November 6, 2023

That was just an embarrassing loss by the Rams yesterday against the Packers. I haven’t seen anything so humiliating since last week against Dallas. Brett Rypien looks like some guy the Rams pulled out of the stands to play QB. Les Snead couldn’t have swapped their 6th and 7th round picks with Arizona for Josh Dobbs? He’s a far better option as a back-up. Was a great move by Minnesota in attempt to salvage their season. The Rams needed to give the ball to Darell Henderson and Royce Freeman about 35-40 times yesterday to win, but instead, they got behind and needed Rypien to throw it 30 times. It wasn’t just Stafford’s injury that hurt, as Tyler Higbee was banged up, linebacker Ernest Jones and right tackle Rob Havenstein were out too. The defense actually held up yesterday, but the Rams aren’t going to be able to win if their offense is that inept. No need to overthink this though. It’s not coaching, like Samuel L. Jackson tried to point out on Twitter yesterday. It’s injuries. It stinks, but that’s how it is sometimes and you need to accept it.

I’d just like to point out that when the Chargers wake up this morning, they are going to be looking at the AFC West standings and see the Raiders with more wins than them. That’s right folks, the Las Vegas Raiders, who currently don’t have a coach or GM. I know what you’re thinking folks. Having Brandon Staley as your coach is like basically not having a coach, but that wasn’t the expectation coming into this season. Tonight will be a very interesting test for the Bolts against the Jets and their tough defense. Something to watch tonight will be what the Chargers do offensively after halftime. They’ve scored only one touchdown over their past four second halves. That can’t continue if this team is going to go anywhere in 2023.

To College Football, where it finally happened. USC lost to Washington, but Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch was relieved of his duties. Apparently giving up 571 yards of total offense and extinguishing any remaining hope of a PAC-12 Title was the final straw. By almost every available metric, USC has one of the worst defenses in college football. Through 10 games, the unit has given up 34.5 points per game, on pace for the worst mark in school history by a wide margin. The real issue though is the lost opportunity for the Trojans, as their defense struggled in the last month of last season, giving up 2,000 yards in the last month before losing in the Cotton Bowl to Tulane. The signs were there, but Lincoln Riley didn’t make a change. Had he then, this season may have turned out very different. In the big picture though, Riley will need to fix his defense in a big way if he intends to meet the expectations of USC and their fans.

Then there’s UCLA, which lost to Arizona in the desert on Saturday night. That’s one loss that makes you say “same ol’ UCLA”. The Bruins made so many mistakes, they missed three opportunities in the red zone, and came up empty on two field goal attempts. These are the types of losses that were not supposed to happen when they hired Chip Kelly. Things were supposed to be different. Not only are they not different, things are worse. After 6 years, Kelly would have to win 16 straight to equal Jim Mora & Bob Toledo’s winning % at UCLA (they were both fired after 6 & 7 yrs respectively). He’s 5-28 against teams who finish with a winning record & he enjoys a -294 point differential against these teams. Imagine paying all that money for Kelly, only to lose more games! Where is that GIF of The Joker burning money? The idea that UCLA needs consistency joining the Big Ten and therefore can’t fire him is nonsense when you consider that the only things they’ll ever be under Kelly are consistently out-coached, consistently out recruited, and consistently outplayed.

To the NBA, where the Lakers are not looking sharp at all in the early going. They are 6 games in, and just 3-3. There’s no need to panic, as the win against the Clippers was solid, but there are some disturbing patterns. There’s no urgency to start games, as they’ve consistently trailed by double digits at the end of the 1st quarter every game, and their 3rd quarters are poor too. They also show a complete lack of interest and engagement at times, which we saw on Saturday against Orlando. This team isn’t old. They are actually fairly young outside of Lebron and AD, but need focus and consistency. They are very capable of getting it, even with all their injuries. I’d also like to see the ball in Austin’s hands more to relieve the usage of Lebron, and get him going more. The Lakers next 9 games are against crummy opponents, so they should really be able to reel off 8 or 9 wins, but they need to focus. Injuries are no excuse with their depth. Lebron says the Lakers are like the Steelers, who have been outplayed statistically in all their games but have a winning record. Except the Lakers don’t have a winning record. I get where you’re going with this Lebron, but this is more reasons why kids need to go to college!

As for the Clippers, they finally pulled the trigger on a James Harden trade last week. This is one extremely risky trade for the Clips, which gives them a very high ceiling, but a lower floor, especially in future seasons. The Clips plan on moving Harden to the 2, and having Russ play the point, with PG, Kawhi, and Zubac in the front court. While that sounds great on paper, this isn’t 2016 anymore. Harden is best as a playmaker with the ball in his hands, especially as he’s gotten older. Russell Westbrook is not a great shooter, so floor spacing could be a problem for this group. Plus, when I hear Harden talk, he claims that “he is the system”, which makes me think he’s going to show up in LA and think offensively he will eat first. Only time will tell here if this will work, but we’ll get our first look at the new look Clippers tonight in New York. Harden will also be disappointed to learned that since he’s a Clipper, he’ll get treated as a second class citizen in LA, resulting in getting seated by the bathroom in every restaurant he goes out to.

In baseball, the off-season is upon us. Something tells me, Shohei Ohtani is going to be making a free agent decision in the next few weeks, and maybe even before Thanksgiving. Dude has only had 6 years to decide, so I’m pretty sure he knows what he wants at this point. There was also some Clayton Kershaw news last week, when he announced that he will undergo shoulder surgery, and is hopeful to return to play at some point next summer. Now the question remains if he returns, will that return be for the Dodgers? The man has definitely earned the right to do whatever he wants, and if that is to pitch for his hometown Rangers, the defending World Series Champs, then so be it. However, I still feel like reaching 3,000 strikeouts and finishing his career in a Dodger uniform would be much more meaningful for him. For those of you saying, “He stunk in the postseason, I want him off the team,” Mookie and Freddie stunk in the postseason for 3 games, and you don’t want them off the team. Clayton Kershaw as your #4 starter would actually be pretty nice. I’m sure Andrew Friedman and his computer will make the right decision here.

