The Only Team In Town

Here in New York, we have nine teams in the four major sports counting the Devils.  So, there's always multiple teams in season at all times.  Which makes it really hard to fathom a team having a city entirely to themselves!  Yet there's at least one in each of the four major sports. as well as few in MLS (Austin FC) and the WNBA (Connecticut Sun).

Not including MLS, there are 13 major league franchises that are the only team in town.  If you include MLS, that number drops to seven.  Also, all seven NHL teams based in Canada play in the same city as a CFL franchise, so they're not included.  In fact, the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders are the only Canadian-based franchise that can make that claim.

Incredibly, more than half of the one-team cities are in the NBA (although, three of those seven have an MLS franchise, as well).  Three are in the NHL (two of which have an MLS team), and the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only one in the NFL.  Thanks to the Chargers and Raiders, as well as the Warriors, Baseball has gone from zero to two in recent years, as San Diego and Oakland are now one-team major-league cities.

It's also worth noting here that Oakland and San Jose are both part of the San Francisco media market, so the A's and Sharks can technically be considered "San Francisco" teams.  And, since I'm counting the Devils as "New York," I guess I should probably include them as "San Francisco," too.  Which drops us to these 11 franchises:

Carolina Hurricanes: The Panthers and Hornets both play in Charlotte, while the Hurricanes play in Raleigh.  What's interesting about that is they moved from Hartford, where they were also the only major league show in town.  Although, they share Raleigh with NC State, Duke and North Carolina, so they're far from the ONLY show.

Columbus Blue Jackets: When the NHL gave Ohio an expansion team, they picked Columbus on purpose.  They picked it BECAUSE it didn't have a major league team.  Just the Buckeyes.  And the Crew, a charter member of MLS.  They also strategically set it up so that Columbus would have the NHL and AAA baseball teams (the Clippers), while Cleveland had the MLB and AAA hockey teams (the Monsters), with each serving as the Minor League affiliate of the other.

Jacksonville Jaguars: I still have absolutely no idea why there's an NFL team in Jacksonville!  Does Florida really need three teams?  Anyway, the Jaguars exist and, as such, they're the only NFL team that doesn't share its home market with anybody else.  The Marlins' AAA team just moved to Jacksonville, so at least they've got that over the summer.

Memphis Grizzlies: They had options when they left Vancouver.  It originally looked like St. Louis would be the destination, but it eventually came down to Memphis and Louisville, neither of which had a professional team at the time.  They picked Memphis.

Oklahoma City Thunder: We all know how things in Oklahoma City went down.  The Hornets needed somewhere to play after Hurricane Katrina, and Oklahoma City was both close enough to New Orleans and available.  After the Hornets moved back to New Orleans full-time, Oklahoma City still wanted a team, so they poached the Sonics from Seattle.  Fortunately, it looks like that situation will be rectified relatively soon.

Orlando Magic: Unlike the Jaguars' existence, I completely get the Orlando Magic.  I also think it was a clever (and brilliant) move by the NBA to put their second Florida-based franchise in Orlando rather than Tampa, which already had the Bucs and Lightning when the Magic were born and would eventually get the Rays, too.  The Magic, instead, are the only pro team in central Florida rather than one of four in the saturated Tampa Bay area.

Portland Trail Blazers: There was an interesting article about the Blazers about a week ago.  It said how, among NBA teams, they're incredibly isolated since they aren't just the only pro team in Oregon, they're the only NBA team in the Pacific Northwest.  That'll obviously change when and if Seattle rejoins the NBA, but it was an interesting (and correct) take.

Sacramento Kings: Sacramento is the capital of California, but also nowhere near its largest city, which partially explains why the Kings are the only pro team in the city.  They were supposed to get an MLS expansion team, too, but that doesn't look like it's happening anymore.  Like a number of the other NBA relocations, the Kings chose Sacramento when they left Kansas City BECAUSE it didn't have any pro teams.

San Antonio Spurs: Of all the single-team cities, San Antonio is probably the one that's enjoyed the most success.  The Spurs have had a great run under Gregg Popovich and have such an incredible following.  In fact, they're the model NBA franchise.  And, outside of when the Saints had to temporarily join them after Katrina, they've got San Antonio all to themselves!

San Diego Padres: After the Chargers moved north to LA, the Padres became unique among MLB teams in that San Diego is now the only city that has an MLB team and nobody else.  Of course, there's also Oakland, which I mentioned earlier, but there's also a very good chance the A's could end up moving to Las Vegas.  The Padres, however, aren't going anywhere.  (And the fact that the Padres got a new stadium but the city wouldn't give them one is a big reason why the Chargers left.)

