Brought to you by these three great men:
1) Tom Herman knows what his toughest task is
Installing an offense isn’t Tom Herman’s toughest task, and neither is finding five starters to make up a good offensive line. Herman inherited some talent. How much? That’s for another story for another day. The cake isn’t baked, but there are ingredients in the kitchen.
Herman’s toughest task is taking a roster that has done more losing than winning and teaching it how to win football games. He reinforced that yesterday in Frisco.
“That's a great question. In fact, in our first team meeting, I said, ‘Raise your hand if you've been on a winning Texas football team.’ And three people raised their hand,” said Herman during Tuesday’s Big 12 Media Days. “We have three redshirt seniors, one of them is here today in Naashon Hughes, that were on Coach Brown's last team. So, we don't know how to win really well right now.”
No, Texas doesn’t.
Something that’s always stuck with me throughout the last four or five years is the amount of times I’ve heard about entitlement issues, or the negative, lazy energy that comes with the “We’re Texas” approach that can tug at players with negative energy instead of prop them up. I’ve heard it or something similar covering Augie Garrido, Shaka Smart, and Mack Brown. During one interview prior to the 2014 season, the legendary Garrido referred to entitlement as a “little bastard” the program had to get rid of, and referenced that other coaches at Texas knew what he was talking about. Texas fans do too.
While entitlement or taking the “We’re Texas” approach the wrong way hasn’t ever been the sole root to the big three’s problems, it has lingered. Too often throughout Texas’s decline across the big three sports, there was somewhat of an expectation that Texas was going to win by being Texas. It’s not that easy. It never has been, which is why Herman’s task, to shake a program from its 46-42 stink since 2010 and teach it how to win, isn't as simple shining light on a cockroach.
However, each time Herman speaks about his plan, his program, and his methods, it’s hard not to think Texas hired perhaps the guy to get Texas Football back on track. After all, he’s been at UT before. He's not in a foreign place, and is well aware of the environment and expectations on the 40 Acres.
“I think the best way to do it is really to - it's nothing different than what we've done everywhere we've been and that's to compete every day in what we do and make sure there are tangible rewards for winning whatever that competition is. We talk about how we have the student of the week, and that guy gets recognized,” said Herman about teaching his players how to win. “We've got T-shirts and all that. We've got… again, everything from off-season conditioning drills, where we have winners and losers, and the winners get to eat a better meal not that the losers, the list of competitions and tangible rewards for winning, but also tangible consequences for losing.”
The days of Texas being okay with losing? Those are over.
“I think losing has to be awful, and you can never get used to losing. That is one of the biggest maybe downfalls of a lot of teams is you get used to losing. No, losing is awful. It's awful. It's not just, ‘Oh, well, we'll get them next week.’ No, this is like the sky-is- falling-type stuff. And so every time we have a competitive situation, we're going to make sure that the people that don't win in that competitive situation, that they feel awful about it and that it's not funny and it's not hokey or corny; that it's really, really bad for them to lose, as well as it being very, very cool for the guys that win and very rewarding for the guys that win. Because that's what happens on Saturdays and that's what happens throughout the season.”
Texas trains to win. Texas trains with the full understanding that winning is valued and losing sucks.
“So we train for chaos, and we put our guys through some extremely chaotic situations throughout offseason drills in the spring and in the summer so that on Saturdays, hopefully, the games will be easy and that losing will be something that is so distasteful that they can't even fathom going down that road.”
How long down the road before that training shows substantial, program-changing benefits on Saturdays? Good question. While projecting a player or unit’s development can be supported by stats or rankings, there isn't a magic timeline for changing a team and program’s understanding of how to win. But Herman knows that’s his top task.
What he doesn’t know, though, is that being immediately successful in that area would help chase what Garrido referred to as a “little bastard” out of the entire athletic department. So while Herman stated at Big 12 Media Days he's not responsible for carrying the league's flag, he has to know no one can implement and influence change at Texas more than him.