October 30, 2023

The Lakers are 1-2 to start the season, but I’m not freaking out like many people are. The Nuggets are the defending champions. The Suns may have played without Booker and Beal, but who knows what they are even with them, and the Kings are a very good team. However, the Darvin Ham needs to clean up this rotation quickly. Glad that he is admitting that though. Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, and Max Christie need more minutes. Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Jaxton Hayes need to be chained to the bench for the time being. Austin Reaves also needs the ball in his hand more, and AD has to stop going for offensive rebounds he has no chance of getting, compromising the transition defense. If they can clean those things up, and stop bricking open 3’s, we can stop talking about how many minutes Lebron is playing or not playing, and the guy can actually get some rest.

The Clippers on the other hand have not had a difficult schedule to start the season, and they’ve mostly taken care of business, winning 2 of 3. They did have a hiccup on Friday against the Jazz, which can happen in the Western Conference. There’s really no truly “easy nights”, even against the likes of the Blazers, Jazz, and Spurs, but none of those 3 I would expect to be in the playoffs. The rumors around James Harden continue to persist though. Both the Clippers and the Sixers seem to have drawn a line in the sand, but for the Sixers, it’s getting way more uncomfortable than I imagined, and Harden may get his way with a trade. Whether or not that trade is to the Clippers remains to be seen.

That was definitely a rough day for the Rams yesterday, who fell to 3-5 after getting blown out by the Cowboys. The worst of it though is Matt Stafford suffering a thumb injury. If he’s out for any extended period of time, you can kiss this season goodbye. However, if that is the case, the Rams should seriously considering tanking to get a higher draft pick. They might not be in the Caleb Williams or Drake Maye sweepstakes right now, but they could be very soon, even if Stafford is out for the next say, 4 games. The Rams defense really got obliterated yesterday though. Dak Prescott looked more like Dan Marino with all those darts he was throwing to CeDee Lamb.

As for the Chargers, the heat is off of Brandon Staley for a day after beating the Bears on Sunday Night. This game also goes to show you that even with a busted middle finger and bad coaching, Justin Herbert is still really good and able to throw TD passes. Austin Ekeler looks like he’s healthy again too, which was much needed. Unfortunately, the Chargers can’t play the Bears every week, although I’m sure they will petition the league to do so. They’ll get the Jets next week who are feeling really good about themselves, followed by the Lions at home.

To College Football, where USC escaped against Cal over the weekend. They dropped 50 points on them and you would think they would have blown them out but nope! The defense is still horrific. You have to love at this point on National broadcasts, that there is speculation that Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch has compromising photos of Lincoln Riley, since that has to be the only way he still has his job. If you weren’t happy with the Trojans performance yesterday, you’re really not gonna like what happens against Washington, Oregon and maybe even UCLA. How is USC only a 3.5 underdog against Washington? Vegas must be giving away money for free.

Meanwhile, the Bruins put on an impressive display against Colorado over the weekend at the Rose Bowl. It’s the UCLA defense that is most impressive, which has featured a relentless pass rush. Ethan Garbers looked solid, but at some point, I have a feeling that Kelly will go back to Dante Moore, but he’s waiting for the right time to make the switch. With their remaining schedule, UCLA could easily win 10 games, but it might not be enough to get into the Pac-12 championship game with Oregon and Washington still likely to finish as the Top 2 seeds in the conference. Nevertheless, a 10-win season for this group would be impressive.

In baseball, the World Series is going to wrap up this week, and the Dodgers can only look at Corey Seager like an ex-girlfriend, and “the one who got away”. Seager was viewed as a guy the Dodgers liked, but somewhat injury prone and not worth over $300 million. Of course now, nobody is saying that with his production in the World Series. In case we all forgot, Seager actually won a World Series MVP for the Dodgers in 2020, so he gave you all the proof you needed that he was a player worthy of that contract. One way or another, between Seager and Trea Turner, the Dodgers let too much talent walk out the door without replacing it. Hopefully this off-season they will correct that.

Then there’s the Angels, who are trying to find their next manager. The names that are coming up? Torii Hunter, Darin Erstad, and Tim Salmon. What a joke! Since Arte Moreno knows he can’t get any real managers to come run his team, and since he’s cheap, he figures let’s go hire a popular former Angel with no experience, who the fans will get excited about. Unfortunately Mr Moreno, your fans are not as naive as you are. They all know the game you are running, and you’re only making yourself look worse and worse with every decision you make. This will be no different.

October 23, 2023

Brett Maher absolutely screwed the Rams yesterday against the Steelers. The Rams had more total yards, rushing yards, passing yards, yards per play, better third down efficiency, fewer punts, and better time of possession, yet still lost. Maher missed two field goals and an extra point, which was the difference in the game. When you’re probably on the playoff bubble, it’s these types of losses that can keep you out of the postseason. When Maher gets to the facility tomorrow, don’t be surprised if they change the locks to keep him out. Kenny Pickett was also short on that sneak, which didn’t help either, and that wasn’t a pass interference play on Witherspoon. That unfortunately felt like a home game for the Steelers, but we also forget that we didn’t have football for about 20 years in SoCal, so there are going to be some remaining transplant fans that will exist for a while. The next two won’t be easy on the road at the Cowboys and the Packers, but maybe the football Gods will give the Rams a few breaks along the way to even things out.

You can’t tell me you’re surprised by seeing the Chargers get beat by the Chiefs yesterday at Arrowhead. However, that doesn’t change how disappointing the way they lost is. I realize that Patrick Mahomes is really good and that Travis Kelce is basically invincible since he’s dating Taylor Swift. However, Brandon Staley is supposed to be a DEFENSIVE COACH. His defense is getting completely obliterated on a weekly basis, and yesterday was just another stark reminder of that. I think the question also has to be asked at this point if Justin Herbert is regressing as a quarterback because of Staley, and not able to take his game to another level because of him. We’ve seen some of his other peers like Joe Burrow and Tua Tagavailoa take their game to another level with good coaching. Herbert clearly doesn’t have that. Sure you might be able to point to his hand injury, but some are starting to question if he’s really a good 4th quarter or clutch quarterback. If Staley weren’t his coach, you probably wouldn’t be wondering that. The real question though is how the Swifties feel about Taylor’s secret handshake with Brittany Mahomes.

