Marlins Lose to Braves 5-4

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The Marlins played in the first game of a huge 4-game series with the Braves last night. They ended up losing the game 5-4, but their grit was evident throughout the game.  They moved closer to a playoff berth, as the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies. This keeps the Marlins in 2nd place in the NL East with 6 games remaining in the year. The 6 most important games in 15 years of Marlins’ baseball.

 

Explosive start, slow ending

 

The Marlins came out swinging in this game. 3 early runs on a bunch of singles put the Marlins in an advantageous position, but they failed to capitalize the rest of the way only putting up 1 more run. The biggest missed opportunity came with Starling Marte at the plate in the 8th, as he lined a 111 MPH swing straight to Austin Riley to get the Braves out of a bases-loaded jam. This rocket off the bat had a 74% chance of being a hit and giving the Marlins the lead. The Fish stalled out in the 9th after Monte Harrison got caught trying to take an extra base. It was the right move, but Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson just made the better play.

 

Trevor Rogers struggles

 

Trevor Rogers was given a 3 run 1st inning lead to work with. That lasted a whole 2 outs in the bottom half, as he allowed 4 runs on a bunch of hits and walks. It was reported that in his last start, Rogers was tipping pitches, and maybe that was the case initially last night. Rogers can be a very strong piece of the Marlins’ young rotation if he figures it out. He has the stuff.

 

Marlins vs the World

 

I have talked repeatedly about the importance of these last 6 games. Tomorrow, veteran Jose Urena gets a crack on the mound in a game “that matters.” Jose Urena starts tomorrow versus Bryse Wilson of the Braves. It’s up to this Marlins squad to do the unthinkable. Can they do it?

 

UFC Vegas 11 Fight Ratings & Review

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With the UFC heading to Abu Dhabi for Fight Island, UFC Vegas 11 wrapped up the fights in the U.S. 6 Knockouts, 4 Submissions, 2 Split Decisions, 1 Draw, and only 1 Unanimous Decision made for a card that gave us fights that went down to the final minute, as well as fighters showing the highest level of skill delivering a finish. Hype trains kept rolling and bad blood settled, a new phase of the pandemic era starts soon with Fight Island. Here’s one last look at Vegas 11 living up to all the hype

 

Main Card

 

Colby Covington def. Tyron Woodley via TKO (Broken Rib) 

Fight Rating: 6.5 / 10 

Review: This was the fight that went most like the way it was expected to go. Tyron was hesitant to go forward and Colby just wore him down more and more as the fight went on. Covington showed that he still is a top welterweight and probably only needs one more win to get a shot at the Welterweight championship. He showed improved striking game and continued his dominance on the ground while Woodley showed more waiting and waiting which has now cost him 15 straight rounds lost. For Woodley, leaving this fight with a broken rib is unfortunate, but hopefully, this extra time off allows for him to have some time to reflect and determine what he wants to do moving forward in his career. 

 

Donald Cerrone vs. Niko Price -majority draw

Fight Rating: 7.5 / 10

Review: This fight was one of those that had a high likelihood to end by knockout. Niko Price came a few strikes away from knocking Cowboy out. Cowboy was able to recover from the head shots after a few eye pokes coming from Niko, costing a point, giving him the allotted time. Cowboy came back in the second round and fought well, and then Niko closed out strong. Fun fight to watch, just wished it ended with a finish

 

Khamzat Chimaev def. Gerald Meerschaert via knockout 

Fight Rating: 10 / 10 

Review: All it took was 1 punch in 17 seconds to end it. Khamzat Chimaev showed his continued dominance in his 3rd fight. He has a potential fight coming up with Damien Maia. I don’t think that fight will end well for the veteran. Continuing on the Khamzat Express!

