Sports Summit Mailbag Post || PART 1
Edition #226
Please read this1!
It’s time for a mailbag! Let’s go!
The record-breaking roundup will be released tomorrow. HOPEFULLY2!
The 2nd part of this mailbag will be released on Monday! Couldn’t cram all of it in one post! Be sure to like this post to support me, and leave a comment if you don’t agree with anything.
When do you think Ovechkin will break Gretzky’s record?
Nope, I’m not going to be wild and say he’s breaking it next year. He’s breaking it this year, and they have a lot of opportunities to get it, especially because they’re playing a lot of teams low in the standings. Heck, Ovechkin could literally score 5 of the 8 goals he needs against the Sharks today3(joke).
Now, there are 3 ways he can go, 2 of the 3 ways have him breaking the record this season. This is all crunching the numbers.
1: If he’s consistent in scoring his goals, he should break it by the 8 games left mark. He’ll presumably break it in the middle of the game.
2: Even if he gets on a hot streak over the next couple of games, he should break the record with 10-12 games left. This is the best-case scenario, with the 12 game scenario involved if he scores as many goals as he’s predicted to against the Sharks today.
3: If he goes at a slower pace(maybe one goal every 3 games is a good rounded estimate), he’ll be breaking it next season, eliminating the fact that he will break it this season.
I strongly believe in the 1st scenario, and the numbers favor it the best.
I’ve got an interesting one for you, buddy. How many 70-92 seasons would you trade for just one more Dodgers’ championship over this period of dominance they’ve had? They get to keep all the ones they already have, but how much losing would you be able to endure for just one further world series championship?
That’s a really interesting and thought-provoking question, Robbie. Honestly, I love my sports teams winning, but I would be able to endure about 15-17 seasons without a championship, but only under one condition: I need a GM I trust and a front office that makes smart moves.
I get really frustrated when bad moves are made—like when the Dodgers kept re-signing Kenley Jansen to long-term deals when he was inconsistent, didn’t re-sign Corey Seager, didn't go after Trea Turner, and missed out on Scherzer when they needed him. These were all key misses that left the team in awkward spots, and that’s been the issue. Lux didn’t produce and would have never produced to the standards of what Seager or maybe even Trea would’ve done!
However, back to the "70-92 seasons" part... To be honest, I could never handle more than 7 of those seasons. I’ve been lucky as a Dodgers fan, with the team remaining competitive for most of the decade. An entire decade of under .500 ball would feel like the GM isn’t doing their job. Rebuilds shouldn’t take more than 3 years- 5 years tops.
I feel really bad for the fans of the Rockies, Rays, Padres, Brewers, and Mariners because they’ve never even experienced the feeling of winning a championship. Unfortunately, only 2 of these teams (Padres and Brewers) are really in contention to compete this year, and 2 of them have pretty bad owners (Rockies and Rays).
What is the flow of the cricket season? Is it like major American team sports leagues with a regular season and postseason? Or like global soccer? Or something else?
In my experience, this is one of the hardest things to understand when it comes to cricket. And if I’m being completely honest, there are some things I don’t understand, even as a fan today. One key difference that’s the most important for this question, though, is that some of the tournaments can last for weeks, even months (like the World Test4 Championship. The championship is set to take place on June 11th. It started in June 2023).
Just because they’re playing for one trophy, though, doesn’t mean they stick to that. They will also play other tournaments (like ODI’s) in the process. In fact, during this whole World Test Cup process, the Champions Trophy tournament started and ended.
This, though, is just international cricket. While international cricket makes cricket what it is and includes stars like Steve Smith or Shubman Gill, club/domestic cricket is one of the biggest stages. Some famous tournaments like these are the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League, the first of which is incredibly commercialized, but let’s not get into that controversy.
