Dante Exum had a gnarly injury last season, but so far in the preseason has looked solid. That being said, the Cavs are bad and injury plagued and have the worst kind of position battles going on- the kind where guys are rotated out because they’re bad, not because the alternative is better. Exum has the potential to be a good offensive threat if he can stay healthy. While it’s likely he will come off the bench for Cleveland this season, he can do some damage in a pesky second unit that will cause trouble for some middling playoff hopefuls.
He was a touted prospect when he was drafted, but has never been able to live up to the hype due to his health. Sadly, with most of this Cavs team, health will be a major factor in determining if they get the most ping pong balls, the third most ping pong balls, or somewhere in between.
2020-21 Chicago Bulls Guy to Watch: Otto Porter Jr.
Otto Porter Jr. is probably the most important Chicago Bull this season. He’s not the best (Zach LaVine) or the flashiest (Z. LaVine) or biggest name (Zach L.) but he could be critical to Chicago’s future. He has potential to be a solid trade asset come the deadline for a contender looking to shore up their depth. I know, Bulls fans, you don’t want to hear that your team’s most interesting player this year is just a trade chip, but think of it this way- riding the roller coaster of paying attention to Otto Porter through a season will make suffering through yet another lost year easier. That, and seeing how Billy Donovan will use him in rotation with rookie Pat Williams will be interesting. I almost put Williams as my Guy To Watch but I just don’t think he’s going to get a ton of minutes for a good chunk of the season.
Look! Here’s some good thing’s Porter’s done!
2020-21 Charlotte Hornets Guy to Watch: LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball is the only reason to watch the Hornets. Okay, I’ll admit that this is the easy choice and that Ball is arguably already in the “star” realm. BUT. He is a rookie, and the most exciting part of a really mediocre to awful roster. Gordon Hayward is getting paid and will probably put up solid numbers, but that’s about it. So what is so great about the baby Ball brother? Stuff like this.
and this…
and also this…
Yeah, I get it, you’re probably better off just watching his highlights on twitter after a game, but you could watch Charlotte play and then see him do a flashy pass LIVE and then tweet about it to look cool, I guess. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, the Hornets have the best uniform set in the game. @ me.
XFL Draft Instant Reactions & Analysis Part 1
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the XFL draft. Unlike the NFL Draft where people watch for some reason, the XFL draft happened mostly on Twitter and maybe a conference call.
The Draft was broken down into separate groups for: Offensive Skill Players, Offensive Lineman, Defensive Front Seven, Defensive Backs, and Dealer’s Choice. Teams were assigned QBs by the league, which spared us from having to watch teams hope that noted NFL washouts like Aaron Murray and Matt McGloin would fall to them.
Who will join the illustrious ranks of past XFL greats like Tommy Maddox, He Hate Me and …? Let’s find out! Our resident XFL Experts Jack Baker and Brandon Andreasen have the hottest XFL draft instant reactions and analysis.
Continue reading “XFL Draft Instant Reactions & Analysis Part 1”FBC NFL Power Rankings Week 7
Ok boners, i’m in Maui for my sister’s wedding. The sun is out, the ocean wave is crashing just beyond my lanai, and i’ve been getting day drunk for 2 days because the sun doesn’t set on a bad ass. It’s gonna be a shorty this week, and maybe i’ll get it going big time again next week.
1: New England Patriots
I genuinely hope this team self destructs the moment they have to play an NFL team. Seriously, their schedule is more embarrassing than Alabama’s early season schedule. They should be forced to play in the NFC West for a season, then see how magical Bill Belichik is when he is forced to play in a competitive division.
Continue reading “FBC NFL Power Rankings Week 7”1: T206 Honus Wagner
As if there could be any other card in this spot. The greatest sports card in history with the biggest myths and mysteries surrounding it. The card is worth millions if it’s in even passable condition. It is the card sports collectors dream about getting their hands on. Simply put, it is the most important, most iconic card in the history of collecting. We may never know exactly how many of this card exist, but we do know the number is small and isn’t likely to rise dramatically.
