Passed Ball Show

2-27-2021 Passed Ball Show. John starts off this show by welcoming his new twitter live listeners to the program. He only has to adjust the camera twice during this broadcast, lol. He breaks down the American League East division and why the New York Yankees are still the prohibitive favorites to win the division. John is down on the Tampa Bay Rays and he explains why he has the Toronto Blue Jays finishing second and the Boston Red Sox finishing third in the AL East. He then breaks down the rest of the American League with emphasis on the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels. He then previews the National League by giving his predictions on which teams will finish where. After that, he talks a little salary cap as it pertains to the National Basketball Association. Because there are so few players on an NBA team, it is easier to pay a player much more than what they are worth. John talks about several players that are paid way more than they contribute to their teams.

2-25-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by talking about how the Seattle Seahawks are not going to trade Russell Wilson, at least not this offseason. He then puts on the record a promise of what he will do if Wilson gets traded. John then talks about the how the media has made more of this possibility than really exists, though Deshaun Watson will likely be traded from Houston. He then envisions a scenario where JJ Watt signs with his favorite football team, the Tennessee Titans. How about a list of your top ten favorite team's acquisitions? John spends some time talking about that doctor that always says, "He/ she will never walk again." Is this one doctor? Why are they so negative? Why are they always saying that? While the Lakers are going to have a tough time winning an NBA Championship without Anthony Davis, there is no reason to overreact to the team's struggles without the star player. John talks about how all great players, even LeBron James need a star complementary player to succeed. Michael Jordan needed Scottie Pippen, Babe Ruth needed Lou Gehrig, and Bill Russell never would have won 11 NBA Championships in 13 seasons without Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Sam Jones. Finally, John talks about his disbelief in the Tampa Bay Rays for 2021 and what it might mean for the Boston Red Sox.

2-13-2021 Passed Ball Show. John spends the first part of this show talking about the severity of racist and sexist statements and the seriousness of sexual harassment and domestic violence. Should racism, sexism, and sexual harassment, when proven, be the equivalent to a felony conviction? If not, why are sports public figures banned from employment? They should have the right to work. If John was hiring, he would want to know the person was remorseful and had learned from the terrible thing they said/ did. Once again, the court of public opinion is stronger than the court of law and John believes that should change. Chris Doyle and Jared Porter should be able to get a job again assuming they are contrite about what they did. John then talks about the upcoming Daytona 500 and whether Denny Hamlin can become the first driver to win the race three years in a row. John talks about the possibility of Bubba Wallace becoming the first black driver to win the race. John also brings up a couple long shots and why if you buy lottery tickets, you should consider placing a bet on these drivers. Finally, John talks about how LaMelo Ball was cost the number one overall selection in this past year’s NBA draft by his father. At this point, Ball has been the best player from that draft class and it is not even close. John talks about why Yasiel Puig would be a good fit for the New York Mets and Jedd Gyorko would be for the New York Yankees. And why Roberto Osuna should also have a right to work.

2-11-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up by mentioning the unlikeliness that the Super Bowl streaker receives a payout for his prop bet. John also questions whether or not said bet was made then talks about how bets like this can be influenced by human action and therefore, should not be allowed. John talks about Otto Graham, a quarterback with seven championships who has not gotten the credit he deserves. Speaking of not getting deserved credit, Marty Schottenheimer had a .631 winning percentage (31st all time- min. 50 games) and had two losing seasons out of 21 as a head coach. John calls out all the quarterbacks taken in the 1999 NFL draft before Tom Brady and compares his 7th Super Bowl to Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth. Finally, a list of every Baseball shall of Famer who had any tie to the New York Mets.

2-6-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by expressing concern over whether the Mets will be a good baseball team in 2021. Most of the Mets fans positivity stems from their hatred of Brodie Van Wagenen and their previous owners. While Francisco Lindor was a great acquisition, is he single handedly enough to make the Mets the favorites in the National League East? The Mets have holes in centerfield, potentially at third base, and can use another starting pitcher and reliever. Is the Mets roster right now finalized for the start of the 2021 season? If it is, they get a C + tops for their work, especially considering they have an owner worth more than any other in professional sports. Plus Steve Cohen is the only owner that is not inheriting a loss from no fans at games in 2020. John is disappointed, but hopes there is more to his favorite team’s offseason. John gives his key to Super Bowl LV. It is whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense can stop the Kansas City Chiefs offense. That will determine whether Tampa Bay has a chance to win. Finally, props to the Utah Jazz as John talks about what has led them to the best record in the western conference of the National Basketball Association.

