Dwyane Wade on LeBron James' Charles Barkley rant: 'Thank God he finally said something'

Dwyane Wade isn’t the only one happy LeBron James finally teed off on Turner Sports mainstay Charles Barkley, in ways that go well beyond D-Wade looking to support his fellow Banana Boat ballast.

That ship doesn’t figure to sink soon at Barkley’s behest, in spite of LeBron’s relative “troubles” in Cleveland and Wade’s altogether more unseemly issues with a Chicago Bulls franchise he fooled last summer. It won’t go down without a fight, as we learned on Tuesday when James absolutely went off on Barkley, rightfully characterizing him as hypocritical prior to, sadly, using the word “hater” to denigrate the Basketball Hall of Famer.

(Not because Chuck isn’t a hater. He is. That term should have been retired when Barkley was an active player, though.)

Wade got in on the act at shootaround on Tuesday, happily taking on a new subject after a week’s worth of Bulls woe dominated the airwaves:

Here's full Wade quote on LBJ/Barkley. Never tried one of these emoji things before but believe this is considered ???? pic.twitter.com/EFAOorIw8x

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 31, 2017

“When your flaws are a little bit more …”

Barkley also recently offered his own breakdown of the Bulls, relaying that only a higher power could function as a salve …

… but nobody,including Wade, seemed to take offense at that. The Bulls, featuring a front office that actually believed Wade (a Miami resident since 2003) when he said he wanted to vacation in winter in Chicago, are a trash heap of the highest order.

James’ comments and Wade’s defense, however, were a long time coming.

One doesn’t even need to dive into the Google-documented subjects that LeBron and Wade referenced – the barfights, the out-of-control loogie, the aversion to an offseason workout routine that left Barkley crippled with back woes when he should have been flying in his prime with Michael Jordan out of the league from 1993 through 1995 – in order to have history on your side when taking Barkley out of the equation.

Barkley hasn’t exactly entered Skip Bayless territory, he’s not dead behind the eyes, but NBA players have been waiting for too long to take shots at the bully. Players no longer need the draw of Barkley’s witticisms on air in order to lend credibility to a struggling league or a lacking night of games on TNT.

He’s hardly been witty in recent years anyway. Especially with Shaquille O’Neal’s addition to the show and “Inside the NBA”‘s move away from the lighthearted, and into the realm of the jock-toned sense of cruelty that is always just below the surface when those who actually played the game get to talking together about anything else but the game (which they haven’t watched) itself.

“Inside the NBA” wasn’t just a breath of fresh air upon its debut with Barkley, back in the spring of 2000. (He went full-time during the 2000-01 season.) it was startlingly perfect sports television, the perfect program to document the imperfect league. At its peak, no sports shows in television history and damn few shows in total were nearly as good. “Inside” was must-watch TV, even at two in the morning, TNT-time.

That has ebbed in recent years, as most great things tend to do. Not so much because the show is resting on its laurels after laying waste to what was offered as competition by various networks, starting all the way back in 2001-02, with NBC’s attempt at an approximation of “Inside.” Host Ernie Johnson Jr. would never let the show become complacent.

No, what it has become is mean, and not just because it stands as a reflection of the times.

There’s a chance this gets even meaner, and though LeBron was correct in his estimation of Barkley’s contributions, the “screw Charles Barkley” kiss-off didn’t exactly lighten the mood or raise the level of discourse. What it should do, though, is once again help us recognize the value of discourse, and the way in which Wade barely hesitated before offering a similar opinion should serve as clear notice to Barkley that James is far from alone in thinking the way he does.

Perhaps this will allow Barkley the space to explore why, exactly, he thinks and speaks as he does. Perhaps it will lead to more anger, more name-calling, and everything just short of what we typically see when aging jocks lock Skechers – two guys who could tear an Achilles in an instant all but coming to an old-man clench and tussling on the floors of the otherwise-pristine “Inside the NBA” studio.

For all we know, following a verbal career-off, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal already engaged in yet another wrestling match on camera. We wouldn’t know. Sadly, we haven’t been watching for a long time.

