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nicholasohrnberger · 2 years

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A Love Letter To Manny Machado

Manny Machado was in the news a lot this past week and as memory serves, it wasn’t long ago that Manny Machado was all any Yankee fan used to talk about, and for good reason. During the period between 2011/12 – 2017 it seemed very plausible that Machado would eventually find himself in pinstripes. “Who else?” Yankee fans thought, “Who else is going to pay that man what he’s worth?” Well, as it turns out many teams, including some that we didn’t expect, and in fact it was one of the least likely teams (at that time) that managed to sweep Manny off his feet. However, the San Diego Padres offered Manny a player option that would allow him to opt out of his contract after the 2023 season. All this however, made me think about the recent history of the Yankees.

During the 2016 MLB season the New York Yankees had a clear plan of action with how to handle a new era of Yankees baseball. The path toward this new era, for years was steered by Manager Joe Girardi who was given an incredibly difficult task. The task? Guide the Yankees through the waning years of their home grown and big money stars, who’s best years were likely in the past. Girardi not only accomplished this goal but led the Yankees Core Four and the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Hideki Matsui and others to a World Series Championship in 2009, his second year as Manager of the team. However, there was still a task that needed doing and the Yankees goal every year was World Series or bust, regardless of other duties.

Over the next eight seasons Girardi managed the Yankees to five playoff appearances and three AL Championship Series appearances. All the while chipping away at the task with which he was charged. At the conclusion of the 2011 MLB Season Andy Pettitte became the first domino to fall, retiring from Major League Baseball. The very next year Jorge Posada would retire, followed by Mariano Rivera in 2013 and Derek Jeter in 2014. Just like that the Core Four were gone, but mega contracts belonging to Alex Rodriguez & Mark Teixeira would end subsequently in 2016. The Yankee strategy, however, was not to simply cut payroll and lose games. Certainly not when you consider the contracts doled out to players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, & the lingering contract of C.C. Sabathia.

The mindset of the front office however appeared to shift, as economical two- or three-year replacement trades and signings such as Didi Gregorius, Chase Headley, Starlin Castro and others became more usual. The Yankees believed they had a new young core, spearheaded by Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Jorge Mateo, Gleyber Torres, and of course Aaron Judge. These signing were meant to support and mentor these budding stars so that they could one day take the field together, but as they showed that their talents would not necessarily translate to the big leagues, the Yankees began to course correct. Doing so would mean targeting some of the best hitters and pitchers Major League Baseball had to offer and so it appears 2018 and 2019 was the year to strike the big deals.

Three names were on the lips of any fan or executive with any sense. The first was certainly Aroldis Chapman. The Yankees were in need of a long-term closing option and after acquiring, trading, and signing him again in 2017 they finally had one, and a fireballer no less. However, not every target worked out quite so easily, as in 2016 one of the biggest targets for the Yankees would leave us. 2016 brought about a tragedy, as José Fernandéz of the Miami Marlins perished in a boating accident at the end of the season. Frenandéz was widely touted as the best pitching target for anyone looking for it in the 2018 offseason and the Yankees or someone else would have undoubtedly made him the richest pitcher in the history of the sport. Giancarlo Stanton had also been acquired during this time and with the state of the payroll and the acquisition of Gleyber Torres from the Chapman trade, it became clear that the last mentionable target for the Yankees probably wasn’t coming to New York. Manny Machado.

A few days ago, Manny did something we don’t see very often from players entering contract negotiations or who can opt out of their contract. Manny Machado was honest and made it clear that he has no intent on activating his player option at the conclusion of the 2023 season that would likely keep him in a Padres uniform for the rest of his career. The article I’m writing easily could have been about the prospects of where Machado might go, or perhaps the amount of money he is likely to garner from an updated contract, or even the loyalty aspect of player versus front office. However, on this fine day in San Diego, this New Yorker is holding onto the prospect of a former dream fulfilled if only partially. Today, I’m hopeful that we may yet see number thirteen dawn pinstripes as many Yankee fans thought would happen and is probably overdue. Also, the payroll is dropping by something like $80 million next year so.. well to Manny Machado I say, “Hop in brother. The water’s fine.. Oh! And there’s a TON of money in here."

#MLB #Yankees #Padres #Free Agency #2023 #2024 #new york

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nicholasohrnberger · 2 years

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Let's Build Another Championship For Kansas City

After hard fought contest full of incredible performances, both expected and surprising, and a spectacular job by referees in the last three games of the season to involve themselves in everything, the Chiefs have been crowned Superbowl champs for the second time four years. Patrick Mahomes won his second Superbowl MVP and all is right in #ChiefsKingdom. The work however, is just starting for Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach who has quite a honey-do list in 2023, but how you improve on a team that just won it all is easier said than done. The good news is that Veach is no stranger to having to replace top caliber players.

