Posts

Posted on

Struggling New York Knicks call players-only meeting after fans boo

The New York Knicks have hit a rough patch.

After they were blown out at home Monday, Jan. 19 by a middling Dallas Mavericks team – marking their fourth consecutive loss and ninth in 11 games – team captain Jalen Brunson called a players-only meeting to sort through their struggles, according to ESPN.

Per the report, Brunson challenged his teammates to uncover solutions for their poor play, rather than to wait and defer to the coaching staff.

This came after the Knicks were booed at home Monday night, down by as many as 30 points. New York would lose 114-97, and it was the offense that once again let the Knicks down. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 44 points, but the rest of New York’s starters (Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges) contributed only 24 points.

“I mean, I’d be booing us, too,” Brunson told reporters after the game. “Straight up.”

The Knicks began the year with promise, jumping to the No. 2 seed and winning the NBA Cup in mid-December. Once the new year began, however, the team has struggled to find consistent offense, with the ball stagnating; in January, the Knicks have scored 109.4 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 26th in the NBA.

“We’ve got to lock in,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said Monday night after the loss. “We’ve got to do our job for 48 minutes. They scored 75 points in the first half. And at halftime, we usually (show) the clips and talk about technical Xs and Os and crap that coaches do and teams do. There was nothing to be said at halftime, except ‘Lock in and do your (expletive) job,’ excuse me on that.”

Brown pointed out how the Mavericks scored 39 points in the second half, compared to 44 in just the second quarter.

“It’s within our guys,” Brown said. “But we all have to do our job for 48 minutes.”

The Knicks (25-18) are still third in the Eastern Conference, and they have the chance to course correct against crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets (12-29) on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York Knicks call players-only meeting after fans boo blowout loss

Posted on

Josh Giddey could return from strained left hamstring this week after being sidelined since Dec. 31

CHICAGO (AP) — Guard Josh Giddey is just about ready to return to the Chicago Bulls’ lineup after being sidelined the past three weeks because of a strained left hamstring, coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday.

Donovan said prior to the game against the Los Angeles Clippers that Giddey could return at Minnesota on Thursday. The Australian missed his 11th game in a row.

“Feels pretty good,” Donovan said. “I think it’s just waiting to hear from the medical of what they want to do and how Josh feels. But everything that I’ve gotten from Josh in medical is that there were no setbacks and he’s doing well.”

Giddey has not played since a loss to New Orleans on Dec. 31. He walked off the court gingerly in the first minute of the second half in that game.

Giddey has performed at an All-Star level in his second season in Chicago since a trade from Oklahoma City. He is averaging a team-high 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9 assists, and has seven triple-doubles.

“I don’t know what the cutoff point is in terms of missed games and things like that, but before he got hurt, I think you could certainly make the argument he was playing at that level for strong consideration,” Donovan said.

The Bulls were ninth in the Eastern Conference at 20-22 entering Tuesday's game. Forward Patrick Williams sat out because of a sprained right ankle and is day to day. ___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Posted on

Cavs at Hornets: How to watch, odds, and injury report

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to bounce back from a one-sided loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday afternoon when they take on the Charlotte Hornets. Even though the Hornets don’t have an impressive record, they’ve been playing well lately.

The Hornets come into this game with the fourth-best net rating over the past two weeks. That’s partially juiced by a 55-point win over the Utah Jazz. But it’s also a reflection of how good they’re playing right now. The offense has been good all season, but they’ve taken another step forward with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Kneuppel.

The Cavs’ defense will have its hands full trying to slow down Charlotte’s dynamic offense.

Support us and Let ‘Em Know with Homage!

Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can buy the Mark Price shirt HERE. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (24-20) at Charlotte Hornets (16-27)

Where: Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC

When: Wed., Jan. 21 at 7 PM

TV: ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App

Point spread: Cavs -2.5

Cavs injury report: Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Sam Merrill – OUT (hand), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Chris Livingston – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)

Hornets injury report: PJ Hall – OUT (G League), Liam McNeeley – OUT (G League), Mason Plumlee – OUT (groin), Antoni Reeves – OUT (G League), Tidjane Salaun – PROBABLE (achilles), KJ Simpson – OUT (hip)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Hornets expected starting lineup: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate

Previous matchup: The Cavs defeated the Hornets 139-132 on Dec. 22

Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

Offensive RatingDefensive RatingNet Rating
Cavs117.3 (10th)115.2 (15th)+2.1 (12th)
Hornets117.4 (9th)117.6 (20th)-0.2 (16th)

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

  • Fewer ads
  • Create community posts
  • Comment on articles, community posts
  • Rec comments, community posts
  • New, improved notifications system!

Posted on

Knicks hold players-only meeting after fourth-straight loss, amid rumors Mike Brown hasn't connected with team

Just a month ago, the Knicks were 18-7 and celebrating winning the NBA Cup (but not by putting up a banner). A couple of weeks ago, Knicks owner James Dolan was proclaiming, "We want to get to the Finals. And we should win the Finals" on New York radio. The team improved to 23-9 at one point.

That seems like a lifetime ago.

New York has gone 2-9 since that high-water mark, having lost four straight and getting booed by its own fans on Monday when shorthanded Dallas blew them out at home. The Knicks have looked like a team searching for an identity.

That led newly-minted All-Star starter and team captain Jalen Brunson to call a team-only meeting, reports Ramona Shelburn at ESPN. Brunson's message was "that the Knicks needed to find answers for their poor play in January among themselves, rather than look to the coaching staff for solutions."

Which ties into the bigger concern — this team has yet to fully buy into what new coach Mike Brown is selling, reports the well-connected Ian Begley at SNY.TV.

Players haven't fully bought into their roles under head coach Mike Brown. Those reasons are cited often when you talk to people about the Knicks' flaws. Now, these issues aren't unique to this year's team. They existed to a degree in the locker room last season. But the Knicks coaching change hasn't rooted them out.

The firing of Tom Thibodeau and hiring of Brown was never going to cure all that ailed the Knicks. But the move definitely raised the stakes for New York.

Brown has opened up the offense, and it's a little better this season, but the defense has been a little worse, and with that, these Knicks are worse than a year ago. Not connecting with his players is partially on Brown, but there is plenty of blame to go around for how this team looks lost, both for the players and the front office.

For example, Karl-Anthony Towns isn't playing poorly — 21 points and 11.6 rebounds a game, he should still be an All-Star reserve — but his counting stats and, more importantly, his efficiency are well off from last season. His true shooting percentage fell from 63 a season ago to 59.9 this season, and his efficiency across the board is down. Is that on Towns, Brown for pushing Towns out of his comfort zone, or both?

The front office went out looking for depth this summer and added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, neither of whom has added all that much to the team.

Brown, however, is the key variable. ESPN’s Shelburne was on NBA Today and discussed how Brown's recent postgame hug of Draymond Green, who had picked up a technical foul for tripping Towns that night, did not sit well with players.

"From what I understand, that did not land well with a lot of folks there in New York, in that locker room or even in the organization. While you can understand why he might have a bond with Draymond Green, I don't think that landed well, especially in the middle of a losing streak."

Brown spent six seasons as Steve Kerr's right-hand man in Golden State, so he has a relationship with Green forged over multiple title runs. Still, life can be about timing and perception, and Brown missed on both in this case.

While Knicks fans will point to the upcoming NBA trade deadline as a chance to shake things up, the team is hard-capped at the second apron and just $148,353 below that number — they have limited flexibility to really shake things up. Unless the Knicks want to shake up their core, the moves will be on the fringes.

Which means Brunson is right — the answers need to come from inside the locker room. And the Knicks need to come up with that answer fast, as New York has slipped to fourth in the East and is just 1.5 games above the play-in. This is a team that reached the Easter Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years last season, but they fired coach Tom Thibodeau, believing a new voice (and someone who would trust and develop the bench) could deliver more. There were logical reasons to make the move. That said, whatever you think of Thibodeau, his teams had a clear identity.

