 Article by: Harrison Weaver  Get ready college football fans, we are officially less than a month away from football season. That means Saturday morning College GameDay, raucous student sections, Lee Corso mascot head picks, upset alerts, electric plays, Heisman debates, heated rivalries, everything we love about college football. We’ve spent all off-season in preparation, looking at position battles, player progression, and which teams are ready to make a run at the title this year. Once again, the field is set up for a Clemson/Alabama shootout for the Number 1 overall ranking throughout the regular season. Most of the blue bloods such as Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan, LSU, Texas, etc. have themselves positioned for a playoff run. That doesn’t mean that there are not any outsiders who can’t make a splash though, as there always seems to be at least a slight underdog that sneaks themselves into playoff contention. Back in 2015, Iowa was in the CFP discussion until a late loss to Michigan State. In 2016 the frenzy was around Penn State and their dream run to win the Big 10 Championship but got snubbed a spot in the playoffs. In 2017 and 2018, the debate was around an undefeated UCF team that got left out due to playing in a weak conference. Who’s now going to be the team to spice things up this year? Who’s going to be jarring it out for the Heisman? Let us get into it. 2019 Top Heisman Candidates Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama: After leading Bama to a thrilling comeback victory in the 2017 National Championship, Tua has never looked back. After throwing for a ridiculous 3,966 yards, 43 touchdowns, while adding 5 more TD’s on the ground in 2018, Tua is set up for another stat-stuffing season at Alabama as well as another shot at a championship. With an easy non-conference schedule, look for his numbers to be just as good, if not better than last season. He’ll have his top targets back, including Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, and Henry Ruggs. All these factors combined put him in a perfect spot to win himself a Heisman. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson: There is a ton of hype surrounding the 2019 Clemson Tigers and their star QB Trevor Lawrence. All he did as a true freshman was throw for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns, while featuring a huge National Championship Game against the daunting Bama defense in which he threw for 347 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Just like Tua, Trevor Lawrence is returning with a loaded receiving corps and will be in perfect position for a Heisman run. Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia: After an extremely disappointing ending to their 2018 campaign, Jake Fromm and the Bulldogs will be out for redemption. He threw for 2,749 yards and 30 touchdowns last year and will again have star running back D’Andre Swift to take away pressure via a strong running attack to compliment the passing game. Fromm has shown steady progression through his first two years, so expect him to take another step forward this year towards a Heisman campaign. Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas: The man tasked with leading Texas back to the top of college football glory put up tremendous stats in route to an impressive year last season for the Longhorns. Ehlinger scored 41 touchdowns, 25 through the air and 16 on the ground. He threw for 3,292 yards and rushed for 482 more. He even had 5 receptions for 51 yards over the course of the season. If anyone can produce a Heisman Moment, Sam Ehlinger is that guy. Let’s see if he can build on the success of last year’s Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia to land a spot in New York for the ceremony. Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon: Justin Herbert won’t only be contending for a Championship or a Heisman this year, he will also be competing for a chance to be taken as a top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The only concern West Coast fans have is that Herbert will not get the same spotlight due to late-night games for East Coast fans (#PAC12AfterDark). Not to worry, Herbert threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns last year. Those numbers are only going to improve, and if Oregon can win enough of their big games to stay in playoff contention, Justin Herbert will get all the Heisman recognition he needs. Others to Keep an Eye On: Adrian Martinez (QB, Nebraska), Jalen Hurts (QB, Oklahoma), Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson), Jonathan Taylor (RB, Wisconsin) Dark Horses Dark Horse: A candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. This section is going to be all about the teams I have my eye on as outsiders with College Football Playoff potential, or at least the ability to drive some debate to be in the conversation. Some of you may read this list and wonder why your favorite team is not included, especially if you’re an LSU, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida, or Notre Dame fan. Each of those teams are a Preseason Top 10 team, and in my opinion, I do not consider Top 10 teams to be a dark horse. If anything, take it as a compliment. I expect each of those teams to be in the running. They’re all loaded with talent at a point where they’re ready to win titles. On the other hand, once you drop out of the Top 10, then you start to get teams that people are sleeping on or teams that are ready to break through that may have had some rough spots last season. That is how I define a dark horse. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Last year was a frustrating year for the Cornhuskers. In a highly anticipated first year for new head coach Scott Frost, the college football world was expecting slightly better than the 4-8 that the Huskers finished at. However, in games decided by 5 points or less, they went a rough 1-5, meaning that if a few more plays went their way, they could have earned themselves a spot in a bowl game. This tells us that they were much better than their record demonstrates. The Huskers are bringing back 13 starters from last year, including dual-threat QB Adrian Martinez who put up 2,617 passing yards and 629 rushing yards last year. Starting out the season ranked #20, look for Scott Frost and the Huskers to start winning those close games and begin to climb in the rankings. Boise State Broncos: Much like UCF of the past few seasons, Boise State could be the small-conference school to make some noise this season. They will have a tough Week 1 matchup against Florida State in Jacksonville, but if they can get past that, they’ll be playing a much easier schedule the rest of the way. Such as a tricky matchup against BYU in mid-October. There is still lots of uncertainty for the Broncos in the backfield as they have yet to name a starting QB or running back. However, Boise State will be returning a lot of stars that were lost to injuries last season, meaning this team will be loaded with great players on defense and they’ll have their top two receivers that were lost back. With a Week 1 win, the Broncos could set themselves up to hang around the Top 10 all season. Utah Utes: Utah boasted the nation’s fifth-best run defense in 2018 and racked up 37 sacks on the season. They have 10 starters on award-watch lists and are hungry to get to the top of the PAC-12. They will be battling it out with Heisman candidate Justin Herbert and the Oregon Ducks as to who will come out with the PAC-12 Championship, a game in which the winner could end up earning a CFP spot if both teams can live up to expectations. Look for that stout defense as well as the return of last year’s starting QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss to be a spark to a possible playoff run for the Utes. Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies surprised many last season, came within a two-point conversion of going to overtime against Clemson early in the season, and defeated LSU in a thrilling 74-72 7-OT game, and then capping off the season with a convincing 52-13 bowl victory over NC State. Coming in with the #3 ranked recruiting class in 2019, the Aggies will be loaded with young talent this season as well as moving into the future. They will also be returning dual-threat QB Kellen Mond who threw for 3,107 yards and rushed for 474. Mond’s weapons will be young, but fast, strong, and electric targets that will be ready to break through this season. The loss of breakout star running back Trayveon Williams will hurt, but they will use a RB-by-committee approach headed by shifty, fast-accelerating Jashaun Corbin. That offense paired with a young but talented defense will have them primed as a near-perfect dark horse entering this 2019 season. Oregon Ducks: Justin Herbert. Have you heard of him? If you haven’t, then you will be hearing a lot about him this season. The Heisman candidate who threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns last year will have the spotlight on him all season to lead this team to a PAC-12 Championship as well as a possible playoff berth. The Ducks will be returning 10 starters on offense and 7 starters on defense. The one loss on offense was their top receiver Dillon Mitchell, but on the bright side they’ll be heading into the season with the nations’ sixth-ranked recruiting class to fill any holes they may have. The recent Achilles-heel for the Ducks has been their inability to win big games, as they dropped key matchups against Stanford, Washington State, Arizona, and Utah last season. Oregon will face Auburn in Week 1, so look for Justin Herbert and the Ducks to give everything they’ve got to get off to a strong start and put the Quack Attack back in college football prominence. Others to Watch: Miami, UCF, Syracuse, Penn State, Iowa State My Way Too Early College Football Playoff Selection:
