Bishop Media Sports Network
Who’s On First
By: Charles Skipper
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On March 14, 2022 the Atlanta Braves made a trade that shut one door on an era of the team’s history and opened another door on their future.
Alex Anthopoulos sealed a deal with the Oakland A’s that sent 4 prospects to Oakland in return for their starting first baseman Matt Olson.
Matt Olson, like his new teammate Dansby Swanson, played his high school ball in the Metro Atlanta area.
He was drafted by the Oakland A’s in 2012 out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, where he pitched and played first base for the 2011 and 2012 State Champion Panthers. The new Brave still holds the Gwinnett County record for wins and RBI.
Olson made his debut in the Show in 2016 when he got a September call up and appeared in 11 games. The number of games played increased to 59 in 2017. The young slugger saw his name penciled in the starting lineup for every game of the 2018 season.
A broken hand in 2019 and poor results in the Covid shortened 2020 season followed.
A full 2021 season saw Olson rebound to play 156 games and put-up solid numbers in all offensive categories. He hit for a .271 average, 39 HR, and 111 RBI and was selected to participate in the Home Run Derby and was named to the All-Star team.
Further honors for Olson were being named a finalist for both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards.
The natural inclination is to compare Olson to Freeman. The obvious method to compare players is by the statistics they compile. The last 3 years the numbers the 2 players put up are very similar.
Freeman hit for a .304 BA/82 HR/142 OPS. Olson registered a .257 BA/89 HR/134 OPS. The two players were almost identical in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) with Freeman at 11.7 and Olson at 11.6.
The glaring difference in the performance numbers of the two first baseman is in the important category of hitting with runners in scoring position or RISP. Freeman ranks number 5 among all active players, while Olson comes in at 127th.
Professional Baseball has become consumed with the analytical side of the game. Many of today’s General Managers are young number crunchers whom have never played the game themselves. Analytics are evident in many of the in-game decisions and the infield shift is one of these type strategies based on numbers.
Another of these new analytical terms being used today is the aging curve. This is a fancy way to say the player is getting old.
The Braves with the trade for Olson are saying to me that the decision they made to let Freddie go was based more on his age at the length of a long-term contract than the money that was being discussed.
Within 24 hours long-term of signing Olson, Atlanta signed him to an 8 year 168 million-dollar contract extension, which is the largest in team history.
Ironically the previous largest contract for a Brave was a 5 year 135 million-dollar contract they gave Freeman.
Alex Anthopoulos has proven up to this point to be a shrewd GM and will be forever linked to the trading deadline deals that propelled Atlanta to the World Series title last season.
Hopefully years from now we will look back on the Olson trade as another smart decision by Anthopoulos.
Matt Olson grew up dreaming of playing for the Braves and fate has granted him his wish. History shows us that some players struggle early when they come to a new team and have a big contract to live up to.
Olson will have to handle the pressure of the big contract along with the ones that come from being a Hometown Kid and having to follow a player of Freeman’s stature.
Braves fans hope Olson can adjust quickly to his new team this season, be productive, and make us proud that he is the answer to the question Who’s On First?
Farewell Freddie
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Los Angeles Dodgers and All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman agreed to terms on a six-year, $162 million contract.
Earlier, Freeman sent this heartfelt message to Braves Country this week via Instagram:
Freeman wrote:
Braves Country,
I don’t even know where to begin. For the past 15 years I got to be a part of your organization. It was truly an honor. We went through the very highs together and some lows but those lows is what made last year so special. You watched me grow up from a baby faced kid to marrying my love @chelseafreeman5 and seeing us bring 3 beautiful boys into this world. I’m so glad my family got to be a part of yours! To Snit, my coaches, teammates, training staff, clubhouse staff, and everyone who made Turner Field and Truist Park so special for my family and I over the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has been a blast to have you cheer for me and I hope I was able to bring smiles to a lot of your homes over the years. I gave everything I had day in and day out and I hope you guys saw that as well. Although our time has come to an end, I look forward to seeing and playing in front of you all again. When that time comes, I hope you remember all the wonderful memories we made together. I love you Braves Country! Champions Forever!
