Monthly Archives: January 2025

Monday Morning Coffee

January 27, 2025

The Lakers have suddenly decided they are interested in playing winning basketball, and have won 3 straight games. One of those wins includes a victory of the the Boston Celtics, who are one of the best teams in the league, and the defending champions. Now suddenly, Lebron James and Anthony Davis are making noise in the media that they need help, are just one or two pieces away from contending, otherwise they feel they have to play “perfect basketball” to win. I can admit that Rob Pelinka has constructed somewhat of a flawed roster, but the excuses from Lebron and AD are obnoxious. Lebron and AD have been available to play in almost every single game, and the Lakers should easily have about 9 more wins if they played like they gave a crap through the first half of the season. That would give them the 2nd best record in the West. Now they want help? Give me break. This team doesn’t deserve help given how they have performed. This is almost the same roster that went to the West Finals 18 months ago, and now it’s not good enough for Lebron and AD? Give me a break guys. If Rob Pelinka can get someone like Walker Kessler or Myles Turner then great, but he shouldn’t get ripped off and mortgage the future because Lebron and AD are bullying him into doing it. There are no star level players available out there that will transform the Lakers into contenders. If that’s what Lebron and AD are looking for, they are currently suffering from a real lack of self-awareness.

Speaking of the Lakers, yesterday marked the 5-year anniversary of Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s tragic passing. I’m not sure there’s a day that has gone by since then that I don’t think about it. However, it’s really incredible how much impact we’ve seen from Kobe’s legacy since his passing. In particular with women’s basketball, and how it’s taken off, and on the Mamba Mentality, which provides the inspiring motivation for people to maximize every single moment of their life the way that Kobe did. If you haven’t already, check out the documentary CNN has on Kobe, which aired part I over the weekend. It’s a three-part series, and the first part told a very candid story about how much his father and former NBA Player, Joe Bryant, and his mother Pam Bryant, invested in Kobe at an early age. It’s probably one of the few times you will watch CNN anytime soon.

How sold are you really on the Clippers right now? We’re halfway through the season, and the Clips are in 6th place in the West, and Kawhi is back and starting to look healthy again. Do we really think this team can do anything, or are they just another team that’s going to get bounced early on in the 1st round. While I don’t think the Clippers are terribly disappointed that Paul George is no longer on their team, I think they are just trying to make the best of what they have with Kawhi still anchoring their salary cap. Aren’t we all just holding our breath until his knees give out? Sure he looks good now, but isn’t it just rinse and repeat that eventually his knees won’t be able to have any more jumps in them? Even if that is not the case, is the team even good enough with an aging James Harden as his running mate? It doesn’t seem so. Nevertheless, the Clips won’t get much attention, but they’ll get respect and credit for what they are doing.

To the NFL, where Championship Sunday went down yesterday, and it went as expected. The Eagles took down the Commanders, and the Chiefs got by the Bills, so the Chiefs and Eagles will have a Super Bowl rematch from two years ago. The Commanders had more turnovers in that game than Betty Crocker. Saquon Barkley was basically a cheat code for the game, and AJ Brown finally put down his non-fiction book and caught some passes for the Birds. As for the Chiefs, how can you bet against Mahomes? This dude is luckier than the Lucky Charms Leprechaun, coming up with the right plays in the biggest games, and the biggest moments of these games. Yesterday was no different. But the real story is Brittany Mahomes and her perpetual Raging Bitch Face. Stay single fellas!

Based on what we saw from the Eagles yesterday, the Rams were the 2nd best team in the NFC this year, and were a block away from being in the Super Bowl. The Rams have $46 million cap space, so if they can sign a few key free agents and continue to draft well, along with keeping Matt Stafford playing, they have a window to win another Super Bowl. They need a young stud wide receiver who can take the top off a defense, a really good cornerback, and some reinforcements at running back. They have 14 key free agents, but i think there’s probably only 3 worth signing if it’s the right price: Alaric Jackson, Michael Hecht, and Jimmy G. Looking forward to seeing what this franchise can do, but they need to cash in on what’s left of the Matt Stafford era.

