February 7, 2022

We’re just 6 days away from Super Bowl LVI kicking off at SoFi Stadium. The Rams might be favored against the Bengals, but it amazes me that everyone is discounting Cincinnati. I’ve heard so many of you saying “Is Joe Burrow really ready for this?” Guys….he’s in the Super Bowl. He’s defeated the top 2 seeds on the road…..he’s for real. The Bengals have a ton of offensive weapons on the perimeter, where Jalen Ramsey can’t cover them all. They also have a very underrated defense that has been making plays. This is going to be a razor close game, but I like the Rams because they have the pass rush that can give Burrow hell, and they should have an easier time running the ball than they did against the 49ers. Ultimately though, it’s going to come down to which Matthew Stafford the Rams get. If it’s the one we’ve seen throughout this years playoffs, the Rams should be Super Bowl Champions.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady made it official, he retired last week. Poor Jim Gray, 24 hours earlier he had Tom Brady on his podcast, and couldn’t even get a straight answer out of him. As if things aren’t bad enough for Gray with that gigantic forehead of his. For years though, I maintained that Joe Montana was the GOAT, since even in the twilight of his career, he took the Chiefs to the AFC Championship. However, I have to admit…..it’s Brady. He not only won 7 rings, but won with two different teams, and in many years did not have great talent around him. He also repeatedly defeated a guy who was one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, Payton Manning. Plus think about this: Tom Brady’s daughter has held Super Bowl Trophy more times in the last 20 years than the Cowboys have won playoff games.

To the NBA, where the Lakers scrapped a victory together on Saturday against the Knicks, but this team is still very much a disaster. At this point Russell Westbrook needs to be arrested for his play. How many jumpers do we have to see him clank off the side of the backboard? For a while on Saturday night, I couldn’t tell who the Lakers were trying to get fired: Frank Vogel or Tom Thibodeau. Mark Jackson also said on the broadcast that was one of the worst stretches the Lakers have played all season. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t seen nearly enough games, because they’ve looked even worse. The fact Lebron and AD are playing as well as they are (when healthy) and the fact this team is two games under .500 at the same time, shows you just how much Russell Westbrook and the lack of defense is destroying their value. It’s a phenomenon I’m not sure I have seen before. There is no trade out there that will fix this right now by the deadline on Thursday. At best, this team will be lucky to get out of the play-in tournament, and then get punished in the first round by Phoenix or Golden State. Then Rob Pelinka and Frank Vogel will have to see if one or both of them will take the fall.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are still treading water and playing hard. They also acquired two quality players from the Blazers in Robert Covington and Norman Powell. That move will not only help keep them alive this year, but also could pay dividends next year with a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, the real story out of Clipper-land this week was Jerry West publicly saying how the Lakers revoked his lifetime season tickets, and that the Lakers now treat him “like trash”. It amazes me that this relationship deteriorated the way it did, but if you look deep enough, you can see why. Jeanie Buss has always loved and adored Phil Jackson, who she was once engaged to. Phil Jackson and Jerry West do not like each other. That hatred started in the early 2000’s, and eventually led to Jerry leaving the Lakers. Naturally, Jeanie was always going to have her opinion of Jerry colored by whatever Phil had to say. It probably also explains why she didn’t bring back Jerry West in any capacity in the last few years when she had a chance to. I imagine that Jeanie probably wanted to stick it to Jerry too when he decided to work for the Clippers. It’s sad that one of the greats in franchise history has had his relationship with the Lakers completely dislocated. I sure hope that at some point, they can make nice, but I have my doubts this will happen anytime soon.

The USC Football team got some big news last week: Quarterback Kaleb Williams is transferring from Oklahoma. What the hell took so long? Williams and Lincoln Riley must think we are all idiots, claiming that they have had no contact with each other since Riley left the Sooners program. Did you really expect us to believe that Williams was going to go to UCLA and play for Chip Kelly? Especially after Jaxton Dart transferred? This definitely makes USC a lot better. They still have a lot of work to do to get back to where people expect them to be. Apparently the Trojans will have to deal with another issue with Williams though, after some sorority girls at OU outed him upon hearing that he was transfering.

Dear UCLA Basketball: please do not play like you played on Saturday during the month of March. Please do not behave like you did on Thursday night against Arizona. That was one embarrassing week. To be fair to Mac Etienne, Arizona fans should be given a life time prison sentence for some of the things we’ve seen them do and say over the years. Sometimes we forget that these are just teenagers that are growing up. Etienne is a kid who made a mistake when he spit in the face of Arizona fans, and he will learn from it.