Could Lance Stephenson be the 'f***ing playmaker' LeBron and the Cavs need?

Lance Stephenson got very close to LeBron James when the two matched up in the playoffs. Could he get even closer soon? (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/MCT/Getty Images)

LeBron James thinks the Cleveland Cavaliers need “a f***ing playmaker.” But is he ready for it to be Lance f***ing Stephenson?

The slumping Cavs continuing to reel, suffering a Monday loss to an “underrated s*** team” in the Dallas Mavericks to fall to 4-7 in their last 11 outings, and 32-15 on the season as a whole. While James vents his frustration at attention-seeking ex-players with national TV commentary gigs, the Cavs are turning their attention to trying to find somebody to fill their open roster spot who can handle the rock and who, ideally, won’t cost all that much. From Chris Haynes of ESPN.com:

Veteran point guards Mario Chalmers and Kirk Hinrich and wing Lance Stephenson are scheduled to work out for the Cavaliers on Wednesday, league sources informed ESPN.

A few other free-agent prospects are expected to attend the session, sources say. Depending on how well the participants perform, sources with knowledge of the Cavaliers’ thinking believe one could be signed prior to the All-Star break.

Tom Withers of the Associated Press also reported Tuesday that the Cavs will take a look at Hinrich, who turned 36 earlier this month and who has remained unsigned this season after splitting last year between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. The 13-year veteran shot well from 3-point land in Chicago before being flipped to Georgia in the three-team trade deadline deal that landed Shelvin Mack in Utah, but played sparingly and without much distinction for a Hawks team that already had Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder at the point.

Hinrich might be the steadiest option of the bunch, one who can capably get the Cavs’ offense into sets and who will compete defensively, but at 36 and without the burst or athleticism to create much off the bounce, he’s also likely the one with the lowest ceiling. Chalmers has already proven he can slot in alongside James, playing the point for the Miami Heat squads that went to four straight NBA Finals between 2010 and 2014, and he shined in sort of an on- and off-ball super-sub role for the Memphis Grizzlies last year … before suffering a season-ending tear of his right Achilles tendon.

Haynes says the 30-year-old is now fully recovered from that devastating injury. But as Cavs general manager David Griffin looks to upgrade on rookie Kay Felder and provide some additional punch on the wing after the All-Star break, he might be reluctant to bet on Chalmers instantly hitting his old stride in his first on-court action since the rupture.

Speaking of stuff you’d be reluctant to bet on, though …

LeBron James slaps Lance Stephenson in the face during the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. (Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/MCT/Getty Images)

Stephenson rose to fame with the Indiana Pacers, going from a lightly regarded second-round pick to the starting two-guard on the East’s No. 1 seed, becoming a near-All-Star performer capable of tossing up triple-doubles and impacting the game on both ends of the floor. His erratic on- and off-court behavior, though, also made him notorious, and raised questions as to how much the Pacers, and team president Larry Bird, wanted to keep him around. Stephenson eventually left to join the Charlotte Hornets in free agency, and things fell apart. He struggled through perhaps the worst shooting season in NBA history while not exactly burnishing his bona fides as a locker room presence before being flipped to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he quickly fell out of Doc Rivers’ favor and once again found himself on the move … and that’s where things got interesting.

On a Grizzlies team decimated by injuries last season that had no choice but to unleash him, Stephenson often looked somewhat stunningly like the fire of old, averaging 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 26.6 minutes per game as an off-the-bench firestarter. He started this season in similarly catalytic fashion for the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, averaging just 9.7 points, 4.8 assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes per contests while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. Just six games into the campaign, though, he went down with a groin injury, prompting a Pelicans club desperate for healthy bodies to waive him while he recovered … which, according to Haynes, he has.

On paper, then, Stephenson would seem like a tailor-made fit for the needs of a Cavs team that has become overwhelmingly reliant on James and Kyrie Irving to serve as its offensive engine. He’s a bull off the bounce who can beat defenders one-on-one, get downhill in the pick-and-roll, compromise coverages, get into the paint to draw traffic, kick out to open teammates and finish in traffic. He can come off the bench to wreak havoc and make plays for others, and he’s long enough and strong enough defensively to hold up in a variety of matchups depending on opponents’ personnel.