Elsewhere around the NFL in Week 7, Josh Allen and the Bills lost to the lowly Patriots, and they haven’t been this embarrassed since the last time the fans tailgated in Buffalo. The Lions decided to have a throwback game to when they stunk, and got blown out by the Ravens 38-6. The Bears dismantled the Raiders in the backup quarterback bowl. The Giants beat the Commanders, Tyrod Taylor looked solid, and they have to be wondering if Daniel Jones was the wrong guy to give $44 million to. And the Packers got beat the Broncos, and Jordan Love is apparently not allowed to throw a pass beyond 5 yards.

In a matter of two weeks, the Trojan season looks like a complete catastrophe. USC lost to Utah for their second straight loss, and there could easily be 2 or 3 more losses to come before the end of the regular season. The Trojan defense is still looking more inept by the game, with poor tackling and poor scheming, and Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch looks like he will need to start looking on LinkedIn for his next gig if he keeps this up. What people need to realize is that this was actually a much bigger rebuilding job than you originally thought, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Caleb Williams covered up a lot of those flaws because he’s that good, but somewhere along the way, USC stopped recruiting lineman and good defenders. However, what’s more disturbing is the rumors circulating that Riley is interested in an NFL job, especially one where Caleb Williams ends up. That sounds ridiculous though for an NFL team to hire him, especially when his defenses couldn’t tackle a car parked on fraternity row.

Then there’s UCLA, who beat up Stanford. However, the story is that Chip Kelly decided to switch quarterbacks and go back to Junior Ethan Garbers. Look, if this move was really made because Dante Moore wasn’t healthy, then fine. However, I can’t help but think Kelly made the switch because Moore made mistakes against the three toughest opponents on the schedule so far. If that’s the case, Kelly is wrong for ripping the confidence from the man who is likely to become a star college quarterback in the next year or two, especially against an opponent that could have helped him regain his confidence. Naturally, Garbers looked great against an opponent that should be playing in the annual Women’s Lingerie Bowl instead of the PAC-12. Hopefully Moore gets back in the lineup against Colorado for the long-term benefit of the UCLA Football program.

The Lakers are ready to get the season underway tomorrow night on the road against the Denver Nuggets. Savvy move by the NBA to schedule the Lakers on the Nuggets banner raising night, otherwise, nobody would care and nobody would watch. Then again, I’m still not actually sure the Nuggets care they won the championship, as they seem to care more that they beat the Lakers along the way, given all the trash talking they’ve been doing since. In typical Laker fan fashion, after one bad preseason game against the Suns, they suddenly have no depth, Christian Wood is terrible, and the Lake Show is doomed. Relax people. This Laker team is going to be solid. I’m not going to promise you they will win the title, but they will be in the mix in the Western Conference, and they certainly shouldn’t start the season 2-10 like they did last year. They might start 0-2 given that they have the Nuggets and Suns to start the season, but relax. This is a good team that will be competing well every night in a tough Western Conference.

As for the Clippers, I’m surprised we’re still hearing the noise about James Harden. Bringing Harden in is a terrible idea for them. If Kawhi and Paul George start missing games, Harden is going to be salty and bring his bad attitude to the table again. That’s exactly what he did in Brooklyn when Kyrie and KD started missing games. The only positive is that strip clubs in the Los Angels area will be thriving if Harden comes to LA. Also interesting that we haven’t heard any talks about extensions for Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. Something tells me that Steve Ballmer isn’t quite ready to back up the brinks truck for his start until they start showing up to work a little bit more often.

We’re now almost two weeks remove from another traumatic Dodger postseason exit. I’m not sure if many of you realize this, but the Dodgers can easily spend over $100 million this off-season to improve what is already a pretty good regular season team. However, how they spend that money is going to be very interesting. Anybody with half a brain can tell you they need 2-3 starting pitchers, and even people with no brain can tell you they should at least pursue Shohei Ohtani. However, even with all that they need more to succeed in October. They need better defense up the middle and in the outfield, better place discipline, and better run manufacturing capability. The Dodgers can literally do anything they want this off-season, because they are flush with all the resources they need. It’s not even the pitching or Ohtani that I’m really keeping my eye on. It’s the other fringe moves to improve those deficient areas I mentioned, which won’t be talked about, that I’m looking for. Ultimately, It’s how they use all those resources that will be how their future is defined.

October 16, 2023

Look people, don’t make excuses. I don’t want to hear that the MLB postseason format needs fixing. It’s the Dodgers playoff approach that needs fixing. That’s why they were eliminated last week, and that’s exactly what I’ve been telling you needs fixing for over a year now. By the way, Lance Lynn should just pitch to Mookie Betts in next year’s home run derby if he wants to win. Lynn clearly knows how to throw those meatballs. In all seriousness though, the Dodgers have been going to the postseason for over a decade straight, and there’s only two postseasons in that time where they actually hit consistently. 2017, and 2020. Don’t tell me you don’t like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman as leaders or that they aren’t “passionate enough” or some nonsense like that. The bottom line is that when your lineup is dependent on a couple of sluggers to hit the three-run homer because analytics tells you to sit back and do so, you’re going to go through droughts. Obviously the Dodgers need pitching, and we knew that going in with all their injuries. They can fix that by signing the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto from Japan, and another starter. However, they need to look for players that are just good at putting the ball in play, have a high-on base percentage, and can steal bases. That’s how you must manufacture runs when your sluggers go through droughts in the playoffs. If they get Shohei Ohtani that’s great, but to be honest, spending $500 million on a power-hitting DH doesn’t fill any need for this team. If you want to replace Dave Roberts because he’s a bad in-game manager, you have no idea how baseball works. If you want to replace him because you think they need a new voice and leader, then that’s fair. I also don’t want to see Clayton Kershaw retire after the last start he had. Can’t go out like that.

