CHARLOTTE Stitched Matt Paradis Jersey , N.C. (AP)Interims handled the medical treatment of quarterback Cam Newton ”the right way” during Sunday’s 31-26 playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints. The NFL and NFL Players Association announced Monday they plan to conduct a joint review to determine if the Panthers followed the correct concussion protocol after Newton took a hard shot from Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata midway through the fourth quarter. If the concussion protocol was not properly followed the team is subject to discipline, including a $150,000 fine. Newton spent time on the ground after the hit. Then, as he was walking toward the sideline, appeared to stumble to one knee. He briefly pointed toward his right eye. He sat out one play, but returned on the next offensive series and finished the game. ”He took a hit. But when he walked off and he told the trainers he got poked in the eye, then they did take him into the tent and checked him for a concussion, which he did not have,” Hurney said. ”And it was really getting poked in the eye.” Hurney said Newton intentionally took a knee because he was told to by the team’s training staff so Carolina could get an official timeout, thus allowing backup quarterback Derek Anderson a chance to warm up. Anderson came in for one third down play and was nearly intercepted. However Youth Shaq Thompson Jersey , the question could become whether or not Newton should have been taken to the locker room for evaluations. The league and the players union changed its concussion protocol last month after Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage returned to the field after having a concussion that left the quarterback’s hands shaking after a hit. The changes to the protocol include the requirement of a locker room concussion evaluation for all players ”demonstrating gross or sustained vertical instability (e.g., stumbling or falling to the ground when trying to stand.)” Newton did not visit the locker room. Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he is very confident that the protocol was followed correctly. ”Based on what the young man (Newton) said to me, that is what I believe happened,” Rivera said. ”And again, from that point on I don’t think anything else needs to be said about it.” Newton said after the game Sunday that ”precautionary concussion protocol things” happened, but ”it wasn’t my head. It was my eye. My helmet had come down low enough over my eyelid and it got pressed by the player’s stomach.” The Panthers were investigated once before in the 2016 season opener at Denver when Newton took a blow to the head but remained in the game. It was later determined the Panthers handled that situation correctly and no fines were handed out. The Seattle Seahawks were fined $100,000 in Week 10 after the league and union determined they failed to apply the concussion protocol properly after quarterback Russell Wilson took a blow to the head against the Arizona Cardinals. — No matter what the plan on the offensive line is, acquiring young talent to bolster the tackle position has to still be a top priority."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomCarolina Panthers free agency 2019Re-signing Daryl Williams should not affect the Carolina Panthers draft plans at allNew,89commentsNo matter what the plan on the offensive line is, acquiring young talent to bolster the tackle position has to still be a top priority.EDTShareTweetShareShareRe-signing Daryl Williams should not affect the Carolina Panthers draft plans at allJeremy Brevard-USA TODAY SportsThe Carolina Panthers made a surprising announcement yesterday that they had come to terms on a one year prove-it deal worth somewhere between six and seven million dollars with offensive tackle Daryl Williams. Many Stitched Shaq Thompson Jersey , including myself, thought for sure that Williams was going to sign a longer term deal somewhere else, and apparently those discussions were had, but ultimately Daryl wanted to attempt to increase his value by playing just one more year here.The debate about what this means for the offensive line is surely going to be a hot topic as we march through this offseason unless Ron Rivera addresses it directly in one way or another. Does this signal a move of Taylor Moton to left tackle? Does Moton stay put and Williams try to make it as a left guard? Are they thinking of trying Williams, unadvisably, at left tackle? Is Matt Kalil still going to play there? The questions and speculation are pretty much endless at this point, and though I have