Ricky LaBlue's personal blog
While there are almost three weeks left in spring training, many of the questions surrounding the Washington Nationals seem to already be answered. Last month, I made some early predictions in regards to how the pitching staff and position player roster and pecking orders would come to form entering the season. Let’s see how I did, Colin Cowherd style.
Continue reading “Checking in on Spring Training for the Washington Nationals”
Football is back, Hokies!
Well, not really. Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente hosted his first spring football press conference last, answering questions about the team’s personnel, his thoughts on the transfer portal and more.
Here are my biggest takeaways from Tech’s media availability and some of the bigger headlines surrounding the Hokies as they approach spring practice.
Continue reading “Virginia Tech Preparing for Pivotal Spring Practice Slate”
Welcome back, Hokies. Monday Mail has returned and though it is on a Tuesday, I promise that these takes haven’t yet expired.
Without further ado, let’s dive into your questions for this week.
The Nationals pitching staff appears to have gotten a boost, but the new-look lineup is also intriguing. Bryce Harper likely won’t be around, but it might not actually make a huge difference.
Before getting into how the top nine should be configured, let’s take a look at the position players at large and how the roster should shape up.
Continue reading “State of the 2019 Washington Nationals: Position Players”
Virginia Tech’s lack of depth at quarterback has been alleviated, thanks to rising redshirt sophomore Hendon Hooker ending his stint in the transfer portal and returning to the Hokies.
Continue reading “Hendon Hooker Returns to Virginia Tech With Class”
Virginia Tech’s hiring of Justin Hamilton as the Hokies’ new safeties coach won’t wow anyone, and that’s perfectly alright.
Word began to spread over the weekend that Tyrone Nix, who was hired to replace Galen Scott as Virginia Tech’s safeties coach prior to the 2018 season, was leaving to return to Mississippi and Ole Miss. That move became official on Monday, when Tech announced that Nix was leaving and that Hamilton was being promoted to take his place.
Continue reading “New Safteties Coach Justin Hamilton Gives the Hokies Just What They Need”
Last year didn’t go as planned for the Nationals, but 2019 is almost guaranteed to be better. They suffered through a few significant injuries to position players in 2018 (Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Eaton, Matt Wieters, and Howie Kendrick), and top prospect Victor Robles hasn’t even made his full-season debut yet.
Notice a name that wasn’t mentioned?
Continue reading “State of the 2019 Washington Nationals: Pitching Staff”
It’s been a turbulent offseason for Virginia Tech, but head coach Justin Fuente just finished one hell of a week that seems to have the Hokies pointed in the right direction.
Just weeks after losing several players to the transfer market, Virginia Tech wrapped up their 2019 recruiting class with three key signees. Each of the players are important in their own way, and each player helps dispel some of the negative narratives surrounding the program.
Continue reading “Justin Fuente Turns the Tide With Brilliant Finish to 2019 Recruiting Cycle”
Stephen Newman, a long-time friend of mine and a graduate of Virginia Tech’s growing communications department, has joined The LaBlue Review to contribute coverage of Washington D.C. sports, primarily the Washington Wizards and the Washington Nationals.
Stephen earned sports writing experience as a student at Virginia Tech from 2014-2018. He served as the Social Media Editor of The Collegiate Times as a senior, managing the student newspaper’s social media presence on multiple platforms. More importantly, Stephen contributed to the newspaper’s coverage of Virginia Tech football and led the way in its coverage of Tech baseball, along with men’s and women’s basketball.
It’s been a season of nearly constant turmoil for the Washington Wizards, after being ranked among the favorites in the Eastern Conference during the offseason—and many other recent offseasons. John Wall has missed almost half of the year, Dwight Howard has barely played, and now the trade deadline has come and gone, leaving the roster appearing far different than it did last season.