 

Johnny Walker def. Ryan Spann via TKO 

Rating: 8.2 / 10 

Review: This was an exciting fight from the start, with Spann catching Walker with a punch and getting him rocked. But for some reason, Spann decided to try and crotch sniff and try to get the double leg instead of going for the almost secured knockout. From here Walker Delivered nasty elbows and ended the night for Ryan Spann

 

Mackenzie Dern def. Randa Markos via armbar 

Rating: 8.8 / 10 

Review: Mackenzie Dern showed her extreme dominance on the ground while Markos really was outmatched. For some reason, Markos welcomed the ground game with the submission specialist and it did not bode well for her. Within the first 3 minutes, Dern had submitted Markos via armbar. 

 

Kevin Holland def. Darren Stewart via split decision 

Rating: 7.9 / 10

Review: Both of these guys kept going back and forth in this one. Holland started out strong and Stewart made a strong comeback in the end. The jaws were flapping heavily in the fight as both guys were talking back and forth during the fight. Even in the end, both showed great respect for each other and it ended being a good one.

 

Prelims Top 3 

  1. Randy Costa def. Journey Newson via knockout (head kick)

Rating: 10 / 10 

Review: The stock is rising fast for the Zohan, Randy Costa after he delivered a perfectly placed head kick. The fight was over in under a minute and the setup was perfect along with the mindset to not hesitate and deliver it. Exciting finishes will get you far in the UFC

 

  1. Jessica-Rose Clark def. Sarah Alpar via TKO (knee) 

Rating: 8.9 / 10

Review: This was definitely the most brutal fight of the night. JRC showed her dominance tonight in almost every manner vs Alpar. She was able to scramble and not get held on the ground and was able to deliver heavy shots. The only issue with this fight is JRC delivered a knee that put Alpar out. The knee was checked for legality and was deemed legal so the fight should’ve been over. Unfortunately, the referee allowed the beating to continue into the next round. JRC ended up winning with a TKO Finish. Good fight, horrible stoppage. 

 

  1. Damon Jackson def. Mirsad Bektic via submission (guillotine choke) 

Rating: 8.4 / 10

Review: The reason this fight is scored so high is because of the incredible comeback by Damon Johnson. After giving up the first two rounds, and getting dominated on the ground, he knew a finish was needed to get the win. And he did just that. Grabbing a guillotine in the 3rd round and not letting go until his opponent was out, he showed an incredible will to win the fight. 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

5 Post-Practice Comments from Spoelstra, Crowder, Iguodala

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The Miami Heat basically went through a non-contact practice today, which everyone on the team attended. Afterward, Erik Spoelstra, Jae Crowder, and Andre Iguodala talked with media about their mindset after that game three loss and some minor mistakes they will need to critique. Here’s what was said…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Jae Crowder spoke about the hot topic heading into into game four on Wednesday, Jimmy Butler. He said, “He’s a guy who is about action. You can tell if he’s in one of those moods where he’s going crazy all game.” He followed that saying that the Heat need a more focused and intense Butler. That is indeed the truth. Many people have been saying that it’s time for Butler to start being a primary scorer, but that’s just not him. What he can do is intensify the team through his on-court actions as Jae mentioned, which would speak more volume than any scoring he could do. He did say at the start that Jimmy doesn’t do a lot of talking pregame, which is why you never know what Jimmy you’re getting heading in. But on Wednesday, I’m pretty sure Jae Crowder and this Heat team know what Jimmy Butler they’re getting.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

Jae also talked about some adjustments they will be making, without going into detail. He said, “I don’t want to give it away through you,” when discussing some match-ups they will be searching for. This may be the spark for not letting the game get away from them early, which he expanded on starting games better as well. He said, “Our spirit is right, our heads are right, our energy is there. We just want to see how we can play a complete game.” There’s no question that this Heat team has been better in the fourth quarter in all three games, but the key is putting that out there in the first three quarters as well. That’s something else that has to do with intensity, since they finally get a burst of energy down the stretch it seems.

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Erik Spoelstra touched on Duncan Robinson for a bit, mostly about the defensive side of the ball. He mentions that he “just has to do things with force and detail.” He knows that teams are going to continually try to attack Duncan no matter what, especially in the post, but he says that “he’s gotten much better at it.” There were many instances that Marcus Smart or Jayson Tatum would take Duncan to the rim, and Miami displayed zero help defense. Duncan struggles one-on-one defensively as it is, and with no help, it seemed problematic. Spo also mentioned that Boston came out with “great force off the dribble” and that they must do a “better job of that.”

