July 29, 2024

What a spectacular opening ceremony it was on Friday night here in Paris! Lebron James is going to start telling people that he founded America after bearing the flag on the front of the boat with the US delegates. It was a beautiful thing to watch. French President Emmanuel Macron really had a great reminder for all of us and what the Olympics are about. It doesn’t solve any of the worlds political or economic issues, but it is a reminder of how beautiful life can be when we bring all these people together from different countries. That’s what the games have always been about.

As for the results of the game so far, the Team USA Basketball Team looked much better last night in their win over Serbia. We completely forget that it’s not that the world has more talent, but the game is more conducive to team play and not individual one-on-one play in FIBA, so you can expect more competitive games moving forward. This isn’t 1992. Also wild that Jayson Tatum didn’t even play yesterday, but that just goes to show you how much talent Team USA has. He went from having to play well for the Boston Celtics to win, to not having to play at all for Team USA to win. Also, Dwayne Wade using the same pronoun joke twice in the same quarter is bizarre.

How tough is Simone Biles? She injures her ankle, yet still manages to finish on top of the all-around qualifying stage. I don’t know how anyone could ever criticize her for anything she’s done in her competition. I’m so happy for Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh for their 1-2 finish in the 100 butterfly. Huske suffered a devastating loss in 2021, when she missed out on 3rd place and a finish on the podium by one one-hundredth of a second. This time, it was her moment, and she came from behind in dramatic fashion to take the gold. Even more amazing that she shared the top of the podium during the medal ceremony with her teammate, Walsh, who took the silver.

To baseball where the Dodgers and their fans are getting restless. They are 7-3 since the break, which most normal baseball fans would feel good about, but the Dodger fan base isn’t normal. They are actually very worried, given how their pitching and bullpen looks. Let’s start with the positive. It was fantastic seeing Clayton Kershaw come back last week. I don’t expect the guy to be the #1 ace of the staff like he was in the prime of his career, but he’s clearly shown he can battle and re-invent himself to be an effective part of the 5-man rotation if he can stay healthy. It’s a pleasure to watch the guy pitch every time he takes the mound. The negative? I have no idea why they DFA’d James Paxton, when they have some major health questions around the rest of their staff. When I see Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler pitch in the minors, I’m concerned for this season, they will not be able to contribute effectively at the Major League level, and for Buehler it seems largely mental. I never liked the idea of acquiring Garrett Crochet, but he’s already injured anyway, so I guess he would fit right in with the Dodger pitching staff! I have no idea what has happened to Evan Phillips. He may be having his own mental issues as well, similar to Buehler. This team is still feast or famine offensively. If they are going to have a chance to do something in October, they’ll need to get 2-3 pieces by this week’s trade deadline: a contact hitting bat that can play defense, one reliable starter, and one reliable reliever. That’s a tall task, but hopefully Andrew Friedman’s computer has resolved all it’s issues with Microsoft by then!

Then there’s the Angels, who are 9.5 games back in the AL West, even further back in the wild card, and have started selling. They’ve already traded closer Carlos Esteves, and they received two top 30 MLB prospects. Not bad for a rental, but since it’s the Angels, I’m sure they will find a way to shatter these two wonderful young players careers and their development. Meanwhile, there’s more depressing news on Mike Trout, who exited his rehab stint with knee soreness. The Halos are now saying that there is no timetable for his return. Forget the idea of trading him or anything like that. For his sake, I just hope he can get healthy and resume playing the game that he loves, because right now, baseball can’t be much fun for him. I still think the Angels would be wise to trade Tyler Anderson and Luis Rengifo, because they will get some good talent in return for them, but I have my doubts they will actually do it.

To the NBA, where everyone seems to think that Zach Lowe has broken news that Jerami Grant is going to be a Laker. In reality, that’s not true and I think people are taking what he said too literally. Sure the Lakers are interested, but not for the cost of 2 1st round picks. And those of you that think they should do it have become desperate and delusional. If Rob Pelinka isn’t going to trade 2 1st rounders for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, then why would he do so for Jerami Grant? I don’t even think the idea of a package around Rui Hachimura for Grant makes the Lakers much better than they are now. Also, the fact that D-Lo is getting so much hate is ridiculous. His value is much higher than most of you perceive it to be, especially given his production. I wish people would stop talking about this for the time being, so the Lakers can just focus on improving from within, which can easily be done. Also, some idiot on the Lakers summer league squad went to the media and said Bronny was getting special treatment and didn’t like it. Apparently this guy doesn’t know what summer league is. It’s an opportunity to see 3-4 guys who may be a part of their actual roster in game situations. Not an opportunity to actually make the team. I feel bad for Bronny having to hear this nonsense. It’s not his fault people are saying stupid things about him. Just leave him alone and let him develop.

