THE PUTTDOWN

After all the talk between the MLB and MLBPA, it looks like we are finally going to get ourselves a baseball season. At this point there looks like there is nothing in the way of us seeing our favourite summer pastime. Or is there? Our sources tell us that discussions have been taking place between the Owners and Rob Manfred, and a new plan has been devised to stop the season going ahead.   Rob Manfred will declare the old school, unwritten playground rule ‘it’s my ball I’m going home’. It’s a rule as old as time, for those who have never seen or used it, this is how it works:  When you are playing a sport with friends, and you own the ball being used, you can decide to randomly take your ball and go home. People will do this for a couple of reasons. 1. If they have to actually go home (the least common use of the rule). 2. If they are losing or 3. If the ball owner hasn’t got their own way with regards to rules or teams, they will take their ball so no one else can play and g...

The chances of getting MLB games this year seems to be getting slimmer by the day. Originally players had agreed to a pro-rata salary for the 2020 season, but team owners have decided to go against the original decision and are now asking for a shared revenue pay scheme for the season. This has led to players such a Blake Snell and Trevor Bauer to come out publicly and say they are not happy with the new deal, putting another dent into the chances of a season for 2020. Reaction to this has been interesting, to say the least. Some fans are backing the players, saying that the original deal should be stuck to, some saying the players are being greedy wanting more money. All I know is I want to watch the MLB this year, but it is looking less and less likely. There are some losers and winners from this (mainly losers). The biggest losers are the fans; with no play this year we will be waiting until next year to see any games. The Dodgers; Mookie Betts will become a free agent ...

Baseball fans rejoice! The Korean Baseball Organisation has started its season, making it one of the first major professional sports leagues to return since the start of the Corona Virus pandemic. If you don’t already plan on watching the KBO, maybe it’s time you start thinking about it. Here is a short guide to help you on your way. It was founded in 1982 and features 10 teams. The defending champions are the Doosan Bears, with the most titles being held by the Kia Tigers (11). It will, however, be an uphill struggle for the Bears to defend their title as they lost league MVP, Josh Lindblom, to the MLBs Milwaukee Brewers. As far as the standard of play goes, you are looking at AA ball in the USA, maybe a step higher than the currently playing Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) which ranks around A ball.  It might not be what MLB fans would have wanted six weeks ago, but it is a potential for live baseball that we are all craving. If you are in the US you are ...

With talk of professional sports coming back, there is talk about how the leagues will be set out and what will happen. Below you will be able to see MY hopes and predictions for what happens when the individual sporting leagues return. NBA: At this point in the year we would be in the middle of the playoffs. I believe once the leagues return, they will go straight into the playoffs but instead of 8 teams from each division qualifying, everyone qualifies, that's right, that includes the New York Knicks. The playoffs will be set up in a March Madness-style, winner takes all in the majority of the rounds. This will be until the conference finals, which will be expanded to a 3 game series and the finals a 5 game series. Lebron James will lead his Lakers to the final to only be beaten again at the final hurdle, by Giannis and his Bucks. The Bucks have Donte DiVencenzo on their roster, a previous NCAA champion, and master of the March madness format. He will, unsurprising to me, go on...

The Weekly Puttdown Welcome to the weekly Puttdown. A weekly run-through of the major news from the major sports around the globe. Short and to the point, cutting through the drivel and not to be taken too seriously. NBA: Not long until the playoffs start now, Lakers and the Bucks still hold the top spot in the west and east respectively. Zion is showing that if he had started playing at the start of the season he would have been Rookie of the year by a country mile, and the way he is going, he still may win it!  Football (Premier League unless otherwise stated): 99% of the football world rejoiced this weekend as Liverpool finally lost a game, getting their asses handed to them by relegation fodder Watford. Man City won the league cup in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. The biggest news is that everyone still Hates VAR . MLB: Spring Training is in full flow now. The main subject of interest at the moment is how many HBP the Astros are going to...

The Weekly Puttdown Welcome to the weekly Puttdown. A weekly run-through of the major news from the major sports around the globe. Short and to the point, cutting through the drivel and not to be taken too seriously. NBA: There was daylight robbery in Detroit this week. Cleveland managed to secure the services of Andre Drummond for practically nothing. The Clippers picked Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas from the Knicks and Wizards, only to release Thomas hours later. Imagine that, one second you have a team, the next you are traded and subsequently released for nothing, must hurt the ego. Football (Premier League unless otherwise stated): There was a winter break in the premier league this weekend, with only 4 games scheduled. One of which was called off due to the biggest storm in the UK for decades. People still hate VAR. MLB: LA Dodgers have pulled off one of the biggest trades of the offseason picking up Mookie  Betts and David Price. The...

The Weekly Puttdown Welcome to the weekly Puttdown. A weekly run-through of the major news from the major sports around the globe. Short and to the point, cutting through the drivel and not to be taken too seriously. NFL: Kansas City Chiefs are your Super Bowl 54 Champions. In classic 2019-2020 Kansas style, they gave themselves a mountain to climb, going behind again in the playoffs, 10 points down going into the fourth quarter, only to surge back and take the win on the back of Patrick Mahomes MVP performance. Lamar Jackson was named Unanimous MVP, only the second time this has ever happened. This comes only a couple of years after being told he should be a wide receiver by the so-called experts. It makes you think, doesn’t it? NBA: The NBA continued to mourn the loss of the legend Kobe Bryant with tributes paid all across the league. The league made some changes to the All-star format this year. Every quarter will be to play for with the winnin...

The Weekly Puttdown Welcome to the weekly Puttdown. A weekly run through off the major news from the major sports around the globe. Short and to the point, cutting through the drivel and not to be taken to seriously. 13-19/01/2020 NFL: Well there we have it, Superbowl 54 will be contested between The Chiefs and the 49ers. The Cinderella story of the Titans came to and end and the Packers decided to play on the most difficult setting by not turning up until 27 down. NBA and WNBA: In a giant step forward in the WNBA, a new collective bargaining agreement was agreed to this week. The deal included a large pay rise and paid maternity leave. These are steps in the right direction as the popularity for the women’s game continues to grow. Oh and Lakers are still top of the West, Bucks still top of the East. Football (Premier League unless otherwise stated): This weekend we saw the save of the season from Bournemouth’s Steve Cook. It was just a sham...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, you will know that the Houston Astros have been under investigation for stealing signs illegally during the 2017 season. The baseball world has been waiting eagerly to find out what their punishment would be and it has finally come down. ·       One year suspension for GM Jeff Luhnow and Manager AJ Hinch (both have been subsequently fired) ·       The loss of 1 st and 2 nd round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021 ·       A fine of $5m On the surface these look like very harsh penalties and it does look like baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is coming down hard on the organisation, but is it enough? We can talk about how they won the World Series that year, but first, the players. 2017 AL MVP was Jose Altuve, would he have won this title if not for the sign stealing. Players on the Astros have also gone on to sign big,...