The Raiders shocked everyone last week by hiring Peter Caroll, who is now 73-years old. I can’t tell if this was a football move or a marketing move. The Raiders still have tons of fans in Southern California, which has tons of USC fans, who are huge fans of Caroll. The man is definitely a culture changer, and has the ability to do that with the Raiders, but he may not be there for that long. They also don’t have have a quarterback, they probably won’t get one this year, and they play in a division with the best quarterbacks of his generation which feels somewhat insurmountable. With that being said, a culture change for the Raiders is a good thing at this point.

To baseball, where the Dodgers are still apparently ruining the game by signing more elite free agents. The latest is Kirby Yates, who will anchor the back of the bullpen, along with Tanner Scott, and an army of other elite relievers. They are also still going to bring back Clayton Kershaw, but the only question is if they still have room for Kike Hernandez. Hopefully they do, because he’s a clutch playoff performer. They were also apparently taking a look at Max Scherzer, who was working out for teams last week. He can take a hike as far as I’m concerned, after letting the Dodgers down in 2021, by not pitching in the most critical game of the NLCS because of “arm fatigue”. That means he made a business decision rather than a decision to help the team, with his free agency approaching. I’m still loving all these people losing their minds over every player the Dodgers sign. So now that the Dodgers won a World Series, and aren’t “choking” every year, the league needs a salary cap or a salary floor, and rules need to be in place from preventing them from dominating. Hilarious.

As for the Angels, they made a classic dumpster diving move by signing shortstop Tim Anderson to a minor league deal. The Halos are truly a dumping ground now for MLB players to try and rehab their careers and re-establing value. Anderson was an incredibly talented player whose production has fallen off a cliff. If he’s going to rehab his value, it certainly won’t be because the Halos player development staff helped. That’s virtually non-existent for this franchise.

Finally, the Wall Street Journal came out with a list of the top 9 Domestic Airlines. As an avid traveler, I was fascinated with the results. It was based on 7 factors measuring how well the airlines get people and their luggage where they need to go. The averages are based on the number of flights and passengers on the airlines. Delta was first, followed by Southwest, Alaska, Allegiant, United, Jet Blue, American, Spirit, and Frontier. I’m not surprised that Delta is #1, but I am surprised that American Airlines is as low as they are. As someone who has been an Executive Platinum American Airlines flyer for 4 consecutive years, I can tell you that they have their flaws, but this isn’t a fair fight. American flies to a third more destinations than the next largest airline, Delta. When you fly to more destinations you get cities that can ultimately have varying weather patterns, which will inevitably create more delays. Southwest, Alaska, and Allegiant, and Jet Blue are extremely regional airlines. I’m not saying I haven’t had a bad experience with American, but if you fly enough you will have a bad experience with any one of these airlines.

Monday Morning Coffee

January 20, 2025

Welcome to the MLK edition of Monday Morning Coffee! We start off with the unfortunate news that the Rams season ended yesterday against the Eagles. Even with the Rams much improved defense and health over the last month, Saquon Barkley once again proved to be a freight train that could not be stopped. That game was won in the trenches by the Eagles, who made big play after big play, which made the Rams tackling look like junior varsity level at certain times. What’s truly disappointing though is it still felt like the Rams should have won that game. They were right there in the end if not for a couple of stupid mistakes. Even Sean McVay thought so. Still, there’s absolutely nothing the Rams should be upset about with their season, and about their team moving forward. They were playing with house money this year, and nobody expected them to go far after a 1-4 start, yet they ended up winning the division, and in the divisional round of the postseason. They have a ton of cap space, an elite young defense that is cost controlled, and some young stars on offense. Next season, no more moral victories. They have to cash in on Matt Stafford’s window, which is closing rapidly. They should really focus their offseason on adding speed and athleticism at both corner and wide receivers, where they could really use a deep threat. I have no idea what happened to Cooper Kupp, who has become a shell of what he once was in a matter of months. He either needs to take a pay cut, or take a hike with his current production. Ultimately though, as long as Sean McVay and Les Snead are here, it feels like the Rams will always be in contention.

