Why We Love Baseball Launches This Tuesday
Colorado football is back + fantasy football tips from the guy who lost his league
🏈 Past: Deion Sanders proved me wrong. Colorado is going to be a problem.
It is not too hard to explain a -21 spread to someone who doesn’t know much about sports gambling. A spread like that spells a blowout. It indicates one team is significantly better than the other. In many cases, one team may be from a lesser conference than the other.
This was the spread for the Colorado vs. TCU game that took place Saturday at Among G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth Texas. The TCU Horned Frogs came in ranked #17 in the country following their 13-2 campaign last season where they ended up as the National Champion runner-ups to Georgia. The Colorado Buffaloes came in fresh off a 1-11 season and an offseason criticized by many.
Deion Sanders left Jackson State to become the head coach of Colorado and his tenure in Boulder quickly resembled Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. Deion set the record for the most roster turnover in one year at a major football program, bringing in 9 of his star players from Jackson State, in addition to 25 transfers from Power Five programs. In total, there are 47 new arrivals on campus.
People didn’t like what Deion was doing and doubted he would have any success at Colorado, including myself. I figured he excelled at Jackson State because of his ability to recruit top talent to play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, a conference not plush with NFL talent. I didn’t think he stood a chance as a coach in a Power Five conference. I will be the first to admit I may have been wrong.
Deion and the Colorado Buffaloes beat the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs 45-42, matching last year’s win total. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, immediately proved he belonged in the conversation with the best quarterbacks in collegiate football, setting a school-record with 510 passing yards and four passing TDs. Colorado wide receiver/cornerback (yes, they still have those) Travis Hunter proved he might be a dark horse Heisman candidate, as he caught 11 passes for 119 receiving yards, to go along with a huge interception near the goal line in the third quarter. Both players played for Deion last year at Jackson State.
Although it was just one game, you only get one chance at a first impression. Deion nailed it, let everyone know he nailed it, and stole the college football headlines before any other program could get a word in. Whether you believe it or not, Colorado football is back and Deion will be the first to tell you that. If you don’t believe me, I am sure he will be telling you all week.
⚾️ Present: Joe Posnanski’s new book is an all-timer. Let’s revisit some of my other favorite baseball books.
This Tuesday, New York Times best-selling author Joe Posnanski latest book on baseball, “Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments” becomes available on Amazon and at all major bookstores (yes, they still have those). The title of his latest work serves as a perfect book summary. Posnanski covers the top moments in the history of baseball, including stories from the Negro Leagues, Nippon Professional Baseball, and well, baseball movies. I found myself stopping every few pages to fire up YouTube to watch each moment with my own eyes. I encourage you to do the same. Think of it as an unofficial supplement to the reading experience.
In my mind, Posnanski is the top baseball writer of our generation. He has the unique ability to explain the beauty of baseball better than anyone I have ever come across. He is able to put into words the smells, sounds, and sights that make millions romantic about baseball. I have trouble sometimes communicating why I love baseball so much, while Posnanski’s words stick the landing on every page. I cannot recommend this book enough and in my opinion, is Posnanski’s best work to date.
I had Joe on my podcast this week to discuss his book and talk baseball. Click here to listen.
What other baseball books have I read that rival Why We Love Baseball? I just have a few:
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It
Lawrence Ritter wrote this book back in 1966 and to this day, it still stands as possibly the best baseball book ever written. Ritter makes you appreciate the early days of baseball in America and shows you just how much the game has changed while also showing you that some things haven’t changed a bit. The entire book is first-person interviews with the star players of early 20th century baseball. This is a must for anybody that has stepped foot in a ballpark.
Why We Love Baseball covers the 50 best moments in baseball history while Joe Posnanski’s book The Baseball 100 covers the, you guessed it, 100 best players in baseball history. This is the perfect supplement to Why We Love Baseball. Honestly, if you happened to purchase both books at the same time, I would recommend that you read this one first before diving into Why We Love Baseball. However, it is much more like watching episodes of The Simpsons. You can really start anywhere.
Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of ‘76:
Dan Epstein wrote this book in 2016, 40 years post-Bicentennial, but quickly transports you back to the summer of 1976 when Thurman Munson, Joe Morgan, Mike Schmidt, Dave Kingman, Randy “Junkman” Jones, and Mark “The Bird” Fidrych ruled the league. Epstein leverages the incredible characters in the MLB during the Bicentennial summer with his extensive pop culture knowledge to produce one of the most fun reads out there.
🏈 Future: Who I am going after in my fantasy football draft this Wednesday.
I lost my fantasy football league for the first time last year. I am the last person you should want advice from. Do you think that will stop me from giving advice? Of course not. If anything, I am due for some good fantasy football advice. Here are some of the players that I have my eye on:
QB: Aaron Rodgers
Call it the Hard Knocks effect. Call it the fact Rodgers is 39 years old. Call it fatigue from hearing about Rodger’s off the field sideshows. Whatever it is, Rodgers, the 4-time NFL MVP, is severely underrated going into his first season with the New York Jets. Yahoo Fantasy Sports has his average draft position at pick 102 and in auction drafts, he is going for just $6. This ranks him 17th among QBs, which is simply not where he will rank by the end of this season. Reunited with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and with Garrett Wilson as a bonafide #1 receiver, Rodgers is going to be a top 10 QB.
RB: Nick Chubb
Kareem Hunt is finally gone, leaving Chubb with the Cleveland backfield all to himself. With a top shelf offensive line, Chubb ran for 1,525 yards and 12 TDs last year. With more carries coming his way, look for Chubb pushing to join the 2,000 rushing yard club this year, as well as become a much bigger part of the passing game. This could be the all-world year Chubb is still lacking on his hall of fame resume.
WR: Chris Olave
Olave finished his rookie season as the 25th best wide receiver in half-PPR leagues, despite having to catch passes from Andy Dalton and Jaemeis Winston last year. Say what you want about new Saints quarterback Derek Carr, but he has thrown for over 4,000 passing yards in four of his last five seasons. Davante Adams, his top wide receiver in Las Vegas last year, finished the 2022 season with 100 catches, 1516 yards, and 14 touchdowns. Olave is the clear top receiver in the Big Easy and I wouldn’t be shocked if he put up similar numbers in his sophomore season.
TE: George Kittle
I always say Kittle is a much better tight end than fantasy tight end, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t draft him this year. Kittle caught a career-high 11 touchdown passes last season and seemed to be Brock Purdy’s favorite. Purdy to Kittle will never be the same as Brady to Gronk, but even a poor man’s version is worth your time on draft night.
Defensive: New York Jets
Hard Knocks is so damn good it has me picking the Jets here. By no means should this be the first defense taken off the board, but their blue chip guys (Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner) are just too good to ignore. They have a ton of depth on their defense line and linebacker C.J. Mosley is coming off an AP 2nd Team All-Pro season. The only concern with the Jets is not the talent, but their schedule. They have a lot of high power offenses ahead of them that could make them tough to play some weeks.