Utah Jazz: Finally, we've got the Utah Jazz.  Yet another NBA franchise that relocated to a city that didn't have another major league team specifically for that reason.  And Salt Lake City has certainly worked out much better for them than New Orleans.  They aren't isolated like the Blazers, either.

As I look at this list of teams, it makes me wonder what that must be like.  Because some of them aren't just the only pro team in their town.  The Jazz, Blazers and Thunder are the only pro team in their entire state!  No split fandom there.  No local rival.  Just you and your fans.  It must be nice!

Baseball's Unbreakable Records

They say records are made to be broken.  Sometimes it just takes 61 years!  Sometimes it takes longer.  But there are also some records where that saying doesn't apply.  Especially in baseball.  Some of baseball's most hallowed records are so hallowed mainly because they'll never be broken.  Although, I probably shouldn't say "never."  Because, as highly unlikely as it might be, it's still theoretically possible that these records could fall one day.

Baseball, in fact, has a lot of "unbreakable" records simply because of how much the game has changed over time.  There are also some records that are impossible to break.  Barring another rules change, every pitcher hitting record is safe (Ohtani doesn't count).  So are most of the records set during the Dead Ball Era, when the style of play was completely different.

Some of those records are so obvious they aren't even worth mentioning.  Anything set in the 1800s, for example.  But there are others that, even though they're "unbreakable," they're among the most hallowed in the sport.  Records such as...

Cy Young's 511 wins & 749 complete games: The pitching award is named after him for a reason!  The benchmark for pitching excellence is 300 wins, and some people even think that number's becoming unreachable.  Cy Young won 211 games more than that!  And the 749 career complete games is about 15 years' worth of complete games for the entire Major Leagues in the modern game.

Walter Johnson's 110 shutouts: With the death of the complete game has also come the death of the shutout.  Thus, Walter Johnson's record is safe.  Among active players, Clayton Kershaw is the career leader with 15 shutouts...in 15 years!

Christy Mathewson's 3 World Series shutouts: This record, frankly, is mind-boggling!  And it's completely unfathomable today!  Not only did Mathewson throw three shutouts in a single World Series, he did it within the span of a week!  Nearly 120 years later, it remains one of the most amazing feats in baseball history.

Nolan Ryan's 5,714 strikeouts & 7 no-hitters: Consider all the great pitchers who've never thrown a no-hitter.  Then think about the fact that Nolan Ryan threw seven!  His career spanned 27 years, so that longevity certainly played into it, but, still, no one's getting anywhere near seven no-hitters.  Nor is anyone getting anywhere near 5,714 strikeouts.  Another number that is simply mind-boggling!

Connie Mack's 3,731 managerial wins & 50 years managing: Speaking of longevity, Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia A's from 1901-50!  We'll never see someone manage 50 years again, let alone 50 years with the same team!  That, of course, is a big reason why Mack, much like Cy Young, holds the all-time records for games managed, wins AND losses.

Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games: Here's a great example of an "unbreakable" record being broken.  Lou Gehrig's 2,130 consecutive games.  And Cal Ripken's pursuit of the streak was rightly celebrated as it was happening.  Cal's streak ended very differently...when he voluntarily sat down.  But, when you consider the fact that teams build in off days for their stars and no one's even allowed to play 162 games in a season anymore, playing every game for 15-plus years doesn't look like it's happening.

Pete Rose's 4,256 hits: Miguel Cabrera got his 3,000th hit this season, making him just the 33rd player in history to reach that mark.  Derek Jeter retired in 2014 in sixth place on the all-time list...with 3,465 hits.  Two players have 4,000.  Pete Rose and Ty Cobb.  When you consider Jeter, a Hall of Famer who played at an elite level for 20 years, finished his career nearly 800 behind Rose, the thought of anybody catching him borders on impossible.

Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak: Of all the hallowed baseball records, this is perhaps the most well-known.  The closest anyone has come to DiMaggio since 1941?  Pete Rose with 44 in 1978.  Jimmy Rollins is the most recent player to have one that was reasonably long.  His streak ended at 38!  Even thinking about a modern-day player getting a hit every day for two months while facing three or four different pitchers a game and having the pressure mount every at-bat the longer the streak continues makes you appreciate what DiMaggio did so much more.

Rickey Henderson's 1,406 stolen bases: Rickey Henderson has a lot of records that are pretty close to untouchable.  The stolen base is simply not a part of today's game.  That might change with the rule changes next season, but 1,400 career steals is pretty far out of reach regardless.  So is his 130 steals in 1982.  This season's MLB team leader is the Texas Rangers with 125.  As a team!  He had 130 by himself!

