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NFL’s bad teams in 2021 have a shot in 2022: Who will go from worst to first?

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NFL’s bad teams in 2021 have a shot in 2022: Who will go from worst to first?

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The sweetness in regards to the begin of the NFL common season is that each workforce has the identical file and the probabilities of a dream season are nonetheless on the desk.

The desires can flip into nightmares instantly. 

Those that had their hopes shattered final season want to flip it round and get again to the postseason.

The eight groups who completed final of their respective divisions final season had been the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks.

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) calls out a play throughout a recreation towards the Cleveland Browns Aug. 12, 2022, at TIAA Financial institution Area in Jacksonville, Fla.
(David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)

Geoff Clark, OutKick’s sports activities betting professional, advised Fox Information Digital he believed the Jaguars have the perfect shot at going from worst to first and successful the AFC South. The Jaguars are +750 to win the division, in line with FOX Guess.

“The obvious reply is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence is a stud, and his rookie season was a throwaway 12 months contemplating Jacksonville’s head teaching turmoil. The Jaguars employed a head coach with confirmed success and a Tremendous Bowl title in Doug Pederson,” Clark mentioned. 

“Additionally, Jacksonville’s entrance workplace acquired mad expertise to place round Lawrence, capitalizing on his rookie contract. To not point out 2021 first-round choice and Clemson teammate working again Travis Etienne must be wholesome coming into 2022.

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“The ultimate motive Jacksonville seems like a promising ‘worst-to-first’ contender is the AFC South: The Jaguars’ division is definitely the softest within the NFL. The Tennessee Titans might regress after successful a bunch of coin-flip contests in 2021 and parting methods with star broad receiver A.J. Brown this offseason. 

“The Indianapolis Colts have a brand new beginning quarterback for the fifth consecutive season and are not at all a lock for the division or AFC playoffs. And the Houston Texans are a dumpster hearth with one of many least gifted rosters within the league.”

Based on FOX Guess, the Ravens have the perfect shot at going from worst to first at +145. Baltimore completed 8-9 final season in a tightly packed AFC North.

If the workforce is more healthy than final 12 months, the Ravens may very well be a superb wager to win the division, Clark mentioned.

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Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens pitches the ball Dec. 5, 2021, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens pitches the ball Dec. 5, 2021, at Heinz Area in Pittsburgh.
(Michael Longo/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)

“I would not hate taking … the Baltimore Ravens to win the AFC North at +145 as a result of they will truly area an expert workforce this season,” Clark advised Fox Information Digital. “The Ravens had by far probably the most video games misplaced to damage and COVID in 2021. Baltimore began the 12 months 8-3, and Lamar Jackson was an MVP candidate as much as that time. However, Baltimore’s season successfully ended as soon as Lamar acquired injured in a Week 13 recreation versus the Cleveland Browns.

PATRIOTS, PANTHERS PLAYERS FIGHT AGAIN IN PRACTICE, THIS TIME FRACAS LEADS TO INJURIES

“Nevertheless, the Ravens get again former All-Professional left deal with Ronnie Staley and chosen middle Tyler Linderbaum with the No. 25 total decide within the 2022 NFL Draft. So Baltimore’s offensive line must be a prime 10 unit and open up working lanes for Lamar and RB J.Okay. Dobbins. 

“Lastly, the Ravens misplaced two elite cornerbacks in 2021 — Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters — and added first-round security Kyle Hamilton to an already stacked secondary. Lamar wants higher broad receivers, however Baltimore’s run recreation will probably be sick, and the protection has a prime 5 ceiling.”

Learn beneath for the least more likely to more than likely to win their respective divisions.

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New York Jets

Joe Flacco (19) of the New York Jets in action against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium Nov. 21, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J.

Joe Flacco (19) of the New York Jets in motion towards the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium Nov. 21, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J.
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Photos)

Odds to win AFC East: +2000

2021 file: 4-13

Seattle Seahawks

Geno Smith (7) of the Seattle Seahawks in action during a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium Aug. 13, 2022, in Pittsburgh.

Geno Smith (7) of the Seattle Seahawks in motion throughout a preseason recreation towards the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium Aug. 13, 2022, in Pittsburgh.
(Justin Berl/Getty Photos)

Odds to win NFC West: +1400

2021 file: 7-10

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Carolina Panthers

Odds to win NFC South: +1000

2021 file: 5-12

Detroit Lions

Odds to win NFC North: +900

2021 file: 3-13-1

New York Giants

Saquon Barkley (26) of the New York Giants runs a route during a preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium Aug. 11, 2022, in Foxborough, Mass.

Saquon Barkley (26) of the New York Giants runs a route throughout a preseason recreation towards the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium Aug. 11, 2022, in Foxborough, Mass.
(Maddie Meyer/Getty Photos)

Odds to win NFC East: +800

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2021 file: 4-13

Jacksonville Jaguars

Odds to win AFC South: +750

2021 file: 3-14

Denver Broncos

Russell Wilson (3) of the Denver Broncos celebrates a touchdown by Kendall Hinton against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Empower Field At Mile High Aug. 13, 2022, in Denver.