Post-Practice Comment #4:

Erik Spoelstra was going into great detail about their young star Bam Adebayo. He said Bam is genuine and real, but on the court he’s as nasty as anyone in the league. “One of the best competitors on this planet.” That statement was on full effect in game three, when Bam was giving it his all even when they trailed by 20 points. Jimmy even recognized it post-game on Saturday, saying “He did everything he could to try to will us to this win all game long.” Spo also transitioned into selecting Bam on draft night, saying “He was the guy we wanted to take. We were just hoping he was going to be there.” He then said that he’s the “Anti-AAU player,” since he never played AAU basketball. Spo ends with “He’s wired differently, which we like.”

Post-Practice Comment #5:

Andre Iguodala touched on what it has been like to mentor Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and others. He said, “I had really good vets…I like to take no credit at all.” He also said, “Once you master something, it’s your duty to teach it. So it’s my duty.” Bam Adebayo having Udonis Haslem as a mentor and Jimmy Butler taking Tyler Herro under his wing has shown to be very essential for this young group. Andre also talked about his recent play, which has been tough due to some issues with back spasms. He said, “One thing you don’t want to be is a detriment to the team.” He says that the Bubble “has been more good days than bad days,” but today is one of those tough days. He finishes off with “We are really built for this environment, it really puts us in an advantage.”

Call of Duty League Teams Announce Roster Changes 

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With the announcement of a new four player team format, CDL teams are making big moves, looking to create a championship team on par with the Dallas Envy.

 

Minnesota ROKKR

The Atlanta FaZe, runners up to the Envy in the 2020 CDL Championship, parted ways with not one but two players: Preston “Preistahh” Greiner and Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak. Both players were picked up by the Minnesota ROKKR, which dismantled its entire roster in preparation for the upcoming season. Minnesota also signed Dillon “Attach” Price and Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi, both formerly of the New York Subliners, to form their new four-person squad, which looks quite formidable.

 

Atlanta FaZe

Meanwhile, the FaZe needed to fill a void, and did so with Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson, formerly of the Chicago Huntsmen. Sanderson will be reunited with two of his former teammates (Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris and Chris “Simp” Lehr), who won a championship for eUnited together in 2019. “McArthur “Cellium” Jovel will also return.

 

Chicago Hunstmen

The Chicago Huntsmen also released Sanderson’s twin brother, Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson and signed Brandon “Dashy” Otell to fill the empty spot that left on the roster, which now consists of Dylan “Envoy” Hannon, Matthew “FormaL” Piper, Seth “Scump” Abner, and Otell.

 

Dallas Empire

The Dallas Empire is sticking with its core team after dropping three-time champ James “Clayster” Eubanks just days after winning the first CDL championship, a move that probably could’ve been timed better. The news of the reformatted four-person teams dropped so quickly that Dallas’ team was barely able to celebrate their win before they had to say goodbye to one of their best players. The Empire will move on with Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, Cuyler “Huke” Garland, Indervir “IlleY” Dhaliwal, and Ian “C6” Porter, also known as “Crimsix.”

 

Florida Mutineers

The Mutineers released Bradley “Frosty” Bergstrom last week, leaving them with Colt “Havok” McLendon, Cesar “Skyz” Bueno, Maurice “Fero” Henriquez, and Joseph “Owakening” Conley.

 

New York Subliners

While two players formerly on the New York Subliners found a home in Minnesota, Doug “Censor” Martin, Laroda “Temp” Donovan, and Nick “Happy” Suda are all free agents right now. The Subliners retained only two players, Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto and Mackenzie “Mack” Kelley, leaving them with two spots to fill.