Paul George was at it again on his podcast last week. He opened up about what it was like being a Clipper, rather than playing for the Lakers. He acknowledged that everyone was telling him that he was on the B-Team in LA rather than the A-Team. This is something that we all knew, and most people tried to warn PG of this situation, but he didn’t care until he spent time in LA. However, the reality of it is, George wants to be paid like a star player and treated like one, without the accountability of being one. He got exactly that as a Clipper. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Way back in 2019, even Lebron realized this in his conversations with PG when trying to recruit him to the Lakers, and very quietly made reference to that fact over the years. That’s exactly how things have played out as he transitions to Philadelphia. As for the A-Team vs the B-Team, it would be silly to think the Clippers will ever become the A-Team anytime soon, and I don’t even think that’s Steve Ballmer’s goal. It’s simply to establish more of his own brand identity.

I was very disappointed to hear about the NBA choosing the Amazon offer over TNT. While I’m super excited that the NBA will be back on NBC, potentially losing Inside The NBA on TNT is huge blow to the fans. Although the money is the same, I understand the NBA’s position here. Amazon has twice as many subscribers as TNT, with Prime’s 200 million video subscribers. The reach is just that much further, and in an era where cable is dying, you must have some ability to stream. My hope is that NBC will pick up Inside The NBA, or that it at least continues on some other platform. It’s hard for me to imagine that it will not. In the meantime enjoy the return of John Tesh and his NBA on NBC theme!

Finally, just when you think UCLA Football might have stabilized things, Deshaun Foster has a completely awkward press conference to start things off.  The Bruins really didn’t have a PR guy who could work with him before taking the podium?  I’m really glad he reminded everyone what city UCLA plays in, otherwise they might not have known.  To be fair he did recover from this and started to feel more comfortable with the questions later on in the presser, but still.  In this day of social media and people taking these clips and running with it, they need to make sure he’s more prepared.  Not a great start to the new era.  

July 22, 2024

The MLB Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching and the Dodgers have a lot of decisions to make. They have a ton of players on the DL who may or may not come back, and the biggest questions among those are in the starting rotation. I’m all for Andrew Friedman upgrading his software, which hopefully isn’t Microsoft based at this point, and having it tell him what elite player to go after. In all seriousness though, players who are free-agents-to-be this off-season make little sense to pay for. If the Dodgers are going to make an impact move they need to think about ones beyond this year. That’s why Tarik Skubal makes a ton of sense. He’s an elite level pitcher, who can help this this year, and the next couple. The Dodgers also have the farm system to get it done. He also makes sense because he and Glasnow can be high % strikeout guys come October, which plays well in the postseason. It also makes sense to acquire a player like Luis Rengifo, who can help the Dodgers at 2nd or 3rd base, and even move Mookie Betts back to the outfield when he returns from injury. The only problem is Arte Moreno would probably rather gargle with razor blades than make a trade with the Dodgers. Enough of the Garret Crochet and Luis Robert Jr talk. Crochet is a converted reliever, and has a very small body of work. You can’t blow up your farm system for that, and Robert is just a marginal upgrade. Also, Dodger fans need to stop pretending like Rays outfielder Randy Arrozarena is some sort of savior because he hits in October. Dude is hitting .200 right now.

