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Rush Limbaugh died Wednesday after a year-long battle with cancer.
Limbaugh’s death at age 70 was announced Wednesday on his influential conservative radio program, by his wife Kathryn.
Limbaugh announced last February that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
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| I’m told the Giants are in agreement with RH Aaron Sanchez on a $4 million deal. | |||||
| 2/16/21, 9:33 PM | |||||
Dalton Johnson |
| @DaltonJ_Johns |
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| Giants sign versatile right-hander Nick Tropeano to minor-league deal; contract details, plus what might his role be? sfchronicle.com/ | |||
| 2/16/21, 6:44 PM | |||
San Francisco Giants
Can Buster Posey return to being an elite catcher?
Posey sat out last year because of COVID-19 concerns. He was also coming off two subpar seasons: In 2018, he hit .284 with 22 doubles and five home runs in 448 plate appearances and followed that up in 2019 by hitting .257 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs in 445 plate appearances. Those numbers screamed of age and decline. The reality is it’s been four years since Posey looked like the six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove winner that he is.
Posey has three World Series rings and should be considered a future Hall of Famer regardless of whether he can get back to performing at an elite level. Most people don’t realize the nagging injuries he dealt with in 2018 and 2019, mostly in his lower half, which contributed more to his decline than age. In fact, I think sitting out the 2020 season was the best thing for Posey because it gave his body a full year to heal.
In my conversation with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi last week, he said that Posey said he felt great physically, and Zaidi even went as far as saying that he believes Posey will have a bounce-back year. Remember, Posey has a career slash line of .302/.370/.456 and has averaged 18 home runs and 87 RBIs per 162 games.
His intellect and makeup are off the charts. I think the Giants’ biggest question entering spring training will be answered with a comeback player award come November.
The sobering counterpoint: This offense had better be among the best in baseball again. Because it appears that the Giants will have to win their share of slugfests.
On the pitching front, the Giants overhauled their bullpen and will take a command-oriented approach with relievers such as Matt Wisler and Jake McGee. They added two starters with upside in Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood, and they dangled an $18.9 million qualifying offer to re-sign Kevin Gausman. They’re hoping a 35-year-old Johnny Cueto has enough guile to rebound from a career-worst season and young Logan Webb can parlay his stuff into success. Tyler Beede could be back in June as he completes his rehab from Tommy John surgery. But it’s seldom good when a rotation matches a checkered health history with a serious lack of depth. If not for expanded rosters and the paucity of a 60-game schedule in 2020, there’s little doubt the Giants would have struggled to cover innings and probably would have faded to well below .500.
Then again, the Giants managed to finish 29-31 while playing exclusively on the West Coast last season. So this offense has already demonstrated it can measure up against the best arms in the division.
Will there be a designated hitter in the National League this year?
There's a chance that something happens this spring, whether it's a rash of pitcher injuries or something else, that prompts NL teams to push for a universal DH, which was used in the 60-game season last year and is expected to be codified in 2022. But because this is a 162-game season, the league does not intend to treat rules in the same willy-nilly, go-with-the-flow fashion this year as it did in 2020, when in the middle of the year it decided to implement seven-inning doubleheaders.
A rule change as fundamental as the DH, sources said, would need widespread support among NL clubs. The players, of course, would be all for it. In two drafts of the health and safety protocols, sources said, the union included the DH's universal implementation, only for MLB to excise it. The DH remained on the cutting-room floor of the protocols' final draft.
Here's the truth, hard as it may be to swallow for purists: The universal DH was here in 2020, and the game didn't break. It's coming in 2022, and the game won't break. If teams implemented it now, they would have enough time to maneuver their rosters accordingly.
Will that happen, though? The bet is no.
How about expanded playoffs?
At one point in discussions about delaying the season, expanded playoffs and universal DH seemed to be tied together, which was silly, because even in the best-case scenario, the DH was worth maybe an extra $20 million to players. Yes, the players could have negotiated their way to a playoff share that would benefit them, too, but the union never gave expanded playoffs much of a thought, even after MLB had negotiated a TV deal in hopes of their implementation in 2021.
