The Good Point

The Peculiar Case of MLB Prospect Development

Jesse Goldberg-Strassler — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:00:51 +0000

A thoughtful minor league broadcaster and friend shared a theory this past week on why Major League teams don’t work as hard to develop talent in American inner-city communities as they do in the Dominican Republic or Venezuela and it got us thinking about how prospect development and the draft in general is handled by professional ball clubs. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler explains.

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Charlotte Hornets: Where to go from here

Gerard Spalding — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:00:33 +0000

When the New Orleans Hornets decided to rebrand themselves as the New Orleans Pelicans for next season, it opened the possibility of the Charlotte Bobcats reclaiming their former name. While the nostalgic marketing potential alone is endless for the franchise, it's left many wondering and waiting to see if they can translate that into on-court success.

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Rangers Hit Panic Button Against Boston

Tim Kolupanowich — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:10 +0000

Down 3-0 to the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers are in a tight spot as they head into Game 4 at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. After blowing a third period lead in Game 1 then being embarrassed in Game 2, the pressure is on the Rangers who looked like they were a small step from making the final at the end of last season. Can they claw their way back from the brink?

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The Case for Evan Longoria as MVP

Harlan Ambrose — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:45 +0000

Evan Longoria is a candidate to win the American League's MVP award, but where exactly does the man fall among the game's greatest? Harlan Ambrose takes a thorough look at the numbers behind Longoria's unassumingly dominant 2013 campaign, arguing that not only is he among the game's best, he quite possibly already could be.

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The Packer: Brett Favre’s Journey Home

Josh Koebert — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:21 +0000

Brett Favre was a lot of things to a lot of people, but especially to the rabid Wisconsin faithful. Josh Koebert, one of the many inspired football afficianados who can attribute their passion for the game to the franchise-changing quarterback, weighs in on the man's exodus, eventual retirement and potential return to the place he became a legend.

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Why Titus Young is more than a punchline

Andrew Bucholtz — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:27 +0000

Titus Young was arrested for a third time in a span of a week recently, a concerning feat that's had the sports blogosphere quipping ever since. As Andrew Bucholtz explains, however, given the possibility of mental illness - or even traumatic brain injury as Young's father claims - the case in general is one that the football community is going to have to find a better way of dealing with.

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The NHL’s Barnum and Bailey Act

Ryan Fulford — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:01 +0000

By now you’ve probably seen the circus act that was Game 3 between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. Myriad opinions abound about the tactics used and the actions undertaken in that game, with some fans revelling in the “old-time hockey”-style of play, while others, such as Ken Campbell from The Hockey News, have denounced it. Is this what happens when the "code" takes precedence over the NHL rulebook?

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Life on the Farm

Jesse Goldberg-Strassler — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:38:52 +0000

Between Jimmy Negrych and Chris Bootcheck, the International League’s most productive hitter and most effective pitcher, arguably, are non-prospects. This is far from unusual. In Triple-A, prospects are often outnumbered by journeymen, role players, veterans and free agents, floating freely between organizations, continuing to chase their own Major League dreams. The Majors are, after all, right there, one step above the International League! How do such circumstances affect the atmosphere in the clubhouse?

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The Russell Westbrook Injury in Context

Gerard Spalding — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:00:53 +0000

The NBA playoffs this year have been as entertaining as ever, but you could put together a pretty decent starting five solely composed of players who have been unable to play due to injury: Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Danilo Gallinari and David Lee are just some of the star contributors who have spent the majority of these playoffs watching the games courtside. Perhaps most significant in terms of impacting the playoff bracket, has been the injury to Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook. Gerard Spalding explains.

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The Rebirth of the New York Islanders

Tim Kolupanowich — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:00:27 +0000

The New York Islanders are showing everyone what kind of team they have the potential to be in the near future. With the exception of Game 1 when the Islanders were blown out of the CONSOL Energy Center by a final score of 5-0, they have matched the Pens goal-for-goal and outshot the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference 78-58 in Games 2 and 3. If they were playing against any other team, they could easily be leading the series.

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