Then there’s the Angels. Warriors owner Joe Lacob claimed last week that he was close to actually purchasing the Angels a year ago. That has to be maddening to all Angel fans, because Lacob figures to not only be a wealthier owner than Arte, but a much more forward thinking one who will build out a more modern and stable organization. There’s a lot of bad owners in the MLB other than Arte, so it’s no guarantee a new owner would be better, but you would have liked your odds with Lacob. As for the trade deadline, it would be stupid for the Angels to hang on to someone like Luis Rengifo and Tyler Anderson, who can fetch real value. What has happened to Reid Detmers though? 3 months ago, this kid was looking like the real deal. Now he’s been demoted, but the Halos haven’t even communicated with him. Hello? Is this guy still in your plans? Or are you going to botch his development like everyone else’s? It’s this kind of operation that makes you think the young players they do have like Zach Neto and Logan O’Hoppe will have their development botched too. Now that Joe Biden has essentially retired, isn’t it your turn Anthony Rendon?

To the NBA, where Rob Pelinka reminded everyone last week that the Lakers need to be patient. He’s not wrong. The Lakers shouldn’t give up their draft picks for some marginal upgrade, and that’s all that’s out there right now. One more wrong move, and they only have one big swing left in this era, and the AD and Lebron era is over. So why screw that up? The Lakers are already better with Dalton Knecht on the team, and with some more competent coaching. There’s also stupid moves that have been made by the Denver Nuggets, and serious regression from the Clippers as well after losing Paul George. So things are looking up despite the fact people think otherwise. Now that Bronny James finished summer league with a couple of nice games, can everybody shut the hell up about him now? He’s the 55th pick! He looked like most 55th picks do, and will get the chance to further develop in the G League. Relax.

Meanwhile, the Clippers traded Russell Westbrook to the Jazz, who released him, and now he’s going to sign with the Nuggets. I’m going to say what I’ve said for a while with Russ. Great guy, but doesn’t fit on a lot of modern NBA teams at this point. He can’t shoot, he can’t finish at the rim like he used to, and some people seem to think he can defend. He can’t anymore. He is a poorly aging NBA player, that in reality, can hurt more teams than help them if you don’t manage his role effectively. The Clippers actually saw that, but it’s the Clippers, so you didn’t hear the noise around it like you did with the Lakers.

You’ve gotta give credit to the WNBA and their All-Star game. Those women are actually getting after it and competing. You may recall, the men used to be like this in a different era, now it’s soft and nobody wants to get hurt. Of course, I also loved to see the WNBA beat the Team USA squad. Those women are just catty toward Caitlin Clark, and once again, they need to realize the only reason people are actually paying attention to them is because of her. Everyone wants her to “pay her dues”, but she’s the only one that’s actually paid them. Sorry Angel Reese, you’re a really great player, but if it weren’t for Clark, nobody would know much about you. With just one week to go before the Olympics, it’s a bummer that we won’t see Clark aa s replacement. In any case, with how well she is continuing to play, all the haters look like complete idiots now.

ESPN came out with a list of the top 50 athletes since 2000. Their top 10 was Michel Phelps, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, Lebron James, Tom Brady, Roger Federer, Simon Biles, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, and Kobe Bryant. Also notable were Shaquille O’Neal at #17, Aaron Donald at #20, Mike Trout #30, and Clayton Kershaw #31. It’s a fun little list, but it’s always amusing to see how triggered people get by it. It doesn’t mean much, but it is interesting that Aaron Rodgers isn’t in the top 50 considering he’s a 4-time MVP. There’s a lot of international and Olympians on the list, so ultimately, how we’re defining best athlete here is the big question. Most dominant? Most impactful? Feels more like most dominant but there’s even some questions there.

Speaking of Olympians, I’m very excited about the Summer Olympics that will begin on Friday night in Paris. I have the privilege of actually attending the games, and really looking forward to seeing some of the greatest athletes in the world: Simon Biles, Katy Ledecky, and Noah Lyles among others. More than anything though, this group of athletes is far more likeable than some of the teams we’ve seen in recent memory, and easy to get behind. Looking forward to a spectacular two weeks!

Finally, what an unprecedented week in American history. Former President and Republican candidate dodgers an assassination event through dumb luck, and then the sitting President steps down 4 months before the election. It’s safe to say that the Democratic Party just waived Joe Biden. What a day to drop out though: on National Ice Cream Day! We know Joe loves his ice cream too. Look in all seriousness, I said after the Trump incident last weekend, this would take a few more turns before it was over. I said a few, but sounds like many more before we find out who the next President of The United States will be.