While we are on the topic of baseball, I cannot imagine that the Angels would get anybody that is high profile to take their managerial job. I’ve heard rumors of Buck Showalter, or even John Farrell, but these guys aren’t going to want to let some half-ass analytics people from The University of Phoenix tell them how to do their jobs. The Halos are probably going to get someone who has never managed before, or someone who wants an opportunity to run the show (or at least thinks he will with Arte as his boss), or has previous ties to the organization. Think Walt Weiss, Ron Roenicke, or Ron Washington if they are lucky.

To College Football, where USC finally got exposed over the weekend, losing to my Fighting Irish of Notre Dame 48-20. The Irish defense played very well, as they have for much of the season, but Caleb Williams also played so bad, I was beginning to wonder if he had money on Notre Dame and the under. It was a bad night for USC, but ironically, it really wasn’t their defense that did them in. It was the critical turnovers by Williams, which gave the Irish prime scoring opportunities they couldn’t mess up. Still, the Trojan defense is a concern, and with the remaining schedule that includes Utah, Washington, Oregon, and UCLA, they could easily finish the regular season with 4 or 5 losses. That would suggest that Lincoln Riley is in for a much bigger rebuilding project than we all thought. By the way, that victory has to be bitter sweet for the Irish. They beat USC, barely lost to Ohio State who is #3, or they would be in much better contention for the playoffs.

Then there’s UCLA, who got beat by Oregon State. The Bruins defense is still tough, but Dante Moore showed that he’s still going to go through growing pains in some big games this season. There was some thought going into the game that some of the Pac-12 teams would beat up on each other and UCLA might be able to sneak into the Conference Title game, but that seems unlikely after what we just witnessed. There’s going to be some game-to-game volatility with this kid. They might still be good for another big win or two against Top 25 teams, but they aren’t quite ready for prime time. That’s ok though. That doesn’t mean things aren’t looking up with more development from Moore.

In the NFL, I have no idea why Sean McVay abandons the run like he does from time-to-time. When he did yesterday, the Rams couldn’t score against the lowly Arizona Cardinals. However, once he decided to let his offensive line bully the Cardinals and open some holes for Kyren Williams, the game was effectively over. The Rams improved to 3-3, and this is truly the stretch of games they need to win since their schedule got lighter. Cooper Kupp looks like himself again, Williams looks solid, and Matt Stafford is being protected well and producing as a result. With the Steelers, Cowboys, and Packers looming, I expect at least 2 out of 3 wins before the bye week, which is a decent place to be for this team.

The Lakers are nearing the end of the preseason. There’s a few things to feel really good about as we near the start of the season. First of all D’Angelo Russell looks amazing. Not only is he shooting the ball very well, but he’s actually making a focused effort to improve his defense . Anthony Davis looked sharp last night too, so has Rui Hachimura, and Taurean Prince looks like he could be a 3-D wing the Lakers have been needing for quite some time. He might even start, but in any case, the Lake Show has plenty of versatility in their front court to be excited about, and a lot of ways they can round out their starting lineup around D-Lo, LBJ, AD, and Austin.

I know we are only two games into the NHL season, but the LA Kings are already off to a disastrous start. In two games, we’ve already confirmed that the defense and goaltending are hot garbage. To make matters worse, Rob Blake has managed the salary cap like Enron managed their balance sheet. The Kings barely have enough cap room to have a full NHL roster, and certainly not enough to fix their crummy goaltending and defense. Also, how long do we have to wait for Brandt Clark to be called up? Dude will instantly be a top 3 defenseman on the team once he’s in the lineup, and he’s rotting in the minors. Feels like 80 more games of aggravation coming.

October 9, , 2023

I’m sorry but there is absolutely nothing positive to come away with from Saturday’s Dodger game. This feels like the 10th installment of a bad horror movie. I feel terrible for Clayton Kershaw, but he has absolutely dominated the D’Backs consistently, while Merrill Kelly has been obliterated by the Dodgers consistently. Yet inexplicably, none of that mattered on Saturday night. There’s simply no excuses for Kershaw, not that he’s making any. Imagine if you went to that game. By the time you got to your seat it was 9-0! Now you expect me to feel good about the Dodgers taking 3 of the next 4 with Zac Gallen on the hill for Arizona tonight? There’s really nothing to say about the Dodgers here. It’s just another unexplainable playoff disaster, that feels like it’s going to end badly by the time I’m writing the next edition of MMC.

In the NFL, the Rams put up a good fight once again, but they were no match for the Eagles yesterday at SOFI. The team is only 2-3 with losses against teams you would expect to be Super Bowl contenders. However, you can’t help but think they’ve had enough opportunities to win one or two of these games, and that could be the difference between them making or missing the postseason. The good news was that Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp renewed their connection, racking up 118 yards. The Kupp-Puka Nakua- Tutu Atwell trio has a chance to turn into the Kupp-Robert Woods-Brandon Cooks trio of a few years ago. However, they simply aren’t making enough big plays in the big moments to take control of these games. That doesn’t mean that can’t change before the season is over. However, the Rams need to take care of business in the next couple of weeks with their schedule getting softer.

Elsewhere around the NFL in week 5, Cowboys fans are about to enter the transfer portal after last nights beating they took from the 49ers. Belichick is about to break out the spy cameras after the Patriots started 1-4. The NFL probably forced Travis Kelce to come back and play injured yesterday so they can keep the Taylor Swift money train going. Meanwhile, Sean Payton talked all that smack about Nathaniel Hackett just to lose to him and his backup QB.