strong opinions on what they should do, I wont go into detail about that in this particular article.What I will say is this... this should change NOTHING about the Panthers current draft strategy. The need for youth and talent with left tackle potential is still extremely great at this point, and the smart thing to do would be to acquire it while you are temporarily deep at the position. Looking down the road a year from now, you are going to face the same situation as far as need for a tackle.A year from now Youth James Bradberry Jersey , there is basically no question at this point that Matt Kalil will be released, if not sooner than that. You’ll also be looking once again at Daryl Williams, and how his performance this year affects his value. In my estimation, we should be looking at Williams with totally fresh eyes at this point after two leg injuries, a year out of football, and a new offensive coordinator. This is the perfect example of a prove-it deal, because he has both everything to prove and everything to potentially lose. Even in the grand event that the Panthers do move Taylor Moton to left tackle and he achieves wild success, and Daryl Williams manages equal success on the right side, you still probably need that extra card to give yourself some leverage. You need one more hopeful talent on a rookie level deal, because you’ll be potentially looking at a large contract for Williams and then in a couple years Stitched James Bradberry Jersey , a large contract for Moton. It would be hard to retain both, and having options at one of the most difficult positions to find them in football is extremely valuable.To conclude, the last thing I want to see is another situation down the road where we have to rely on free agency to attempt to bring in some talent at tackle. That is why we ended up with the arguably the worst contract in franchise history with Matt Kalil, and we would do well to learn from our mistakes. This is going to be an important year for the future of this team, with the leadership vacancies that we suddenly have and the very very hot seats that our coach and general manager are sitting on. We need to nail these decisions for long term success, and that starts with prudent action right now.

Let’s consider what might have happened." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyeslcons communityFollow The Falcoholic online:Follow The Falcoholic on TwitterFollow The Falcoholic on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchThe Falcoholic main menuFanpostsFanshotsLibraryFalconsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Library FalcFans Podcast on The FalcoholicContact The FalcoholicFalcons StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Falcons NewsYahoo Falcons Team PageYahoo Falcons ReportYahoo Falcons Depth ChartYahoo Falcons TransactionsYahoo Falcons PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕What if the Falcons didn’t trade up for Michael Vick?New Grady Jarrett Jersey 2019 ,30commentsLet’s consider what might have happened.EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:What if the Falcons didn’t trade up for Michael Vick?TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailGabe Palacio/Getty ImagesAs SB Nation continues with its week of “What If?,” we continue here at The Falcoholic with a difficult scenario to consider. What if the Atlanta Falcons had not traded up and selected Michael Vick in the 2001 NFL Draft?First, let’s rehash what did happen. The Falcons traded their first and third-round picks in the 2001 NFL Draft, a 2002 second-round pick, and kick returner Tim Dwight to the San Diego Chargers for the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. The Falcons obviously selected quarterback Michal Vick with the first overall selection. The Chargers selected running back LaDainian Tomlinson in the first round, defensive back Tay Cody in the second round and wide receiver Reche Caldwell in the following year’s draft. So let’s pretend the Falcons decided NOT to do this trade.In this scenario, the Chargers still have an obvious need at quarterback and running back. According to the San Diego Tribune, Chargers GM A.J. Smith was not going to select Michael Vick, perhaps due to the previous failure of selecting quarterback Ryan Leaf high in the draft and it not panning out. Also, the Chargers wouldn’t have taken L.T. first overall.