Love,
Freddie, Chelsea, Charlie, Brandon, Maximus
After the Braves won their first World Series since 1995 the thought process switched to ‘ok now it is time to resign Freddie Freeman.’ When the lockout hit Braves fans are thinking when this thing is over the first thing Atlanta will do is resign Freddie Freeman.
Once the lockout ended the Freddie watch began. A few days passed and Braves fans like me started asking the question “Will the Braves really let Freddie Freeman walk away?”
We got our answer earlier this week when the Braves traded away center fielder Cristian Pache, catching prospect Shea Langeliers, and pitching prospects Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes to Oakland in return for first baseman Matt Olson.
Olson, an All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, is considered a rising star in MLB circles. At 27 years old, Olson was then inked to an 8-year deal $168 million dollar contract with the Braves through 2030.
The Freddie Freeman era is now over in Atlanta. The realization that MLB is a brutal business comes to mind for the Atlanta fanbase. Here are Freddie’s career numbers as an Atlanta Brave:
At Bats: 5,767
Hits: 1,704
Runs: 969
RBI’s: 941
Batting Average: .295
Home Runs: 271
Freeman was putting together a Hall of Fame career in Atlanta. Now he is off to LA to play for the hated Dodgers.
Who for one second does not think Freddie will end up killing Braves pitching if these teams meet up in the playoffs?
Gone are the days where a player spends his entire career with one team. The sport is driven by money and analytics now.
Thank you, Freddie, for your service in Atlanta. You will be missed greatly. I hope the Braves retire #5 and that number is never worn again by an Atlanta Braves player. You came to Atlanta as a kid and left a decade or so later as a World Champion. Braves Country is eternally grateful to you.
Here is a question that never should have come to mind: If Freeman goes on and has an outstanding career in Los Angeles, does he go into Cooperstown as a Brave or a Dodger?
Can the money and analytic crowd answer that question?
Prowling Panthers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NCAA Tournament starts this week. Everybody loves filling out brackets and watching the upsets take place for March Madness.
We have an unlikely team representing the state of Georgia in the men’s tournament.
Familiar faces like Georgia and Georgia Tech did not make it. Georgia State is the team that made it. The Panthers (18 – 10) won the Sun Belt Conference championship to get there.
Senior Corey Allen led them on this improbable run. He scored 29 points to match his season high for the second straight game in the championship win over Louisiana, 80 – 71 at the Pensacola Bay Center. Allen was named the MVP of the Sun Belt Tournament.
It was the 10th straight win for Georgia State and its 12th win in the last 13 games.
Georgia State won the Sun Belt Tournament for the fourth time and will make its sixth trip to the NCAAs. It also served as redemption for losing to Appalachian State in last year’s title game. This is their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2019.
“It’s special because the experience we had last year I think led to these guys’ desire to return,” Georgia State coach Rob Lanier said. “And they were motivated to be here and do this.”
Allen was one of four seniors who decided to return for a COVID season. The others – Eliel Nsoseme, Kane Williams and Justin Roberts – were each big contributors to the championship and enjoyed the enthusiastic postgame celebrations.
“There’s a lot of adjectives we could use, but it’s a special moment and I wouldn’t want to share it with anybody else,” Williams said.
It was a satisfying finish for Lanier, who was able to hold the team together despite losing five games to COVID and enduring an 0-4 start in conference play.
” All that disruption affected our chemistry, our rotation, and we were one of the worst defensive teams in the country on top of our bad offense,” Lanier said. “We really figured it out defensively, and we felt like we could get back to our old selves offensively and put the two together. It happened the last few nights, as simple as that.”
All of the teams have been selected Sunday so we know who GSU will play. They are the No. 16 seed in the West and they play No. 1 Gonzaga Thursday in Portland. Gonzaga finished the season as the top team in the AP Poll.
The Bulldogs lost the National Championship game last season so they are focused on winning it this season.
This is a David vs. Goliath matchup. In the history of the NCAA Tournament a 16 seed has only beaten a 1 seed once. That happened in 2018 when the top overall seed Virginia lost University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), 74 – 54.
Clearly, the odds are stacked against Georgia State and they are expected to be crushed by Gonzaga. They probably will be blown out but it is impressive that they made it to the tournament. As an underdog, they should have several fans cheering for them.
Out Of The Swamp
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia Bulldogs aren’t leaving the SEC to fill their coaching vacancy. According to Jon Rothstein, Georgia will hire Florida Gators basketball coach Mike White.
