The Pittsburgh Pirates opened their 2019 spring training sessions at Pirate City in Bradenton Florida and played their first home exhibition game against Miami on February 24th at LECOM Park. The Pirates are the feeder club for our Triple A Division Indianapolis Indians so it is with some interest that we will be watching developments in the Pirates Spring Training Camp as the players prepare for the 2019 regular season.
The Indians’ season starts in Columbus Ohio against the Clippers on April 4th at Huntington Park. The Tribe’s home opener is April 11th against the Charlotte Knights at the Vic at 7:05 p.m. In 2018 the Indians finished 72-67 which was good for a tie for second with the Columbus Clippers in the International League West. The Durham Bulls were the 2018 International League Champs.
Indianapolis Colts Free Agency
March 1 starts NFL Free Agency. The Colts, like all the other NFL teams, will be looking at available veteran talent. Offensively the team will be considering wide receivers. Defensively they will be looking at just about every position — pass rushers, interior line, cornerbacks and safeties. Even linebackers will be considered.
Colts fans are aware that former Steeler’s running back Le’Veon Bell expressed interest in joining the team. Bell sat out the 2018 season after the Steelers would not meet his contract renegotiation demands. The Steelers released Bell after the season was over. Bell likes the direction the Colts are going and admires Andrew Luck. More importantly, however, he’s eyeing the salary cap room the Colts hold, which is estimated to be over $118 million, which is tops in the league. Bell thinks that he can get that major money contract he desires and also play for a contending team. There are a number of Colt fans who consider this a dream scenario; Luck and Bell in the same backfield. Don’t look for this to happen. GM Chris Ballard doesn’t believe in breaking the bank to sign a free agent and despite his talent, Bell has displayed some definite red flags. Ballard has shown that being cautious and patient in signing free agents can pay off. Signing tight end Eric Ebron is a prime example. The former Detroit Lion had not meshed with the Lions offense in his four previous seasons. After joining the Colts he produced a Pro Bowl season. The free agents that Ballard signs will probably not be headliners but solid productive players who work well with the team.
As to the Colts free agents, the top three are all defenders. Cornerback Pierre Desir, defensive lineman Margus Hunt, and safety Clayton Geathers. Desir enjoyed his most productive season and was the team’s most effective cornerback. He should definitely be resigned. Hunt was a top run stuffer last season but also showed pass rushing skills. If he can be reasonably signed then he should be in. Geathers can be an effective safety if he is healthy but that has been a big problem during his 4 years with the Horseshoe. He is a respected team leader both on and off the field. If he can be signed for a reasonable amount then he should be in. There are more team free agents to consider and not all should be resigned. I trust Chris Ballard to make the right decisions.
2019 NFL College Combine at Lucas Oil
The 2019 HFRL College Combine opened Tuesday the 26th at Lucas Oil Stadium. The top 300 college prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft as determined by the senior scouts of the league will display their strength, speed, and agility on the field. They will have complete physical exams to determine if they have any problems. They will also take written test to determine their stability and adaptability to the pro game. They will conduct their first interviews with various teams who might be interested in drafting them as media people, sports celebrities, and potential agents. The players will be divided by position and their arrivals will be staggered into different days.
The combine will wrap up on Monday March 4th. You can watch the various happenings on the NFLs cable channel or catch the streamings on their Web site. So if you are downtown the next few days and you see a fellow who looks a lot like Bill Belichick coming out of a local restaurant, it probably really is him. I wouldn’t ask for an autograph or to pose for a picture. He is definitely not the warm and fuzzy type.
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