“L.T. would not have been our No. 1 overall pick,” said Smith. “We had him penciled in at 5, solid at 5 — still, a little nervous for us, but solid.” With that knowledge, the Chargers would’ve stayed at No. 1 and selected defensive end Justin Smith, because Smith noted that’s who he would’ve selected. The second pick was held by the Arizona Cardinals, who were coming off a 3-13 season with quarterback Jake Plummer. Knowing that Plummer had 13 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in 2000, and the team moved on from him in 2002, we’ll assume the Cardinals take Michael Vick in this scenario. With Justin Smith and Michael Vick off the board, the Cleveland Browns are now on the clock and address their need at defensive tackle, and select Gerard Warren, as they did in real life. The Cincinnati Bengals would be up next, and the player they selected in our universe, Justin Smith, is not available. They heavily relied on running back Corey Dillon who rushed for 1,435 yards in 2000, so L.T. would not be the pick here. Their offensive line allowed 52 sacks in 2000, and the best available player happens to be an offensive guard. The Bengals select Leonard Davis.The moment we’ve all been waiting for – the Atlanta Falcons are on the clock at No. 5. The question is, what would they do?The Falcons coming off a 4-12 season have some holes to fill. Journeyman quarterback Chris Chandler is getting older, and had 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2000. Running back Jamal Anderson rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2000, and we unfortunately must ignore that he tears his ACL in the 2001 season. In hindsight, the pick is obviously LaDainian Tomlinson. It’s impossible to know for sure what the Falcons would do here, but knowing what we do, I would say they look to the defensive side of the ball, and select defensive tackle Richard Seymour out of Georgia. The New England Patriots Black Brian Poole Jersey , who held the next pick, possibly would’ve taken L.T., and thinking about Tom Brady and L.T. on the field together gives me anxiety.Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesTo recap, the Falcons stay pat at No. 5 and select defensive tackle Richard Seymour. They keep their picks and Tim Dwight, although they would still have a need at quarterback. Drew Brees is the best available after Vick, who in reality, went to the Chargers at the beginning of Round 2. It’s entirely possible that the Falcons try trading to that spot for Brees, but we could never know. We’ll pretend the Chargers, who still need a quarterback, take Brees here and the Falcons again take tight end Alge Crumpler at No. 35. The Falcons have their No. 67 pick, so who do they select here? The best quarterback available is Chris Weinke, but he has a fourth-round grade and would’ve been a reach here. For the rest of Round 3, the only notable player selected was wide receiver Steve Smith by the Carolina Panthers. It’s possible the Falcons select Smith to add to their receiving corps of Terance Mathis and Shawn Jefferson. The team eventually drafted wide receiver Vinny Sutherland in the fifth round, brought back Tony Martin, and signed Brian Finneran, so they clearly had a need at receiver. If they didn’t go Smith here, it likely would’ve been one of the numerous players in Round 3 who didn’t really make a splash in the NFL. The fourth round rolls around and the Falcons in reality take center Roberto Garza, who went on to have a solid career in Chicago. Perhaps here they would’ve been tempted to select the 2000 Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Chris Weinke. There’s no way to know for sure, but pretty interesting to consider. With their other fourth-round pick, the Falcons took linebacker Matt Stewart, and it’s possible they do the same in this scenario.The fifth round is upon us, and the Falcons might’ve already taken Steve Smith, so they no longer need to take a wide receiver. Nobody notable was selected in this round, so it’s likely the Falcons take someone you’ve never heard of.In the sixth round, the Falcons selected defensive end Randy Garner. Nobody notable was selected in this round, so we’ll just say the Falcons take Garner again. To finish off their 2001 draft, the Falcons selected defensive back Corey Hall, guard Kynan Forney, defensive end Ronald Flemons and wide receiver Quentin McCord. Unless you have a time machine, there’s no way of telling if these picks would’ve changed. As part of the Michael Vick trade, the Falcons also sent their second-round pick in 2002 to the Chargers. Since this would still be a Falcons pick, we’ll consider who they could’ve selected. The 2001 season took place in this scenario, so we’ll assume running back Jamal Anderson still tore his ACL, ending his NFL career. In Round 1, the team took running