Monthly Archives: December 2021

Monday Morning Coffee

December 27, 2021

There are so many issues with the Lakers, I don’t even know where to begin. The Nets came to down with James Harden and a bunch of G-Leaguers and took a crap in the Lakers Christmas stockings. It doesn’t matter how super human Lebron’s efforts are, the Lakers are atrocious defensively, and can never get stops when they need it most. Hopefully the last week without Frank Vogel has made Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss realize that this has nothing to do with coaching. In fact, the dumbest thing in the world to do would be to take a team that is struggling defensively, and then fire a coach who actually helps their defense. It looks like the Laker defense has been out all season due to health and safety protocols. I also like how Stanley Johnson looks like Larry Bird to most Laker fans right now since they don’t have any reliable wings that can play defense at the moment. Good for him though for getting back in the league. I think it’s going to take a trade to turn this thing around, and I don’t think the Lakers have attractive enough pieces to make something that impactful happen.

The news isn’t that much better for the Clippers. They found out they are going to be without Paul George for at least the next 3-4 weeks with a torn ligament in his right elbow. The Clippers came into Sunday in 4th place in the West, but now that they are going to be without PG, they will likely take a big hit in the standings for the next few weeks. Then again, there are about 7 teams behind them that can’t even get out of their own way, so the Clips may surprise themselves and hang around in the West playoff race. They can’t be too upset right now being 2 games over .500 with an injury and COVID list long enough to put a strain on the US hospital system.

To the NFL, where the Rams took down the Vikings yesterday in the Twin Cities. LA is back in 1st place in the NFC West, and even has an outside shot at the top seed with two weeks to go. Matthew Stafford was actually pretty bad yesterday, but the Rams were good enough in a lot of other areas to overcome that. However, if Stafford plays that bad against a playoff team, they are toast. I hate to simplify it, but even with Cam Akers coming back; even with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey; and even with Cooper Kupp and OBJ; it all comes down to how well Stafford can take care of the ball. I’m somewhat fearful, given that Stafford has never actually won a playoff game. Not that it’s entirely his fault, but we will find out soon enough how much of it really was on him, since he’s going to be on the big stage in a few weeks. I’m also fearful of the fact the Rams might have to play the 49ers on Wild Card Weekend if the standings stay as they are now. Considering how Kyle Shanahan owns Sean McVay, I’d rather the Rams play the ’72 Dolphins than the 49ers.

Meanwhile, the Chargers did some very Charger like things yesterday. They lost to a Houston Texans team that isn’t even trying to win football games, and had half their regulars sidelined due to COVID. I told you last week, Charger fans should be terrified that their schedule is softer than everybody else’s going into the last three weeks of the season. That’s because I fully expect the Bolts to play down to the competition like they just did, and fail to clinch a playoff spot. Justin Herbert was actually rather mediocre yesterday, but the real failure was the defense, which let guys like Rex Burkhead run all over them.

Elsewhere around Week 16 of the NFL, The Washington Football Team put up a much better fight against themselves on the sidelines than they did against the Cowboys. The Panthers got blown out by the Bucs, and Matt Rhule proved he not only doesn’t know anything about football, but he also doesn’t know anything about Jay-Z since he claimed he was an “overnight sensation”. The Patriots lost to the Bills, and to nobody’s surprise, Bill Belichik refused to even tell reporters what his New Years resolution is. The Browns lost to the Packers, and Baker Mayfield was probably just hoping his coaching staff never asks him to throw a pass again.

Imagine being Cody Bellinger and getting the Christmas gift of a life time. This dude just hit .165 for the year, and he is going to make $17 million next year for the Dodgers. That’s a $200k raise from what he made last year. It would have been amazing to see how that negotiation went. “Hey Cody your performance has declined rapidly over the past two years. So we’re not only going to let you keep making a boat load of money, but we’re actually going to give you a raise.” Cody probably said “Where do I sign?” What a joke.

