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BREAKING: Outfielder Ronald Acuña and the Atlanta Braves are finalizing an eight-year, $100 million contract extension, league sources tell ESPN. The deal includes two club options.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 2, 2019

Ronald Acuña's deal with the Braves begins this season and guarantees another seven years. It includes a $10M buyout on two options that are worth $17M each.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 2, 2019

All in all, the Braves get Ronald Acuña Jr. for the next 10 years at a maximum of $124 million. It is the sort of deal teams dream of.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 2, 2019

This is obviously a great deal for both sides in baseball's current economic situation. The Atlanta Braves get their superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr for an extra four years of control.  $124 million for basically the next decade is a bargain for the Braves franchise.  Just doing the quick math that's $12.4 million per season for Acuna who is going to put up MVP numbers for the next decade through his prime years.  You can't beat that when superstars like Trout, Machado and Harper are all making over $30 million per season.

It's also a great deal for Acuna as it gives him security and all the money is guaranteed.  Currently he was making $550K per season so a bump of salary to over $12 million is nothing to sneeze at. 

Most importantly it keeps Acuna in Atlanta for the next decade.  The reigning NL Rookie of the Year is a legit 5-tool player who has the makings of a young Griffey Jr and dare I say Trout at 21 years young.

I've been vocal about Braves ownership Liberty Media being cheap this past offseason and I still stick with my opinion but it is good to see them extend their young stars early.  They did it with Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran, Andrelton Simmons, and Craig Kimbrel in the past and hopefully they build the team around Acuna now like they were suppose to with Freeman 5 years ago.

Acuna should be batting at the top of the Braves order for at least the next decade and that alone should bring a smile to all Braves fans.  Acuna's contract also gives the Braves plenty of "financial flexibility" to go get another starter (Dallas Keuchel) or relief arm (Craig Kimbrel) without breaking the Liberty Media bank.

Chop on and Acuna Matata Bitches!

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The Fighting Irish will be looking to get back to the playoffs in 2019, but will have to replace several key players off of last year's 12-1 team. With spring practice half way through I take a look at 5 players who are primed to breakout into their own.

Here are five breakout candidates for Notre Dame football as the Fighting Irish continue to work through spring practice in preparation for the 2019 season.

5. WR Braden Lenzy

The old adage is speed kills and that's exactly what Lenzy could help bring the Fighting Irish WR core this spring.  Lenzy is a rising sophomore who came to Notre Dame to also run track but his focus this spring has been all football.

I’ve decided to focus all my time on football in preparation for spring time... I will always love track, but I feel this is best for my short term and long term goals athletically! #GoIrish ☘️

— Braden Lenzy (@blspeedy21) January 19, 2019

Lenzy came into Notre Dame last season as a 4-star WR and the No. 10 athlete in the nation.  He did not get any playing time his freshman season as he arrived at Notre Dame weighing 160 lbs soaking wet.  With Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool and Chris Finke all entrenched as starters with experience at wide out last season it looked like it was going to be more of the same going into the playoffs and into 2019 with all of them having a year of eligibility left. 

But then the Cotton Bowl 30-3 massacre vs Clemson happened and it became painfully obvious that Notre Dame was missing elite play making skill players who can stretch the field that teams like Clemson have in abundance.  Shortly after the season Boykin decided to declare for the NFL Draft and thus we have an open WR spot for Lenzy to grab this spring.

Lenzy has the speed to stretch the field and the Matt Balis training table is already paying off as reports are Lenzy has bulked up to 180 lbs without losing any of his fast twitch, explosive playmaking skills.  Early reports out of spring camp indicate Lenzy will be competing with rising junior Michael Young for a starting X WR position opposite Claypool and Finke. 

If Lenzy can grasp the playbook I think he can make a huge jump going into his sophomore season much like Will Fuller did in 2014 and Golden Tate in 2008 who both broke out with huge seasons.  I know his QB Ian Book would love to use a weapon of Lenzy's skills and speed to make things easier on him as would all Fighting Irish fans.

4. TE Cole Kmet

Tight End U hasn't exactly been tight end u these last few seasons with production dipping pretty much every season since Tyler Eifert was a first round pick in 2013.  Kmet is going to get a huge opportunity here to turn the tide and make the TE a feared weapon again for the Fighting Irish.

Alize Mack left for the NFL draft this spring opening up the starting tight end spot.  While Alize was extremely talented he wasn't exactly reliable both on and off the field.  Kmet who stands at 6'6 with great reach is also a star lefty relief pitcher for the baseball team up until two weeks ago when he decided to shut it down and focus solely on football.  Like Lenzy deciding to skip track I think this could be huge for Kmet's development this spring and getting more repetitions with Book is never a bad thing.