In the College ranks, USC may be undefeated after getting by Arizona, but all is not well. Any Trojan fan has to admit to themselves that their defense couldn’t stop a parked car, and that they are easily the one of the weakest undefeated teams remaining. At best, they are the 3rd best team in the PAC-12, behind Oregon and Washington, but still vulnerable against others. It also doesn’t help the Trojans that Notre Dame got bombed by Louisville over the weekend. Caleb Williams is phenomenal and still in Hesiman contention, but the Trojans have 5 really tough games out of a remaining 6, and already appear to have reached their ceiling.

As for the Bruins, they came up with a big win against #13 Washington State on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. I’m impressed that Dante Moore was tough enough to overcome some critical mistakes and made big plays, and also impressed that the entire stadium didn’t melt in the heat. UCLA is now up to #18 in the rankings after a 4-1 start. They still have Oregon State and USC on their schedule too, so there’s an opportunity to contend for the conference title if things go really well. Otherwise, there’s a lot to feel good about with Moore’s future.

The NBA preseason got underway on Saturday night for the Lakers as they took on the Warriors. I don’t like to make a big deal out of preseason sports, although I’m sure the Warriors fans will, exacting revenge on last years playoff exit by playing their starters big minutes against the Laker reserves. However, the Lakers should take away the fact that Max Christie looks like a really good rotation player that’s going to make an impact this year. His teammates are noticing it too, and giving him lots of love.

Finally, as I said previously, I don’t like to draw conclusions from preseason sports. However, in the NHL, the Kings played their regulars against the regulars of the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. They lost 7-4, after taking a 4-2 lead. It was a game that was a complete re-incarnation of last years team. They can score, but they can’t play defense. I have no idea how Rob Blake looked at this team and said “we just need more goal scoring, and who cares about the defense and goaltending”. To make matters worse, Blake has created such an imbalance in the roster and slowed down players development so much, that many are now subject to waives when they are called up. Things are not promising to start for the Kings.

October 2, 2023

The Rams had some trouble, but they took care of business yesterday against the Colts. Once the Rams add Cooper Kupp into the offense alongside Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Higbee, and Stafford. They might be a problem. Suddenly, choosing Williams over Cam Akers seems like a brilliant move as well. After last week, I was beginning to wonder if Sean McVay was capable of committing to a run game, and having a balanced attack, but yesterday he did for a bit, then abandoned it. I hope he sticks with it because the Rams have an advantage when they do, and he reduces the injury risk to an older Matt Stafford. That was a huge reason why the Colts got back in the game. Hopefully a lesson learned for McVay.

As for the Chargers, it took playing the Raiders, but they find the win column. Not even Brandon Staley could screw this one up. Well sort of. The Bolts didn’t score in the 3rd and 4th quarters against a team with a mediocre defense and a rookie quarterback. Of course the game also included Staley making weird decisions like going for it on 4th down again and calling a QB sneak, resulting in no gain at their own 34 yard line. I still think many of you though are underestimating just how much the Spanos’ love Staley, and how much they hate the idea of firing him and paying another coach. It’s hard to have any confidence this team is going anywhere this season, and they could easily be 0-4.

Elsewhere around week 4 of the NFL, if we played a drinking game where every time Taylor Swift was mentioned on Sunday Night Football and you had to take a shot, you would definitely be dead at the end of the 1st quarter. The Chiefs hung on to beat the Jets. I guess the Miami Dolphins can’t score 70 points when they play real competition, as they got dismantled by the Bills. The Jaguars dominated the Falcons in London, and England has informed the US that the next time they sent the Falcons to play in London it will be considered an act of terror and they will declare war on the United States. The Broncos rallied to beat the Bears in a game that featured two teams that were so bad, it should have been aired on Comedy Central.

To College Football, where the Trojans may be undefeated, but they aren’t nearly as good as we all thought. They took care of Colorado, but their defense is absolutely atrocious. Poor tackling, poor scheming, bad play calling, and just downright poor defensive coaching. This team is completely dependent on Caleb Williams having some ridiculous video game stats in a game, and putting up 50 points in a game. At this point, that makes them no better than the 3rd best team in the PAC-12 right now behind Oregon and Washington. Caleb Williams is making a strong case to be a repeat Heisman Trophy winner, which is one thing Trojan fans can feel good about. However, every game from here on out, everyone is going to be asking Lincoln Riley if he is going to be “tarmac-ing” his defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch.

Elsewhere around College Football, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame had a very gutty win against surprising Duke. I think most Notre Dame fans thought their team was dead in the final minute, before Sam Hartman scrambled for his life for that 1st down. Ole Miss took down LSU and their fans rushed the field. Even Abercrombie & Fitch thinks that’s way too many khaki shorts and polos in one place. Georgia woke up from a nap late in the game to survive their game against Auburn. Florida will also get bounced from the Top 25 after losing to Kentucky, and especially after not being able to stop this play with 13 men on the field.

To baseball, where the Dodgers wrapped up the regular season yesterday against the Giants, and are ready for the NLDS. Look, I don’t like the Dodgers chances in this years playoffs. I simply don’t believe in their pitching. Clayton Kershaw looked great Saturday, but he’s a vulnerable health risk at this stage, and everyone else behind him has no playoff experience. With that being said, the best thing the Boys in Blue have going for them is that Miami, Philadelphia, and the Braves are on the other side of the playoff bracket for them. If you had to choose, Milwaukee or Arizona are far more appealing opponents in a short series. Of course, it would be the most baseball thing ever if this was the year the Dodgers actually won the World Series in a year in which we thought they had no chance.

As for the Angels, their season ended and possibly the Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani era. Sure enough, the Athletic did another piece on how the Halos haven’t had a winning season for the six years they’ve had arguably the two best players in baseball. It was very predictable though, reiterating everything we’ve known. Arte Moreno does not spend money on player development and scouting, among many other non-payroll areas, which is killing his franchise. Also, just to remind you how soft people are these days, a kid came to the game over the weekend with a sign that said “sell the team”. Security asked him to take down the sign. I did not realize that going to Angels games was basically the equivalent of entering a communist regime.