Elsewhere around the NFL, the Chiefs won another close one against the Texans, advancing to the AFC Title Game. The Chiefs are now 7-0 when Clay Martin is officiating their games, and pretty soon Patrick Mahomes and Martin are going to be swapping jerseys and taking pictures when the game is over. Meanwhile, after all that hype, Lions fans are going back to their apocalyptic homes after losing to the Commanders in a massive upset. Dan Campbell told Kevin O’Connell “we’ll see you in two weeks” after the Lions beat the Vikings in Week 18. Clearly he meant he’ll see him in Cancun. Jayden Daniels is a beast, and now there’s tons of teams like the Bears kicking themselves for not taking him in the draft. Has anybody checked on Mark Andrews? The man must be on suicide watch after dropping the game tying two-point conversion, and fumbling earlier in the game.

To baseball, where the Dodgers put an amazing exclamation mark on their off-season over the weekend by signing Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki. As if that wasn’t enough, yesterday, they came to an agreement with the top free agent reliever on the market, Tanner Scott. This is what being a Los Angeles sports franchise is all about. Doing everything you can to be a winner. Signing all these stars guarantees nothing in baseball, but as an LA sports fan, the market demands that you do everything you can to win, and the Dodgers are doing just that. Sasaki could have signed with any team in the Majors, but he chose the Dodgers because they are a very well run team, that can help him become what he aspires to be, which is the greatest pitcher in the world. It was adorable that the Padres made all that noise about Sasaki signing with them after their meeting, while the Dodger front office kept quiet as usual until it was a done deal. The Dodgers starting rotation looks about 12-men deep, but that’s because they need to go to a 6-man rotation, and try to keep everyone healthy. In all likelihood, not all these guys will be healthy at one time, which is why it’s silly to try and pencil in who will actually be in the starting rotation. The fact the Dodgers are getting a 23-year older cost controlled pitcher, who has the potential to be the best in the World is really mind blowing after just winning the World Series. Then there’s Tanner Scott, who is expensive for a reliever, but is added to an absolutely star studded bullpen as well. This team is going to be very fun to watch next year. I can’t wait to hear all the talk that “the Dodgers are ruining baseball” just to have them drive ratings and ticket sales through the roof everywhere. Get ready for all those talking heads on on Twitter to start coming up with all these stupid rules to stop the Dodgers from spending, acting like the Dodgers are both smart and have money, while other teams are both poor and stupid, so it needs to be fixed.

I was not in the least bit surprised last night to see the Lakers get completely smashed by the Clippers. The Clippers are the 2nd class citizens of LA, and when they go out to dinner, they probably end up getting a crappy table by the bathroom because they are Clippers. You know when the Clippers play the Lakers if they aren’t on their game giving maximum effort, the Clippers are always going to play with a chip on their shoulder and smash them. This Laker team just won’t give us the consistent effort on a night to night basis, and I still cannot understand why. They’ve had a chance to move up in the Western Conference for a while, but have been hovering right around 5th and 6th place. I’ll give Lebron and a few others the excuse of having to deal with the fires and being evacuated from their homes at the moment, but that inconsistent effort has been there all season long, and we are almost halfway through the season. This team has shown me nothing more than the fact they are good enough to make the playoffs, but not consistent enough to do any real damage and go on a real playoff run. I don’t buy Lebron’s excuse that the way the team is constructed, they don’t have much margin for error. Maybe Jared Vanderbilt will help some, and maybe a trade for another big man might help some, but right now, I just don’t see this team worth investing more future assets in with the effort they are giving us every night, or lack thereof!

Tonight is the night! The College Football National Championship Game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, both of whom will be vying for the first Championship under the first annual 12-Team CFP. I realize that the Irish are big underdogs to the Buckeyes, but this still has a totally different feel than the game against Alabama in 2012. Back then, it truly felt like Notre Dame didn’t belong. In this instance, the Irish may not win with all their injuries, but they do have a very realistic path at pulling off an upset and winning it. When you run the ball and have a very gritty defense, and play physical at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, you’ve got a chance to win every football game. That’s exactly why Notre Dame could win this game.

