January 31, 2022

The Rams are going to the Super Bowl! Yesterday’s NFC Championship showdown with the 49ers was a game that up until the final minute, I never really thought they were going to win. No matter how much of a bum Jimmy Garoppolo is, they always come up with big play after big play, and they always seem to get the breaks. It felt that way for 3.5 quarters yesterday, until the Rams rallied in the 4th quarter. I’ve gotta give Sean McVay and his squad credit for bearing down and playing tough against a gritty, and very physical football team. However, I do think Sean McVay with his challenge flags has become the drunk guy at the bar that needs to be cut off. He must also be getting terrible insight from his coordinators in the booth. Matthew Stafford deserves all the credit in the world for delivering on the big stage, when nobody believed he could do it, just because he once wore a Detroit Lions jersey. It was also impressive how the entire roster contributed in that win, especially for a team that is typically dependent on it’s stars. There’s plenty of time ahead to break down the matchup with the Bengals, which won’t be easy by the way. As for the fans though, I can tell you after attending yesterday’s game, a 60-40 split in favor of the 49er fans was accurate. It doesn’t matter though. Half of those 49er fans are going to flip to Rams fans the next time those teams play!

Meanwhile in the AFC Title Game, everyone should have known that the Bengals were gonna win when Joe Burrow walked in the building like he was Leonardo DiCaprio about to claim a couple of Oscars. The Bengals completely stunned the Chiefs in the 2nd half, rallying from a 21-3 deficit to advance to the Super Bowl. There’s also no question the NFL fans across Twitter couldn’t have been happier that Brittany Matthews and Jackson Mahomes were eliminated from the playoffs as well. The Chiefs were looking unstoppable for weeks, then their offense completely stalled in the 2nd half. It was like they went back to being the Chiefs of the first 5 games of the season. Meanwhile, the Bengals look like the have the pieces to become the NFL’s next dynasty for the next 5 years. I’m also pretty sure their fans are going to be selling their houses to afford Super Bowl tickets because they haven’t been to the playoffs in 30 years.

This Tom Brady retirement story is hilarious. Everybody is so desperate to be first on a story, they fail to consider the consequences of being inaccurate. Tom Brady is probably retiring, but he wants to control the narrative, and wants the news to come out on his own terms. I can’t wait until Brady comes back and win comeback player of the year in 2022. Then again, Gisele is probably going to win this battle in that household, and finally get him to retire, which she’s been trying to do for years.

On to some topics that are not as enjoyable to discuss these days like the Lakers. I don’t want to hear this crap that Anthony Davis is back and looks like 2020 AD. I don’t want to hear it because Lebron went out of the lineup the next night, and so did AD against Charlotte. The team can’t stay healthy, and even when they are healthy, they stink. We’re more than 50 games into the season. This is what it is, and there is no trade out there that is going to fix this by the trade deadline. I’m also beginning to think that Frank Vogel could murder someone in the middle of broad daylight, and that the Lakers wouldn’t fire him. I’m actually ok with it, because none of this is his fault. Sure a lot of you are hanging your hats on the fact “nobody wants to see the Lakers in the postseason.” That’s cool and all until things keep going the way they are and nobody actually sees the Lakers in the postseason.

On the other hand, you’ve gotta give the Clippers credit. They have been completely undermanned all season long, yet they are the 7th seed in the West. It’s really amazing how many games you can win just by playing hard. Of course it also helps when the Washington Wizards are willing to hand over a 35-point lead and give away games, but they are where they are because they have consistently given maximum effort. That alone looks like it will get them in the play-in tournament. Whether or not they become sellers at the deadline will tell you everything you need to know about how they feel about a potential return of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George this season. I have my doubts either will come back, but come mid-February, you will get your answer.

UCLA B-Ball is finally looking like they are back in rhythm. The Bruins took care of #3 Arizona at home last week, and then took down Stanford over the weekend while shorthanded. Do you realize that the Bruins are +1500 to win the National Title? Since I’m assuming that not all of you that read this column are degenerate gamblers, that means that if you bet $100 you win $1500. That is basically saying that the Bruins are the 15th best team in the country. I think the Bruins are no worse than a top 5 team, and probably even higher than that, which gives them a real shot at winning the National Title. Everyone is also loving the energy Jake Kyman is bringing off the bench. When this kid gets in the game, he is making the most of it, and now everyone wants to “feed the Keaster!”