Georgia fired Tom Crean on Thursday, March 10. His tenure at Georgia ended after four seasons and a 47-75 record, including a 15-58 conference record. The school owes Crean a $3.2 million buyout, per his contract.
This will be White’s third opportunity to run a program. He got his head coaching break at Louisiana Tech before taking the job at Florida. White also spent time as an assistant coach at Jacksonville State and Ole Miss. Most of White’s career has been spent in the SEC and he’ll stay in the conference with the Bulldogs.
White had received a two-year extension prior to the 2021-22 season. That kept him under contract through 2026-27.
“Though he’s still relatively young by coaching standards, White has already established himself as a successful head coach,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement on June 1, 2021. “Because of his work ethic, intelligence, and competitiveness his career has such a high ceiling, and it’s going to be fun watching what his Gator teams accomplish for years to come.”
The Gators are the only SEC team (one of nine power Six teams), who have not posted a losing conference record over the past seven seasons. While White’s teams were consistently making the tournament, he wasn’t winning over fans.
In seven years with the Gators, White comprised a 243-128 overall record. His teams were 122-69 in conference play. It’s worth noting that White ranked inside the top-20 in all-time SEC winning percentage during his seven-year tenure.
White’s family had stopped coming to games to avoid vitriol pointed towards White. Leaving to a program like Georgia would lend credence to that information. The Bulldogs are in total rebuild mode. White has been a solid recruiter while at Florida and Georgia is looking for a coach to rebuild a program in shambles.
White had led the Gators to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, the only SEC program to ever do that. However, the Gators hadn’t made it past the second round since their 2016-17 season’s Elite Eight run.
White, who has spent the last seven seasons guiding the Gators to each of the last four NCAA Tournaments prior to Sunday’s 2022 bracket announcement, also expressed his excitement to be headed to Athens.
“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball program at the University of Georgia,” White said. “President Jere W. Morehead and Athletics Director Josh Brooks are united in a strong vision for UGA Basketball which resonated with me deeply. They believe, as I do, in developing our young men as students, athletes and leaders, as well as providing them with the support they need to be successful. I believe in the limitless future of Georgia Basketball.”
White will take over a Georgia team that went 6-26 this past season, the most single season losses in program history. UGA also had more losses than any other SEC program, with a 1-18 in conference record.
One program’s trash is another’s treasure, and there is reason for Georgia fans to be excited. White is a proven recruiter in a high-performance state where recruits are available.
Florida fans can hate him as he goes, and only time will tell if Mike White can raise Georgia’s basketball program from the abyss.
Wanna Bet On It
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has made the headlines for a negative reason.
Ridley stepped away from football on Halloween, saying he needed to get his personal life in order.
He gambled on NFL games in 2021 and he has been suspended for at least the 2022 season.
The NFL released a statement Monday announcing his suspension, saying Ridley gambled on games over a five-day stretch in November 2021 when he was on the non-football injury list to address his mental health.
In a series of tweets, Monday after the suspension was announced, Ridley said he bet $1,500 total and that “I don’t have a gambling problem.” He also tweeted that he couldn’t even watch football at the time he made the bets. He added that he’s just going to “be more healthy when I come back” and that “I know I was wrong But I’m getting 1 year lol.”
The NFL determined that Ridley placed multilegged parlay bets involving three, five and eight games that included the Falcons to win via his mobile device out of state, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL’s success — and to the reputation of everyone associated with our league — than upholding the integrity of the game,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to Ridley notifying him of his suspension. “This is the responsibility of every player, coach, owner, game official, and anyone else employed in the league. Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL.”
“For decades, gambling on NFL games has been considered among the most significant violations of league policy warranting the most substantial sanction. In your case, I acknowledge and commend you for your promptly reporting for an interview, and for admitting your actions.”
The NFL said its investigation uncovered no evidence that Ridley used inside information or “that any game was compromised in any way.” There also was no evidence that any of the Falcons’ coaches, staff or players were aware of his betting activity.
The earliest Ridley can apply for reinstatement is Feb. 15, 2023, the NFL said. He also can appeal the suspension by filing notice within three days, per the collective bargaining agreement. It is not known if he has appealed the punishment.