Hank Aaron's 25 All*Star Games: In fairness, there were two All*Star Games for four seasons from 1959-62 and playing in both of those games counts as two separate All*Star appearances.  But, still, even if you combine them in those years, Aaron was still an All*Star 21 times!  In order to match that, someone would need to play 21 years and be named an All*Star every season, including their rookie year and final season.  Not impossible, but the likelihood of a 21-year career is incredibly slim.  And if they don't do the first part, they can't do the second.

That's actually what makes things like Judge's pursuit of Maris so great.  Baseball's been around for so long and has so many records, some of which are completely untouchable.  So, when somebody gets close to one, it's exciting.  And when they tie and/or break it, it's something we know we might not ever see again.  Which is why we appreciate it so much!

The Pro Bowl Games

The NFL finally decided what they're going to do about the Pro Bowl.  Not have it.  It was a decision that was a long time coming and seemed inevitable.  Simply put, no matter how hard they tried, there was no way to improve the Pro Bowl.  So doing away with the "game" element really was the best solution.

It wasn't always like this.  The Pro Bowl has always been the most unique of the four All*Star games because of when it's held.  The others are all in the middle of the season, but you can't really do that with the Pro Bowl, so it had to be after the season.  (Although, it would've been interesting if instead of two random teams playing in the Hall of Fame game, they combined it with the Pro Bowl and had the Pro Bowl in Canton as the opening game of the preseason.)

Still, for a while they were still able to make the Pro Bowl a worthwhile event.  They played it in Hawaii for 30 years!  So, even if guys didn't necessarily want to play in the game, they still got a week-long Hawaiian vacation out of it!  Then Roger Baddell had to get involved and kill the Pro Bowl once and for all.

Almost as soon as he became commissioner, Baddell set out to "improve" the Pro Bowl by moving it from the weekend after the Super Bowl to the weekend between the conference championship games and Super Bowl, thus ensuring that all players from the two best teams in the league would be unavailable!  He also made the brilliant decision to move the game out of Hawaii, first moving it to the site of the Super Bowl before it settled in Orlando for a little while.  Where would you rather spend a week?  Hawaii or Disneyworld?  

Last year it was in Las Vegas, which actually seemed like a smart long-term solution.  (Again, where would you rather go?  Vegas or Disney?)  It was the same weekend as the NHL All*Star Game, which was also in Las Vegas, which made for a pretty cool doubleheader.  That, of course, would prove to be the last Pro Bowl as we knew it.

Speaking of the NHL, they gave us that ridiculous "choose your own teams" All-Star format that for some reason every league except Baseball (which has always had the best All*Star Game...and always will) decided to adopt.  The "pick your own team" thing was just as dumb as it sounds and was coupled with just as terrible florescent green and florescent orange uniforms.  Fortunately, that format only lasted a few years before they reverted back to the traditional AFC vs. NFC.

Personally, I think the Pro Bowl was doomed as soon as it left Hawaii.  Aloha Stadium, where they played the game, has since been condemned, and it was never an NFL-quality venue, but it didn't need to be.  The game itself was secondary.  It was more of an experience.  And people still watched it.

That, to me, is the biggest takeaway from all of this.  Yes, the Pro Bowl most years was little more than a pillow fight where tackling was optional.  But defense is optional in the NBA and NHL All*Star Games, so I don't really see the difference.  And, even preseason-quality, non-competitive NFL is still better than the spring football that the AAF, USFL and XFL keep trying to force on people.

And, again, for all the complaining people did about the Pro Bowl, people still watched it.  So clearly the low-quality, not-as-competitive-as-people-would-like-it-to-be game still drew viewers.  Was it because it was still "football" and the only thing on?  Perhaps.  It wasn't typical NFL-like numbers, but you still had enough people watching the Pro Bowl to justify its existence, no matter how poor the football.

Although, we probably shouldn't be surprised that the NFL ultimately decided to kill the Pro Bowl.  Frankly, that seems to have been Baddell's mission with all of his changes.  Because they did nothing to improve it.  All they did was turn it into more of a joke and make it something people can live without.

But they still want to recognize the 88 Pro Bowlers (that's another issue I've always had with the Pro Bowl...teams have 53-man rosters, so why are there only 44 players per team in the Pro Bowl?), so they'll instead have the "Pro Bowl Games," with a flag football game as the main event.  Sorry, but that's dumber than what they did for the 2020 Pro Bowl, which was played over Madden because of the pandemic.

I'm sure part of the idea for the "Pro Bowl Games" came from the Skills Competition that they've had at the Pro Bowl in recent years (another brilliant Baddell idea!).  Have you ever seen that Skills Competition?  It's practically unwatchable!  And the dodgeball game, which seemed like a cool idea on the surface, turned out to be just as bad as the rest of it.  Which further turned the Pro Bowl into nothing more than a joke.