2) Constantly intrigued by Herman’s attention to detail
I know. I know. Y’all have heard it before. Tom Herman’s attention to detail is impressive. Well, the broken record is spinning again because it was hard not to notice it during yesterday’s Big 12 Media Days session.
At one point during the breakout session, which we were able to see courtesy of Anwar Richardson’s Facebook Live video, Herman was asked about a black object he wore on his wrist. It looked like a fitbit. As it turns out, it’s a device that measures a person’s fatigue based on sleep patterns. Herman said it’s the same thing the Air Force uses to gauge whether a pilot can fly or not, and syncs to a phone app to give an “effectiveness” score. According to Herman, it was brought to him at the suggestion of his sports science guys, and he then rattled off it’s like Texas attention to things like hydration, mobility, stretching and more.
Later in the day, Herman gave an impassioned speech about the impact that a student section can have on winning home football games. He provided an example of playing at Penn State on a “White Out” night when the student section played a significant role in Ohio State’s inability to score, which instead led to settle for overtime. At Houston, Herman said the student section, despite parts of the other crowd clearing out, helped fuel a 21-point comeback to beat Memphis. So yes, he’s looking into the design of the student section and knows its value too. Of course, the students have to do their part.
When a coach displays and implements that kind of attention to detail to join a solid resume and stellar track record developing the game’s most important position, it’s hard not to be optimistic about what he could do at Texas.
3) Don’t overlook Herman’s inclusion of Jerrod Heard and the quarterback spot
If there’s a package for him already as the emergency third quarterback, that means there’s probably a package to use as a wrinkle in games. Herman will adapt to what he has, but the Texas head coach also wants a quarterback that can be a realistic threat as a runner. When a coach has only a true sophomore and a true freshman to work with, that’s not as easy as having a different, deeper depth chart. And this is especially true if Herman, as he said on Tuesday, would like to, ideally, redshirt Sam Ehlinger if Ehlinger doesn’t beat out Buechele for the starting job.
The truth is Heard needs to be more than just an emergency package QB. Texas needs to use him to provide some of that running element that Herman wants at the position.
4) The Houston dominoes are starting to fall
While it didn’t come as a big surprise, Lamar (Houston) 2018 receiver Al’Vonte Woodard, who I wrote last week is my No. 1 receiver in Texas, picking the Longhorns is huge for several reasons. Obviously, he’s talented. He’s the No. 38 prospect nationally and had plenty of big-time offers to choose from. However, Woodard’s commitment is the first domino to fall in Houston for the Longhorns, making the get even more important. Now the question becomes how many more will fall behind him?
Jalen Green? D’Shawn Jamison? Brennan Eagles? Malcolm Epps? The list goes on, and now that Woodard has pulled the trigger he’s actively recruiting all of those guys to Texas. Sometimes, it just takes one for others to follow.
Months ago during the Under Armour Camp in Houston, I talked to the group of tight-knit Houston-area prospects about how much they communicate with each other. The answer might surprise you. Hint: they group-text all the time.
5) A look at some recent Texas draftees in the pros
Of the 11 former Longhorns that were just selected in the 2017 MLB Draft, a few have jumped right in as everyday players at their respective levels. Here’s a look at some:
Bret Boswell (Boise Hawks – Class A Short Season; Colorado Rockies)
Over his last 10 games, Boswell is hitting .324 with four homers, 15 RBI, and 11 runs scored. After a slow start, he’s slashing .270/.313/.483 over 89 at-bats. As expected, the swing and miss issues are a concern (26 strikeouts) but the power is already showing.
Kacy Clemens (Vancouver Canadiens – Class A Short Season; Toronto Blue Jays)
After a scorching-hot start, Clemens has cooled down some, but while the hits aren’t falling as frequently he’s still getting on base. The lefty is hitting .265/.390/.422 with 16 walks and 17 strikeouts.
