January 13, 2025
It was a rough end to Wild Card Weekend for the Chargers. They went into their matchup against the Texans thinking they got the best of all the matchups, but it was far from the case. Houston had their way with the Bolts all afternoon, and exposed a lot that still needs to be fixed for the Chargers. I know many of you people are going to point to all of Justin Herbert’s interceptions, but there were a lot of other problems that need to be solved. The offensive line got manhandled, and they have a bunch of wide receivers who should be your barista at Starbucks rather than catching passes in the NFL. They could also use some better linebackers as well. It was a disappointing ending, but when you really look at the results, it shows you the Jim Harbaugh did a great job with what he had to work with, and that it should only get better from here. Given Harbaugh’s track record, there is no reason think that the Chargers can’t move themselves closer to AFC Contenders in the near future.
Meanwhile, the Rams are getting ready for their big matchup tonight against Vikings, which was relocated to Glendale, AZ because of the LA wild fires. Since they are playing at State Farm Stadium, are we sure State Farm isn’t going to cancel the game in the next few hours? Seems on brand for them. I think the Rams should be confident coming into the game, given that they’ve beaten the Vikings already, and since Sam Darnold has struggled against some elite defenses this year. However, the one thing that would concern more is just how much preparation time the Rams have had, given all the fires that have been raging, and the chaos that’s created around practice time.
Elsewhere around the NFL, the Ravens dismantled the Steelers, and at this rate, Russell Wilson will be working for Waste Management taking out your trash next year. The Ravens suddenly realized that having a good running back like Derrick Henry helps if you are going to be a running team. The Commanders finally won a playoff and all it took was getting rid of Dan Snyder as their owner! The Bills took down the Broncos, and Bills fans took down more tables at the tailgates. The Eagles beat the Packers, but Jalen Hurts looks rustier than an old nail, after missing a few weeks of action.
In College Football, the Finals are set! Notre Dame is going to be taking on Ohio State next Monday for the National Championship. The Irish may be really banged up and underdogs in this game, but this doesn’t feel like 2012 against Alabama. Notre Dame has a head coach in Marcus Freeman that not only looks like an elite recruiter, but an elite tactician and game manager as well. In fact, their biggest concern is probably the fact that NFL Teams like the Bears are already looking to interview him. In any case, Ohio State looks great, but don’t count out the Irish in this one yet! It’s probably also worth asking Ohio State fans if Ryan Day will still be fired if they win the National Championship?
In the NBA, it feels like the Lakers haven’t played in forever with the wild fires. Incredibly, they are still 6th in the Western Conference after the long layoff. The last time we saw them, it was a shameful showing with complete lack of effort against a Dallas team without Luka and Kyrie. The good news is that Jared Vanderbilt should be coming back this week, which should help their shoddy perimeter defense, which often looks like they could not guard a parked car. I also think that the layoff for Lebron and Anthony Davis is probably good, because let’s be honest, these days they get banged up a lot. My heart also goes out to JJ Redick and his family, after he lost his home in the LA fires.
I don’t know what has happened to UCLA Basketball in a matter of a week, but suddenly they can’t win a game. It’s like Mick Cronin has completely lost the team, and his strategy of humiliating his players publicly isn’t going over well. This is suddenly having a real Ben Howland feel to it, and you even have some people that are calling for Cronin to be fired. It’s clear that the team is limited offensively, but it’s also apparent that when a team suddenly decides to quit on it’s coach. That’s exactly what we have seen the last few games. The Bruins need to turn this around quick, or the bottom could fall out on their season in no time.
In baseball, I was very disappointed to learn that the Dodgers traded Gavin Lux to the Reds, but he definitely deserved an opportunity to play everyday. It’s amazing that the Dodgers have so much organizational depth that players like Diego Cartaya and Gavin Lux had to be unloaded, and also unloaded for very little. With that being said, Lux is an excellent player who helped the Dodgers win two World Series, and I wish him very well in Cincinnati. On the Hot Stove front, there’s now rumors that Jack Flaherty is open to a short-term high average annual value deal from a team. Look, I like Jack Flaherty and he held helped the Dodgers hold their rotation together in the playoffs, but the Boys in Blue shouldn’t be spending $20+ million to keep him, even for a short-term deal. I would much rather spend the money on a high leverage reliever like Tanner Scott. Of course my opinion might change if they Dodgers are unable to land Roki Sasaki, but we should find out soon enough if that is the case!
Finally, my heart goes out to all the victims of the wild fires in Los Angeles this week. One thing I am happy to see though is how the community of Southern California is coming together to help those victims in amazing ways. Of course when things like this happen, everyone wants to get political. There’s a time and place for that though. Maybe just not in the immediate aftermath of people losing their homes, and this coming from someone who doesn’t like California politics, and thinks that the way things are currently being run needs to be re-evaluated. Even with that being said, it amazes me people who do not live in California take the opportunity to complain about it, and specifically the cost of living. If you don’t like it, don’t live here, and it’s not your business, so we don’t need your opinion on it. Also, the destruction isn’t some rich people problem. California has hustlers and people who worked hard to get where they are in life, and be able to afford to live here. They need people’s support to get through this, and they will.
