Browns clean out QB room-Ship Kevin Hogan to Washington

The Cleveland Browns finished the remodeling of their basement, err quarterback film room as the Browns traded the final remnant of the 2017 room as Cleveland traded Kevin Hogan and the sixth-rounder that was obtained from New England (205) for Jason McCourty to the Washington Redskins.

Cleveland received the Redskins sixth-rounder (188), so basically, the Browns moved up 17 spots in the next to last round, which while not much to crow about does at least give the Browns for the third time in this off-season, something in return for a player that they likely would have released in the near-future (Jason McCourty for the six going to Washington and Cody Kessler for a future conditional seven).

Hogan played in four games last season, throwing four touchdown passes and five interceptions, but played well off the bench in the first three games of the season in relief of DeShone Kizer for various reasons.
Hogan completed 16 of 19 off the bench against the Jets and almost brought the team from behind for a win in a 17-14 loss.
That game was the reason that Hue Jackson gave Hogan the start the following week in Houston against the Texans, but Hogan threw three interceptions in a 33-17 loss and wouldn't throw a pass the rest of the season.

Kevin Hogan was going to have a tough time making the roster after the signing of Drew Stanton, so
it was a gesture that goes a long way to future players considering Cleveland in allowing him to shop himself and find an interested team.
On the field, the football version of  'Cleaning out the inbox' ends with all three quarterbacks that took snaps last season are all traded in the same off-season (DeShone Kizer to Green Bay, Cody Kessler to Jacksonville and now Hogan to Washington) and unless their new teams have catastrophic injuries to their quarterback, none of the three will play other than in severe mop-up duty.
Facts like these are exactly why Sashi Brown is out of town and shows just how much is riding on the decision at the top of the draft for this year's quarterback savior.
No matter if the pick is Darnold, Rosen, Allen, or bleech Mayfield, it will be their QB room that is built around them.
The Browns have to get this right or run the risk of another clearance sale under center in the near future...

Reading and Listening

I wanted to do an occasional series that mentions some of the sites and podcasts that I enjoy quite often, some almost every day, so they might pick up some pub and maybe some of you might enjoy their work as well!
I'm going to recommend two sites and two podcasts each time that I roll this ball out, so I'm deliberately keeping the number down.

I often read SWC Roundup, which I stumbled upon one day on Twitter.
The roundup covers every college football team in the state of Texas with the name and tongue in cheek premise of the old Southwest Conference coming back together.
It covers the teams currently, but also often writes history pieces, which I love.
I wish the people behind this site would consider a podcast that would look back at SWC history because if it is anything like the site would be tremendous!

And the first place that I go for sports coverage is the Athletic.
It gets better and better as they hire excellent writers that have been released from other ventures from the various organizations that continue to downsize and I mean that-literally they get better every day.
It is a pay site, but with quality writing and NO advertising, it is the only pay site that I use.
If you want to try it- use this link and toss me a few Amazon dollars for the referral!
Seriously though, if you are a serious fan- I think once you try it and see the familiar names writing there, I think you'll stick around!

As far as podcasts go, I usually listen to Browns Scout Podcast with Scott Dryden and Brad Ward.
Scott used to do the TRS podcast (when I used to be motivated-Ha!) and gives great analysis on the draft with a Cleveland focus.
Scott knows his stuff-even if he does prefer Josh Allen to Sam Darnold!

And for boxing, I listen to both shows that Steve Kim works on.
Not just because I'm a fan of Steve's work and not because he often retweets stuff that I write (It's amazing the numbers jump when Steve RT's compared to not), it's because it's good boxing talk.
The Three Knockdown Rule with Mario Lopez (Yes,of Saved by the Bell fame, but he knows the game) is very entertaining and fast paced with boxing talk.
The Next Round with Gabe Montoya is a longer show, more in-depth and a drier show more for the hardcore boxing fan, but still interesting and a staple of mine at work for a good listen.
I'd recommend the former for the more casual fan or the one still learning the sport, but both are great podcasts.
Drop Steve a line on Twitter and tell him TRS sent you!
I have to get around to sending some stuff into those shows, I miss being part of the boxing podcast world!

Boxing Challenge

The boxing challenge is all Showtime with a three-bout broadcast Saturday night with two fights at junior middleweight and the other at super middleweight.