Finally, UCLA Basketball stopped the bleeding with a win against Iowa on Friday night. It’s gotten so bad for the Bruins, that they aren’t even mentioned anymore in anybody’s Bracketology. With that being said, there’s probably not a single team left on their schedule that they aren’t capable of beating, and 4 or 5 of those teams are ranked in the top 25. However, it’s really going to be a question of whether or not Mick Cronin’s players still have the confidence in their ability, and if they still want to work with their coach. This is an absolutely pivotal point for the program. It was only two weeks ago they looked like a top 5 team. Now they look like a team that could either go on a run and be dangerous come the NCAA Tournament, or let the bottom fall out on their season, which would put Mick Cronin in jeopardy of losing his job. It’s a very fine line between the two possibilities.

Monday Morning Coffee

January 13, 2025

It was a rough end to Wild Card Weekend for the Chargers. They went into their matchup against the Texans thinking they got the best of all the matchups, but it was far from the case. Houston had their way with the Bolts all afternoon, and exposed a lot that still needs to be fixed for the Chargers. I know many of you people are going to point to all of Justin Herbert’s interceptions, but there were a lot of other problems that need to be solved. The offensive line got manhandled, and they have a bunch of wide receivers who should be your barista at Starbucks rather than catching passes in the NFL. They could also use some better linebackers as well. It was a disappointing ending, but when you really look at the results, it shows you the Jim Harbaugh did a great job with what he had to work with, and that it should only get better from here. Given Harbaugh’s track record, there is no reason think that the Chargers can’t move themselves closer to AFC Contenders in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Rams are getting ready for their big matchup tonight against Vikings, which was relocated to Glendale, AZ because of the LA wild fires. Since they are playing at State Farm Stadium, are we sure State Farm isn’t going to cancel the game in the next few hours? Seems on brand for them. I think the Rams should be confident coming into the game, given that they’ve beaten the Vikings already, and since Sam Darnold has struggled against some elite defenses this year. However, the one thing that would concern more is just how much preparation time the Rams have had, given all the fires that have been raging, and the chaos that’s created around practice time.

Elsewhere around the NFL, the Ravens dismantled the Steelers, and at this rate, Russell Wilson will be working for Waste Management taking out your trash next year. The Ravens suddenly realized that having a good running back like Derrick Henry helps if you are going to be a running team. The Commanders finally won a playoff and all it took was getting rid of Dan Snyder as their owner! The Bills took down the Broncos, and Bills fans took down more tables at the tailgates. The Eagles beat the Packers, but Jalen Hurts looks rustier than an old nail, after missing a few weeks of action.

In College Football, the Finals are set! Notre Dame is going to be taking on Ohio State next Monday for the National Championship. The Irish may be really banged up and underdogs in this game, but this doesn’t feel like 2012 against Alabama. Notre Dame has a head coach in Marcus Freeman that not only looks like an elite recruiter, but an elite tactician and game manager as well. In fact, their biggest concern is probably the fact that NFL Teams like the Bears are already looking to interview him. In any case, Ohio State looks great, but don’t count out the Irish in this one yet! It’s probably also worth asking Ohio State fans if Ryan Day will still be fired if they win the National Championship?

In the NBA, it feels like the Lakers haven’t played in forever with the wild fires. Incredibly, they are still 6th in the Western Conference after the long layoff. The last time we saw them, it was a shameful showing with complete lack of effort against a Dallas team without Luka and Kyrie. The good news is that Jared Vanderbilt should be coming back this week, which should help their shoddy perimeter defense, which often looks like they could not guard a parked car. I also think that the layoff for Lebron and Anthony Davis is probably good, because let’s be honest, these days they get banged up a lot. My heart also goes out to JJ Redick and his family, after he lost his home in the LA fires.

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I don’t know what has happened to UCLA Basketball in a matter of a week, but suddenly they can’t win a game. It’s like Mick Cronin has completely lost the team, and his strategy of humiliating his players publicly isn’t going over well. This is suddenly having a real Ben Howland feel to it, and you even have some people that are calling for Cronin to be fired. It’s clear that the team is limited offensively, but it’s also apparent that when a team suddenly decides to quit on it’s coach. That’s exactly what we have seen the last few games. The Bruins need to turn this around quick, or the bottom could fall out on their season in no time.