back T.J. Duckett. In hindsight Brian Poole Jersey 2019 , the Falcons should’ve taken safety Ed Reed in Round 1 and then taken running back Clinton Portis in Round 2. Since there’s no way of knowing what their second-round pick would’ve been, we can only look at who they took in the third round: linebacker Will Overstreet. Assuming they decide to go linebacker in Round 2 instead, the best available would’ve been Levar Fisher, who went on to play a few seasons in Arizona. So according to this scenario, if the Falcons didn’t trade up for Michael Vick, they possibly would’ve ended up with: DT Richard Seymour, TE Alge Crumpler, WR Steve Smith, QB Chris Weinke, C Matt Stewart, someone you’ve never heard of, DE Randy Garner, DB Corey Hall, OG Kynan Forney, DE Ronald Flemons, WR Quentin McCord, LB Levar Fisher and kept kick returner Tim Dwight. Before you yell at me, remember this is in theory. Nobody knows for certain what would’ve happened had the Falcons not traded up for Michael Vick. However, we do know that it would’ve made the road to eventually selecting quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008 uncertain. Give me your best what ifs for this particular scenario, if you would. ATLANTA (AP) — Coming off two straight trips to the playoffs, the Atlanta Falcons had high hopes of becoming the first true home team in Super Bowl history.Well, those plans were dashed before the leaves changed colors.Now, the city is left with a nightmare of a potential matchup as it prepares to host the NFL title game for the third time. New Orleans vs. New England."Lord please don't let there be a Saints Patriots Super Bowl in Atlanta," an apparent Falcons fan wrote on , expressing the sentiment of the entire A-T-L in less than 280 characters.It very well could happen.On Sunday, the Saints will host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game. As soon as that's over, the Patriots will take the field in Kansas City to face the Chiefs for the AFC title.The winners will head to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Feb. 3 Super Bowl.All of Atlanta is holding its breath, hoping it can exhale rather than hold its nose for the big game."I don't even have to watch the games this weekend to know that this year's super bowl is gonna be saints-patriots because the sports gods hate atlanta that much," said another post on , filled with dread.Indeed, a city that has endured so much sporting heartbreak can sense what's coming.The Saints are the Falcons' most bitter rival, a twice-a-year NFC South opponent that already has some pretty big bragging rights over Atlanta: New Orleans won the Super Bowl nearly a decade ago.The Falcons are still without a championship, though they have only themselves to blame for that gaping hole in their 53-year-old trophy case. Two seasons ago, at the Super Bowl in Houston, Atlanta stormed to a 28-3 lead over the Patriots to set off a premature celebration.Of course, we all know how the Falcons-Patriots story ended.Tom Brady directed a comeback for the ages Black De’Vondre Campbell Jersey , leading New England to a 34-28 victory in overtime. The memories from that game still cause grimaced looks in Atlanta, where 3-28 has become a lingering punchline.A couple of months after the game, Boston celebrated "Falcons Day" on March 28. You know, because that's 3-28 on the calendar. Others dubbed it "Choking Awareness Day." After Texas A&M squandered a 34-point lead in a loss to UCLA, a parody account said the Aggies were unveiling a new logo — the Falcons' logo, naturally.Even down in the Big Easy, they couldn't resist the chance to pile on. A shop on Magazine Street offered up T-shirts with a scoreboard-like design "28-3, 3rd, 2:12" — that point in the game when Atlanta was still up by 25. A plane flew over the Superdome pulling a "3-28" banner.The Falcons returned to the playoffs last season, only to lose a heartbreaking divisional round game at Philadelphia to the eventual champion Eagles. Still, it looked as though coach Dan Quinn was building something special in Atlanta: a team featuring a dynamic offense led by quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones, along with a young, aggressive defense that was making rapid improvement.Perhaps that Super Bowl disappointment was merely a warm-up to the city's greatest sporting triumph, a title that could be celebrated right at home. Atlanta fans looked hopefully at that final game on this year's schedule, to be played at the Falcons' new $1.5 billion home. They dreamed of their team finally finishing the job it started two years ago in Houston.Then