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Is UCLA Basketball ever going to play again? The Bruins keep getting game after game cancelled due to COVID-19. That’s now three non-conference games that are cancelled, and three conference games that need to be rescheduled. The last time the Bruins played, Santa was still figuring out who was naughty and who was nice this year. Well we know that COVID-19 has definitely been naughty, because it’s been wiping out a lot of sporting events and athletes from playing in the past couple of weeks. At one point it felt like this was a great chance for UCLA to get healthy, but now this is going to kill all momentum, and will need a complete re-start to the season given the amount of time off.

I’m also unsure when we’ll see the NHL come back again, but the Kings and Ducks have made things interesting with what we’ve seen from them so far. The Kings are fighting for a playoff spot, so about where I thought they would be at this point in the season. They have some good young talent, but somewhat clueless on how to develop it quickly. The Ducks on the other hand have surprised everyone, tied for 1st place in the West. This is what happens when you don’t slow play the development of your young players like the Kings have. Are you taking notes Rob Blake? Probably not.

Finally, the Bachelorette wrapped up this season last week, and to nobody’s surprise, Michelle ended up with Nayte. This ended up being the first black couple to come out of the history of the franchise, which is a nice story. Then what happened? The franchise announced that Clayton was going to be the next Bachelor, which apparently pissed off a ton of people. So is the expectation now that there can no longer be white men or woman as The Bachelor or Bachelorette? Just curious now that the ABC products caved into social pressures. Of course as we’ve seen time and time again, The Bachelor’s ratings were horrible this season. They fired Chris Harrison, replaced him with two women that were great on the show, but didn’t do much as hosts; then they brought in a Bachelorette that is great in the real world, but boring in world of reality TV. I don’t feel bad at all for ABC and the franchise. They made their bed and now they have to sleep in it. Not sure how they expect to turn it around here after doing a complete 180 for the show. There’s a way to create inclusivity in society without completely sabotaging yourself in the process. ABC definitely hasn’t figured that out.

Monday Morning Coffee

December 20, 2021

Don’t try to tell me that it’s about the injuries. Don’t try to tell me it’s about not having enough time on the floor together. This Laker team stinks. They are old and they don’t play any defense. They can’t shoot, they turn it over too much, and they don’t rebound. Anthony Davis has also lost his motivation to be an elite basketball player. It’s like he won a title, and started mailing it in. Karl Anthony Towns is the latest NBA big men to embarrass Davis, which he did on Friday night. I get that AD isn’t durable, but when he’s healthy he’s supposed to be elite. Now he’s not even that elite when he’s been on the floor. That’s a problem. This team will be lucky to make the playoffs and win a game or two as constructed. It was a nice run while it lasted, but we’re a quarter of the way through the season, and the team is what it is. This team wasn’t good with Anthony Davis, and they’ll be even worse without him for the next four weeks.

To the NFL, where the Rams have a massive opportunity in front of them tomorrow night. They can catch the Cardinals for 1st place in the NFC West with a win over the Seahawks. The Cardinals lost to the Lions. If you lose to the Lions you should be demoted to the CFL. The Rams can also gain ground in the NFC seeding as well since the Bucs lost this weekend. After last week we were reminded that this team is still very gritty, and when they don’t turn the ball over, they can beat anybody in the NFL. They’ll get Jalen Ramsey back, and maybe even more reinforcements before Tuesday night.

As for the Chargers, they had their chances against the Chiefs on Thursday night, but it was KC that came up with the big plays when it mattered. Travis Kelce really made the Bolts defense look like a bunch of high schoolers on that game-winning catch, which is exactly how I always picture the Chargers finishing a big game with all the chips on the line.
Brandon Staley was foolish and it cost him and his team dearly. After a 75-yard kick off return, you need points. A touchdown is great, but get any points you can, especially on fourth-and-five. His decision cost his team the game.  The Bolts are the 6th seed right now, but they could easily slip out of a playoff spot with the Steelers, Browns, and Ravens all breathing down their neck. The scary part for the Chargers is that the schedule is easy for the last three weeks: Texans, Broncos, Raiders. This is the Chargers we are talking about. They could easily blow it when it’s being gift wrapped for them.

