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First, it is essential to recognize that despite the pessimism, the Giants still possess the power to abruptly change the narrative. Given that they are currently 7-5-1 and in a wild-card playoff position, it would be difficult to find a fan of this team who wouldn’t have signed up for this situation four months ago.
That is correct. Due to the fact that the Giants have not won a game in a month, their season is in grave danger, and it is quite likely that they will not win another game this year. Currently, this team resembles the squad that fans anticipated to see in August more than the squad that they saw in September.
After a streak of close victories put the Giants into the playoff picture, this was perhaps inevitable. It was always rather tough to argue that the Giants were authentic after reviewing their record. And if this trend continues, management will realize that a single good coaching hire cannot cure all their difficulties.
Daniel Jones has been an adequate game manager in 2022, but he has not yet established himself as a franchise quarterback.
It would be surprising if the Giants moved past the first round of the playoffs, regardless of whether they qualify for the postseason or not. It will be interesting to see how the front management handles the situation.
The Giants placed Daniel Jones in a must-prove-it situation by declining his fifth-year option, had to determine whether Saquon Barkley was worth the franchise tag as he approaches unrestricted free agency, and had to determine how many roster pieces could be salvaged in what appeared to be a lengthy rebuild.
They have done just enough through 13 games to support any preseason assessment you may have had.
Jones has, on the one hand, led his team to a better record than any rational observer would have imagined by eliminating errors and efficiently controlling games. Alternately, are the Giants in need of a game manager? And it is impossible to picture Jones’ ceiling being significantly higher than what he has demonstrated this season. According to Ian O’Connor of The Post, he may have earned an additional year to demonstrate his worth. With an insufficiently talented quarterback, it may be useless to grant him a further year of eligibility.
On the one hand, Barkley has already topped one thousand yards and has been the focal center of their offense. On the other hand, he was injured this week and has had health issues in the past, so it is uncertain if it is sensible to devote a significant chunk of the salary limit to a running back.
The Giants enter week 15 with a postseason berth. In contrast, several of their triumphs, particularly against the Titans and Packers, are somewhat less impressive in hindsight, and they may play themselves out of the playoffs.
The Giants still have work to do if they want to compete for more than a wild-card spot in the future. Brian Daboll was the correct decision for head coach.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen chats with head coach Brian Daboll (left) and co-owner John Mara during a recent practice (right).
Individuals have proved that they deserve to be a part of the club moving forward, and together, under Daboll, the culture of the group has advanced demonstrably. Regardless of how this season goes, this is all undoubtedly excellent.
But you can’t envy general manager Joe Schoen, whose offseason assignment is so much less obvious than it was before the season began, and is greatly dependent on how he answers the subjective issues of whether this season was successful, what made it so, and whether it can be repeated in 2023. Therefore, much more than a playoff berth depends on the next four weeks.
Mike White is determined to play through injury, while the Jets contemplate a Zach Wilson substitution.
Soon, the Yankees are expected to make Carlos Rodon a formal offer.
The Rangers’ victory over the Devils on their home ice was the most pleasing of the season, according to BROOKS.
Senga, who signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Mets, is the most recent starting pitcher from Nippon Professional Baseball to attempt the move to Major League Baseball.
After signing a five-year contract with the Mets, Kodai Senga brings his high-velocity fastball and vicious splitter to the United States.
The disproportionate number of pitchers among Japanese imports has always been a peculiarity of this history. Only 18 of the 64 Japanese-born MLB players are position players, including Shohei Ohtani, the two-way superstar. Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui are the only players in that category to have played in more than 1,000 games, but Ohtani will undoubtedly join them in the future (Kenji Johjima, Akinori Iwamura, Kazuo Matsui, Tadahito Iguchi, Nori Aoki, Kosuke Fukudome and So Taguchi are the others with over 400 games played).
When it comes to predicting future performance in Major League Baseball, one hypothesis states that pitchers have a greater number of independent variables. We are aware of Senga’s four-pitch repertoire, which includes a fastball that averages around 95 mph and can reach triple digits, a forkball/splitter that is effective, a cutter, and a slider. Teams will have access to statistics regarding the horizontal and vertical movement of pitches, spin speeds, etc. Theoretically, these factors shouldn’t be influenced by competition, but the batters’ responses to them certainly will be.
Hideki Matsui is one of a select few Japanese position players who have achieved success in Major League Baseball.