2-4-2021 Passed Ball Show. John brings up a controversial take when it comes to sexual harassment- the presumed guilty as opposed to being innocent until proven guilty. There is a difference between the reaction after one is found guilty to have done something unacceptable and the mere accusation that one committed such misconduct. The court of public opinion has grown to become stronger than that of the court of law. Mickey Callaway should not be fired for what he was accused of. He should be fired if it is determined that he did what he was accused of. He deserves the same rights of even anybody accused of a heinous crime, that he is innocent until proven guilty. Jared Porter admitted what he did- he deserved to lose his job. Calllaway claimed the accusations are not true, his job status should be on hold until more facts are uncovered. John then talks about those in the NHL who are now blaming teams such as the New Jersey Devils for a spread of the coronavirus. Likely the same mindset as those who blamed the Miami Marlins, Tennessee Titans, and Baltimore Ravens for similar outbreaks among sports teams. This virus has impacted random people for all different reasons, most of them not resulting in direct blame.

1-31-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by discussing the public’s perception of social media. One that engages themselves in social media has to understand what the public consists of. And therefore, nobody in the public eye should feel required to participate. While Cespool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy may have some points when it comes to how Mets owner Steve Cohen may have made his fortune, he used similar tactics in his acquisition of Cespool Sports. He (and his co-founders) manipulated the sexual drive of the average middle aged male for ratings. He created a locker room talk platform and required nice looking women to talk about promiscuity in order to generate ratings. While Portnoy may have “only” made millions over it, he used similar deceptive tactics to earn those millions. He manipulated a man’s sex drive like he claims Cohen manipulated the stock market. John then talks about Cardinals trade for Nolan Arenado. It always seems the Cardinals get a big player when they need to. John goes back to the days of Jack Clark and mentions five other star players the Cardinals acquired in the past. There is a connection between that and the fact that the Cardinals are always a playoff caliber team. Finally, John throws some more salt on the MLB teams that attempt these drawn out rebuilds and sends some sympathy to the Pittsburgh Pirates fan. They deserve better.

1-28-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this show by talking about how the Mets may have become the favorites to land free agent pitcher Trevor Bauer. John would like the move, but it may be to early to declare the Mets as the only horse in the race. John mentions six other MLB teams that would be very good fits and could realistically make him an offer. All it takes is one other team to change the expectation. John expresses his disappointment over the Baseball Writers Association of America as a whole. John believes it is time to ask why the voting process for baseball Hall of Famers has changed so much over the years. It is almost like the writers are trying to disqualify each candidate while the strict evaluation has not been a staple of the voting process since its inception. John talks about some of the flaws of early Hall of Fame members and points out the BBHOF has enshrined worse. John then talks about how the quarterback position in the NFL may be about to go through a major overhaul as maybe as much as half the league may have a new signal caller by the start of next season. In his conclusion, John mentions a couple of trade possibilities for the New York Mets which share the same goal- freeing up left field for Marcell Ozuna to be a free agent target.

1-23-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up by talking about the legendary Hank Aaron and how he may have been underrated. With all respect to the Hall of Famers we have lost over the past calendar year, Aaron’s death is like when Babe Ruth died, it is like when Jackie Robinson died, it is like when Ty Cobb or Lou Gehrig died. John mentions that Aaron had more walks than strikeouts during his career as well as the fact that he scored 100 or more runs in 13 straight seasons and 15 out of 16. John then compiles his list of the top ten Head Coaches in the history of the National Hockey League. He predicts five more MLB free agent homes and finishes off with a Super Bowl LV prediction of who will be in the game.

1-21-2021 Passed Ball Show. John opens up this program by talking about how the Brooklyn Nets new Big Three may need a little time to figure out how to play with each other. James Harden has been too passive. From a defensive standpoint, it should be near impossible to stop Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden. One of them should have either a good look or an opportunity to go to the basket. If not, Joe Harris is one of the best three point shooters in the sport. John then talks about the fallout from the Mets firing of General Manager Jared Porter. Was it the determining factor in George Springer choosing to sign with the Blue Jays? Are the Mets a good team right now? John explains why it is a hard no. Finally, John talks about the potential hypocrisy in the NFL maybe moving back the AFC Championship Game to accommodate the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. The prescient has NOT been set.