UCLA guard Sebastian Mack drives to the basket under pressure from Michigan guard Nimari Burnett

In baseball, I was very disappointed to learn that the Dodgers traded Gavin Lux to the Reds, but he definitely deserved an opportunity to play everyday. It’s amazing that the Dodgers have so much organizational depth that players like Diego Cartaya and Gavin Lux had to be unloaded, and also unloaded for very little. With that being said, Lux is an excellent player who helped the Dodgers win two World Series, and I wish him very well in Cincinnati. On the Hot Stove front, there’s now rumors that Jack Flaherty is open to a short-term high average annual value deal from a team. Look, I like Jack Flaherty and he held helped the Dodgers hold their rotation together in the playoffs, but the Boys in Blue shouldn’t be spending $20+ million to keep him, even for a short-term deal. I would much rather spend the money on a high leverage reliever like Tanner Scott. Of course my opinion might change if they Dodgers are unable to land Roki Sasaki, but we should find out soon enough if that is the case!

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Finally, my heart goes out to all the victims of the wild fires in Los Angeles this week. One thing I am happy to see though is how the community of Southern California is coming together to help those victims in amazing ways. Of course when things like this happen, everyone wants to get political. There’s a time and place for that though. Maybe just not in the immediate aftermath of people losing their homes, and this coming from someone who doesn’t like California politics, and thinks that the way things are currently being run needs to be re-evaluated. Even with that being said, it amazes me people who do not live in California take the opportunity to complain about it, and specifically the cost of living. If you don’t like it, don’t live here, and it’s not your business, so we don’t need your opinion on it. Also, the destruction isn’t some rich people problem. California has hustlers and people who worked hard to get where they are in life, and be able to afford to live here. They need people’s support to get through this, and they will.

Monday Morning Coffee

January 6, 2025

The Lakers lost a tough one yesterday to the Rockets, and some stupid mistakes happened in crunch time. However, overall, things are still starting to look up for this team. Dorian Finney Smith is making a big impact defensively with Max Christie, which isn’t showing up in the box score but it’s happening. They have a tremendous opportunity to reel off about 9 win or so in their next 10 games, and inch closer to the top few seeds in the West. Considering that February is going to be a lot more brutal, this is the time for them to bank wins. It also raises the question of whether or not they should be making another trade before the deadline. Everybody thinks they need a center, and possibly another ball handling guard that can shoot. All that’s true, but is it really worth trading 1st round picks for a guy that’s only going to play 20 minutes a game in the playoffs? It might just be better to wait until Jared Vanderbilt and Christian Wood get healthy. Even the idea of a player like De’Aaron Fox sounds great, until you realize the Lakers would have to gut their team to acquire someone making that much money. In reality the Lakers best hope might be to just improve within. As for Charles Barkley and JJ Redick talking smack back and forth, I have no problem with the approach either took. JJ didn’t even call out Barkley specifically, when talking about how the media keeps reminding us how the product sucks. Barkley on the other hand felt the need to call out JJ, and remind us that the product does suck, and that he’s just a big Laker hater. Chuck is always good for ratings, and he’s wildly entertaining, but his critique is totally fair. There’s nothing wrong with JJ’s take either, even though I don’t agree that the NBA is more talented now than ever. It’s completely fine for both to have widely differing opinions. It was a hilarious segment though on TNT if you had not seen it, check it out below.

As for the Clippers, it’s a Christmas miracle! Kawhi Leonard made his season debut over the weekend. He was limited to 20 minutes in his first game, which was a blowout win against the Hawks. Kawhi was nothing special in his debut, clearly trying to get back into game shape. He says he will build up his minutes, but of course the question everyone is going to have is if he can really build up his minutes without getting injured again. Only time will tell. The Clippers have overachieved to this point, but is anybody really surprised? This team actually has played better over the years without their stars than with all of them. The Clippers just hitched their wagon to the wrong stars, but are stuck with them for the time being.

