August 25, 2025
I don’t even know who the Dodgers are anymore. Yesterday, they looked like the powerhouse World Series Contender we thought they were. Many times in the last two weeks though, they looked more like one of the dumbest teams out there, especially for an organization that is typically more savvy than others. They have been screwing around all season with Teoscar Hernandez in right field instead of left, with Mookie Betts at shortstop instead of right field,. and Michael Conforto consistently in the lineup when he should instead be consistently delivering your Door Dash. They’ve also been consistently using Tanner Scott as their closer, when instead he should be put into lower leverage situations until he’s right. All this screwing around and experimenting has eliminated the Dodgers 9 game lead over the Padres in the division, reduce their likelihood of having a 1st round bye in the playoffs, and ultimately slimmed their margin of error to repeat as World Series Champions. The Dodgers know the sensible things they need to do to win games. For some reason, they insist on being stubborn and not doing it. I sure hope that changes quickly, or else they can forget about defending World Series title.
Meanwhile, the Angels got swept by the Cubs, and have lost 7 of their last 10 games. They are now 8.5 games out of the Wild Card, and 10.5 behind the Astros in the AL West. Their pitching got completely destroyed over the weekend, which was previously a strength. The Cubs now look like they are waking up after a two month long slumber. The Angels? Well, their slumber has lasted two decades: “Rip Van Winklesque”. Angels baseball is really just the Stanford Experiment for how long people will continue to put up with losing if you give them enough bobbleheads.
To the Rams, where there are some signs of good news. Matt Stafford went through practice last week, and also looked sharp. That’s very positive and a step in the right direction. There is still a lot to be uneasy about though. Sean McVay wouldn’t exactly commit to Stafford being ready for week 1 when he was asked about it. Clearly, he wants to see more reps, and feel more confident in his QB’s health before determining if he would be ready to go. On a different note, I really like the fact the Rams extended Kyren Williams on a 3-year $33 million deal. It’s not a crazy number, he’s proven his value at running back, and I think it’s a very fair deal for both sides. Suddenly, running backs getting paid might be coming back into fashion.
Then there’s the Chargers who have some interesting training camp battles going on. Tomorrow is the day to get down to a 53-man roster. The biggest question is who will be the #2 quarterback: Trey Lance or Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke has a slightly better career resume. Lance however, has outperformed him in camp, and has much more upside given where he was drafted. I think the sensible move here would be to carry all 3 QB’s but have Lance as the backup, assuming Heinicke wouldn’t want to go elsewhere. Given that the Chargers might have some offensive line problems and thus protecting their QB, this might be a season where unfortunately they need all 3 quarterbacks! There’s also a lot of uncertainty around Najee Harris, who has yet to do anything in training camp, and that means he’s got a few running backs breathing down his neck for the #2 running back role: Hassan Haskins, Kimani Vidal and rookie Raheim Sanders. Harris only has 11 days to figure it out, because the Bolts are opening the season on Friday September 4th against the Chiefs!
We’ve also go the start of College Football this weekend! That means USC is going to open the season against Missouri State at the Coliseum on Saturday. The Trojans are going into the season unranked, which shouldn’t surprise anybody. The team has some talent, but they are still going to have very stiff competition in the Big Ten this year, and needs to prove it. I expect improvement from their 7-6 record last year. However, the real talent will arrive in 2026, which is when expectations should be sky high. Jayden Maiava will be good, not great, but the team will be shuffling it’s offensive line all year, and that won’t offset the 3 1st round picks they will have going to the NFL next year. Lincoln Riley needs to get to the playoffs this year to give himself more credibility with everyone, and take some of the heat off before the big recruiting class gets here. I’m not so confident that will happen, but we’ll find out soon.
On the other hand, I don’t expect UCLA to be a whole lot better than last year, but I do think they could be exciting. QB Nico Iamaleava is the obvious one here that I think will put up some numbers, and will probably be the best player they’ve had at the position since Brett Hundley. The same goes for RB Jaivian Thomas, who will reprise that role with the Bruins as part of a deep group of running backs that also includes Jalen Berger, Anthony Woods, Anthony Frias II and Karson Cox. While each of those players holds promise, Thomas appears to have the biggest upside given his speed, patience and vision. If the Bruins can find a way to win 7 games, that would be a huge accomplishment.
Finally, it’s that time of year where not only football is starting, but fantasy football! That means you women all need to be prepared to lose your husbands and significant others to what will basically be their side piece for the next 4 months. Don’t expect your man to be doing the dishes, taking out the trash, and folding the laundry like they usually do. You may also have to deal with frequent yelling at the TV and the dog on Sunday, while your European immigrant neighbor rushes over and wonders what all the commotion is all about. Your husband will try to explain, but your neighbor will just walk away thinking that’s why this country is going straight to hell.