LeBron, as you might expect, has never gotten much of a kick out of Lance’s act. With the Cavs wobbling, though — and with J.R. Smith still on the shelf, Kevin Love dealing with back spasms, and the 32-year-old James averaging a league-leading 37.5 minutes per game while clearly straining under the burden of carrying Cleveland night in and night out — would James be willing to let bygones be bygones in search of an easier path to getting through the regular season and being in full form come the playoffs?

Stranger things have happened … although, the more we think about “LeBron James and Lance Stephenson are teammates,” maybe not too many, if we’re being honest.

With this young and improving defense, the Atlanta Falcons could be contenders for a while

The Atlanta Falcons are in Super Bowl LI mostly because of their offense.

They might back it back to another Super Bowl sometime soon because of their defense.

Defenses this young aren’t supposed to end their season in the Super Bowl. The Falcons start four rookies, if you count slot cornerback Brian Poole and his nine starts. They start four second-year players, including NFL sack leader Vic Beasley.

The Falcons’ defense got better as the season went on, and that’s an overlooked reason whey they’re in the Super Bowl. There’s also no reason to believe the young defense won’t continue to improve. They’ll also get back 26-year-old cornerback Desmond Trufant, a 2015 Pro Bowler who is out with a pectoral injury.

Assuming the offense stays productive – it’s not that old, either – then maybe the Falcons are just at the beginning of a nice run.

“Honestly, all of us are far from our full potential,” Campbell said. “We still have a lot of room to grow in terms of becoming professionals and learning how to prepare better.”

The last two drafts for the Falcons have been defense-heavy and a lot of the picks have paid off. In 2015 they got a much-needed pass rusher in Beasley (first round), a physical corner in Jalen Collins (second round) and nose tackle Grady Jarrett (fifth round). Safety Ricardo Allen, a 2014 pick who spent most of that season on the practice squad and didn’t play until 2015, is the other second-year starter.

Vic Beasley (44) is one of many young stars for the Falcons defense. (AP)

Then the 2016 draft gave the Falcons another huge boost. Safety Keanu Neal was drafted in the first round, to play the Kam Chancellor strong safety role in Dan Quinn’s defense. Deion Jones gave the team a fast middle linebacker in the second round. Outside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell was picked in the fourth round and Poole was a surprise as an undrafted free agent.

That’s how you quickly build a defense. And it’s a group that will be together for a while.

“This whole journey is going to be amazing,” Jones said. “It’s going to be a good thing to look back on and laugh about the hard times we had when we didn’t know anything.”

It’s not ideal to start so many young players on defense, and the Falcons weren’t great early on. They gave up at least 20 points in nine of their first 10 games, and at least 30 points five times. The Falcons’ offense scored 71 more points than any other team this season, but it needed some help from the defense.

The defensive help came late in the season.

The players said the bye week was a turning point, and that’s easy to see in the results. The Falcons have alllowed more than 21 points twice since their Week 11 bye. One was a 29-point game by the Kansas City Chiefs, in which eight points were scored on interception returns by Chiefs safety Eric Berry. There was a 32-point game by the New Orleans Saints in which New Orleans had 13 points through three quarters before a meaningless surge in the fourth quarter. Atlanta’s defense turned a corner late and it carried into the playoffs. The Falcons played very well in convincing wins against the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. It’s not bad for a defense full of rookies and second-year players to shut down Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers on back-to-back weeks.

The Falcons had to know the defense would improve rapidly as the game slowed down for the young players, and it did. Quinn used the example of Jones. Quinn said five or six weeks ago he could see a noticeable improvement in Jones as he started to figure out the game.

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“Not only did he have his assignment down, but he could get the communication out to other players,” Quinn said. “That’s when we saw a shift take place.”

It’s a process for all young players, and the Falcons are developing quite nicely.

“It’s tough, but week by week I’ve been getting better – recognizing formations, getting everyone lined up, communicating,” Jones said.

