Bishop Media Sports Network
The Next Big Thing
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Chipper Jones, the Braves most recent addition to the Baseball Hall of Fame called Ronald Acuna the next Mike Trout. No pressure huh?
Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna soared to the No. 1 spot in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list for 2018.
This is pretty high praise for a 20-year old kid. Acuna is coming off a magnificent season in which he hit a combined .325 with 31 doubles, 8 triples, 21 homers, 82 RBIs, 44 stolen bases and a .896 OPS in 139 games.
The Braves have drafted well recently and have 8 prospects listed in the top 100 of Baseball America’s list of top prospects. The Braves fan base would agree that the future is bright if all of these players develop and make the show.
But going into the 2018 season the Atlanta Braves will not be predicted to make a playoff run. So, people are asking will Ronald Acuna be on the opening day roster. Personally, I haven’t been this excited about a kid in the Braves system since Andruw Jones back in the 1990’s and that turned out pretty well for the Braves.
Acuna who is from Venezuela was signed by the Braves in 2014 for $100K. Acuna just turned 20 last December, and has fast tracked through the Braves system and now appears on the cusp of being a major league starter on opening day in 2018.
Matt Kemp is gone and that opens up a spot for Acuna in left field. Outside of Freddie Freeman the lineup has no consistent power, so Acuna brings much needed pop to that starting 9.
Here is the scouting report on Ronald Acuna:
Acuna is a legitimate five-tool player who has the potential to be a superstar at the big league level. Acuna is a big physical kid with an athletic and strong build. He will continue to grow into his body.
Hit: Acuna has above average bat speed and can hit to all fields with ease. He can drive the ball easily to any field. As he develops into a major league power hitter he will consistently bat in the .280 to .300 range and drive in a lot of runs.
Power: Acuna has raw power that needs to be developed, but has shown he can be a consistent HR threat in minor leagues.
Glove: Acuna is a good athlete and has the ability to play all three outfield spots and will probably settle into RF as his career progresses.
Arm: Acuna had the best outfield arm in the minors last season. The arm strength is exceptional. Once he settles in the Braves lineup he will have one of the top outfield arms in baseball.
Speed: Long strider with impressive top end speed. Acuna’s speed will translate in the Braves outfield because he will go get balls Kemp could not last year. Good base runner who can steal bases if needed.
Look for Acuna to have a long Braves career. As he just turned 20, look for Acuna barring a trade to be the piece the Braves build around for the next 10-12 years.
Acuna along with the young arms in the farm system could bring a World Title back to Atlanta in the next 10 years.
Ronald Acuna will be the next Braves superstar. All he needs now is to be the Braves opening day starter in left field. I think he will be. He showed up 4 days early to Spring Training so management is taking notice.
Super Bowl Backups?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the main topics of discussion as we exit the football season is the importance of having a capable backup at the quarterback position.
Teams like Green Bay and Miami struggled mightily when they were forced to rely on their 2nd string QB.
I mean, Miami had so much faith in Matt Moore they signed Jeff George’s twin brother from a different mother, Jay Cutler, and started him Week 1.
Teams like Minnesota, and obviously Philadelphia, we’re able to keep their season afloat despite losing their starting quarterbacks.
So, this got me thinking: How much faith should fans of the NFC South have in their respective team’s backup quarterback?
Since things could, and probably will change over the next few months, I’m going with who the backup quarterback was at the end of the season.
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Schaub. All you need to know is that Schaub is currently 54 going on 83 and over the past 2 years has only thrown three more passes in an actual NFL game than I have.
Look, I like Schaub’s game, from 7-8 years ago and if this were being written during his first stint with Atlanta I would be really high on his ability to lead the Falcons for an extended period, if needed.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I can’t imagine a scenario where Dan Quinn doesn’t bring someone else in back up Matt Ryan. Falcons’ fans better hope Ryan is the Cal Ripken of NFL Quarterbacks.
Carolina Panthers: Derek Anderson. See Matt Schaub. The only difference is I can count on Anderson to throw at least one red zone interception for every game he plays.
If Schaub actually played I feel like he would just hand the ball off every play, which is what I would want the Panthers to do with Anderson.
New Orleans Saints: Chase Daniel. This one is interesting, mainly because I have no idea how good Daniel is.
I know a lot of teams think highly of him and he’s made really good money over his 10 year career based on those opinions. I also know he’s never thrown more than 38 passes in a season.
In fact, he’s only thrown 78 passes in his entire career. Seriously, there’s not enough info on him for me to even poke fun at. He’s truly “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Fitzpatrick. I guess out of all the backup quarterbacks the NFC South has to offer, Fitzpatrick is the best.
I’m not really sure that’s saying a whole lot though. I will say this, he did do an admirable job filling for Jameis Winston at various times this past year. And he has proven himself to be a decent quarterback in recent years.