To the NFL, where I know what you’re thinking. Why did the Rams rest their starters yesterday against the Seahawks with the #3 seed on the line? When you really think about it, it was the right move. Tyler Higbee got injured last year in a game with similar stakes last year. It’s football, you can get hurt easily, and risking the Rams best players health for the #3 seed vs #4 seed wasn’t worth it. Had the Rams won, they would have had to face a very mobile quarterback in Jayden Daniels that would have completely neutralized their pass rush. That game wouldn’t have been much easier than facing either the Lions or the Vikings, who are both excellent teams as well. The Rams already beat the Vikings, and I could actually talk myself into playing them again. Sam Darnold is banged up, and he’s a subzero refrigerator sitting in the pocket, who the Rams could really abuse. If the Vikings can’t stop Jahmyr, then how are they going to stop Kyren? The game is nearly going to be a coin flip, but the Rams should feel really good about their chances. Don’t sleep on this team!

Meanwhile, the Chargers got exactly what they wanted! Securing the #5 seed and a date with the Houston Texans next week during Wild Card Weekend. This is clearly the ideal matchup for the Bolts, who should feel like they can almost bully the Texans. Houston is what you would describe as a finesse football team, which is usually ripe for a Jim Harbaugh team to come in and tear them apart. Either way, the Bolts definitely overachieved in their first year under Harbaugh, and they should be very excited about what’s ahead regardless of the outcome. This could be a fun couple of weeks for the Chargers in the playoffs in any case, and one they could make extremely interesting.

In College Football, for those of you Notre Dame haters, are the Irish “relevant” yet? They knocked off Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. This team could easily beat Penn State on Thursday in the Orange Bowl, and believe it or not, winning a National Championship isn’t out of the question for this team. The real eye opening part of this though is Marcus Freeman, and his masterclass in coaching. He completely out coached Kirby Smart, and has also done an excellent job recruiting. I also find is very interesting that he is an African American coach who completely rejects the concept of DEI, and is just focused on coaching and winning football. The real problem for the Irish is it’s not going to be long before NFL teams come calling for him. That’s a first class problem at this point for the Irish, who look like real contenders for the National Championship. They just have to hope they don’t run into Ohio State!

To baseball, where the Dodgers are at it again, this time signing Korean Infielder Hyseong Kim. Amazing….another talented super utility infielder, who can play great defense, and will likely be a solid bat that just puts the ball in play. That’s definitely going to be useful for this Dodger team, but obviously leads to questions about other players. Stop trying to tell me that Gavin Lux is going to get traded, because even the organization is saying he’s not at the moment. Yes other teams are calling, but unless something blows them away, Lux has proven he’s an excellent player when he’s in the lineup regularly. Don’t listed to those yahoos that want him off the team because they saw one bad inning during the World Series. The real question though is what happens with Kike Hernandez. Kike is another emotional leader who elevates his game in the playoffs. They need to find a way to bring him back. It’s probably more wise to eat the salary of Chris Taylor, and move him to another team, just to open space for Kike. It’s amazing to me that the Dodgers are so deep that they had to DFA Diego Cartaya, who was their top prospect not long ago. Meanwhile, we are all on pins and needles waiting for the decision of Japanese pitching sensation Roku Saski!

On the other hand, the Angels are essentially being used as leverage with any free agent mentioned. Anthony Santander? Pete Alonso? I don’t really see the fit with any of these guys, because they need to be DH’s, and the Halos have enough of those guys. Then again, this is the Angels we are talking about, so if it doesn’t make sense, then they will probably do it!

Finally, on the ice the LA Kings are winning, but GM Rob Blake continues to mismanage his assets. This time the Kings put Arthur Kaliyev on waivers, who was once a prized young prospect the Kings were trying to develop. This guy is going to get swooped up by somebody, and end up scoring 30-goals for them. The Kings are winning with defense, but they desperately need secondary scoring, and Power Play help. You can only do that by developing talent, or trading for it at this point in the season. Developing it is much more ideal, and the Kings have blown that opportunity with Kaliyev. The Kings might actually be Stanley Cup Contenders if it weren’t for Blake and his mistake after mistake.