Hot Takes House 6: Hue Jackson, Oklahoma Football, World Series, Cavs Stink

Hot Takes House 6

The Hot Takes House 6 is open for business. These are hot takes and fun from the weekend. Send us your hot takes to ImMad@unafraidshow.com, and they may make the next week piece. Do not read any further if you are easily offended.

The HTH now has the “Winner of the Weekend” at the bottom.

Send us your hot takes to ImMad@unafraidshow.com, and they may make the next week post.

FUN FACT: Nearly 3% of the ice in Antarctic Glaciers is penguin urine.

NFL

1. The Browns stuck with Hugh Jackson for two seasons of 1 win football, but fire him at 2-5-1. How does that make sense?

They would be 4-4 if not for some horrendous officiating. The Browns had a culture of losing. That does not change overnight. The team is much improved, but now ownership loses patience? Did the fans expect a team who has won 1 game in the past two seasons to instantly figure out how to win games?

The Browns offense has struggled. That means you replace the offensive coordinator mid-season, not the head coach that all the players love. You cannot get another head coach mid-season. Even if you could, he can’t install a system, gameplan,  change the culture to his own during the season.

Another botched move by the Cleveland Browns.

2. FitzMagic is back. The Buccaneers have a huge math problem.

Football math is different than real life math. 1+1=2 in math and more is usually better than less. However, in football two quarterbacks are not better than one. Shuffling quarterbacks around only confuses the team, causes locker room division, and prevents winning.

We thought FitzMagic was dead, but thanks to Jameis Winston’s four interceptions last week he rises from the ashes. Neither option is good for the Buccaneers. Ryan Fitzpatrick only plays well when he is not named the starting quarterback. When his job is in jeopardy, he plays extremely well. And Jameis Winston has just not lived up to the hype that surrounded him in college and after his rookie year.

The moral of the story is that the Bucs season is finished and they need to plan for their future at quarterback.

3. How is the NFL going to figure out the possible 4-way tie for worst team in the NFL?

The Giants, Raiders, 49ers, and Cardinals are all awful. It is mathematically possible for all of them to finish with the with a tie for the worst record in the NFL. There should be a Super Bowl for the worst teams in the NFL called the Toilet Bowl. The worst team in the league should be determined on the field, and not with tiebreakers.

Imagine a world where during Pro Bowl weekend, the two worst teams played and the winner got the #1 pick. You would have great television ratings and interest.

The good news for the league is that even though the teams are bad, they still put up a good fight for tv ratings.

4. Seahawks performed the greatest team touchdown celebrations of all time.

College Football

5. If I’m Lincoln Riley, there is no way I leave Oklahoma and take the Job. He can make way more money as a college head coach, has the opportunity to be a legend, and NFL longevity is rare. He can coach at Oklahoma for 20+ years with the way he is recruiting.

There is value in stability. Most coaches don’t learn that until they have job hopped one too many times. A lot of college coaches have NFL dreams, but more and more of them are starting to realize the benefit of running a successful college program. Riley will make much more money being the coach at Oklahoma. He won’t have to move his family around, and he will have longevity.

Lincoln Riley can stay at Oklahoma, which is a top 5 college football job and be a legend. Coaching legends are made in college, not the NFL. Think about how many legendary college coaches you can casually name compared to NFL coaches. College football has, Bear Bryant, Pop Warner, Woody Hayes, Eddie Robinson, Nick Saban, Knute Rockne, Bobby Bowden, Chip Kelly, David Shaw, Dabo Swinney and 20+ more. The NFL has Lombardi, Belichick, Parcells, Noll, and Landry; then you start to slow down and use Google.

It would be a terrible decision to leave Oklahoma where he can compete for National Championships every year for the Cleveland Browns who have won three games in the last three season. The grass is not always greener on the other side.

6. I love the arrogance of Alabama fans who believe they should be unquestionably the #1 team in any poll despite planing NOBODY.

Up to this point, Alabama has only played one team within the top 40 teams in college football. I admit Bama’s dominance has been unprecedented, but their schedule has been soft. They get their first real test this week as they head to Baton Rouge to play LSU. I have had them #1 in the Unafraid Show College Football Top 10 until this past week. Clemson has displayed the exact dominance against better competition over the last few weeks.

I will admit that if Alabama will be returned to the #1 spot if they take care of business this weekend. But if they do happen to lose, I suspect Bama fans would still expect them to be #1.

