Best 15 Minutes in Sports–Thursday

Posted by on June 11th, 2020  •  0 Comments  • 

……………(Baseball)………………

Padres….1st day of draft…Chose 8th and 34th

..Robert Hassell-OF-Franklin, Tennessee (6’2-190)..hit (.423)24HRs in 2-year high school career….”I can play corner outfield spots-but have played my entire career in centerfield….Ready to sign when they tell us we can…I love baseball-love to grind-want this to be best time of my life”
..Justin Lange-P-Llano, Texas (6’4-195)…has been clocked at 101mph..fastball at 95-96…projects with big size-growth factor…Good changedup-will need to work on proper grip on curveball.

Padres…Press Conference:

Robert Hassell-1st round draft pick

..Still not real to me that I was a high pick-super exciting

..Process was really good…alot of zoom calls
..Not having senior season was hard-out of my control
..Stayed around game-worked out everyday to stay sane
..I think I did all I could do to get ready..could have batted .1000
..I can play corners in outfield…have played center my life
..I do have power over my life..will add powere as I build out
..I have plenty of power and yes and
..Get in weight room…build strength…man’s size
..Ryan Weathers-former Padres pick…tell you same..Tennessee is overlooked
..Ryan Weathers kept telling me Padres were interested in me.
..There’s not a ton of people around you here..motivation to excel
..Super competitive person-super loyal as a person-player-everything I do
..Father became my hitting coach..we learned alot together
..Fluid-swing evolved from young age from worst swing ever seen
..I had all 30-teams scouts in house in the fall
..Met with Padres scouting director..hopped on 2-or-3 zoom calls
..Zoom call..question about my character-background
..Talked about baseball…had film on me..wanted to talk about my vision of game
..Ready to sign at earliest point..no-one knows when we play
..Ready to get after it for sure
..If you love game..love playing it..loved grinding it…I knew i would be ready
..Think this will be best time of my life.

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GM-AJ Preller…Director Scouting-Mark Conner

..He is an elite high school hitter
..Centerfielders can move to corner outfielder
..Great skill set
..Locked in on Robert Hassell..analyzed one of better hitters we have seen
..Draft in this year, not having full season-draft could have gone in different direction
..Not surprised Orioles made suprise pick at #2 with Arkansas outfielder
..Pick #8-scouting Robert Hassell for a couple of years.

..Very close decisions on either Hassell-really believe ability to hit
..We think he is best prep hitter in the nation
..Saw him this spring…saw 3-live games
..Skill set of Hassell…good long projectable body-can add mass
..Robert-wired right-ultra competitive-hates to strike out
..Position player projects-think best hitter in high school class
..Body fills out-project to be power hitter
..Solid instincts-to be play defense…
..Above aerage arm for outfielder
..Was on our radar for almost two seasons
..Was on our board and decided to scout him extensively last fall into off season
..Did Zoom multiple times with him
..Mark Conner lives in Nashville-scouted him alot..Player of Year twice
..We can sign players immediately-get both under contract.
..Justin Lange-we saw body projection as a pitcher-long stride
..Getting to know him-he is a worker..worked out Christmas-New Years Day
..We saw great growth in velocity
..Let him grow as a young man-size wise
..Big arm-big upside…saw his progression from Area Code Games and New Balance games
..Had 3-other scouts take a look at Lange…everyone thought big upside
..Teach him command of fastball and changeup…find 1-shape of true breaking ball
..He has natural feel for changeup as a plus pick..think we can develop a hard slider.
..Risk selecting high school player with no senior season-not much risk-we saw opportunity
..We have chosen lots of players from Southeast…alot of players there…3-years in a row..just how it worked out
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Dodgers..1st round pick…P-Bobby Miller-Univ Louisville (6’5-LHP)….(15-2) career record

Angels..
..Reid Detmers-P-Univ Louisville (6’4-LHP)..(20-6) record…284K-191 innings..3-year starter for Cardinals

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(MLB Draft)–Top Picks

1-Detroit..3B-Spencer Torkelson-Arizona State
2-Baltimore..OF-Heston Kjerstad-Arkansas
3-Miami..P-Max Meyer-Univ Minnesota
4-Kansas City..P-Asa Lacy-Texas AM
5-Toronto..SS-Austin Martin-Vanderbilt
6-Seattle..P-Emerson Hancock-Univ Georgia
7-Pittsburgh..SS-Nick Gonzalez-New Mexico State
8-Padres..OF-Robert Hassell-Franklin, Tennessee
9-Rockies..Zac Veen-OF-Port Orange, Florida
10-Angels..Reid Detmers-P-Univ Louisville

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(MLB)

MLB…Commissioner Rob Manfred tells MLB-Network..”We are going to play baseball in 2020..100% sure”….”Players need to get off this 100% salary demand”….”Playing 114 or 89-games is not realistic”

Owners-Union….MLB awaiting response to last proposal for 76-game season with players getting 75% of Pro Rated Pay.