The main event features a title unification fight at junior middleweight between WBA champion Erislandy Lara and IBF kingpin Jarrett Hurd.
Lara, who has been known for some dreadfully boring encounters, has occasionally participated in a fun fight (Most notably against Alfredo Angulo) and with a willing opponent in Hurd, who will attack throughout the fight and Lara's legs, which were once thoroughbred-like are now in their mid-30's (and who really knows the REAL age of Lara like so many Cuban fighters) might not be up to 12 rounds against a talented young fighter.
Fighters like Lara tend to lose their legs all at once and not gradually, so this is a tough fight to call considering Lara's skills, yet age and I could see Hurd being the guy to send Lara downhill.
I could also see Lara boxing Hurd's ears and giving the sometimes crude Hurd a lesson in boxing.
This could be terrific if Lara boxes, yet doesn't run, so it'll be interesting to see if Lara continues to rule the division or if Hurd establishes himself as a star and makes another unification fight vs WBC champ Jermell Charlo a very appealing fight to make.
I'm leaning Lara, but rooting for Hurd!

The co-feature is a rematch of perhaps 2017's upset of the year as Caleb Truax makes his first defense of the IBF super middleweight title that he took from prohibitive favorite James DeGale in England.
DeGale was looked at as the best in the division, even after his draw in a unification contest with Badou Jack and resulting injuries (a busted eardrum and missing tooth) before his return in what most (Including me) looked at as a squash match vs Truax, who had lost all three of his fights against top ten contenders (The only name win on his record was a decision win over a badly faded Antwun Echols) entering the fight.
This contractually obligated rematch will have repercussions throughout the 168-pound division, no matter the victor with a Truax win resulting in arguably the most vulnerable champion in years being chased by the other champions ( WBC champion David Benavidez is also promoted by PBC, which would make him the likely winner of the Truax derby over the WBA champion, which will be the winner of the World Boxing Super Series final between George Groves and Callum Smith), while a DeGale win would likely result in a unification bout as well, but the Groves-Smith winner is the more likely fight, especially if Groves defeats Smith with Groves holding a win over DeGale in the past and would be a huge success in the United Kingdom.
The key in this one comes down to this- Did DeGale simply have an off night after a long layoff or is he a shot fighter that just happened to be caught by Truax before anyone was able to get to him?

In the Showtime curtain jerker, Julian Williams battles Nathaniel Gallimore for the mandatory position for the Lara-Hurd winner in the IBF ratings at 154 pounds.
Williams, who once was so impressive that I favored him to defeat Jermall Charlo as a mandatory contender before being knocked out, had more problems than expected in decisioning 40-year-old Ishe Smith in his last fight, while Gallimore has stopped his last seven opponents, but will be taking a huge leap in competition in facing Williams.
This fight should be entertaining and if Jarrett Hurd is able to defeat Erislandy Lara in the main event, a Hurd title defense against the winner would be a great action fight as well...

In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 56-43.

Unification WBA-IBF Junior Middleweight Titles. 12 Rds
Erislandy Lara vs Jarrett Hurd
Both: Lara Unanimous Decision

IBF Super Middleweight Title. 12 Rds
Caleb Truax vs James DeGale
Both: DeGale Unanimous Decision

Junior Middleweights, 12 Rds
Julian Williams vs Nathaniel Gallimore
R.L: Williams KO 8
TRS: Williams Unanimous Decision

Minor League Fantasy Draft Round Five- Jhailyn Ortiz and...

Photo Credit; Willamsport Sun-Gazette

It was time to make my final selection and I was looking through various notes because my queue of players had been emptied, but I figured that would happen and had other players listed that were possibilities for my final pick.

I was surprised to see a player that I liked still available.
What I was downright stunned to see was that there were quite a few players available that I was interested in, but two stood out above them all and I could only select one.

I decided on Jhailyn Ortiz, a power hitting outfield prospect from the Philadelphia Phillies, who I had seen on my trip to Batavia last year and watched him smack a long home run.
Ortiz hit .302 and eight homers last year in 159 at-bats at short-season Williamsport with a very impressive .961 OPS as a Crosscutter.
Ortiz signed at 16 for a 4.5 million dollar bonus and played last season at 18.
The 6'3 Ortiz didn't have issues making contact, but he appears to be a player that will have to keep in shape because his body shape might be one that gets thick as he ages, so he might be a candidate to move to first base sometime during his career.
Phillies farm director Joe Jordan rates Ortiz as the most talented player in a system that does have plenty of talent, so there is a chance that Ortiz could be a real steal as a fifth rounder.
Ortiz has the type of righthanded power that makes scouts drool ( Having seen him play, Ortiz reminded me some of Aaron Judge) and his 15 doubles show that he'll make enough contact to give him an excellent chance to hit for average even if he does strike out plenty as the cost of living.
I felt good about Ortiz when one of the better owners in our league posted that Ortiz was going to be his pick shortly after mine, had I passed on him.


