October 23, 2017
The Dodgers have finally gotten back to the World Series! The last time this happened I was in kindergarden, and Michael Jackson was still black. No, this is not enough. The Dodgers need to actually win the World Series and not just be happy being there. Andrew Friedman wasn’t brought in to make it to the World Series. He was brought in to win it. Meanwhile, Kike Hernandez has lost his mind. Three home runs? When did he become Reggie Jackson? After it was 7-0 in game 5, the Cubs probably asked the umpires if they could insert Mitch Trubisky and play football instead of baseball. The Dodgers are going to have their work cut out for them against the Astros. Houston’s lineup has more firepower than ISIS, and their starting pitching is nearly as good as LA’s. Corey Seager’s health is a must in this series if the Dodgers are going to win. It’s also a must that Curtis Granderson be locked out out the clubhouse, let alone not even put on the roster. His performance was so offensive he shouldn’t even be allowed to watch the World Series on TV. Let’s hope the Dodgers finish this season off the right way, otherwise we might be waiting until 2046 for their next trip to the World Series.
The Lakers know they are going to sign Lebron James and Paul George right? I mean they must be damn sure it’s going to happen because they gave away D’Angelo Russell for a ham sandwich, and Russell has been balling so far in Brooklyn. The Lakers looked great against Phoenix, but everybody looks great against the Suns. KCP is really making $17 million this year? Where was I when the Lakers were handing out money this summer? After three games, I’m very concerned that this is going to be a 25-win team without a 1st round pick. That would be a serious disaster if that were to happen. It would destroy all the positive vibes that have been around the franchise for the last few months. Lonzo Ball can play when he wants to, but sometimes he’s a little too laid back. He needs to learn to bring it every night and ASAP, as does Brandon Ingram, if the Lakers are going to sign some real players next summer. They’ve show some great moments and some terrible moments through three games, but that’s not going to take this franchise where they hope to go. In the meantime though, you can enjoy the media sticking a microphone in Lavar Ball’s face to get his thoughts every time Lonzo goes to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, the Clippers dismantled both the Lakers and the Suns in their first two games. Are we supposed to be impressed? Nobody ever said the Clips didn’t have talent. It’s just a matter of whether that talent can stay healthy. Considering Milos Teodosic just went down with a foot injury, it feels like the Clipper curse is looming again, even before Halloween gets here. Just because Blake Griffin is putting up monster numbers doesn’t mean his team is any closer to winning anything. I also found it interesting that Chris Paul revealed to ESPN that he didn’t like the Clippers’ culture, and that they should have been doing everything they could to compete with the Warriors. Paul is clearly referring to the fact Doc Rivers wouldn’t trade his kid for Carmelo Anthony, which is fair. However, Chris Paul was the leader of the Clippers for six seasons. Criticizing the culture is like telling everybody how much you suck as a leader.
I think the question has to be asked at this point: Are the Rams the best team in the NFC? Wait, did I just say that out loud? Am I suffering from CTE? No but really, they just might be after ripping the Cardinals 33-0 in London. They’ve dominated everybody they were supposed to beat, and looked very solid against great teams. Now the defense is looking like it was last year, and the offense is far more capable than the 1990’s offense that Jeff Fisher was running last year. I think it’s safe to say that coaching in the NFL makes a difference. Cooper Kupp is the Rams version of Wes Welker. The Rams are for real, but now the question is will the fans in LA believe it enough to start showing up to the Coliseum on Sunday? We’ll have to wait until November 12th to find out when they play Houston. The last nine games are going to be tougher, but there’s no reason they can’t go at least 5-4 and contend for the division title. It would take a collapse of epic proportions to not even make a Wild Card spot. That’s shocking considering where this team was just six months ago.
The Chargers actually found the win column for the third time in a row, and this time they won in the unfriendly confines of the StubHub Center. The place was covered in orange, and the Bronco fans were out in full force. I haven’t seen that much orange since last Halloween. Somehow, the Bolts overcame it and are even back in the AFC West race with a record of 3-4. The Chargers did luck out though in that they faced a Bronco team that was more beat up than an NFL players’ wife. They Bolts also didn’t exactly look great on offense either. They were so bad, I’m beginning to think they have an “offensive uncoordinated” calling the plays. The division is still going to come down to the Raiders and Chiefs, with both of them probably getting to the playoffs, but at least the Bolts can feel good for the time being.