So, is it possible? Sure. The players would consider it. But any deal would have to compel a group that said yes last year mainly because it was an extra chunk of money to help make up for lost salaries in-season. This year, the players are expected to get their full pay. And because of that, their gain with expanded playoffs is extremely unlikely to compel them to say yes.
Once again, the bet is no.
What does this all mean for fans?
All 30 teams will sell spring training tickets in Arizona and Florida, two of the more lax states.
Everything in the regular season depends on the teams' local ordinances. The Marlins announced plans to allow around 9,300 fans per game -- about 25% capacity of Marlins Park. The Rangers announced a 14,000- to 15,000-person crowd for a Big 12 vs. SEC tournament this weekend at Globe Life Field. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said stadiums can hold up to 10% capacity after the Buffalo Bills hosted 7,000 fans in playoff games.
Barring a change in their states' protocols, baseball's five California teams and two Illinois teams, on the other hand, are unlikely to see fans by Opening Day.
Towns and Russell — the top two picks in the 2015 NBA Draft — have now just played five games together since that trade. One of those was in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and four this year. According to ESPN.com, the Timberwolves are 2-3 in those games.
“Five games, that’s not enough,” Towns, who missed 13 games battling COVID-19, told reporters. “That’s not enough of a sample for us. We want to play every game possible with each other. It’s just unfair we keep having setbacks.”
Former All-Star D'Angelo Russell will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will be out four to six weeks, the Timberwolves announced Tuesday. Russell, who turns 25 next week, had missed the last three games with left leg soreness.
The operation, which is scheduled for Wednesday, will remove a loose body from his left knee, the Timberwolves said in a statement.
He is averaging 19.3 points and 5.1 assists this season for the Timberwolves, who dropped to 7-21 with a loss to the Lakers on Tuesday night. Minnesota is currently last in the Western Conference.
Race to the No. 1 pick
Krawczynski: The Wolves have been in the race for the No. 1 pick all season, but Russell's injury certainly should cement their status as a Western Conference bottom dweller. The Wolves don't have a lot of shooting on their roster as it is, so taking away one of their very best 3-point shooters will hurt them in a major way.
Russell was a bucket-getter in the fourth quarter, and so they will have trouble generating offense when the defense tightens. It is in the Wolves' best interests to get a top-three pick because if they don't land there in the lottery, their pick conveys to Golden State as part of the Russell-for-Andrew Wiggins trade.
What's the ripple effect of Russell's injury on the Warriors?
Anthony Slater, Warriors and NBA writer: Russell's been a negative value player, metric wise, this season. He has the third worst defensive rating among NBA rotation players and, maybe because he was hobbled, his offensive skill wasn't offsetting that. The Wolves were getting toasted with him on the floor.
Does it help or hurt their win total in the immediate? I don't know. But the Warriors are intently watching, regardless. They hold Minnesota's top-three protected first-rounder. Their hope is they thread the needle and it somehow lands around fourth or fifth.
Harden's pull-up 3 with 31.4 seconds to play gave the Nets their first lead of the game, and Brooklyn hung on to snap Phoenix's six-game win streak. The Nets trailed 73-49 late in the second quarter and by 21 at half. The deficit was as large as 14 points in the fourth before Brooklyn rallied to win its fourth in a row.
Harden added 11 assists and seven rebounds, finishing 14 of 22 from the field including 5 of 11 from deep. His point total was his highest since joining the Nets in a mid-January trade from Houston.
Durant has missed two games with a left hamstring strain, while Irving was scratched Tuesday with lower back tightness.
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| James Wiseman said he's been cleared to shoot/dribble again with that healing left wrist. Said his jumper didn't feel "rusty" while getting shots up. On his return: "It'll be pretty soon. Really soon." | |||||
| 2/16/21, 5:40 PM | |||||
If Ford isn’t healthy, the 49ers can’t cut him without triggering the $11.6 million injury guarantee. That guarantee, in turn, vests into fully guaranteed money on April 1, so we can view that as the deadline for Ford to pass a physical (and for the 49ers to escape his contract without any additional 2021 dead money penalties).