July 15, 2024

It was a very rough finish to the first half of the season for the Dodgers. They got swept by the Phillies followed by losing 2 of 3 to the lowly Tigers. They have lost 8 of 10 games, yet they remain in 1st place in the NL West, and 2nd overall in the NL. That doesn’t sound too bad, but when you realize the Dodgers have some major injury problems, their postseason outlook isn’t looking so great. Not to mention, the bottom of their lineup stinks even when they are healthy. We are approaching the point where you have to ask yourself: can the trade deadline really fix this team? Between the injuries to the starting rotation, Max Muncy’s injury, and the other lack of productivity, adding a rental player doesn’t sound smart. If Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow don’t come back healthy, the Dodgers are probably screwed anyway. There’s no ace out there that they can acquire before the deadline to make up for that. Ultimately, if there is an infielder or outfielder that is good defensively, and makes good contact at the plate under team control beyond this year, that could be reasonable. However, that sounds like a lot of boxes to check, and a player that probably isn’t available come July 31st.

Meanwhile the Angels swept the Mariners over the weekend. However, they are 10 games out in the AL West, 12.5 back in the Wild Card, and have the 5th worst record in baseball at the all-star break. This will only add fuel to Arte Moreno’s narrative that he doesn’t want to trade players under team control beyond this year, because he foolishly thinks his team is closer to contention than the rest of us do. The Halos engaged with the Pirates recently on trade talks for Taylor Ward, but stubbornly refused to trade him because they seem to think he’ll help them get back in contention. The Athletic actually reported that Arte Moreno has been averse to embarking on any kind of rebuilding effort. Is this guy stupid? He’s been rebuilding for 10 years without actually rebuilding!

To the NBA, where the Lakers still haven’t been able to do much in free agency or trades since they have no roster spots and no salary cap space. However, all these idiots want to talk about Bronny James and how awful he is playing, and even morons are creating spoof highlight reels of his terrible play. Layoff guys, he’s the 55th pick in the draft, and he’s going to be playing in the G-League. Instead, what you should all be talking about is the fact Dalton Knect is balling. This kid looks like he’s going to be an immediate impact player, and give the Lakers some desperately needed shooting. That should help Lebron and AD a great deal. Speaking of Lebron and AD, the people have voted. By the people I mean all of the Team USA players, who voted Lebron as far and away the best player on the team. That speaks volumes, when you have a team with Jason Tatum, Joel Embiid, Steph Curry, and Anthony Edwards on the squad, who the media seem to consider better players than Lebron at this point. I think the point is that on any given day, Lebron can in fact still be the best player in the world. Sorry Anthony Edward’s, but it’s not your time yet!

As for the Clippers, Paul George had to go and make his negotiations with the team public, which I’m sure they love. PG explained that the Clippers originally offered him 2 years and $60 million, which was much less than the max. After several offers that were only slightly higher than that, George declined and said he would have accepted what Kawhi got, 3 years and $153 million. It wasn’t until he played 70+ games this year that the Clippers offered him that, but at that point, he was angry, and wanted a no-trade clause. That’s completely unrealistic, and he knew that. Good for Paul George for getting the money he wanted, but the Clippers would have been better off just offering him the 3 years and $153 million early on and then figure out how to stay under the apron later. As for Kawhi, I’m not surprised to see him pull out of the Olympics, and was shocked to see him playing to begin with. That fact he still isn’t healthy is cause for continued concern, but even if he was, it would be stupid for him to exert any additional strain on his fragile knees. The fact Jaylen Brown wasn’t selected over Derrick White is bizarre though, as Brown, could easily be a top 10 player in the world. Sounds like Nike is behind this, after Brown was critical of Nike for dropping Kyrie Irving. There is no world where you can convince me White is a better player or fit than Jaylen Brown, who plays the same position as Kawhi Leonard.

I finally got to see the TV Series “Clipped” on Hulu. In case you aren’t familiar with this, it’s a 6 episode series on the fall of Donald Sterling as owner of the Clippers, back in 2014. It was an interesting watch, but the storylines revolved much more around the lives of Shelly Sterling, Donald, and Vie Stiviano, Donald’s girlfriend. I wish they had developed the storylines more around the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan especially. I did come away feeling bad for Doc Rivers and having to deal with that entire situation, as well as the likelihood that his players could just completely walk out on him. More than anything though, Shelly Sterling and Vie Stiviano came across as very self-serving, and only interested in maintaining their lifestyles, rather than having any real emphathy for the players. Perhaps if this weren’t the case, the show would need to be much more than 6 episodes.

