Baseball’s Opening Day is less than two weeks away, so we’re making some predictions on the 2021 MLB season. On WISE Sports Radio, I gave my picks for the AL Central and AL West divisions.
Also, the Kansas City Royals signed catcher Salvador Perez to an insane contract extension and Joey Votto returns to the Cincinnati Reds after contracting COVID-19.
Well, shit. I had almost all of the recording for today’s WISE Sports Radio NFL segment edited. That is, until I tried to delete five minutes after my spot and ended up deleting the whole recording. And as far as I can tell, there’s no way to get it back. Motherfu…!
But I did save a clip of Pat Ryan, Mike Gore, and I talking about the reported trade market for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and the two teams now apparently competing with the Carolina Panthers to make a deal for the young star.
Broadcasting from Asheville, North Carolina, Major League Baseball’s initiative to shrink the minor leagues cut close to home with the Asheville Tourists in town. The Tourists were apparently never in danger of losing MLB affiliation, but did switch parent clubs from the Colorado Rockies to the Houston Astros. And they moved up a level from low-Single A to high-A.
Another factor in MLB wanting more control was the ability to use the minor leagues as a testing lab for the many rules changes the sport is considering. On WISE Sports Radio‘s weekly baseball segment, Pat Ryan and I discussed several of the new rules we’ll see in the minors this year, some of which will surely be seen in the majors soon.
A big part of the NFL offseason began on Tuesday with teams deciding whether or not to put “franchise tags” on free agent players to keep them (and the big salaries that come with that) or let them go to sign elsewhere. On WISE Sports Radio, we highlighted the biggest names tagged and which ones will be in demand on the open market.
Also, will the Carolina Panthers keep quarterback Teddy Bridgewater after trying to trade him and upgrade at the position? What are the remaining options? And is Drew Brees going to retire and jump into broadcasting, or is he preparing to play one more season?
Talking baseball on WISE Sports Radio, we discuss now-former Seattle Mariners president Kevin Mather forcing himself to resign with dumb comments about international players, keeping top prospects in the minor leagues, and the neighborhood surrounding T-Mobile Park.
Also among our topics: Which player will be next to sign a blockbuster contract after Fernando Tatis Jr.’s mega-deal and with baseball season nearing, we begin our division predictions with the American League East.
Ian Casselberry 