New York needs to find its identity, and fast.

Posted on

Salford, the club with Beckham and Neville as owners, advances to FA Cup meeting with Man City

SALFORD, England (AP) — Salford City set up a meeting with Manchester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup by beating Swindon Town 3-2 on Tuesday.

Luke Garbutt curled in a 68th-minute free kick for the winner for the fourth-tier club owned by a consortium containing former Manchester United players David Beckham and Gary Neville.

Salford advanced from the third round for the first time and the reward is another trip to Etihad Stadium on Feb. 14.

City beat Salford 8-0 in the third round last season.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Posted on

2026 NBA Championship Odds: Thunder Heavily Favored to Repeat

It's going to take more than a few losses to shake bettors' faith in the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

OKC's NBA championship odds have remained rock solid at +135 over the past two weeks despite posting an uninspiring 7-3 record in their last 10 games. That span has included a pair of back-to-back losses to the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets as a well as a 122-120 heartbreaker to the Miami Heat.

In spite of those setbacks, the Thunder still have the NBA's best record at 36-8 and are on pace to establish the highest net rating in league history.

Let's dive into the latest odds as the new year gets underway.

🏆 2026 NBA Championship odds

The Thunder's odds have moved from +230 before the season began to +135 today. Rounding out the Top 5 are the Denver Nuggets (+600), Houston Rockets (+1000), New York Knicks (+1200), and Los Angeles Lakers (+1200).

📈 2026 NBA Finals odds over time

Here's a visual representation of how the NBA championship has odds evolved since June 2025.

💰 Sportsbook betting splits and insights

Highest ticket percentage
•    Nuggets 8.8%
•    Thunder 8.7%
•    Mavericks 8.2%
 
Highest handle percentage
•    Thunder 17.9%
•    Mavericks 16.3%
•    Lakers 13.3%
 
Biggest liability
•    Mavericks 
•    Lakers
•    Warriors 

Data courtesy of BetMGM.

2026 NBA Championship opening odds

  • Thunder +230
  • Knicks +900
  • Pacers +900
  • Timberwolves +1000
  • Cavaliers +1100
  • Rockets +1200
  • Lakers +1600
  • Spurs +1600
  • Nuggets +1700
  • Celtics +2000
  • Warriors +2300
  • Magic +2500
  • Mavericks +4000
  • Clippers +4000
  • 76ers +4500
  • Heat +5000
  • Pistons +7000
  • Bucks +7500
  • Grizzlies +10000
  • Raptors +15000
  • Suns +17000
  • Kings +20000
  • Pelicans +20000
  • Nets +25000
  • Hawks +30000
  • Bulls +40000
  • Trail Blazers +40000
  • Wizards +60000
  • Hornets +60000
  • Jazz +60000

🤖 AI NBA Championship prediction

We turned to the enormous computing power of ChatGPT to find out who the large language model believes will be the last team standing this season. Not surprisingly, it stuck with the defending champs.

Oklahoma City has the cleanest runway to be the best team in 2026: an MVP-caliber engine in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entering the heart of his prime, a two-way star wing in Jalen Williams, and a 7-footer in Chet Holmgren whose blend of rim protection, spacing, and feel supercharges modern schemes. That trio already drives elite half-court efficiency and a top-tier defense, and it’s backed by organizational continuity that reliably turns role players into playoff-useful pieces. Holmgren’s strength and timing appear to be fully NBA-hardened, unlocking more switching and fewer help-and-recover compromises, while SGA’s mid-range and foul-drawing remain matchup-proof in May and June.

Depth and optionality push the Thunder over the top. They can win big or small, play five-out without sacrificing rim protection, and toggle between pressure defense and conservative coverages depending on opponent. Crucially, they still have surplus picks and cap flexibility to plug the inevitable holes that show up in a long postseason, whether that’s a second unit scorer, another stretch big, or a specialist wing.

