Passed Ball Show

11-16-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens the show up by talking about the studio conditions and how they compare to Mexico City as they were preparing for the Rams/ Chiefs game this Sunday. The American League MVP vote was flawed because of its three "finalist" policy. The writers had a chance to stick it to the process by voting for JD Martinez, a player who was essentially eliminated by the fact the finalist had become a thing. Reporting in this country is getting worse and worse- How does a player's name remain anonymous when he makes a statement in front a group of reporters? The key to a winning culture in the NBA is not the best players, not the most regular season wins, not the best coach- it is the chemistry among the players. We have seen it impact the Houston Rockets and now it could be happening to the Golden State Warriors. NFL picks are up on johnpielli.com. Finally, if you want to be taken seriously on social media or on comment threads, maybe its time you stop protecting your name like it your IP address. Stop hiding behind a cartoon character.

11-13-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens up the show by talking about the recently announced Rookie of the Year Award in MLB- particularly, the AL and winner Shohei Ohtani. John blasts the criticism of people who look at Ohtani in the same way Ichiro, Hideki Matsui, Hideo Nomo, and others were judged when they all came from Japan with many years of professional experience. Ohtani bypassed that, and the financial benefits of remaining in Japan to play for the league minimum in MLB. In addition, he proved to be a true two-way playing MLB pitcher, something the game had not seen since Babe Ruth. John segues that into the mental barrier fans put on themselves when it comes to the knowledge of the sport they "support." In other words, fans put the knowledge of their favorite team over that of the sport, making them biased towards their team. In 2018, it is very ignorant for a fan to ignore the information on sports that is at their fingertips. That judgement clouded some Yankees' fans evaluation of Miguel Andujar against that of Ohtani. John then puts a list together of the ten worst quarterbacks in the (recent) history of the NFL in honor of the just released Nathan Peterman. Finally, some homage is paid to the life of Stan Lee, the founder of Marvel Comics- with a comparison made to Sy Berger, the founder of Topps Baseball Cards.

11-10-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens up the show by talking about the recent conviction of radio show host Craig Carton. While the message should be sent as a wake up call to those who have a gambling addictions, the significance of what he did needs to equally told. He deserves to serve time in prison. Hopefully, the Carton story can not only be one of redemption, but also a lesson that can potentially save the next gambler from going down the same path. This is similar to what Rae Carruth has the opportunity to do now that he has been released from prison. John then talks about the Alabama Crimson Tide and the possibility the team can be out of the BCS playoffs with a loss in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. Sports are going in the wrong direction. The rewards for mediocrity are in parallel to that of the best teams being put at a disadvantage. Regular season champions have to start over in a postseason format. Is that fair? John does his NFL picks before dedicating his nobody's listening segment to the obsession people have with cell phones.

11-3-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens up this version of the program by talking about the potentially frivolous lawsuit former Cavaliers assistant coach Jim Boylan is looking to file against the Cavaliers regarding age discrimination. Businesses move on from older personnel all the time as the goal is to get younger. If this applies to players, it should apply to coaches as well. John then gets into his hideous NFL picks. (Pick the opposite.) The top 50 MLB free agents (according to MLB Trade Rumors) are up and John gets into some of the potential destinations for some of the players. Finally, John talks about the hate as it pertains to sports fans.

11-2-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens up the program by talking about the passing of Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey. McCovey was a dominant power hitter of his time and his style and approach should be studied by the home run hitters of today. Two fair comparables would be HOF first baseman Willie Stargell and should be Hall of Famer Fred McGriff. John then talks about the disastrous season the Oakland Raiders have had, who is to blame, and is the message is fair enough to say that the future could look bright as the team plans its move to Las Vegas. Could the 1983 Phillies won the World Series if they upgraded at first base instead of playing Pete Rose there? Rose had one of the worst recorded seasons for a regular player in baseball history. As much as Luis Tiant is respected throughout the game of baseball, he falls short when it comes to legitimate consideration for Baseball's Hall of Fame. Finally, some respect and prayers are needed for Glory's Market in Jackson. Terrible job by the local news media to prioritize the traffic conditions over the lives that are at risk and the damage caused to the business.