came a rash of season-ending injuries and a five-game losing streak that sent the Falcons tumbling to a 7-9 record, their worst since 2014. They lost both meetings to the Saints, including an overtime setback in Week 3 that essentially set the tone for the disappointing campaign. When the time the Falcons played their final home game, there were tens of thousands of empty seats in their 72,000-seat stadium.New Orleans romped to the best record (13-3) in the NFC, though Falcons fans were feeling a bit hopeful when Philadelphia raced out to a 14-0 lead in the divisional round game last weekend.Much like Atlanta's lead in Super Bowl LI, it didn't last. New Orleans rallied for a 20-14 victory.Now, with one more win, the Saints will head to Atlanta seeking their second championship.Talk about rubbing it in: The NFC champion will use the Falcons' training facility in suburban Flowery Branch for its practices. As in, New Orleans would claim Atlanta's field.It's all a bit too much to bear.Speaking for most in her city, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she was looking forward to a game that featured "anybody other than the Saints.""I know there's going to be a bounty on my head for saying that," she said in an interview with These Urban Times. "But, if it can't be the Falcons, then hey, as long as it's not the Saints then I am happy."The mayor walked back those comments at the start of a news conference to discuss Super Bowl preparations.Well, sort of."Before we get to the real stuff, let me explain: it was a joke," Bottoms said. "But I don't know of a Falcons fan who wants to see New Orleans and the Patriots in the Super Bowl."A nightmare scenario, indeed, for the A-T-L.

The headline pretty much says it all Barry Bonds Jersey , so , but I am obligated to type something."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Houston Astros NewsGame ThreadsHouston Astros Minor LeaguesAstros Game DayPodcastsAstros Hot StoveI don’t want Nelson Cruz for the Astros, and here’s whyNew,40commentsThe headline pretty much says it all, so there’s not much point in summarizing here, but I am obligated to type something. the one writing the article, so there. Let’s pretend that the number is $40 million, for the sake of progressing this narrative.)Should the Astros commit half of their available funds to one player, and at a position that is probably 4th or 5th on their list of “needs”?Nah. The leftover $20M is not enough to address gaping holes in the rotation and at catcher, not even to mention the question mark in Left Field.Reason #2: FlexibilityI’m not talking yoga here, but rather manager A.J. Hinch’s penchant for moving parts around to give guys days off and to maximize player splits versus particular pitchers.on record as being bullish for White, but my liking of him is rooted in his own performance and background.Though Tyler White is only projected for 112 wRC+, there’s some uncertainty baked into that, as the calculation is influenced by his 2016 81 wRC+. In 66 games last year, he had a 144 wRC+ (better than Cruz’ 134 by a healthy margin, though in a smaller sample). If the Astros believe that White is even capable of posting a 125 wRC+ next season (and really, there is no fact-based reason to think he can’t, or won’t), then WHY would anybody consider Cruz a healthy investment for the club?Keep in mind that expecting better than 125 wRC+ from Cruz is unrealistic due to his age and history of other players the same age.And keep in mind that a 125 wRC+ would actually be a reasonable step down from White’s 2018, and he can be considered in his physical prime.If one wants to argue that the Astros should play White at 1B instead of Gurriel, that’s fine, but it doesn’t solve the other issues raised above, and it also raises another: what to do with Gurriel? If he isn’t playing first base or DH, he has no value with the club, as the roving infielder position is now held by recently-acquired Aledmys Diaz, a better hitter that can actually play shortstop. Gurriel has little trade value and the Astros are highly unlikely to release him after acquiring Diaz, one of his good friends, and so we can’t just wish Cruz and White into the same lineup by hand-waving Gurriel away.ConclusionThere you have it.Nelson Cruz is a good hitter of baseballs, and will probably be good next year too.The crux of my hesitation for the Astros to sign him comes down to this:The (totally debatable, and not certain) upgrade from Tyler White to Cruz is not nearly worth paying 40 times White’s salary, when that money is desperately needed to fill out other positions on the field of higher need.Think I’m wrong? Come at me in the comments.The Boss’ RebuttalTrue picture of bilbos, managing editor of the Crawfish BoxesLao Tzu once said, “He is a fool who cannot hide his wisdom.” How much greater therefore it is to be the fool who cannot hide his foolishness. Yet here I am arguing with CRPerry, of whom, I used to think, the CR stood for Crawfish. Mr. TCB himself, Crawfish Perry.