusty Baker and declares that either a team missing Ronald Acuna or a team missing Justin Verlander will win the World Series this year. John then touches on the recent article questioning the New York Yankees clubhouse. MLB's mid season (unorthodox) banning of the sticky substances hurt Gerrit Cole as much, if not more, than any other MLB pitcher. To use an incident between Cole and Brett Gardner as a means to show contention amongst the Yankees players was a lazy act. John reminds us that Joey Gallo is exactly what he has always been, a .200 hitter who walks, hits a lot of home runs and strikes out. Finally, John makes the case for four potential additions for the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee.

10-25-2021 Passed Ball Show. John spends a lot of time on this program talking about the quarterback position in the National Football League and how paramount it is to the success of a given team. John's position has been that there are not enough star, no doubt, number one options to cover the 32 NFL teams and because of this, the quality of football we watch every week has suffered. John talks about the San Francisco 49ers' decision to draft Trey Lance while Jimmy Garoppolo is still the starting QB and compares that to the Green Bay Packers' decision to draft Jordan Love in the first round last year. Teams sometimes go generations without finding an elite QB and others feel like they can groom their next QB while the other one is still around. John questions why Cam Newton is not on a team's roster and knocks the Houston Texans for not rostering a quality NFL QB to compete with Davis Mills. He then talks about the extra time teams could take to evaluate a QB based off where they are taken in the draft. Does Baker Mayfield get more of an evaluation because he was taken 1(1)? John then gets into the upcoming World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves, the 71st different matchup in the 117th World Series. He talks about the Braves World Series Championship in 1914 and wonders aloud whether the Braves could have built their 1990-2005 squad without Bobby Cox. He then talks about how close the Braves were to not getting Cox back after owner Ted Turner fired him after the 1981 baseball season. John also talks about the impact that TBS had on him as a baseball fan.

10-18-2021 Passed Ball Show. John spends some time today talking about the overuse of relief pitchers in the postseason and how it has become a detriment to the teams that end up losing given postseason MLB series. John slows it down to try to get the listener to understand the advantage any given team gains by seeing the same reliever game after game. In addition, he gives examples of recent World Series Champions that have stayed away from using the same relievers game after game and have used starting pitchers as relievers to break up the repetitive monotony. John then spends a little time talking about the vacation (removal) of the 2004 USC College Football National Championship and how it can never take away the fact that it happened. John segues this discussion into a little bit about the likes of Barry Bonds, Rogers Clemens, and OJ Simpson- even mentioning the football accomplishments of Aaron Hernandez and why nothing can remove what has been seen with the naked eye. A bad person still can be known for great accomplishments. John is officially a stan for Urban Meyer, as he is tired of cancel culture and the attempt from the general public to destroy people in the spotlight. Urban has to do more to help himself, stop drawing attention that has nothing to do with football to himself, but has gained himself a new fan.

10-11-2021 Passed Ball Show. John spends this program talking about why Cam Newton is not on a NFL roster right now. John cites the injury to Seattle's Russell Wilson and the agreement in Houston that Deshaun Watson is not going to play as examples that the quarterback position in the NFL lacks depth. John believes that there are not 32 no doubt starting quarterbacks in the league (he then explains what that means). In addition to that, there are not 32 quality, dependable backup QB's in the league. Because of that, there is no excuse for Cam Newton to not be on an NFL roster. John makes comparisons to the blackballing of Collin Kaepernick and the treatment of Doug Williams in the 1980's and asks if Newton is subject to the same treatment. If so, John explains why something must be done. He then talks about the Tampa Bay Rays and their unprecedented 100 win season in 2021. While he gives all the credit to the front office and their "system" for the Rays success, John wonders if there is, in fact, a ceiling that the Rays may not be able to break through. The Rays have committed to using their pitchers a certain way, a way that is vulnerable in a short series without the benefit of a 40 man roster and extra inning rules set up to shorten the game. It will be interesting how they face the adversity of having their season come down to the use of seven relievers and hoping they all have it the same day. Finally, John lets out his disgust over the NFL defensive players wearing single digit numbers. Admittedly, John states this is one of his worst takes, but one he feels he is given his God given right to express, silly or not.