Expect a rotation stacked with plus length, shooting, and decision-making around the core; enough to outlast the West’s heavyweights and finish the job in the Finals.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Posted on

How to watch Warriors vs. Raptors

The Golden State Warriors close out their eight-game homestand Tuesday night with a matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Previously with the Warriors:

Golden State is coming off its fourth straight win after a 135–112 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night. However, the win came at a significant cost, as Jimmy Butler suffered a knee injury in the third quarter that abruptly shifted the mood inside Chase Center.

The Warriors responded with resilience. Immediately after Butler went down, Golden State rattled off a 12–0 run to regain control of the game. In the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry picked up his fifth foul, leaving the Warriors without their two leading scorers, yet they still outscored Miami 31–19 to close the night. Brandin Podziemski played a major role in that stretch, finishing with 24 points and knocking down several timely shots to keep the Heat at bay.

What to watch for tonight:

Despite the blowout victory, the Warriors now face a harsh new reality. ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed that Butler suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.

From a basketball standpoint, Golden State will need its offense to remain red-hot to help offset Butler’s absence on both sides of the floor. The Warriors shot 51.6 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range, knocking down 24 threes in Monday night’s win. It marked their fourth straight game with at least 20 made threes — a level of shooting efficiency they’ll need to sustain as they regroup and adjust in the short term without Butler.

Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!! 

Projected Starters

Warriors: Steph Curry, Moses Moody, Will Richard, Draymond Green, Quinten Post

Raptors: Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Ingram, Ochai Agbaji, Scottie Barnes, Sandro Mamukelashvili

How to watch Regular Season Game 45

Who: Golden State Warriors (25 – 19) vs. Toronto Raptors (25 – 19)

When: Tuesday, January 20th, at 7:00 p.m. PT

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)

Posted on

Championship roundup: Wright on time again for Coventry as Ipswich go second

  • Coventry 2-1 Millwall, Ipswich 2-0 Bristol City

  • Osmajic sent off as Preston beaten at home by Hull

Haji Wright scored the winner for the second time in three days as the league leaders Coventry beat Millwall 2-1 at the CBS Arena. Wright scored an 85th-minute goal against Leicester on Saturday and notched his 10th goal of the season as Coventry made it back-to-back victories.

The on-loan Crystal Palace winger Romain Esse opened his account for Coventry against his former club before Mihailo Ivanovic scored a brilliant equaliser just before the half-hour.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Champions League roundup: PSG at risk of playoffs after stumbling at Sporting

  • Suárez hits late winner after Kvaratskhelia stunner

  • McTominay scores but Copenhagen peg back Napoli

Paris Saint-Germain slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Sporting in Lisbon, jeopardising their bid to qualify directly for the Champions League last 16 after Luis Suárez struck twice, scoring the winner in the final minute.

Sporting had gone ahead against the run of play in the second half through Suárez, despite sustained pressure from PSG. The French champions hit back quickly as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia levelled with a superb strike, appearing to salvage a point.

Continue reading...
Posted on

The Rangers Vexing Question Of The Month

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Rangers Grand Letter-Writer, Chris (Foodini) Drury, has made it clear that his super scorer Breadman Panarin will be out there as a pending free agent to be dealt.

Obviously, the thinking is that by making such a fulsome deal, the Rangers will obtain a juicy return, suitable for chasing rainbows and pennies from Heaven.

But wait: shouldn't Drury put his Hope Diamond in storage? What happens if Bready gets toasted with the kind of injury that has Adam Fox somewhere in mothballs?

As Sean McCaffrey points out in Blue Collar Blue Shirt, playing Panarin nowadays, hockey-wise, worse than walking a mile on hot coals.

"It feels like the Rangers are begging for their greatest asset to be victimized by some sort of season-ending injury," says McCaffrey. "If that happens, it would nullify any chances Drury would have to trade him."

Excellent point. Hence the question, should the Rangers give Bready a pre-trade sabbatical? Yes or no, please!

Posted on

Steele Hall is the #7 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds system!

We have already had several incredibly close voting results in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, but the race for spot #7 was by far the most ridiculous.