 

London Royal Ravens

The London Royal Ravens cut all but one player from their roster, Sean “Seany” O’Conner, and have yet to announce any roster updates. Trei “Zer0” Morris, Thomas “Dylan” Henderson, Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall, and Bradley “wuskin” Marshall were all cut, as well as subsitutes

Byron “Nastie” Plumridge, Dylan “MadCat” Daly, Rhys “Rated” Price, and Jordan “Jurd” Crowley.

 

Toronto Ultra

The Toronto Ultra are sticking with their core team of Anthony “Methodz” Zinni, Ben “Bance” Bance, Cameron “Cammy” Mckilligan, and Tobias “CleanX” Juul Johnson. Nicholas “Classic” DiCostanzo was dropped to take the team down to the new four-person regulation. 

 

Optic Gaming Los Angeles

The Optic dropped Brandon “Dashy” Otell, who was picked up the Huntsmen, and remain with Kenny “Kuavo” Williams, Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat, Thomas “TJHaly” Haley, and Zach “Drazah” Jordan.

 

Paris Legion

Paris was another team that dropped its entire roster this season after finishing 10th in the regular season. Denholm “Denz” Taylor, Luke “Louqa” Rigas, Conrad “Shcokz” Rymarek, Zach “Zed” Denyer, and Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley are all free agents. Legion has not announced any new signings as of yet.

 

Seattle Surge

The Surge were the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs and are also revamping their entire roster, with the only remaining player being Sam “Octane” Larew. Seattle dropped Casey “Pandur” Romano, Nicholas “Proto” Maldonaldo, Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov, Ian “Enable” Wyatt, and Josiah “Slacked” Berry, along with Search and Destroy analyst Ted “TeddyRecks” Kim.

 

Los Angeles Guerrillas

The Guerrillas had the worst season of any team, finishing last in the regular season. As such, they have dropped all but one player from the roster, Reece “Vivid” Drost, who appears to be staying with the team in 2021. Rasim “Blazt” Ogresevic, Renato “Saints” Forza, Jacob “Decemate” Cato, and Ulysses “AquA” Silva are all currently free agents.

 

The 2021 season will kick off soon with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in November. The game’s alpha test is now available for PS4 users. 

Dolphins stock up, stock down vs Bills

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Welcome back to another installment of Stock Up Stock Down. In Week 2 of the NFL season, your Miami Dolphins lost a nail bitter to the Buffalo Bills 28-31 in a game where we had a lightning delay and truly felt like we were down more than we were. Let’s dive into what went well and not so well this week.

Stock Up

Solomon Kindley:

It’s hard to put into words how to quantify Solomon having a hell of a game due to us not cracking 100 yards rushing, but man, was he flashing all game. Him and Hunt is showing the tenacity to want to finish blocks consistently, which is a sight for sore eyes. Did you see him pulling on that Jordan Howard touchdownrun? I sure did.

Mike Gesicki:

A promising sign that a player is beginning to take the next step in his development is seeing them take advantage of favorable matchups. Going into this game, the Bills had ruled out their top 2 LB meaning Gesicki was going to be getting covered by 3rd and 4th string players consistently, and man did he take advantage. Gesicki was all over the field running crossers, digs, and even coming down with one hand catches. Gesicki finished his afternoon scoring a touchdown to bring it to within 3 points and totaling eight catches for 130 yards and the touchdown.

Isaiah Ford:

One of the position groups that I have been challenging the most to see more is the WR room. Sticking to the positive (that Preston drop on 4 th down was brutal) Isaiah took full advantage of the opportunities given to him and ended the day with seven catches for 76 yards. More importantly, than the stats was Isaiah being Fitz security blanket; anytime a 3rd down was needed to keep the game close, it was to either Mike Gesicki or Isaiah Ford.

Ryan Fitzpatrick:

After a dreadful Week 1 for Fitz, this was an excellent rebound game. In yet another week where we cannot crack 100 yards rushing, Fitzpatrick had to manufacture everything with a defense that had little to no respect (and rightfully so) for the run game. Fitz kept it close all game and willed us to within 3 points and onside kick from making this game go into potentially overtime. Fitzpatrick completed the afternoon with 328 yards throwing, two touchdowns with a 65% completion percentage. I threw all those numbers out to show that Fitz was not the problem , and Tua would make little to no change. It is frustrating to see the other rookies in Burrow and Herbert already playing, but Fitz has earned himself some breathing room this week.