(A warm welcome back.I literally love you)Oh well Madison Bumgarner Jersey , Here I go.I start with my own caveat.In my article about Cruz I never actually came out and said the Astros should sign him.I did not start my research with that assumption. But looking at his underlying fundamentals I did come away with the belief that he could make crucial contributions to the Astros for the two years for which they would probably have to sign him.Let me take on Perry’s arguments one by one.Reason #1: MoolahI think Perry’s cost estimate is a little high. According to MLB Trade Rumors Cruz should cost, not $20 million/year, but $30 million for two; $15 mil/year.Not cheap, but if he can produce last year’s fWAR of 2.5, that comes to $6 million/WAR. That’s generally considered pretty cheap.I will address opportunity cost when we get to White.Reason #2: FlexibilityI have no answer to this.When I wrote my article Marwin Gonzalez was clearly out, and there was no Aledmys Diaz on the roster. I assumed that Cruz would DH most days, White would play first base most days, and Gurriel would be the utility infielder. I still like this arrangement. Now, if Cruz were acquired, it takes AB’s away from White and/or Gurriel, assuming Diaz plays some. I don’t like that. I like Cruz and White in the same lineup. Potentially awesome. My first take on the Diaz trade was: Cruz is not coming to Houston. Reason #3: Old AgeForgive me for quoting myself but it looks like the teacher in me has to go into review mode.Although Cruz “only” hit 134 wRC+ in 2018, less than his previous three years which were near or above 150, he had a low BABIP of .264, and although I don’t know if the chicken or the egg comes first, I do know that a low BABIP comes before a low batting average.Especially when we see that our subject was still crushing the ball.In his best year according to production statistics, 2015, the average exit velocity on Cruz’ batted balls was 92.4, 4th in the league.Last year it was 93.9, 2nd in the league. His xwOBA improved .12 in 2018 from 2015, and was ranked 7th best in MLB. Considering his low BABIP in 2018 and that his xwOBA was .34 ABOVE his actual wOBA, I concluded in my article that regression for Cruz would pull his production numbers in 2019 higher. See chart:Cruz Exit Velocity and xwOBA, 2015-2018Yearavg exit veloMLB rankxwOBAMLB rankwOBAYearavg exit veloMLB rankxwOBAMLB rankwOBASteamer has his wRC+ projected at 132, about the same as last year, as they do his WAR, at 2.4. Considerably better than the 125 Chris guesses.Chris cited seven players in the last eleven years who at age 38 exceeded White’s expected wRC+ for 2019.Well, that’s almost one a year. How about these from the mists of the past.Hank Aaron, age 39, 177 wRC+Ted Williams, age 38, 179 wRC+, Age 40 184, wRC+Joe Morgan, age 39, 143 wRC+Babe Ruth, age 38, 168 wRC+, age 39 Juan Marichal Jersey , 157 wRC+Stan Musial, age 38, 141 wRC+, age 42, 140 wRC+Willie Mays, age 39, 141 wRC+, age 40, 157 wRC+These names are not the product of a systematic search.They were just some names that came to my mind as having had long careers. Yes, these are Hall of Famers, granted, but Cruz is no slouch either, furthermore a definite late bloomer. One might object that these are old-timers, that the game has changed.But the wRC+ statistic compares players to their peers, and at age 42 Stan Musial was still 41 percent better at hitting than his peers in 1962. I might add, these players did not have the advantage of the science of modern training, of which, they say, Nelson Cruz takes full advantage.And these guys had to play in the field at these advanced ages.Reason #4: White???????????????????????????????I am often accused of being an emotion based abject sentimentalist by readers of this blog, and not without reason. I love Tyler White. Who wouldn’t? A pudgy, seeming non-athlete, 33rd round draft pick from Hillbilly University, overcomes pedigreed competition to become a slugger 44% better than the average player in the best league in the world, all through sheer grit and determination.He’s become the SHARK of major league baseball, and all at league minimum salary. Plus late inning home run heroics. What a