BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The 2021 NFL season will be the second straight campaign waged in the shadow of a pandemic. Last season, most of which was staged in cavernous stadiums largely empty due to virus avoidance procedures, still ended in a familiar way to NFL fans: with Tom Brady lifting …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ On February 2, 2020, Jimmy Garoppolo led his San Francisco 49ers into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV in Miami leading the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs 20-10. During the first three quarters, Garoppolo was surgically accurate, completing 17 of 20 passes for 179 yards and …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ There have been several noteworthy story lines that have competed for the attention of baseball fans through the first 70 games of the 2021 Major League Baseball season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the American League in all three Triple Crown categories, hitting .337 with 23 home runs …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The A’s survived a wild game in their finale in Minnesota, winning 7-6 Sunday afternoon at Target Field behind a run that scored on a strikeout in the top of the ninth to take two of three from the struggling Twins. Oakland scratched and clawed, and despite …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The A’s may have started the season at 0-6, but they have played .700 baseball since then, and for most of Saturday afternoon, it appeared they’d take another game from the struggling Twins. But Miguel Sano, he of the .119 batting average entering the day, flicked an …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ After topping the National League West for eight straight seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally won the World Series in 2020, their first championship since 1988. They chased the demons associated with thirteen straight playoff appearances without a title, firmly establishing the franchise as the best in …
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BY J.A.SCHWARTZ The NL Central doesn’t feature a team projected to win more than 82 games, and that mediocrity may create a thrilling four-team division race that could end up being decided by which front office is able to make the most significant in-season trade acquisitions. The Chicago Cubs were …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The New York Mets and their fans have labored under the ignominious reign of the Wilpon family for the past 19 years, but they were finally liberated this winter when Steve Cohen purchased the franchise, and immediately set about trying to position the club to steal the …
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BY J.A.SCHWARTZ The Oakland A’s are the defending AL West champions, and are coming off their third consecutive postseason berth. Despite an offseason of player movement that saw Marcus Semien decamp to Toronto and Khris Davis move to Texas in a salary relief trade, Oakland should be in contention to …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The Minnesota Twins won the AL Central last year on the strength of a lineup heavy with HR hitters and a deep bullpen. Those same attributes should return for the Twins in 2021. They retained the ageless Nelson Cruz on a one-year deal to anchor the middle …
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