10-20-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens this show by talking about the false controversy involving the last play from scrimmage in the Rams/ Packers game on Sunday afternoon. Todd Gurley did his job- he was under no obligation to anybody- especially fans who play fantasy football- to score a touchdown in the final seconds of the game. His responsibility is to help his team win the game- not rack up yards and score touchdowns. The Cavaliers look silly by firing their coach Tyrone Lue after their 0-6 start. It is not like Lue forgot how to coach or lost the team. This is what the Cavaliers are without Lebron James. John gives some interesting advice to just released prisoner and convicted murderer Rae Carruth. Finally, some obvious questions newly named Mets General Manager Brodie Van Weganan has to answer.

10-26-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens up the show talking about the improvement (record wise) of the Houston Texans after a bad start. With the hiring of first time managers Rocco Baldelli and Charlie Montoyo, 30 percent of MLB managers are entering either their first or second season as a big league manager. The Mets may not be hiring a General Manager at all. Are they essentially hiring a puppet? John cannot make much of candidates if they are not given the tools to be their own boss. Is it Frank Cashen? Or Jeff Wilpon? The Rockets are willing to trade four first round picks to get Jimmy Butler from Minnesota. Very similar to the Brooklyn Nets trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and the draft picks they gave up there. NFL Picks.

10-25-2018 Passed Ball Show- John starts the program by reminding the listener how important the discussion of race, discrimination, and prejudice is in this country and how important it is for us to unify as one. John then talks about the LA Dodgers and how much of a disappointment it will be for them to once again not win a World Series. After that, John talks a little NBA and the performance of Steph Curry. It is amazing how the Washington Wizards almost conceded the game based off the fact that Curry could not miss a shot. Perhaps they could have fouled.The Vegas Golden Knights signed suspended defenseman Nate Schmitt to a six year contract suspension while he is currently sitting out due to PED use. John talks about how sports organizations are maybe enabling the use of PED's in sports. John gives some Fantasy Football advice, with the emphasis on drafting a top running back. Finally, John talks about the embarrassment the Red Sox organization must be feeling after they elected not to bring Curt Schilling back for the 15 year anniversary of the 2004 World Series Championship and who it insults the most.

10-24-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens this program by teasing his later segment on race. He then talks about Clayton Kershaw's chance to redeem himself from a poor performance in Game One of the 2018 World Series, after a bad showing in last year's fall classic. Will a Dodgers WS win make redundant Kershaw's struggles? John then brings up TMZ's incorrect headline of "Cocaine Themed Party" in connection to Chad Kelly's arrest this week. Once again, the headlines make an insinuation of something that may not be true- Media in the Year 2018. John compares the NY Giants trade of Damon Harrison to that of the Pirates trade of Ralph Kiner. "We can finish in last place without you." Finally, John opines on the divide between NFL safeties Eric Reid and Malcolm Jenkins. Race is a difficult topic to bring up because everybody tends to hear only what fits their own narrative. From the Colin Kaepernick decision to kneel for the National Anthem to something as simple of little kids being brainwashed by their parents, there is something EVERY one of can do to improve our own relations with each other, regardless of what our differences are. What exactly is about money? Is it everything?

10-22-2018 Passed Ball Show- John opens up the show by teasing his monologue he will get into later in the week about race. He then gets into the difference between a quit and a rebuild in baseball. It is amazing how many people do not know the difference. There is no sense trading a great player for little to no value just to tell your fans it is about the future. It is nice to see Rajon Rondo is still playing in the NBA- it is apparent he needed to remind the general public the same. Maybe he was trying to impress his new boss, LeBron James. Finally, John would rather see a fake extra point cost a team a tie than a missed two point conversion. And how come more teams don't fake extra points?