Penn State Fans: A Section for You I’m going to take off my unbiased helmet now and just speak as the Penn State fan that I am. We’re going to miss Trace McSorley, Miles Sanders, Connor McGovern, Shareef Miller, Amani Oruwariye, and the rest of the studs we lost from last year. As much as it pained me, there is a reason why I did not pick Penn State as one of my dark horse teams. You look at our offense, and there is a complete lack of experience at almost every position except for the O-Line. Sean Clifford will attempt to lead an offense whose best threat may be sophomore RB Ricky Slade. KJ Hamler is back to give our receiving corps at least one name that people will know. After Hamler, our most productive receiver returning from last year is Jahan Dotson who had 13 catches for 203 yards. However, as inexperienced as this offensive unit may be, it also means that they haven’t even had a chance to prove themselves yet. Head Coach James Franklin and OC Ricky Rahne have had a whole offseason to get this unit prepared, so there is a chance they could surprise us all. However, with no sample size to look at and the pure volume of talent that we lost this offseason, these Nittany Lions are not one that I would peg as a dark horse for the playoffs. The defense is back and as strong as ever. Led by Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos, and a beast of a front-seven, our defense is going to shut down the run and get after opposing quarterbacks. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller tabbed Penn State as the #2 defense in the country this coming year, and whether that’s accurate or not, we have the talent to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. The one flaw could be the secondary, where the talent does not measure up to the front-seven. We should be more than okay though as opposing QB’s will need to get rid of the ball quickly, which will make the secondary look better. All in all, it’s hard to foresee what kind of season our Nittany Lions are going to have. We’ve never seen this offense, there is no way to know how well everyone is gelling, what kind of flow and chemistry they will possess. The defense will be the calling card in 2019. Who knows? Maybe Penn State will find a way to upend Michigan and/or Ohio State, all hell breaks loose in the Big 10, and we find a way to make it to the playoffs. Why not? Either way, Beaver will be rocking once again this year. Fight on State! #WeAre If you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop a like and comment your favorite teams heading into the new season! To keep getting news and updates on all things sports, be sure to keep it here at Heated Sports! 
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 Article by: Justin Imler  The NFL season officially gets underway this Thursday, and we can all rejoice together that we will finally have football every single week until mid February. In this piece I’m going to attempt to be as unbiased as possible in explaining why I firmly believe that Pittsburgh will return as AFC North champs in the 2019-2020 season. The emerging Cleveland Browns have soared to the top of most people’s power rankings and thus, are their pick to take home the division crown for the first time in decades. Can you blame them? The Browns are now a media frenzy, with #1 overall pick Baker Mayfield setting rookie passing records, and superstar WR Odell Beckham Jr. joining the squad via trade this offseason, teaming up with fellow pro bowler, and best friend, Jarvis Landry. Not to mention the rest of the young talent surrounding them in RB Nick Chubb, TE David Njoku, CB TJ Ward, DE Myles Garrett, and many more. As for Pittsburgh, they are being doubted for the first time in recent years, and I think that gives this team some added motivation to succeed in 2019. All eyes are on Cleveland, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think the AFC North will be the most competitive division with the AFC with Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore all being in the mix throughout the season. Some people might forget that the Baltimore Ravens actually won the North last season, with the new look, run first offense led by QB Lamar Jackson. If I'm being honest, I’m not much of a believer in Jackson, and I think both Cleveland and Pittsburgh have more talent on both sides of the ball to compete for a strong playoff push. For the remainder of this piece, I’m going to highlight a few areas of this new look 2019 Steelers team that I think are worth mentioning to back up my pick for them to still be contenders in the AFC this upcoming season. Addition by Subtraction I’m just going to get the most popular argument out of the way first. Most regular NFL fans know that star RB Le’Veon Bell and WR Antonio Brown are no longer in Pittsburgh, with Brown being traded to Oakland, and Bell signing a long-term deal with the Jets in free agency after holding out the entire 2018-2019 season. Now, even after losing two top tier guys, I still think Pittsburgh will be very successful on the offensive side of the football. Third year WR Juju Smith-Schuster and RB James Connor are both coming off of pro-bowl level seasons in 2018. I think Juju will fill the WR1 roll just fine. Will he produce the same numbers as last season? (111 catches, 1,426 yards, 7 Tds) probably not, but that’s totally fine. Juju will still get his looks, but while he’s drawing the double teams, that’ll leave openings for the rest of the WR core like newly acquired WR Donte Moncrief, and 2nd year guy James Washington. As for the backfield, we already got to see what it’s like to have James Connor as the team’s starting back in 2018, and he did not disappoint. Connor had 1,470 total yards (973 rushing and 497 receiving), as well as 13 total TDs (12 rushing and 1 receiving) in just 13 