https://twitter.com/UCLAMBB/status/1487623441746382849

January 24, 2022

The Rams probably didn’t deserve to win that game yesterday with how they played that 4th quarter. However, Matthew Stafford came up big when they needed it most. The final minute of the game. That was nearly a devastating loss, and the way it would have happened seemed so predictable with Tom Brady on the other side. Sometimes it feels like Brady inevitably gets every break in these games. It’s like he has a lifetime contract with the devil. Yet Stafford made incredible plays that yes, Jared Goff couldn’t make. How the heck did Cooper Kupp get so wide open? He’s only the best receiver in the NFL. It was domination for 3 quarters, but the Rams were very lucky to hold on and win. Now they get their arch rivals at home in the NFC Championship, the San Francisco 49ers. There’s not a team I would rather see less. Kyle Shanahan has Sean McVay’s number, as the Niners have won six straight against the Rams. The Rams can’t seem to run the ball against these guys, and the Niners dominate the line of scrimmage. That can’t happen next week. However, it’s really the Rams passing game that can exploit a beat up San Francisco secondary. This is going to be a tough task to beat San Francisco, but you would think the Rams are due for a win against them.

Elsewhere around the divisional weekend of the NFL, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen were human video games last night. It’s a shame that one of them had to lose. You know you are fast when you are Tyreek Hill, and you are hitting defenders with the peace sign before running by them into the end zone for a late touchdown. One of the best football games I had seen since the previous three the playoffs gave us. Meanwhile, we all thought that Aaron Rodgers had a shot, but it wasn’t the first time this year he fooled us. It’s pretty wild that with natural immunity he couldn’t get any protection against the 49ers. In all seriousness, it’s really not that surprising the Packers lost to the 49ers, given that they never handle business at home in the playoffs. Their special teams play was historically bad. Aaron Rodgers has a plan and will likely leave the Packers now. As for the Bengals and Titans, Ryan Tannehill turned into Miami Dolphin Tannehill at a bad time for Tennessee. Funny because Tannehill is who everybody thinks Kirk Cousins is. Neither can get you a Super Bowl though. However, if the Titans had just run the ball more in the 4th, they probably would have won that game by 10 points. The Bengals are a young and dangerous team though, and could easily beat the Chiefs next week on the road.

To the NBA where you should probably just stop watching the Lakers right now if you care about your mental health. This team is so aggravating to watch, and losing to a shorthanded Miami team yesterday provided more of that. I’m also very annoyed at all the talk that Frank Vogel is on the verge of getting fired. Vogel coached up one of the best defenses in the league for the last two years. Now suddenly he just can’t coach defense? He’s been saddled with an old team that doesn’t want to play hard defensively. Anthony Davis is at least close to coming back, but unless AD turns into his 2020 version, this team is toast.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are at a serious cross roads in their season with some decisions to make. They have lost 6 of their last 10 games and slipped to ninth in the Western Conference. However, the worst part is that Paul George may not return this season, and Kawhi Leonard may not want to either if George is done. For that reason, they may want to consider trading off spare parts like Marcus Morris or Ivica Zubac for some draft picks. I’m sure they’d love to do what Golden State did last year when Klay was hurt, so They can get a high draft pick. However, they can’t really do the same thing the Warriors did because they don’t have a lottery pick since they traded everything for Paul George. However, nobody would blame them for waiving the white flag on the season.

UCLA Basketball looks extremely rusty after having about a month off. They’ve fallen to #9 because the voters forgot about them. Their lineup is in flux because of injuries and illnesses, and the Bruins’ keep hunting for reliable production from their big men. Cody Riley still doesn’t look like himself, and Myles Johnson doesn’t look ready for prime time. They managed to get by Utah on the road Saturday, and their fans will be coming back to Pauley Pavilion tomorrow night to cheer the team on against Arizona. The Bruins are just a game back, but with all the injuries impacting their depth a wing, and the lack of rhythm, I’m not sure how ready they will be to match up with the #3 Wildcats come tomorrow night. At least they are back on the floor with fans.

We are exactly halfway through the NHL season, and the LA Kings have quietly climbed their way to 2nd place in the Pacific Division. I feel like Rob Blake must be reading Jock Talk LA, because their rise in the standings has coincided with the fact I urged them to start playing all the blue chip prospects they have at the NHL level. The Kings got a nice win yesterday against the Devils after getting beaten by the the elite Lightning and Avalanche earlier in the week. Not sure why everybody is making a big deal out of the the Lightning beating the Kings while shorthanded, while the Kings have been forever shorthanded with Rob Blake as their GM.