Judging by Lynch’s most recent comments about Ford’s health, which came last month, it doesn’t seem like Ford is close to full health.
“I think (that’s a question) we’re looking for clarity on,” Lynch said. “Our sole focus right now is to help Dee in any way that we can to get him healthy. I think everybody understands that we’re a better football team when Dee’s out there. He’s an impactful player. He’s the finisher. He’s pretty emblematic of a lot of the issues that plagued our team this year.
“The old saying ‘your best ability is availability’ — and we weren’t available enough this year, and that went for Dee. When you’re dealing with that part of your body, the back, sometimes these things take more time. I think Dee tries to stay encouraged, but I think it’s been a struggle for him, and we try to stay encouraged as well. But I can’t tell you with absolute certainty that, yeah, he’s going to be ready. We’re working hard and he is working hard to try to get there.”
So, let’s assume Ford isn’t healthy by April 1, thereby securing $11.6 million worth of leverage regardless of his availability. Here’s how pricey a potential cut would be for the 49ers in that case.
| DESIGNATION | DEAD MONEY | CAP SAVINGS |
|---|---|---|
$25.9M | -$5.9M | |
$16.4M | $3.7M |
(* Assuming $11.6 million injury guarantee is activated.)
In the event of a pre-June 1 cut, all $14.4 million of Ford’s prorated signing bonus money that has yet to hit the cap plus the $11.6 million injury guarantee would flood the books. That’d total a staggering dead money hit of $25.9 million, which would actually make it $5.9 million more expensive for the 49ers to cut Ford than to keep him in 2021.
A post-June 1 cut would allow the 49ers to push $9.6 million of the prorated signing bonus cap hits back to the 2022 books, thereby reducing Ford’s 2021 dead money charge to $16.4 million. But although the 49ers would save $3.7 million in this scenario, money they could utilize in a late-summer extension for linebacker Fred Warner, a $16.4 million dead cap is still massively inefficient.
A more creative solution might be needed if the 49ers want to lessen the financial damage to a more palatable level here.
The 49ers might consider again restructuring Ford’s contract, this time to pay his injury-guaranteed money as a signing bonus instead of a regular Paragraph 5 base salary. That’d spread out the cap hit over numerous years instead of dumping it all on 2021.
By extension, it might be beneficial for the 49ers to keep Ford on their roster at the veteran league minimum of $1.075 million, even if their worst fears are realized and he’s destined to be on injured reserve for all of 2021.
Not cutting Ford would push back potential dead money damage, since accelerations don’t happen until an actual release does. If the 49ers wait until 2022 to cut Ford with a post-June 1 designation, they could stretch the dead money hit into 2023 — which is the deal’s natural ending point anyway — and open up over $6 million in 2021 cap space.
That might make all of this easier to stomach for them.
Regardless of what happens, there are no ideal solutions for the 49ers here. They traded a second-round draft pick for Ford and signed him to a high-commitment deal with a huge third-year injury guarantee. That all looks especially dubious given Ford’s injury history at the time, which included a serious back surgery in 2017.
B- MAYBE TRY LANCE IS THERE AT 12 — BUT NOT ONLY HIS LACK OF STARTS SCARES ME, HE ONLY ATTEMPTED 18 THROWS PER GAME AND THE TEAM RAN IT 45 TIMES PER GAME...
(DANE BRUGLER)
https://theathletic.com/2390486/2021/02/17/trevor-lawrence-justin-fields-zach-wilson-nfl-draft-qbs/
A one-year starter at North Dakota State, Lance was a dual-threat quarterback in the Bison’s read-based scheme, following in the footsteps of Easton Stick and Carson Wentz, who were both NFL draft picks. A late bloomer at the high school level, Lance had one of the most impressive statistical seasons in college football history in 2019 (42 total touchdowns, zero interceptions), but that is the only full season on his 17-start (all vs. FCS competition) college resume.