I guess it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility to see him have the type of season Case Keenum had if Fitzpatrick needed to run the show in Tampa. Not saying it’s likely to happen, just that it’s not impossible.
Basically, while the NFC South may have the strongest group of starting of quarterbacks in the league, they also have the male version of the “Golden Girls” as their backups.
And if I’m being completely honest, with the exception of Ryan Fitzpatrick, I’m pretty sure I’d rather have Bea Arthur as my backup as opposed to the other three. You can even include Fitzpatrick if you’re giving me Betty White.
New Young Braves
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Believe it or not, spring training games are upon us.
The glorious season of baseball is upon us and hope springs eternal. There is plenty to do before Opening Day.
For one, the roster must be constructed. There are some openings and some questions for now, so let’s take a look at what the 25-man squad might look like come March 29th.
Catchers: Tyler Flowers & Kurt Suzuki.
This one is easy. The tandem of Flowers and Suzuki made, arguably, the most productive position on the team in 2017. That level may be hard to replicate this year, but we know they’ll both be at Suntrust Park for the first game of the year.
Infield: Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson & Johan Camargo.
Unless a move is made, this one is pretty set in stone as well. Freeman, Albies and Swanson are certain and unless the Braves make a move and bring in a third baseman, Camargo will get the job here (I had my eye on Todd Frazier, but now he’s a Met. Yuck.).
Swanson’s spring training performance will be watched closely due to his struggles at the plate last season. I think even with a weaker spring he’s going to be given the benefit of the doubt and start the season at short on the big club.
Outfield: Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis & Lane Adams.
This is the part that no one wants to hear: Ronald Acuna is going to start the season in Triple A.
He may do his best to force Alex Anthopoulos’ hand but it’ll go one of two ways, neither of which see him on the opening day roster. If he falters, then he’ll be sent to Gwinnett for seasoning; if he kills it in Florida, then he’ll be sent to Gwinnett to wait until the timing is right so the Braves will have him under team control for an extra year. No Acuna. Lane Adams will keep his spot warm.
Bench: Preston Tucker, Danny Santana & Charlie Culberson.
Tucker will make the squad and likely split duties with Adams in left field at the start of the season, as he hits lefty and Adams hits righty.
Santana is a non-roster invitee and only hit .203 with the Braves last year but he’s also versatile. The Braves seem to like to have this kind of player on the team. Teams drool over guys who can play the infield and the outfield, ignoring the fact that they can’t hit the ball even though they’re primarily being used as pinch hitters.
Culberson, who came over in the Matt Kemp trade, will have the third spot.
Starting Rotation: Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz, Brandon McCarthy, Luis Gohara and Sean Newcomb.
This one has a chance to see some battles. The first three guys are locks and the Braves are high enough on Gohara that I think his spot is secure as well.
The last spot could go any number of ways. Max Fried will be seriously considered and let’s not forget that Scott Kazmir came over from Los Angeles. At the end of the day Newcomb will make the team after showing improved command in spring training.
Bullpen: Arodys Vizcaino, A.J. Minter, Jose Ramirez, Sam Freeman, Dan Winkler, Lucas Sims, Rex Brothers & Chase Whitley.
Familiar faces, most of these guys. They’ll be back again to fill much the same roles they did last year. There’s a chance one of the Braves’ young starters gets a long relief gig out of spring training, displacing Whitley.
Is this a team that can compete? We’ll see on March 29th.
Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch
SSE Minute Feb 9
Out To Pastner
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We have about one month left in the college basketball season. There are a few teams that have underperformed and will not make the NCAA tournament unless they win their conference tournament. Georgia Tech is poised to be one of those teams.
Tech used to be one of the few programs that were consistently successful in football and men’s basketball. They have fallen on hard times in recent years. The Yellow Jackets have not played in the NCAA tournament since 2010.
They currently are 11-11 and are ranked 11th in the ACC. Head coach Josh Pastner is not only struggling on the court. His longtime friend Ron Bell has told the media he provided benefits in violation of NCAA rules to players Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson. Tech self-reported the violations to the NCAA in November and suspended both players.
Pastner filed a civil lawsuit in Arizona against Ron Bell and Jennifer Pendley, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting and injurious falsehoods and attempts to blackmail and extort both Pastner and his family, according to a statement from his attorney.
Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats national championship team. He was also an assistant at Arizona under Lute Olson and at Memphis under John Calipari. After becoming head coach at Memphis he was named the 2013 Conference USA Coach of the Year.
He was hired as head coach at Georgia Tech in April 2016. He showed promise in his first season. During the 2016-17 regular season the Jackets knocked off Top 5 North Carolina at home, in his first coached ACC game at Georgia Tech.
