Author: Rich Sports Talk

Why the New York Mets should bring “Big Sexy” back

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The 2018 New York Mets cannot catch a break. When their pitching is lights out, the offense can’t buy a hit. Vice versa when the Mets offensive has has momentary spurts in this campaign it has been promptly followed by poor starts or bullpen implosions. To top it off the injury plague that has lingered around Flushing in recent years has claimed most of the team’s top talent including most recently Noah Syndergaard.

With the Mets trading the former superhero of Gotham in Matt Harvey to Cincinnati, the Mets rotation after Jacob deGrom has been more abysmal then Labor Day traffic. With all of the problems the Mets have had in the rotation the team could use an inning eater in the rotation and they could look into bringing back a fan favorite to a demoralized fan base. The New York Mets should trade for Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon.

Colon was productive in his three seasons with the Mets going 44-34 and helping the team reach the World Series (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

On the surface it shouldn’t be too difficult. The Rangers are off the a abysmal start and have Colon on a reasonable one year $ 1.75 Million deal. Colon would benefit from pitching in the National league again and more importantly save a bullpen that has been overworked in the beginning of this season. With five of his nine starts for the Rangers going over seven innings, Colon is perfect for the backend of this Mets rotation that has been plagued by short starts all season.

Colon would be an immediate improvement behind deGrom and Syndeergaard. Take a look at how Colon compares the the Mets three through five starters in the rotation.

W L IP ERA GS WHIP GS > 7 IP
Colon 2 2 63.1 3.55 9 0.93 5
Wheeler 2 4 50 5.4 9 1.48 1
Matz 2 3 45.2 3.55 10 1.27 0
Vargas 2 3 25.1 8.53 6 1.85 0

Colon has more starts over seven innings then these three combined while also having over 13 additional innings pitched to the next closest state. On top of that, he would own the best WHIP on the team and be tied has a far better ERA then both Wheeler and Vargas.

The Mets would be bringing back not only a player that has a proven track record in New York, but a fan favorite

Even though the Mets probably would not move Vargas to the bullpen given the massive contract he signed in the offseason, the Mets could try to turn Wheeler into a reliever which could push his 94.77 fastball average a few ticks higher being in a shorter role. The team tried this with Harvey, but Wheeler could benefit from shorter appearances in games and it has helped both Gsellman and Lugo become key pieces of the Mets bullpen.

Seeing what the ageless wonder is doing in the American League and what would be a low asking price, it makes sense for the Mets bring back Bartolo Colon and put him in the backend of the rotation. In a perfect world, if the Mets have five healthy starters Colon has proven that he can be a versatile reliever out of the pen if the Mets can get Wheeler, Matz, and Vargas healthy and pitching up to their potential.

In the short-term though, Colon instantly improves the back end of the rotation, but also has handled the pressure in the Big Apple and who would be a great influence in the locker room.

With the current state of the Mets rotation, it only makes sense for New York to bring Big Sexy back.

XFL City Mock Draft

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With the XFL asking fans on twitter this week on where they would like potential franchises for the 2020 season, I have decided to do my own XFL city mock draft.

I’ve picked eight cities where I think the XFL should set up shop for their kickoff season. Factors that went into this selection process included market size, lack of an NFL franchise, pipeline states for talent, stadium availability, and previous XFL success. There will be other factors also explained in the podcast.

I also include in the podcast potential expansion sites for the league and which two former cities the league had franchises that should now be avoided.

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The forgotten quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft

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On the latest Rich Sports Talk podcast it’s time to breakdown the quarterback that isn’t getting attention in this year’s NFL Draft. Despite winning the 2016 Heisman, Lamar Jackson has been consistently ranked as the fifth quarterback prospect in the pre-draft process. Let’s look at why he can succeed at the next level and what team has shown interest and could trade up to draft the young signal caller.

Listen: Podcast on iTunes 

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New buyer for XL Center the first step for the NHL in Hartford again?

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Is their hope for the NHL in Hartford on the horizon? One of the biggest obstacles preventing a team playing in Connecticut’s capital is the lack of a state of the art arena, however that soon may no longer be a problem.

Formerly the Hartford Civic Center, the XL Center is now one of the oldest active arenas in the United States

The Hartford Courant has reported that Oak Street Real Estate Capital, a Chicago firm, will submit a proposal to purchase and renovate the city’s arena later this month. The XL Center, formerly the Hartford Civic Center, is one of the oldest facilities in the country and needs a major overhaul. Currently, the arena hosts concerts is home to UConn Basketball, UConn Ice Hockey, and the AHL’s Hartford WolfPack.

The offer to the city of Hartford did outline the plan to renovate the building and planned to put in over $250 Million with the intention of making it a state of the art facility. The state has proposed two options in recent years, one of which was a $250 Million dollar proposal to bring the current property up to a state of the art facility through renovation.The other, and more expensive option, was to completely tear down the existing structure and build a new arena which would have cost $500 Million.

Artist rendering of what the $250 Million renovation could look like

The outline of the deal would be $50 Million upfront from the group to the state, but the state would pay 7.5% of the renovation costs and would be subject to annual increases of two percent. This would mean at the minimum the state would invest roughly $19 Million for the reconstruction. Just to tear down the existing structure would cost $40 Million

The following is a statement from the Oak Street Group on their interest in acquiring the XL Center.

“Our interest in the XL Center stems from our larger goal of revitalizing the Hartford area. We believe that the transformation of the aging arena into a state-of-the art sports and entertainment venue can be the focal point of the city’s redevelopment and spur economic growth.”

Included in this statement, Oak Street it is ready to close on the acquisition of the building in the coming month and would send its proposal to the state for the upcoming request for proposals.

Could an upgraded arena bring back the NHL? Seattle gives Hartford a glimmer of hope.

If the XL Center is upgraded to a state of the art facility it could put the city of Hartford in the discussion for a potential NHL team. The good news for hockey fans in Hartford is there are two encouraging trends in the National Hockey League that could eventually help the city land a franchise.

The first is the league’s expansion plan. The league is already looking to add a 32nd franchise in Seattle and after a successful ticket drive, Seattle is inching closer to professional hockey. After the success of hockey in Las Vegas due to a new expansion draft that has given the Golden Knights the quality talent to earn a sweep in the first round the NHL playoffs. With the new expansion plan working it is possible that Hartford could land an expansion franchise rather than relocating an existing team.

Renderings of Key Arena in Seattle after it is upgraded into a state of the art facility to hold an NHL franchise

The second factor is that Seattle is setting a new arena precedent for attracting an NHL franchise. It was believed that the only way to attract an NHL franchise with a brand new arena. However, if Seattle is awarded an official franchise, it proves that a city can update a pre-existing arena to a modern standard rather than building a new arena. In Seattle, the plan is to extensively remodel Key Arena into a state of the art facility. If the NHL does put a team in Seattle for the 2020 season, it shows that they are willing to put a team in a state of the art facility even if it is not a brand new facility.

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