March 24, 2025
What a disappointing ending to the season for UCLA basketball. That was a very winnable game against Tennessee, but they just didn’t have enough fire power. The issue for this team was always gonna be the offense and it proved to be the thing that killed them in the end. Dylan Andrews , Eric Dailey, and Kobe Johnson were complete no shows. Mack is way too one dimensional for a guy who plays that much. The guard play was abysmal. Mick Cronin has his flaws, but reality of it is he needs better NIL players. The transfer portal opens on Monday, and the Bruins better find a way to get some elite play making guards, along with finding a way to keep Aday Mara and Trent Perry from leaving the program.
UCSD should be very proud of what they did in round 1, even though they lost to Michigan. Seeing John Calipari vs Rick Pitino in round 2 was pretty weird, but also a great game. There have been some good games, but no completely shocking upsets. An all-chalk bracket has you at 250/320 points after round 1. If you have 240-260 points. I am calling you a “no fun NPC chalk boy.” If you have 190-220 points I am calling you a man of culture who just got unlucky. You like to have fun, you’re cool, people like you. The first two days of March Madness are arguably the greatest sports day of the year! If you called in sick to work I applaud you! I still like Florida to win the whole thing.
To baseball, where the Dodgers opened their season in Tokyo last week, and they swept a 2 game series against the Cubs. They got great pitching, good enough hitting, and that was all Without Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Yamamoto looked very polished, and you know Ohtani wasn’t going to leave Japan without hitting a home run. Roki Sasaki’s stuff is electric but needs to work on his command. I guess it doesn’t matter when the bullpen is lights out though. Wait until Evan Philips gets healthy and it’s 6 guys that are just lights out in the pen that throw 95+. The talent and depth is just ridiculous. Sasaki and Yamamoto could be an elite duo for the next 5-7 years, but the Dodgers need to find a way to protect their arms and keep them healthy. Where I am worried though is Mookie’s healthy. This man has lost 23 LBs in two weeks, which probably has Ozempic users jealous. Except in Mookie’s case he’s been ill for that long, and can’t keep any food down. I’m hopeful we’re all just overreacting, but this has been going on for two weeks, and seems more than just some bad sushi.
The Angels are getting ready to open their season with a lengthy road trip. Is there anything much to be excited about? In 2024 you said this team can’t get any worse. Then Perry Minasian said “hold my beer” and added a bunch of former White Sox to the roster. It’s like they decided to assemble a super team of #4 pitchers. Yoan Moncada is currently your Anthony Rendon replacement. Of course Rendon makes this guy look like Chipper Jones, even though Moncada is hitting .190 in Tempe this spring. If nothing else, hopefully Mike Trout stays healthy and returns to being the Trout we all know he can be.
I don’t know what the hell that was on Saturday night, but the Lakers suddenly looked like the Washington Generals. They had more turnover than Betty Crocker, and they couldn’t even guard a parked car. I’ll give them a pass and chalk it up to some rust after a lot of guys not being in rhythm after coming back from injury. I still think this team has a great shot at getting the #2 seed after a stretch from hell. We will also get a pretty good idea of just how much of a contender they are. In the last 12 games they’ll play the Thunder twice, the Rockets twice, the Grizzlies, and the Warriors. The schedule sounds tough, but they also own the tie breakers with most of the teams they are battling with. Separately, this LeBron vs Stephen A Smith battle is unnecessary, but I’m with Lebron. All of this started because Stephen A, among many others, tried to tell you Bronny James shouldn’t be in the NBA, and the only reason he is on the Lakers bc of his dad. However , you people are way too naive if you think people getting opportunities to succeed everyday from family or friends is nepotism. At the end of the day that person who had the opportunity has to prove themselves, and that’s exactly what Bronny is doing. He’s shown how much he’s improving everyday, and if you think he doesn’t have the skills to be on an nba roster right now, you don’t watch ball. For that reason, I have no problem with LeBron calling out Stephen A.
Don’t look now, but the Clippers have turned things around and might even get to the #6 seed. They got healthier, and Kawhi is starting to play like the elite player we remember him to be. I know we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to show up the next day saying he’s out of the season, but the Clips will take advantage of his presence while they can. I’m sure every Laker fan is wondering what life would be like if they had Ivica Zubac on their team, who has turned into an excellent center.
What do the Rams need to do in the draft? There are no really glaring needs, so they can approach this in two ways. They can build more foundational depth for the future, like drafting a quarterback to develop, or add more depth on both the offensive and defensive lines. Alternatively, they can try to swing for the fences at 2-3 positions that are game changers. These are inside line backer, cornerback, and wide receiver/running back. I’m more in favor of the latter approach because the objective is to win a Super Bowl, so maximize your chances with the elite pieces you already have.
Finally, the LA Kings have stabilized things for the time being and look like they are headed back to the playoffs. Going into yesterday they had won 7 of their last 10 games. More importantly, everyone decide to start scoring again, including Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield. I have my doubts the Kings are going to win the division, and they once again look destined to face the Oilers again in the 1st round of the playoffs. However, for things to be different this time two things must happen: Quinton Byfield must be elite, and they must have home ice advantage. The Kings are the best home team in the league. I have more confidence in Byfield being just that, but earning home ice advantage over Edmonton still seems doubtful.