We’re not too far from College Football season starting, and that means that the Trojans aren’t far away from their opening game showdown with LSU. However, according to Paul Finebaum, Lincoln Riley could flame out quickly at USC, after their move to the Big 10. Finebaum said that Riley is losing recruits at an alarming rate, to Oregon especially. This can’t make Trojan fans feel too good about themselves. I do think that Finebaum is a bit over-dramatic with this take, but there’s a few things that need to be acknowledged. The first is that in College Football’s current recruiting and NIL landscape, coaches now have the responsibility of recruiting players year round. Players that are outside the program, and the players they’ve already recruited that are in the program to keep them from leaving. That may burn out a lot of coaches. In addition to that, when USC begins play in the Big 10, the first couple of seasons may not be that great, especially until they can find themselves their next truly elite quarterback.

UCLA will also have their share of troubles in the Big 10 when play begins on 8/31. If there’s one thing to feel good about for the Bruins, it’s that they have somebody coaching the program who cares: DeShaun Foster. That should be enough to get some folks in the program energized, and even some of the fan base. At some point though, he has to win football games. It won’t be easy to win a lot of them in year 1 in a new conference, but I think more of them will come as opposed to when Chip Kelly was leading the program.

I am both saddened and disappointed that we witnessed political violence over the weekend during Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. Say what you will about Trump and his supporters, there is simply no place for violence in this country. Thankfully Trump wasn’t hurt, but sadly, one innocent by standard was killed, and two others were also injured. I cannot say that I am surprised that this occurred. For years, the media has basically been creating a dramatic divide in this country, which sometimes has me wondering when we are going to have another civil war. Also, was Trump provided the 2nd string of Secret Service during this rally? The whole place wasn’t that big, and yet they can’t find one kid on a roof with a rifle? From an election standpoint, most will say Trump is looking very good to be the next President of The United States. However, something tells me that before that happens this thing will take a few more twists and turns.

Congratulations to Argentina for winning the Copa America after their dramatic victory over Columbia last night in Miami. Feel bad for Messi getting injured, but this is still something he can add to his legacy. The outcome aside, how about the fact that the game was delayed by 75 minutes because fans had breached security in several parts of the stadium? Fans were even seen on social media climbing through vents like John McClane in Die Hards, just to get in to see their team play. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. If they can sneak across the border, then why couldn’t they figure out a way to sneak into the stadium? Still, it’s not a very good look for the US, which plans to host the World Cup in 2026. It’s also a reminder of how insane soccer fans are, and that sometimes you just can’t stop the Third World!

July 8, 2024

You people need to stop freaking out about the Lakers. Let’s be clear. The Lakers can’t sign any free agents because they don’t currently have money available under the new CBA, and they don’t have roster spots. The only thing they can do is make a trade. However, there’s nobody out there available that significantly improves this team. What’s hilarious though is every time a player like Klay Thompson, DeMar Derozan, or some other useless player signs with a team, you guys freak out. Even if the Lakers had the money, there was never going to be a player available this summer that made the them significantly better in this offseason. For all the crap Rob Pelinka is getting from you people, sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Trading D-Lo, Rui, or Vando had better net you a starter or two that is all-star level. That’s not gonna happen. Even if it’s Jerami Grant or Lauri Markkanen, the cost of what the Lakers would give up wouldn’t make them better. That’s not to say the Lakers won’t be better next season. Simply by having a healthy Vando and Gabe Vincent, and playing Max Christie and Rui more minutes, along with halfway competent coaching, and the Lakers could easily be a 50+ win team in the West. You saw it last year just by getting Rui back in the lineup regularly. It can only get better with Vando, Max, and Gabe. This team didn’t just forget how to play basketball after making it to the West Finals. Not doing much is the best move they could have made, so stop calling it the worst summer you’ve seen, because there has been much worse.

