By Scotty Mincher

Being a fan of baseball here locally in the valley, It’s very obvious and certainly doesn’t take an expert to see that the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates are two teams going in completely different directions. The Indians have clinched a postseason berth and the Pirates are in the cellar and have the worst record in Major League Baseball. When it comes to the Indians, I think the word that’s probably most suitable to describe their team this year and during the Terry Francona era as team manager is competitive. They show up ready to play and rarely give in before the final out is recorded. But injuries, Star players underachieving in the playoffs, no salary cap, and ownership cutting payroll in recent seasons have all been key factors in the Indian’s inability to end baseball’s longest World Series title drought in my opinion. Because the Indians have been able to remain competitive this year and in recent years prior, being a fan of the team has been both exhilarating and at times heartbreaking. I see the Indians as a legitimate contender for a championship this year, but their struggles at the plate have me feeling cautiously optimistic at best.

The outlook for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from the media as well as a fan’s perspective for 2020 and beyond isn’t nearly as glowing. Much like with the Indians, the Pirates have gained a reputation for being cheap. The big difference I see between the two teams is that the Indians have drafted and developed their own talent very well and the Pirates have not. The Indians farm system has solid talent right now and is considered to be in the middle of the pack of Major League Baseball at worst. What I know from Pittsburgh fans about the Pirates farm system is that it leaves a lot to be desired.

The Indians got a draft haul of starting pitchers that look to have really promising futures in Dan Plesac, Aaron Civale, and Shane Bieber all in one draft, with the latter looking to win his first Cy Young award this year. In my time watching baseball and following Cleveland and Pittsburgh, I don’t ever remember the Pirates getting quality pitchers or position players to that degree in one baseball draft. It’s a big reason why the Indians have been a World Series Contender for the better part of the last decade and the Pirates have mostly been a cupcake to other teams on their schedule. Furthermore, despite the Indians being unable to shake the cheap team label, especially the last couple of years, in particular, They’ve been considerably more active about trying to win than the Pirates. The Tribe added key relief specialist, and arguably the best relief pitcher at the time in baseball in 2016 in Andrew Miller, who ended up being a vital piece to their run to the World Series that year. They also were able to get free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion at a discount and add him to an already good lineup in 2017. Miller came via trade from the Yankees and Encarnacion was signed during the 2016 offseason. The Pirates on the other hand have been a lot less aggressive with trades and free agency to bolster their Major League club over the years. During the Pirates several year window as a contender throughout the last decade, They were never really players for big-name high ceiling guys in free agency and didn’t shell out hefty contracts to stars. They instead opted for low-risk signings of minimal impact. That’s a problem for an organization that hasn’t done as good a job with developing their draft picks and homegrown talent as the Indians have. Having a bigger payroll would help the Pirates, but the Indians have been proof that a small or midlevel market team can win and have success, something that has seemed to elude the Pirates franchise.

Arguably the biggest fish the Pirates caught in a trade during their contending years was A.J. Burnett from the New York Yankees, which one could say after underachieving in New York resurrected his career in Pittsburgh. The Pirates look to be pretty dysfunctional even when just looking at them on the surface. With that being said, I think the work that best sums up the Major League franchise is cheap. Pittsburgh has done a poor job of scouting, drafting, and developing talent, which has made the life of a Pirates fan that much more demoralizing. But in my opinion, unwillingness to put big bucks into the team by ownership is the biggest reason for the Pirates dysfunction, and you can’t win consistently if you don’t spend enough money, Just like at owner Mike Brown and the Cincinnati Bengals. Speaking of the NFL and teams in the AFC North, The Steelers and Browns and the way they compare and contrast have its similarities to the Indians and Pirates.

The NFL is a little bit of a different animal in that it has a salary cap. But even so over the last twenty years specifically, The Steelers have made sound decisions after sound decisions while the Browns have made terribly bad ones after terribly bad ones. For example, The Steelers have had the same quarterback at number one on their depth chart since after the 2004 NFL Draft in Ben Roethlisberger. All the Browns have had is a history of instability and change at that position. The same can be said for the coaching category. The Steelers have Super Bowl Winning coach Mike Tomlin and have had just three head coaches since 1969. For the Browns, it has been a constant revolving door for them at head coach, and almost like a death sentence for coaching careers. If you feel that franchise quarterbacks and coaching are the two most important ingredients for winning in the NFL as I do, It’s easy to see why the Steelers have been such a well run organization, and why the Browns have been a dumpster fire. The one big difference between the Browns and the Pirates and both franchise’s losing ways, other than the fact that they play a different sport is that the NFL is better built for parity. With the salary cap and the way the NFL is structured, every year creates a level playing field and an equal opportunity for every team. Baseball has done a better job to create more parity in recent years with things like the wild card, but with still no salary cap to date in the majors, the playing field isn’t quite as even.