They also enjoyed quality wins at Virginia Commonwealth, at home against Top 10 Florida State, and Top 25 Notre Dame. Further improving throughout the season, Tech knocked off Syracuse and Pittsburgh late in February to finish 8-10 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets were projected to finish last in the conference and to not win a single conference game. He was named the 2017 ACC Coach of the Year.
This season there have been several bad losses against teams like Grambling, Wofford and Wright State. The NCAA violations could be one of the reasons for the sub-par season. They also lost four consecutive games in January.
There are eight regular season games remaining and it doesn’t look like things will get much better. The next few games are at Louisville followed by at home versus #9 Duke. Those are both probably bad losses.
Later this month there are back-to-back road games against #2 Virginia and #16 Clemson. The Yellow Jackets already lost to both teams and I cannot imagine them being able to get revenge.
NC State is also having a great year and they are one of the last regular season games. The Wolfpack have beaten Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame so I expect them to dismantle Tech.
The best chance for victories is two games with Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. If they finish with a losing record (they certainly will) Tech needs to move on from Pastner and hire a new coach.
What Super Bowl LII Means For NFL
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After what seemed like 2 decades of underwhelming Super Bowl games, 3 out of the last 4 years have been anything but boring. You had New England’s win over Seattle 4 years ago.
New England’s come from behind, overtime victory over Atlanta last year. And of course, Philadelphia winning this year’s Super Bowl for every football fan not from the Boston area. So, here are a few observations from this year’s game.
1- I now have a huge man crush on Philadelphia’s head coach, Doug Pederson. His play calling and willingness to have faith in his offense to convert on some of those fourth downs is something that as a Carolina Panthers fan, feels foreign to me.
I just automatically assumed you were required to punt on 4th down, no matter the situation. Plus, Pederson makes me feel like my approach to Madden 2018- never punting, ever- means I too could be a NFL head coach.
Also, what he and Offensive Coordinator, Frank Reich, did in adjusting their offensive scheme to mesh with Nick Foles’ strength and comfort level, may be one of the more impressive coaching jobs I’ve seen in years.
2- Now that Nick Foles is a Super Bowl MVP- just marinate on that for a minute- what team in desperate need of a quarterback mortgages their future to tries and trade for him?
Also, will we see a run on teams overpaying for backup quarterbacks, they previously wouldn’t have thought twice about? If you thought the backup quarterback was the popular player among fans before this Super Bowl, I have a feeling you haven’t seen anything yet.
3- There are a plethora of reasons to be giddy watching Tom Brady and the Patriots lose, much like Nick Cage seems to take pride in making “Ghost Rider” movies, or really any movie where there’s no plot and a lot of things blow up, for that matter.
Regardless of how deep seeded that dislike is for both Patriots and/or their quarterback, you should be impressed with Brady.
I’m 37 years old and anytime I run a 5k in under 30 minutes I feel like the local news channel should be producing a segment on just how awesome and in shape I am.
Tom Brady is 3 years older than I am, and he just threw for over 500 yards in the Super Bowl!
I still felt like New England was somehow going to pull out a win when they were inside their own 10, with 58 seconds left because Tom Brady was the quarterback.
4- While New England’s run of 8 Super Bowl appearances in 17 years is incredible, what may be even more impressive is that every single one of them has been a good game. Upset win against the Rams in ‘01; game winning field goals against Panthers and Eagles in ‘03, ‘04; goal line interception in ‘15 against Seattle; last year’s overtime win versus Atlanta.
Throw in their two close losses to the Giants and this year’s game, and basically every Super Bowl New England has participated in has come down the wire. Look, I despise the Patriots as much as anyone whose last name isn’t Damon or Affleck, but they do put on a good show.
So, if you want the early odds on who will be back in the Super Bowl next year, my guess is New England and whatever NFC team has the best backup quarterback. I mean, the NFL is a copycat league, right?
Power Outage
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Trading Matt Kemp was a good thing, that’s true. Not keeping Matt Adams was fine. He had nowhere to play. Trading Brandon Phillips at the end of the season was the right thing to do as well, or at least it was the nice thing to do. The fallout from that is the loss of a ton of last year’s already meager home run output by the Atlanta Braves.
If you’re keeping score, the Bravos hit 165 dingers in 2017. That was good enough for 28th in the Majors and 28 of those came from Freddie Freeman. No one else had 20.
More pressingly, no one has been added to the roster to replace the 49 that Kemp, Adams and Phillips produced. There is a serious lack of power on the Braves’ roster going into spring training and there’s no indication much will be done to change that.
So, who will protect Freeman from the cleanup spot in the batting order?
Yes, Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki combined to crank out 31 bombs from the catching position and they certainly are an option; but I do question the idea that they’d be able to duplicate that level of success.
That being said, 10 homers each will still likely make them the number two power-producing position on the lineup card, depending on what a certain number one prospect manages to do when he shows up.