Travis Jones (Burlington Royals – Rookie; Kansas City Royals)
Jones hammered the ball in the Arizona League, and immediately moved to the Appalachian League where he’s done more of the same. A 29th-round pick, Jones is hitting .446/.507/.554 overall with five walks, five strikeouts, four steals, and 10 RBI in 16 games.
For those of you that will immediately say, “Why didn’t he do that at Texas?!” realize that it is a little easier to hit in the Appalachian League than the Big 12. I don’t want to discredit Jones because this start is, obviously, very impressive, and he’ll probably be promoted again if he keeps this up. But he’s probably enjoyed seeing some arms worse than all the top draft picks he saw during weekend play.
Kyle Johnston (Auburn Doubledays – Class A Short Season; Washington Nationals)
As a reliever right now, there has been both good and bad for Johnston, who is still fighting his control as a pro. Over his first 10.0 pro innings, the righthander has a 4.50 ERA with nine walks and five strikeouts.
6) Keldon Johnson is this year’s Matt Coleman for Texas
After the first evaluation period of July and the prestigious Peach Jam, it’s become even more obvious that 2018 guard/wing Keldon Johnson is this year’s Matt Coleman for Shaka Smart and the Longhorns. Here’s what Rivals.com National Analyst Eric Bossi recently wrote after covering the Peach Jam:
“It is pretty clear that five-star wing Keldon Johnson is a major priority for Shaka Smart as he shadowed him all over the Peach Jam.”
Again, July is more “babysitting” for college coaches than evaluating. Coaches spend the most time during these final evaluation periods following around their top targets so the player sees that the program truly has prioritized him.
Although they don’t play the same position, Coleman and Johnson are similar in a lot of ways. They’re both Virginia prospects that will graduate from Oak Hill Academy; they’re both prospects that Smart and Mike Morrell began recruiting years ago, and have prioritized for well over a year; they’re both extremely competitive and vocal players that ooze leadership intangibles that will positively infect a college program; and as high school prospects, they’re both in that first elite tier behind one-and-done status, making them very likely to spend at least two years in college.
At the Peach Jam, Boo Williams reached the Final Four before being knocked out. Johnson averaged 17.4 points on 46.8 percent shooting from the floor (4-of-19 from three-point range), 7.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and carried his team down the stretch against Houston Hoops in the quarterfinals. Over the entire Nike EYBL season, Johnson averaged 19.7 points (50.2 percent from the floor) and his 71.2 percent at the free throw line (162 attempts) suggests it’s just a matter of time and work in the gym before the three-point shot becomes a bigger part of his game.
7) Scanning the sports globe
--- The Astros’ fairytale season turned sour with the news that Carlos Correa is expected to be out 6-8 weeks after sustaining a torn ligament in his left thumb. It’s the same injury Mike Trout just returned from, who followed Bryce Harper’s first-inning homer last night with one of his own. Back to Correa. There’s no reason for Astros fans to panic, or expect anything besides a full return. Houston has a 16.5-game lead on the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, and has enough offense to pick up the slack.
The real bummer is like teammate Jose Altuve, Correa was making a push for the AL MVP. Now, those chances, like Trout’s, have disappeared in the form of a thumb injury.
--- Brian Cashman remains one of the best, and maybe most underappreciated general managers in baseball. Sure, some might consider giving up consensus top 50 overall prospect Blake Rutherford as a bit much considering Todd Frazier will be a free agent next season. However, the Yankees acquired two of the best relievers in the American League in David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle along with Frazier.
Now, the Yankees have five relievers among the top 15 in the American League in strikeout percentage, including numbers two, three, and five. And that trio doesn’t include Aroldis Chapman. If he Yankees get to the playoffs, which is still a decent-sized “if,” that bullpen could become a weapon capable of winning series.