So, it's been clear for a few years that the NFL was trying to move away from a traditional game for the Pro Bowl.  I'm actually somewhat surprised they had an actual game last season after the 2020 cancellation, which would've given them the perfect excuse to not bring it back.  Instead, we'll get a flag football game, which is essentially what the Pro Bowl had become anyway.  Is that better?  Who's to say?  But my inclination is that it's not.

Whether this is a one-year experiment remains to be seen, but I doubt it.  The NFL has been letting the Pro Bowl die a slow death for a while now.  The decision to replace it with the "Pro Bowl Games" is nothing more than digging a six-foot-deep hole, pushing the Pro Bowl into it and covering it with dirt.  All that's missing is the headstone.

My 2022 NFL Picks (Week 3)

It's only Week 3, and the standings already funky!  The AFC South has a combined total of one win (despite the fact that there have been two AFC South vs. AFC South games!).  Meanwhile, everybody in the NFC North and NFC West is 1-1, and the only divisions with two 2-0 teams are the NFC East and AFC East.  And the AFC East definitely won't have two 3-0 teams.

Thursday Night: Pittsburgh (Loss)

Texans (0-1-1) at Bears (1-1): Chicago-Is anyone surprised Sunday Night Football didn't go well for the Bears last week?  Fortunately, the Texans aren't anywhere near as good as the Packers.  Houston, in fact, is one of the worst teams in the league.  Thus, as bad as last week was, Chicago is still looking good to improve to 2-1.

Raiders (0-2) at Titans (0-2): Tennessee-Two playoff teams from last season who are, perhaps unexpectedly, both 0-2.  An 0-3 start would be much worse for the Raiders than it would be for the Titans.  Unfortunately, that's the result that seems more likely.  Yes, the Titans got their butts kicked by the Bills last week.  I'm still somewhat more encouraged by them than the Raiders blowing their game against the Cardinals, though.

Chiefs (2-0) at Colts (0-1-1): Kansas City-When the Colts saw their 2022 schedule, they probably figured they'd start 2-0.  Instead, they're winless with 20 total points scored after an embarrassing shutout loss in Jacksonville.  The good thing, I guess, is that they're only a half-game back in that horrible division!  But playing the Chiefs won't make them feel any better about themselves.

Bills (2-0) at Dolphins (2-0): Buffalo-An early big game in the AFC East.  The Bills being 2-0 isn't a surprise.  The Dolphins being 2-0 certainly is, although maybe it shouldn't be since we saw some signs at the end of last season.  Buffalo's defense will obviously be impacted by all of the injuries, but I think they're a good enough team to overcome them.  And, if this game turns into a scoring fest, their offense is more than capable of handling that, too.

Lions (1-1) at Vikings (1-1): Minnesota-Both of these teams have lost to the Eagles, who many think are one of the elite teams in the league.  So they probably both have reason to feel good about themselves, despite the fact that they're 1-1.  The Lions actually gave Philly a better game than Minnesota did, but the Vikings looked awfully impressive against the Packers!  That game was in Minnesota, too, as is this one.  Thus, the Vikings are the pick.

Ravens (1-1) at Patriots (1-1): Baltimore-Are the Ravens good or not?  I'm still not really sure.  They looked great against the Jets, then gave up 42 points against Miami.  Now it's the Patriots, a team I'm equally unsure about.  They rebounded from their loss to the Dolphins with a win in Pittsburgh, and now they finally get to play at home.  Will that be an advantage?  Or will the good Ravens team show up?

Bengals (0-2) at Jets (1-1): Cincinnati-Can the defending AFC champs really start 0-3?  They're playing the Jets, so I'm gonna say probably not.  Everybody got all giddy about the Jets winning last week, but let's not get carried away.  They were playing Cleveland!  And, yes, the Bengals are 0-2, but they've played Pittsburgh and Dallas, two much tougher opponents (yes, I'm aware Pittsburgh lost to Cleveland).  Although, Cincinnati did lose to the Jets at MetLife last season, so...

Eagles (2-0) at Commanders (1-1): Philadelphia-After that performance on Monday night, the Eagles are getting lots of well-deserved love.  They may, in fact, be the best team in the NFC.  At least they looked like it last week.  In the NFL, though, you never know what team you're gonna get from one week to the next!  Because this is the same team that barely beat Detroit in Week 1.  Things will probably be similar in Washington, including the result.

Saints (1-1) at Panthers (0-2): New Orleans-We've got an NFC South showdown in Charlotte.  The NFC South, which is the only division with two 0-2 teams.  Which is great for the two teams that aren't 0-2.  Although, frankly, I think the Panthers are staring at 0-3.  New Orleans is better.  At this point in the season, that's enough.

