data-mm-id=”_ixr66loji”>Pittsburgh Pirates uber-prospect Paul Skenes was on the mound for a spring training game in Florida on Monday and man he had the glove popping. I'm going to say something that sounds ridiculous but it's true: the sound of Skenes' fastball hitting the glove is glorious. Here's one pitch from his outing and, please, turn the sound up:The Sound of Paul Skenes' Fastball. 🔊 pic.twitter.com/hpmEaTTtxD— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 4, 2024That sounds like a gunshot. And, yes, I'm aware there's probably something weird going on with the acoustics in the stadium, but when a guy can routinely hit triple digits, things are going to sound different. Skenes has been up to 102 mph this spring already and dominated in his first outing. On Monday, Skenes went two innings, struck out three, allowed three hits and one run — a solo home run by Amed Rosario. Rosario was the first batter Skenes faced. Here's the highlight of Rosario's home run, which came on the second pitch Skenes threw:💥 @Amed_Rosario goes yard for the first time as a Ray pic.twitter.com/2lQbyURZnm— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 4, 2024Other than that, Skenes looked really good considering he hasn't faced big league hitters before. The Pirates made Skenes the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and gave him a $9.2 million signing bonus for a reason. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound LSU product is universally recognized as the top pitching prospect in all of baseball. He won't spend much time in the minor leagues.
Related Posts
This should be an intriguing game between two teams with plenty to fight for. Liverpool will not have given up on the possibility of sneaking into the top four, despite their odds of being able to do that have gone to 16/1. West Ham are looking a bit better after the last couple of weeks but if they have a bad result and the teams below them get a result then they are right back in the relegation mix.
Rafa Benitez has had a torrid time this season and when you look at the investment in the squad last summer it is easy to see why. It is only now that top players Torres and Gerrard have been performing that results have picked up. It might be too little too late, and things will be that little bit more difficult now that Torres appears to be unavailable again.
Gianfranco …
Italy´s rollercoaster: Sweden woe, Euro 2020 glory, record-breaking run and North Macedonia humiliat
Italy have failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup following a shock 1-0 defeat by North Macedonia on Thursday.
For the first time in their history, the Azzurri will miss out on successive finals after Aleksandar Trajkovski struck a stoppage-time winner at Renzo Barbera.
Roberto Mancini s side triumphed at Euro 2020 just eight months ago, defeating England on penalties in the final to claim their second title.
But four years after their playoff defeat by Sweden denied them a place in Russia, they will be absent in Qatar after suffering their first ever loss on home soil in a World Cup qualifier.
It is fair to say it has been quite the journey from one World Cup qualifying failure to another.
Swede success
Despite finishing behind Spain in…
Jurgen Klopp confirmed he once held talks with Napoli s chatty president Aurelio De Laurentiis about potentially becoming the club s coach prior to joining Liverpool.
De Laurentiis has previously spoken of his admiration for Klopp and reports have suggested they discussed a possible collaboration in 2013, when the German was still at Borussia Dortmund.
Rafael Benitez ended up taking the job and Klopp stayed put, but ahead of Tuesday s crunch Champions League clash against Napoli, the Liverpool manager admitted such a conversation took place.
When asked about De Laurentiis claims and whether he wants to coach in Italy one day, Klopp said: I still have a contract here, three and a half years, so I am not sure if anybody wants me after that.
Next up, …
The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers faced off against the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh shot itself in the foot (multiple times) en route to an upset home loss in last year’s AFC Divisional Round.
The Steelers’ first chance at revenge comes this year in Week 8 when they visit Cleveland as NFL betting underdogs. Both teams are dealing with a litany of injuries, so “who” takes the field on Sunday afternoon is just as important as “what” each team’s plan of attack is.
Here are our best free NFL picks and predictions for Steelers vs. Browns on Sunday, October 31, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. ET.
…
The 2022 NFL season kicks off with an absolute unit of a game Thursday night as the defending Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, take on this season’s betting favorite to win it all in the Buffalo Bills.
With a total of 52.5 and on the indoor track of SoFi Stadium, scoring should come early and often. Matthew Stafford’s elbow injury might be an issue down the road, but not this early in the season. Both offenses have added solid pieces and can spread it around while the defenses lack depth — especially in the secondary for the visiting side.
With a potential shootout on our hands, the secondary receiving options for both teams project well while there is some value in the Bills’ goalline rushing game. Find out my three be…
The Indianapolis Colts were once a model franchise.
Between 2003 and 2014 the franchise won the NFC South nine times, made two Super Bowl appearances winning one, and losing in the AFC Championship Game twice more.
They employed the likes of Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and then drafted Andrew Luck in 2012 as their next franchise quarterback — we all know how that ended. Luck abruptly retired and the Colts were left spinning their wheels.
Since that 2019 season where they finished 7-9, things have been trending down. They went 9-8 in 2021 and then 4-12-1 last year which left everyone inside the organization with a sour taste in their mouth.
Their supposed workhorse running back, Jonathan Taylor now w…
The Buffalo Bills’ up-and-down season continued last week, as they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. Now, Buffalo finds itself as a heavy favorite in the MNF odds against a Denver Broncos team that suddenly finds itself on a two-game winning streak.
The Bills are a touchdown favorite according to the Week 10 odds, with Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense – which has received some criticism as of late – being the major reason why. Allen and his teammates are still among the most productive units in the NFL, while the Broncos may own the league’s worst defense.
We’ll take a deeper look at the Josh Allen odds as we give our best NFL picks for Broncos vs. Bills on November 13.
Be sure to also check out our Broncos…
Whether you look forward to the Super Bowl commercials each year or consider them little more than a convenient bathroom break, you can’t deny their enduring impact. Year after year, new and increasingly more expensive advertisements emerge to enthrall, entertain, and sell, sell, sell!
Join us as we look at the escalating cost of Super Bowl ads over the years and examine whether they’re actually a good investment for companies.
…
A pair of struggling AFC East teams will go toe-to-toe when the Miami Dolphins visit the New England Patriots on Sunday.
While New England was expected to be bad, Miami has playoff aspirations, and my Dolphins vs. Patriots predictions and NFL picks are expecting the Fins to put another tick in the wins column on October 6.
Dolphins vs Patriots prediction
My best betDolphins moneyline (+100 at BetMGM)
My analysis
Although it’s been an ugly start to the season for the Miami Dolphins, I’m still confident head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tyler Huntley will have the offense in better shape Sunday following a full week of practice.
After all, it’s not as if the New England Patriots have been sharp on de…
Greece coach Otto Rehhagel has unveiled his 23-man selection for the upcoming European Championships, where his team will be trying to defend their title.
Of the 23 players selected by the German manager, ten already represented the Greek team at Euro 2004, where Greece surprised all of Europe by taking the trophy.
Goalkeepers
Antonis Nikopolidis
Konstantinos Chalkias
Alexandros Tzorvas
Defenders
Giourkas Seitardis
Christos Patsatzoglou
Nikos Spyropoulos
Traianos Dellas
Loukas Vyntra
Vassilios Torosidis
Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Ioannis Goumas
Paraskevas Antzas
Midfielders
Angelos Basinas
Stylianos Giannakopoulos
Georgios Karagounis
Ioannis Amanatidis
Konstantinos Katsouranis
Alexandros Tziolis
Attackers
Ge…