The best part for the Yankees? Executing the trade with the White Sox kicked the Red Sox directly in the nuts. Boston and its struggling offense has a gigantic hole at third base, where Frazier would have profiled perfectly, and on his own he wouldn't have cost a top tier prospect. Also, the Red Sox need help in the bullpen beyond Craig Kimbrel. John Farrell has done a good job maximizing the average talent in the bullpen, but how long can that continue?
Clearly, Cashman and the Yankees aren’t done. They’ll now go aggressively after a starting pitcher, and have the farm system to do it, thanks in part to last year’s mini-rebuild at the deadline. If the Rangers struggle, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Cashman's attention turns to acquiring Yu Darvish.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are average offensively and rely upon arguably the best pitching staff and defense in baseball (Fangraphs rates Boston’s pitching WAR at No. 2 and its defensive value at No. 1). The good news for Boston? This market is favorable for acquiring position hitters because many of the contenders don’t truly need one. If you need evidence, Arizona just acquired J.D. Martinez for a modest return.
--- Happy Yoan Moncada Day. Baseball’s top prospect will make his debut today for the White Sox, and signal that Chicago’s rebuild is alive and well.
It hasn’t even been a year and the White Sox have totally revamped their minor league system with top talent, and perhaps more potential frontline players than any other organization in baseball.
As for Moncada, the strikeouts (102 in 80 AAA games this season) in the lower levels are concerning, although some of those are influenced by approach (49 walks in 80 games). There will definitely be some swing and miss in his game, which means the question becomes: will the plus hit tool and plus power be able to show at the MLB level despite the swing and miss factor?
If the tools shine, Moncada is a perennial All-Star, one of the game’s most exiting players, and a MVP candidate during his peak years. He's a plus-plus runner with a plus-plus arm and a glove that would profile as average or better at third base and second base. If the swing and miss makes him more of a .250 hitter than a .290 one, he’d still be a solid everyday player for a long, long time. Remember, he just turned 22 years old. In his first stint at AAA, he hit .282/.377/.437, and has power to all fields from both sides of the plate.
8) Anything and everything
--- A full review of Disney World as an adult after attending all four parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot) in two days:
--- Drink lots of water, especially if you plan on enjoying some adult beverages (and there are plenty of those available to find; the idea of being able to drink around the world seems impossible unless you want to pay for an ambulance and IV later). Over two days, we walked nearly 22 miles, and in the humid, hot Florida climate, I nearly went down for the count after doing Epcot in the morning and Hollywood Studios later. Epcot is a great place for adults – restaurants, bars, shops, and an older group of patrons. At literally every country you walk to around Epcot, the employees are from that country. Pretty cool.
--- Fast passes make for an enjoyable experience, and if you plan correctly (the Disney app is great for this), you can knock out all the big attractions in two days. The only thing attraction we didn’t get to was the new Avatar ride, which had a wait over four hours at one point and no fast passes.
--- Transportation, if you’re staying at a Disney resort/hotel, is easy. Like everything Disney does, the organization, friendliness and cleanliness were about as good as can be for a gigantic entertainment area. We never waited long for a bus, and could take one from any spot to any other we wanted to go to.
--- Space Mountain is a classic, but Everest is a better rollercoaster. It’s the best ride at Disney World, and probably leads to some kids crying afterward.
--- While there were, obviously, a ton of kids at the park, I never once was bothered by them, and really didn’t even notice them. The idea that there’s crying kids at every corner set to ruin the enjoyment is way, way, way overblown.
--- The Orlando Airport is home to the worst, most disorganized security system I’ve ever encountered. At one point, the design “merges” eight lines into one without anyone there to direct traffic. It truly is chaos thanks to sheer stupidity.
--- It can be a pricey trip (we took it because we had free park tickets, cheap flights and my wife loves Disney stuff), but it was enjoyable, even for adults that don’t have kids. My body is still recovering, though, which is due in part to a cancelled flight out on Monday night.
9) The best, non-sports thing I read this week
I’ll just let the headline do the talking.