Jaguars (1-1) at Chargers (1-1): Chargers-Believe it or not, Jacksonville is currently in sole possession of first place!  Although, it's also kinda sad that they're the only team in the AFC South with a win this season!  Which means that the entire division could have sub-.500 records after this week.  Already!  After Week 3!  But that's what's likely to happen.  Especially since they ain't beating the Chargers!

Rams (1-1) at Cardinals (1-1): Rams-Not surprisingly, the Rams had a much better performance against the Falcons than they did against the Bills.  What is surprising is how the Cardinals came thisclose to being 0-2.  They needed that comeback against the Raiders to avoid that disaster.  But, when it comes to the NFC West, the division games are really what matter.  So this is a big one for both teams.

Falcons (0-2) at Seahawks (1-1): Seattle-Atlanta plays its second straight game on the West Coast.  The first one didn't go so well.  This one probably won't either.  It's true that the Seahawks aren't as good as the Rams, but the problem is the Falcons aren't as good as either of them.  Although, I must admit, I wasn't expecting Seattle to come into this game with a win already on the board.  They'll come out of it with two wins.

Packers (1-1) at Buccaneers (2-0): Tampa Bay-Rodgers vs. Brady, perhaps for the last time.  It's the Bucs' home opener too.  So, there was plenty of reason for FOX to make this their national game after both of these teams already got a Sunday night.  I know it's still early, but at this point in the season, I'd have to think Tampa has the advantage here.  Later in the season, I might think differently.  But the Packers, who lost their only road game so far, will need to prove me wrong.

49ers (1-1) at Broncos (1-1): Denver-I still don't know what to make of either of these teams.  And, fortunately, Yankees-Red Sox is the Sunday night baseball game, so I don't need to be subjected to this one on national television.  The game itself should be fine, but I just don't see why the NFL and NBC felt the need to make this a Sunday night game in Week 3.  Anyway, it's in Denver, so I'll go Broncos I guess.

Cowboys (1-1) at Giants (2-0): Dallas-All week, people have been jumping all over the Giants as the "worst" 2-0 team.  That very well may be true, but you know what?  They're still 2-0!  Will it last?  Probably not!  It might even end this week.  But there's also plenty of reason to be optimistic about this team after two games.  We'll at least get to see how they stack up against a Dallas team that hasn't looked as good as predicted so far.

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 15-17-1

Let's Not Forget About Albert

As Aaron Judge continues his assault on the American League home run record, there's another equally remarkable home run record that we're going to see this season.  What once seemed impossible now seems incredibly likely.  Albert Pujols will get to 700.  And the fact that they'll both happen in the same season makes it that much more extraordinary.

When Albert returned to the Cardinals this year for one final season, it was seen as a nostalgic farewell tour.  Going back to his original team to say goodbye to baseball and thank you to Cardinals fans.  He'd DH a couple times a week, but certainly wasn't going to be the Albert Pujols who played for the Cardinals a decade ago.  The Albert Pujols who'll wear a Cardinals hat on his Hall of Fame plaque, have his number retired and get a statue outside Busch Stadium.

That Albert Pujols, of course, is long gone.  The current Albert Pujols is 42 years old and a part-time player.  Which, at this point in his career, is completely acceptable.  If used correctly, he can thrive in that role.  Which is exactly what we're seeing.  He's still got it!

You'd be forgiven if you thought he was done when he got cut by the Angels last year.  There are a number of reasons why his tenure in Anaheim ended so acrimoniously (his contract, needing to get Jared Walsh at-bats, Ohtani being locked in at DH, Albert not producing when he actually did play), but he would've called it a career if he thought he was done.  He clearly didn't think he was.  And he was right!

One of the most remarkable things I saw today about his pursuit of 700 is that he doesn't really care.  He's at peace with his decision to retire, whether he gets there or not.  In other words, he's not thinking about it.  Which I think is a big reason why he's gonna get there.

He entered this season 21 home runs shy of 700.  When he was in his prime, he could hit 21 home runs at the drop of a hat.  But, entering this season, it was a reasonable question to ask whether he'd be able to hit 21 this year or not.  For starters, would he get enough at-bats?  And would he be consistent enough in those at-bats to warrant somewhat-regular playing time?  Well, I think we know the answer to both of those questions!

And, frankly, the pursuit of 700 home runs aside, just seeing Albert Pujols's career renaissance is remarkable enough!  He went to the Dodgers last year with something to prove.  And he proved it!  So we should've known that his Cardinals reunion this season would end up being so much more than just a farewell tour.