Elsewhere around the NFL, due to unfortunate circumstances, the Texans Jaguars was not cancelled due to COVID-19. The Saints took down the Bucs, and Tom Brady was throwing clip boards like a teenager throws a tantrum when they run out of Uggs at the mall. Death, taxes, and the Ravens failing to score a 2-point conversion at the end of the game. The Dolphins beat the Jets in a game that should have been aired on Comedy Central. The Cowboys took down the Giants, and Stephen A Smith is going to be devastated he can’t make any jokes this week about Dallas. The Titans lost to the Steelers and they looked more terrible than those ugly towels the Steeler fans waive around.

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I realize that there is a lot of hype around the Trojan football team, but now this is getting insane. I mean judging from the articles in the LA Times, you would think that USC would be the preseason favorite to win a National Title next year just because of Lincoln Riley’s eating habits and his dogs. Yes, he’s pulling some five-star recruits we haven’t seen in a while at USC. However, if we’ve learned anything from hype like we’ve seen from the Lakers, let this thing play out first before you all start buying your plane tickets and booking hotels for the College Football Playoff.

Meanwhile, we still haven’t heard anything from UCLA Football as they prepare for the Holiday Bowl. We also got a reminder that Chip Kelly has been a lazy recruiter these last four years. The Bruins miraculously landed a quarterback through the transfer portal last week. That’s pathetic. Chip Kelly had four years to replace Dorian Thompson Robinson, and at the eleventh hour all he can do is land a transfer. This guy is not only lazy, but he’s about to get rewarded for his laziness with an extension, because they just don’t think at this point they can find any better.

I wish there was something to talk about with UCLA Basketball other than COVID. Unfortunately there isn’t. The Bruins were still playing elite basketball until their last three games got wiped out because of COVID. Looks like they won’t play until they matchup with #8 Arizona on December 30th. The only small consolation here: the break will give Cody Riley a chance to get healthy, which is much needed because the Bruins need to get some size back.

Finally, the Bachelorette Season finale is going down on ABC tomorrow night. I feel like Bachelorette Nation is screaming from the mountain top that Nayte isn’t the guy for Michelle, but those two ending up together is more inevitable than Urban Meyer leaving a job five minutes after getting it. Everyone further lost their mind when Michelle picked Brandon over Joe. Then again, Joe did ghost her before the show, so Michelle really got the last laugh on this one. Still, that’s like choosing to watch paint dry instead of going on a tropical vacation. I like how Joe, Nayte, and Brandon acted like they finally realized Michelle has been dating all 3 of them at Fantasy Suites. You know that this season is boring when the most interesting things to talk about in the last few weeks have been Tayshia and Zac’s breakup, and all the Hannah Brown drama. Better luck to the producers in the next season.

Monday Morning Coffee

December 13, 2021

I don’t know about you, but I think the Chargers looked pretty damn good against a crummy New York Giant football team yesterday. Look, the Bolts are looking good for a playoff spot, and Justin Herbert is totally a stud. Their schedule is also pretty easy down the stretch. However, if you’re asking me if I trust them to come through late in a critical game with their season on the line, that’s like asking me if I trust a 5 year old with a lighter. I don’t think they are better than Kansas City, I don’t think they are better than New England, and they probably aren’t better than the Titans at full strength. There’s plenty of time for weird stuff to happen, but weird stuff usually happens to the Chargers, and it usually isn’t good.

I’m not saying the Rams season is on the line tonight against the Cardinals on Monday Night Football, but it will tell us everything we need to know. The Rams have been beaten badly by some of the elite teams in the NFL this season, including the Cardinals. If they are really the contender we think they are, they will respond with a win tonight in the desert. If Matt Stafford can just stop turning it over, they should have a chance to win these games. Stafford looked like an MVP candidate in the first month of the season. Since then, he’s been turning it over like the Lakers. More on that in a moment.