The MLB lockout is still going, but there’s a lot of noise around what the Dodgers could do when they can start signing players again. I’m not sure if people realize this, but after Corey Seager and Max Scherzer departed, the Dodgers have money to spend like you have when you get all those gift cards from Christmas. Plus, according to Dodger Insider David Vassegh, Clayton Kershaw is expected to return, and the Dodgers are strong contenders for the services of Freddie Freeman, and even yes……Carlos Correa. If they were to sign Freeman or Correa, no matter how much you hate Correa, they might be even better than last year. Congratulations to Brandon Gomes as well, who was just promoted to General Manager. Gomes isn’t that far removed from being a big league player, when he pitched for the Rays in 2012. I’m curious though if Andrew Friedman will have the computer tell Gomes what to do like he does with Dave Roberts.

Finally, congratulations to Taco Bell for coming to their senses and finally bringing back the Mexican Pizza. I haven’t seen a debacle like this since the last time the Chargers played football. I’m sure they just got tired of answering those questions on the corporate Twitter account, but it’s coming back in the spring. The Mexican Pizza is considered by many to be one of the most reliable and consistent parts of their childhood, if you are of a certain generation. This was all apparently due to environmental concerns with the packaging but this is 2022, there is packaging out there you can find that can still be environmentally responsible. Now if only McDonald’s would bring back the snack wraps.

January 17, 2022

Welcome to the MLK edition of Monday Morning Coffee!  We start with some NFL Football, where the Cowboys collapsed like they usually do in playoffs yesterday.  Nice work Mike McCarthy.  That was the most Mike McCarthy way to lose a game.  Meanwhile the Eagles will probably now ask the Sixers to include Jalen Hurts in any Ben Simmons trade given how awful he looked.  Travis Kelce looked like a better quarterback than Big Ben, as the Chiefs dismantled the Steelers.   The Bengals took down the Raiders, but the referees were a disaster, and are going to have to polish off their LinkedIn profiles.  Josh Allen went into beast mode for the Bills, and did everything he can to send Bill Belichik into retirement.  I’m sure Bill has thought about those New Years resolutions by now.

Meanwhile the Rams and Cardinals will go at it tonight at SOFI.  I think it’s total crap that this game is on Monday, because the winner will be at a disadvantage on a short week.  However, if the Rams do win tonight, they should feel good about the fact they won’t have to go to Green Bay next week, since the 49ers took care of the Cowboys.  As for tonight though, the pressure is on Matt Stafford to take care of the ball, and perform.  Jared Goff would win this game.   Jared Goff got the Rams to the Super Bowl and almost won.  Matt Stafford was brought here to take the Rams to the next level, so a first round loss would be considered a failure.  Other than that no pressure at all.

To the NBA where the Lakers are still a disaster in every way.  We’re halfway through the season.  This team is what they are: old and mediocre.  I think Russell Westbrook is the first player to actually be able to stop both Anthony David and Lebron James.   He’s that bad of a fit!  Now there’s talk about Myles Turner or Jerami Grant being traded to the Lakers.  Neither one of those guys will move the needle and make the Lakers good enough to be true title contenders.  Especially not for the cost to acquire them.  I also keep hearing about a lack of effort.  That may be the case in some instances, but this team isn’t even that good when they have been healthy.  Don’t be fooled.   Effort or no effort, this team doesn’t have the depth, or the defense to be what we thought they would be.

So the Bruins made the ridiculous decision to extend Chip Kelly’s contract. Don’t you just love this country? You can fail upwards and make millions of dollars. In this case, this is nothing but a bad marriage on both sides between two people that looked around and couldn’t do any better. Martin Jarmond apparently does not have UCLA Football on his priority list. This is still very much a basketball school.

Speaking of basketball, UCLA Basketball is finally back in action after some trouble with COVID. However, the Bruin defense got gashed by Oregon last week. I’m going to chalk this one up being a little rusty and not playing some elite level competition for some time. However, the Bruins are still pretty damn good, and they’ve shown it against some elite competition already this season. It’s also nice to see Peyton Watson getting some more playing time and starting to look like a real contributor.

Leave it to the LA Times to take a story about the National Championship game and turn it into some homer piece about USC Football. What a joke….”this could be us?” We get it, USC has the potential to become a powerhouse again with Lincoln Riley coaching them. However, there is a lot of work to do before that happens. In fact, they should probably start by locking up a quarterback. I’m not sure what the hell is taking Celeb Williams so long to make a decision since he’s boys with Lincoln Riley.

