Russ's Sports Review

Here it is folks, one of the greatest weeks of the sports season. I know the official start to the MLB season started last week in Japan, but Thursday is the true opening day. The Braves start in Philly as Bryce Harper makes his debut. I still don’t have a bad feeling on the defending NL East champs, but more on that later. It is also the week we determine the final four in college basketball. It looks like all four number one seeds will make it to the sweet 16. Duke was very fortunate to be alive after their somewhat lucky 77-76 win over UCF. Zion is questionably the real deal but if this team can’t make outside shots they will be in real trouble. They will play Virginia Tech on Friday night.
Now for baseball; tomorrow (Thursday) is opening day. Right now I do not feel good about the Braves. The East has passed them talent wise without question. I would have never believed that Julio would be starting on opening day. Granted, I think if healthy, that Folty would be out there, but he will join Minter and O’Day on the disabled list. Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright will both actually start the year in rotation and pitch games 2 and 3. In a move I do not agree with, Touki will start the season at AAA Gwinnett. The team actually made a pair of free agent pickups. They got veteran bullpen guy Josh Tomlin. He has been with several teams, most notably the Indians. On Saturday, they acquired veteran outfielder Matt Joyce. The Braves were his third team of the week. In case you missed it, the Braves are still “in” on free agent closer Craig Kimbrel. It looks like it will come down to the Braves or Brewers. If the all-star closer wants more than a one year deal, I don’t like the Braves’ chances.
Let’s change things over to the Falcons. It looks like they are on the verge of a long-term deal with superstar wide out Julio Jones. Reports are they are about to sign him on a four or five year deal worth 20 million per year. It looks like about half or maybe a little more will go against the cap, which is pretty standard. The money is high but it’s about right for Julio who is considered one of the best, if not the leagues very best.
The move could even open up at least a little cap room for this season, which is desperately needed. It doesn’t look like the team is making any progress with signing star defense tackle Grady Jarrett to a long-term contract. He will be a Falcon this season as he is playing under the franchise tag. He will make 15.9 million this season with all the money counting against the salary cap. The defensive line will likely be the center of attention for the franchise as the draft is coming up starting April 25th.
It is a good draft for the defensive line so I feel sure the Falcons will address the position even if they are able to sign Jarrett long term. The most attractive player to me is Ed Oliver who played with Houston. The big question is will he be there when the birds pick at 14. There are also the strong members of National Champion Clemson that will be available. The draft will start on April 25th.
To wrap things up this week, let’s talk a little college baseball. The Georgia team is off to their best start since 1920. They are currently ranked 5th in the country. They won 2 out of 3 over the weekend against 10th ranked LSU. As is the case in most sports, the conference is loaded. The wins kept them on top of the east.