7. Can Washington State win out? If they do, can they make the College Football Playoffs?

Since the beginning of the season, I have said Washington State was on the verge of a special season. I am hesitant to believe they will finish the last four games without a hiccup. They play Cal, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington. The good news is three of the four games are in Pullman. However, if they do they can absolutely make the College Football Playoffs.

Assuming Alabama and Clemson win out, Wazzu would need Notre Dame, Oklahoma, or the Big Ten Winner to lose one game. If any of those things happen, the Cougars will be a lock for the College Football Playoffs.

8. Which four teams will make the College Football Playoffs after week 10?

Right now, I have the four playoff teams as Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame, and LSU. However, I believe the four best teams are Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Notre Dame.

The eye test leads me to believe Oklahoma is the second best team in the country. They have the best offense in the country. And if Oklahoma can play even a little defense, they will give Alabama fits. But, you get the rankings that you earn.

MLB

9. David Price got robbed out of the MVP.

He started two games and got two wins in a five-game series on short rest and came out of the bullpen in two other games. We have NEVER seen a starting pitcher pitch in four consecutive playoff games. And we didn’t even talk about the fact that Price did it in a five-day space. He only had one rest day.

At least David Price finally shut up all the naysayers who have talked trash about his postseason play throughout his career.

10.  offense was awful in the World Series and has been awful since the NLCS. They got virtually no production from either catcher, Bellinger, Hernandez, Machado, and Taylor. Did I miss anyone?

To call the Dodgers offense anemic during the world series would be an understatement. I believe in the quote that says, “A man’s strengths flow from the same well as his weaknesses.” This quote applied to the Dodgers. The lived by the homerun swing to win their 6th straight NL West title, and they died by the homerun swing in the World Series.

The list of Dodgers hitters who hit well during the world series is David Freese, Puig with a small side of Justin Turner. As a Dodgers fan, it was so frustrating to see the number of popups and easy flyballs. As good as this team is, I am unsure if homerun ball can win a World Series.

At this point, Dodgers fans would be much happier with homegrown Corey Seager at SS than paying Machado $300 mill.

11. Dave Roberts might as well let the computer manage the games.

I think Dave Roberts is a good manager until the playoffs. Data and analytics are an important part of sports. Roberts relies on the computers and the baseball “book” way too much. Managers need to use analytics to make their lineups and set their defense. However, it is always important to remember that analytics are the predicted outcomes of hundreds or thousands of scenarios. The reality is analytics are always right in the long term. But, in the short term of one playoff series, the numbers can skew. It is extremely important for managers to use intuition, feel, momentum, and gut feelings to win playoff games.

Dave Roberts took Rich Hill out too early in the 2017 and 2018 World Series. He also put Madsen in three times for relief pitching during the World Series. Each of those times he got beat up. Everyone in the stands and at home watching on television knew what was going to happen the second and third time.

12. The Boston Red Sox had to win the World Series or their season was a complete failure.

The Red Sox had 108 wins, the best hitting team in baseball, set the single-season strikeout record for pitching and were healthy. Let’s not forget they had the highest payroll in all of baseball. Anything besides a World Series would have been an abject failure. You only get so many opportunities at championships. If Boston lost the series, this team would have been the most disappointing team in baseball history.

NBA

13. Cleveland Cavaliers proved they are the worst run franchise in sports when they fired Tyronn Lue 11 days into the season.

Bad companies run off their best talent (LeBron), let successful leaders leave (Griffin), are constantly over budget/salary yet understaffed (talented roster). The Cavs have hit the trifecta.

How on earth did you believe Ty Lue was good enough to keep as your coach when you have a championship caliber team, but somehow not good enough to coach your non-playoff roster? You have to assume that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert thinks Lue is a bad coach if he fired him 11 games into the season. So my question is, why would you let a bad coach lead your championship level team. It makes no sense and only proves the incompetence on Dan Gilbert as an NBA owner.

Cavs firing Ty Lue makes me believe Gilbert believes the same nonsense Tristan Thompson said: ‘ they should be the favored in the East. Lue was dealing with maybe the worst roster in the league and figuring out how to play without one of the best players of all time on his team.

Lue is 128-83 in his head coaching career and 41-20 in the playoffs. He has three trips to the Finals, an NBA title. He has multiple Game 7 wins. One on the road in the ECF & a Game 7 on the road in the NBA Finals.

WINNER OF THE WEEKEND

The Warriors response to Fergie’s ex-husband Josh Duhamel saying Draymond Green should apologize to Fergie for laughing at her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was Classic.