Stock Down

Jerome Baker:

Coming off a 16 tackle and impactful game, I was highly disappointed to feel Jerome becomes a ghost today. From 16 tackles to only five today, I am interested in the All 22 coming in to see if he was game planned to be taken away or if he didn’t bring the same intensity as Week 1. Overall a lackluster effort from the defense.

High Priced Free Agents:

I am really hoping the early indications are off, but man has every single high- priced free agent been a colossal waste of money. Byron will be excluded due to getting hurt early on in the game but everyone else has been terrible. KVN has missed multiple sacks in multiple games. Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah, Elandon Roberts were all signed to shore up the run defense and they have made no difference. Overall the defense has looked worse than the one that finished the year last season. Seems odd to come to that conclusion after all the money and draft capital that has been allocated to the defense.

Coaching Staff:

A disturbing pattern in my Stock Up and Stock Down report has already shown itself in this young season, and that is the coaching staff making terrible decisions. Coming into the game, the coaching staff decided that Josh Allen was not going to beat us with his legs and made him a passer in the pocket. Josh took the challenge and torched the defense for a career-high 417 yards passing and four touchdowns.

The defense never adjusted to Josh throwing it all over the field until Stephon Diggs accumulated eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. After the game Xavien Howard was asked why Noah Igbinoghene was exclusively on Diggs getting torched for five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. Xavien responded that the game plan called for Byron to shadow Diggs all game, and when he went down, they went next man up. The plan going into the game was not working, and just like the last game, there was no adjustment by the coaching staff. Eventually, the coaching staff is going to have to take responsibility for not only a terrible game plan but also not being willing to trash the plan and adjust to what is going on during the game.

This article was written by Juan Cardona. Follow him on Twitter at @exclusvty

Playoff Roadblocks for Marlins

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The Marlins split their doubleheader with the Nationals on Sunday, improving their record to 28-25. The Nationals dropped to 20-32. The Marlins remain the 5 seed in the NL but are only 1 game ahead of the Phillies and 1.5 games ahead of the Reds, Brewers, and Giants who sit in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th spots, respectively. Even though the Marlins split the doubleheader, there is not much positive to note. They won game 1 on 2 error inducing runs and lost game 2 15-0. So instead, I will analyze the 7 most important games in the past 15 years of Marlins’ baseball.

 

4 games in Atlanta

 

The Marlins have split their season series with the Braves. In 6 games, they sit at 3-3. The Marlins have the arms of Trevor Rogers, Jose Urena, Sixto Sanchez, and Pablo Lopez going in these 4 games. A big note is that Max Fried (7-0, 1.96 ERA) is expected to pitch in the finale, which could spell trouble for a flailing Marlins lineup. Realistically, a series win would put the Marlins in a position where it would be hard to miss the playoffs, but a series loss would put them in the opposite realm of reality. The Marlins need to continue to rely on good starting pitching and timely bats. The 3-2, 2-1, and 1-0 wins aren’t pretty looking, but they get the job done. It is also important to mention that if the Marlins sweep the Braves, they would take 1st place in the NL East.

 

3 games in New York

 

Oh, boy. The Yankees have had their struggles this year, but it’s safe to say they found their stride. 9-1 in their last ten, the Bronx Bombers have been doing nothing but mashing recently, and now that they have clinched, the pressure is done for them. They will continue to swing the bats well, and I highly doubt the Marlins will be able to keep up. The Fish thrive on close, low-scoring games: something that won’t be the case in New York. The Yankees have plenty of offensive threats (maybe the most potent lineup the Fish have seen all year), ranging from Giancarlo Stanton to Gary Sanchez to DJ LeMahieu. Marlins pitching will have to be looking like game 1 of Sunday, not game 2, or this series, and our playoff hopes could fall apart fast.

