mlb.com/spring-training

Anyone know how MLB spring training works? Never really got into it and just a quick google sends me to this page from MLB. So what, they divide up the games between Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues? And divide them up further by locations? I'm confused. Was hoping to get an answer here before I went down an unnecessary rabbit hole..

Dallasite Wrote:

So how do they decide the winner, is it like NASCAR where you add up all the points and weight them a certain way or is it done differently?

Good article on this - The new 2020 NBA All-Star Game format fixed it completely. Here's the exert that answers your question from it:

What changed?

The new format was a little confusing on paper, but made sense in reality. The score was reset after each quarter, and the team that won each frame received a $100,000 charity bonus. Team LeBron won the first quarter, Team Giannis took the second, and the third ended in a thrilling tie.

Then, the fun happened. The total score of the game at the end of three quarters was 133-124 in favor of Team Giannis. Rather than having a traditional 12-minute game clock, the two teams played to 157 — 24 more points than the leading team, a tribute to Kobe Bryant.

BearDown Wrote:

Of all of the new rules that the NFL may eventually consider, I like the 1, 2 & 3 point options for PAT's. I also really like that the defense can score in those scenarios.

They should do this. They won't because it would completely start a new era of record books and you would be seeing all kinds of funky scores. Analytics would go straight out the window, at least comparison analytics from past seasons. I think that would make head offices heads spin. But they really really should. Best we can hope for is a few small changes that won't mark a new era in the NFL overnight, like the overtime rules maybe. That's less drastic.

Or the way the XFL does kickoffs. It looks weird at first but is actually another upgrade, to me:

Thought the new Alexa ad was one of the best ones I've seen for 2020 so far:

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has never won a Super Bowl in his 21 years head coaching in the league. He coached the Eagles for 14 years and the Chiefs so far for 7. In that time Reid has been to exactly one Super Bowl in 2004-2005 season where his Eagles lost to the Patriots 24-21. He did bring the Eagles to 5 NFC Championship games though and KC to the AFC Championship game in 2018-2019 season. He is 14-14 overall in the postseason and has the most wins of any coach in NFL history that hasn't won it all with 221 (and counting).

So he is due. And has a LOT riding on Super Bowl LIV. And he has to contend with the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Shanahan has only been a head coach for the 49ers and that didn't start until 2017. So just three years at the HC position vs Reid's 21. But Kyle was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons the year they led the league in points and went to the Super Bowl. That was the same year they went up big to the Patriots only to get destroyed in the second half and lose in a heartbreaker.

In Kyle's first two seasons with the 49ers they were basically bust between trying to rebuild and change the culture and a series of unfortunate injuries to both their starting QB and starting RB. But now they are healthy and stout on defense and great all around and made it to the Super Bowl.

So to me this is a game of coaching as much as it is anything else. And a game of proving yourself. For Kansas City, Andy Reid has a hall of fame type pedigree but is sorely missing a SB ring. And you could throw in Pat Mahomes wanting to let everyone know he belongs in the conversation with all the other all time greats. And for the 49ers, what they have built so far is great and should be great for many years to come. Shanahan and company could potentially have the makings of an NFC dynasty on their hands but its all up to Shanahan to learn from his last SB mistakes and win big this time around.

Between Shanahan and Reid, who do you think has more to prove in this Super Bowl, and who do you think will come out on top? I think it'll come down to how well Mahomes steps up and how well Shanahan answers the bell with a smart defensive scheme.

JFoster Wrote:

Where does everyone else fall on this subject? What other benefits does College Basketball provide to young players?

Which bowl games do you think will be the best for the 2019-2020 season? Make your predictions here and then update once the bowl season ends. Top 3, top 5, top 10.. whatever you like.

According to Sporting News, the top 10 bowl games are ranked like this -

10. Alamo Bowl: No. 12 Utah vs Texas
9. Orange Bowl: No. 6 Florida vs Virginia
8. Outback Bowl: No. 9 Auburn vs No. 16 Minnesota
7. Cotton Bowl: No. 13 Penn State vs No. 15 Memphis
6. Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Georgia vs No. 8 Baylor
5. Citrus Bowl: No. 9 Alabama vs No. 17 Michigan
4. Rose Bowl: No. 7 Oregon vs No. 11 Wisconsin
3. Peach Bowl: No. 1 LSU vs No. 4 Oklahoma
2. Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs No. 3 Clemson
1. College Football Playoff National Championship

Their list is basically a mirror copy of ESPN, and the consensus ranking for the top 10 from what I have seen around the league. For myself, I would go for my top 5 in this order -

#5 Cotton Bowl, #4 Citrus Bowl, #3 Sugar Bowl, #2 Fiesta and then Peach #1. (not going to count the national championship game, that one is too obvious).

Definitely most interested in the Georgia v Baylor Sugar Bowl, outside of the CFP games. Fascinating to watch Matt Rhule (Baylor's head coach) scheme his way through games the team should otherwise probably not even be in.

Would be shocked if LSU or Ohio State loses. So for that reason I'm all in on the Baylor/Oklahoma game. But I would include the Pac-12's Oregon v Utah game. That will also decide the final four.

If Utah beats up on Oregon and Baylor and Oklahoma game is close, hard for me to see the committee not putting Utah in the final four. But if Baylor or Oklahoma trounces the other, who knows. Will be very interesting.

I predict Ohio State stays #1. Then LSU. Then Clemson. And then ... blah, Utah. But I am hoping Baylor sneaks in. They have a real chance, just need to destroy the Sooners.