The most intriguing option is, of course, Ronald Acuna. All signs point to him starting the season in Triple A Gwinnett but a call up isn’t likely to be too far down the road.
Part of this rationale is seasoning. Acuna spent very little time in Gwinnett last year and part of it is player control: if they wait to bring him up, they’ll have another year before he’s able to hit free agency (the Cubs pulled this same maneuver with Kris Bryant). Both excuses are perfectly valid and either way we’ll be seeing him soon enough. The question is where does he hit when he arrives?
Cleanup is a tough spot to thrust a rookie into right off the bat (no pun intended). It may be a lot to ask of a 20 year to be called upon to protect Freddie Freeman in his first game with the big club.
On the other hand, he may have just the right make up to succeed under that kind of pressure. The problem is you won’t know until he’s there.
Failure can shake a young man’s confidence pretty fast and there will be a lot of eyes pointed at this kid.
Maybe it would be more prudent to see if he can produce from the fifth or sixth spot in the order first. He’ll be hitting cleanup (or second) eventually.
When GM Alex Anthopoulos addressed the Braves’ power deficiency at Fan Fest, he offered up two possible roads: one, in which the Braves roll with what they’ve got, which we’ve explored, or two, when he knowingly pointed out that there are a lot of free agents still available.
That’s true. There are over one hundred unsigned free agents, including some that could add some pop to the Braves’ lineup in 2018. The most obvious place for a free agent to slot in would be third base and there are options there.
One is the very unlikely Mike Moustakas, the other is the slightly more likely Todd Frazier.
Frazier is a third baseman with pop and will be much less expensive with Moustakas.
His batting average is fairly horrendous, reaching a career low last year, which he split between the White Sox and Yankees, but if you’re into OPS+ then his 105 is a little bit above average.
More to the point, the later it gets in the year the more likely it is that he’d look into a one or two-year contract, whereas Moustakas seems to be holding out for a multi-year deal.
It’s not a perfect solution but other than turning newly-minted Hall of Famer Chipper Jones back into a 25-year-old and signing him to a team-friendly contract, there don’t appear to be any.
Flowers and Suzuki. Acuna. Frazier, or another free agent. Whoever it is, the Braves need some pop.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch Feb 3
The Star Are Out
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is almost time for the most exciting all-star weekend in professional sports. The top players in the NBA will spend All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles this year.
The NBA all-star break is quickly approaching and there will be a lot of different changes. The traditional all-star weekend consisted of the top players from the Eastern Conference versus the top players in the Western Conference. That format is getting old.
Fans were getting tired of seeing the same thing over and over, so the NBA has decided to throw a monkey wrench into the process. The NBA allowed the fans to vote for two captains to represent the two teams. This year those two captains are Lebron James and Stephen Curry.
These two were tasked with drafting their all-star super team. The talent pool consisted of the players who were voted on by other NBA players and fans. Lebron James’ squad consists of his former teammate Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins.
These four were picked by LeBron to be the starters. James, however, will have to make some roster adjustments already because Demarcus Cousins is lost for the season after tearing his achilles tendon against the Rockets.
LeBron’s bench will be loaded. LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, Jose Calderon, Victor Oladipo, Kristaps Porzingis, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook will try to help lead team LeBron to victory.
Team Steph will be star studded as well. Joining the captain will be James Harden, Demar Derozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.
Stephen Curry hopes his bench will help lead his team to victory. His bench will include Al Horford, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Draymond Green.
After examining the rosters, I would give Team Lebron the slight edge. Lebron has some of the top guards in the NBA on his team. Stephen’s team is loaded with a bunch of go getters. A bunch of hard working NBA players. This all-star game may be one of the ages.
The NBA will also have some familiar events that fans enjoy. The NBA All-Star Celebrity game will also be back this year. Fans will get to see their favorite tv stars, politicians, and musicians compete in a basketball game.
The NBA will also have the Rising Stars Game. This game will consist of the top youngsters in the NBA. There will be a USA team versus a World Team. Players like Lonzo Ball, Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr., and Buddy Hield will be some of the stars that will suit of for the Rising Stars Game.
The Taco Bell Skills Challenge will also take place this year. Some of the best ball handlers in the NBA will take on the difficult obstacle course. The three point contest will also be an event this year. Devon Booker, Kevin Love, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal, and Wayne Ellington.
The Slam Dunk competition has been down as of late. There has not been the excitement that Nate Robinson, Dwight Howard, and Vince Carter once brought. This year participants hope that they will be able to bring some of that excitement back to the event.
High flyers Dennis Smith Jr, Larry Nance Jr, Victor Oladipo, and Aaron Gordon will be looking to make this an event that fans love again.
The changes to the NBA All-Star weekend could be a huge success this year. The MLB made changes that made their game more exciting for the fans. It gave the players more motivation to participate. The NBA is hoping for the same thing with their All-Star weekend.