Kmet, a rising junior, entered Notre Dame as a 4-star prospect and the #3 tight end in the nation.  He came into ND with fellow TE classmate Brock Wright who actually was the higher rated prospect at the time.  In his first two seasons at ND Kmet has only 17 catches for 176 yards and the next time he catches a TD will be the first of his collegiate career. 

Now is the time for Kmet to shine (whom offensive coordinator Chip Long calls one of those DUDES meaning he's a beast) and take that next step up as he is currently running on the first team ahead of Wright and restore the luster of Tight End U to it's rightful place in Notre Dame. 

3. RB Jafar Armstrong

Ok technically Armstrong did start last season in the opener vs Michigan and had a breakout game with two TD but hear me out here.  Armstrong was splitting carries with Tony Jones Jr before Dexter Williams returned from a 4-game suspension to take hold of the majority of the carries.

This season Armstrong, the converted 4-star WR out of high school, is expected to be the bellcow for the Fighting Irish backfield.  Armstrong possesses home run speed and since he played wide out he can also catch the ball out of the backfield.  If you remember Dexter for as good as he was running the ball had some of the worst stone hands thus preventing him from reaching his full potential. 

Armstrong can and should be the starting RB all season.  His game reminds me a lot of CJ Prosise who if you remember also converted from another position after his freshman season and then had a HUGE junior season for the 2015 squad.  I think Armstrong can be that exact back for Notre Dame this season and it all starts this spring. 

Armstrong is going to have every opportunity to start and he needs to take advantage of it by developing his game this spring and I think new RB coach Lance Taylor will help him do just that.

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2. DT Jayson Ademilola

If he can continue to develop and stay healthy it wouldn't shock me to see him start over one of either MTA or Hinish in the season opener vs Louisville.  He's that good.

1. LB Jordan Genmark Heath

Genmark Heath aka the Swedish Black Guy is another guy that needs to have a huge spring to get a jump on the stacked linebacker competition which needs to replace starters Drue Tranquill and Te'von Coney.  

In other words no easy task replacing two guys who combined for over 200 tackles for the LEA-Gion of Doom Defense.

Genmark Heath, a rising junior, is a converted safety prospect who played linebacker for the first time last season.  He actually started for the injured Tranquill in the Northwestern game and more than held his own. He's accounted for 16 tackles each of his freshman and sophomore seasons so he has experience playing.  

Right now he's basically running on the 2nd team behind senior Asmar Bilal at the BUCK linebacker position.  Bilal is the only returning starting linebacker but I think Genmark Heath has the size, length, athleticism, and speed that DC Clark Lea loves to have at the BUCK position.  It wouldn't shock me with a great spring to see Genmark Heath take over the starting position.

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Starting today Notre Dame football has a huge recruiting weekend with four 2020 prospects visiting and multiple 2020 top recruits making the trek to Notre Dame's campus.  For some it will be their first time visiting while others have visited multiple times.

Let's take a look at the 2020 prospects visiting this weekend...

Chris Tyree RB, #1 APB, Virginia- Arguably the #1 prospect on Notre Dame's recruiting board overall for the 2020 class.  This will be the nation's #1 all-purpose back 2nd visit to Notre Dame after an unofficial visit in December for Junior Day.  New RB coach Lance Taylor will have his first in-person talk with Tyree on campus starting today and will be looking to make headway for the fastest RB prospect on ND's board for at least the last 10 years from what I can recall.  Landing a RB of Tyree's stature is a MUST for Coach Taylor and was the main reason why he was brought in to ND to secure top recruits commitments at the RB position.  Taylor and the Fighting Irish will be in a dog fight for Tyree with top programs like Alabama and Oklahoma and many others also heavily recruiting the Virginia product.  Tyree will also be making an official visit in June.  The fact that Tyree is paying on his own dime to visit ND for a 2nd time this weekend is huge.  I don't expect a verbal commitment but ND could in my opinion hit a home run with Tyree with current players showing him what life is like on campus and getting him a feel for the team and the coaching staff to at least put them in the lead for his services.     

📍☘️

— Chris Tyree4️⃣ (@chris_tyree4) March 22, 2019

Tirek Murphy RB, New York - Another 4-star prospect at the RB position who will be visiting Notre Dame this weekend on an unofficial.  This is Murphy's first visit to ND and he will be bringing his mom which tends to work heavily for Notre Dame's favor when they can get mom on board.  While Tyree is the #1 prospect on ND RB board there is no doubt ND and the coaching staff would take a commitment from Murphy and make room for two RBs in this class.  This will be Murphy's first in-person meeting with Coach Taylor too.  He's not even been a month on the job but the fact that Taylor already has two of the nation's best RBs visiting on their own dime speaks volumes.  Murphy will also be visiting Alabama and Oregon in the future but just reading the tea leaves I think ND is in the driver's seat for his services.

