So we’re now at a point in the sporting calendar where there’s a vast array of sports’ activities taking center-stage and usual the non-stop cycle of the NFL (National Football League) continues with activity. Reigning Superbowl champions have all of their ducks lined up in a row , having signed several players from their championship winning roster to new deals , with their Superbowl MVP , Tom Brady also agreeing to a new deal at an almost bargain basement price by his own standard s . Brady will head into the upcoming season seeking an unprecedented eighth Superbowl ring , having won six with the New England Patriots and his seventh with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , for the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy in their history.
Beyond what has been taking place by way of the league and the teams seeking to position themselves for the upcoming NFL Draft and salary cap issues , we have seen the retirements of Alex Smith , Philip Rivers and Drew Brees, with all three veteran quarterbacks having varying degrees of success for their respective teams . One team looking to take advantage of this all will likely be the New York Jets after their recent foray with the trading away of quarterback Sam Darnold . More likely than not the Jets will seek to draft a quarterback to replace Darnold who simply did not meet the expectations of the franchise during his stay .
Trevor Lawrence could very well be taken as the number one overall player and most certainly be among the top quarterbacks taken by the end of the first two rounds of this upcoming Draft.
Things have become testy since the All Star Game with their being a plethora of uneven results . One thing is certain no envisioned that the Los Angles Lakers would be struggling to remain among the top-five teams within the Western Conference . With LeBron James by far the best player in their lineup , it will be interesting to see how the team fares over the remainder of their schedule . Next up for this Frank Vogel coached team will be two games on the road against the Dallas Mavericks . The first of the duo of contests will take place on the 22nd April , 2021 .
The Lakers’ in division rivals the Los Angeles Clippers are vying for one to the top three seeds within the Western Conference , but it has been the resilient play of the Phoenix Suns which has been a great surprise to everyone over the past ten days. Led by Kawhi Leonard the Clippers will be in action themselves with several games of note . An upcoming contest against the Houston Rockets should tell us a great deal about this Clippers’ roster .
Can Steph Curry lead the Golden State Warriors back into postseason contention ? That’s an intriguing answer for a team without one of it’s best players in Klay Thompson. The Warriors can make into the NBA Playoffs by way of the play-in factor , a new addition to the playoffs due to a shortened regular season schedule brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic . Golden State for it’s part will be looking to play with the real consistency . In their next game the Warriors are due to meet the Denver Nuggets at home on Friday , 23rd April .
Far be it for me to suggest , but I get the feeling that while the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are seen as the teams to beat within the Eastern Conference , one team which is being overlooked just happens to be the Milwaukee Bucks , but given their recent failures in the postseason it would be easy to write them off once again . Yet for all sense and purpose the Bucks led by two time League MVP , Giannis Antetokounmpou seems to have his teammates playing the way Head Coach Mike Budenholzer has sought . This team is quite capable of overcoming the deficit within the conference and ending up as the top seed . Next up for the Bucks will be a game against the 76ers as par of their regular season series. The contest should tell us a great about the intentions of both teams and the directions they’re said to be heading .
LeBron James has been playing with the level of someone who belies his age James and the Los Angeles Lakers as the reigning NBA champions are having an extremely tough season . It seems unaccustomed for this team to be having issues within the league at present , but injuries as well as inconsistency has played it’s part in the Frank Vogel coached roster . James and the Lakers have an upcoming game against the Dallas Mavericks , having lost to Dallas previously in their most recent match-up on the 22nd April .
Time may well be running out for both the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers to really prove their credibility within the NBA and their championship aspirations. High payrolls notwithstanding it is becoming pretty clear that there’s not a great deal of real consistency needed .
Alex Rodriguez having not been able to make a successful attempt to become a MLB team owner, but the former New York Yankees’ player has joined a consortium with a view to buying the Minnesota Timberwolves , where owner , Glen Taylor is seeking to sell the franchise , but under which retains control while the new ownership group acclimatizes to their fiduciary responsibilities . Rodriguez and his partner , Marc Lore an e-Commerce executive and CEO of Walmart’s e-commerce operations, purchased the Timberwolves for a reputed $1.5 billion .
What else needs to be said about the Los Angeles Dodgers at this juncture ? This weekend there will be a full cluster of games to be played . Dave Robert’s has a team playing with a great deal of aplomb with his coaching staff being at the top of their game . Roberts will have his team ready for a fairly tough weekend schedule where they will be playing the San Diego Padres . On the mound as opposing pitchers will be Yu Darvish of the Padres against Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers .
Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is off to another terrific season for his team . It will be interesting to see what transpires this weekend as the Dodgers face the Houston Astros .It will be Andrew Heaney facing off against Zack Greinke . .
There are several great games scheduled for both Saturday , 24th April , as well as Sunday , 25th . One of the contests for today (Saturday) pits the Boston Red Sox against the Seattle Mariners with these two AL teams seeking to position themselves within their respective divisions and league . On the mound for the Mariners will be Chris Flexen as he faces Nathan Eovaldi of the Red Sox . While the Boston Red Sox are riding high their divisional rivals the New York Yankees are struggling to to make their presence felt having posted an 8-11 record as of the 23rd April . Manager Brett Boone and his team of his priced stars will be looking to placate themselves of their inauspicious start to the season . To round out their current series the Yankees will be in action today when they face the Cleveland Indians on the road . The opposing pitchers will be Gerrit Cole of the Yankees facing off against Shane Bieber of the Indians .
Early leaders in various statistics provides us with something special to expect over this season within baseball . I would like to think that the major awards for this season will go to credible candidates .
What if anything are you hoping to bear witness to this season within the world of sports ?
Tophatal …………
