Welcome to The Chatter, my modest attempt at blogging although this is probably much closer to emailing.  Each week I'll put together a handful of musings, observations, rants, and stories related to sports & what-not and pass them along to you for your amusement or automatic deletion.  If you want me to remove you from the mailing list simply reply "N" and POOF I'll be gone.  Otherwise, enjoy.

Simba on the move - Trading Craig Kimbrel proved that Tri-John (Schuerholz, Hart, and Coppollela) weren't gonna let sentiment cloud their judgment on business decisions, so the Simmons trade can't come as too much of a surprise.  Presumably the idea is for Erick Aybar to provide veteran leadership to the stable of prospects lined up to man the infield next season, most notably Ozhaino Albies who will turn 20 in January.  2016 will be like a protracted Spring Training as Albies, Johan Camargo, Daniel Castro, Adonis Garcia, Jace Peterson, and maybe even Rio Ruiz (sorry Elmer Reyes, you aren't invited; your range will be limited by your leg shackles) see increased playing time and work out their jitters before some combination of them secure starting spots on the 2017 roster.  The other half of the Simmons deal nets two more top-line pitching prospects in Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis.  Along with Max Fried, Matt Wisler, Touki Touissant, Williams Perez, Mike Foltynewicz, Manny Banuelos, Mauricio Cabrera, Tyrell Jenkins, Lucas Sims, Arodys Vizcaino, Daniel Winkler, Ricardo Sanchez, and at least 5 other guys the Braves boast an embarrassment of riches in pitching depth.  Some of those guys will blossom into MLB-caliber pitchers, others will get injured or flame out, and the rest will be used as trade chips.  The next 18-24 months will sort out who joins Julio Teheran and Shelby Miller in the rotation.  Aside: I initially suspected that Julio's days were numbered when Simmons got traded and maybe they are, but he'll make it through Spring Training as a Brave.  After that, who knows.  

NBA Youth Movement - I've remained a lukewarm NBA fan after my interest was heated up to 10 by the 8-seed Warriors upset of the 1-seed Mavericks back in 2007.  I even bought NBA League Pass a few times.  The Hawks' ascension to capable contender status keeps my interest, but the recent youth infusion has increased my attention to games/teams than I may have ignored in the past.  The Wizards, Timberwolves, Jazz, Hornets, Suns, Bucks, and even the lowly Sixers boast young lineups that are worth tuning in for, if only to see the next wave of fresh faces.  Next time you're surfing the guide, check out an NBA game and see what I mean.  

Rousey mows 'em all down - Ronda Rousey, aka The Baddest Woman on the Planet, puts her title on the line for the third time this year on Saturday night against undefeated heavy hitter Holly Holm.  I'll likely make the mistake of buying this PPV just because I have the chance to say "oh man!!! Emily come see this!!!" which is exactly what I did when Chris Weidman KO'd the unbeatable Anderson Silva.  However, I suspect the actual outcome will be "yep, that was as quick as I predicted....money wasted, thanks for nothing Ronda".  Its that boom-or-bust prospect that has my $59.99 on the hook.  The rest of the card isn't flashy, but that won't stop me.  Who wants to throw in some $$ and keep me company as I fight off The Sandman on Saturday night?

CFP picture clearing up - I'm in the camp of people who believe the rankings should come out once and that's it.  But that'll never change (thanks ESPN), so I move on.  However, since I believe in the one-and-done rankings, I'll speak to the images I see in my crystal ball and try to predict some outcomes that will challenge the committee's mission statement and purpose.  Lots of attention is paid to the impending Big 12 madness of Baylor-TCU-Oklahoma-OK State, what-if scenarios involving Iowa tipping the apple cart, and 'Bama's potential lack of an SEC title but the team that has the best chance to surprise everyone and rocket into contention is #23 UNC.  After their inexplicable loss to a terrible Gamecock team they have reeled off 8 wins averaging 43.5 points in the process.  If they run the table and beat an undefeated #1 ranked Clemson team in the ACC Championship Game its gonna be tough to argue against their inclusion.  Keep an eye on the Heels, they could really put that "four best teams" promise of the committee to the test.  

Parenting story of the week - I was gathering all things necessary for an instant oatmeal lunch for Henry earlier this week.  Had the bowl, the spoon, warming up the Keurig for the hot water, and was shaking the Quaker Oats packet when RRRRRIIIPPPP!!! the packet couldn't withstand my Hulkamania shaking and split right out of my hand sending dry oatmeal flying into my front living room leaving a 6+ foot swath of oatmeal snowflakes in its wake.  Fifteen minutes of vacuuming later, Henry finally got his lunch.