Being the only team with 10 wins in December, the San Antonio Spurs are the NBA’s hottest team right now (and I don’t just say that because they have my Cavs up next in a matter of hours). More than that though, I also think San Antonio is the league’s best challenger to the current Finals favorites in Oklahoma City.
Author Archives: pickupsportstalkcle
The Cavs Missing Offensive Piece Might Not Be Who You Think It Is
The Cavs currently stand at 14-11 and in 8th place in an Eastern Conference where they were expected to be one of the two best teams in the field, at worst. Expectations were high coming off of a 2024-2025 campaign that may have ended in an underwhelming fashion, but that saw them arguably sport one of the best offenses in league history.
Bieber Accepting Option Was Weird; But Possible Sign of Blue Jays’ Road to Redemption
One of the first moves of the baseball off-season was when former Guardian and current Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber decided return to Toronto for 2026 by picking up the 1-year, $16 million option on his contract. The right-handed former ace’s decision was surprising for many.
Carl Willis Will Return & The Pitching Factory’s Sustainability
If you have read the news that Carl Willis intends to return as Guardians’ pitching coach in 2026, you likely breathed a small sigh of relief (and if hadn’t read that, you can let it out now!). Part of me wouldn’t blame you. Willis’s reputation as one of the best pitching coaches in the sport presently, and perhaps in the sport’s history, has solidified over the years.
Predicting the Most Exciting Post-Season in Sports
The regular season is built on sustained successes day after day. Days turn to weeks. Weeks turn to months. Months turned into full bodies of work that get you into the post-season. For the post-season itself though, the key moments are ridiculously granular. Key at bats turn into key innings. Those innings change wins into losses and vice versa.
Playing the Schedule Game: Analyzing the Guardians Playoff Chances
The good vibes have me thinking. What is it really going to take to close the deal? After more than five months of play, the Guardians, and all MLB teams, are down to less than 20 games remaining in their seasons. The possibilities that were endless when spring was upon us are now becoming quite finite as autumn starts to forebode. We are at a point where we can trick ourselves into drawing conclusions from the remaining schedules. It is NFL season now. Some people love play the schedule game with their NFL team- trying to determine the wins and losses on the upcoming docket. Well, we have a similar number of MLB games left relative to an NFL schedule.
Evaluating the Guardians at the 3rd Quarter Pole
Well, the Major League Baseball season just hit about mile 20 over the past week. The Guardians have played 123 games, or about 76% of their season. This feels like a great time to take some inventory and see where the Guardians stand as the stretch run appears on the horizon. With just under 40 games remaining, there is still plenty of time to speculate on both post-season glory or how the season could end in ineptitude and disappointment. In order to cut through the reckless speculation, let’s take a look at where we have been, in order to have the best idea of where things are going.
Dear Journal: Pickup Sports Talk CLE is Back
I last posted on this little corner of the internet that I own five years ago. I have to be honest, I was shocked when I went to the homepage a moment ago and saw the dateline on my last post was August 7th 2020. I just so happen to be sitting here beginning to type this new return post on August 7th 2025, literally 5 years to the day later. I didn’t plan it this way.
Who and What Is At the Root of the Indians’ Offensive Horrible Start: A Poorly Timed Analytical Blog Post
Coming into Thursday night, the Cleveland Indians offense has been absolutely lackluster. Having scored 12 runs over their past 8 games, they outscored themselves during that time span on Thursday alone with their 13-0 drubbing of the Cincinnati Reds. Man, that had to feel good. It must have felt like a step in the rightContinue reading “Who and What Is At the Root of the Indians’ Offensive Horrible Start: A Poorly Timed Analytical Blog Post”
Cleveland Indians 2020 Roster Preview and Projections
I did something amazing on Saturday. I watched live baseball. This wasn’t the live baseball from half a world a way in South Korea at 5 in the morning. No, this was Major League Baseball. In prime time. On a Saturday evening! My own complaints about potentially not being able to watch my games justContinue reading “Cleveland Indians 2020 Roster Preview and Projections”
Pick-Up Sports Talk: Cleveland 