August 19, 2024

The Dodgers are suddenly in a battle for the NL West with a month to go in the season. I know everyone is freaking out, but I’m not worried yet. The Dodgers lineup holes are looking much better than before. Gavin Lux is now one of the best hitters in the NL, Miguel Rojas is giving the Dodgers both hitting and nice defense up the middle, and they are suddenly way better in centerfield with Kevin Kiermaier and eventually with Tommy Edman. There’s a lot to like in this lineup, but it’s the pitching that’s the scary part. Tyler Glasnow is now back on the DL for a couple of weeks, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still about a month away. I love the potential of Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, but they really shouldn’t be pitching in the big leagues until they are feeling confident and looking right. Neither one of them are at this point. That means at the moment, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, and Jack Flaherty are your only options for reliable starters. Kershaw is pitching remarkably well right now and still has it. He looked incredible yesterday, but I still like the idea of him pitching later in a series than early on. It’s really imperative though that the Dodgers get lots of length from their starters between now and the end of the season to preserve their often used bullpen. What’s going to be scary though is the three more games they have with the Diamondbacks at the end of the month, and the three more with the Padres in late September. It’s ok though, because in reality, it’s getting the Dodgers ready for the postseason, which is what they need.

As for the Angels, because things couldn’t get any worse for this franchise, the state auditor is launching an investigation into the failed Angels Stadium sale, and whether the Angels have complied with the terms of their current lease. The audit was requested by Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and approved by the Legislature last week. Umber and Valencia say they have  “deep concern” that the team has withheld revenue owed to the city and failed to comply with stadium maintenance requirements stipulated in the lease. The Angels are denying this and there is no specific evidence that has been cited, but it’s not out of the question the Angels could be left without a home after this season and they will have to renegotiate. Plus, would anybody really be surprised if Arte Moreno weren’t in compliance and withheld revenues owed to the city? Even in the unlikely event they aren’t in compliance though, the Halos don’t really have anywhere to go. You think Moreno can find a stadium deal in Long Beach or Tustin? No chance! One way or another, he’s going to be forced to work with the city of Anaheim on this.

The Lakers announced that Michael Cooper will have his jersey retired on 1/13 at Cryto.com arena. I am typically only in favor of having your jersey retired by the Lakers if you are in the Hall of Fame, so when Coop earned that honor, it became a no-brainer. However, I am surprised it took so long for him to get in. He was 8 times on the NBA all defensive first or second team, and also won defensive player of the year in the 80’s. He was also a five time NBA champion with the Lakers, and instrumental to their Showtime era success, so very well deserved. As for the Lakers and their schedule though, they found out they will open the season at home against the Timberwolves, travel to Golden State on Christmas to play the Warriors, and play the Clippers in the Intuit Dome for the first time in January. One thing that stands out though: there are no nights off in the West. There are too many good teams that can knock you off in any given night. On the bright side though, the league as a whole has fewer back-to-back games which will benefit the likes of Lebron and AD more than a lot of players.

The Rams now have a couple of preseason games under their belt. Of course there are no starters playing, which is typical Sean McVay style. With that being said though, it hasn’t stopped Matt Stafford from getting banged up. He’s suffering from a hamstring injury, which McVay was slightly vague on. He still has 2.5 weeks before the opener against Detroit, so hopefully that will be enough time. Especially since Jimmy Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games of the season, and since Stetson Bennet has had more turnovers during than Betty Crocker at this point. Some of you also seem to think that Puka Nacua is going to be the Rams number 1 wide receiver. I think he’s going to be very good, but Cooper Kupp didn’t die. I think he’s still the guy as long as he’s healthy.

As for the Chargers, Jim Harbaugh had to set the record straight that Colin Kapernick isn’t going to be joining his staff. Apparently they had some conversation. Bro, it’s been 7 years. Time to move on. People didn’t want to give you a shot before because you were a distraction with prioritizing things other than football. We can all respect the cause and the work you’ve done. However, now people don’t want you on the team because you’re just too old and you’ve been away from the game for too long. It’s time to move on!

Tyreek Hill is a phenomenal wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins. However, sometimes, he says idiotic things. And sometimes, idiotic people will believe him. Hill says that Noah Lyles shouldn’t be talking because he believes he faked an illness as an excuse for not winning the 200 meters in the Olympics. He also claims he can beat Lyles in the 100 meter dash. Hill is fast for the NFL, but if you think he’s Olympic fast, you know nothing about track and field. If Hill tried to race Lyles, he would not only get smoked, but he would get smoked by the majority of the field in the Olympic semi-finals. He’s never run faster than 10.19 seconds, and wind- aided, he once ran 9.98s. On Lyles worst day, he would still win by a lot. As for him “faking illness”, it’s pretty hard to believe he could be that dominant in the 200 meters for so long, and then in several races struggle the way he did against competition he’s dominated before, so an illness seems highly likely. Besides, he still got 3rd place which is pretty impressive given that condition.

Finally, this Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese Rookie of the Year conversation needs to be put to bed. Both Clark and Reese are great basketball players who will be great for a long time. However, the idea that Reese is having an impact on the women’s game like Clark is insanity. Nobody would even know who Angel Reese is if it weren’t for Caitlin Clark. Neither one of their teams are great, but Clark has had to deal with so much more crap from some angry women in the WNBA, who claim she isn’t paying her dues. That’s hilarious because she is carrying the WNBA ratings and interests. This type of impact should actually matter in the voting for the award, because most Rookie’s don’t deal with that level of scrutiny. Just give her the Rookie Of The Year award already.