Having decided on Ortiz as the final selection, I was finished with my draft, but I kept thinking about the player that I passed over.
The day dragged on and as happy as I was with Ortiz, I wanted to find a way to land that other guy.
I decided I had to have him and found a team that was on the clock- Battlin' Bob's Indianapolis Indians and for the cost of a second-round pick in the 2019 major league draft, I could have his pick.
I was fine with the cost, I usually only use one pick, if any, so it was more than fine with me.

So, who was this player that I had to have?

Photo Courtesy;Danville Braves

William Contreras, a catcher in the Braves organization and brother of Willson Contreras of the Cubs.

Contreras turned 20 at the conclusion of the 2017 season and spent last year with Danville of the Appalachian League.
I was impressed with Contreras smoking a would-be base stealer with ease when I was in Danville last year and made a note of him in that game.
When I looked at his stats during my research, I was intrigued by his .290/4/25 line in 169 at-bats and decided I wanted him.
Catcher along with shortstop is the hardest position to find when you draft a minor league version of fantasy baseball because you are dealing with such young players and all too often, catchers become first basemen or outfielders and shortstops often turn into second or third baseman by the time that they would reach the big time.
Often the reason that catcher get their position switched is defensive liabilities, which Contreras is reported to be strong enough in that area and I've seen the arm.
I have a feeling he stays behind the plate.
The bat looks like it could be a good one and Contreras is patient along with being able to make contact as he finished with 25 walks to his 30 strikeouts.
Rookie league catchers are usually a lottery ticket to the big leagues, but William Contreras was one worth taking...

Browns sign Jeff Janis

This note is from a few days ago, but I still wanted to write a few words about the Browns latest signing as this is intriguing to me and might have slipped through the news a bit.

The Browns signing of Jeff Janis made me think about him in Cleveland as a supporting cast member of the wide receiving corps.
After all, the name Jeff Janis is a name that I often read over the last few years as a potential fantasy sleeper and I wondered if he just wasn't a guy that fell into a decent WR bunch, so didn't break out against strong competition.

Janis is 6'3, runs extremely well and looking at his stats, his career yards per catch is close to 12 yards per catch and looks the part of a pass catcher that just needed a chance.
I checked out some of the Packer sites and many of those people were more upset about losing Jeff Janis than Jordy Nelson ( keep in mind, they think they are losing the injured Jordy Nelson that is beaten up and almost broken) to the point of leaving me pondering just why Green Bay isn't trying harder to keep this guy.

So what else do I do- well, when it comes to asking about the Green Bay Packers-I have one go-to source who I respect impeccably, after all, I trained him!
I asked Ryan about Jeff Janis ( he called me back from a dinner in beautiful Clearwater, Florida) and here are a few of his comments.
" Great special teams gunner" "Terrific on special teams, arguably the best in the league", "Cannot catch a cold" "Has horrible hands" "Has had chances to beat out players that he should have like Trevor Davis, who's terrible and didn't", "Will show enough flashes to make you think he'll break out and doesn't" "Occasionally makes a big play because no one covers him" and finally "Will be a huge factor on special teams, fans will love him there, but asking him to be more than a 5th wide receiver is more than he'll deliver"

Jeff Janis brings some interesting skills and size to Cleveland at a cheap rate and should prove to be a helpful and popular player on the specialty teams with the occasional big play on offense.
Asking more than that seems to be a reach.
Thanks to Ryan for taking the time to discuss Jeff Janis...

Xavier hires Travis Steele

Xavier University looked around at various candidates around the nation and decided to stick to the person that they know best as Xavier selected Chris Mack's top assistant Travis Steele to be the next head coach at Xavier.

The 36-year-old Steele has never been a head coach (Neither had Chris Mack, when he was promoted to replace Sean Miller in the school's last coaching change) , but by being an assistant, Steele has the advantage of keeping many things the same, the most important of which is hopefully being able to keep committed recruits.
This is always a factor when a coach departs and Xavier lost one recruit already when 2018-19 graduate transfer Evan Boudreaux de-committed when Mack announced his move to Louisville.
Boudreaux signed with Purdue, but with many of Steele's duties as an assistant being recruiting related, I would think that Steele should be able to retain most if not all of the incoming recruiting class.

