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Hacksaw’s Bonus Podcast-You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton-Sports

https://youtube.com/live/VFshzPFbuCc?feature=share

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‘HARD TO BELIEVE’
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A look at stories that are all around us.

LAST PLACE BABY…Who could-would have expected this.  The Yankees and Mets opened the week, both in last place.  Teams ranked 1st and 3rd in payroll are buried in the basement.  Done in by injuries more than anything else.  This is not so much on Buck Showalter or Aaron Boone not doing a good job, it’s just not having enough players on the roster because of who was on the disabled list.  It was staggering, all the Mets pitchers, all the Yankees bats on IL.  And of course the Padres with the 2nd highest payroll in baseball, running up hill to try and forge their way into the last wildcard spot.

HARD TO BELIEVE…The Orioles in lst place, with an elite record.  What a job by Mike Elias to fix all that was wrong with baseball in Baltimore, from the horrors of the Angelos family ownership, to the pitiful payrolls given out, and then to the roster building the front office took part in.  Been a long time coming.  The Cal Ripken era was a long time ago.  Boog Powell and the boys, an even longer time back.  And add this.  Baltimore did all the painful rebuilding in a division that included the big money Yankees, the Red Sox, the tremendous development of Tampa Bay, what Toronto has been, and O’s did all this in the division.

DODGERS BLUE…Pretty surprising, this team in first place, with all the wins, and all this despite the injuries to Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, the big bullpen problems, they are running away with the NL-West.  Yes they have the big bats of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and somewhere in there is the leadership of manager Dave Roberts 700-win career, but what a season to fight thru adversity.

NBA STARS WITH PROBLEMS…Anybody tired of this act, name players either demanding max contracts, or demanding trades.  A league in which the players act as GMs, demand acquisitions, and make threats.  The latest is James Harden, who said he agreed to pick up the option on his 36M-contract to help the team make a deal.  The deal to the Clippers never happened, because the asking price was high.  Then Harden asked for a ‘max contract’ and the Sixers said no because of his age.  Quite a track record he has developed.  Forced trades out of Houston-Brooklyn and now trying to do the same in Philadelphia.  Don’t you just love the wreckage these guys leave behind, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and so many more?  Wonder if the NBA will ever get control of the decision making.

RUNNING BACKS ARE US…Just like that they sign contracts.  Granted the last group of veteran free agent running backs had to take pay cuts, but they will play well where they landed.  The Patriots, who love heavy duty backs, get the Cowboys legend Ezekiel Elliott o a 1-year deal that could be worth 8M.  The Jets get the ex-Viking Dalvin Cook on a similar finance deal.  Zeke will help young New England QB-Mac Jones.  Cook joins Aaron Rodgers in the new look Jets offense.  Waiting next on multi-purpose Kareem Hunt, the ex Brown-Chiefs.

CAREER SNUFFED OUT..Really sad story in hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs #1 draft pick Rod Amirov, selected in 2020, deceased this weekend in 2023.  Brain cancer the year after he was drafted.  A rare tumor they could not control.  Terrible loss.  Sad outcome.

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TV…World Cup soccer-semi finals coming up.  Sweden-Spain in a semifinal early Tuesday morning on San Diego TV.  Then on Wednesday, England-vs-Australia.  So many story lines heading to the final week of Cup.  The demise of two time champion USA, the ouster of global power Japan.  The surprise of Sweden.  The stunning story of England surviving 3-knee injuries to 3-goal scorers and getting to the semifinals.  And then there are the Matildas, the Aussie side, the host team who will try to get the cup.  Lights on in the middle of the night in my house to watch this.

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