An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of USC med school dean
1) Tom Herman knows what his toughest task is
Installing an offense isn’t Tom Herman’s toughest task, and neither is finding five starters to make up a good offensive line. Herman inherited some talent. How much? That’s for another story for another day. The cake isn’t baked, but there are ingredients in the kitchen.
Herman’s toughest task is taking a roster that has done more losing than winning and teaching it how to win football games. He reinforced that yesterday in Frisco.
“That's a great question. In fact, in our first team meeting, I said, ‘Raise your hand if you've been on a winning Texas football team.’ And three people raised their hand,” said Herman during Tuesday’s Big 12 Media Days. “We have three redshirt seniors, one of them is here today in Naashon Hughes, that were on Coach Brown's last team. So, we don't know how to win really well right now.”
No, Texas doesn’t.
Something that’s always stuck with me throughout the last four or five years is the amount of times I’ve heard about entitlement issues, or the negative, lazy energy that comes with the “We’re Texas” approach that can tug at players with negative energy instead of prop them up. I’ve heard it or something similar covering Augie Garrido, Shaka Smart, and Mack Brown. During one interview prior to the 2014 season, the legendary Garrido referred to entitlement as a “little bastard” the program had to get rid of, and referenced that other coaches at Texas knew what he was talking about. Texas fans do too.
While entitlement or taking the “We’re Texas” approach the wrong way hasn’t ever been the sole root to the big three’s problems, it has lingered. Too often throughout Texas’s decline across the big three sports, there was somewhat of an expectation that Texas was going to win by being Texas. It’s not that easy. It never has been, which is why Herman’s task, to shake a program from its 46-42 stink since 2010 and teach it how to win, isn't as simple shining light on a cockroach.
However, each time Herman speaks about his plan, his program, and his methods, it’s hard not to think Texas hired perhaps the guy to get Texas Football back on track. After all, he’s been at UT before. He's not in a foreign place, and is well aware of the environment and expectations on the 40 Acres.
“I think the best way to do it is really to - it's nothing different than what we've done everywhere we've been and that's to compete every day in what we do and make sure there are tangible rewards for winning whatever that competition is. We talk about how we have the student of the week, and that guy gets recognized,” said Herman about teaching his players how to win. “We've got T-shirts and all that. We've got… again, everything from off-season conditioning drills, where we have winners and losers, and the winners get to eat a better meal not that the losers, the list of competitions and tangible rewards for winning, but also tangible consequences for losing.”
The days of Texas being okay with losing? Those are over.
“I think losing has to be awful, and you can never get used to losing. That is one of the biggest maybe downfalls of a lot of teams is you get used to losing. No, losing is awful. It's awful. It's not just, ‘Oh, well, we'll get them next week.’ No, this is like the sky-is- falling-type stuff. And so every time we have a competitive situation, we're going to make sure that the people that don't win in that competitive situation, that they feel awful about it and that it's not funny and it's not hokey or corny; that it's really, really bad for them to lose, as well as it being very, very cool for the guys that win and very rewarding for the guys that win. Because that's what happens on Saturdays and that's what happens throughout the season.”
Texas trains to win. Texas trains with the full understanding that winning is valued and losing sucks.
“So we train for chaos, and we put our guys through some extremely chaotic situations throughout offseason drills in the spring and in the summer so that on Saturdays, hopefully, the games will be easy and that losing will be something that is so distasteful that they can't even fathom going down that road.”
How long down the road before that training shows substantial, program-changing benefits on Saturdays? Good question. While projecting a player or unit’s development can be supported by stats or rankings, there isn't a magic timeline for changing a team and program’s understanding of how to win. But Herman knows that’s his top task.
What he doesn’t know, though, is that being immediately successful in that area would help chase what Garrido referred to as a “little bastard” out of the entire athletic department. So while Herman stated at Big 12 Media Days he's not responsible for carrying the league's flag, he has to know no one can implement and influence change at Texas more than him.