“The biggest thing for me is my understanding of the game, understanding how offenses are trying to attack me,” Neal said. “I knew a little bit, but now I kind of really have an understanding of it. At the end of the day, it allows me to play faster.”

It takes time for young players to mature like that. The NFL is hard for most rookies, and most second-year players are still early in their development too. Maybe the Falcons didn’t exactly think that starting eight first- or second-year players would lead to a Super Bowl this season, but they’re here and there’s no reason to believe there should be regression going forward.

The Falcons have a big task this week, trying to slow down the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. They’re not focused on what might happen after that. But when you take a step back and look at it, the next few years look pretty promising.

“I haven’t thought about that; I don’t really think too much about the future. I kind of focus on the present,” Neal said. “But thinking about it now, it’s pretty cool thinking about it.”

For the first time since 2002, the Red Sox went to arbitration with a player

As Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports, the Red Sox went to arbitration with reliever Fernando Abad on Monday. Abad asked for $2.7 million while the Red Sox countered at $2 million. The lefty earned $1.3 million in 2016.

This marks the first time the Red Sox have gone to arbitration with one of their players in 15 years, as Silverman notes. Back in 2002, the club went to a hearing with pitcher Rolando Arrojo and the arbitrator ultimately sided with the Red Sox. Historically, teams tend to come out ahead.

Abad, 31, started the 2016 season with the Twins but was traded to the Red Sox ahead of the trade deadline on August 1. Between both teams, he posted a 3.66 ERA with a 41/22 K/BB ratio in 46 2/3 innings. Abad can become a free agent after the 2017 season.

Derek Fisher's five Los Angeles Lakers championship rings stolen

Derek Fisher and Deb Govan. (Getty Images)

Derek Fisher’s hoped-for chance at a little NBA normalcy appears to have gone out the window. The former Los Angeles Lakers championship guard and former New York Knicks head coach was allegedly the victim of a robbery on Monday morning, with burglars reportedly relieving him of the five championship rings he earned in Los Angeles.

The 42-year old Fisher, currently working as an analyst on local Lakers broadcasts, was not at home at the time and appears to be unhurt. TMZ was the first to relay the story:

Law enforcement sources tell us the NBA legend reported a burglary at his home Monday morning — telling police he left the home at 7:30 AM and when he returned 3 hours later, it was clear someone had been inside.

We’re told officials believe the perp got into the house through a side door — and went for his jewelry. Among the stolen goods was Fisher’s 5 NBA rings he won during his run with the Lakers. They’re each worth a ton of cash.

Our sources say other jewelry was taken as well.

The LAPD is currently investigating. So far, no arrests have been made.

TMZ puts the value of the stolen goods at $300,000. If the five championship rings – won in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010 – were involved, this estimate seems a little low.

Fisher played with Los Angeles from 1996 until 2004, and again from 2007 through 2012. He joined the New York Knicks as coach soon after retiring in 2014, compiling a 40-96 record before being let go by the team on Feb. 8 2016.

Recently, Fisher was noted for his part in an embarrassing incident with one-year Laker teammate and current Sacramento King Matt Barnes. Barnes, who is reported to be due to turn himself into the New York Police Department on assault charges following his alleged role in a nightclub assault, stormed in on Fisher while he was living with Barnes’ ex-wife Debra Govan. Barnes reportedly became upset upon learning that Fisher was not only going out with his ex-wife, but also staying at the same house as Govan and Barnes’ children.

Fisher has made no statement on the reported robbery.

Jury selection begins in the human trafficking case against agents of Cuban ballplayers

Jury selection is underway today in Miami federal courtroom in the case of Bartolo Hernandez and Julio Estrada, sports agents charged with illegally smuggling baseball players from Cuba to the United States. The two are accused of taking as much as $15 million from players, who were placed under duress, sent on dangerous and surreptitious boat voyages, placing them in danger and who were, allegedly, subjected to threats of violence before agreeing to hand over millions to the agents.

Three baseball players have been placed on the witness list: Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets, Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox and Adeiny Hechevarria of the Miami Marlins. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and various MLB executives are named as possible witnesses as well. Neither Cespedes, Abreu nor Hechevarria are not accused of wrongdoing.