 

The Marlins have defied the odds

 

Yes, these last 7 games will not be easy. But as a Marlin fan, even the idea we would have this opportunity feels completely out of the water. I think it’s safe to sit back and enjoy these last games, knowing that even if we don’t make it this year, there is a bright future ahead of us. Donnie has a plan. Let’s do this thing!

Marlins Beat Nationals 7-3

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Without a doubt, we can all feel how close the Marlins are. In my conscious lifetime, I have not watched a Marlins team in the playoffs. But here we are. 9 games left, 2nd in the division, 2.5 back of the first place. The Fish recognize this as well, as Garrett Cooper said, “It’s a team effort… We’re close to the finish line, and we’re close to something that this organization hasn’t done in a long time. Everyone knows that.” The Marlins certainly came out swing like that was the case, beating the Nationals 7-3 on 15 hits.

 

Marlins-Nationals Recap

 

Pablo Lopez started for the Marlins versus Patrick Corbin of the Nationals. Corbin has been quite effective against the Marlins recently, but last night ended that. The Marlins put up 7 runs on 14 hits in Corbin’s 6 innings of work. The bats are heating up just in time. Miguel Rojas continues to produce as the centerpiece of the offensive attack, going ⅗ with a leadoff home run. Garrett Cooper added a 2-run homer. Pablo Lopez, after his bumpy start in Atlanta, has picked up where he left off, going 5.1 innings, allowing just 2 runs. The Marlins looked like a team fighting for a playoff spot last night, and hopefully, this can be continued.

 

Why is the most important series of the year?

 

The Marlins came into this series clinging onto 2nd place in the division. The Nationals are last in the NL East and the easiest competition that the Marlins will see the rest of the way. To finish off the season, the Marlins play 4 versus the Braves in Atlanta and 3 versus the Yankees in New York. Those are 7 tough games that would be made a lot easier if the Marlins sweep the doubleheader today and win this series 4-1. The goal is to give as much comfort room as possible, and these two games are the Marlins’ last chance to do so. The marlins should have Sixto going in 2 of the remaining games, which is promising.

 

Looking at today’s’ games

 

In game 1 at 1:10 pm, Sandy Alcantara takes the mound versus Max Scherzer. This will be a fun game, one that proves whether or not the Marlins can clutch up versus big-time pitching. Scherzer has not had his normal type of year (4-3, 4.04 ERA), but this is most likely due to the small sample size. The Nationals will start Ben Braymer in game 2, whereas the Marlins have not yet announced their starter. 

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Celtics in Game Three

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The Miami Heat fell to the Boston Celtics, 117-106, in an overall tough night for Miami. The Heat struggled on both sides of the floor tonight, which Boston took advantage of. Here are my takeaways…

#1: Tyler Herro explodes in second quarter.

Tyler Herro stepped up when he entered the game off of the bench, after Miami’s offense was a bit choppy. He scored 16 points in the second quarter, including 4 threes. Miami continually finds a guy to step up in the first half, including Goran Dragic in game one and Duncan Robinson in game two. But this display was much different. Tyler was taking shot after shot off of the dribble, and also pulling up on fast-breaks. That’s just truly what Tyler Herro does, he makes needed plays. This stretch wouldn’t have been possible without Bam Adebayo on the floor though. His screen setting and just overall presence opened up the floor for Tyler, to do what he does best.

#2: Offensive sloppiness becomes problematic against this Boston team.

Once the Miami Heat finally cut the lead down to three late in the second quarter, their offensive sloppiness extended Boston’s lead to 12. Some possessions from Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo seemed to be in slow motion, with some forced passes. This led to three straight wide open fast-breaks for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. This Boston team thrives on the mistakes of their opponents, which is something Miami must key on. This does ultimately fall on Jimmy Butler, since he needs to be in control of the ball during tough stretches. Miami’s spacing seemed to be off as well. They just ultimately played like a team up 2-0 in the series.

#3: Lack of urgency early occurs again for Miami.

