What\u2019s going on in the American League, where 13 of 15 teams are, to put it kindly, struggling? Where going into Thursday\u2019s action, only the Yankees and perennially make-ends-meet Rays were above .500. It\u2019s early, but at this rate, the AL is flirting with the worst winning percentage in baseball history. To add more perspective, currently every AL Central team would be in last place in the National League Central. But with the bar set so low, it\u2019s a certainty that some of these mediocrities will emerge from the AL morass as playoff contenders.<\/p>\n
Reality check: It\u2019s not a promising sign for a big-league club when baseball mavens can\u2019t decide what\u2019s the shakiest part of your team, pitching or fielding. That\u2019s the position the Orioles currently find themselves in.<\/p>\n
Future watch: What should compound Orioles fans\u2019 concern is that before going 0-4 at Yankee Stadium over a long weekend, Baltimore had been handed a relatively easy schedule.<\/p>\n
Lack of support: Shohei Ohtani\u2019s MLB-leading ERA \u201cballooned\u201d to 0.97 after he gave up a couple of runs in a 2-1 loss to the Astros this week. His record fell to 2-2 as Dodger hitters continued to be their least productive during Ohtani starts. The next day, L.A. put up 12 runs on the Astros.<\/p>\n
On the spot: I feel sorry for young Patriots quarterback Drake Maye that he was thrust into a position where he would say that Mike Vrabel is \u201ca great human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bay-bound: After plugging away the last two years with the Jets, football\u2019s most dysfunctional franchise, Tyrod Taylor is joining a Packers organization that knows how to treat quarterbacks. The best landing spot the 36-year-old could have hoped for.<\/p>\n
Tarnished crown: Skipping the Preakness, as Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is doing \u2014 as three of the last five Derby winners have done \u2014 is SOP so long as the current race calendar is in play. It goes without saying that the Triple Crown of horse racing is no longer the big deal it once was.<\/p>\n
Hoops du jour: After his team lost to the Spurs Wednesday by 38 points, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, \u201cWe just got punked.\u201d But how can it be that a playoff team facing some adversity can pull the rip cord like it\u2019s the final game of a February road trip? We\u2019ve seen it elsewhere in these playoffs, with the Knicks winning three consecutive times by at least 25 points, including back-to-back 51- and 39-point spreads. In the biggest games, playoff teams sometimes come up so small. It\u2019s a bad look for the league.<\/p>\n
Die by the sword: Another bad look is how the Celtics fell out of the playoffs after hoisting 179 3-pointers \u2014 and missing almost 75% of them \u2014 in their four losses to the 76ers.<\/p>\n
Options: If Steve Kerr quits with the Warriors, he\u2019ll likely return to whence he came \u2014 TV. The revolving door \u2014 media to the NBA and vice versa \u2014 is good for outgoing coaches looking for cushy gigs or an opportunity to get back in the game. D.C. politics work the same way, don\u2019t they? Often to more precarious effect.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: Lest anyone get in the weeds about how our great centers of higher education can afford million-dollar deals for football and basketball talent, the $20.5 million revenue-share cap for schools is a number that\u2019s often ignored. The big programs blow through the cap, pay whatever it takes to stock their rosters, and dare the ineffectual NCAA to do something about it.<\/p>\n
BMOC: Duke\u2019s latest men\u2019s basketball recruit is a 7-foot prospect playing in Spain by the name of Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. And we thought Krzyzewski was hard to spell. But I buried the lead: The kid is 16 years old. Basketball recruiting grows more inscrutable by the day.<\/p>\n
Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.<\/p>\n
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