Elsewhere around the NFL in Week 14, I guess Mike McCarthy wasn’t lying when he guaranteed a Cowboys win over The Washington Football Team. Tom Brady is now 33-3 against the Bills. Do the Lions even have 33 wins in the last 10 years? What’s that loud sucking noise? Oh, it’s just Chris Collinsworth slobbering all over Aaron Rodgers after the Packers win against the Bears. The Raiders stood on the Chiefs logo, and then the Chiefs stood all over them with a 48-9 win. The Titans beat up on the Jaguars, and Urban Meyer is probably busy telling all his assistants they are losers. Cam Newton was playing quarterback like Olivia Newton in the Falcons blowout win over the Panthers. Meanwhile, Chase Claypool is still at US Bank Stadium celebrating his 4th down catch, and is wondering where everyone went.

The ups and downs with the Lakers are a lot to take. I’m beginning to think the rest of the league is catching on to the Lakers dribble the ball down to 7 seconds on the clock and force something ugly offense. Some of you want to point the finger at Russ. Some of you want to point the finger at Frank Vogel. Some of you want to point the finger at Anthony Davis like the TNT guys. However, the reality of it is, Lebron hasn’t been on the floor that much, and the defense hasn’t been as good as it used to be. They also tend to have more turnovers than Betty Crocker. That’s a recipe for inconsistency given the talent the Lakers have. I mean at this point, do the Lakers just go to Lebron every night and say “so we’re going to need you do to everything for us tonight?” It feels like it. But he can’t over an 82-game stretch anymore. He won’t last if you want to do something in the playoffs. There’s some glimmer of hope that Lebron could be getting healthier, but the Lakers schedule is only going to get tougher from here. That’s what should concern Laker fans the most.



Do you realize that the UCLA Bruins have held six football practices in preparation for The Holiday Bowl, and they have yet to make an appearance in front of the media? I’m sure there are a lot of fans and big time donors that want to know what the hell is going on with Chip Kelly and the rumors that he could be interviewing for other jobs. Let’s be honest though, there was probably a large segment of the fan base and alums that would have packed Kelly’s bags for him had he been hired by Oregon. However, now him coming back to the program is like pleading with your wife to take you back after you thought you were gonna go off with your side piece forever. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake the Bruins and Chip can’t come to an agreement on a contract extension, and everyone can just happily go their separate ways.

Speaking of UCLA, their basketball team might start flying commercial again after their chartered flight was diverted unexpectedly. At one point, the players didn’t actually know whether or not they were going down apparently. Nevertheless, it was Marquette that ended up going down later in the day, as the Bruins defense was looking really good. I sure hope Cody Riley gets back in the lineup soon, because UCLA could really use some help in the front court against the elite teams. Riley appears to be close.

Finally, it’s fantasy suite night tomorrow night for The Bachelorette. However, it was The Men Tell All on center stage in the last episode. I can’t believe that’s how the producers had Tayshia announce her breakup with Zac Clayton over Rodney for The Bachelor? The producers must have realized that Michell is just too normal to be making stupid decisions, so they had to make some of their own. Michelle is way to sensible for this show. In the real world she’s a great girl. In the world of trashy reality TV, it’s boring. We’re watching to see a train wreck. It’s been nothing like that. That’s a compliment to Michelle, and a shot at the producers if you’re keeping score at home.

Monday Morning Coffee

December 6, 2021

The Rams finally got back in the win column yesterday. You can’t make too big of a deal out of this one, since the Jaguars are booking their offseason flights to Cancun at this point. However, it was a get well game for Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and the Rams defense. I haven’t jumped ship on this team yet, even after some of the blow out losses to elite teams. I still think if they can manage to stop the turnovers they can beat anybody, and that’s what has killed them in the games they’ve lost. Some of that might be Matt Stafford being banged up, and some of that might be Matt Stafford being Detroit Lion Matt Stafford. Hopefully it’s not the latter, but we’ll find out soon.

As for the Chargers, as sure as the sun rises, you knew they were going to blow that 24-point lead against the Bengals. However, they managed to turn the tables in the 4th quarter with 17 unanswered points to get the win. I still have no idea where the Bolts find these kickers. I mean can they really not find anybody to kick the damn ball through uprights reliably? This felt more like the Bengals literally and figuratively giving this game to the Chargers after that Joe Mixon fumble in the 4th. The Bolts are still very much in the hunt for the playoffs, and their schedule is softer than tissue paper. However, I don’t have much confidence that they will actually get there. Knowing them, they’ll beat Kansas City, but find a way to lose to the Giants, Texans, Broncos, and Raiders.