Just last year the Chiefs offense took what appeared to be a tremendous hit, losing star wideout Tyreek Hill. Consequently the decision by Veach and Head Coach Andy Reid was to replace star quality, with savvy (and cheaper) veteran quantity by signing both Marquez Valdez-Scantling (former Green Bay Packer) and Juju Smith-Schuster (Former Pittsburgh Steeler). Both players largely made up for the missing 1239 yards and 9 touchdowns Hill produced last year. Along with being bolstered with a surprise trade for Kadarius Toney midseason (whose presence was felt in the Superbowl) and the possible gem of Sky Moore emerging in the playoffs, and the looming issue of how to stop Travis Kelce for defenses, Veach made sure the receiving core of this Chiefs team was still as potent as ever. However, it’s a new offseason and there are new challenges so I’m going to run through everything I believe the Chiefs have to do to produce yet another championship.

Keep Mahomes Rich and Happy

The Chiefs did some fancy accounting with Mahomes’ contract an offseason ago as well as with Chris Jones and Travis Kelce that allowed the team more cap space for contracts with Juju and MVS. Though another restructure is possible, it would completely guarantee the life of the contract and hurt the team in dead cap space down the line. Regardless, the Chiefs should do this if at all possible.

Drop Weapons

Regardless of any cap movement, the Chiefs are likely going to lose both wideouts Juju Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. Juju had a resurgence of a season after his shoulder injury in 2021 and though he did not generate a repeat of his 2018 Pro Bowl season he will still be looking for a long term contract, probably to the tune of four years $45 million. The Chiefs should walk if the bidding gets to that level and seek other opportunities. Hardman is a speedster that has never quite lived up to the billing of say, Tyreek Hill, but ultimately the Chiefs are not at a disadvantage in the speed department, and with younger, albeit less refined and cheaper options like Kadarius Toney and Sky Moore still in the wings, the Chiefs should allow Hardman to find greener pastures in free agency. Lastly, the Chiefs also should consider trading MVS and if a trade is not possible then cut him before the March 17th deadline when his guaranteed cap hit would be over $10 million. MVS was crucial in the playoffs, but that kind of money for his regular season production doesn’t quite add up.

Replace Weapons

Options for replacing these receiving weapons are in the draft and possibly a few options in free agency. The Chiefs likely won’t have a shot at any of the big three receiving names of WR Quentin Johnston (TCU), WR Jordan Addison (USC), and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State) and the very next top candidates all fall similarly into the mold of both WR Moore and WR Toney (such as WR Josh Downs (North Carolina) or WR Zay Flowers (Boston College)) being speedy, short slot/deep threat candidates. There’s always the option of acquiring guys like WR Kayshon Boutte (LSU) or WR Rashee Rice (SMU) but being targeted as second round picks make them high value and there are other considerations with the Chiefs. However, in the late third and early fourth round (projected of course) are a bunch of receivers whose value may be under looked. My favorite of which is a young man named A.T. Perry out of Wake Forest. Perry is a freak athlete with a huge frame at 6’5, 205, breakaway speed, and is a jump ball nightmare for opposing differences. The issue is, will his play in ACC football translate to the NFL. This is a chance worth taking though, and the chiefs ought to be willing to spend a third or fourth round pick on another big durable target to pair with Travis Kelce. Another option is to target a free agent option such as the underutilized WR D.J. Chark (Detroit Lions). Chark is an untapped potential who hasn’t had a legitimate quarterback throwing him the rock until this year (as QB Trevor Lawerence did not arrive until this past year when he had left Jacksonville). Should the Chiefs enter the 2023/24 season with a receiving core of Kelce, Chark, Toney, Moore, Watson (or the return of John Ross), & Perry as well as a few others like Noah Gray, it would be an incredibly diverse set of skill sets that would be nearly impossible to defend.

Bring Back QB Chase Daniels

I get it. Not exactly a high priority but we need a savvy veteran who understands Andy Reid’s system and understands his place on a team as a backup and with Chad Henne retiring, Daniels fits the bill better than most.

Tag Orlando Brown The big boy isn’t going to like this but it’s a move that has to happen a second time. The Chiefs cannot afford to pay him long term, but they cannot afford to lose his ability to protect Mahomes’ blindside. Should he decide to holdout, then conversations regarding his trade potential can commence. However, it appears to be to the benefit of both parties that Brown is tagged and continues his excellent career in KC. Also, damn near $20 million guaranteed ain’t so bad.