January 10, 2022

That Rams game yesterday was a total disaster. When this team plays teams that are more physical than them, they suddenly turn into Anthony Davis. Yesterday was especially disastrous because they blew a 17-0 lead and had the chance to knock out the 49ers from the NFC Playoffs, while getting the #2 seed. Now they will likely have to go through Green Bay or San Francisco if they want to get to the Super Bowl, which won’t be very easy for them. The 49ers have their number, and Aaron Rodgers has Matt Stafford’s number. The Rams also are extremely dependent on their stars. If the stars don’t make the big plays like yesterday, it won’t happen. Jalen Ramsey can’t make up for the rest of the flawed secondary. Aaron Donald can’t make up for the rest of the flawed d-line. Cooper Kupp and OBJ can catch anything, but the running game is inconsistent. Matt Stafford can make some amazing throws, but when he’s bad, he’s awful and can cost you a game. It’s these type of flaws that make me think this isn’t a Super Bowl contender, even though I think they can get by the Cardinals next week at home.

Then there’s the Chargers, who missed the playoffs after losing to the Raiders. This is extremely on-brand for this team. The way it happened wasn’t typical Chargers, but the final outcome was. There’s no excuse for the Bolts to give up 35 points to an undermanned and under coached Raiders team. The defense totally let them down. The Raider were just happy to be in this situation, but they managed to do the unthinkable and win. Justin Herbert is incredible, but even his 4th quarter heroics weren’t enough. That’s probably because Brandon Staley was out here pretending like he’s playing Madden with the playoffs on the line. The reason the Chargers converted so many 4th downs is because they stunk on 3rd down, and have stunk all season on 3rd down. The Raiders probably would have settled for the tie if the Chargers had not called timeout towards the end of OT. Still, the concept of playing for a tie intentionally on both sides was one of the dumbest sports stories I’ve heard in a while. These are division rivals that are playing to win. In the end, the Chargers are gonna Charger.

Elsewhere around Week 18 of the NFL, the Colts went from a team that nobody wants to play in the playoffs, to a team that nobody will be seeing in the playoffs. The Antonio Brown situation is so fascinating because the man has a complete lack of self-awareness. There’s so many idiotic things you can call out, it’s like going trick or treating and getting good candy at every house you go to. The Vikings are money when the games are completely meaningless. Even Big Ben has to be shocked that the Steelers made the playoffs. The Lions actually beat the Packers, and even though the game was meaningless, if you lose to the Lions you should be kicked out of the league.

Just when you thought the Lakers were turning it around they reminded us last night that there are still problems. They may have won 4 in a row prior to getting owned by the Grizzlies, but they were mostly against crummy teams. Lebron is balling, but the team has too many needs. More defense, a true center, more wings, better rebounding, and fewer turnovers. It’s also safe to say that Russell Westbrook is a terrible fit, and they are likely to just be stuck with him for a while.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have to be pumped up. They are hanging in the playoff race, and they just got news that Kawhi Leonard’s rehab is going ahead of schedule, and that he’s looking likely to return this year. That makes the Clips pretty dangerous given how they are playing already without their stars. The Clips also must be hoping that somebody will donate their elbow to Paul George, so they can get him back in the lineup as well.

We are in January and we still have no idea what’s up with Chip Kelly and UCLA. It’s getting extremely awkward, because there is no extension in place, and if there isn’t, should both sides just agree to part ways with one another? We know it’s certainly what the Bruin fans want. There are some interesting names in the transfer portal that might help Chip Kelly’s cause in the short-term if he can land one or two, but I’m not so optimistic. This could be a great chance for UCLA to start fresh, because most likely, next year won’t be great with or without Kelly.

Finally, The Bachelor is truly back to it’s roots. Clayton Echard is The Bachelor this season. 30 women are so fed up with online dating that they are going to humiliate themselves on National TV by chasing a middle class dude from Missouri. How about Sally, who said she was supposed to get married on the day she started the show. Hopefully the producers of the show got her a really good therapist. Clayton and Jesse Palmer look exactly alike. I’m surprised they didn’t do their alumni handshake. It’s like they were fraternity brothers shaking hands at a tailgate. Seeing the two of them on screen was like the real -life Spiderman meme. The show is ridiculous, but it might actually bring back ratings.

