September 4, 2023
Happy Labor Day everyone! The Dodgers were definitely bullied this weekend at the Ravine by the Atlanta Braves. There’s no question going into October, the Braves should be the definitive favorites to come out of the NL. However, that shouldn’t really bother you if you’re a Dodger fan. That’s because having the best record in baseball and being the favorite has basically been a death sentence for that team in the postseason the past twenty years or so. While that might not make sense on paper, in reality, it actually makes plenty of sense. The best thing the Dodgers have going for them is that they won’t be the favorites this year. They also should have Walker Buehler, JD Martinez, and Clayton Kershaw in October, which they didn’t have in this series due to injury, or just the schedule in Kershaw’s case. I think it’s fair to say though that Bobby Miller made a statement yesterday that he should be in the postseason rotation, regardless of what Andrew Friedman’s computer says. Hopefully Max Muncy’s injury isn’t too serious though.
As for the Angels, what a pathetic display we’ve seen from this organization over the past week. They put every player they acquired at the trade deadline on waivers, just so they could get under the luxury tax. I’m sure Angel fans were hoping that somehow Arte could be put on waivers too, but sadly, that’s not possible. Then they lose 2 of 3 to the Phillies, then they get swept by the A’s, the worst team in baseball. On top of that, Mike Trout says he plans to talk to Angels brass about the future of the organization, and had no comment when asked if he might ask for a trade. However, what he probably doesn’t realize is that his trade value is probably worth a bag of chips right now considering he’s been injured and he makes a ton of money. Don’t feel bad though Mike, your teammate, Anthony Rendon is a worthless pile of garbage, who isn’t even worth a pack of gum either at this point. Besides, how can he talk to Angels brass about his future, when it’s quite possible they won’t even be around. Bob Nightengale says that Arte Moreno is deciding whether or not to keep skipper Phil Nevin, and GM Perry Minasian after this season. That sounds like a solid plan when you are in the process of trying to keep the great free agent of all time from signing with another franchise.
To College Football, where USC dominated Nevada over the weekend at the Coliseum. Caleb Williams looked like he was playing PlayStation out there, throwing 5 touchdown passes, and slinging the ball around the yard like he’s Al Bundy. More importantly for USC, their defense actually had it together this game. The held Nevada to 49 yards in 38 carries, the lowest rushing total for a USC opponent since Arizona State’s 47-yard total on Nov. 9, 2019. The Trojans should feel good about that but where they should be concerned is how rough the PAC-12 suddenly looks. It’s so tough, I have no idea how any team in the conference could get through the season undefeated. The Trojans shouldn’t have any problem with Stanford next week though.
Then there’s UCLA, which took down Coastal Carolina by pulling away late. The story though was Dante Moore. I was beginning to think Chip Kelly was going to wait to play him until he entered the transfer portal. Ethan Garbers played ok, but you simply cannot deny the talent that Moore has, and what kind of upside the team can have with him developing every game and leading that offense. It’s hard for me to believe that the Bruins are going to be that great with the conference being so stacked, but things might be looking up for them with Moore after this year, even as they head to the Big 10.
I realize that the cable model is completely screwed up at this point. However, Spectrum is making a huge mistake by not carrying ESPN at the worst time of year. The only thing that is keeping the cable model alive right now is live sports. For Spectrum to reach an impasse over the distribution rights with ESPN, that’s extremely shortsighted. If you aren’t going to carry live sports, even if it’s ESPN and their woke crap, then you might as well just give up on the cable business, because that’s the only thing keeping the model alive.
To the NBA, where the Lakers are about a month away from training camp opening. However, it’s that time of year where we get to hear ridiculous rumors and names. The ones that came up in the past week were Giannis, and Trae Young. Giannis, who is rumored to potentially ask for a trade if the Bucks don’t continue to show they are in contention, is now being rumored to be headed to the Lakers. This is the type of thing that is discussed on talk radio, but would never actually happen anytime soon, or unless Giannis forced his way out. Then there were sources that suggested that the Lakers were interested in Trae Young previously. That was probably before they realized that they already have a third star in Austin Reaves. Again, this type of thing is only talked about in fantasy chat rooms and talk radio, with almost no chance of it actually happening. Besides, every single great player is linked to the Lakers.
Finally, can we just call Kelly Stafford “The Pillow Snitch”? I don’t care if she has a podcast or not. Why does she think it’s ok to be just spilling info about her husband’s relationship with his teammates? Is she naive enough to think that his teammates won’t begin to resent him knowing that he told her these things? Between Stafford’s minor friction with teammates, Cooper Kupp’s injury, this is already trending toward a season the Rams could give up on quickly.