Allow T Andrew Wiley To Walk And Resign G/T Nick Allegretti

Look. The Chiefs line was among the best in the NFL and for my money have the best center and right guard in the league in Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. T Orlando Brown is outstanding and G Joe Thuney has continued to be a professional and a leader on this line and they’ve all been healthy for the most part. The truth is if Andrew Wiley at right tackle is your worst lineman then you’re doing something right. However, that does not mean it’s time to rest on laurels or not improve. I believe it is paramount to continue to build a line that can be a revolving door of talent which is why it is my opinion that Andrew Wiley and most likely Nick Allegretti need to be let go as their price tags will have likely risen by a lot. However, it’s possible that Allegretti could be retained as an every position backup, but is he willing to sit once again, this time behind Chiefs fifth round draft pick in 2022 Darian Kinnard? Time will have to tell, but all signs point to how impressed the Chiefs are with his progression.

Allow RB Jerick McKinnon, RB Ronald Jones II, And TE Blake Bell to Walk. Sign A Meat And Potatoes Back

This one hurts a little but just because I like Jerick McKinnon so much. You must love those reclamation projects that hit the mark. Jerick was pivotal in a lot of ways to the chiefs passing attack, jet sweep and triple option looks, and more; But with the rise of Isaiah Pacheco on a cheap, round seven rookie deal likely marks the end for McKinnon’s tenure in KC. As for a signing? Until Clyde Edwards-Helaire proves he can be more than a once every three weeks back and produce, the Chiefs could use a bruiser in the backfield. A cheap addition like Royce Freeman could provide this extra dimension on goalline plays for the Chiefs.

Resign FB Michael Burton

This is easy. Veteran, Cheap, effective, and smart. Andy Reid never fields a team without a fullback. Get it done.

Allow LB Carlos Dunlap, DT Derrick Nnadi, DT Khalen Saunders, DT Brandon Williams And S Deon Bush To Either Walk Or Sign Economical Contracts.

Pivotal as they were to the KC run, the Chiefs have struggled mightily up front for years now and a shake up in the middle of the line is likely coming. If I had to guess though, I can see a deal being struck with either Saunders or Williams. As for Deon Bush and Carlos Dunlap, the drafting in 2022 of S Bryan Cook, LB Leo Chenal, CB Joshua Williams, CB Jaylen Watson, and CB Nazeen Johnson has largely aided in his departure. The money saved here will hopefully aid in a big chore for the Chiefs up next.

Find A Way To Bring Back Juan Thornhill

The Chiefs secondary has largely been improved since last year but the loss of the multi-faceted safety Tyrann Mathieu and stud cornerback Charvarius Ward forced Thornhill to up his game and the team would be loathe to lose their security blanket of the 2022/23 season. There is a limit, but the result must be to resign Juan Thornhill this offseason.

Resign All RFA’s And ERFA’s And Prepare To Pay Tommy Townsend P

This is all but a formality but guys like QB Shane Buechele, OT Prince Tago Wanogho, TE Jody Fortson, DT Tershawn Wharton, and LB Darrius Harris will all be retained. However, the Chiefs between this year and next, need to come to a long term contract with P Tommy Townsend. The only reason this young man isn’t regarded as the best Punter in the NFL is because he doesn’t get enough attempts to qualify for many of the league leader stats.

So what is my consensus? Quite frankly it’s that the state of the Chiefs is actually in great shape. However, this allows us to look forward to years where that may not be the case rather than just the now. I spent an hour running Pro Football Focus’ Draft Simulator today after deciding on many of the Chiefs free agent decisions. The decisions I came to, included the Chiefs losing the following players: T Wylie, WR Juju, WR Hardman, LB Dunlap, DT Nnadi, RB McKinnon, RB Jones II, and S Bush. Those are the players the Chiefs should lose whish leaves vacancies at RB, WR, QB, LB, T, and S including Chad Henne’s retirement. PFF would claim that the major liabilities on the Chiefs are at WR and DL. While I agree with the opinion on defense I cannot agree with the idea that we are not well equipped at the position. So, without further ado here is my draft and free agent signing suggestions for the Kansas City Chiefs offseason.

Keeping in mind that not all of these picks will be used, couple this group with a the inclusion of DJ Chark, Royce Freeman, and the pivotal, signing and tagging of Juan Thornhill and Orlando Brown respectively, and you have another Superbowl roster!