On top of all that, the Browns unlike the Pirates have an owner that isn’t afraid to spend money. Yet somehow it still hasn’t translated into wins for the Browns. In conclusion, because of the reasons I just gave, I feel that as bad as things must be for Pirates fans, It still not as bad as being a Browns fan in a league that has the perfect setup for parity. So whether you agree with me when it comes to the Browns and Pirates or not, I think just about every sports fan of Pittsburgh and Cleveland would agree that we’ve witnessed a tale of four similarly different sports franchises.

By Scotty Mincher

After a lengthy delay, America’s pastime has returned, Well in some sense anyway. The Major
League Baseball Players Association and owners agreed on health and safety protocols that will
govern baseball as it attempts to return during the Coronavirus pandemic. The league
implemented a 60 game season that featured the World Champion Washington Nationals, as
they faced off against the New York Yankees on July 23rd in prime time.

The world is in a current state unlike anything we’ve ever seen, and because of that, just like with everything else, baseball will have a very odd and different feel to it in 2020. You can find pluses and minuses with anything in life and baseball is no exception. Let’s dive into the pros and cons of this shortened baseball season.

Starting with some of the pros for this year, because of the effects of the Coronavirus and the hunger for live sports, and Particularly team sports getting stronger by the day, I feel like baseball will gain fans at least in the short term that are part of the younger crowd of early 30 somethings and under. Much of today’s world can get and wants everything to be fast, so the demand for sports, along with a shortened season will in many ways add up to the young impatient fan’s dream. Another pro for this season is the universal DH. It’s not that I don’t like strategy in baseball and haven’t appreciated the double switch in the past, but pitchers batting has to go! I’ve seen enough of the vast majority of major league pitchers not being able to hit to save their lives. One might argue that the use of a DH eliminates the use of good strategy, But I feel it still makes the game more entertaining Because you know, DH’s can actually hit the ball. That alone makes the universal DH good for the game. The biggest plus about baseball coming back, is that every game this year will be managed like a game 7. I’m a diehard baseball fan, but also
know that as a fan because the season is so long, it can be harmful from an emotional perspective
to get too wrapped up in one single game and not look at the series that are played and won or
lost throughout the 162 game schedule. This makes it hard to get excited about every game. But
this year, with the 60 game schedule every game will have a do or die, win or go home type feel
and that’s a positive unlike anything baseball has seen.

Now we shift to the cons. The first con that immediately came to my mind is that I feel that this season could be the start of a drop off in the older generations of fans, or fans who just love everything about baseball and baseball purists. If this season is successful and met with high praise from fans 30 or younger, it could create a domino effect that leads to commissioner Rob Manfred reducing games in future seasons. I wouldn’t say it’s likely because more games always mean more money, but because
Manfred is looking to speed up the game to appease the modern fan I wouldn’t rule it out. That’s
bad for fans like me who think the game is fine the way it is. Teams starting with a runner on
second base after nine innings is another negative. I get that baseball doesn’t want to have
marathon games especially during a pandemic, but to me, this just seems like a cheap way to
make the game go faster. As the great Lebron James once said, “Nothing is given everything is
earned.” That’s why I don’t like this incorporation into baseball. You could hit one single or the
other team could make one error and it could decide a game. I like seeing hard work pay off
more than I like seeing a shortcut that’s taken result is a plus for one group of people and not the
other. This rule is an example of that. It should go after 2020! The biggest minus from baseball
coming back this year is that it could very much be a springboard for a baseball lockout in 2022.
I haven’t sat in on any meetings between the players and owners this year but from everything

I’ve heard they aren’t gonna be having Thanksgiving dinner together any time soon. Millionaires
fighting with Billionaires isn’t a good look for the game, especially considering that 30 million
people lost their jobs because of the virus. I tend to think that in the long run, Even though it
would suck to not have baseball in 2020, it would help baseball avoid a lockout in 2022.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and no baseball this year I believe would just add fuel to
the games appreciation train, and make the owners and players salivate even more over what the
game has to offer. Just like a lot of people, I’m ecstatic that baseball is back. But with cases of the
virus spiking and several players already dropping out for the season due to health concerns, I
think a stoppage this year, might bode better for baseball in 2022 and beyond. That a look at my
biggest pros and cons for baseball’s return in 2020.