Potential jurors will be questioned beginning Monday in the case of Bartolo Hernandez and Julio Estrada, both of whom have pleaded not guilty. Opening statements are expected Wednesday.

Cardinals hacker to MLB: Astros deserve punishment too

News continues to fly about the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals hacking scandal. The punishment for the actions of Christopher Correa, the former Cardinals employee who hacked into the Astros computer system, was handed down on Monday. Even though Correa acted alone, the Cardinals must give the Astros two draft picks and $2 million.

A day after the punishment was handed down, Correa isn’t happy that the Cardinals were the only organization to feel the wrath of the Commissioner’s Office. Correa is currently serving a 46-month prison sentence for the hacking, and he let everyone know how he felt on Tuesday morning with a statement he released on Twitter.

Statement regarding MLB Cooperation pic.twitter.com/MBwYoZ48PN

— Chris Correa (@chriscorrea) January 31, 2017

Here’s the full text of his statement.

In 2015, I admitted to unauthorized computer access and volunteered to meet with the commissioner to answer any questions and share my concerns about intellectual property theft. In May, I offered to fly to New York. In June, I suggested a meeting during his visit to Busch Stadium.

The commissioner was unresponsive.

I am unimpressed with Major League Baseball’s commitment to fair and just action in this matter. The Cardinals were not the organization that benefitted from unauthorized access.

On December 21, 2011, a Houston Astros employee accessed propriety data on a St. Louis Cardinals server. Later I would learn – through unlawful matters – that Cardinals data were used extensively from 2012 through 2014. Houston Astros employees used the data to replicate and evaluate key algorithms and decision tools related to amateur and professional player evaluation. Many individuals throughout the Houston organization, including the General Manager and the Assistant General Manager, were included in e-mail discussions about these matters.

I accept responsibility for my wrongful actions and am paying my debt to society. The Cardinals organization must pay a heavy price as well.

But punishment does not function as a deterrent when sanctions are applied arbitrarily.

I will have no further comment on this matter while I am incarcerated.

Shortly after Correa’s comments, Major League Baseball released its own statement, claiming Correa was not cooperative with them during the investigative process. MLB’s statement read:

“The Office of the Commissioner made the decision in the spring of 2015 for sound legal reasons to defer its investigation of the incursions into the Astros’ systems, including interviewing Mr. Correa and witnesses, as a result of the ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
“Mr. Correa and potential witnesses were informed of our decision to defer our investigation until the government completed its investigation and any criminal charges against Mr. Correa were adjudicated. Upon the conclusion of the federal investigation, during July and August 2016, the Department of Investigations repeatedly requested Mr. Correa’s cooperation through his attorney. On July 21, 2016, Mr. Correa was informed directly that he would be placed on the permanently ineligible list if he did not cooperate with the Department of Investigations. Mr. Correa not only steadfastly refused to answer any questions, but also opposed the release of any documents by the government to the Office of the Commissioner. On August 23, 2016, Mr. Correa’s attorney told the Department of Investigations that Mr. Correa was not interested in ‘providing any information directly or indirectly to MLB.’ The Department of Investigations was not provided evidence to substantiate the other allegations contained in Mr. Correa’s letter, but remains willing to meet with Mr. Correa at any time.”

So Correa is maintaining that he hacked into the Astros computers to see what the Astros had originally stolen from the Cardinals through their own hack. And because of that, he’s saying that the Cardinals didn’t benefit from the hack, despite the fact that Correa had access to a tremendous amount of Astros data, including medical files, scouting reports, player rankings, and the email account of an Astros executive.

Chris Correa in January, outside a federal courthouse in Houston. (AP)

The meat of Correa’s statement comes right in the middle, where he explains why he believes the Cardinals didn’t benefit from his hack. He says that the Astros hacked into the Cardinals system in 2011, and later, through his own hack, found out that the Astros had been extensively using data stolen from the Cardinals. And he says that this was with full knowledge and support of the Astros front office. Correa objects to the sentence handed down to the Cardinals because it ignores the original Astros hack of the Cardinals — if the Cards are punished for hacking, the Astros should be as well, because a punishment that doesn’t cover everyone who did wrong does nothing to deter others from doing it again.