story. He has earned a place on the opening day lineup. But one of the arguments I used in my article on Cruz was that Cruz brought insurance if White fails.And White certainly might.Despite his 144 wRC+ in 2018, Steamer only projects White to hit 112 in 2019. Well Golllllly, that just happens to be his career wRC+. Anyone can guess that. Truth is, it is almost impossible to project White, and there’s no fact based reason to assume that he will hit 125.Here’s why.He has had a history of starting strong, and finishing abysmally.We all fell in love with White when he was named player of the week the first week of 2016, his first week in the major leagues. He continued to hit strongly for about a month, and then he nosedived, finishing the year with an 81 wRC+ and a -0.2 WAR before being sent back to AAA.In 2018 he indeed hit 144 wRC+ after coming up in June, but at the end of the year he again cratered. In September he slashed .226/298/.319 for a wRC+ of 86.In his last fifteen games it was worse, .170/.245/.234 and a wRC+ of 37. In 2018 post season he did manage a 106 wRC+ with two singles and a double in 18 PA’s.So which White will we see for a whole season? I don’t know and I think the only fact based answer is no one does, even beyond the usual uncertainty that surrounds all baseball projections. Is he just streaky, or is he slow to adjust to the adjustments that pitchers make? Again http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , who knows? I could easily guess that White is no better than Evan Gattis, who had one great month last year but was invisible before and after. White has not yet proven that he is not just another Astros black hole at DH. But maybe he will be the fairy tale slugger we have seen in glimpses and all want to be real. That could also happen.So saying Cruz does not add enough value compared to White to justify the opportunity cost is fallacious, because the inconsistency and small sample size of White’s career makes his value indeterminable.ConclusionIn my ideal world I’d like to see White, Gurriel and Cruz all getting regular at bats, with the expectation that at least two of the three will create Cruz like numbers in 2019, Cruz being the most likely of the three to do so of course. Imagine a healthy Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, George Springer, (these guys alone could hit 110 home runs) along with THE SHARK and Cruz? Add a Grandal or Ramos at catcher. Big Orange Machine anyone?(Of course I didn’t leave much money for a pitcher)But with Diaz now set to assume the utility role, to have Cruz would likely require the trade of either White or Gurriel, neither of whom, I believe, have much trade value. Which, if true,just proves my point, that no team is willing to bet on White coming close to Cruz-like production.Cruz or no Cruz, White might break out this year, and watching him will be one of the fun things to do in 2019....I hope.And no doubt the Astros can take the $15 million they would save on Cruz and spend it on something else really good, even if White doesn’t quite pan out.Back in the days when misogyny was acceptable, men had a common saying: “Women: you can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them.” I end this piece about the way Perry started it. “Nelson Cruz: you CAN live with him, and you CAN live without him.” NEW YORK (AP) — The new No. 3 is the new No. 1.Major League Baseball says that Bryce Harper has the sport’s top-selling jersey, ending a two-year reign for Aaron Judge’s No. 99.Harper signed a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies this spring, and his new No. 3 jersey set professional sports records for sales in 24 and 48 hours, according to online retailer Fanatics. His fresh get-up has been the top-selling jersey on MLB.com since Jan. 1, 2019.Harper overtook Judge, the New York Yankees‘ 6-foot-7 slugger who had topped the list since his breakout rookie season in 2017.Reigning AL MVP and World Series champion Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox is third, two-time AL MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is fourth, and veteran St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is fifth in figures released Thursday.The Chicago Cubs are the only team with two players in the top 10: Javier Baez at seven and Anthony Rizzo at nine.Manny Machado placed 12th, making him the first San Diego Padres player to crack the top 20 since MLB began publicizing it in 2010. Machado signed a $300 million, 10-year deal with San Diego this winter.Now-retired Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was 13th.