☘️☘️☘️ Irish Bound This Weekend ! @CoachLT39 @NDFootball @aarynkearney pic.twitter.com/9IBZ8Ugtfe

— 4 (@Tirek_Jr) March 21, 2019

Cody Simon LB, New Jersey - You may recognize the last name as his brother Shayne is a freshman linebacker currently at Notre Dame.  ND has signed 8 linebackers in the last two classes so getting Cody's services isn't a must get for the Fighting Irish staff.  But make no mistake ND would love to add another 4-star linebacker like Simon and will probably be in a battle with Penn State for his commitment.  Don't bank on just because his brother plays at ND that Cody is a sure fire commitment for the Irish.  ND has a lot of work to do for Cody and this weekend's unofficial visit should hopefully get them another visit in the future.  The Ademilola twins also played with Cody in high school so he's got a lot of familiarity with some of the players.  Defensive coordinator Clark Lea is also a big fan of Cody and why wouldn't he be after looking at these highlights...

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Zak Zinter OL, Massachusetts - This will be big Zak's 2nd visit to Notre Dame after visiting for the Ball State game in the fall.  Looks to be more of a guard prospect than tackle even though he has a tackle body.  ND should be in a battle with in-state Boston College for Zinter's services.  Numbers are low on takes in this class at the offensive line so don't be surprised if Zinter decides to jump aboard with a commitment this weekend.  Zinter is a top 200 prospect overall in the nation and would be a tremendous get for the Fighting Irish and line coach Jeff Quinn.

The 2021 class visits this weekend include two Georgia WR prospects in Jaquez Smith and Deion Colzie.  Both have offers from Notre Dame.  This will be Smith's 1st visit to ND and Colzie's 2nd visit.  Smith is an Atlanta prospect that has offers from the likes of Georgia, LSU, and Michigan.  Colzie is an Athens prospect but only has one offer and it's not from UGA, it's Tennessee.  The more Georgia peach products on the roster the better in my opinion for Notre Dame.

In-state Avon, IN offensive tackle Blake Fisher is ND #1 recruit on the offensive line for the 2021 class and will be on another unofficial visit to ND this weekend after visiting multiple times.  Fisher has offers from all the big-time programs across the nation even though he's only a sophomore.  He will be a tough pull because schools like Alabama and Ohio State are going after Fisher.  Fisher could be a 5-star prospect when all is said and done and definitely has a 5-star offer list.

Another offensive linemen visiting this weekend is Landon Tengwall.  The 6'6 300 lb prospect already has offers from all the big schools (Alabama, UGA, Michigan, etc.) like Fisher.  Tengwall is out of Maryland and goes to Good Counsel HS which has produced another Notre Dame offensive lineman in Sam Mustipher.  He also played with incoming freshman Cam Hart at Good Counsel.  I like Notre Dame's chances here.

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Send it for the starks 🐺 @22cory_anderson @barstoolsports @nyrangers

A post shared by Sophie Turner (@sophiet) on Mar 19, 2019 at 6:01pm PDT

You have my fully torqued attention Sophie Turner! The Game of Thrones actress showed her inner Sansa Stark by chugging a full glass of wine on cue while on the jumbotron. The crowd at the New York Rangers hockey game went crazy and deservedly so. Turner showed her fiance Joe Jonas that yes she is in fact marriage material.

Former Ohio State QB Tate Martell receives waiver from NCAA and has been cleared to play in 2019 at Miami

— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) March 19, 2019

The NCAA continues to work in mysterious ways today granting Ohio State QB transfer Tate Martell immediately eligibility for his new team, the Miami Hurricanes, for a "hardship" waiver. What exactly is the Martell hardship no one really knows except the NCAA. Martell was afraid to compete with incoming transfer Justin Fields who too got the hardship waiver to transfer from UGA. At this point the only "hardships" I see for silver spoon fed Martell are either a bruised labia and/or a bruised ego. I'll go both at this point.

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This of course is great news for the Miami Hurricanes football program and their fans.  As you may know new head coach Manny Diaz has his work cut out for him.   With redshirt sophomore QB N'Kosi Perry back as the only returning  Miami QB with any game experience his results were average at best.  Martell should be able to compete if not win the starting spot this spring or summer.  Martell is a former 4-star recruit out of the famed Bishop Gorman HS program in Las Vegas where he never lost a game.  Martell sat behind JT Barrett and Dwayne Haskins his first two seasons at Ohio State but did enjoy some success in mop up duty.