Meanwhile, it’s clear that the Clippers have been working to replace Paul George in the aggregate. Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr, Nic Batum, and Mo Bamba were all signed by the Clips, which is a decent recovery. None of them by any means are all-stars, but they do all bring some athleticism, and keep the Clips competitive in the West. I did think that by now Russell Westbrook would be traded to another team like the Nuggets. However, somebody in their front office probably slapped General Manager Calvin Booth in the head, and showed him tape of Russ from the last few years. Ultimately though, it really is about the health of Kawhi Leonard. Will he be available when it actually matters? If I’m the Clippers, I don’t love that the guy is playing in the Olympics. The guy can never be available in the playoffs, wasn’t available when we last saw the Clippers play, and now he’s suddenly ok for the Olympic team? That can’t sit very well with them. Even if he’s healthy, his knees clearly can only endure so much, so why would they want any of that to be used up on the Olympic team?

The Dodgers had a rough time earlier in the week against the Diamondbacks, but recovered over the weekend against the Brewers to take 2 of 3. Once again, you Dodgers fans need to chill though about this roster. They are a good team, and better than last year. However, it’s baseball and nothing is guaranteed come postseason time, as we’ve seen in many years past. Nothing the Dodgers can do will change that. With that being said, there are things they can do at the deadline, but the idea that they’ll have 2 new outfielders, a new shortstop, a starting pitcher, and stud addition to the bullpen is just madness. Maybe you guys don’t realize the Dodgers are the 2nd best team in the NL despite their problems. They will get a lot of reinforcements back from injury: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and maybe even Dustin May. That should be enough pitching and at least 2 of those 4 should be trustworthy enough come October, along with Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and James Paxton. They’ll also get Mookie Betts and Max Muncy back. Of course the Dodgers have been playing about .500 ball for weeks. It’s because they’ve been slammed with injuries, and their pitchers are facing arm fatigue we often see in the dog days of summer. They’ll be fine in a few weeks. If they can get a solid defensive infielder who can hold his own at the plate and an effective addition to the bullpen before August 1st then great. However, if not, they still have reinforcements coming. Also, congrats to Shohei, Mookie, Freddie, Teo, Will, and Tyler for making the All-Star team!

Meanwhile, the Angels came crashing back to earth this past week, losing 6 of their past 7 games. They are back to the 5th worst record in the majors, and 10.5 games out of 1st in the AL West, and 12 games out of the AL Wild card. On the bright side, Tyler Anderson made the all-star team for the AL. It certainly was well deserved. If the Halos are smart though, they will trade him to the highest bidder by the end of the month. Who are we kidding though, the Angels aren’t smart!

Imagine giving your wife $300 to go to the grocery store. Instead of coming home with a bunch groceries, all she brings back are two bottles of Stoli Vodka. That’s it! That’s exactly what Kings GM Rob Blake did last week in free agency. Blake went into free agency with $20 million. He needed one top 6 forward, one bottom 6 forward, and a defenseman. Instead he came out with two bottom six forwards and a defenseman that are limited in talent, questionable health, and overpaid. He could have even spent the money on an upgrade with a goalie, but no. He even had the money to add an elite talent like Steve Stamkos, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion that would have fit perfectly next to Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe on the top line. Funny how the Nashville Predators went into free agency with the same amount of money as the Kings, and came out with 3 elite players, while the Kings were left holding the bag.

The COPA America Tournament has been going on, but unfortunately, the USMNT was eliminated last week by Uruguay. I know I know, this is where many of you want to throw out your outdated takes like “If our best athletes like Tyreek Hill or Lebron James played soccer, we’d have an elite team.” That’s really no longer the case. There’s a lot of young and very talented players in the US player pool. Perhaps more than ever before. There’s 4.5 million kids that play soccer in this country, which is more than many other countries that are considered better than us. So why can’t we break through? The issue now is player development and coaching. Ball skills, or technical skills that our players just don’t have relative to other countries. We’ve made a lot of strides, being ranked 12th in the world, but there’s still a long way to go, and a lot of work to do before the World Cup in 2026.

Finally, House of The Dragon on HBO is getting good! It’s a little hard to wrap my head around the idea that everyone on both sides now has a dragon compared to Game of Thrones. I really wasn’t mentally prepared for anybody of real significance to die in this episode, but it happened with a final dragon duel, which cost Princess Rhaenys her life. Someone really needs to take Aemond Targaryen’s other eye because that kid does nothing but cause trouble on those dragons. This time it wasn’t an accident. I have no idea how you can complain about what you’ve seen so far in 4 episodes. In 3 of the 4 episodes this season, the show has ended with the surprising death of a character, and the other had an incredibly tense moment between Alicent and Rhaenyra. We’re halfway through season 2 already!

