Find Your Love | ‘23 MLB Draft | ‘24 NFL Draft | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
So I’m sort of cheating by skipping over Cece’s Interlude, but hope that’s understandable. This is the 13th track off of Thank Me Later. Kanye West helped produced this song along with Jeff Bhasker & No I.D.
Drake knew there was a level of vulnerability doing a song like this “and it's actually a huge risk. It almost feels like the song should be performed by a woman. I'm just hoping that men really hear the song and they're honest with themselves. I know a lot of men feel that way." (Source: MTV Interview)
This makes sense because the song was originally produced for Rihanna. Mr. No I.D. on the subject of Find Your Love said, “That was actually a Rihanna record. Drake came to the studio in LA for more music. I was already on the album as I cut a record with Ye for it, but I was like ‘Why not do more? Let’s work.’… Drake heard Rihanna’s version and was like, ‘I really want to use this record,’ and I was like, ‘Man, ask her!‘ So he ended up with the beat and then when he recorded it he was singing, and I was like ‘Word? Singing. You’re really rolling with this, huh?’ Drake took it and made his own magic record.” (Source: Complex)
Nice and easy Drake hit where he doesn’t rap. In retrospect it makes a lot of sense how this was the 2nd single released in the lead-up to Thank Me Later, he went with the rap in Over followed by the singing with this tune. Worked out.
On to the sports…
Rounds 1 and 2 of the ‘23 MLB Draft took place last night. Here are who the local NY teams drafted…
Last Night Recap
26. NY Yankees: George Lombard Jr, SS/3B, Gulliver Prep Baseball
With the 26th Overall Pick in the ‘23 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees selected George Lombard Jr. The Gulliver Prep (FL) grad is only 18 years old but stands 6’3” and should be able to either play short or the hot corner because of his above-average arm strength. The father of the Yankee selection, George Lombard, was drafted in the 2nd round by the Braves in the 1994 MLB Draft. Jr’s father was an outfielder who played 16 professional seasons and 6 of which he was in the MLB for. During his playing days, he was most notable for his ‘02 with the Detroit Tigers, the same team that he is now the bench coach for. Being that young George grew up around baseball, he is fundamentally sound and has no real tool that is lacking. The lanky frame that he has today will fill out in time and could produce a nice power stroke. George Lombard Jr. was set to play for Vanderbilt but will now have an opportunity to play for the New York Yankees if his representation and the Yanks can strike a deal.
32. NY Mets: Colin Houck, SS, Parkview HS
The Mets selected Colin Houck with the 32nd pick as part of the “Competitive Balance Round A.” Houck is a two-sport prospect who is a 3 Star QB recruit who turned down football offers so he could play baseball for Mississippi State. At 6’2”, the Parkview, Georgia native projects as a shortstop. He won the Gatorade’s Georgia State Player of the Year this past spring. When asked who he was a fan of growing up, "I did grow up a Braves fan, but with the Mets pick of me, that's obviously not the case anymore. I'm going to be rooting for the Mets and that's how it is now." (Source: @SNY_Mets)
56. NY Mets: Brandon Sproat, RHP, Florida University
In the 2nd Round, the Mets went with a college starting pitcher, Brandon Sproat. The Mets actually drafted Sproat last year in the 3rd round but the two sides could not come to an agreement so he went back to school for another year. Originally from Pace, Florida, Sproat can bring the heat with a fastball that can flirt with 101 mph. In ‘23, he was named 2nd Team All-SEC as Sproat sported an 8-3 record with a 4.66 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 106.1 innings. He also drilled 17 batters in 19 starts so that could be a bit exciting. When asked about the Mets re-drafting him, "It's funny how the world works. I was in the same position last year and we couldn't work out a deal, but I went back and bet on myself and it was for the better. It's funny how things turn out." (Source: @SNYtv)
Round 3 Targets
Mets: Steven Echavarria, RHP, Millburn (NJ)
Steven Echavarria is a local kid from Millburn, New Jersey. The 17-year-old grew up a Mets fan and is still on the board so Queens could still be in play for him with the 91st pick the Mets own. According to @DanValerio3, Echavarria has a fastball that sits around 93-96 mph but can top out at 97 to go with an 81-83 sweeping slider. This past spring for the Millburn Millers, Echavarria threw 50 innings allowing 2 earned runs and he struck out 80. This earned Steven Echavarria the title of NJ.com Baseball Pitcher of the Year as well as the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year.