The longer I left the poll open, the more confusing it got. At various points Tuesday, each of Chase Petty, Tyson Lewis, and Steele Hall were the top vote-getters, though it was never more than a two-vote advantage separating the three of them at any point. I let it go long in hopes that someone would run away with the lead, but the opposite ended up happening – at 3:00 PM MT, each had exactly 44 votes cast for them in a three-way tie.

I’d saved my vote, though, and cast it at the last…for Steele Hall, who takes home the #7 spot in this year’s CPR by the slimmest of margins.

Hall, the 1st round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2025 MLB Draft (9th overall), reclassified last year in what was originally slated to be just his junior year at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama, and as a result just turned 18 years of age on July 24th. The Alabama Mr. Baseball projects as a true shortstop defensively with perhaps the best speed in the draft class, though, and the Reds selected him 9th in 2025 because they’d originally scouted him as a guy who – if he stayed in the 2026 Draft as originally planned – had a chance to develop enough to be the #1 overall pick.

He’s already added muscle, as ones do at this time (and with the pressure and direction of being a nine-figure signee of a professional sports team), and the sky is hopefully the limit for him. It’s a testament to the depth in the system right now that he’s only checking in at #7 on the CPR, though it’s going to be quite some time before we see him at the big league level.

Congrats to Steele!

Posted on

Jaylen Brown added to injury report ahead of Celtics game vs Pacers

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown is on the injury report ahead of the Celtics’ Wednesday night game against the Indiana Pacers, listed as probable with left hamstring tightness. Brown is fresh off a 32-point, 11-rebound night against the Detroit Pistons, where he missed a potential game-winner just hours after being named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career.

Josh Minott, who has missed the last 8 games with a left ankle sprain, continues to be sidelined.

And Jayson Tatum continues to be out as he rehabs a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered 8 months ago. Tatum took the floor for a nearly hour-long workout in front of reporters in Birmingham, Michigan, on Monday morning, as he continues to exhibit good signs of progress.

Payton Pritchard, who missed Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with left ankle soreness, is off the injury report.

The Pacers, meanwhile, will be without Tyrese Haliburton (ruptured Achilles tendon recovery), Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture), and Bennedict Mathurin (right thumb sprain).

The Pacers and Celtics will match up for the 4th and final time

The Celtics have faced the Pacers three times over the past month, with Boston emerging victorious in two of the three matchups. The Celtics came back from double-digit deficits in back-to-back games against the Pacers in December.

However, last Monday, the Celtics fell to the Pacers 98-96 after a game-winning shot by Pascal Siakam. Brown missed that game as he dealt with back spasms.

The Pacers have been led by Pascal Siakam (23.6 points), Bennedict Mathurin (17.8 points), Andrew Nembard (17.6 points), and Aaron Nesmith (13.4 points).

This season, the Celtics have been led by Jaylen Brown (29.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists), Derrick White (17.7 points, 5.4 assists), and Payton Pritchard (16.6 points, 5.3 assists per game).

In January, two Celtics sharpshooters have turned a corner. Sam Hauser is averaging 14.2 points per game, and shooting 46.2% from three, while Anfernee Simons is averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.7% from three in January.

The Pacers had the fourth-worst net rating in the league (-9.6) and the worst record in the Eastern Conference (10-34). The Pacers have dropped their last two games, while the Celtics are coming off a 2-2 record and a 1-point loss to the Pistons.

The Celtics continue to maintain the East’s second-best record and the NBA’s third-best net rating.

The Celtics and Pacers will face off at 7:30pm on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Posted on

Junis deal official, Hamel DFA’d, Sborz returns

The Texas Rangers have signed relief pitcher Jakob Junis to a one year deal, the team announced today. To make room for Junis on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have designated pitcher Dom Hamel for assignment. In addition, the team has announced that relief pitcher Josh Sborz has been signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to the major league spring training camp.