This Laker team is so aggravating to watch. Lebron James hasn’t played in more than four consecutive games this season. That tells you everything you need to know about this team. They are very dependent on him. Too dependent on him. It also tells you everything you need to know about Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Both nice players, yet unable to carry teams by themselves (or even together) like we once thought they could. The best news for the Lakers is the fact that nobody in the west after the Warriors and Suns is doing much. Heck it feels like they could just sleep walk until March and slide their way into a top 4 seed. That really wasn’t the expectation this team had though, and would still be pretty disappointing since there were championship aspirations when the season started. Frank Vogel also feels like a guy who is demanding credit in his press conferences at this point. I don’t blame him because he knows he could get fired anytime, and that is the style of the Buss family.

So the Clippers beat the Lakers, then turn around and lose to the Kings? That’s the most Clipper thing I’ve ever heard, not to mention it’s the 2nd time in a week they lost to the Kings. I don’t know who Isaiah Hartenstein is, but how has this guy played on four teams in four years? He’s been passed around the NBA like a Kardashian, but at times the man looks like Kevin McHale. It’s limited minutes but you’ve gotta imagine over 36 minutes he can ball. The Clips should do their best to find out what that looks like because they need size right now.

The MLB Players have been locked out but not before the Dodgers lost a couple of key free agents. I said it just before Corey Seager and Max Scherzer departed and I’ll say it again: they weren’t worth the money they got. The Dodgers just aren’t that desperate and they have alternatives. They have Trea Turner as an elite replacement for Seager, and they have more young pitching coming to replace Scherzer. Also, if the Dodgers can find a way to sign Freddie Freeman, I would argue their team might actually come out of this even better than last year. The demise of the Dodgers is going to be greatly exaggerated because they had so much talent, but it didn’t actually get them a World Series title. There’s still plenty of time to improve this club, and I’m confident after the lockout that will happen.

Meanwhile, the Angels got some pitching but they needed more before the lockout. They really missed the boat on Marcus Stroman, who ended up signing with the Cubs for the equivalent of MLB welfare. The Angels beefed up a little, but so did the Astros, Mariners, and A’s. I’m not sure there will be much pitching left to sign after the lockout, so the Halos better hope they can make a trade for Luis Castillo, or else they will be on the outside of the playoffs looking in again.

USC Football wrapped up their miserable season on Saturday with a loss to Cal. I’m not sure anyone really cares though because the Lincoln Riley era is about to get underway. What they do care about though is whether Jaxton Dart will be ok, after suffering a concussion. I’m sure Dart will be fine, and he might end up being the guy for Lincoln Riley next year as well, even with all the five star recruits he is high-jacking. On the other hand, Lincoln Riley has now surpassed Kevin Durant as the most hated man in the state of Oklahoma.

Speaking of the wild coaching carousel in College Football, I might be one of the few Notre Dame alums who is disappointed with the hiring of Marcus Freeman. Brian Kelly leaving the program was short sighted on his part, but actually a tremendous opportunity for the program. So why would you let the players pick the next coach? I completely understand that Freeman is a bright young coach, who may actually end up being wildly successful. However, I wouldn’t want that unproven experiment to be at Notre Dame. Also, here’s to hoping I’m wrong about this. However, the alums of the schools biggest rivals are thanking their lucky stars that someone like Luke Fickell or Urban Meyer isn’t going to take the job. Not that any of this matters though because Alabama still owns College Football, as we learned over the weekend.

Finally, the Bachelorette is going down tonight on ABC with The Men Tell All. This is going to be the most boring MTA in the history of the franchise. There just hasn’t been enough drama. Hopefully Tayshia addresses her break up with Zac, because that will be more interesting than anything this season has to offer. This thing is already in the bag anyway. Michelle is going to pick Nayte and we all know it. The producers are clearly doing everything they can to try to stop the dam from breaking and delaying this inevitable conclusion, but it’s too obvious now. Joe’s only shot is that he’s from Minnesota, like Michelle, but I’m not buying it.

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