September 1, 2025

The Dodgers are still clinging to a 2 game lead in the NL West over the Padres, but they’ve got problems. They are all or nothing on offense, either hitting homers like they are the ‘27 Yankees, or getting shut down like they are Little Leaguers. Then there’s the bullpen, which has Tanner Scott problems. The man couldn’t close a hot dog stand right now, let alone a baseball game. It’s September 1st, so at this point, those of you that have hopes of getting rid of Michael Conforto can dream on. With a 40-man roster you can only hope that he’s left off the playoff roster. The talent is there, the starting pitching is looking great, but the rest of the play is so inconsistent, I can’t say I feel great about this team’s chances come October.

I’ve done the math, and if the Angels can go 22-4 the rest of the way, they can probably make the last AL Wild Card spot. You have a better chance of winning the $1.1 billion Powerball drawing than that happening. Prayers up to Taylor Ward, who went crashing into the wall yesterday, after trying to chase down a fly ball. Give the man credit because he’s playing hard, while his teammate Anthony Rendon has been at home on the couch all season long drinking whiskey, and playing PlayStation, while collecting his $38 million paycheck. I told you right after the trade deadline that the Angels were going to be fools for being buyers, because they are going to end up finishing out of the playoffs by double digit games. Sure enough, with less than a month left they are 9 games out of the Wild Card and 11 games out of the Division. It’s like everybody saw this coming except Arte Moreno.

To College Football, where USC got off to a nice easy win against Missouri State on Saturday at the Coliseum. Jayden Maiava and Husain Longstreet looked like a dangerous duo on offense, and that is the most points USC has put up in a game since 2005. Of course it’s easy to look great against a team like that, and next week will be easy street as well against Georgia Southern. Then it gets real against Purdue, Michigan, followed by three straight top 15 opponents. The Trojans and their fans are really going to need some of these early easy wins to get the confidence of everyone up.

Then there’s UCLA, which looked like a complete disaster against Utah. I don’t want to overreact to one game, but there really is a lot to be concerned about. They attracted only 35,000 fans on a holiday weekend, against a very good opponent. That opponent took them apart from start to finish. Deshaun Foster got completely out coached, and Nico Iamaleava looks like an overpaid and overrated quarterback. The concerns is that Foster started 1-5 last year before turning things around, but this time his schedule is much tougher. The Bruins will be at UNLV next weekend, where they will actually be favored by a point or so. If they can’t win that game, they should be quite worried.

Elsewhere around College Football, Arch Manning should probably be compared to Uncle Rico instead of Uncle Peyton after Texas lost to Ohio State in the opening game. Notre Dame lost a close one to Miami as well. Their offensive line offered about as much protection as a busted condom all game, and let them down when it mattered most on the last drive. Clemson got upset by LSU, Alabama lost to Florida State, and ‘Bama fans are going to think this is the worst thing to happen to them since they made it illegal to marry your cousin in the state.

In the NFL, the Rams are getting ready to take on the Texans next week in their season opener. The good news is that Matt Stafford is expected to start in the game, after all the concerns about his back. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of concern once he starts taking hits, but it’s a good sign that he’s going to be on the field and ready to go. Alaric Jackson is also on track to play too, despite the blood clots he’s been dealing with. The Rams have gotten off to slow starts the last few years, then rallied to make the playoffs or win the division. With their first two games against the Texans and Titans, this would be a good time to get some early wins.

Then there’s the Chargers, who will open the season on Friday against the Chiefs. I contend that the Chiefs are much better than most people think they are going to be. However, the Bolts need to win their games against their division rivals, especially the Chiefs. Since the Chiefs are missing Rashee Rice for the firs six games, now is as good a time as ever to find the win column against them, especially playing at home.

Finally, the Kings are going to open training camp in 3 weeks from now. The bigger news though is that Anze Kopitar said that this may very well be his last season in the NHL. It will be his 20th season in the league, and he will finish as the franchise leader in games played, assists, and most likely points when it’s all said and done. He is arguably the greatest LA King in franchise history. As for his retirement, he’s still a very productive player, and when he retires, the Kings really won’t have a capable replacement for him. By now they should with all the young talent they have wasted.