[johngriffen]

Well it's NFL Sunday...
The Bears are playing Cincy. It's brutal to watch.
Thank you Red Zone. It's the channel that switches from game to game whenever something exciting is happening.

The one real interesting game is Indianapolis vs Buffalo.
It's snowing like crazy and they are playing in blizzard like conditions.

[13Ice]

Well I have to say as a true Canadian I cheer for the Toronto Blue Jays and I HATE the New York Yankees... sorry slynch its in my breeding...

I have been to one major league Baseball game and that was a couple years ago in Seattle..versus the Astros, not an exciting game by any means but it was still awesome to watch in person.

john..please keep your reward .. I would just have to gamble it away in mobilotto and i'd rather not give bear the satisfaction

[johngriffen]

While I did indeed lose the bet with my twin...
Thanks for those that posted, I much appreciate it.

However, I will still reward the next 6 new posters.
Anything to try to get a sports discussion going.

I've actually been to two baseball games in Toronto. One game in the old stadium years ago, and then one in the new stadium.
It's interesting to watch the Toronto fans. They are so much more laid back than American fans. They don't make as much noise, don't yell insults at the opposing players, and clap quietly.

And not giving bear the satisfaction is a GOOD THING

[slynch9994]

ok Ice no offense taken. but , of course, i bleed pinstripes. looking forward to the stanton joining the yankees. hope this is the year of 28 championships.

and johngriffen, thanks for this posting site.

[pjmpjm]

Ice, we know we have to tolerate this sort of thing from north of the border! (It goes the other way during the NHL season.)

[johngriffen]

slynch... you will be the team to beat in AL next year. It's scary to think about the lineup you guys will have.
Fortunately, the Cubs are in the NL

The Blackhawks have woken up from their early season blues... they've won a couple of games in a row now and seem to be playing more like a team.
The Salary cap in the NHL is brutal and it's tough for the good teams to keep all their talent. The Hawks have done a great job over the last few years and as long as we stay in the hunt, Hawks fans are happy. The team sucked for many years, and now they are fun to watch again.

As far as Soccer goes, it sucks that the US couldn't manage to beat a few crappy teams and make it into the World Cup. I used to enjoy watching the World Cup. Especially seeing just how far behind the rest of the world the US team was. For 2018, my interest won't quite be the same... Now the USA Women's team...

[pjmpjm]

OK, now that we've got over the wonderful shock of NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton joining the Yankees line-up year (still hard to believe), we have to deal with the very sad loss of All-Star Starlin Castro at second base. So who's likely to start in this position for the Yankees at the beginning of the 2018 season?

Well, the best guess right now is Ronald Torreyes, the Yankees .292 hitting utility infielder. Torreyes actually appeared at bat 315 times in 108 games during the 2017 season, so was a big contributor to the Yankees' near-miss success this past year and not just a bench warmer. He filled in for both Castro and Gregorius when they were injured.

Another interesting possibility mentioned among sportswriters is young (20 years old) Gleyber Torres, who played AA ball for Trenton at shortstop this past season. He's won lots of praise already and a bright MLB career is widely predicted for him, but the truth is, he only played 23 AAA in the 2017 season and was injured, so somehow it seems unlikely that he'd be picked over Torreyes (don't get their names mixed up) to start the next season. But it's worth keeping an eye on this up-and-comer.

Maybe slynch has a few more thoughts.

My own strong bet is on Torreyes.

[johngriffen]

Unless they trade or pick up a free agent for second base... I'll assume right now that Torres has earned himself a trip to spring training. If he does well, they may send him back down for a little more seasoning and start the season with Torreyes. If he continues to do well at a lower level, he will earn his way to the majors at some point... earlier rather than later.

[slynch9994]

pj i agree that torreyes may be a good choice. while i was beyond excited with the addition of Stanton, i too was upset at losing castro. he was a great contributor in the 2017 season.

cant contribute much to the conversation on hockey i mainly watch baseball and football

[pjmpjm]

slynch, I've been checking web sites and looking at the 'top prospects' for the Yankees in the 2018 season. Top choice I've quoted below. Everyone seems to agree that Torres could be playing in pinstripes soon.

"Gleyber Torres, INF, Grade A/A-: Age 20, hit combined .287/.383/.480 with 30 walks, 47 strikeouts in 202 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A; was on verge of major league promotion when he blew out his non-throwing elbow and had Tommy John surgery; while there may be some rust to work off in the spring, this is unlikely to have any long-term impact on his career; good feel for the zone, projects to hit for both average and power; weakest tool is speed; defensive tools could fit at any of the infield positions."

[johngriffen]

Torres was one of the Cubs you got in the Chapman trade two years ago. He's a multi tool player and was highly regarded in the Cub's farm system. Yeah, he's not the quickest guy, but he has everything else. The Cubs could afford to trade him because we already have so much depth in the infield. I hope he works out for the Yankees, because Chapman worked out for us, even though we knew he was a rent-a-player.\

And slynch... no problems. There is always room for baseball and football discussion, no matter what time of year it is

[pjmpjm]

John and slynch, have been reading up on what the Yankees will likely do to solve the 'problem' (ha, ha) of having four great outfielders. Wouldn't work in the NL, course. We might have guessed . . .

"In all likelihood the Yankees will rotate their four starting outfielders in at DH to give them regular rest. Given his injury problems over the years, Stanton might see more time at DH than anyone else. Such is the advantage of playing the AL. Judge has no left field experience, at least not in the big leagues, though he is rangier than Stanton and left field is surprisingly spacious in Yankee Stadium. The best defensive alignment has Gardner in left, Hicks in center, and Judge in right."

Have also been checking up on possible free agent infielders . . . Anyhow, can hardly wait to see the new NYY lineup next year!

[johngriffen]

It helps having the DH. The Cubs have a few players that would be better off as DH's, but we have to hide them in the outfield.

In the latest news... ex Yankee now stupid Marlins GM proves again he knows nothing. Heck, Jon Snow knows more

Derek Jeter just traded away Marcell Ozuna, one of his last few great players to the Cardinals (that hurts) for one prospect pitcher who doesn't even crack the top 100 and three other much lesser known prospects. What a moron. Ozuna had his best year and is contract friendly... basically, a cheap stud.

I'm sure the Yankees would have traded for him if they had any room in the outfield for more studs...

AND REMEMBER FOLKS... SIX NEW POSTERS CAN STILL EARN FREE WRZ$

[pjmpjm]

Sportswriter Joe Pantorno of 'Metro' has gone so far as to make some very bold predictions about how the new Yankees 2018 lineup will perform . . .

Here is a look at the Yankees 2018 projected lineup with predicted numbers for each player:

1. Brett Gardner

2018 projected stats: .260 BA, 14 HR, 60 RBI

2. Didi Gregorius

2018 projected stats: .280 BA, 22 HR, 85 RBI

3. Aaron Judge

2018 projected stats: .275 BA, 44 HR, 103 RBI

4. Giancarlo Stanton

2018 projected stats: .290 BA, 60 HR, 125 RBI

5. Gary Sanchez

2018 projected stats: .275, 31 HR, 83 RBI

6. Greg Bird

2018 projected stats: .240 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI

7. Aaron Hicks

2018 projected stats: .250 BA, 17 HR, 52 RBI

8. Chase Headley

2018 projected stats: .265 BA, 12 HR, 50 RBI

9. Gleyber Torres

2018 projected stats: .260, 11 HR, 65 RBI

[slynch9994]

that looks great. but of course we no longer have headly. and we are hoping that bird stays healthy