Russell Wilson (3) of the Denver Broncos celebrates a landing by Kendall Hinton towards the Dallas Cowboys through the second quarter at Empower Area At Mile Excessive Aug. 13, 2022, in Denver.
(C. Morgan Engel/Getty Photos)

Odds to win AFC West: +275

2021 file: 7-10

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Baltimore Ravens

Odds to win AFC North: +145

2021 file: 8-9

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Shaikin: How to revitalize baseball's All-Star Game? Bat flips

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Shaikin: How to revitalize baseball's All-Star Game? Bat flips

We need bat flips.

The home run swing-off to end Tuesday’s All-Star Game was great. Whether you embrace it as a revelation or dismiss it as a gimmick, baseball needs more of that kind of imagination on the national stage. On the morning after the game, it’s what you’re talking about.

But baseball cannot count on a tie score every summer.

The All-Star Game cannot live off old glories. The All-Star Game cannot thrive simply because the NFL turned the Pro Bowl into a flag football game and skills competition while the NBA turned its All-Star Game into a week of parties and 48 minutes of a defense-free scrimmages.

Baseball can say its All-Star Game is the best, but the bar is as low as the final round of a limbo competition. Baseball needs the best players, not the best available players, in the game. And, in an era dominated by social media and short attention spans, baseball needs innovation in the Home Run Derby — not just in an All-Star Game tiebreaker, but in the actual Home Run Derby that is its own Major Television Event on the night before the game.

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The first suggestion, from Brent Rooker, the Athletics’ All-Star designated hitter: “I had the idea that we would just stick PCA (the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong) and (the Athletics’) Denzel Clarke in the outfield during the Home Run Derby and just let them run down balls. That’s a fun idea that popped into our clubhouse a few weeks ago.”

An all-in-one Home Run Derby and skills competition of outfielders contorting their bodies in all directions to make highlight-worthy catches? That’s a cool thought.

Bat flips would be better.

The bat flip, once scorned as an instrument of disrespect, is now celebrated by the league itself. It naturally lends itself to the “Did you see it?” reels young fans share on Instagram and Snapchat.

The first round of Monday’s Home Run Derby was exhausting. It took nearly two hours, and what little flash there was felt forced. Besides, the sluggers you most wanted to see — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge — declined to participate.

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“I already did it,” Judge said Tuesday. “I don’t know what else you want from me. I think it’s time for somebody else to step up and do their thing and have fun with it. I love seeing new faces in the game go out and do their thing.”

Said Dodgers pitcher and Hall-of-Famer-in-waiting Clayton Kershaw: “It’s a lot of swings, man. It’s not easy to do. When I used to hit, I was tired after taking six swings. I can’t imagine doing that for three straight hours.

“If Shohei and Aaron Judge and those guys, if they had them all in there, it would be awesome. You can’t expect those guys to do it every single year.”

So keep the eight-man field but split it into two groups: four players in the traditional format, and four players in a one-round competition judged not only by how many home runs you hit but with how much flair you toss your bat after each one.

Dodgers veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw, tapping gloves with teammate Will Smith after pitching in the second inning during the All-Star Game.

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(Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The creative and outrageous dunks in the NBA‘s slam dunk competition go viral. The All-Star bat flips would too.

“With respect to an event like the Home Run Derby, we should continue to innovate,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “It’s fundamentally an entertainment product.”

There’s an idea, Rob. Run with it.

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“The game piece of it? Fundamentally, I believe in the game,” Manfred said. “I think what we have to do is continue to work with our very best players to make sure that they’re here and showcasing themselves in front of a fan base that is really, really important to us over the long haul.”

Right now, all the very best players are not here. When MLB announced the All-Star rosters, the league selected 65 players. By game time, with all the replacements for players that withdrew, the All-Star count was up to 81.

That meant that, for every four players announced as an All-Star, one chose not to play.

“Usually, when you think All-Star Game, you think probably the best at the time in the game right now are going to be playing,” Phillies All-Star designated hitter Kyle Schwarber said.

Sometimes they are: On Tuesday, Schwarber was the most valuable player, with the winning swings in the swing-off.

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Schwarber and Kershaw noted that, for the most part, the position players are here, and the pitchers dominated the list of missing stars. Pitchers throw harder these days. They need time to recover. Tony Clark, the executive director of the players’ union, talked about the need for players to find “opportunities on the calendar to take a breather.”

And, frankly, the All-Star Game does not mean nearly as much to players as it did before interleague play started 28 years ago. Winning one for the National League used to actually mean something.

“The All-Star Game then and the All-Star Game now are two completely different things,” Clark said. “The requirements for players, the travel and logistics for their family and support, the day to day of a 162-game season is more complex and it’s more challenging than it’s ever been.”

Yet in 1980, when the All-Star Game was played at Dodger Stadium, players had one free day before resuming the schedule. Today, players have two days.

And, in 1980, fans got to see the players they wanted to see. Should each team have an All-Star representative? Yes. Should managers feel compelled to use every one of those players? No way.

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On Tuesday, the National League used 13 pitchers and the American League 11.