It seems as if it’s the same story line in every game of this Boston Celtics series. Miami’s first half intensity just not there. Tyler Herro seemed as the only guy that tried to bring it, but ultimately you need more than one guy to have it. Jimmy Butler was needed to bring it, to try and put a stamp on a 3-0 lead, but once again there was no initiative to score. Miami has relied on the first half scoring success of Goran throughout these playoffs thus far, but you can’t bet on that every game. This lack of intensity continued in the second half, until they finally showed some signs of it with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Maybe only being up 2-1 will spark this Heat team to put it all out there on the floor for 48 minutes.

#4: Miami thrives on bench production, which was not the case tonight.

Miami’s biggest advantage has continually been the production they get off the bench on both sides of the floor. Well, other than Tyler Herro’s big game, Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk did not have the greatest stretch. This led to Spo rolling with Tyler and Derrick Jones Jr for extended minutes, then inserting Kendrick Nunn and Kelly Olynyk late in the third. But none of these guys seemed able to get going offensively. The spacing was off, the energy was off, everything was off. And well, that’s what happens when you rely on your bench to win you playoff games. Your star players must step up when most in need, which wasn’t the case today.

#5: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum pour it on Miami.

It’s almost as if Boston was due for a game like this, where their offensively gifted wings put on a scoring display. Jaylen finally got to his spots that he hadn’t been getting to in games one and two, while Jayson was doing pretty much everything on the floor. Brown scored 26 points, while Tatum scored 25 along with 14 boards and 8 assists. These two players are going to do this no matter what, and it’s up to Miami to try and match their offensive play and eliminate the supporting cast. Miami’s offense had no flow throughout, which allowed them to extend the lead more and more in the third quarter. Miami’s defense on the other hand couldn’t control guys in the paint. It’s now up to Erik Spoelstra to make some more adjustments with three days off.

UFC Vegas 11: Johnathan’s Picks and Preview

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With UFC Vegas 11 right around the corner, lets first take a moment to be thankful for this PPV magnitude card to be taking place. With a main event that is filled with as much bad blood and animosity as this one, as well as exiting fights up and down the card, this one is a lock to have some performance of the night contenders. Let’s take a look at these fights on this card and take a look at who we’re picking. 

 

Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley

 

Pick: Covington by Unanimous Decision

 

Backstory: “Where you at Tyron Woodley? I’m coming for you. You can’t run you can’t hide no more!” Moments after winning the UFC Interim Welterweight championship on Jun 9, 2018, Covington immediately called out then current Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. After saying that Woodley couldn’t hang with him while training, Colby assured he would steamroll him. Fast forward two years later, both men are still in title contention, but one is in jeopardy of falling down the ranks. Both men are coming off a loss, so this fight is going to be monumental for both of them. For Tyron, his key to victory would be using that advantage in boxing and throwing that power right hand. If he’s able to stop Covington from taking him down and keeping this a stand-up fight, Woodley might have the advantage. For Covington, he’s proven that stopping him from taking you down is almost impossible. Even if he doesn’t get it on the first try, he’ll lock on you and drag until you fall. If he’s able to take Woodley down, Covington dominates the fight.

 

Donald Cerrone vs Niko Price

Pick: Price by Knockout

 

Backstory: Donald Cerrone is one of the most well-known fighters in the UFC. But now losing 8 of his last 12, he’s been on a slippery slope down the rankings. He’s lacked aggressiveness and this lack of soul from the Cowboy has been the reason for his downfall. On the other hand, Niko Price has been alternating wins and losses over his last 6. All of them have ended in knockout whether win or loss. Niko is always willing to put himself into the firefight no matter if he comes out getting a knockout or getting knocked out. With an aging less aggressive Cerrone coming in this fight vs an explosive Niko Price, this one is built for a highlight knockout. 