What Correa is accusing the Astros of doing is no small thing. But he responded to a perceived crime by committing another. He might have discovered that the Astros hacked the Cardinals, but he did it during his own illegal hack. And the only person who has talked about the Astros hacking the Cardinals is Correa himself. While we have no idea if Correa’s claims have been investigated, he’s the only one even saying that it happened. You’d think that the FBI, who originally investigated the Cardinals hacking of the Astros in June 2015, would be aware of this if it had happened. Or that the Cardinals would be making a huge deal out of their intellectual property being stolen, but they’re not. On the other hand, there’s ample evidence that Correa hacked the Astros, and now he’s serving a 46-month prison sentence for it.

Correa’s credibility makes this statement a little hard to swallow. It’s tough to trust a guy who’s accusing an organization of hacking when the guy himself is guilty of hacking the organization he’s accusing. The “they did it first” defense didn’t work when you were a kid, and it doesn’t work now. Of course, that doesn’t mean that what Correa says isn’t true, but it’s likely that we’ll never know. The Commissioner’s Office has handed down their punishment, and they seem eager to wash their hands of this and move on.

Blue Jays sign J.P. Howell

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Blue Jays have inked reliever J.P. Howell to a one-year deal, pending a physical. Financial details have yet to be revealed.

Howell, 33, had a mediocre 2016 campaign with the Dodgers, finishing with a 4.09 ERA and a 44/15 K/BB ratio over 50 2/3 innings. However, the lefty put up a 1.43 ERA in 2015, a 2.39 ERA in ’14, and 2.03 in ’13, so it’s reasonable to think he could return to that level of pitching. Howell showed a reverse platoon split in 2016 — meaning lefties hit him better than righties — but has historically dominated left-handed hitters. Howell is also quite good at inducing ground balls. Since 2013, Howell’s 58.5 percent ground ball rate is 13th best among relievers (min. 150 innings).

Howell gives the Jays a second lefty in the bullpen along with Aaron Loup.

Chris Carter might leave North America to play baseball

Free agent slugger Chris Carter, who led the National League with 41 home runs last season, could take his services overseas according to his agent (and former Diamondbacks GM) Dave Stewart, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. “I think at some point we have to make it a serious consideration. It’s getting late there, too. Those teams are filling their spaces, too,” Stewart said.

Along with the 41 dingers, Carter knocked in 94 runs and hit .222/.321/.499 over 644 plate appearances. The negatives are obvious: Carter strikes out a lot, having led the league with 206 punch-outs in 2016. He also doesn’t play a premium position, nor does he play even adequate defense when he is on the field, limiting him ideally to a DH role. As a result, Carter was only with 0.9 Wins Above Replacement last season according to Baseball Reference, despite the prodigious power.

According to Stewart, Japanese teams showed interest in Carter last year before he signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Brewers. The Brewers chose to non-tender Carter in early December rather than pay him a projected $8 million for the 2017 season.

Dodgers trade Carlos Frias to the Indians

The Cleveland Indians have acquired righty Carlos Frias from the Dodgers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Frias was designated for assignment by the Dodgers last week to clear a 40-man roster spot for Brett Eibner, who himself is likely to be organizational depth, so it’s not as if L.A. valued Frias all that greatly. As it was, the 26-year-old spent most of the season in the minors, posting a 3.95 ERA and 32/11 K/BB ratio in 43.1 innings between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has pitched 33 big league games over the past three seasons — 15 of them starts — with a 4.50 ERA and a 75/34 K/BB ratio in 114 innings.

Frias will presumably compete for a spot in the Cleveland bullpen this spring. Cash Considerations, who has been traded to every team in baseball at one time or another, should probably take a good look in the mirror and think about finding a different line of work.

The secret to Matt Adams' offseason transformation? Pilates

It’s time for St. Louis Cardinals fans to think a new name to call Matt Adams when they get upset with him.

