Running off the keyboard…
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a lousy spot to start NFL Training Camp, with wide receiver Martavis Bryant not eligible to practice because he’s still under conditional reinstatement with the NFL over substance abuse violations. While there is a good chance that Bryant gets cleared soon to participate with the team, more concerning is superstar running back Le’Veon Bell not reporting to camp. On one hand, I get why Bell wants to hold out: he is the best all-around back in the game; injuries can happen at any time, so the man wants to get paid and receive long-term financial security. However, in reality, Bell has not stayed healthy over the course of his career and plays a position with a short shelf life; typically, giving a half back a lucrative long-term deal does not usually work out the way teams hope. In addition, “Juice” has already been suspended twice for drug-related offenses in his 4-year career. While a prolonged holdout would be ugly, Pittsburgh is in the driver seat on this one and shouldn’t risk it. Bell only hurts himself long-term. If he’s smart, he takes his $12.2 million franchise tag and trusts that either a) the Steelers give him a reasonable long-term deal in the future or b) he strikes it rich on the open market next season…If you’re a Dodgers fan, you have to feel pretty good about your chances this year in the National League, unless, of course, you look across the country and see what the Washington Nationals are doing. The Nats are just mashing the ball, hitting 4 HRs in a row and 8 within 4 innings on Thursday against Milwaukee. None other than right fielder Bryce Harper is leading the way. His 2 bombs on Thursday give him 9 in July; he’s also hitting .429 with a .506 OBP for the month. Combine Harper’s hitting prowess with Daniel Murphy (.340), Ryan Zimmerman (.318), and Anthony Rendon (.317) as well as Cy Young-worthy Max Scherzer (if you are a Kershaw lover and scoff at that, the numbers speak for themselves) and you have to believe the Nats could easily be the team that could spoil another golden opportunity for the Dodgers come the postseason…Smart move: Novak Djokovic choosing to sit out the US Open to follow Roger Federer’s lead and get healthy. Speaking of Federer, he and Rafael Nadal have to love their chances at Flushing Meadows. Let’s hope we get one more epic final between the two greatest tennis players of all time…No opening Eddie-torial would seem complete without a take on LeBron James. Kyrie Irving can hardly be blamed for wanting out of Cleveland. The reality is, LeBron has done nothing to give anyone on the Cavaliers any confidence that he will be sticking around long-term. Combine that with Irving’s belief that he can be “the guy” and I get why he is trying to make his own “Decision” early….Best news of the day: UCF Football camp opened on Thursday morning. Yes, I am including that in a column on the national sports scene. Yes, you will have to get used to that this fall. No, I am not sorry #ChargeOn