2) Constantly intrigued by Herman’s attention to detail
I know. I know. Y’all have heard it before. Tom Herman’s attention to detail is impressive. Well, the broken record is spinning again because it was hard not to notice it during yesterday’s Big 12 Media Days session.
At one point during the breakout session, which we were able to see courtesy of Anwar Richardson’s Facebook Live video, Herman was asked about a black object he wore on his wrist. It looked like a fitbit. As it turns out, it’s a device that measures a person’s fatigue based on sleep patterns. Herman said it’s the same thing the Air Force uses to gauge whether a pilot can fly or not, and syncs to a phone app to give an “effectiveness” score. According to Herman, it was brought to him at the suggestion of his sports science guys, and he then rattled off it’s like Texas attention to things like hydration, mobility, stretching and more.
Later in the day, Herman gave an impassioned speech about the impact that a student section can have on winning home football games. He provided an example of playing at Penn State on a “White Out” night when the student section played a significant role in Ohio State’s inability to score, which instead led to settle for overtime. At Houston, Herman said the student section, despite parts of the other crowd clearing out, helped fuel a 21-point comeback to beat Memphis. So yes, he’s looking into the design of the student section and knows its value too. Of course, the students have to do their part.
When a coach displays and implements that kind of attention to detail to join a solid resume and stellar track record developing the game’s most important position, it’s hard not to be optimistic about what he could do at Texas.
3) Don’t overlook Herman’s inclusion of Jerrod Heard and the quarterback spot
If there’s a package for him already as the emergency third quarterback, that means there’s probably a package to use as a wrinkle in games. Herman will adapt to what he has, but the Texas head coach also wants a quarterback that can be a realistic threat as a runner. When a coach has only a true sophomore and a true freshman to work with, that’s not as easy as having a different, deeper depth chart. And this is especially true if Herman, as he said on Tuesday, would like to, ideally, redshirt Sam Ehlinger if Ehlinger doesn’t beat out Buechele for the starting job.
The truth is Heard needs to be more than just an emergency package QB. Texas needs to use him to provide some of that running element that Herman wants at the position.
4) The Houston dominoes are starting to fall
While it didn’t come as a big surprise, Lamar (Houston) 2018 receiver Al’Vonte Woodard, who I wrote last week is my No. 1 receiver in Texas, picking the Longhorns is huge for several reasons. Obviously, he’s talented. He’s the No. 38 prospect nationally and had plenty of big-time offers to choose from. However, Woodard’s commitment is the first domino to fall in Houston for the Longhorns, making the get even more important. Now the question becomes how many more will fall behind him?
Jalen Green? D’Shawn Jamison? Brennan Eagles? Malcolm Epps? The list goes on, and now that Woodard has pulled the trigger he’s actively recruiting all of those guys to Texas. Sometimes, it just takes one for others to follow.
Months ago during the Under Armour Camp in Houston, I talked to the group of tight-knit Houston-area prospects about how much they communicate with each other. The answer might surprise you. Hint: they group-text all the time.
5) A look at some recent Texas draftees in the pros
Of the 11 former Longhorns that were just selected in the 2017 MLB Draft, a few have jumped right in as everyday players at their respective levels. Here’s a look at some:
Bret Boswell (Boise Hawks – Class A Short Season; Colorado Rockies)
Over his last 10 games, Boswell is hitting .324 with four homers, 15 RBI, and 11 runs scored. After a slow start, he’s slashing .270/.313/.483 over 89 at-bats. As expected, the swing and miss issues are a concern (26 strikeouts) but the power is already showing.
Kacy Clemens (Vancouver Canadiens – Class A Short Season; Toronto Blue Jays)
After a scorching-hot start, Clemens has cooled down some, but while the hits aren’t falling as frequently he’s still getting on base. The lefty is hitting .265/.390/.422 with 16 walks and 17 strikeouts.