Christopher J. Causi
Hitters who come over, on the other hand, are reacting to different opponents in a different environment with fewer independent factors to rely on. In his debut season with the Cubs, Seiya Suzuki posted a slash line of.262/.336/.433 after posting a slash line of.317/.433/.647 in Japan in 2021. To attempt the same feat, the Red Sox signed outfielder Masataka Yoshida to a $90 million contract last week.
Irabu, Hideki, and Kei Igawa are pitchers who underperformed in the United States, but teams are now more confidence in their ability to anticipate future performance.
In conclusion, we may not know exactly what Senga will be until he arrives, but the Mets’ willingness to invest so many years and dollars in him suggests he will be a capable pitcher at this level.
We desired an explanation for Giovanni Reyna’s lack of World Cup participation, and we received one. In an Instagram post, Reyna himself appeared to confirm much of the story that circulated on Monday, that his lack of effort in training led to his apologizing in front of the team — though he claimed that coach Gregg Berhalter told him before the World Cup that his role would be “very limited,” rather than the opposite.
Berhalter should not be held responsible for Reyna’s playing time regardless. Reyna may be talented, but he is just 20 years old and has yet to prove his worth; therefore, he should not receive special treatment. If he was hesitant to invest effort, he should have opted out of the activity.
Does Giovanni Reyna’s lack of playing time in the World Cup stem from his immaturity, or does his immaturity stem from his lack of playing time?
AFP Photographs via Getty
As for the implications, it is evident from Reyna’s Instagram post that he is unhappy both about his decision not to play and the fact that it was made public. Worrisome is the following: “I am horrified by the ongoing coverage of this topic (as well as some overly dramatized versions of events) and extremely surprised that any member of the U.S. men’s team staff would contribute to it. Coach Berhalter has always emphasized that team issues will be dealt internally, letting us to concentrate on team cohesiveness and development.
Berhalter provides several explanations.
Even if he believed his remarks were off the record, Berhalter was at best naive for discussing Reyna’s illness in public. It was a public address, not a conversation with a reporter or a personal friend, that violated Berhalter’s confidence. Berhalter should have the experience to know that this setting is anything but private, and that the result is a worsening of a precarious circumstance.
Gregg Berhalter’s employment status is precarious, and the Reyna episode marred his leadership record.
USA TODAY Sporting Events
The entirety of Berhalter’s case for returning as coach for the next World Cup cycle centered on the culture he developed with the U.S. men’s national team. His handling of Reyna’s situation in Qatar, in which he held a great player accountable for a lack of effort, is further evidence of this. However, making a public display of it risks losing it entirely.
If Berhalter is to return, he must rebuild Reyna’s trust while preserving his capacity to hold everyone accountable. That will not be an easy path to take.
Today’s observations
At 2:00 p.m., Fox will air the semifinal match between Argentina and Croatia.
It is arguably safe to assume that anything short than a third World Cup victory would be disappointing for Argentina at this stage. Argentina is a huge favorite in the semifinals due to the emotional weight of this being Lionel Messi’s final tournament, the craziness of the quarterfinal victory on penalties against the Netherlands, and the team’s turnaround after losing its opening match to Saudi Arabia (-250 to advance).
Lionel Messi leads Argentina into the first World Cup semifinal on Tuesday in Qatar.
Getty Images
Messi played with complete understanding of the gravity of the situation against the Netherlands, scoring one goal, assisting on another with a brilliant pass to Nahuel Molina, taking five shots, and leading all players in projected goals and expected assists. An in-tune Messi at age 35 may still be the sport’s most dangerous player.
However, this Croatian squad is used to being in this position. They did not defeat Brazil by accident, nor did they reach the 2018 championship game by coincidence. Dominik Lavakovc has unquestionably been the tournament’s best goaltender, and this club knows how to play as an underdog and upset a more talented opponent. They know how to defend, how to play without the ball, and how to defeat you on the counterattack, and they never appear to tire.
Josko Gvardiol (in mask, tormenting Brazil’s Neymar in the quarterfinals) is a member of a very combative defensive unit.
Perhaps, after two 120-minute games in a row, Croatia will be fatigued, but that seems optimistic. At times, the attempts of Japan and Brazil to break the Croatian wall resembled a wooden battering ram against solid steel.
The Argentines must find a way to break down Croatia in open play, something Japan and Brazil were unable to do, because if it comes down to penalties, they’re out of luck. However, it is challenging to wager against the excellence of the Albicelestes.
Argentine will overcome Croatia by a score of 2-0, according to our forecast.
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