Monday Morning Coffee

February 15, 2021

I think every Laker fan is going to be holding their breath today, as they wait for the MRI results on Anthony Davis’ Achilles tendon. I’m optimistic that it’s not torn, and assuming it’s not, AD needs to be handled with extreme care. Memo to AD and training staff: no more hero crap! He doesn’t play until he’s 100% healthy. The Lakers have been going to overtime so often lately, I’m beginning to wonder if the players think they are paid hourly. Despite last night’s loss, they have been winning games, but it’s not comfortable knowing how difficult they are making their lives. They are getting themselves into big deficits early, playing down to the competition, and playing Lebron major minutes. I’m sure Lebron doesn’t care, because he wants to win MVP, and stick it to all the amateurs that didn’t vote for him last year, but that doesn’t feel like the best way to manage a 36-year old superstar in his 18th season. Thank god for the energy from Montrezl Harrell and the continued development of THT, because the Lakers need to lean more on them to get them through what are already the dog days of the season. Hopefully the Lakers don’t plan on sleep walking through the next few weeks because they’ll have to face the Nets and Jazz, and most likely without AD.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have still been winning games without Paul George. However, there’s more and more noise that they are trying to divorce themselves of both Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley. I’m sure in their dream scenario, they would somehow be able to move those two, and perhaps Ivica Zubac for Kyle Lowry. However, that’s like trying to trade a Honda Civic for a Ferrari. As much as the Clips want create “Raptors West”, they don’t have the draft capital or the young players to get a trade like that done. More than anything though, shopping Williams and Beverley feel like a desire to change the team’s locker room culture that is still somewhat awkward from last years chicken wing fiasco. The more they do that, the more likely they are to re-sign Kawhi Leonard when the season is over.

To baseball where the Dodgers put a nice little bow on their off-season by re-signing Justin Turner. That’s great for JT, and great for the Dodgers. I love the fact that they are not only going for it, but doing so with complete disregard for the luxury tax. Meanwhile, all the other cheapskate franchises in baseball won’t pay for anything. As much as I have complained about Andrew Friedman’s specific moves over the years, he gets all the credit now. However, I can’t understand those of you Dodger fans complaining like Betty Draper that the team is spending too much money, and that you can’t see them on TV. You guys must be used to abusive relationships and are comfortable with it. You can’t win if you don’t spend money. Freidman did a great job of bringing in Trevor Bauer on a contract that isn’t nearly as crazy as what we’ve seen for a Cy Young winner. Bauer’s press conference could have been a little more polished given baseball’s current climate. However, only time will tell if he’s a model citizen. The only bit of sadness you should have is hearing that Clayton Kershaw might be considering retirement when this coming season ends. I’ve always thought he could pitch into his late 30’s effectively, but he sounds like he doesn’t want to take it that far, after reading his recent quotes to the LA Times. Enjoy the greatness for however much longer we get to see it.

As for the Angels, they are missing out on a huge opportunity right now. They are desperate for pitching, and they should be calling either the Dodgers or Red Sox for some of their surplus. The Angels could easily trade for David Price and get some prospects out of it from the Dodgers for taking on that salary. The could also hit up the Red Sox, who are giving away players for day old donuts and a player to be named later at this point. Any of the pitchers they would get back would be no worse than their #3 starter. Of course, Arte Moreno is too foolish to make a deal with the Dodgers, after he admittedly made the team pull out of the Joc Peterson and Ross Stripling trade last year. The Angels might have a whole bunch of money coming off the books after this season, but there’s no good free agents to spend that money on, and definitely not any good pitchers. Their best bet is to trade for one now. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to comprehend just how badly they need pitching, and refuse to pay one cent over the luxury tax.

I don’t know what was more painful: watching the impeachment trial or watching UCLA basketball this past week. The Bruins escaped against Washington, but they are losing momentum fast in the PAC-12, and now looking like a long shot to win the conference. They are also among the blue blood programs that are not in the Top 25 this year like Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas. That hasn’t happened in 60 years. This year we should call those programs “blue balls” instead, since they are giving their fans that kind of pain. Even though star power is really lacking at all these programs, if the Bruins stand any chance of making the tournament and having a respectable showing, they are going to need Codey Riley and Jalen Hill back on the floor, and producing for them. They are also going to have to play much better defense than they have been. They only have about a month left to get their act together, so let’s hope Mick Cronin can rally the troops.

Finally, the Bachelor is back on ABC tonight, and it’s been an eventful last week for the show. Before we get to Chris Harrison, let’s talk about the last episode. Katie, we thank you for your service. We needed you. We at least deserved to see her bounce Serena C. before she went home. Her “date” with Matt was really just an excuse for him to hang out with Tyler, and get away from the drama. Matt said he saw the process work for Tyler. Apparently he didn’t watch his season at all because the process didn’t work. Comparing a vibrator to a cactus is truly the worst thing you could compare a vibrator to. Katie may not have been romantically vibing with Matt, but she was nailing the run and jump. She is also Bachelorette material. She may not have gotten Matt, but at least she sent Victoria, Anna, and MJ home, which should earn her Bachelorette in my book. Too bad Abigail and Katie were the only decent human beings among this group. For the love of God, can you please end one episode with a Rose ceremony? I love the producers trolling all these terrible girls by sending in Heather when they thought the drama was over. Tayshia should really teach her how to show up late for a season. Did the rental place really not have any other vehicles besides a mini van? Gotta love Matt giving Pieper a carnival toy after giving Rachel Louboutins. Every time Matt sits down next to one of these women, he’s grabbing legs like he’s reaching into a bucket of KFC. As for Chris Harrison, he made a mistake, and spoke insensitively by using the phrase “woke police”, when discussing the previously mentioned “Racist Rachel” from this season. However, if we’re just going to punish and fire people without letting them learn from their mistakes you won’t see any progress in society, and we’ll never really improve how people view race. Chris now has the opportunity to do that, and come back to host the show with a deeper understanding of race and people.

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