As a part of that farewell tour, Albert was one of Rob Manfred's commissioner's selections for the All*Star Game.  He certainly didn't put up All*Star-like numbers in the first half, but there wasn't a single person who had a problem with the selection either.  In fact, most people viewed it as more of a lifetime achievement award that was completely warranted for a retiring future Hall of Famer.

Since the All*Star Break, though, Pujols has been on an absolute tear!  And suddenly 700 wasn't just possible, it was likely!  In August, he hit .361 with eight home runs...after hitting seven home runs total over the first four months of the season!  He's cooled down a little bit in September, but still has four more, and now he's only two away.

Just think about that.  Three men in the history of Major League Baseball have hit 700 home runs.  Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.  Albert Pujols will become the fourth.  He won't catch Ruth for third place all-time, but so what?  Seven hundred is the nice, round number.  It's the number that Alex Rodriguez couldn't reach.  He was at 696 when he and the Yankees decided that was it in August of 2016.  (Who was called up to replace A-Rod on the Yankees' active roster the next day?  Why, that would be Aaron Judge!)

It's not just that he's gonna get there.  It's how!  Albert's had a career renaissance now that he's back in St. Louis.  He isn't the Albert Pujols of old.  But he's been good enough to warrant the "are you sure you still want to retire?" conversation.  At the beginning of the season, some thought his place on the team was nothing more than ceremonial and questioned if he warranted a guaranteed roster spot.  

Well, Albert hasn't just warranted a guaranteed roster spot, he's been a valuable piece in the Cardinals' lineup.  He can still mash lefties, just like he always has, and is the regular DH whenever St. Louis faces a left-handed starter.  And this is a lineup that features a pair of MVP candidates in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, mind you!  The Cardinals lead the NL Central and are rolling towards the playoffs and Albert hasn't just been along for the ride, he's been a huge part of it!

His pending retirement may actually be a big part of the reason why we're seeing a glimpse of the Albert Pujols of old.  He doesn't have that massive contract he's trying to justify, AND he knows this is the end.  There's no pressure, so he can go out there and do what he's done extraordinarily well for two decades!  That's how you can tell he's not thinking about 700.  If he was thinking about it, he wouldn't be anywhere near it.

Instead, Cardinals fans are being treated to so much more than just a farewell tour.  They get to watch Albert's pursuit of 700, and it's captured their attention just as much as Mark McGwire's pursuit of 62 in 1998.  Twenty-five years later, another slugger is on the verge of 62.  The fact that Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols are on their home run quests in the same season is pure coincidence.  But it's also what's made 2022 such a remarkable season.

But Ohtani Also Pitches...

That seems to be the only argument those who think Shohei Ohtani should win AL MVP over Aaron Judge ever make.  So, if I can follow their line of thinking, Ohtani should automatically win AL MVP every year until the end of his career because he has a unique skillset that's unlike anything Major League Baseball has ever seen before.  And it should also be held against everybody else that they can't do something only Ohtani can.

Count CC Sabathia, Judge's former teammate, among that group who thinks Ohtani should automatically be MVP just because.  When asked about it, CC somewhat controversially, said that if he had a vote, he would pick Ohtani over Judge.  Although, his argument pretty much came down to fanboying over Ohtani and calling him the "best player ever" repeatedly.  Which apparently, in CC's mind means we shouldn't even bother if Ohtani's healthy, since we should just give it to him every year.

Shohei Ohtani is a unique talent.  No one is denying that.  Watching him pitch seven innings and strike out seven while also hitting two home runs, then DHing the next night is truly remarkable.  There's no question that his ability to not only do both, but do both at such a high level makes Ohtani the best overall player in baseball right now.  But simply being the best player doesn't make you the MVP.

Yet still, there are those who are trying to make the case that the AL MVP race actually is or should be somewhat close.  It's not.  And I don't think it will be when the actual vote totals are revealed.  But the fact that so many people are talking about Ohtani are turning it into a conversation.  Well, they're trying to at least.

Now, I'm sure that some of these broadcasters and columnists know it'll actually be Judge, but are saying "Ohtani" simply because they need something to talk/write about and they want to start a debate.  There are also likely some of them who feel strongly that it should be Ohtani because they view the MVP as more of a "Best Player" award.  Then there's Option C, which I'm sure has also entered into the mindset of some, they just want to get Yankees fans riled up!

In fact, some of the most asinine comments from the Ohtani crowd is that Yankee fans "need to stop being biased" towards Judge.  The irony of statements like that is how those making them probably don't even realize how biased they are against Judge.  They don't like the Yankees and, by extension, Aaron Judge.  So, Yankee fans are wrong for thinking their guy is the MVP.  Meanwhile, if you took the team and player names away, it wouldn't even be a close comparison.