Adams — the 28-year-old first baseman — has been mocked as “Fat Adams” during his last two underwhelming seasons. But it looks like that won’t fly anymore, as Adams has undergone an offseason transformation with the help of a new diet, a better workout routine and a consistent dose of Pilates.

Check out this picture that Kim Wallis, Adams’ Pilates instructor, shared on Instagram:

Now compare that to this picture of Adams — who was listed at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds last season — from September:

Matt Adams last September. (AP)

As of early January, Adams had lost 25 pounds this offseason, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Adams stayed in St. Louis this winter to commit himself to training, working closely with Wallis as well as other Cardinals teammates both in the Pilates studio and in more traditional weight-room training sessions.

Wallis, who runs Pilates 4 Pros in St. Louis, has worked with a number of pro athletes, including NFL players Zac Stacy and David Bass, NHL players Jaden Schwartz and Jamal Mayers. Adams isn’t the first baseball player to turn to pilates either. Jake Arrieta has credited it with helping his turnaround.

Adams enters the 2017 season as a question mark in the Cardinals lineup. They’ve said they plan to move Matt Carpenter to first base, meaning Adams would most likely be coming off the bench. Unless, of course, he shows he’s back to playing like it’s 2014, when he hit .288. Last season, he dipped down to .249. In 2015, he hit .240 with a .280 on-base percentage.

Earlier this month, the Post-Dispatch delved into Adams’ offseason routine:

Wallis has toned Adams’ schedule, helping him reduce weight by reducing body fat as well. Each day he has two workouts, and sometimes three. Three times a week he goes with pitcher Lance Lynn and [Cardinals’ strength and conditioning coordinator Pete] Prinzi to a Pilates class. Five days a week he has a lifting program that is split into two upper-body days, two lower-body days, and one total-body day. Mixed into that schedule are cardio workouts, like the ones he did Friday. On Saturday, he’ll be at a Pilates class and then off to a cardio regimen. In the evening, he’ll receive an outline of his meals for the next day, down to calories and the time.

“That’s the way I work best,” Adams said. “If I’ve got a schedule, I’ll do everything on that schedule. That was one of the biggest things about being here and about working with Kim. I could be on that. I feel the benefit everywhere in the weight room, in Pilates, and in the batting cage. In Pilates – the body doesn’t tire as much. The core strength is better. I feel my stamina is way better. In the cage – I’m hitting the ball harder. … The way to explain is this: I’m using my body more efficiently. All the strength that I’ve worked to get in the weight room or through Pilates, I’m able to put that into my swing more efficiently. It feels natural, just natural. More control, then explode.”

Adam’s actual nickname — the one fans call him when they’re not mad — is Big City and even that might need some adjusting now. But Cardinals fans shouldn’t mind coming up with new nicknames if it means they get a more productive Matt Adams.

TODAY IN HISTORY - JANUARY 31ST

1747 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital.

1801 – John Marshall is appointed the Chief Justice of the United States.

1846 – After the Milwaukee Bridge War, Juneautown and Kilbourntown unify as the City of Milwaukee.

1862 – Alvan Graham Clark discovers the white dwarf star Sirius B, a companion of Sirius, through an 18.5-inch (47 cm) telescope now located at Northwestern University.

1865 – American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery and submits it to the states for ratification.

1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief.

1927 – Norm Prescott, American animator, producer, and composer, co-founded Filmation Studios (d. 2005) is born.

1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape.

1931 – Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach, Chicago Cubs (d. 2015) is born.

1947 – Nolan Ryan, American baseball player is born.

1949 – These Are My Children, the first television daytime soap opera is broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.

1950 – United States President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb.

1954 – Edwin Howard Armstrong, American engineer, invented FM radio (b. 1890) dies.

1956 – A. A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright, created Winnie-the-Pooh (b. 1882) dies.

1957 – Eight people on the ground in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet.

1958 – The first successful American satellite detects the Van Allen radiation belt.

1961 – Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.

1968 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.

1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.

1973 – Portia de Rossi, Australian-American actress is born.