We’re just a few days away from NBA training camps opening up. Perhaps the dumbest “I have no idea what I’m talking about” rumor that was out there was that the Lakers were considering trading for Dame Lillard. This was stupid, because the Lakers do not have anybody under contract they can trade until December 15th, other than Lebron, who we know would not be in that trade. I’m actually astonished at the 3-team deal between the Suns, Bucks, and Blazers, which ultimately sent Dame to Milwaukee. It’s possible that all 3 teams are worse than before the trade. The Suns got a bunch of guys that are unplayable for their starting center. The Bucks were already contenders without Dame and are worse defensively, and the Blazers aren’t good enough to make the playoffs or bad enough to tank now. If you’re a Laker fan, no need to be terribly concerned.

Then there’s the Clippers. I can’t believe they arrested the guy who murdered Tupac before they won an NBA Championship. The Clips also have to be a little bummed that they were unable to get in on the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes, in all the Dame madness. Holiday is an all-star, and an excellent two-way player. He actually even shot better than Dame from 3 last season. He’s the type of playmaking point guard that the Clippers need, but they didn’t have the assets to get him, as Holiday ended up with the Celtics. It’s also interesting they added Josh Primo, who is super talented, but has had issues with women, and in this era, that can be a problem. Something tells me if this weren’t the Clippers, more people would be talking about it. It’s disappointing but nevertheless, the Clippers fate will always be dependent on the availability of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

September 25, 2023

Let’s be honest, the Chargers did not deserve to win that game yesterday. If it had not been for a lucky interception by Kenneth Murray Jr, combined with some ineptitude from the Vikings offense, Branon Staley would be getting cooked right now. This guy is repeatedly making completely moronic decisions, and the latest was going for it on 4th down late in the 4th quarter deep in his own territory. This guy is like a 7 year old just learning to play Madden on Play Station. Somebody needs to take the controller from him. Of course he made the ridiculous excuse that it shows he believes in his defense. Unfortunately for the Bolts, not only is Staley still their coach this morning, but receiver Mike Williams could be lost for the season with a knee injury. That was one win they desperately needed and got, but it proved to be extremely costly in a multitude of ways.

The Rams are getting ready to take on the Bengals tonight in a Monday Night Football showdown. This isn’t quite the same two teams that met in the Super Bowl 17 months ago, but still a compelling matchup. The Rams look much better than everyone thought, while the Bengals look much worse than everyone thought. This would certainly be a nice win for the Rams to get in the early going, and take advantage of a struggling Bengals team, but I would expect them to come out with desperation. The Rams also finally traded Cam Akers to the Vikings. Apparently Akers has not been paying attention to what’s been happening to running backs around the league. He must think he should be valued or something, but not a single running back is. All he needs to do is ask Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, or Josh Jacobs.

Elsewhere around the NFL, the Denver Broncos should be relegated to the CFL after the Dolphins dropped 70 points on them. The fact that Patrick Mahomes has to answer questions about Taylor Swift in a post game interview is both hilarious and embarrassing. On the other hand, Donna Kelce has two sons playing in the NFL, and one of them could make Taylor Swift her daughter-in-law. That’s the ultimate American white woman hat trick. How about ‘dem Cowboys? Or not? Dallas got stunned by Arizona, who I’m not even sure is trying to win football games this year. The Jets are calling all their season ticket holders this morning to see if they have an interest in replacing Zach Wilson at quarterback, after losing to the Patriots. The Steelers took down the Raiders on Sunday Night Football, but George Pickens probably needs to work on his blocking.

In College Football, USC struggled, but eventually took care of Arizona State on Saturday in Tempe. This was one of those games where Caleb Williams improvisation skills, along with the talent of his receivers bailed the Trojans out of trouble. USC had trouble with both penalties and turnovers in this one, and the defense had their own issues as well. The Trojans should have no issue with Colorado next week, despite all their hype, but if they plan on getting through the conference schedule unscathed, they will have to clean up every other aspect of their game around Williams. The more he has to use his improvisation skills, as we saw last year, the more susceptible he is to injury. Once that happens, SC can kiss their playoff chances goodbye.

Meanwhile, the Bruins lost a defensive slug fest at Utah. The game was basically decided when Dante Moore threw that pick-6 on the first play from scrimmage. UCLA can’t be that unhappy though. They were right there with a Top 10 team in the country, their defense looked tough, and Moore showed some grit, coming back and throwing a touchdown late in the game. This is just part of the development curve for him, and there will be growing pains along the way. UCLA fell out of the Top 25, but something tells me they will get back in there very soon.

Elsewhere around College Football, what a horrible way for Notre Dame to lose to Ohio State, in an otherwise fantastic game. Do you know how many mistakes have to be made for there to be 10 guys on the field for not one but two plays? I mean it probably would have helped to have one more guy on the field, on a play where the running back barely makes it in the end zone. Meanwhile the Deion Sanders haters are probably out in full force on Twitter again after Colorado got dismantled by Oregon. Then there was Alabama taking care of Ole Miss. Tide fans haven’t been this excited since they found out it was legal to marry your cousin in their state.

I don’t know how much longer he can keep this up, but what Clayton Kershaw is doing right now is simply remarkable, and a reminder of just how great he is. The guy has a very cranky shoulder, yet the Dodgers desperately need him to pitch, even every 6 days. Every time he pitches, it’s brilliant. His velocity is under 90 mph, yet he finds a way to work the edges and figure out how to be effective. Since he seems to be requiring about 6 days of rest, he may only be good for one playoff start a series, so they’ll have to use him very strategically.

The Lakers extended Jared Vanderbilt last week. His new contract is 4 years and $48 million. Some of you naysayers will question the contract because he’s not a big offensive threat, but if so, you’re not paying attention. The salary cap is going up, and that means players are getting paid more. $12 million a year for a versatile defender like Vando, who can play multiple positions and rebound well is still a reasonable deal. Plus at some point, the Lakers could need some tradeable salary, and Vando gives them that, even with the 4 year term. It’s really another sensible move by Rob Pelinka.