For more check out the Scotty’s, Hot Takes podcast and ysnlive.com, and see ya next week!

By Scotty Mincher

There’s nothing quite like listening to one of your favorite songs before getting ready for a big game. It’s like mainlining adrenaline and songs played before, during, and after games can sometimes be just as exciting as the game itself. because of this, I thought this week it would be fun to take a look at the best stadium anthems. after much pondering, I give you my top ten.

10.Blur “Song 2”– I loved video games as a youngster and was an avid gamer from up until the time I was about 18 years old. I have a sentimental connection to Blur and Song 2 because of the song being used as the title music for the EA Sports game FIFA: Road to World Cup 98. It was a terrific game and every time I’d hear that song it would give me extra juice to wanna score 100 goals with Italy, the USA, Germany, or Brazil and that’s why it’s in my top ten. Woo hoo!

9.The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”– A true staple for sporting events everywhere, Seven Nation Army has also had a big impact on the soccer world. It first started to become popular at sporting events when the World Cup-winning Italian team adopted the song as the unofficial anthem for their championship run. When you’re at a game you can be sure that everyone with you in the crowd will be chanting along with it in no time, because it’s just very catchy, and that’s the reason it’s number 9 on my list.

8.Jack Norworth, Albert Von Tilzer “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”-Released in 1908,, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” has been playing in ballparks across the country for over a century now. Created by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, the tune is a stand-by for seventh inning stretches everywhere. Because baseball is my favorite sport to watch with other fans, This song comes in at number 7 on my list. Being at a game in Cleveland and loving Progressive Fields version that goes, “It’s root, root, root for the Indians helps this song’s case as well!

7.AC/DC “Thunderstruck” -I’m not a huge AC/DC fan, but this song is straight fire when it’s played at a sporting event. It has an unforgettable opening and brings absolute electric energy to any setting, whether it’s played before a key at-bat or pivotal third down play. Lead singer Bryan Johnson’s strong growl capitulates this into the top 7 and its part of the reason that it’s a must listen to song for sports fans!

6.House of Pain “Jump Around”-It’s a tune produced by Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs. It became a huge hit in 1992 for its high-energy vibes, and demands for you to jump! Even though it’s become the signature song of Buckeye rival Wisconsin It’s still one of the best songs of the 90’s and any song that could get me to rock my wheelchair has to be high on my sports anthem list.

5.Eminem “Lose Yourself”-I’ve always been an Eminem fan, and I even think he’s a top 3 all-time rapper. Lose Yourself isn’t my favorite Eminem song, but I still consider it an inspirational sports gem and elite Marshal Mathers anthem.

4.Queen “We Will Rock You”-It may be the most recognizable song from it’s opening few seconds ever. It has been and always will be a classic. It’s just wanna those songs that as soon as you hear it you just wanna start stomping and clapping. It’s also been a song that the Browns play when they score touchdowns, which doesn’t happen that often, but always makes the song a delight to my ears!

3.Metallica “Enter Sandman”-Metallica’s Enter Sandman always brings me back to my high schools days as a Lowellville Rocket. It was the intro song for the Evil Empire that is the New York Yankees and their star hall of fame closer Mariano Rivera. But even with that being said, this song by an awesome band is too good to ignore, and will rock your socks off! Sleep with one eye open metalheads!

2.Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight”-My favorite pregame high school football song, In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins can make the most mellow person wanna dance and bang on some drums. In the air tonight is my favorite song by Phil Collins. Hell, if “iron” Mike Tyson jams to it, the song has to be a knockout!

1.Zombie Nation “Kernkraft 400”-People may be surprised that this is the gold medal winner of my list, taking the #1 spot, but this song just hooks you in! When the tempo begins to rise, so too do the chants and energy of any sports fan taking in a game. Not to mention the fact that if they used it in The Sopranos, one of the greatest shows in the history of television, It shouldn’t come as too much of a shock that I have it ranked as the best stadium anthem ever!