A unique talent, Lance has the athleticism, arm talent and mental makeup to be a playmaker. While he takes care of the football, there were too many one-read-and-run plays on film and NDSU relied on the run game as the bread-and-butter of its offense. (In his 17 career starts, Lance averaged 18.6 pass attempts per game while the team averaged 45 rush attempts.) Overall, Lance is an unprecedented evaluation and will require time as he adjusts to the speed and complexities of the NFL, but his physical traits, poise and decision-making are a rare package for his age and meager experience. He projects as a high-ceiling developmental passer.
DAVIS MILLS GETS SOME LOVE AS THE 6TH RATED QB AFTER THE BIG 5 OF LAWRENCE, WILSON, FIELDS, LANCE AND MAC JONES.
-WOULD 49ERS DRAFT HIM IN MID ROUNDS TO DEVELOP?
Davis Mills, Stanford (6-4, 225 pounds)
Duluth, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian); Age: 22.52
A two-year starter at Stanford, Mills was a starter in offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard’s pro-style scheme, splitting his snaps from under center and from the shotgun. The No. 1 quarterback in the 2017 recruiting class (ahead of Tua Tagovailoa), his college career was interrupted by a left knee injury from high school and then a COVID-shortened 2020 season. He finished with basically one full year of starting experience.
A loose, well-built passer, Mills shows the ability to scan, operate from various platforms and throw with touch/anticipation. He is one of the best middle-of-the-field passers in the draft, but he needs time to grow and eliminate the “what are you doing?” plays from his tape. Overall, Mills is still learning the throws he should and shouldn’t make, but he has size and mobility and delivers a very catchable ball with the field-reading skills to develop into an NFL backup (and possibly more), although the health of his left knee is a strong concern.
Roster rules
In preparation for COVID-19-related roster disruptions in 2020, the NFL made significant changes to give teams more flexibility. That included expanding practice squads (from 10 players in 2019 to 16 last season) and changing who was allowed on those practice squads (up to six of the players were allowed to have more than two years’ experience). The league also eased restrictions on how quickly players could return from injured reserve, reducing the minimum from six weeks to three, with no limit on how many players could return.
“All of those things will definitely be reviewed and discussed,” said Dawn Aponte, the NFL’s chief football administrative officer.
And when the NFL’s competition committee seeks feedback during its offseason meetings, expect many of those changes to receive overwhelmingly positive reviews from coaches and general managers, a league source said. The changes to injured reserve were especially popular, and the ability to bring back additional players did not appear to impact competitive balance.
“Why would you go back, when there were so many positives for so many people?” the league source said.
Other changes that could remain include the reduction of the number of people allowed in the team’s bench area during games and road-game travel protocols, Aponte said.
Recent officiating changes, like creating crews based on their geography and assigning games on a regional basis to reduce the amount of travel, may also become permanent. So could the elimination of the sideline booth for the referee to view replays.
VINCENT JACKSON HAD BOOZE PROBLEM, COULD HAVE HAD CTE....
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, appearing Wednesday on Q105 in Tampa, announced one of the key findings of the autopsy report.
Via PewterReport.com, Chronister said that, based on the autopsy, Jackson suffered from “chronic alcoholism.” Chronister, who added that Jackson had “a lot of longstanding health conditions,” said that the toxicology report has not yet been completed.
Jackson was found Monday in a hotel. He’d been staying there since January 11. Chronister said the family believes that Jackson’s circumstances were the result of CTE arising from his years of playing football.
It’s a tragic situation, and it underscores the various challenges faced by former football players as they transition to what Hall of Fame Steelers coach Chuck Noll referred to as their “life’s work.” Hopefully, the sport that has begun in recent years to take the health and safety of current players more seriously will soon take the health and safety of former players more seriously, too.
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