The news that the Rangers had agreed to terms with Junis on a one year, $4 million deal broke late Sunday. As we discussed in our post yesterday, he’s a soft-tossing righthander with a quality slider, a changeup that was really good last year, and a fastball and sinker that were not so good. Junis started his career as a starter with the Royals, but worked exclusively out of the pen in 2025 for the Guardians, putting up a 2.97 ERA, 3.45 FIP and 4.04 xERA.

I also mentioned in that post that Dom Hamel, Zak Kent and Michael Otanez seemed to be the most likely candidates to get designated for assignment to make room for Junis on the 40 man roster. Hamel, a righthanded pitcher who has put up a 6.27 ERA in AAA over the previous two seasons, and who has one major league appearance (in which he pitched one shutout inning), was claimed on waivers by the Rangers on September 27, 2025 — exactly one week after the Baltimore Orioles had claimed him on waivers from the New York Mets. Kent and Otanez live for another day, and we shall wait and see if Hamel clears waivers or not.

Meanwhile, Josh Sborz will be in camp, looking to show he is healthy again. Sborz was one of the heroes of the 2023 playoffs for Texas, throwing 12 innings and allowing one run over 10 appearances, including closing out the clinching Game 5 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was on and off the injured list in 2024, however, and spent all of 2025 on the i.l. after shoulder surgery. Sborz made 12 appearances in the minors on rehab assignments late in 2025, but his velocity wasn’t there, and he ended up getting shut down, with his final appearance coming for Round Rock on August 30.

If Sborz is healthy and his velocity returns, that would be a big boost for a Ranger team that is currently looking thin in the bullpen for 2026. Those are a couple of big “if”s, however, and shoulder issues can be very difficult to return from.

Posted on

Solanke leads Tottenham past 10-man Dortmund to offer relief for Frank

It was a contender for shock result of the season. Nobody had given Tottenham any hope after the Premier League disaster here against West Ham on Saturday, one which came coated in vitriol for Thomas Frank. The fans had demanded his immediate removal as the manager, only for him to stagger on.

The execution was stayed. But here were Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga’s second-placed team, who had lost only three games all season, to apply the final cut.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Cardinals Legend Jim Edmonds’ Hall Snub Should Worry Arenado

This is the day when the National Baseball Hall of Fame will be announcing the results of this year’s ballots. It’s another reminder of how St. Louis Cardinals legend Jim Edmonds should have been given more consideration than he received. I also think it could mean Nolan Arenado’s future enshrinement is anything but a sure thing.

It’s been 10 years now since Jim Edmonds had his one and only year on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. It was 2016 when he received only 2.5% of the vote which resulted in his name not being carried over for future consideration. Why such a low support total? It certainly didn’t help that 2016 was the year that Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were on the ballot. I also remember a lot of chatter about how Jim didn’t have enough career home runs or hits to merit entry into the Hall. That shortsightedness overlooks a career rich with other metrics which should have earned Edmonds more serious consideration. Here are some numbers to digest:

393 HR

903 OPS

132 OPS+

60.4 WAR,

8 Gold Gloves,

4-time All-Star

From 2000 through 2004, Jim Edmonds was one of the most impactful players in Major League Baseball. He was one of the game’s best center fielders in history and also had many iconic regular season and playoff moments including the 2004 walk-off winner against the Astros plus his game-saving catch in game 7.

I understand that the National Baseball Hall of Fame has to maintain standards so the ballot doesn’t become a glut of players, but allowing a player of Jim Edmonds caliber to appear on one ballot and disappear with no other consideration feels wrong. Yes, he still has a chance at the Hall thanks to the Eras Committee, but I believe Jim would have fared better on subsequent regular Hall ballots if allowed the chance.

Jim Edmonds exclusion to this point makes me wonder if Nolan Arenado will run into the same barriers when his playing time is done. Nolan has an elite resume of defensive awards and recognition as the best at his position for many years, but also lacks the big hit and home run totals. I realize there’s no perfect way to enshrine players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but Jim Edmonds is one of the St. Louis Cardinals greats that has sadly fallen through the cracks and Nolan Arenado could face a similar unfair future after his career is complete.