July 1, 2024

NBA free agency is underway, and all eyes are on the Lakers once again. Let’s start with the most under reported story. The Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht with their 17th pick, who should have been a top 5 pick, if NBA GM’s weren’t so stupid and didn’t like older players ready to contribute. That is huge, and not talked about enough. That kid might actually start for the Lakers next year, and should certainly be a rotation piece with his shooting ability. Instead, most of these idiots want to talk about the fact they took Bronny James with the 55th pick, and that is shows how much nepotism is involved in organization. Oh really? If you think nepotism doesn’t exist in the NBA, and in tons of other organizations in this world, you are as naïve as they come. It’s not Bronny’s fault he’s Lebron’s kid, and nothing wrong with him getting the opportunity he is getting. It’s up to him though to put the work in to take advantage of it. Also, it’s pretty cool for both Lebron and him that they get to play together in the same organization. As for free agency, I know there is a lot of talk about Klay Thompson, and it’s a nice story, but he’s really not that effective anymore. However, the best way the Lakers can improve is through trade. Brook Lopez and Robert Williams are probably the best front court fits next to Anthony Davis, and just letting Max Christie and Dalton Knecht play will be far more effective than most people envision It’s a nice gesture for Lebron to be willing to take a paycut, but not sure that type of player is out there to put the Lakers over the top compared to what they already have.

Then there’s the Clippers and the Paul George drama. After PG-13 opted out, he’s going to be signing with the Sixers. I understand why the Clips were forced to do this, but still hard for me to imagine them swallowing this decision since they are moving into a new building without him. They also gave up a boat load of assets for him, so they are essentially giving up on the era by not re-signing him. I think in a perfect world, PG would have rather stayed in SoCal, where he’s from, and have less pressure on him than in Philadelphia. Now that the Clips are giving shots to Josh Primo, Kai Jones, and Kevin Porter Jr., I find that very interesting. They are betting on young talent that has yet to prove it in this league, in hopes some of them coming through. Now they are also looking to trade Russell Westbrook after he opted in to his minimum contract. Where are all the stories about how bad the Clips are treating Russ for not keeping him like the Lakers faced when they traded him? Also, giving James Harden $35 million a year is quite generous for a guy with absolutely no market. Did the Clips think the year was 2018? They probably felt they had no choice with PG’s departure to retain some talent, even if it is way past it’s prime. DeMar Derozan could be a reasonable plan B for them.

The NBA free agency period always got off to such a bang when these teams were tampering more than they are now. Instead we’re just being fed with not very exciting re-signings from role players. The Nuggets are now apparently interested in Russell Westbrook. Please let this happen, and nobody tell them! You gotta hand it to KCP. He just cashed in on another $66 million from the Magic for the next 3 years. When that’s done he’ll have made $170 million over 3 years, and be 34 years old with two titles. Zach Lavine’s stock has fallen so much, he can’t even be traded without the Bulls attaching a couple of 1st round picks to him. You know the new CBA rules are very real when Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in the NBA, can’t even stomach going to the 2nd tax apron. What’s taking PG so long to officially announce he’s going to the Sixers? It’s like he’s just waiting for someone to take him to Nobu first.

In the NHL, the Kings are in the thick of the off-season. I’m not really a fan of Rob Blake as is well documented here on JTLA, but I appreciate him recognizing his mistake and trading Pierre Luc-Dubois before his no-trade clause kicked in. PLD was talented, but lazy. The Kings have cap space, but what they truly need is a goaltender, and to play their young players. I’m keeping an eye on the Arthur Kaliyev situation, which needs to be studied. The Kings obviously know he’s talented, which is why they won’t just let him go, and they want something for him in a trade. However, teams know the Kings don’t want him because of his off-ice issues. The smart thing to do is to bring him to camp, let him play, be disciplined with him, and let him rectify his game. He is the type of young player the Kings need to develop in their lineup. Unfortunately, there is not an elite goaltender out there for them to acquire.

