Basbeall, MLB

Piazza, the Yankees and the healing power of sports 15 years later

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(Note from The Wayniac: Although I try not to, there have been a few occasions that I have mixed politics and sports on this site. I try to keep it light hearted, but 9/11 is something very important to me. Understand that I am showing how sports helped heal, not implying that sports saved the day. That being said, let today be for what it is. There is no need to worry about what Colin Kaepernick is doing, the only thing you have to make sure you do is Never Forget.)

I was one of the lucky ones. I don’t have a first hand account of 9/11 because I was home, sick from work on the New Jersey side of the river. I was also lucky enough that I didn’t lose any of my friends who worked in the World Trade Centers, although some plummeted down stairs or jumped in the river to escape the fate that so many innocent Americans met that day.

Some thoughts on 9/11)

Basbeall, MLB

The Rome Braves make baseball fun again

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ROME, GA — If the Atlanta Braves rebuild project begins this season with Dansby Swanson and ends a few years down the road with the abundance of top prospects on the Rome Braves, the organization is in great shape. The Rome Braves are not only winning, they are having fun and it is contagious to watch.

Read on for more on the Rome Braves.

Basbeall, MLB

The Yankees and Braves rebuild proving to be a success

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(From Wednesday 9/7/16 at Today’s Knuckleball)

This evening from State Mutual Stadium, the Rome Braves host the Charleston RiverDogs in the first round of the South Atlantic League playoffs. While it highlights one of the biggest turnarounds in the minors — the Rome Braves went from a 27-42 sixth-place record to the hottest team in the Sally — it also features two systems that are successfully undergoing the rebuild process in seemingly polar opposite styles.

Read more on the successful rebuild projects.

Basbeall, MLB

Charleston RiverDogs skipper Luis Dorante talks Yankees prospects [Interview]

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The New York Yankees are experiencing a renaissance throughout their farm system. Highlighted by some big trades at the deadline that brought in an influx of talent from other organizations, a Yankees farm system that was once barren of elite prospects is booming. Look no further than the minor league playoffs for the proof, as five of their affiliates are representing them.

The Charleston RiverDogs are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They got there by locking up the South Atlantic League Southern Division in the first half behind a 42-27 record. They slipped below .500 in the second half, by no fault of their own, as some of the bigger named prospects quickly moved up the ladder.

They also got there behind a dominant pitching staff. Their young guns led the entire SAL with 3.03 ERA and a minuscule — and franchise best — 1.17 WHIP behind 15 shutouts. They finished second in strikeouts with 1,248. All of those Ks were also a Charleston record, besting the previous high by 67 set in 2011.

Keep reading for my interview with Luis Dorante

Gambling, NFL

SPORTSBOOK 102: THE 2ND HALF WARPATH

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Let me begin by saying that if this is your first sports betting course I highly recommend skimming a few posts (NFL Sundays with SBJ & NFL Rundown with SBJ) from last year. Get very familiar with the SBJ NFL SUNDAYS GLOSSARY terms, which can be found on the home page search icon. I have a slew of high profile future sharps who rode with me for the entire season in our SPORTSBOOK 101 class, and I owe it to them to not regurgitate the same novice lessons we went over in the introductory course.

SBJ is back. Keep reading for his insights on the coming season.

Fantasy Football

The WN Fantasy Football Report: Week 1 Starts and Sits

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It’s here, Wayniacs! The day we have all been waiting for, OPENING DAY!

You know the deal by now. The past three seasons I have had the honor of accumulating a top notch team of fantasy experts. Each week we bring you our starts and sits for the week, and for two seasons we try our best to give you the best FREE insight on the internet.

So without further ado, here’s your Week 1 picks!

Keep reading for more starts and sits!

Basbeall, MLB

Yandy is dandy: The Indians prospect is ready to shine

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The Cleveland Indians’ Yandy Diaz appears to be ready for prime time. Since the newly-turned 25-year-old was signed out of Cuba in 2013, he has improved his hitting and plate discipline successfully at every level in which he has a made a stop. Now, it may be big leagues or bust for 2017, and maybe even the rest of this season.

Keep reading to find out why Yandy is dandy!

Basbeall, MLB

Cardinals and Dodgers prospects make Desert Dogs team to beat

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Yesterday, we began our look at the Arizona Fall League rosters. The rosters, primarily made up of Double and Triple-A players, are a who’s who of baseball’s biggest and brightest prospects. The AFL begins its action on October 12 in a game that features the Scottsdale Scorpions — whose roster we looked at yesterday — versus the Glendale Desert Dogs.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Desert Dogs.

Keep reading for Part II of my AFL preview.

Basbeall, MLB

A few top Yankees prospects highlight the Arizona Fall League

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Arizona Fall League rosters were recently announced and that means one of the more fun times of the year are upon us. Autumn in the desert heats up when the biggest prospects in baseball join forces with each other to go head-to-head in an abbreviated season of what amounts to a seven-week All Star Game.

Basically, it’s a minor league baseball enthusiasts version of Prospect Heaven.

Continue reading for the start of my AFL preview.

NFL

Mark Sanchez to the Vikings makes a lot of sense

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STOP THE PRESSES. There was actually another quarterback in the news this past week? While most of America seemingly wants to send Colin Kaepernick far away for practicing his constitutional rights in a disrespectful way, everyone is feeling sympathetic towards the Minnesota Vikings Teddy Bridgewater.

Seeing Bridgewater go down was awful, but the Vikings need to get back to business and play football. 36 year old Shaun Hill — who, 15 years into his career, is still one of the better backups in the game — is being thrust into just his third starting stint in his decade and a half career, the most recent coming with an eight game run for the Rams in 2014.

Unless, of course, the Vikings explore the free agency market, or possibly even a trade.

Keep reading for more on The Sanchize.

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