There isn’t a fixed season. Heck, there aren’t even fixed games. There isn’t a clear off-season in international cricket, but domestic leagues do have off-seasons. So, I guess it’s a sort of mixture between global soccer and American sports. Cricket is in its own world. If you’re looking to start watching it, I assure you, it’s a great sport to delve into, and I have a guide right here on the IPL, which is starting soon!
Who will win the NBA Finals this year and why?
Now, at the start of the season, I did say that the Warriors probably have no shot at winning it this year, but with the way they’re playing, I actually might change my mind.
My pick at the start of the season was the New York Knicks. But they’re 42 and 23, and everyone is talking about the New York Knicks being the biggest frauds in the history of frauds. Not wrong.
Look, man, I don’t know, but I like what the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing this season, even if the Cleveland Cavaliers have a better record. The Cavaliers have the experience to make the playoffs and do well, and the city is hungry for a trophy. But looking at this awesome Thunder team, I just can’t imagine them not winning.
Statistically, Darius Garland averages 21, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 32.8 (PG to PG). But, if we’re comparing the whole team, the Cavaliers end up on the better end.
I’m going to take a gamble here and still say the Thunder, but if there’s one team competing with them in the West right now, that would be the Golden State Warriors, who might have a chance to become a high seed. Play-in team in my mind, though.
Is it possible that after all these losses, that the 49ers could go 0-17?
No, absolutely not, and I have full confidence in this
The 49ers have lost a lot of key pieces, and I’m not exactly sure what they’re doing, but they’re in a cap hell right now. If there’s anyone who can figure this out, though, it would be John Lynch.
The 49ers have a lot of talent on their rosters. Fred Warner, George Kittle, Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, and more. The loss of Deebo Samuel for just a 5th round pick hurts, and the loss of Javon Hargrave and other defensive pieces hurts too, but cuts like this happen on football teams, and we already know that the 49ers aren’t heading to the promised land just yet.
The draft pick is going to be crucial for them. They need to use it wisely. Once again, John Lynch is a guy you can trust with that. For the next 2 to 3 years at least, it’s going to be draft, draft, deadline, draft, draft, deadline.
How much will play outdoors affect the Rays?
There are some huge differences between Tropicana Field and George M. Steinbrenner Field. Let’s just state them first before tackling the question. I’ll refer to the George M. Steinbrenner Field as G and Tropicana Field as T.
G: Natural grass fields.
G: Bigger outfield.
T: It is a dome.
G: Humidity will play a role.
G: Exposes teams to direct sunlight
G: Games could be canceled due to rain
G: Air density
Bob, you’re absolutely right for asking this question, and while people think about it, no one looks deep into it. The Rays are going to be deeply affected by what happens at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and it’s only because they aren’t used to it at all as a home game.
In the summer, Tampa’s climate is very humid, and while their high has never reached 100 degrees, it has gone as high as 99. It’s a very hard place to play outside in during the summer, so it’s going to be tough adjusting to it. It rains frequently during this time too, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see multiple rain delays or cancellations during the season.
I think it’s going to affect them quite a bit, and it shouldn’t be ignored. It’s super sad that the Rays aren’t even diverting to their new stadium, and focusing on rebuilding the Trop. At this point, the Rays are not in the correct state and time to make a playoff run, so it’s good that the Rays don’t have to suffer a playoff position from this, but no one wants their team to lose games.
So, our quarterly Sports Summit is almost over, and we’re finishing off the so-called “pieces” with a mailbag. I’ve enjoyed writing these pieces a lot, but it seems like you guys don’t like it too much. Safe to say that only baseball posts are performing right now, but this isn’t an only baseball newsletter.
I would appreciate it if you guys could do this survey so I know what I can improve on for the next Sports Summit. It takes exactly 1 minute, and it has only 6 questions. This is the biggest support you can give me.
99% sure that I’ll get it off tomorrow, but double-check with me on notes!
The game is at 5 EST.
A 5-day match.
Ovechkin could break it in the playoffs, too
Hey Smayan, did I miss something, or have you not released the rest of this mailbag yet?