If you aren’t overly familiar with this card: this is the 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner card. It was released in packs of various brands of cigarettes, as most cards were in the day. Depending on the story you believe, either Wagner was very anti-smoking and demanded his card be pulled, or he wanted a cut of the royalties for using his image, and the card was pulled. Either way, it exists in much lower numbers than any other card in the set, and it’s a joke to even say this set is condition sensitive. The set is 110 years old. If a card from this set is found in one piece, it’s considered a success.
This card is the most iconic because it has the most crossover appeal. It gains headlines on television over it’s value whenever it goes to auction. It draws out the most high end collectors to try to get their hands on it. It exists as an almost mythological example of what collecting can be. It is, without a doubt, the most valuable and iconic card in baseball history.
Random Honus Wagner Fact: He is, and will most likely forever be, the only person in the history of Major League Baseball named Honus.
2: 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr.
If you collect baseball cards, you know the credentials of this already. It sparked a hobby boom and was the reason card companies started doing higher end products. 1989 Upper Deck alone changed the collecting game, with it’s clean, minimalist look and high gloss stock. Griffey was well on his way to paving the path to being the best player of his generation. This card sparked such a frenzy that Upper Deck made the (ill fated) decision to continue producing new 1989 cards well after the print run should have dried up. They kept flooding the market with this card, and even then it didn’t seem to be enough. They reportedly continued making the 89 set well into 1990. This is what keeps this card at a lower price point than most on the list. Upper Deck released a card in the junk wax era, and then somehow over produced it.
This card might be single handedly responsible for modern collecting as we know it today.
Random Ken Griffey Jr. Fact: Many people blame going to Ohio for Griffey falling off production wise, and some numbers bare that out. He made ten consecutive All Star games before leaving for Cincinnati, and only made three in eight and a half seasons for the Reds. The truth is though, part of what made Griffey great was how hard he played on offense and defense, and his body started to catch up with him around that point. He only played 140 games in a season twice for the Reds, and during a three year stretch, played 70, 53, and 83 games for them.
3: 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman
Runner up to Johnny Bench in 1968, Jerry Koosman carved out a long and successful career as a major league pitcher. Across four teams in 19 seasons, he would end up with 222 wins. In 1976, Jerry was the runner up for the Cy Young award, and followed that up the next year by losing 20 games, tops in the league. But he isn’t why this card is here.
Nolan Ryan is one of the most endearing old school players in the history of the game. His career spanned nearly three decades and you can use his career to get to any era of baseball in less than six degrees of separation. he beat up Robin Ventura and threw seven no hitters. He pitched until he literally couldn’t throw anymore. This card is iconic because it came at a time when Topps was the only game in town. If you collected cards, you collected Topps or you collected nothing. This was a prospector card before people knew what that was. It’s a must have for any serious collection and continues to endure as one of the most iconic cards in the history of baseball.
Random Jerry Koosman Fact: Koosman would finish with 20 victories twice in his career. He was top six in terms of voting for the Cy Young each year. He didn’t make the All Star team in either season.
NFL Week 6 Winners & Losers
Week 6 of the NFL Season is in the books, so let’s break down the Winners & Losers of Week 6.
Continue reading “NFL Week 6 Winners & Losers”4: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
Considered by many to be the G.O.A.T. of baseball cards, the 52 Mantle is one of the most valuable cards of all time. Finding one in good condition is like writing yourself a check for a new house. Mantle was a beloved player in the biggest market, pushing sales up even further. The card is known among sports card circles as one of the holy grails of collecting. Only two cards have ever crossed the million dollar threshold. The card shown above is one of them. Borne in an era when condition wasn’t taken into as big of consideration, and before Topps had a strong foot hold in the collecting community, finding this card requires more luck than most will ever understand.
Random Mickey Mantle Fact: On three occasions, Mantle came in second place for the AL MVP award. In two of those cases, he lost to the same person, teammate and fellow outfielder Roger Maris.