Owners…Inform Union if 16-team playoff format adopted…Networks will pay 1B (6.5M) per team…14-team playoff would bring in just 777M-total (3.9M) per team.

Union…Informs agent Scott Boras-illegal to pay his clients minor league salaries this year.

Claudell Washington…Passes away (65Y)…17-year career…started with A’s…spent 6Y with Braves…4Y-Yankees…also Texas-White Sox-Mets-Angels…Career (.278-312 stolen bases)

Matt Harvey…Negotiating to sign in Japan…has pitched for Mets-Reds-Angels.

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……………..(College Football)………….

USC….Ban lifted allowing former Heisman Trophy RB-Reggie Bush to have relationship with school….was barred from University for 10-years after NCAA scandal….forced to return Heisman Trophy because he took 300,000 from marketing company while in school….Led to USC being put on 4-years probation..forefeit NCAA-title…stripped of 30-scholarships.

Utah State…CB-CJ Pollard-transfers in from USC.

———————

(NFL)

NFL-Union…discussing reducing Preseason schedule from 4-games to 2-games…Proposing 2-week OTA-Classroom sessions to open camp…then 4-weeks training camp regimen.

NFL..Informs Cowboys-Steelers they can open camp July 15th…Prepare for Hall of Fame Game…All other teams can open on July 25th…First 7-days are conditioning without pads.

Hall of Fame..Reopened for business on Wednesday…Preparing for game on August 6th….Induction ceremonies on August 8th.

Washington..Coach Ron Rivera says he will support his players if they wish to knee during National Anthem.

Dallas..Owner Jerry Jones being criticized for not speaking out publicly about the racial unrest in country.

Carolina Panthers…Remove status to owner Jerry Richardson at front of stadium…He was forced out because of /#MeToo movement of sexism comments.

Chargers..RB-Justin Jackson says QB-Colin Kaeperneck should feel ”very vindicated” for his 2016 protests

Chiefs..coach Andy Reid praises Patrick Mahomes-Tyrann Mathieu for their leadership in the country’s peaceful protests.

Patriots..coach Bill Belichick praises Devin McCourty for the work his foundation is doing on race refore.

Vikings..Owner Zig Wulf pledges 5M to projects in Twin Cities leading to race reform.

49ers..CB-Richard Sherman chastizes Commissioner Roger Goodell…’Supporting Peaceful Protests isn’t enough…We as players have an absolute right to protest….You need to do more than just speak’
Raiders…Draft pick Lynn Bowden placed in hand-cuffs after DEA and Police raided a family home during a drug-gun search in Youngstown, Ohio…Police confiscated loaded weapons but did not make any arrests…Undercover agents had bought drugs at family house where Bowden was visiting.

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……………….(Basketball)………………

TNT Network….announces that Play-by-Play teams will broadcast from studios at Turner Network in Atlanta..not courtside when NBA games resume in July.

Toronto..Raptors discussing holding early training camp in US-city because of travel restrictions crossing border between US-Canada.

Utah…Hold conference call to discuss differences between Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell and incidents that occurred when Covid Virus broke out

Milwaukee…F-Giannis Antetokounmpo joined peaceful protests in city this past week.

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………………….(Hockey)………………….

NHL….May drop Canadian cities as potential hosts as Hub Cities for playoffs because of 14-day quarantine Canadian government has on players…

NHL…Edmonton-Calgary-Winnipeg-Toronto-Vancouver-Montreal all looking at holding training camps in US cities because of 14-day Quarantine law in place.

Montreal…Molson ownership gives vote of confidence to GM-Marc Bergevin.

Penguins…D-John Nyberg signs to play for Brynas-Sweden

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……………..(General)……………..

NASCAR…Martinsville 500….Martin Truex chased down Joey Logano with 20-laps left then pulled away from Ryan Blaney to win by 4-seconds under the lights in Virginia.

NASCAR…Bubba Wallace drives in race with ‘Black Lives Matter’ paint scheme.

PGA Golf….1st round action at Charles Schwab Invitational-Colonial in Ft-Worth…148-golfers led by Rory McIlroy-Brooks Koepka-Dustin Johnson lead the field…Tiger Woods not playing.

Ryder Cup….PGA America tells Captain Steve Stricker he will have right to choose 6-players on roster…Top 6-money winners by September 2nd will automatically qualify…Cup begins September 27th

European Tour…Informs golfers it will not relaunch till late July.

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