In 1980, each league used five pitchers. Steve Stone and Bob Welch each pitched (gasp) three innings. The top four batters in the American League lineup — Willie Randolph, Fred Lynn, Rod Carew and Reggie Jackson — each batted at least three times.

Today’s pitchers are reluctant to work even one inning in the All-Star Game if they pitched on the final weekend of the first half. So move the All-Star Game back one day to Wednesday, and move the Home Run Derby back one day to Tuesday. No longer would players have to scramble for Sunday night private jets to get to the All-Star Game by Monday morning.

As a bonus, MLB could play the Futures Game on Monday, when no other games are being played, instead of in relative invisibility because the league insists on putting what it says is a showcase event up against a full schedule of regular-season games.

“It would be great,” Clark said, “to just have a conversation around the All-Star Game and talk about the All-Star Game and the great players that we have, doing so in a way that truly highlights the Midsummer Classic and truly puts players in a position where they are sprinting to come to the game.”

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And flipping their bats when they get here.

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Ex-MLB pitcher Dan Serafini found guilty of murdering father-in-law

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Ex-MLB pitcher Dan Serafini found guilty of murdering father-in-law

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Dan Serafini, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the big leagues from 1996 to 2007, was found guilty of murdering his father-in-law and attempting to kill his mother-in-law in 2021, California officials announced on Monday.

A Placer County jury also found Serafini, 51, guilty of first-degree burglary in addition to the first-degree murder and attempted murder of Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood, officials said.

Dan Serafini, #50 of the Cincinnati Reds, throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on Sept. 11, 2003 in Cincinnati. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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The incident occurred on June 5, 2021, as first responders arrived at a home in Tahoe City and found Spohr dead from a single gunshot wound and Wood wounded.

Wood recovered from the injuries but died by suicide a year later.

Video surveillance from the home showed a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, face covering and a backpack approaching the house hours before the murder occurred, according to FOX 2 San Francisco. Another video showed the same man walking up the driveway of the home.

BROWNS ROOKIE QUINSHON JUDKINS ARRESTED IN FLORIDA FOR ALLEGED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Dan Serafi pitches for the Rockies

Dan Serafini, #29 of the Colorado Rockies, delivers the pitch during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on Sept. 5, 2007 in Denver. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Evidence from the two-year investigation pointed to Serafini and his romantic partner, Samantha Scott.

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Prosecutors said they believed the murder occurred over a $1.3 million renovation project, according to Field Level Media. One text message provided as evidence, “I am going to kill them one day.”

Serafini is set for sentencing on Aug. 18 in Placer County.

The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut for them in 1996 and pitched three seasons before joining the Chicago Cubs in 1999.

Dan Serafini pitches for Italy

Italy starting pitcher Dan Serafini, #29, delivers a pitch against Canada during first round pool play at the 2009 World Baseball Classic at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 9, 2009. (Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

He also played for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.

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Mets' top draft pick once mimicked snorting cocaine on field. 'This isn’t an issue,' team says

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Mets' top draft pick once mimicked snorting cocaine on field. 'This isn’t an issue,' team says

Mitch Voit had plenty to celebrate on Sunday after being selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2025 MLB draft.

Chances are, that celebration did not resemble the now-infamous one the former Michigan infielder performed during a game against USC on March 16 in Ann Arbor.

With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Voit ripped a hit into center field for a three-run triple that gave the Wolverines a 5-0 lead. While still on the ground after diving into third base, Voit decided to celebrate the feat in a rather curious manner.

He lowered his nose to the baseline chalk and appeared to mimic snorting cocaine.

Video of the bizarre celebration went viral, and Voit issued an apology in a statement posted on social media the next day.

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“I would like to apologize for my actions on third base yesterday,” Voit wrote. “I made an immature decision in the heat of the moment. The gesture I made does not reflect my character, the household I was raised in, or the block M that I represent in any kind of way. I take full responsibility for what I did, and I am truly sorry to all those who I have negatively impacted by doing this.”

Voit was not punished by the Wolverines.

“Mitch is a great young man and immediately apologized for his actions in the heat of the moment,” Michigan Athletics spokesperson David Ablauf told The Athletic in a March 18 email. “As an athletic department, we did not feel that it was necessary to issue any discipline.”

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mets vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross said the organization did its due diligence on the matter leading up to the draft.

“We spoke to him earlier in the spring and at the combine about it,” Gross said. “And basically, you know, he’s a young guy, it’s a heat of passion, it’s a big game. He made a big play for his team and made a mistake. And he’s made an apology for it and owned up to it, handled it with class.

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“We did a ton of research after the fact with multiple sources about his makeup. We know this isn’t an issue and we feel comfortable with Mitch moving forward.”

Voit was a two-way player during his first two seasons at Michigan, before undergoing internal brace surgery on his right elbow in spring 2024. As the Wolverines’ starting second baseman in all 56 games this season, Voit hit .346 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs, with more walks (40) than strikeouts (34).

“He made a lot of strides, this being his first year to focus on hitting,” Gross told reporters Sunday.

“When you’re scouting him, you sit there and you start to check all the boxes. He checked them all.”

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