April 30, 2018
I’d like to express my sincere condolences to Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward, who’s careers are officially over before they even started, since they were drafted by the Browns last week. Then again, the decision to take those two players makes me think they are trying to go 0-16. The real winners of the draft were Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen, who are in the best possible positions they could be to succeed. Even though Rosen is by far the most NFL ready quarterback, I like how 9 GM’s decided not to draft him because he’s smart, comes from money, and will hold their terrible teams accountable when said GM can’t put him in position to succeed. As for the Rams, most of the guys they drafted probably won’t even make the team since they are so deep. Meanwhile, the Chargers think Philip Rivers is going to play til he drops dead, because for the 2nd year in a row they didn’t pick a quarterback to groom as his successor. By the way, Baker Mayfield is already missing throws and he hasn’t even played a game yet for the Browns……
Let’s hope Baker Mayfield’s first throw for the Browns goes better than his first pitch before Friday’s Indians game. (via @Cut4)pic.twitter.com/QNTz9wNQo8
— Yahoo Sports MLB (@MLByahoosports) April 27, 2018
To the NBA where the question is whether or not Paul George is more of a Trulia or Zillow guy? After the Thunder got sent packing by the Jazz, it’s hard to imagine George staying in OKC for another year, especially when he looked uncomfortable all year long. His comments afterward make him sound like the dude that’s trying not to make everybody mad when he leaves in July. Magic Johnson is going to be walking into that free agency meeting with all kinds of swagger knowing the Lakers are the favorites to land him. Things would have been looking even rosier for the Lakers had Lebron and the Cavs lost yesterday. Then again, none of this really matters since it still looks like the Warriors are going to be dominating the league for the next five years.
It’s not only the Lakers that have been keeping an eye on what’s going on in OKC, but you can bet the UCLA basketball program is as well. If Billy Donovan gets fired as the head coach of the Thunder, you can be sure UCLA is going to pounce on him like a cheetah on a rabbit. Donovan was a great college coach, but is in way over his head trying to coach Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. The Bruins fired Jim Mora in a hurry to have a shot with Chip Kelly. You can be sure that if Donovan became available, UCLA would do the same with Steve Alford. Speaking of Alford, I like how he fired his recruiting coordinator David Grace. The Bruins just pulled in a top 5 recruiting class, so recruiting is about the only good thing Alford had going for him. Not anymore.
The NBA Playoffs have been slightly more entertaining and competitive than I envisioned so far. Eric Bledsoe made Terry Rozier look like Michael Jordan. If the Bucks can’t beat the Celtics without their two best players, I don’t think their future is nearly as bright as everyone claims it is. I’m shocked at what the Pelicans did to the Blazers, but it’s cute that they actually think they can beat them in a 7-game series. The Jazz are going to get bombed by the Rockets, but it’s remarkable they have been this good. I guess what I really mean is it’s remarkable Donovan Mitchell has been this good as a rookie. The real highlight of the NBA playoffs though is watching Inside The NBA on TNT. It’s much better than most of the games. Shaq is about as good at math as he is at free throw shooting……
In case you didn’t notice, Lavar Ball was in the news again last week. This time he pulled both of his kids out of the Lithuanian league before their season was over. Sorry Lavar, time to pack of the circus again and take it somewhere else. This time Lavar claims that LiAngelo is injured and needs to get ready for the NBA draft combine, and since LaMelo wasn’t playing he decided he should go home. In what league, at any level, is it ok to just quit the team in the most crucial part of the season just because you aren’t getting playing time? Lavar’s act is wearing very thin with most people around him. He better hope Lonzo continues to get better in the NBA, because it doesn’t look like any of his other boys have a shot at making the league, especially with him trying to guide them.
We’re one month into the season, and the Dodgers have been so charitable that they’ve given the Diamondbacks a 7 game lead in the division. Right now the Boys in Blue have more problems than Bill Cosby. Clayton Kershaw is clearly in decline and Kenley Jansen couldn’t save a game right now if his life depended on it. Those are only two of their most important players. As if that’s not bad enough, now the injuries are piling up, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, and Chris Taylor are off to horribly slow starts, and the bullpen is about as reliable as a broken down Chevy. This team looks beat up, disinterested, and nursing a major hangover from October. Unfortunately, I don’t see a young stud in the minors that can energize them the way Bellinger did last year. Andrew Toles might have been that guy, but he’s been injured. Also, I have no idea why Pedro Baez is still on this team. The guy has found a way to blow more games in the last five years than I can count, not to mention the fact that he works so slowly, he’s a human rain delay. Check out his latest issue on Friday. This pretty much sums up the career of Baez and the first month of the season all in one play…..
Panik scores go-ahead run (00:47)
MLB Gameday: https://t.co/djXhnuRUVs pic.twitter.com/1J1GIXsObS
— Ballpark Videos (@BallparkVids) April 28, 2018
Finally, the Angels are harder to figure out than Khloe Khardashian’s relationship status. They go into Houston and take two of three from one of the best teams in baseball, then they get handled by an up and down Yankees team. They can score, but their starting pitching has been pretty mediocre. Other than Tyler Skaggs, not a single starter has an ERA under 4.00, which puts their team ERA in the bottom third of the majors for starters. We’re only a month into the season, and it feels like the Angels are already going to have to settle for the wild card at best with the ups and downs of the staff.