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Ichiro's arm is still incredible at 45

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/D1fe9ASqem

— Bleacher Report MLB (@BR_MLB) March 18, 2019

O.G. Ichiro can still throw piss rockets. Playing in the Tokyo Dome in Japan for the Mariners today Ichiro absolutely unleashed one from right field to third base. The runner obviously thought better and stayed at 2nd instead of challenging the great Ichiro. Ichiro despite only hitting .080 in spring training will get the starting right field position when they face the A's in Tokyo on Wednesday.  Hopefully we will get to see him hit and leg one out and get the full fledged Ichiro flashbacks.

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CFB Playoff Odds - Probability (via @betonline_ag )

Bama
Y -250; N +195 (67.8%)

Clem
Y -250; N +195 (67.8%)

UGA
Y +110; N -140 (44.9%)

OU
Y +145; N -175 (39.1%)

OSU
Y +160; N -200 (36.6%)

Mich
Y +300; N -400 (23.8%)

ND
Y +300; N -400 (23.8%

Texas
Y +350; N -500 (21.1%)

— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) March 12, 2019

Betonline released their top college football playoff odds probability for next season and it's hard to argue the first two in Clemson and Alabama.  

Clemson and Dabo have been to the playoffs 4 years in a row and have a 5-2 playoff record with two Natty's under their belt.  Bama and Saban have been to the playoffs 5 years in a row  with a 6-3 playoff record and also two Natty's.  If my math is correct that means Clemson has made the playoffs 80% of the time and Alabama has made it 100%.  I would safely assume to bet good money on both of these juggernaut programs to make the playoffs again.  With both being at 67.8% odds right now you might as well load up a mortgage or kid's college fund on it or at the very least some hooker money on it.

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UGA at 44.9% is too high.  Even with Jake Fromm back they still have Kirby Smart as their coach and he's good for at least 2-3 losses per season.  Yes UGA has played Bama close recently but they still lost those games.  The Dawgs have made the playoffs once going 1-1.  I'd say their odds are better at 20%.

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Oklahoma at 39.1% looks right.  Sooners have made the playoffs 3 of the 5 years but have yet to win a playoff game even with two Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray leading the way.  Their defense still sucks but they got one of the best young coaches in the game in Lincoln Riley who has made the playoffs both seasons in Norman.  Throw in transfer Jalen Hurts who has never missed the playoffs and by going by the numbers alone Oklahoma looks like the best bet here with their odds.

Ohio State is interesting at 36.6% because they have a new head coach and a new QB in Justin Fields.  You really don't know what you are going to get out of either at this point.  What we do know is Ohio State has made the playoffs twice.  My math says that's 40% and looking at their schedule I don't see any sure fire L's on it.

Michigan on the list at 23.8% has to be a joke.  Michigan has never made the playoffs.  They lost all of their best defenders and as we saw in their Big Ten finale last season vs rival Ohio State they still gave up 62 points with those guys.  The Buckeyes simply own Michigan and Jim Harbaugh.  I don't see that changing this year.

Notre Dame at 23.8% is about right.  They have made the playoffs once and played for a Natty 6 years ago.  The talent and depth returning for the Fighting Irish is impressive but they will need to beat two teams (UGA and Michigan) on this list on the road in order to make the playoffs.  They also don't have a conference championship to win so if they lose one game they are most likely out of the playoff race.  QB Ian Book is back but Brian Kelly's track record with returning starters isn't the greatest at Notre Dame.

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Texas is the hot team right now at 21.1%.  After the Longhorns dismantled UGA in the Sugar Bowl and beat Oklahoma during the regular season the steers are definitely pointing up.  The problem with Texas is they have to beat Oklahoma twice to make the playoffs.  Good luck with that Longhorns.

Ouch.

Bryce Harper exits today's game after being hit in his right ankle. pic.twitter.com/RIZHGluHQM

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 15, 2019

Well I'm not so sure we will be seeing Bryce Harper in the Phillies lineup on Opening Day. If you heard that crack of the ball to Harper's right ankle bone from here that is NOT a good sign. Especially when the pitch is coming at you at 96 mph with little to no protection of the ankle bone. Hopefully for the Phillies cause and their new $330 million toy it's just a deep bruise/contusion and not an actual cracked bone. Although Harper is young at 26 he also has a history of injury issues which has caused him to miss more than 200 games in his 6-year career. With less than 2 weeks till Opening Day it's probably wise to wrap Harper up in bubble wrap and skip the rest of Spring Training.  Needless to say the Phillies took out Harper today after he could barely walk on it.

UPDATE: Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler says Harper has a right foot contusion and will get an X-ray.  In other words no shit Sherlock.

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