Multiple NFL teams reached out to the Falcons in recent weeks to inquire about trading for Ridley, and each time, Atlanta declined to enter into talks out of good faith, knowing the issues in store for their standout wide receiver.
Ridley’s contract will toll until 2023 and come off the books for 2022, opening up $11.1 million in salary-cap room for the Falcons.
Ridley was a disappointment last season because he only played a few games. It was his first season without Julio Jones because he was traded to Tennessee. Having a player not play for reasons that are not related to an injury is hard for a team to deal with. The Falcons only have one receiver from the 53-man roster last season under contract; rookie Frank Darby.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch March 5
The 5th Major
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are a week away from returning to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for The Players Championship.
The total purse of $20 million is a record for the tournament. The winner will take home over $2 million. Justin Thomas won the 2021 Championship with a score of -14 under par.
The Favorites:
John Rahm 10/1: Rahm is the current favorite to win the TPC. Rahm is playing exceptionally good golf so far this year with three top ten finishes.
He is coming into this tournament with his game peaking. At last year’s tournament, Rahm finished in a tie for ninth. He finished with a Sunday score of 73.
You must think if he can improve his play in the final round, he stands a good shot at winning.
Rahm is currently the top ranked player in the world. Rahm is the type of player that can dominate the competition if he gets hot.
Justin Thomas 14/1: Thomas comes in second to Rahm as betting odds go for this year’s tournament.
Since the event last year, Thomas has not won another tournament. Thomas currently ranked seventh in the World Golf Rankings and is still playing as one of the best players on tour.
He already has three Top-10 finishes this season, his latest coming at The Genesis Invitational. In the history of the Players Championship no player has ever won in back-to-back years. History is working against Thomas in this area.
Other Odds:
Collin Morikawa 16/1: The Open Champion plays well on tough golf venues.
Morikawa just seems to hover near the top of leaderboards in about every big event on the PGA Tour. If he is within striking distance on Sunday, then he will be a major factor in the outcome.
Patrick Cantlay 20/1: Cantlay is one cool customer on the golf course. Pressure does not seem to bother him at all. He has the mental makeup to win the TPC.
Do not be surprised if Cantlay is holding the TPC trophy at the conclusion of this year’s event. He is that good. Also do not be surprised if Cantlay does not win The Masters in April.
Will Zalatoris 50/1: Who does not want to see Will win the TPC?
Zalatoris will be a huge crowd favorite if he is in contention. This kid brings a ton of excitement to the game of golf. Players like Will Zalatoris provide a bright future for the PGA Tour.
The Course: THE PLAYERS STADIUM COURSE AT TPC SAWGRASS
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was built in 1980 to be the permanent home of THE PLAYERS Championship.
As the first true Stadium Course, it was designed to improve the overall on-site fan experience.
The signature island green on the par-3, 17th hole is one of the most recognized in golf and the course is consistently named among the best in the world.
My Pick: Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay is on track to becoming the number one player in the world in 2022.
Dark Horse: Will Zalatoris. The kid is a great ball striker, and would it not be impressive if the kid wins his first PGA tournament at TPC Sawgrass?
I hope golf gets a big shot in the arm after the negativity surrounding some comments made by Phil Mickelson recently.
Phil has had a brutal week with sponsorship losses after his controversial comments about Saudi Arabia.
Can we give Lefty a break? Society seems so unforgiving these days.
New Winds For Hurricanes
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Mario Cristobal and the Miami football staff assembled a stellar 2022 class in less than two months.
Defensive lineman Nykalik Kelly and Cyrus Moss rank in the top 100. Tight end Jaleel Skinner and running back Trevonte’ Citizen are in the next 10.
Rivals.Com analyzed and ranked the 2022 classes in the ACC. Miami is much lower in the rankings by Rivals than 247 Sports’ composite rankings. The Hurricanes are ranked fourth in the ACC and 34th overall by Rivals. In the 247 Sports Composite rankings, Miami is third in the ACC and 15th overall.
Cristobal did not panic with a lower-ranked class when he was hired. Miami has the second-highest ranked average per player in the ACC by 247 Sports and Rivals. Cristobal put an emphasis on signing blue-chip players instead of filling out an entire class. Miami has roster spots available for transfers and 2023.