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Hot Takes House: Dallas Cowboys, AP Poll stinks, Patriots Shame, Mo Bamba Speaks

Dallas Cowboys

The Hot Takes House is open for business. These are hot takes and fun from the weekend. Send us your hot takes to ImMad@unafraidshow.com, and they may make the next week piece. Do not read any further if you are easily offended.

Fun Fact: The MD on MD 20/20 alcohol does not stand for Mad Dog. It stands for Mogen David.

1. Why on earth does the AP Poll have Georgia ranked #8? They have ZERO quality wins and the only good team they played DEMOLISHED him?

Georgia was inexplicably ranked #2 in the nation with wins against Austin Peay, South Carolina, Middle Tenn State, Missouri, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. None of those wins were against teams currently even in the top 35. Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Clemson all had better resumes. So, how on earth do they play their first good game, get destroyed and fall to #8?

Georgia is a talented team, and they made it to the CFB Championship game last season. But that was last season. With a loss to LSU and their soft schedule, Georgia is now eliminated for the College Football Playoff unless they make it to the SEC championship and beat Bama.

I am continuously puzzled by the obvious bias of the AP Poll towards the SEC. I understand their bias toward Alabama because they are the champs and look better than last year. The Top 10 for Week 8 should look like this.

2. Find somebody to believe in you the way Jerry Jones believes in Jason Garrett. Jones said, “[Garrett] is an asset that I think will get us to where we want to go, and that’s a championship.”

Jerry Jones is the new Al Davis. I am not calling for Jason Garrett’s job, but I am questioning Jerry Jones’ judgment. In 8 full seasons is there anything that points to Jason Garrett leading the Cowboys to the Super Bowl? I like the Dallas Cowboys, but the fact remains that Garrett only has two double-digit win seasons, two playoff births, and one playoff win. I know teams get hot and strange things can happen, but I can confidently say the Dallas Cowboys will not win the Super Bowl this season.

3. It never ceases to amaze me how little interest there is for regular season baseball compared to playoff baseball.

I am a baseball fan, but regular season baseball is not must-watch television. I catch at least part of a couple of games per week, but I don’t schedule events around baseball. However, I do schedule events around College Football. The numbers say I am in the majority here. I realize this is a function of scarcity. There are 12 regular season college football games compared to 162 MLB games. But, when playoff baseball comes around, the games can do amazing numbers like the RedSox-Astros game on Sunday night. It got almost 21 million viewers. Those aren’t NFL primetime numbers but very respectable!

4. Patriots fans flipped off Tyreek Hill and poured beer on him after his TD, but he is supposed to keep his cool.

When you buy a ticket to a game, you do not get a license to do and say whatever you want to the players. There is an expectation of trash talk and occasional obscenities, but there are common sense lines you shouldn’t cross. There are a lot of people who could not keep their cool after such a disrespectful violation. The NBA’s Malice at The Palace escalated over fans throwing beer at players. The leagues have to ensure the players’ safety and a family-friendly environment. I must applaud the Patriots organization for banning the fan from future games. There is no place for that behavior.

Here are Fan Rights at games: Seat, Cheer, Boo, Be Entertained, Say anything you want as long as you would say it locked in a bathroom with the player, and you could not sue or press charges for whatever happens.

We saw where trash talking goes too far in the McGregor vs. Khabib fight. The moral of the story is, “Don’t let your mouth write checks that your ass can’t cash.”

5. This clip from “The Shop” got me thinking about my life.

When people have said to me, “OMG you are so articulate. I wasn’t expecting it.” I’m always confused about whether I’m offended and enraged as an athlete, black man, or both.

What do you think? Leave a comment or email your thoughts to immad@unafraidshow.com.

6. Does Tom Brady’s success after the age of 40 make you wish you had taken better care of yourself?

This question resonated in my bones. Most of us all look back on our twenties and early thirties and realize we could have treated our body a lot better. Imagine how much better you would feel if you took care of your body better when you were young. I’m 37 years old and just getting myself back together from an NFL career, and a lot of long nights with early mornings.

Tom Brady is 41 years old and still one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Some of his success and longevity is a result of taking very few hits compared to a typical football player. However, we cannot discount what his the role his nutrition and workout plans have played in prolonging his career.

7. Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman has replaced Matt Schaub as the pick-six GOAT. Nobody has ever done it worse.

Even people who hate Colin Kaepernick believe he should be in the NFL after seeing Nathan Peterman play. I have no clue how Bills coach Sean McDermott ever thought Peterman was good enough to bench Tyrod Taylor for. Decisions like that make me and all Bills fans question his judgment.