games. What I’m the most excited for in this 2019 offense is the “running back by committee” approach that a lot of people are expecting. We saw some flashes from backup RB Jaylen Samuels last season when Connor went down with a leg injury (19 rushes for 142 yards against NE in week 15). I’m excited to see Samuels get into the mix more this season, as well as 2019 4th round pick Benny Snell Jr. out of Kentucky. Pittsburgh has been excellent at drafting skill position players in the past, so I expect big things out of this backfield heading into 2019 and beyond. Both Bell and Brown brought amazing talent to the field each and every week, but with that talent came a lot of personality and overall distractions. With both of these guys gone, the Steelers can go back to being a team again, and be 100% focused on winning football games, and getting this franchise back where it belongs, in the playoffs. Weaknesses Addressed Pittsburgh has had some very noticeable weaknesses in recent years, mainly on the defensive side of the football. The position of inside linebacker has been a major need since Ryan Shazier went down with that awful spinal injury in 2017. That need was finally addressed when Pittsburgh traded up to the #10 pick in this years draft to snag Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. This guy was an absolute monster for the Wolverines, and I expect the same type of play out of him for Pittsburgh. Bush is going to be thrown into the starting lineup right away, and will be the overall voice of this defense as soon as he’s ready. He has a lot of expectations right out of the gate, but he seems ready to tackle them head on, and prove himself worthy of that #10 overall selection. The other major need that Pittsburgh addressed was the cornerback position. The Steelers signed CB Joe Haden in the 2017 offseason after being cut by Cleveland. Haden has stepped up ever since, being a lockdown corner for the black and gold. The lingering issue however has been who can complement Haden on a regular basis? We thought the answer would be 2016 1st round pick Artie Burns out of Miami, but even though he’s shown some flashes from time to time, he’s ultimately been a major disappointment. So, this time around, Pittsburgh looked towards free agency to hopefully find the answer, and signed former Chiefs CB Steven Nelson to a 3-year, $25.5 million contract. Right now, to start training camp, Haden and Nelson have been the one-two punch at cornerback at the start of training camp. Overall, I can't wait to see how this new look defense plays in 2019. Number 7 No, I’m not talking about the number of Super Bowls this team is hoping to have after the season wraps up, I’m talking about the guy who’s worn that number for the last 15 years. Big Ben Roethlisberger is coming off of some of the best seasons of his career, and as long as he’s healthy and still throwing the ball, the Steelers will win football games. Roethlisberger led the league in passing in 2018 with 5,129 yards and added 34 TDs. The main concern that came along with these impressive numbers were his 16 interceptions, which is tied for the 2nd most in his career. The interceptions don’t worry me too much, if you watch the tape, a number of those balls were forced to the guy that used to wear #84 for Pittsburgh. Now that he’s gone, and not straight up demanding the ball, look for Ben to find the open man a lot more often, and make much better decisions. What I’m hoping to see this season is a much more balanced offense. I’m all for Ben throwing the rock, because he’s shown that he’s capable of putting this offence on his back time and time again. However, this team needs to focus on establishing a running game early and sticking with it throughout each and every game. My 1st Training Camp Experience I got the chance to go to my first ever Steelers training camp this past weekend in Latrobe PA, and it was a great experience. I got to see a lot of the guys up close, get some autographs, and just watch the team practice, and see how some of the young guys were doing, and who was playing where. Here are some takeaways from my couple days at Steelers camp.
All in all, I’m very excited to see what this 2019 Steelers team brings to the table. Feel free to let me know what your expectations are for the AFC North this year, or some of your NFL predictions in general! Feel free to follow my personal twitter account (@imler05) where I’ve been focusing a lot of my content on NFL/Steelers specific news, updates, and opinions. Also check out @HeatedSports_on Instagram and Twitter for all things Heated Sports!   