To baseball where the Dodgers dropped 2 of 3 to the Giants over the weekend. It’s not a disaster, given where the Dodgers are in the standings but there’s a few things that need to be addressed. James Paxton and Tyler Glasnow look worn out. Cavan Biggio is a total disaster in the lineup. He’s made 3 errors in 10 games, and he’s hitting .208 on the season. If anything, he is the biggest nepotism story in LA, given that his dad is Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio! I think now is as good of a time as ever to go back to trying Miguel Vargas in the infield. There is some bright side though. Shohei Ohtani is chasing the NL Triple Crown, and at this point looks as dangerous at the plate as prime Barry Bonds. Then there’s Chris Taylor who has suddenly remembered how to play baseball. He’s now 9/20 with 2 homers, a triple and a double, since June 14th. He also only has 2 strikeouts in that stretch. Miguel Rojas has shown he’s not only a capable defensive infielder, but he can be productive at the plate too. I think it’s fair to say Taylor should be playing 3rd base until Max Muncy gets back. Between Muncy, Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers have at least a month before they might be healthy. More than anything though before the trade deadline, they still need a solid defensive infielder that can hold their own at the plate, which will allow Mookie to go back to the outfield. That should solve multiple problems at once.

As for the Angels, perhaps the worst thing has happened to them this season. They had won 6 in a row heading into yesterday, and they are inching closer to the 3rd place Texas Rangers in the AL West. Knowing Arte Moreno, he could actually convince himself that the Halos might be decent when Mike Trout comes back in a month from his injury, and that they should be buyers at the trade deadline. However, the sad reality is the Halos are the 5th worst team in baseball, with the 4th worst ERA in the entire league. If they decided not to be sellers at the deadline, it would be complete baseball malpractice. Then again, not trading Shohei Ohtani at the deadline last year was also complete malpractice as well, so nothing should surprise us with Arte Moreno. Also, don’t look now, but Anthony Rendon could be back before the all-star break as well. Don’t you just miss all the stupid things he has to say?

I absolutely love the Olympics, and especially the Summer Olympics. In fact, I have the privilege of going to Paris next month for the 2024 games. These athletes prepare like crazy for a shot to go to the games, they may only get once in life, since the games happen only every 4 years. The Olympic trials have already been fun to watch, from Simone Biles dominating the women’s gymnastics, to Katy Ledecky dominating in all her swimming events. However, what I really love is how much more likable the Team USA Track and Field team is this year. Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek are two talented sprinters I can get behind, that don’t seem overly showy and unlikeable like other arrogant sprinters we’ve had in the past decade. I can say the same for Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Sydney McLaughlin, who broke the world record in the 400 hurdles last night. It definitely feels like a new wave of talent, and I’m here for it!

I’m sure many of you watched the Debate on Thursday night between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. I’m not sure why it wasn’t aired on Comedy Central, because it was nothing but pure laughs for all of us. I’m sure it was also pure laughs for the rest of the world, who surely thinks our country is, and will be run by one of these two buffoons for the next four years. At this point, Biden’s lack of cognitive abilities is well documented, but Trump’s approach is a complete embarrassment as well. It’s amazing that when you go back to 2012 and you watch a debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, you get a completely civilized a polished debate, with highly sophisticated answers, where both candidates respected each other. Now you get two guys that are acting like 8 year olds, and also felt the need to talk about their golf games.

I’m very excited that House of The Dragon is finally back on HBO, the prequel to Game of Thrones. The show is good, but I’m not expecting Game of Thrones level quality here. That took a while to unfold but we’ll see where this goes. With Game of Thrones, for much of the show you understand that loyalty gets you killed, and in general, those who utilize under-handed tactics often come out on top. However, with House of the Dragon that part isn’t clear yet. We have two powerful queens that deep down have questioned the existing line of succession, but are also trying to avoid war. Well, after last night, it seems that one is trying to avoid it, and we’re not sure about Alicent. The final scene in last night’s episode made Rhaenyra sound like the whole thing is just one giant misunderstanding, based off of what Viserys said while dying. After that scene, it seems like Alicent is all-in on the carnage no matter what. Who knows why Alicent didn’t have her guards seize Rhaenyra at the end and have her killed, but this show is already full of stupid decisions from the characters, so one bad one deserves another!