Until next time, Stay strong sports fans!

by Scotty Mincher

Anyone that has met or talked to me knows how much of an avid sports fan I am. For as passionate as I am about sports, there’s another pastime that I’ve come to enjoy very much over the years. Along with Sports, Movies have always helped me break away from a lot of hurdles or challenging obstacles that I’ve had to overcome in my life. In addition to being an escape, movies have also educated me on historic events and happenings in our country as well as other parts of the world. They’ve even educated me and expanded my knowledge of sports, which has made my appetite for sports even stronger. Because no matter how much passion you have for something, you could always be on the lookout to learn something new and exciting every single day. I know there’s been stories and lists of the past, released on the web that have debated on, and ranked the best sports movies ever made. But, even with that being said, It feels like there’s been not nearly as much debate and listing of rankings or discussion, on movies centered on the high school athletes of the sports world. Because of this, a fire has been lit under me to now wanna take a look at and breakdown, the best high school sports movies of all time. Before we get to my top ten list of the best high school sports movies, I wanna get into 5 sports films I haven’t seen yet that I feel are worth mentioning.

The first movie I wanna look at is The Way Back. It stars Ben Affleck. Affleck, in my mind, has had a hit and miss acting career, but has shown he can be extremely effective given the right role and shines in one of my all-time favorite movies Good Will Hunting. In The Way, Back Affleck plays Jack Cunningham a former high school basketball star who walked away from the game and forfeited his future Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption. The critics consensus on rottentomatoes.com states that The Way Back‘s occasionally frustrating treatment of a formulaic story is often outweighed by Ben Affleck’s outstanding work in the central role. After rewatching the trailer a couple of times, I’m captivated by Ben Affleck’s character’s role in the film as he tries to balance coaching his high school alma mater while fighting his own personnel demons. The Way Back is on my watchlist and looks like it has the potential to go down as a good to very good sports film in 2020, and who knows it could go down as a consensus career-best performance for Affleck.

Next up is a Disney film starring Mark Wahlberg titled Invincible. released in 2006, It’s Based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles in 1976. I really liked Wahlberg’s work in The Fighter. Another sports film based on a true story, Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness. Wahlberg also got nominated for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for The Departed, the best picture winner of 2006, and made me laugh a whole lot in the 2012 Seth Macfarlane comedy Ted. From the trailer, Invincible looks like an uplifting and heartwarming movie about beating the odds. I’m curious to see if there’s any reference or flashbacks to Vince Papale’s high school days in the film considering that the internet has this movie listed in the high school sports movie category. Regardless, Mostly favorable critic reviews give me hope that Invincible we’ll be nothing short of an inspirational watch on Disney Plus.

The Third movie I’m highlighting is Varsity Blues. It stars James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, and the late Paul Walker. The story is about a backup quarterback who is chosen to lead a Texas football team to victory after the star quarterback is injured. It gained mostly unfavorable reviews as many critics called it a predictable football movie that lacks intensity. After watching the trailer it’s hard to disagree with that opinion. Although in fairness to the movie, I feel like it’s been referenced or talked about a lot in the more than two decades since it’s release and has possibly even become a cult classic. It also was a chance for Jon Voight to showcase his versatility as an actor. I really haven’t seen much of James Van Der Beek and his work. Dawson’s Creek was a series that debuted in 1998 about the challenges of young adulthood that was well before my years as a young grownup, and I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the movie The Rules of Attraction, with nothing about the film really sticking with me. I only have seen the very first Fast and the Furious movie and it just wasn’t my cup of tea, So with no disrespect to the late Paul Walker I also kinda viewed him as a middle of the road actor with limited range at best. Jon Voight though from what I remember was above exceptional in the movie Deliverance, and also very good in the Showtime series Ray Donovan and has the talent to make Varisty Blues watchable at the very least. Even so, I’ll probably save my viewing of Varsity Blues for a rainy mundane afternoon.