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nicholasohrnberger · 2 years

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American Institutions That Need to GO

This past weekend we were yet again subjected to another worthless display of self-aggrandizing television. A worthless contest, full of insignificant bloviation and a complete lack of what people really want to see and hear. Millions of people tune in from all around the country, but not because they care or feel like its valuable. These people tune in because at this point, the sad truth is that it has become a laughable gaffe of living walking failures and no matter what side or who you root for, we can all agree that it’s pointless, subjective, and ultimately not worth our time.

The Pro Bowl? Well yes, that hot mess of Superbowl no-shows is certainly disserving of these distinctions and the Manning brothers somehow made it even more unwatchable this year. I have an idea, let’s take all the talent in the league that wasn’t good enough to play for a championship, and have them play a backyard/family reunion style flag football game coached by America’s most annoying (Peyton) commercial salesman and television’s most personality-less personality (Eli). Not only that, but let’s a skill competition that barely translates to the game at large, but no I am not talking about the Pro Bowl.

The Grammy’s? Equally as useless and better than that, you get a chance to feel bad about yourself for anything you’ve ever said, done, or thought. Why? Well, because there are issues in the world and if you aren’t doing something as important as making near unlistenable music and virtue signaling so hard that America’s TVs all explode, then you aren’t doing enough. I know when I’m looking for entertainment, I look no further than musicians I’ve never heard of, accepting awards on the behalf of the mediocre accomplishments of their ghost writers and producers complete with an appearance from the First Lady to remind us that no broadcast is complete without a political message. The incredible extent of “look at me”ism in this ceremony is staggering and I know that I was wishing that Ricky Gervais would show up, pull a Kanye and snatch the mic from one of these one of these major record label stand-ins and remind them like he did at the 2020 Golden Globes that, “you are in no position to lecture the public about anything.” Still, this isn’t the worst of the weekend.

I wrote this article Monday, February 6th, 2023. The reason I waited so long to release it is because I thought, “maybe. Maybe this time it’ll be different. Maybe on Tuesday, there will be something worthwhile to watch, and we won’t all be wasting our time.” I was obviously wrong. Yet again, the yearly crown for most worthless institution and television event America belongs to the Presidential State of the Union Speech. Last night, we watched a man who is barely sentient and aloof as the day is long, stumble through another speech that holds democrats up to be the peak of civil responsibility and condemn republicans for all the problems facing America right now.

I should let it be known that I’m as liberal as they come and a supporter of democratic values and governance in this country and to be fair every Trump, Obama, Bush Jr., Clinton, and so forth, SOTU was the exact same way. Gone are the days when you’d have someone like Gerald Ford, as imperfect as he was come out and say something we didn’t like or as bluntly honest such as, “the state of the Union is not good: Millions of Americans are out of work...We depend on others for essential energy.” Sound familiar? That would be because we find ourselves in similar crisis’ today. Stagnation, gun violence, drugs, a woman’s right to choose, homelessness, war in Ukraine, sourcing energy from our enemies, tax increases, energy bill increases, joblessness, the list goes on and somehow, it’s always the other guys fault. Not only that but we still seem fine with both Republicans and Democrats alike, putting forth cancer survivors, Gold Star Families, the families of victims of gun violence or police brutality, and so on as images that we can look at, acknowledge, and perhaps think they did so out of decency and not for a self-serving purpose.

The system is broken and that’s no shock. Perhaps what’s most shocking is that we still tune in expecting something to change. Perhaps that’s the beauty of Americans. Perhaps the beauty is the idea that despite being fed the same tact and nonsense, election cycle after election cycle, we still tune in and turn out hoping for change and doing our part. Maybe, willful ignorance is a virtue but as far as I’m concerned, the State of the Union Address is officially a worthless institution that needs to leave the American consciousness and so I ask President Biden with all due respect. Please, next year, just send the congress a letter.. It’d mean as much to them as it does the people. Just about nothing.

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nicholasohrnberger · 2 years

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Referees Did Not Send Mahomes to the Superbowl.. The Bengals Did

On Saturday January 29th, Patrick Mahomes etched his name into NFL history by becoming only the 16thquarterback to stamp a ticket to three Superbowls. The game was a tightly contested matchup between Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs and Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals. Although Mahomes and company got off to an early 13 – 6 lead over Burrow led Bengals in the first half, Joe “Cool” unsurprisingly narrowed the gap despite a depleted offensive line and losing wide receiver, Tyler Boyd in the second quarter to a thigh injury. The story all week however, was centered around the health of Patrick Mahomes.