Article by: Zach Henley  https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/c_fill,g_auto,w_1200,h_675,ar_16:9/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F190728212606-jeremy-lin-1.jpg Free Agent Jeremy Lin is having a very difficult off-season. Coming fresh off winning a championship with Toronto, the point guard expected to find a new team by now. In his career, Lin has averaged 11.6 points, with 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds. “Linsanity” started in 2012, when Lin played for the New York Knicks. In may be the biggest game of his NBA timeline, Lin tallied 38 points against one of the best players of all time, Kobe Bryant. Alongside with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire, Lin was helping the Knicks turn their season into a playoff season. The Knicks went 36-30 and clinched the number 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks and the city of New York were very excited headed into the playoffs, but they knew it wasn’t an easy road. Their first challenge was the Lebron-led Miami Heat. The Knicks would end up losing the series 4-2 and have a first-round exit. After the 2012 season, the Knicks did not bring Lin back and the point guard found a home with the Houston Rockets. After 2 years and an average of 12.9 PPG, Lin moved on to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lin played in 74 games and averaged 11 points. Over the next 5 years, Lin would play for 4 different teams and average around 12 points per game. After “Linsanity” in New York, Lin couldn’t find a consistent home for more than 2 years. Although being the first Asian born player to win a championship, Lin feels like the league has given up on him as a key player. In an interview, Lin stated “Every year it gets harder…. In some ways the NBA has given up on me.” The 30-year-old point guard will continue to work hard for a mew NBA home, but until then, do you think Lin has more to give? Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the article be sure to drop a like! Also feel free to comment your thoughts and opinions down below. To get keep getting news and updates on all things sports, be sure to keep it here, with Heated Sports!   Article by: Kevin Eagleson  The NFL preseason is one of the most exciting times of the year for fans of the league. For the first time in over five months, fans are able to see their favorite team in action. The preseason indicates that the regular season is right around the corner, with all 32 teams eager to have the opportunity to become the next NFL champion. The preseason used to be highlighted by recently traded stars practicing with their new team, players recovering from injuries, and even some crazy training camp entrances. However, preseason storylines are now dominated by holdouts. Star players feel they are worth more than their current contract, and do not want to risk injury before being paid. Many credit running back Le’Veon Bell for sparking the new trend of sitting out the preseason and possibly beyond, as last year he sat out an entire season for the Pittsburgh Steelers before eventually receiving a long term contract from the New York Jets. This year, some of the biggest names in the league have yet to arrive to training camp, causing some uncertainty among their organization and fans. Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, who is entering the 5th year-option of his rookie deal, has not reported to Charger’s camp. Gordon has been extremely productive in LA, but is looking to become one of the highest paid backs in the league. It is uncertain at this point if the Chargers will pay that premium to bring back their star running back, but it will be difficult for the Chargers to replace Gordon’s talents. Another running back, Ezekiel Elliot of the Dallas Cowboys has also not shown up at camp yet. Elliot (last year’s rushing leader) has been the most productive running back in the NFL since he was drafted, and is currently one of the top-two backs in the game. ‘Zeke’ is a vital component of the Cowboys, and the biggest reason for the team’s recent success. The Cowboys look to be a real competitor this season, but they are just not the same without their star running back. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has also not reported to camp at this point. Thomas is entering the last year of his rookie deal, and has proved to be one of the most productive receivers in the league. Like the Cowboys, the Saints have a real chance to make a playoff run this year, but Drew Brees needs his favorite target. Thomas is a crucial piece of that offense and behind him; the Saints are very thin at receivers. Players also worth mentioning are Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who is in the final year of his rookie deal and has also not appeared at camp, but will likely report by August 6th in order to become an unrestricted free-agent in the next offseason. Texans pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney has also yet to be seen, but is in a different situation than the rest, as he had not signed his new contract (franchise tag). Holdouts are a difficult situation for both parties. The teams are not required in any way to pay the players what they are requesting. However, most teams have an opportunity to have a successful season and make a run at the playoffs. The players holding out are among the league’s best and are a crucial part of the roster. It will be interesting to see how these situations pan out, and also to see if the holdout trend continues in upcoming seasons. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the article be sure to drop a like! Also feel free to comment your thoughts and opinions down below. To get keep getting news and updates on all things sports, be sure to keep it here, with Heated Sports!   