8. Who are these idiots who say Pat Mahomes is just a “hot” quarterback and will cool off and be an average quarterback?

This take is even too much for the Hot Takes House. Pat Mahomes is on earth right now. He lives on the street with all the other elite quarterbacks. When you have seen greatness, you don’t need 10 years of evidence to identify guys who are built out of the same stuff!

About halfway into LeBron James’ rookie season in the NBA, you knew he was different. When you saw Aaron Rodgers take over for Brett Favre, you knew he was special.

9. If Oregon wins out to finish 11-1, they will make the College Football Playoffs.

The Ducks are generating serious buzz on the national scene. After 7 weeks of football, they are within striking range of the top 4. Ultimately, the SEC will only get one team in because Alamaba will hand whoever the champion in the East is their second loss in the SEC Championship game. After that Oregon only needs any one of these things to happen: Notre Dame loses a game, Clemson lose late, ACC Champion be anyone but Clemson, eventual Big XII Champion lose one more game, or Big Ten champion finish with two loses.

See, it is pretty simple. I know the media will tell you something else, but Wrighster is never Wrong!

10. Washington Huskies fans… Now that you have had a chance to sleep. Do you want to talk about it?

Too soon?

Hope you enjoyed Hot Takes House. See you next Monday! Send us your hot takes to ImMad@unafraidshow.com, and they may make the next week post.

Which League has the Best Playoffs: MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL?

best playoffs

Best Part of Pro Sports

The playoffs are a special time in sports. Fans are on the edge of their seats, players are little more nervous, and the margin of error is as slim as possible. The chance to win a title is a dream that keeps you up at night. It’s the culmination of all the hard work done in the offseason and regular season.

Keeping that in mind, I pose this question. What sport has the best playoffs? For the purpose of this argument, we’re choosing from the four major sports – MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL.

Let the debate begin.

4. NBA

“Why do I even bother if I already know what’s going to happen? It’s going to be the Cavs vs. Warriors in the NBA finals?” – Average fan/basketball hater.

I love the NBA. Watching the best players in the world night in and night out is great television. We live in an era that has some of the best players ever to lace them up. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, James Harden, and the legend himself, LeBron James, are all in the prime of their career. Their basketball abilities are unfathomable.

However, there is some truth to the “we already know the outcome” statement. For an 82 game season, there isn’t too much drama that occurs in the playoffs. The Warriors represented the West in four straight seasons, and LeBron represented the East in eight (!!!) straight finals. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a few series make it to 7 games, but on the flip side, there are A LOT of blowouts. That’s not exactly must-see television. Take a look at last year’s playoffs.

Thankfully, the Celtics were competitive enough to force a few Game 7s. However, as great as LeBron James was last year, the Cavs had no chance in a 7 game series against the Warriors. There is not a lot of parity. Maybe this year will be different, and a new team will emerge as champion!

Just kidding. The Warriors will beat the _________ in 5 games…again.

3. NFL

What the NFL has on its side is a favorable length to the season. 16 games to a season may be easier to watch and keep track of than a 162 game baseball season. It also stresses the importance of the regular season. In the playoffs, the NFL has Divisional Weekend, which is arguably the best weekend in sports. Crazy and exciting things seem to always happen in the Divisional Round. Just look at last season. DIGGS! SIDELINE! TOUCHDOWN! UNBELIEVABLE!

However, that doesn’t always happen every year. Compared to baseball and hockey, the unpredictability factor is fairly low. In 14 of the last 15 seasons, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Ben Roethlisberger have represented the AFC in the Super Bowl. That’s great if you’re a fan of those quarterbacks, but not so much if you root for the other teams. Also, the first round is notorious for having a few poor games and mismatches. Last year was an outlier (although the Jaguars beat the Bills 10-3), but in 2016, the smallest losing deficit was 13. It truly depends on the year, but the small amount of playoff games backfires when the games are not exciting.

2. NHL

Do you want to talk about edge of your seat television? Look no further than the NHL playoffs. It is so hard to score a goal in hockey, so when it happens in the playoffs, it’s like winning the Super Bowl. The celebrations are epic. From the announcers to the fans in the arena to the millions watching at home, the atmosphere is electric. Players are diving in front of shots on every possession. Goalies are standing on their heads to make impossible saves. If you blink, you might miss the action.