A week and a day prior during the AFC Divisional Round, Kansas City had edged out the Jacksonville Jaguars for the right to move on to the AFC Championship game, though not without a price. During what was an otherwise inconsequential 4 yard pass on a first down play late in the first quarter, Mahomes was brought down from behind by Arden Key which led to his ankle being badly sprained. While the Kansas City starter received X-Rays on the injury, backup quarterback Chad Henne led what would prove to be crucial drive which resulted in a touchdown catch by Travis Kelce. Mahomes would return in the second quarter when X-rays came back negative, but noticeably limited and so the talk of the NFL all last week became about a right ankle.

A close game ending 23 – 20. The Chiefs prevail. The crowd was electric. The defense was opportunistic and vicious in their pass rush. Gay and Sneed exit with injuries on defense. Hardman & Toney hurt. Juju scratched. Burrow, two picks too many. All this adversity and still Kansas City pulls through with Harrison Butker capping it off with a conference clinching kick that would send the Chiefs to their third Superbowl in four years. Cue the credits. Obviously, these are the highlights, but this is not the story we’re talking about this week.

Instead, this Kansas City Chief fan will have to listen for the next two weeks to all the talking heads at Fox, NFL Network, Barstool Sports and ESPN about the idea that somehow the officials “rigged” or “blew” or “insert-superlative-here” the AFC Championship game. Allow me to be perfectly clear. A referee or a crew there-of should never be the topic of conversation in any game, let alone a conference championship. However, what I am startled by is the amount of attention that this instance of overzealous officiating is receiving. Sunday night’s game was not the first time that referees in big games have had questionable, missed, or phantom calls or a game was decided by a bad rule. Not by a long shot. Examples you ask? I have a few.

The Tuck Rule Game- I might as well start big since the referees in this classic set the stage for the next 21 years of football. Tom Brady was sack-fumbled late in the fourth quarter of the 2001-02 AFC Divisional Round against the Raiders’ Charles Woodson and the Raiders kneeled it out for the win. Just kidding. As Brady was being tackled a rule set in ’99 was utilized to determine that in fact, Brady’s arm was moving forward in an attempt to pass, rather than an attempt to “tuck” the ball back into his body. The following is the exact language of that rule.

“NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.”

The problem here is that “any forward movement of his arm” includes a pump fake, and any objective viewer giving this play the eye test, who knows anything about what a quarterback’s body looks like when it is fully engaged in the throwing motion can see that this was a fumble.

Rams vs. Saints 2019 NFC Championship- Easily the worst call, or rather no call of all time. Rams Nickell Robey-Coleman absolutely commits a penalty against Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis. Forget just pass interference, the referees could have called targeting, helmet to helmet contact, etc. The point is, it was the most egregious call in NFL history and in a time where the NFL had every fathomable resource to get the call right and still failed and so the conversation became that the play had cost Saints and mostly Drew Brees, his last shot at a second Superbowl ring.

Chiefs vs. Patriots 2019 AFC Championship- Finally, I’ll end with one that hits close to home with me for obvious reasons and I’ll keep it short. Chris Jones tapped Brady’s shoulder pad and got called for a roughing the passer penalty. That would have been the whole conversation of the week if not for the aforementioned call in the saints game listed above. The Patriots would have been forced to punt. The Dee Ford offsides penalty would never had happened, and if both games, both NFC and AFC championships were officiated better than they were, we would have gotten a better and more competitive Superbowl between the Chiefs and the Saints. Brees would have left with two rings or Mahomes would have shown us he’s a winner a year earlier. Right? Wrong.

The fact of the matter is that those things didn’t happen and the results are as they stand. The bottom line is that if the Raiders had executed defensively and tackled better at the end of the fourth quarter and in overtime, Vinatieri never kicks us into the Brady-Belichick era. Also, if the Saints executed better defensively early in that title game, then that no-call is a non-factor and the same goes for if Brees doesn’t toss a pick to Johnson in overtime. Yes indeed, the Chiefs got hit with a bad call but if Dee Ford lines up correctly that game winning drive is squandered and the Chiefs likely go on to pummel a Rams team that wasn’t ready for the moment.

What’s the point? The point is that it is never any one call that wins and loses these games. There is a reason you hear every coach say what Zac Taylor said after being asked about the call on Joseph Ossai, “We’re not going to make this about one play.” The reason is because it’s true. The Bengals had every chance in the third and fourth quarters to stomp out hope for the Chiefs. Instead, they played poor enough to allow Patrick Mahomes to limp his way to the Superbowl. No one person, player, coach or official decided this game. The Bengals simply left themselves in a position to lose.

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