None of this is to diminish Ohtani.  At all.  But what have his otherworldly numbers gotten his team?  Yet another losing season.  So, how valuable is he when, despite having arguably the two best players on the planet, the team still isn't any good?  The Angels might lose more games without him, but it's not like they're winning a ton with him!

Judge, meanwhile, has been carrying a first-place team on his back all season.  When the Yankees sucked so bad in August that they looked like a Little League team out there, Judge was the one guy who actually looked like he still knew how to hit.  They've won games solely because of Aaron Judge this season, and the Yankees are headed to the playoffs.

There's also this little tidbit that has gone somewhat unnoticed because of his monster offensive numbers, but I think it's one of the biggest reasons for the Yankees' success this season.  Judge moved to center field to make the team better.  His being willing to switch positions allowed Giancarlo Stanton to play the outfield and opened up the DH spot, giving Aaron Boone so many more options with his lineup (it also made it so that he didn't have to start Aaron Hicks and/or Joey Gallo).  This is a team that has five starting infielders, mind you, so somebody would've had to sit if Stanton was locked into the DH spot.

Now let's talk about what he's done offensively.  The most obvious thing is that he's going to break the franchise and American League single-season home run record.  He's going to do this despite only getting a handful of pitches to hit every night.  Judge may get one pitch per at-bat.  He makes sure he does something with it.  And, again, how many times has he come up with the clutch hit (not necessarily a home run) that gave the Yankees the victory?

One guy used as his argument "All Judge does is hit home runs," which anyone who's watched a second of baseball this season (or taken the 30 seconds to look up the stats) knows is categorically FALSE!  Judge, in fact, leads either the Majors or the AL in EVERY major offensive category except for batting average, where he's currently third (just one point behind Luis Arraez).  So, after he gets to 62, it'll be the Judge Triple Crown watch, which is suddenly a realistic pursuit.

The last time somebody won the Triple Crown, it was Miguel Cabrera in 2012.  And Miggy had to deal with a lot of the same crap in his Triple Crown year.  All anyone would talk about was how Mike Trout deserved to be MVP over him because of Trout's WAR.

You know my feelings on WAR, but if you want to talk about it, let's talk about it.  Judge's WAR is 9.2.  Ohtani's is 8.7.  And that's his pitching and hitting combined!  So, even when combining his pitching and hitting stats, Ohtani's WAR is still half a point below Judge's!  Yet you're still telling me that this guy deserves to be MVP over Judge?  Please!

It's true that Ohtani was the unanimous AL MVP last season over Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.  There are two major differences between 2021 and 2022, though.  Last season, Ohtani and Guerrero were neck-and-neck offensively while Ohtani was also putting up great pitching numbers in the first season the Angels really let him do both full-time.  This year, Ohtani's offensive numbers don't compare to what he did last year (yet are still really good).  Judge, meanwhile, is having a historic offensive season!

I also come back to this.  Ohtani is the only guy who pitches and hits!  So is that really a fair criterion to use for your comparison?  You can't hold the fact that Ohtani does something no one else can do against everybody else!  Especially since it's not the "Best" Player Award.  It's the "Most Valuable" Player Award.  And, sorry, but this year, it's no contest.

As great as Shohei Ohtani is, he's not the AL MVP.  Aaron Judge is having a historic season.  As much as 2021 was Ohtani's year, 2022 is Judge's.  Fortunately, enough people realize that to make this stupid "debate" unnecessary.  Ohtani's great.  Judge is the MVP.  And, frankly, it's not even that close.

My 2022 NFL Picks (Week 2)

Well, last week was...not good!  I guess that's what happens when you forget about your picks until 12:30 in the morning when you're watching a tennis match!  Or maybe I can just blame it on Week 1 being Week 1, when you don't actually know who's good yet.  And at least I'm off to a good start in Week 2, getting the Chiefs-Chargers game right.  Now on to the rest of Week 2...

Thursday Night: Kansas City (Win)

Jets (0-1) at Browns (1-0): Cleveland-Of all the games I picked incorrectly last week, I was most disappointed to see Cleveland win.  As you know, I just have an uncomfortable feeling about the Browns and how everything went down with Baker Mayfield and DeShaun Watson, and I was sooo looking forward to Mayfield getting his revenge!  It didn't happen, obviously, and now Cleveland has a very realistic shot at starting 2-0.

Commanders (1-0) at Lions (0-1): Washington-Detroit is the favorite for the first time since Week 11 of 2020.  So clearly enough people were encouraged by their performance last week against Philadelphia.  Either that or they were left uninspired by the Commanders' win over Jacksonville.  Or maybe both.  Regardless, I think Washington is a better team than Detroit.  Thus, the Commanders are the pick.