Finally, speaking of the Lakers, I’m extremely disappointed that HBO cancelled “Winning Time”. You cannot end a series like this with the Lakers losing to the Celtics in the 1984 NBA Finals. Then again from HBO’s standpoint, content and ratings are very fickle, and tastes can change quickly. They want to make cheap content that appeals to the masses, and not interesting, expensive content that appeals to niche audience. Then again, something tells me that this may not be the end of the series, and that somebody else may pick it up. Well, at least that’s what I’m hoping.

September 18, 2024

I don’t know if the Rams are legit, but they sure looked pretty good against the 49ers yesterday. I mean the 49ers are supposed to be this all-world, nobody can beat them, greatest team of all-time according to the media. So this has to be a pretty good measuring stick. They were in the game up until the end, and might have even won were it not for Kyren Williams taking his eye off a pass that led to an interception. Matt Stafford has only been sacked once in two games, and Puca Nakua is producing like he’s Jerry Rice out there. Then there’s the weird Cam Akers situation, where it suddenly appears he’s done with the Rams. Sean McVay and Akers are talking to each other through the media like an old married couple that is on the verge of a divorce after the 1,000th fight. Meanwhile, Kyren Williams has taken over the starting job, and sounds like the new girlfriend waiting in the wings, talking like the ink on the divorce papers is already dry. I don’t really see how there is a market for Cam Akers at this point, but also don’t think he has much of a future with the Rams. Nevertheless, will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

I am running out of things to say about the Chargers faltering in the clutch against teams they should beat. Maybe I should just start copying and pasting the same content about them every week and it should work just fine? Once again, they blew a double digit lead, took some very undisciplined penalties, and couldn’t make the clutch plays in overtime when they needed to. This continues to be a Brandon Staley problem, but we all know about that by now. If the Bolts can’t beat the Vikings and Raiders, they might as well pack it in because the schedule is going to get a heck of a lot tougher after that with the Cowboys and Chiefs looming. They are the Chargers for a reason. They also are getting exactly what they are paying for in coaching.

Elsewhere around the NFL, Joe Burrow has turned into Andy Dalton after signing his extension, and the Bengals are now 0-2 after losing to the Ravens. The Cowboys are having way more success right now than their fans are probably used to. Tyreek Hill looks like he’s playing against little children out there as the Dolphins beat up the Patriots. Gotta feel bad for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, especially after seeing Zach Wilson, but hope he’s able to have a speedy recovery, and sounds like he’s determined too.

To College Football where UCLA looked pretty good against North Carolina Central over the weekend, and Dante Moore continues to look like a star. Things are going to get real for the Bruins now when they play Washington State next week, followed by Oregon State. Chip Kelly still doesn’t want to publicly commit to Moore, which is idiotic. We all know he is the guy, and all Kelly can say is “we should probably get him more reps”. I know it’s probably easy to say the Bruins haven’t played anybody yet, but keep in mind that they started the same way last season and ended up being a good team despite their expectations. Their defense also looks legit, holding opponents to under 20 points in all 3 games, and Moore is getting better with every snap he takes. Show us what you’ve got next week Chip, and then we can talk.

USC had a bye week, but they’ll take on ASU next week in Tempe. The Trojans are still ranked at #5 in the AP Poll, but there’s two things that should be concerning to them. The first is the fact they are the most penalized team in the PAC-12. That’s always killed them, even dating back to the Clay Helton era. Then there’s the schedule. The PAC-12 is a gauntlet with 8 ranked teams. They might be able to afford one-loss, but two? Forget about the College Football Playoff.

Look, I think what Deion Sanders is doing at Colorado is awesome. However, the hype machine has gone way too overboard at this point. They barely beat Colorado State. The game was exciting, but at best, they are probably an upstart fringe Top 25 team. They certainly keep it interesting, but the coverage around them is insane. The star power though is also insane, given that Deion made $1.2 million with Blenders Eyewear in one day, after Colorado State Head Coach Jay Norvell criticized him for wearing shades all the time. That’s the ultimate troll!

To baseball, where the Dodgers clinched the division title over the weekend by sweeping the Marlins. They have now won the NL West 10 out of 11 years. Before you start saying we only care about the championships (and yes that’s true), keep in mind that everybody picked the Padres to win the division. Meanwhile, the Padres won’t even make the playoffs, and will be searching for answers on their Cancun vacations in the next couple of weeks. The fact the Dodgers did this by plugging more kids into their lineup and into their rotation speaks to just how good their player development is. The pitching going into the postseason is obviously still a concern, including Clayton Kershaw’s drop in velocity, but there’s still a few weeks to try and figure this out before it’s show time in October.

Why do the Angels manage everything so poorly? Shohei Othani is getting shut down for the season, the Halos said nothing for a while, making it look like he cleaned out his locker because he was done with the team. They also kept Anthony Rendon’s injury a total secret, rather than saying he fractured his tibia. Rendon probably wouldn’t have continued to make himself look like a douchebag anyway, but still poorly handled. I also have no idea why Mike Trout wants to put himself back in the lineup for the last two weeks of the season. That just feels like more of a health risk for him, especially if he’s going to be traded.

September 11, 2023

I was told the Rams were going to be garbage. Apparently their demise were greatly exaggerated. They handled the Seahawks without Cooper Kupp, with a bunch of dudes you’ve never heard of as wide outs, and on defense. It’s just a reminder of how competent you can be with solid coaching, a good quarterback, and a good offensive line. I’m not sitting here telling you the Rams are some Super Bowl juggernaut. But the idea of them bottoming out looks very unlikely. Then again, if the Matt Stafford trade showcase has begun, we may be having a different conversation.

As for the Chargers, new season, same dreadful outcomes. I was told Brandon Staley was a defensive coach, yet his team just gave up 536 yards of total offense. Once again, this team still finds a way to lose games in the biggest moments. If you’re a fan, this is like loving someone that will simply never love you back. This is the least surprising thing I’ve seen since the last time I saw the Chargers play.