Article by: Harrison Weaver  https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/sites/csnphilly/files/2019/07/20/roy-halladay-ap.jpg A career win-loss record of 203-105, 3.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8-time All-Star, and a 2-time Cy Young Award winner. These are a few of the incredible career statistics of newly inducted Baseball Hall of Fame member Roy Halladay, or as many dubbed him, Doc Halladay, named after Wild West gunslinger himself. As of this past Sunday night, the late Roy Halladay would join the ranks of the elite in Cooperstown in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He had an incredible 16-year career with both the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. Drafted by the Blue Jays in 1998, it was in the 2001 season that he really stepped into the spotlight with an impressive season boasting a 3.16 ERA, and then it was in 2002, when he was selected to his first All-Star game. After 5 more All-Star game appearences in the next 7 years, along with a Cy Young, Roy signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 where he joined the elite pitching staff of Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Roy Oswalt. As a Phillies fan myself, I can speak to the excitement that everyone in Philly had with this all-time great roster. Headlined by the addition of Roy Halladay, we looked to be nearly impossible for opposing teams to score a lot of runs on. The Phillies unfortunately could not make the World Series with this team that struggled mightily on offense, but that doesn’t mean that Doc was anything elite. In his first three seasons with Philly, he made the All-Star game each year, and won his second Cy Young in 2010. Despite not making it deep in the postseason, he delivered on everything the fans and organization could have asked for and won over the hearts of Philadelphia well beyond his retirement in 2013. Tragically, Doc passed away on November 7th, 2017 after crashing his plane in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving his family, friends, and the entire baseball world mourning. However, his legacy is carried on by his wife Brandy, and two sons Braden and Ryan whom he loved deeply. It was Brandy who gave Roy’s Hall of Fame speech on Sunday. She began by humbly thanking everyone, including teammates, coaches, team executives, team staff, and fans. She praised both the Blue Jays and Phillies for being so patient, faithful, and loyal to Halladay and his family as he went through the different stages of his career. The decision was made that Roy would be inducted without a logo on his cap, showing that he favored nor one city over the other, a true class act on the part of the Halladay family. She then went on to speak about what kind of man he was off the baseball diamond. Roy was a true family man. According to Brandy, he was "the kind of brother who left cash in his pockets when he asked his sister to help with laundry, telling her she could keep whatever she found." As a father and husband, "He was a great coach, a nervous husband and father, only because he wanted to be as great and successful at home as he was in baseball." She continued to speak through tears throughout the course of the speech, and so elegantly and passionately praising family, friends, the organizations, and fans, all while doing such a great job of painting a beautiful picture of the kind of man Roy Halladay was. In the end, Brandy did a perfect job of stepping up to the mound and delivering a commemorative Hall of Fame speech matching the beauty of a Perfect Game by her late husband. The Blue Jays have retired the #32, and the Phillies put the #34 on their Wall of Fame, while superstar Bryce Harper (who formerly wore #34 for the Nationals) elected to wear #3 because, quote, “He's somebody in this game that, you know, is greater than a lot of guys who have ever played it. A Hall of Famer. Somebody who played the game the right way. Was a great person and was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, being able to play across from him in 2012. So, for me, it’s Roy Halladay. He’s No. 34 and he’s what represents that number in Philly. And when you go in there and see his name on that flagpole in center field. It’s something that he should be remembered for.” It’s clear that the respect and appreciation for Roy Halladay is endless, as love has poured in from everywhere upon his Hall of Fame induction. In addition, the Blue Jays drafted Roy’s son Braden with their 32nd round pick, the same number that Braden’s late father wore. Despite the last rounds of the MLB draft typically being irrelevant, this was a truly special moment that Braden and the Halladay family got to share together, and a really touching move by the Toronto Blue Jays organization. It’s amazing that in the face of such tragedy and devastation, the sports world always seems to find a way to support, care for, celebrate, respect, and remember delicate situations such as this. You can find Brandy Halladay's full speech from Sunday below. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the article be sure to drop a like! Also feel free to comment your thoughts and opinions down below. To get keep getting news and updates on all things sports, be sure to keep it here, with Heated Sports!  |