Coming in at number 4 is Teen Wolf. It stars Michael J. Fox, James Hampton, and Susan Ursitti. Fox plays An ordinary high school student discovers that his family has an unusual pedigree when he finds himself turning into a werewolf. Fox, best known for his time as Marty Mcfly in the back to the future trilogy, plays Scott Howard in the leading role. I think he showed the charm and moxie in the Back To The Future movies that can help keep Teen Wolf afloat, and maybe, just maybe… make it fun. Heck, I’d watch it just to see Michael J. Fox, as a werewolf trying to dunk a basketball! Before I finally get into my top ten, the fifth and final high school sports movie that I haven’t seen and I wanna cover is Love & Basketball. It stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps as Monica Wright and Quincy Mccall. To sum up the plot of the film, Monica and Quincy love and play basketball together through many life challenges from childhood to adulthood. Sanaa Lathan may also be recognizable to some readers and movie fans for her role in Blade, which like Back To The Future is a trilogy. Omar Epps had an 8 year run on the T.V. series House as Dr. Eric Foreman. It’s a small sample size, but judging by the Trailer Epps and Lathan seem to have solid chemistry on & off the floor, making Love & Basketball a potential slam dunk of a movie. Now, On to my list of the 10 best high school sports movies.

10. The Blind Side-It’s tells the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family. It’s a story that resonates with the viewer. The realization that this movie is based on contemporary facts makes it all the more resonant. It’s well-acted, well written, and a fun film to watch.

9. Coach Carter-I’ve always been a big Samuel L. Jackson fan, and he delivers a strong performance as Ken Carter in the lead role. The basketball scenes are also pretty realistic which makes for a more authentic watch.

8. All the Right Moves-This is one of the better high school sports movies from before my time in the early ’80s. In a small declining Western P.A. town, sports pride is huge and football is the only way out for Tom Cruise. If you love your small town and love football as I do, this one is a must-see!

7. The Rookie– It stars Dennis Quaid as Jimmy Morris, A Texas baseball coach who makes the major leagues after agreeing to try out if his high school team makes the playoffs. Because there’s a lot of influence from his high school team, I think that’s reason enough to include this film on my high school sports movies list. It features Fathers and sons and baseball, to form a grand combination and hit one out of the park!

6. More Than a Game-It follows NBA superstar Lebron James and four of his talented teammates through the challenges and hardships of high school basketball in Ohio and James’ journey to superstardom in the pros. It’s one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen and a truly feel-good movie. To say that it’s inspirational is a big understatement. If you’re a documentary or Lebron fan like I am you’ll see this as a resounding slam dunk!

5. Remember the Titans-It’s based on The true story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team in their first season as a racially integrated unit. The reason it’s in my top 5 and I like the movie so much is it shows that you can overcome obstacles on and off the field. It’s also well made and features great cast performances led by Denzel Washington.

4. Hoosiers- It’s about a coach with a checkered past and a local drunk who train a small-town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the state championship. It’s a marvelous story of what makes our country so great. Giving people second chances in life. The true-life David beat Goliath story makes the movie that much more appealing. I’ve always thought that Gene Hackman was a superstar actor and loved him in Unforgiven as Little Bill Daggett. He’s also a perfect casting choice for the tough but fair basketball coach Norman Dale.

3. He Got Game-It tells the story of A basketball player’s father who must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence. It finds director Spike Lee at the top of his game. This movie features pointed commentary and his signature visuals. Add a powerful performance from Denzel Washington and that’s enough to catapult this movie into my top 3!

2. Friday Night Lights-It’s Based on H.G. Bissinger’s book, which profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, the 1988 Permian Panthers. It’s a portrayal of a football-obsessed heartland that succeeds as a stirring drama and captivating sports movie. It shows you how heart-stopping, agonizing, and fun high school football can be and since I’m from Ohio and love high school football it helps this movie totally resonate with me, a big reason why it’s number 2 on my list.

1.Hoop Dreams- It’s A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional. Rotten tomatoes calls Hoop Dreams one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time, It runs for three hours but it feels like much less because of the power this documentary holds It’s an absorbing movie that sucks you in and has a grip on you. It tackles real-life issues that society still battles today like racism, poverty, drug abuse, and peer pressure. You’ll fall in love with the characters, and quite frankly, To quote the late famous movie critic Roger Ebert, “It’s one of the best films… I’ve ever seen.”

That’s my list.  Who do you have in your Top 10?  Checkout YSN’s social media pages for more on how I came up with the top ten, and whether you liked it, hated it, or anything in between If you’re looking for a new pastime give these sports films a chance!