1974 – Samuel Goldwyn, Polish-American film producer, co-founded Goldwyn Pictures (b. 1882) dies.

2000 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard.

2010 – Avatar becomes the first film to gross over $2 billion worldwide.

2011 – A winter storm hits North America for the second time in the same month, causing $1.8 billion in damage across the United States and Canada and killing 24 people.

Cardinals must give Astros $2M and two draft picks as punishment in hacking scandal

The St. Louis Cardinals must pay $2 million and give two 2017 draft picks to the Houston Astros, MLB announced Monday, as punishment in the hacking scandal involving former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa.

The decision was announced Monday by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, after more than a year of drama surrounded this case. The Astros will receive the 56th pick and 75th pick in the 2017 draft, which are the Cardinals’ second rounder and a compensation-round pick. Those were the highest picks the Cardinals had available in the draft. They’ll also have to pay the Astros $2 million within the next 30 days.

The scandal dates back to June 2015, when news broke that the Cardinals were being investigated by the FBI for hacking into the Astros’ internal database. Eventually, we learned it was Correa — who is currently serving 46 months in prison after a plea deal — who initiated the breach and had access to scouting reports, medical information and player rankings put together by the Astros’ front office.

Chris Correa in January, outside a federal courthouse in Houston. (AP)

At one point, Correa had complete access to an Astros executive’s email account for 2 1/2 years. He also accessed Astros’ reports during the trade deadline, winter meetings and during the 2013 MLB Draft. In 2014, some of the Astros internal notes on trade prospects were leaked publicly. Federal investigators deemed Correa was the source.

Correa was fired by the Cardinals a month after the news of the scandal broke. As part of Monday’s decision, Correa will also be placed on MLB’s permanently ineligible list.

The commissioner’s decision was based on finding from a league investigation, including a forensic analysis of both clubs’ electronic system, plus evidence provided by the Cardinals and Astros. After reviewing the evidence, Manfred found that Correa alone was responsible for the hack into the Cardinals database and that no other Cardinals employees would be held accountable.

In his decision, Manfred wrote:

1. The evidence did not establish that any Cardinals’ employee other than Mr. Correa (who was the only individual charged by the federal government) was responsible for the intrusions into the Astros’ electronic systems. Accordingly, no Cardinals’ employee (or former employee) other than Mr. Correa will be subject to discipline by my office.

2. Although Mr. Correa’s conduct was not authorized by the Cardinals, as a matter of MLB policy, I am holding the Cardinals responsible for his conduct. Mr. Correa held positions in the Cardinals’ front office that enabled him to have input into his Club’s decisions and processes. As a result, I am holding the Club vicariously liable for his misconduct.

3. I find that the Astros suffered material harm as a result of Mr. Correa’s conduct. The type of potential competitive harm the Astros suffered as a result of Mr. Correa’s conduct is not amenable to precise quantification. MLB Clubs fiercely compete with each other in their ability to produce and process player-related information. I am prepared to find as a matter of policy that a Club suffers material harm when an employee of another Club illegally accesses its confidential and propriety information, particularly intrusions of the nature and scope present here. In addition, as a result of Mr. Correa’s conduct, the Astros suffered substantial negative publicity and had to endure the time, expense and distraction of both a lengthy government investigation and an MLB investigation.

After the decision was announced by MLB, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement:

“We respect the Commissioner’s decision and appreciate that there is now a final resolution to this matter. Commissioner Manfred’s findings are fully consistent with our own investigation’s conclusion that this activity was isolated to a single individual.”

The Astros also released a statement, saying:

“The Houston Astros support MLB’s ruling and award of penalties. This unprecedented award by the Commissioner’s Office sends a clear message of the severity of these actions. Our staff has invested a great deal of time in support of the government, legal and league investigations and are pleased to have closure on this issue. We are looking forward to focusing our attention on the 2017 season and the game of baseball.”

While two top draft picks and $2 million are undoubtedly penalties that will hurt the Cardinals, some in the game, including Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, thought the commissioner could have been tougher on the Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals make $300 million a year in revenue. A $2 million fine is 0.67% of that. It is change in their couch.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 30, 2017