Elsewhere around the NFL in Week 1, the Giants dismantled the Cowboys, and Danny Dimes looks like he should be paid about a dime for his play instead of $44 million. Travis Kelce and his agent are just counting the dollars on his next contract after missing Thursday Night Football and the Chiefs lost to the Lions. The Denver Broncos still have NEVER beaten the Las Vegas Raiders. The Browns must have gotten DeShaun Watson a really good masseuse or two before the game, because he played well enough for Cleveland to beat the Bengals. The Eagles won, but they probably don’t feel great. Everybody expects them to be good, which usually means they won’t be good though. Meanwhile, if Ryan Tannehill keeps throwing interceptions, DeAndre Hopkins is going to fight him. Kenny Pickett played so bad for the Steelers yesterday in their loss to the 49ers, they might lock him out of the building this morning.

In College Football, that was quite a beating USC put on Stanford over the weekend at The Coliseum. Caleb Williams looked like he was playing a video game again, piling up another 281 yards and three touchdowns in just one half of work against the Cardinal. Also, considering that USC didn’t allow Stanford to score until the final minutes, for now it seems their defense is holding up. Williams is probably annoyed for two reasons right now though. First, he is probably being told nobody will vote for him again for The Heisman Trophy, even if he cures cancer, just because the voters like to see new kids win it. Then he’s probably annoyed that his dad is telling people that he may return to USC next year if it looks like he’s going to go to an NFL team that stinks. Sorry pops, but no matter when your son goes to the NFL, he’s going to go to a team that stinks. That’s just how the system works. You may be able to keep your kid getting paid and getting laid by sorority girls for a year, but eventually, your kid will have to start playing for a bad NFL team. In the meantime, up next is a duel in the desert with Arizona State for the Trojans in two weeks.

As for UCLA, it’s amazing how good Dante Moore looks. He threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bruins dominated the Aztecs 35-10 in San Diego. After all that, and not even playing Ethan Garbers, Chip Kelly still refused to publicly say Moore was going to be his starter. That’s nice Chip, but we all know that if you plan on trying to win football games this year, Moore is your guy. I’m sure Garbers and the rest of his teammates would agree, especially after wide receiver Logan Loya said “he’s going to be a star”. I’m not necessarily convinced the Bruins are some conference title contender, but they probably crack the Top 25 this week, and if they continue to play Moore, he’ll continue to get better, and they may surprise a few teams.

To the NBA where Rob Pelinka should probably be arrested for shoplifting. The man signed big man Christian Wood to a veteran minimum contract. Wood may have his attitude issues, but given that he’s playing for the equivalent of NBA welfare, he’s going to be on his best behavior. He’s also extremely talented, can stretch the floor, and will give the Lakers additional front court depth and versatility. In this age of load management, he’ll be a very nice luxury to give Anthony Davis a break, and he’ll get his share of playing time to make an impact. Forgot all this adding a 3rd star nonsense. The Lakers have had a very sensible off-season, and it should at minimum, put them in the hunt for title contention this season, even in an extremely competitive Western Conference. That’s all you can ask for if you’re a fan.

As for those of you wondering if there’s any progress in the Clippers attempts to acquire James Harden, there is not. Multiple sources have repeatedly reported that the Clippers are not willing to trade anything more than picks and expiring contracts for the Sixers disgruntled and strip club loving star. Nor should they. They might be more interesting with him, but they don’t need him. Instead, they need their stars to be healthy and available, whether Harden is on the team or not. On the other hand though, Daryl Morey cannot afford to trade Harden for pennies on the dollar. His best bet is to keep him, or else the optics look really bad in front of his star, Joel Embiid.

Speaking of basketball, I love how some of you still act like it’s 1992 when hearing that Team USA lost in international competition. Since clearly a lot of you don’t understand how this works today, we can no longer win an international competition without sending our very best players, and even then it’s hardly a guarantee. Team USA didn’t even medal. They got 4th in The World Cup. Canada defeated them in the bronze medal game. Yes, I know most of you think that Canada is good for nothing but cheap medication and hockey, but they actually have NBA players that play for them in international competition. Of course when Team USA loses, it gets all the star players fired up to want to play in the Olympics. However, I don’t know why Lebron and Anthony Davis want to do it at their advanced age. On the bright side though, this tournament was a great showcase for Austin Reaves, who is getting better with every game he is playing, and may even be an NBA All-Star one day.

In a matter of 7 days, the Dodgers playoff chances look like they are in shambles. Much of this has to do with their rapidly declining number of good starting pitching options. Julio Urias is an idiot, who got himself in another domestic abuse incident. He’ll probably never pitch for the Dodgers again, and will be lucky if he gets to pitch in the majors again. He can kiss his fat contract goodbye too, because he was pitching poorly this season. Walker Buehler announced he won’t return this season, Clayton Kershaw’s velocity is suddenly down because he doesn’t look healthy, and Lance Lynn remembered that he’s…….Lance Lynn. That leaves a bunch of inexperienced kids that will likely have to come through in October like Bobby Miller, Emmit Sheehan, Ryan Pepiot, and Gavin Stone. That’s a scary thought considering these guys have such limited MLB experience, let alone playoff experience, despite their promising talent.

Meanwhile, what’s happening for the Angels on the field isn’t really interesting anymore, as they are now out of playoff contention. However, what is interesting is that Bob Nightengale from USA Today is now reporting that if Mike Trout asks for a trade, the Angels are open to trading him. That sounds like a big deal, but how big can this dude’s market really be? He has a no-trade clause, he’s 32, he’s owed $249 million for the next 7 years, and he’s missed 249 games in 3 years. The fact they are leaking this makes me think they may be trying to free up some additional money to increase their bid for Ohtani. Also, don’t completely count the Angels out of the Ohtani sweepstakes. His injury clouds his pitching future, which could bring him closer to the value the Halos can pay, especially since the Angels give him the power to do what he wants and shield him from the media. What about winning? Well perhaps Ohtani decides to take a one year deal to rehab his value, and then take his max pay day elsewhere in the fall of 2024. Is it likely? No, but it’s a possibility you can completely dismiss.