Citizen, Kelly, Moss and Skinner are the foundation of the 2022 Miami class. Kelly and Moss should be part of the Miami rotation on the DL in 2022.
Miami signed 14 players in that Class and added five transfers. Cristobal has stated that Miami might not be finished adding to the roster.
Moten was an import signing late for Miami on National Signing Day. Miami improved their depth at defensive tackle with the Cardinal Gibbons star.
Eight of the 14 Miami signees and all five transfers committed to the Hurricanes after Cristobal was hired. Cristobal secured several 2022 signees who are projected as impact players.
Miami will make the line of scrimmage a priority under their new Head Coach. Eight of the 19 players new to Miami football are on the line of scrimmage.
Miami lost out on five-star DL Shemar Stewart, who signed with Texas A&M however, the Hurricanes will win more of those caliber recruits with Cristobal leading the program.
The Miami football program has a blue-chip (four and five-star players) of 71 percent in the Class of 2022 with 10 of their 14 signees being four-stars. Having a roster of at least 50 percent blue-chip players is the standard in the State of Florida.
Cristobal and the Miami football program signed qualitatively to achieve the nation’s 15 ranked class.
Miami didn’t need to stack their class with numbers to achieve a recruiting class full of fool’s gold. The Hurricanes 2022 signees have the seventh-highest average rating nationally and is top in the ACC.
Miami was able to finish with the 15th best average span from 2017-2021 despite the Hurricanes 2018 class finishing 28th. The 2018, 28th ranked class was the worst of the top 15 programs from 2017 through 2021.
Cristobal has routinely been praised as an elite recruiter. In the three full classes that Cristobal signed at Oregon, the Ducks averaged 8.3 nationally. At Oregon, Cristobal had to sign a near-complete recruiting class from out of state. At Miami, Cristobal will be able to do a significant amount of recruiting in South Florida.
Stock is up on Miami and Mario Cristobal!
Southern Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2022 NFL Draft starts April 28th in Nevada. We’re going to take a look around the AFC South to see who the first picks will be for each team.
#1 Jacksonville: The Jaguars (3 – 14) have the top pick in the draft for the second year in a row. Last year they picked Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He struggled in his first season but that’s because they were a bad team with bad coaching.
The Urban Meyer experiment ended during the season. Doug Pederson has been hired to replace him. He won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, which was the first for the franchise.
“This culture is all about winning. The players here want to win. I want to win. And that’s what I can bring to the Jacksonville Jaguars, to this community, and to our fan base,” Pederson said at his formal introductory press conference, with the former Eagles coach flanked by owner Shad Khan and general manager Trent Baalke.
Jacksonville’s first priority should be a tackle to protect Lawrence. Alabama tackle Evan Neal will be the pick. He’s massive, standing 6’7 and 360 pounds. He’s versatile and he should help improve Jacksonville’s fifth worst third down conversion rate (35.8 percent).
#3 Houston: The Texans (4 – 13) have a ton of needs which also includes a quarterback. The problem is this is not a great quarterback class and rookie signal-caller Davis Mills got better later in the season. I think they’ll draft the best available player which will be someone on defense.
Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux will be a good pick. He’s the best pass rusher in the draft. He’s 6’5, 258 pounds and a great athlete. Last season he had 35 solo tackles, 7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He should be an impact player and an immediate starter.
# 26 Tennessee: The Titans (12 – 5) had a surprisingly good year considering star running back Derrick Henry missed several games with an injury. They were the top seed in the AFC and lost to Cincinnati in the divisional round.
Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum would be a good pick. He’s athletic with a mauling mentality, which is perfect for the run game. That would be an ideal fit for the Titans.
Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams might also be a possibility. He tore his ACL in the National Championship Game against Georgia, which unfortunately altered his draft status.
He obviously will need time to recover from his injury, but this may be a bargain for an explosive receiver. Williams had an amazing 2021 season with 79 receptions, 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns.
#47 Indianapolis: The Colts (9 – 8) traded their first-round pick to Philadelphia for quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles have the 16th pick and Wentz struggled last season so it may not have been worth it.
Washington corner back Kyler Gordon would be a good selection because he addresses a need. He had 36 solo tackles, 2 interceptions, 7 pass deflections and 1 forced fumble. He’s 6’0 and 200 lbs. so he’s a big corner back.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch February 26