Elsewhere around the NFL, Ezekiel Elliott should be charged with assault after what he and the Cowboys did to the 49ers. Jay Culter came out of the game due to injury, and the Dolphins chances of winning instantly went up. Cutler and Carson Palmer got injured and Colin Kaepernick will still be unemployed. Watching the Ravens offense is like watching someone die a slow painful death. Adrian Peterson is already making a huge impact after being traded to Arizona…….the Saints are 2-0 since the trade. I don’t know what’s worse: Cam Newton’s play, or the clothes he wears after the game? Leonard Fournette, Devante Parker, and the entire Cleveland Browns team were the notable inactives this week. The Steelers crushed the Bengals, and JuJu Smith Schuster crushed this “hide and seek” touchdown dance……
Le’Veon and JuJu playing “Hide and Seek” after touchdown. Fantastic!! #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/SYOTCSQgVP
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) October 22, 2017
To College Football, where the Trojans got throttled by the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Saturday night in South Bend. In the first half alone, Sam Darnold fumbled, was sacked twice, and his team trailed 28-0 by halftime. It was like he was already playing for the Cleveland Browns. I’m not even sure the Trojans let Tee Martin and Clancy Pendergast ride the bus to the airport, after USC was shredded on both sides of the ball. This was bound to happen, but it goes far beyond injuries. Darnold’s decision making needs work, the play calling is a train wreck, and the defense can’t even tackle. The problems are big, and too big to stop without a bye week. USC will end up in a mediocre bowl game, and the questions on Clay Helton will be coming up again. Meanwhile, why isn’t Josh Adams a Heisman Trophy candidate yet? Perhaps ESPN should take note of this. Brian Kelly may be off the hot seat for now, but as underrated as the Irish look, don’t underestimate Kelly’s ability to blow it against a lesser opponent in the coming weeks.
Over in Pasadena, the Bruins got back in the win column against Oregon. However, let’s be honest. They beat a terrible Ducks team that was playing with their backup quarterback. When I look at the rest of the Bruins’ schedule, I’m beginning to wonder if that was the last game of the season they’ll actually win. They still have Utah, Washington, Cal, and USC. They need to go 2-2 just to become bowl eligible. Is this what is has come down to for Jim Mora? He gets to keep his job for just a 6-win season? Nobody expects UCLA to be a football power house, but they should consistently be in the Top 25. Instead, they are consistently finding new ways to embarrass themselves. I’m not going to blame Josh Rosen at all for deciding to go to the NFL after this season. It will take a lot more karate kicks like this for UCLA to get to a bowl game this year…..
Whats gotten into LA Kings forwards’ Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown? Do they think it’s their job to score goals or something? Oh wait, it is actually their job to score goals. I almost forgot because they were invisible last season. Kopitar and Brown are hotter than the sun right now, playing like MVP candidates for the Kings, who are off to their best start in franchise history. They are playing so well, it feels like they are just another lopsided trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets away from winning another Stanley Cup.
Finally, we’ve waited 203 days for this. The Walking Dead is back! Spoiler alert if you missed the season premier last night, so read no further if that is the case. They should call this season “you miss 100% of the shots you take,” because I’ve never seen such horrible aim. I’m wondering how much time has passed since the last season ended. Judith looks like she’s paying taxes already. She’s grown but Maggie isn’t even showing a baby bumb yet? When Morgan kills somebody in the first 15 minutes, you know the episode is going to be intense. It’s comforting knowing there are still Twizzlers during the apocalypse. I like how they left Carl at home but brought Enid to the big fight. Carl’s hat has survived longer than most characters in the show. I think Father Gabriel will pull a Glenn and escape both the Walkers and Negan. Just when you start to like him he failed to grow a pair and let Gregory die. Rick’s Group has everything planned out so it’s sure to go wrong. That was a far more action packed episode than I thought for the season premier, but I did not really expect them to kill anybody after what they put us through in the first episode last season. Looking forward to seeing the battle continue next week!
