Crawford’s Sports Biz 59 Seconds, 2/7/19

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Our award winning writer at Craw’s Corner, the great Harry Cummins has to love this baseball business fact. 

To get things moving, the Marlins in 2019 will offer 50 percent of their seats for under $25.00 and 25 percent of their seats for under $20.00. The big question is, does a seat cushion come with that?

For Tampa Bay Rays, It's a Wander-ful Life!!!

by Harry Cummins

     The Tampa Bay Rays have long been an organization that typically advances their top prospects slowly thru the system.  That could soon change.

     In 2017, Tampa Bay signed a heralded young shortstop out of the Dominican Republic, 16 year old Wander Franco, and aggressively assigned him to the Appalachian League, skipping two levels in scheduling his pro debut.

    In his first full season, Franco has far exceeded anyone's realistic expectations, leading the league in hitting with a impressive .351 average, while adding 11 HR's and 57 RBI's in just 242 at bats.

    Multiply scouting reports assert he is already one of the best hitters in all of minor league baseball.  Unlike many older prodigies, scouts say Franco already can recognize the spin on a baseball and won't chase sliders or change-ups out of the strike zone.  It's an attribute that usually garners a player a ticket on the fast track.

     Franco will most likely begin the season at Class-A Bowling Green, but surely won't end the season there.

     Could a September 2019 call-up for Franco be in the cards?

    For a team that introduced the 'opener' to baseball fans last season, it would be a wander-ful way to close a season for them as well.

NWAC Power Rankings, 2/5/19

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Tonight is “State of Union”, so how about a little “ State of NWAC Hoops”, with some world famous Craw’s Corner” power rankings. Keep in mind, always do everything in 9s, out of respect for great game of golf.

Women

9. Grays Harbor

8. Big Bend

7. Mt Hood

6. Bellevue

5. Olympic

4. Wenatchee Valley

3. Lane

2. Umpqua

1. Centralia

Men

9. Edmonds

8. Spokane

7. South Puget Sound

6. Walla Walla

5. Lane

4. Green River

3. Umpqua

2. Everett 

1. North Idaho 

MLB's 'Truck Day' -Surest Sign of Spring

by Harry Cummins


     Forget the groundhogs and red robins.

     The real harbingers of better days ahead just pulled away yesterday from major league baseball stadiums all across America.  It was the annual 'Truck Day' where all MLB clubs, in unison, load up vans full of equipment and head toward their team's respective spring training destinations in Arizona and Florida

     For the world-champion Red Sox, it meant steering their massive vehicle south toward Ft Myers, while navigating Boston city streets still clustered with celebrating Patriots fans.

    Why is Truck Day the absolute best "holiday" of the year?  Let me count the ways by describing the contents carefully selected to go inside Boston's 53 foot-long ark of renewal:

20,400 baseball's
1,100 bats
200 batting gloves
200 batting helmets
320 BP tops
160 jerseys
300 pairs of pants
400 t-shirts
400 pairs of socks
20 cases of bubble gum
60 cases of sunflower seeds


     The hopes of a hungry baseball nation are once again in motion.





                                                         

'Up In The Air' - Lofty Marks Top Week 3 of Track and Field Season

by Harry Cummins


     The just released NCAA Division 1 Men's Indoor Track and Field Rankings still show Texas Tech holding onto the Number 1 spot, but two spectacular individual aerial performances sent ripples thru the top 10.

     Freshman pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis (LSU) became the second best performer in collegiate indoor history this past weekend, when he soared 19-3"(5.87m) at the LSU Invitational.  Only record holder Shawn Barber has vaulted higher.

     Alabama junior Shelby McEwen became the new season leader in the high jump when he leaped a career best 7'7 (2.31m) at the Carolina Challenge.  The sky is virtually the limit for this former basketball player who once won a  high school slam dunk contest in Las Vegas by duplicating Michael Jordan's signature free-throw line dunk staged at the 1988 NBA All-Star game.

 Here are the latest team rankings:

1. Texas Tech
2. Florida State
3. Florida
4. Houston
5. LSU
6. Georgia
7. Texas A&M
8. Texas
9. Alabama
10 Stanford

19. Oregon


     Be sure to check back with Craw's Corner throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons, ahead of the NCAA D-1 Indoor Championships March 9-10 in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas June 5-8.


   

   

China's Top Female Tennis Player Parts Ways With Legendary Coach

by Harry Cummins

    The world's No. 18 ranked women's tennis player, Wang Qiang of China, has ended her four-year partnership with Australia tennis legend and recent coach, Peter McNamara.

     Under McNamara's tutelage that began in the Spring of 2015, Wang rose to the No 1 ranked player in China, and has moved her world ranking from just inside the top 100 to currently inside the top 20.  She advanced to a career best third round of the Australian Open last month in Melbourne and stunned Venus Williams in the first round at Roland Garros last year.

     During the final months of that 2018 season, Wang registered wins over top players Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina, Gabine Muguruza, and Madison Keys.

     Wang Qiang becomes the first Chinese player to finish a year inside the world's top 20 since LiNa's retirement in 2014.  McNamara had been working with Chinese players in recent years, hoping to help them gate-crash the world rankings.

    Peter McNamara is a former two-time Wimbleton men's doubles champion along with partner Paul McNamee, and was Australia's top ranked singles player in 1981 and 1982, claiming careers wins over the likes of Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, and reaching No 7 in the world in 1983 before a knee injury halted his meteoric rise.

     Giving no reason for the break-up, McNamara made the announcement this week, citing mutual agreement.  Wang is currently entered to play the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which begin on February 17th.



    * Stay tuned to Craw's Corner for the latest from the world of tennis as early season news often brings changes in coaches. Also from China this week comes word that Sven Groeneveld, once Maria Sharapova coach, has severed his relationship with promising Chinese teenager Wu-Yibing, because of the player's mother.  Never a dull minute!

   


   

Super Bowl Over; Scout's Honor Podcast Talks About What Happens Now

In the latest edition of the Scout's Honor podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scouts-honor/id1386916817?mt=2) focuses on what happens after the Super Bowl.  From veteran free agency, in which the Patriots and Rams have 45 pending free agents between them, with 27 of those unrestricted, it promises to be a busy few weeks ahead for them and the other 30 teams as well.

Several QB moves are expected beginning Monday and the weeks ahead.  Among the players discusses are Ryan Tannehill, Joe Flacco and all three Eagles QBs, especially Nick Foles and Nate Sudfeld as the team is unlikely to be able to keep them both behind Carson Wentz.

More on trouble for Jason Garrett in Dallas, and who is looking to bring the likes of Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, Jeff Fisher and others back to the sideline.  Those stories along with more on the draft and the first huge snub from receiving an invitation to the Combine.

It's all another must listen for all football fans.