January 3, 2022

Happy New Year everyone! The Rams started off 2022 nicely with a clutch road win against the Ravens. This game made me nervous as hell as to what bad Matthew Stafford could look like come playoff time, especially in the first half. However, Stafford made some clutch throws late in the game to both Cooper Kupp and OBJ to secure the win. I was beginning to wonder if Justin Tucker was going to break the Rams hearts with a field goal from the parking lot to win the game, but the defense came up big when it mattered. Just curious, but has the acquisition of OBJ still hurt the Rams locker room like everybody said it would? He’s been great, and so has Sean McVay in figuring out how to maximize his effectiveness in the offense. OBJ looks like he’s having a great time out there too. Getting Cam Akers back is going to be huge. Now the Rams just need to figure out how to avoid the 49ers in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Chargers dismantled the Broncos at SOFI. The Bolts just overwhelmed the Broncos with their skill. Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler put on a show, which they desperately needed. Now comes a massive showdown with the Raiders for the right to go to the playoffs on Sunday Night Football. Make no mistake about it: The Chargers SHOULD win this game against the Raiders. They have more talent, the Raiders are outmanned, and they have an interim head coach who is probably still trying to find the playbook. Then again, this is the Chargers we are talking about, and it’s a big game. So for all the logic that suggests they should win, I can easily see a scenario where they blow it.

Elsewhere around the NFL in week 17, the Bucs rallied to beat the Jets, but Antonio Brown quit the NFL in the middle of the game. That’s the kind of thing you do when you find out you won the lottery at work. He’ll probably be fighting Jake Paul in an Octagon in six months. Joe Burrow has suddenly turned into Peyton Manning overnight, and the Bengals took down the Chiefs. The Bills clinched a playoff spot with their win over the Falcons, and Bills Mafia is celebrating by jumping off of more tables at tailgates. The Titans dismantled the Dolphins to take over the top spot in the AFC, and Miami is probably ready to send every 1st round pick they own for the next decade to Houston for DeShaun Watson. The Eagles took down Washington, and Jalen Hurts almost got sacked right after the game, but managed to avoid that too.

#Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was sacked only once during today’s game. Almost had a second on his way to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/WwBE5pXaxO

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 2, 2022

To the NBA, where the Lakers climbed back to .500 last night with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The good news is that Lebron is in beast mode and everybody got tacos last night. The bad news is that this team is struggling just to beat terrible teams, and they are so bad defensively, they can’t stop a parked car. DeAndre Jordan is completely useless and should we waived immediately. As good as Rondo was two seasons ago, his time has passed, and I’m glad that they opened a roster spot for Stanley Johnson by trading Rondo. I would have liked to see more of an investment in Darren Collison, but after he was inactive last night, it looks like they are ready to part ways with him. He was quite a player when he was last in the league, and there are still signs he can get some of that back for a team that is starving for the qualify defense he can bring. Then there’s Anthony Davis. The Lakers are going nowhere unless he gets healthy, and gets back to 2020 AD. I also think that Lebron needs to take the same approach that Kobe took with Pau 10 years ago. He got to be tough on him, Pau toughened up, and they won a title. Lebron is capable of doing the same, and desperately needs to right now.

It’s amazing how many games you can win in the NBA just by playing hard on a nightly basis. That’s exactly what the Clippers are doing without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clips found a way to beat the Nets the other night on the road without their stars, and they are clinging to the 5th seed in the West. With the Clippers playing hard, they are benefitting from many other teams that just can’t get their chemistry together, or that don’t play hard. Considering they play the T-Wolves tonight who are on a back-to-back, they have a great chance to keep the winning going.

I cannot believe that the Holiday Bowl ended up getting cancelled. Yes, I realize that COVID-19 is a problem. However, regardless of your feelings on COVID, it’s probably not going away any time soon, and we’re not going to shut everything down again because of COVID. So why couldn’t UCLA, NC State, and the Holiday Bowl figure out a way to reschedule this game? These teams have been practicing for a month. You’re telling me they couldn’t have just waited another week and stayed another week in CA to play what would likely be the last football game for many of these Seniors? It’s not like these kids have school to go back to the first week of January. As usual, the administrators that run these Universities have very little imagination and brain power.

Finally, congratulations to Alabama and Georgia for making it to the CFP National Championship Game. This game is basically going to be a Trump Rally to start 2022. Where are all the people to tell us that Cincinnati and Michigan don’t belong in the playoff and that they belong in a women’s league instead? Oh that’s right, people only do that with Notre Dame because they hate Notre Dame. Of course, leave it to those same people to pile on after the Irish lost a close one to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. All those same idiots are forgetting that the Irish played without their starting running back, starting safety, and that their head coach left three weeks ago. Still, they almost beat Mike Gundy’s best team he’s ever had at OK State. One thing you can count on: Notre Dame will continue to live rent free in the heads of many of these fools that call them “overrated”.