Yankees: Quinn Mathews, LHP, Stanford
The Yankees own the 97th overall pick and Quinn Mathews may be available. The 22-year-old Southpaw is a long and lanky 6’5” with a bit of an awkward delivery. While his fastball averages around 91 mph, he throws it with deception and funk. As a senior this past season with Stanford, Mathews threw for a 10-4 record with a 3.75 ERA in 124.2 innings where he had 158 strikeouts. This made Mathews the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. I like Mathews because he is a gamer. In the NCAA Super Regional series this year, Mathews threw 156 pitches in a complete game effort. It was the second-most pitches thrown by a Division I player this year and no MLB pitcher has thrown that many pitches in a game since 1997.
Donovan Jackson enters the ‘23 College Football season as a 2nd-year starter at guard for the Buckeyes. As a freshman, Jackson saw limited action and played 102 snaps in 13 games. Last year, Jackson started all 13 games and was named First-team All-Big Ten while also earning Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar award. The Texas native played at an elite level on an offensive line that allowed the sixth-fewest TFLS in the country (50.0) and the 7th fewest quarterback sacks (12.0) while averaging nearly 500 yards for 44.2 points per game. At 6’4” & 320 lbs., Jackson has moves well and with great force.
Barrett Carter received high praise from his head coach at Clemson, Dabo Swinney, who called Carter, “one of the best pure football players I’ve had in 20 years.” Swinney has coached a helluva lot of great football players so that’s telling. As a freshman, Carter became the first player in Clemson history to wear #0. Although he only started 1 game in ‘21, Carter had 26 tackles, a pass breakup, and even scored a touchdown in 179 snaps over 12 games. In ‘22, the versatile linebacker had 77 tackles (10.5 for loss) as credited by the coaching staff, with 5.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles in a unit-high 832 snaps over 13 starts. College PFF named him first-team All ACC in ‘22 and Carter is hungry to improve. This offseason he worked with Clemson alum such as Deshaun Watson, AJ Terrell, and Isaiah Simmons so expect Carter to have a big ‘23.
Xavier Truss is a 5th-year red-shirt senior originally from West Warwick, Rhode Island. Truss saw limited action in his freshman year, allowing him to extend his college career by redshirting. He did get a start at left tackle in the ‘20 Peach Bowl. In ‘21 Truss was once again in a reserve role and was also used as 6th offensive lineman lining up as a TE. Last season, Truss started 14 games at left guard and received praise from his head coach Kirby Smart. “He came in as a kid who had not played against a lot of high-level competition. I think the tempo, atmosphere, and practice environment was a big adjustment for him.” At 6’7” and 320 lbs., Truss is a versatile offensive lineman with experience.
Kamari Lassiter is from Savannah, Georgia, and held out hope that his home state school would offer him a scholarship. The Bulldogs were the 2nd to last school to offer Lassiter, but the junior corner stayed home. As a freshman in ‘21, Lassiter was a special teamer and a reserve behind upperclassmen but did get his first career INT. Last season in 15 starts, Lassiter had 38 tackles, 5 for a loss, and 4 pass deflections. With Kelee Ringo now with the Philadelphia Eagles, Lassiter will now take on the role as the #1 corner for the #1 ranked college football team in the nation. That comes will responsibility, as Lassiter has stated, “My role this year, I’m trying to become a better leader, more of a vocal guy and leading by example. We’ve got a lot of mid-years and young guys, so I’m trying to help bring some of those guys along.”
Ruke Orhorhoro was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Michigan at the age of 8 years old. The youngest of 7, Ruke became the first Clemson football signee from the state of Michigan since 1975. In ‘19, Orhorhoro needed some time to develop, playing only 84 snaps. Unfortunately in ‘20, Ruke got injured in the season opener and fortunately, that qualified him as a medical redshirt so he was able to get another year of eligibility. As a junior, Ruke stepped in for the injured Bryan Bresee and had a breakout season with 42 tackles (8.0 for loss), 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. He then followed his breakout year with a season that earned him a 3rd Team All-ACC where he had 28 tackles (8.0 for loss), 4.0 sacks, five pass breakups, and another fumble recovery. The 5th-year senior graduate earned a degree in sociology and completed micro internships with Synnex in ‘19 & Adobe in ‘22, but with another good season, Ruke should be playing on Sundays first.