 

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gerald Meerschaert

 

Pick: Chimaev by decision

 

Backstory: The hottest prospect coming out of the pandemic era Khazmat Chimaev is back in action vs the man with the most submissions in the Middleweight division, Gerald Meerchaert. This fight comes with lots of animosity between the two. The disrespect comes from Dana double booking Chimaev, insinuating that he’s going to win this fight and move on to ranked Damein Maia. Gerald took this personally and stated he’s going to leave Chimaev bloody and unable to leave the ring. Chimaev responded in the presser asking how can Gerald possibly be a blackbelt when he got choked out by a white belt. We’re going with Chimaev because his ability on the feet and we’re resting assured that the submission games will neutralize each other. 

 

Johnny Walker vs Ryan Spann

 

Pick: Ryan Spann by Submission

 

Backstory: After starting his UFC Career 4-0, Johnny Walker has lost his last 2. His near straight shot to the top of the division has now been derailed and he has to work his way back up the hard way. Ryan Spann is coming in undefeated in the UFC and is looking to make his own run to the top of the wide-open Light Heavyweight division. This is going to be a good fight for two fighters on the crossroads of making it back into the doorstep of the rankings. If Spann is able to get this fight on the ground, he’ll have a huge advantage and get the win. 

 

Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos

 

Pick: Mackenzie Dern by Decision

 

Backstory: #15 Ranked Mackenzie Dern is coming in bouncing back after her first loss in the career. Losing against a higher-ranked opponent is nothing to hang your head on, so she comes back and gets a nice win with a kneebar. Bring in Randa Markos, a fighter who in 14 ufc fights has only won 6. Neither fighter comes in with any wins by knockout so we are looking to see a ground war. Mackenzie Dern is the more proficient athlete on the ground so we should see her take this win. 

 

Kevin Holland vs. Darren Stewart

 

Pick: Holland by Decision

 

Backstory. Enter Kevin Holland, the most exciting fighter to watch this year. He talks trash in the ring and with no crowd you can hear everything he says. On top of that, his striking is crisp and he plays great mind games. Darren Stewart is coming in with a good amount of UFC experience and has diverse striking skills as well. Both these fighters are young, and the winner of this fight should set up a big run towards the ranking for either man. Being able to mix it up, Holland should be able to keep Stewart at bay and dictate the pace of the fight. 

 

Marlins Split WSH Doubleheader

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The Marlins started an important series of baseball versus the Washington Nationals yesterday. They ended up splitting the doubleheader, losing game 1 5-0 and winning game 2 14-3. The classic set of opposite results. In a wild day, in game 1 Sixto Sanchez faltered for the first time in a Marlins uniform but was picked up by Brian Anderson’s 3-homer 7-RBI game 2.

What’s the difference between scoring 0 and 14?

 

Mentality. In-game 2, the Marlins played like they were on the verge of their first playoff berth in 17 years. In-game 1, they didn’t. Under no circumstances should a career 5.15 ERA pitcher in Erick Fedde be shutting down the Marlins. If I would have taken off my glasses, I would have thought the man was Max Scherzer. The Marlins got 2-hit in game 1, so there is not much to talk about statistically. Game 2, however, was quite a different story. 14 runs on 12 hits? That’s what we are talking about. Brian Anderson made 3 home runs look easy, and Lewis Brinson went 3-4, upping his average to .266, showing his continued growth this season. Consistency at the plate is key to this team’s final 10 games.

What happened to Sixto?

 

Ok, so our ace having a lackluster start like this one is frightening especially when he is set to take the mound twice more, and hopefully a third time in the playoffs. What I visibly saw was that he was too reliant on his stuff. His pitches weren’t breaking as much, and since he had great success allowing teams to put the ball in play, he continued throwing strikes. He became predictable. He needs to go back to being predictably wild. I’m sure Mel Stottlemyre will be on top of it.

10 more games for the Marlins :O

 

The Marlins are only 1.5 games ahead of the 9th place Cincinnati Reds and .5 games ahead of the Phillies for 2nd in the NL East. These 10 games will be one of the most important 10-game stretches in Marlins’ history. Pablo Lopez (4-4, 4.02 ERA) takes the mound tomorrow versus Patrick Corbin (2-5, 4.10 ERA).