By far, the NHL has the highest unpredictability factor out of the four major sports. Chalk doesn’t always win. Two years ago, the Nashville Predators made the Stanley Cup Final as an 8 seed. Two years ago, a 2 seed defeated a 3 seed in the finals. Three years ago, a 3 seed defeated a 2 seed in the finals. There’s no stopping a hot goalie in the playoffs. Did I also mention that the Stanley Cup is the best trophy in professional sports?

1. MLB

For me, nothing beats October baseball. After a long 162 game season, 10 teams duke it out over one month for a chance to win the World Series. Just like hockey, baseball has an exciting atmosphere. I was lucky enough to attend the Wild Card game last year between the Twins and Yankees, and I thought I was going deaf after the game. I’d argue that home field matters the most in baseball as opposed to the other major sports. In terms of format, it’s the only major sport to change the number of games in each round. The Division Series is best-of-five while the Championship Series and World Series are best-of-seven.

Baseball is truly a “never say die game” because 10 teams have come back from 0-2 deficits in the Division Series and one team has come back from a 0-3 deficit, with the latter never happening in the NBA. The length of the postseason is perfect. It takes a little over one month to crown a champion as opposed to the drawn-out NBA and NHL playoffs, which last two months. Plus, teams play on consecutive days, which doesn’t happen in the other major sports. Give me the eighth inning of a tie ball game with bases loaded, two outs over any playoff situation in the major sports.

Do you agree or disagree with the Best Playoffs: MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL rankings? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Can Bryce Harper Save Major League Baseball?

Last night, Bryce Harper defeated Kyle Schwarber with a few seconds to spare in the final round of the Home Run Derby. The atmosphere in Washington D.C. was electric as Harper became the 3rd player ever to win the Derby in his home ballpark. The whole contest was fun to watch as guys like Harper, Schwarber, and Rhys Hoskins were hitting 400-foot bombs on a consistent basis. Overall, it was a fun night for baseball.

Last night reminded me of a common misconception that seems to be brought up every year. “Baseball is dead.” No, baseball is not dead. In fact, the MLB just set a record for revenue in 2017, surpassing the $10 billion milestone for the first time. Paid attendance is still hovering around $73 million, which is a decrease from previous years, but still a solid number. To his credit, Commissioner Rob Manfred is trying to appeal to the younger generation. Manfred wants to speed the game up by implementing a set number of mound visits and shorter time between innings. In hindsight, I’m all for speeding the game up, but at the end of the day, it’s baseball, not basketball or football. Games are still going to go over three hours. If the action on the field is exciting, the time won’t matter.

Although it’s not dead,  baseball is struggling to connect with “millennials.” The average age of a baseball fan is 57. That is not good for a sport that desperately wants to get younger. Baseball fans know that the sport is in good hands with its young stars such as Harper, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Kris Bryant. The problem lies in how to capitalize on these budding stars in order to reach a younger, more casual audience. In my opinion, this is where the MLB completely misses the mark.

The best player in the MLB is Mike Trout. What Trout is doing is historic. Trout is 26 years old with 2 MVP trophies and 6 (!!!) All-Star game starts including tonight’s game. However, if Mike Trout walks down the streets of New York City, how many people would recognize him? I’m being serious. Does the casual fan know what Mike Trout even looks like? Trout is the best player in the game and his jersey sales were not even in the top 7 last year. There are factors that have lead to Trout’s lack of star appeal. Baseball is typically a regional game, not national, so if Trout is not on ESPN or Fox, it will be hard for the casual fan to watch him play. His team, the Angels, have only been to the playoffs once with him in the league. Trout plays in LA so the time difference hinders the audience on the East Coast. Plus, Trout is very laid back and concentrates on baseball in the offseason instead of building up his public presence.

To bring this full circle, can Harper save baseball? Once again, baseball doesn’t need saving. It just needs to adjust it’s strategies when it comes to marketing its stars. If I’m the Commissioner, I’m showcasing stars like Harper, Judge, and Trout multiple times a month on national television no matter the records of their team. The NBA is star-driven meaning that the casual fan will watch LeBron James even though they may not know anyone else on the Cavs. The same needs to happen in baseball. Also, the MLB social’s media policy is arguably the worst of the major sports. Fans cannot post highlights or gifs from their own accounts without permission from the MLB. That’s baffling for a league that claims they want a younger audience, and yet enforce a strict policy on social media that is predominantly used by, you guessed it, young people.

Fans deserve to see the stars of baseball more often. It’s time for the MLB to make that happen.