Wednesday Wraparound: "I'ma Make Both", Guards in the WBC, and more

For those of you that are new to WFNY or new to my Wraparound pieces, I use this first little paragraph at the beginning to be a little more personal. Blame my Bill Simmons idolatry growing up, but I love being open about my life, my shortcomings, my feelings, and my insights with all of you. I know I'm far from the ideal for many, but I very much hold to the thought of "be who younger you needed", and I very much love being the dad/older brother for those of you willing to accept me. So to finish up my point I'll give you this: this past weekend, I ran into a girl I went to high school with. I've long been out of school, and next summer will be 20 years ((Oh #%^ I'm old.)) so I shouldn't have been surprised when she said "I didn't recognize you with the grays!" but it hurt a little more than I wanted it to. I've put on the requisite "happy weight" from marriage and "dad weight" from not letting untouched nuggets go to waste, and my beard has thicker patches of white than I was planning on, but the more I thought about it, the less hurt I felt. My girls know their dad loves them. Daddy Monster still can get around and play, and while the "magic carpet rides" aren't as long as they might like, I can still handle them. And more than that, I have a wife who loves me, who thinks I'm handsome, and who wants me to lose weight not for looks but to be healthier and be around longer. So to the other dads and older brothers out there, accept the fact that sometimes you just aren't gonna be your high school weight anymore. You didn't win state and you can't throw the ball over the mountain and embrace what you have in front of you. Be who the younger you needed. Okay, let's get to the sports, it's getting dusty in here.

When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong

CavaliersI'm all for trash talk if you are sure of it, and so the Grant Williams/Donovan Mitchell exchange Monday night was amazing television. Let me get you caught up if you weren't watching: the Cavs/Celts game became inexplicably close after Boston led by as much as 15 points. The game was tied at 109 a piece after a Cavs foul put Williams on the line with no time left. As in, make one and go home with a road win. Williams looks at Mitchell and the sideline cams pick up Grant saying something along the lines of "I'm gonna make both". You can see here:https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1632934876411490304?s=20As you can see from the tweets...Williams made neither. The game was a squeaker, something the Cavalier organization shouldn't necessarily celebrate as a win. The team had two days' worth of rest while Boston was coming off a two OT loss to the New York Knicks, but it was Cleveland that looked gassed. Shining spots for the wine and gold were Spida's ability to take over the game when it mattered, something the team will likely need to see in the playoffs, and Lamar Stevens producing for a bench that is woefully lacking. The ability to come back after being down bad is admirable, but you have to ask yourself the question: why were you down in the first place?What's Next?: A big-time matchup with the Miami Heat in their house on Wednesday and then again in Miami on Friday. Getting at least a split would be preferable. 

W2W4 in WBC

GuardiansPersonally, I've fallen out of love with the WBC, or World Baseball Classic, for those unfamiliar with the acronym. I am white bread, with no real ties to any nationality, so that inevitably hurts my affiliation with the pseudo-Olympics for baseball. But there are Guardians playing in the WBC and near-professional baseball will be viewable this weekend if you are a true believer in the tournament. Andres Gimenez will be representing his home country of Venezuela, Cal Quantrill and Bo Naylor are battery mates for Team Canada, and Richie Palacios is joining with his brother-and-Pittsburgh-Pirate Josh to play for the Netherlands.Most if not all of the Guardians team could have probably been drafted for their respective national roster, but the vast majority stayed in camp for myriad reasons. Jose Ramirez wanted to stay home and rehab his thumb, while others wanted to stick around to vie for increased playing time or show the organization the new tricks they picked up or the weight they lost and or gained. If I was in the front office, I would have loved to have Bo Naylor stay in camp and prepare with the full staff of pitchers, but knowing that he is there with Cal and that they spent most of the offseason together helps quell my worries of him getting up to speed. Mike Zunino is the starter at catcher for most if not all of the season, and Naylor just needs to add one more pitcher to his repertoire to be ready to take over backup duties.What's Next?: Major League Opening Day is right around the corner, Thursday, March 30th

Sure, you could do it, but why would you want to? 

BrownsThe Browns' biggest news of the week was that the Deshaun Watson trade and subsequent extension might have cost their bitter rival dearly. The guaranteed money given to Watson perked up the industry's ears as no deal had ever been made that promised that much money, let alone to whom the money was given. Players and agents had dollar signs in their eyes like a cartoon, while the owners were pissed that the Haslams broke ranks and did something that had never been done before. And like the picture of the dominos getting progressively larger, we now have Lamar Jackson entertaining offers from other teams while likely holding out from the franchise tag. But that's not what I want to yell about today.No, the discourse surrounding Nick Chubb is where I'd like to aim my vitriol today. Chubb is a top 2? running back based on pure talent in the NFL. ((Someone could surely make the argument there are other better ones, but I don't care.)) I've commented on the "run Chubb more" tweets and yes, there is at times, a run-game disparity, and with word that the offense is going to go more pass-heavy, some fans and analysts debate the merits of trading Chubb to get a draft pick haul that will cover up the Watson giveaway. However, this roster is set up to be in championship mode right now, so anything that removes high-level talent from the roster is a step backward. Sure, general manager Andrew Berry knows how to plan ahead, and everything the organization has done under him has had the next 2-3 years in mind, but at some point, you have to push the chips in the middle. Watson's deal was an example of that, and therefore you can't play in both pools. Chubb is likely one of the 10 best Browns players ever, and No. 2 I've ever seen play the game. To move him for future aspirations, while Watson is on the roster, would be a huge misstep. A trade makes paper sense, but it doesn't make it the right move for the team, it's fans, or the organization.What's Next?: The new league year starts next Wednesday, the 15th. Teams will be able to negotiate deals with players on March 13th, but deals will not be signed on paper until 4:00pm EST Wednesday. Buckle up.