Take Five | MLB trade rumors and professional sport controversies heat up

Angels, please don’t trade Shohei Ohtani // Brian Sherry, Sports Editor

Unfortunately, I am a die-hard Los Angeles Angels fan. While I barely remember the last time my team made the playoffs, I do remember when we signed a highly coveted Japanese prospect back in 2018. 

Little did I know that prospect Shohei Ohtani would develop into one of the most overall talented players since Babe Ruth. But now, rumors are circulating that Ohtani may leave Orange County in the near future. 

While the Angels can’t prevent Ohtani from leaving via free agency, they can resist the urge to trade him before the deadline and instead devote their energy to winning now. 

To put it simply, there are no prospects the Angels can get in a trade that would replace Ohtani. Likewise, it’s not like they can’t win now and potentially keep the Japanese star around, as they currently sit only five games out of a wild card spot. 

Thankfully, it seems the Angels aren’t looking to trade Ohtani by the end of the season. Still, the fact remains that trading the former MVP would spell disaster for my favorite franchise. 

Players deserve heavy suspensions for gambling // Jermaine Sykes, Assistant Sports Editor

News recently broke that Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was caught gambling on Colts games at their team facility. This news comes after a year full of gambling suspensions of high-profile players such as former Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Lions 2022 first-round draft pick Jameson WIlliams.

Many fans find the suspensions too heavy or too harsh. But I strongly disagree. 

The NFL clearly states that players aren’t allowed to bet on their team’s games or at their team’s facilities. The league made a statement that they are serious about this when they suspended Ridley for a year back in 2022.

After these examples, if a player continues to violate the league’s gambling rules, I think they deserve whatever punishment the league gives them. While the rules may not be “fair or consistent,” the rules are the rules. If a player violates them, they must face the consequences. 

The NBA needs to add the one-and-one // Matthew Scabilloni, Staff Writer

As Denver and Miami battle it out for the 2022-2023 NBA championship, there’s one fatal flaw that really bothers me every time I put an NBA game on. 

It’s the fact the NBA has no one-and-one, unlike middle school basketball, high school basketball and college basketball.

In the sports realm, usually the rules get increasingly harder in professional leagues.

For example, in the NFL, a pass interference is placed at the spot of the penalty, rather than at 15 yards like it is in middle school football, high school football and college football. 

But in the NBA, the rules got a little bit easier for these players. If the NBA followed the sports realm, they should have one-and-ones.

The NBA could add even more high intensity championship moments between the Nuggets and the Heat if they were to bring the one-and-one into play. It would make every bonus foul shot even more vital than it already is.

The Penguins’ failures set them up for years of success // Alex Porter, Staff Writer

This April, the Penguins season ended with the best possible outcome — they missed the playoffs. Most fans, including myself, wished to preserve the 16-season-long playoff streak. However, a month removed from the disappointment, I believe that their short-term failure set them up for long-term success. 

The resulting firing of general manager Ron Hextall works as addition by subtraction. Hextall inherited a top five team in the NHL and — after only two seasons — the team plummeted to a 19th place finish. His incompetence ranged from supporting an aging core with an equally old supporting cast to reportedly struggling to write down his plans for ownership to review.

The Penguins’ recent hire of former Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas marks a significant upgrade. In a league full of retreads and nepotism, Dubas — known for his innovation — remains a breath of fresh air. Dubas’ plans to transform the organization should excite fans, as the Penguins will remain the class of the NHL under his watch.

PGA Tour, LIV Golf merger benefits fans, but not athletes // Dylan Grace, Staff Writer

The golf world woke up to shocking news Tuesday morning when PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced a surprise merger with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Tour. After a messy two years of back-and-forth feuding between the separate leagues, the agreement may ultimately usher many big-name golfers’ return to PGA play.

With notable players such as Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and recent PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka facing ineligibility from PGA tournaments the prior two years, golf fans can expect to see the possible return of some of the game’s biggest stars — which is great for fans. 

But how should PGA golfers feel after the merger?

They should feel like they got slapped across the face 1 billion times.

That is the same amount of dollar bills that Tiger Woods turned down to join the LIV last year. Along with Woods, several PGA tour athletes advocated for the league and turned down massive contracts to play in the LIV Golf Tour. Now just two years later, that same company they stood by turned its back on them.

With the deal fresh and the logistics not fully ironed out yet, it remains unknown how the PGA compensates these golfers who stayed.