Travis Jones (Burlington Royals – Rookie; Kansas City Royals)
Jones hammered the ball in the Arizona League, and immediately moved to the Appalachian League where he’s done more of the same. A 29th-round pick, Jones is hitting .446/.507/.554 overall with five walks, five strikeouts, four steals, and 10 RBI in 16 games.
For those of you that will immediately say, “Why didn’t he do that at Texas?!” realize that it is a little easier to hit in the Appalachian League than the Big 12. I don’t want to discredit Jones because this start is, obviously, very impressive, and he’ll probably be promoted again if he keeps this up. But he’s probably enjoyed seeing some arms worse than all the top draft picks he saw during weekend play.
Kyle Johnston (Auburn Doubledays – Class A Short Season; Washington Nationals)
As a reliever right now, there has been both good and bad for Johnston, who is still fighting his control as a pro. Over his first 10.0 pro innings, the righthander has a 4.50 ERA with nine walks and five strikeouts.
6) Keldon Johnson is this year’s Matt Coleman for Texas
After the first evaluation period of July and the prestigious Peach Jam, it’s become even more obvious that 2018 guard/wing Keldon Johnson is this year’s Matt Coleman for Shaka Smart and the Longhorns. Here’s what Rivals.com National Analyst Eric Bossi recently wrote after covering the Peach Jam:
“It is pretty clear that five-star wing Keldon Johnson is a major priority for Shaka Smart as he shadowed him all over the Peach Jam.”
Again, July is more “babysitting” for college coaches than evaluating. Coaches spend the most time during these final evaluation periods following around their top targets so the player sees that the program truly has prioritized him.
Although they don’t play the same position, Coleman and Johnson are similar in a lot of ways. They’re both Virginia prospects that will graduate from Oak Hill Academy; they’re both prospects that Smart and Mike Morrell began recruiting years ago, and have prioritized for well over a year; they’re both extremely competitive and vocal players that ooze leadership intangibles that will positively infect a college program; and as high school prospects, they’re both in that first elite tier behind one-and-done status, making them very likely to spend at least two years in college.
At the Peach Jam, Boo Williams reached the Final Four before being knocked out. Johnson averaged 17.4 points on 46.8 percent shooting from the floor (4-of-19 from three-point range), 7.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and carried his team down the stretch against Houston Hoops in the quarterfinals. Over the entire Nike EYBL season, Johnson averaged 19.7 points (50.2 percent from the floor) and his 71.2 percent at the free throw line (162 attempts) suggests it’s just a matter of time and work in the gym before the three-point shot becomes a bigger part of his game.
7) Scanning the sports globe
--- The Astros’ fairytale season turned sour with the news that Carlos Correa is expected to be out 6-8 weeks after sustaining a torn ligament in his left thumb. It’s the same injury Mike Trout just returned from, who followed Bryce Harper’s first-inning homer last night with one of his own. Back to Correa. There’s no reason for Astros fans to panic, or expect anything besides a full return. Houston has a 16.5-game lead on the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, and has enough offense to pick up the slack.
The real bummer is like teammate Jose Altuve, Correa was making a push for the AL MVP. Now, those chances, like Trout’s, have disappeared in the form of a thumb injury.
--- Brian Cashman remains one of the best, and maybe most underappreciated general managers in baseball. Sure, some might consider giving up consensus top 50 overall prospect Blake Rutherford as a bit much considering Todd Frazier will be a free agent next season. However, the Yankees acquired two of the best relievers in the American League in David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle along with Frazier.
Now, the Yankees have five relievers among the top 15 in the American League in strikeout percentage, including numbers two, three, and five. And that trio doesn’t include Aroldis Chapman. If he Yankees get to the playoffs, which is still a decent-sized “if,” that bullpen could become a weapon capable of winning series.