Buccaneers (1-0) at Saints (1-0): New Orleans-As much as Tom Brady may own the Dallas Cowboys, the New Orleans Saints seem to be the one team that has his number.  Does that mean Tampa still won't win the NFC South?  Not necessarily.  But playing early in the season is certainly another thing working in the Saints' favor here.  I think they get this one.

Panthers (0-1) at Giants (1-0): Giants-How about that Brian Daboll!  He goes for the win, the Giants get the two-point conversion, and they start the season with a win for the first time in forever.  Now they play the Panthers, who I think they're better than.  Can the 1-0 Giants actually become the 2-0 Giants?  I'd actually be surprised if they don't.

Patriots (0-1) at Steelers (1-0): Pittsburgh-Mark my words, the Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna be a force to be reckoned with this season.  People aren't expecting a lot out of them, and I think that's the reason why they'll be formidable every week against whoever they play.  Tough start for the Patriots to have back-to-back road games in Weeks 1 & 2.  The good news is they finally get to play in Foxboro next week.  The bad news is they'll be 0-2 when they do.

Colts (0-0-1) at Jaguars (0-1): Jacksonville-For some reason, the Colts cannot beat the Jaguars.  Last season, they went into Jacksonville in Week 18 needing just a tie to make the playoffs...and lost!  It was something like their fifth straight loss in Jacksonville.  So why should I think this year would be any different?

Dolphins (1-0) at Ravens (1-0): Baltimore-Beating the Jets isn't exactly an indication of how good a team actually is.  Especially early in the season.  But I did like what I saw from the Ravens last week.  I also liked what I saw from the Dolphins, but how much of that can be attributed to their propensity to beat the Patriots in Miami?  I guess we'll find out this week.  About both teams.

Falcons (0-1) at Rams (0-1): Rams-The Rams are a better team than that opening night performance against Buffalo.  And they've been sitting on that loss for a looooonnnnng time.  So you know they really want to put on a good show in Week 2.  Playing the Falcons will certainly help with that.  Atlanta's not a good team.

Seahawks (1-0) at 49ers (0-1): San Francisco-Who had the Seahawks in sole possession of first place at any point this season?  Yet that's exactly where they are after being the only NFC West team to win last week.  Frankly, I expected San Francisco to be the one coming into this game with a 1-0 record, but they didn't look good at all against the Bears.  Maybe being at home will be the recipe for success.

Bengals (0-1) at Cowboys (0-1): Cincinnati-I know it was only one game, but I'm not feeling so good about my Cowboys Super Bowl pick right now.  They had absolutely no offense against Tampa Bay WITH Dak, so I really wonder how bad it's gonna be without him.  Sorry, but they're gonna have to show me.  That's why I'm going with the Bengals.

Texans (0-0-1) at Broncos (0-1): Denver-Your team spends all this money on Russell Wilson, has a makeable 4th-and-5 and, instead of going for it, you decide to attempt a 64-yard field goal?!  Sorry, Nathaniel Hackett, but being a rookie coach doesn't give you a pass for making such a rookie move.  It was dumb.  Plain and simple.  And the Broncos deserved to lose because of it.  Hopefully he actually tries to win the game this week.

Cardinals (0-1) at Raiders (0-1): Las Vegas-Arizona's performance was perhaps the most disappointing of anybody's last week.  They got blown out so badly, CBS switched off the game and went to Raiders-Chargers.  That game was only marginally better, but at least it was close.  Now the two of them meet each other.  Since the Cardinals need to show me something, especially on the road, I'm going Raiders.

Bears (1-0) at Packers (0-1): Green Bay-Maybe Aaron Rodgers should consider actually playing in the preseason.  Because the Packers keep treating Week 1 like it's a preseason game.  Of course, last year's Week 1 blowout loss to New Orleans didn't really seem to faze them on the way to their annual playoff loss.  And I doubt this year's Week 1 loss to Minnesota will have much of an effect either.

Titans (0-1) at Bills (1-0): Buffalo-There was perhaps no team more impressive in Week 1 than the Bills, who looked every bit like the Super Bowl favorite many say they are.  And that was against a really good Rams team!  Now it's their home opener against the Titans, who lost at home to the Giants.  Tennessee's still probably the favorite in the AFC South (where nobody won last week), but they're staring at an 0-2 start to the season.

Vikings (1-0) at Eagles (1-0): Philadelphia-Part II of the Monday night "doubleheader" (that isn't actually a doubleheader) sees Joe and Troy headed to Philadelphia.  That was a really solid performance by the Vikings last week.  Some might even argue it was one of the most impressive showings by anybody this side of Buffalo and Kansas City.  Unfortunately, I don't think it carries over against the Eagles.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 6-9-1 (I know...bad!)
Season: 7-9-1