Much of Xavier's sustained success has occurred by keeping their coaches in-house as they have promoted assistants (Sean Miller and Chris Mack) and brought back former assistants that took lesser jobs as head coaches (Skip Prosser) over the last 25 years.
Only the hiring of Thad Matta from Butler (With both of those schools now in the Big East, you'd never see that move happen today) to replace Prosser (Wake Forest) breaks a perfect run of coaches that had some sort of prior experience at Xavier.

It always comes with some risk when you move up a popular assistant to be the head man, especially when it is a person without prior head coaching experience, but in a case such as this one that did not have a breakout candidate from the "hot coach", it made sense to stick with Travis Steele and attempt to retain some sort of continuity in the program.
Chris Mack had made no secret that if Xavier did not give the job to Steele, Steele would be joining him in Louisville and it truly would be an entire revamp of the basketball program at a time when Xavier has enjoyed its highest level of success.
At the same time, it would be a shame to lose the momentum that the program has built since joining the Big East and playing it safe is the best thing to do...

Boxing Challenge: Joshua slogs past Parker

There were 80,000 fans in Cardiff, Wales that left happy as Anthony Joshua added the WBO heavyweight title to his previously owned WBA and IBF championships as Joshua won a unanimous decision over Joseph Parker.

Happy is different than entertained, however, as the action was stunted at best and glacial at worst as Joshua swept the later rounds to pull away on most cards, although the judges predictably had Joshua ahead more than most observers, although to be fair, most of the first six rounds were close (also known as boring and dull with little to choose from) enough to not argue with which fighter that you saw winning.
I watched it one and a half times (I watched the first six rounds over) and I scored Joshua 116-112 live and 118-110 on a second watching.
It was just plain dull and there is plenty to be said for winning this one and look good the next one, but still, this slow bout combined with Deontay Wilder's victory over Luis Ortiz suddenly has some people thinking Wilder has a chance against Joshua that would not have thought so before this fight.
I still think Wilder's chin isn't great and I think he'll fight Joshua off his back foot more than as an attacker, but off this performance by Joshua, I can at least understand that belief, if not agree with it.
I suppose the part of the match that surprised me was Deontay Wilder's reaction and screaming after the fight that Parker was robbed.
Delusion is not always able to be understood...

I'm not sure if Joshua-Wilder happens next unless some things are worked out with their respective management and the sanctioning bodies, but one idea that would allow Joshua to debut in America, Wilder to perhaps draw a crowd, knock out some mandatories and even regain some excitement lost from today's fight would be a doubleheader in the summer with Joshua defending against Povetkin and Wilder against Dillian Whyte.
It seems to check all the boxes and makes a lot of sense, which likely why I'm doubtful it would be a finished deal.
In boxing, no sense makes sense.

In the semi-main, a predictable result occurred when Alexander Povetkin delivered a spectacular knockout of David Price in the fifth round.
Povetkin dropped Price in the third, but Price rallied back to drive Povetkin back into the corner in what was ruled a knockdown as the corner held Povetkin up.
Povetkin is the number one contender for both the WBA and WBO, so Eddie Hearn (promoter of Anthony Joshua) is going to have to either deal with Povetkin physically in a title defense or financially to pay step-aside dollars for Joshua to face Wilder (or anyone else) next time out.
Povetkin can crack with the best of the division and is a dangerous fight, but also one with danger for any promoter with his PED history that makes you nervous about the status of the fight all the way until the fighters enter the ring.
As for David Price, it's too bad that his chin is made of melted cheese because he otherwise looks the part of a contender.
Tall, rangy, punches pretty well, Price reminds you of what a British heavyweight used to be (Frank Bruno, Richard Dunn, Brian London etc) with his lack of punch resistance.
David Price either needs to step aside or be matched as a special attraction against fighters that aren't a big threat (think of how Butterbean Esch was scheduled or for you wrestling historians- Giant Baba of All Japan in his later years) to his health, because continuing to place David Price against any of type of contender is going to wind up hurting Price badly.

I didn't see the other two fights on the card and in the boxing challenge
Ryan Burnett retained his WBA bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision over Yonfrez Parejao and Anthony Crolla won a unanimous decision over Edson Ramirez in a lightweight fight.

In the boxing challenge, I scored eight points to Ramon Malpica's six on the day to boost my lead to  56-43.
I scored two points each in all four fights with Ramon scoring two points each for wins by Ryan Burnett and Anthony Crolla with one each for the heavyweight wins of Anthony Joshua and Alexander Povetkin.