The best part for the Yankees? Executing the trade with the White Sox kicked the Red Sox directly in the nuts. Boston and its struggling offense has a gigantic hole at third base, where Frazier would have profiled perfectly, and on his own he wouldn't have cost a top tier prospect. Also, the Red Sox need help in the bullpen beyond Craig Kimbrel. John Farrell has done a good job maximizing the average talent in the bullpen, but how long can that continue?
Clearly, Cashman and the Yankees aren’t done. They’ll now go aggressively after a starting pitcher, and have the farm system to do it, thanks in part to last year’s mini-rebuild at the deadline. If the Rangers struggle, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Cashman's attention turns to acquiring Yu Darvish.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are average offensively and rely upon arguably the best pitching staff and defense in baseball (Fangraphs rates Boston’s pitching WAR at No. 2 and its defensive value at No. 1). The good news for Boston? This market is favorable for acquiring position hitters because many of the contenders don’t truly need one. If you need evidence, Arizona just acquired J.D. Martinez for a modest return.
--- Happy Yoan Moncada Day. Baseball’s top prospect will make his debut today for the White Sox, and signal that Chicago’s rebuild is alive and well.
It hasn’t even been a year and the White Sox have totally revamped their minor league system with top talent, and perhaps more potential frontline players than any other organization in baseball.
As for Moncada, the strikeouts (102 in 80 AAA games this season) in the lower levels are concerning, although some of those are influenced by approach (49 walks in 80 games). There will definitely be some swing and miss in his game, which means the question becomes: will the plus hit tool and plus power be able to show at the MLB level despite the swing and miss factor?
If the tools shine, Moncada is a perennial All-Star, one of the game’s most exiting players, and a MVP candidate during his peak years. He's a plus-plus runner with a plus-plus arm and a glove that would profile as average or better at third base and second base. If the swing and miss makes him more of a .250 hitter than a .290 one, he’d still be a solid everyday player for a long, long time. Remember, he just turned 22 years old. In his first stint at AAA, he hit .282/.377/.437, and has power to all fields from both sides of the plate.
8) Anything and everything
--- A full review of Disney World as an adult after attending all four parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot) in two days:
--- Drink lots of water, especially if you plan on enjoying some adult beverages (and there are plenty of those available to find; the idea of being able to drink around the world seems impossible unless you want to pay for an ambulance and IV later). Over two days, we walked nearly 22 miles, and in the humid, hot Florida climate, I nearly went down for the count after doing Epcot in the morning and Hollywood Studios later. Epcot is a great place for adults – restaurants, bars, shops, and an older group of patrons. At literally every country you walk to around Epcot, the employees are from that country. Pretty cool.
--- Fast passes make for an enjoyable experience, and if you plan correctly (the Disney app is great for this), you can knock out all the big attractions in two days. The only thing attraction we didn’t get to was the new Avatar ride, which had a wait over four hours at one point and no fast passes.
--- Transportation, if you’re staying at a Disney resort/hotel, is easy. Like everything Disney does, the organization, friendliness and cleanliness were about as good as can be for a gigantic entertainment area. We never waited long for a bus, and could take one from any spot to any other we wanted to go to.
--- Space Mountain is a classic, but Everest is a better rollercoaster. It’s the best ride at Disney World, and probably leads to some kids crying afterward.
--- While there were, obviously, a ton of kids at the park, I never once was bothered by them, and really didn’t even notice them. The idea that there’s crying kids at every corner set to ruin the enjoyment is way, way, way overblown.
--- The Orlando Airport is home to the worst, most disorganized security system I’ve ever encountered. At one point, the design “merges” eight lines into one without anyone there to direct traffic. It truly is chaos thanks to sheer stupidity.
--- It can be a pricey trip (we took it because we had free park tickets, cheap flights and my wife loves Disney stuff), but it was enjoyable, even for adults that don’t have kids. My body is still recovering, though, which is due in part to a cancelled flight out on Monday night.
9) The best, non-sports thing I read this week
I’ll just let the headline do the talking.
An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of USC med school dean