Finally, I really believe that this season of The Bachelor would get back to what made the show entertaining and an enjoyable train wreck to watch. However, it just hasn’t been that way. Instead, we’ve been listening to grown women fight about shrimp, while our expectations for Clayton as a Bachelor are falling faster than our expectations of the Lakers. I’m actually convinced that Clayton’s either dumb as a ROCK to give Shanae a rose or the producers have held his entire family hostage and this is the only way to get them back. Clayton has more chemistry with Clarence than all of these girls combined. Given how this season is going though, I have my doubts they end up together.

January 31, 2022

The Rams are going to the Super Bowl! Yesterday’s NFC Championship showdown with the 49ers was a game that up until the final minute, I never really thought they were going to win. No matter how much of a bum Jimmy Garoppolo is, they always come up with big play after big play, and they always seem to get the breaks. It felt that way for 3.5 quarters yesterday, until the Rams rallied in the 4th quarter. I’ve gotta give Sean McVay and his squad credit for bearing down and playing tough against a gritty, and very physical football team. However, I do think Sean McVay with his challenge flags has become the drunk guy at the bar that needs to be cut off. He must also be getting terrible insight from his coordinators in the booth. Matthew Stafford deserves all the credit in the world for delivering on the big stage, when nobody believed he could do it, just because he once wore a Detroit Lions jersey. It was also impressive how the entire roster contributed in that win, especially for a team that is typically dependent on it’s stars. There’s plenty of time ahead to break down the matchup with the Bengals, which won’t be easy by the way. As for the fans though, I can tell you after attending yesterday’s game, a 60-40 split in favor of the 49er fans was accurate. It doesn’t matter though. Half of those 49er fans are going to flip to Rams fans the next time those teams play!

Meanwhile in the AFC Title Game, everyone should have known that the Bengals were gonna win when Joe Burrow walked in the building like he was Leonardo DiCaprio about to claim a couple of Oscars. The Bengals completely stunned the Chiefs in the 2nd half, rallying from a 21-3 deficit to advance to the Super Bowl. There’s also no question the NFL fans across Twitter couldn’t have been happier that Brittany Matthews and Jackson Mahomes were eliminated from the playoffs as well. The Chiefs were looking unstoppable for weeks, then their offense completely stalled in the 2nd half. It was like they went back to being the Chiefs of the first 5 games of the season. Meanwhile, the Bengals look like the have the pieces to become the NFL’s next dynasty for the next 5 years. I’m also pretty sure their fans are going to be selling their houses to afford Super Bowl tickets because they haven’t been to the playoffs in 30 years.

This Tom Brady retirement story is hilarious. Everybody is so desperate to be first on a story, they fail to consider the consequences of being inaccurate. Tom Brady is probably retiring, but he wants to control the narrative, and wants the news to come out on his own terms. I can’t wait until Brady comes back and win comeback player of the year in 2022. Then again, Gisele is probably going to win this battle in that household, and finally get him to retire, which she’s been trying to do for years.

On to some topics that are not as enjoyable to discuss these days like the Lakers. I don’t want to hear this crap that Anthony Davis is back and looks like 2020 AD. I don’t want to hear it because Lebron went out of the lineup the next night, and so did AD against Charlotte. The team can’t stay healthy, and even when they are healthy, they stink. We’re more than 50 games into the season. This is what it is, and there is no trade out there that is going to fix this by the trade deadline. I’m also beginning to think that Frank Vogel could murder someone in the middle of broad daylight, and that the Lakers wouldn’t fire him. I’m actually ok with it, because none of this is his fault. Sure a lot of you are hanging your hats on the fact “nobody wants to see the Lakers in the postseason.” That’s cool and all until things keep going the way they are and nobody actually sees the Lakers in the postseason.

On the other hand, you’ve gotta give the Clippers credit. They have been completely undermanned all season long, yet they are the 7th seed in the West. It’s really amazing how many games you can win just by playing hard. Of course it also helps when the Washington Wizards are willing to hand over a 35-point lead and give away games, but they are where they are because they have consistently given maximum effort. That alone looks like it will get them in the play-in tournament. Whether or not they become sellers at the deadline will tell you everything you need to know about how they feel about a potential return of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George this season. I have my doubts either will come back, but come mid-February, you will get your answer.

UCLA B-Ball is finally looking like they are back in rhythm. The Bruins took care of #3 Arizona at home last week, and then took down Stanford over the weekend while shorthanded. Do you realize that the Bruins are +1500 to win the National Title? Since I’m assuming that not all of you that read this column are degenerate gamblers, that means that if you bet $100 you win $1500. That is basically saying that the Bruins are the 15th best team in the country. I think the Bruins are no worse than a top 5 team, and probably even higher than that, which gives them a real shot at winning the National Title. Everyone is also loving the energy Jake Kyman is bringing off the bench. When this kid gets in the game, he is making the most of it, and now everyone wants to “feed the Keaster!”

January 24, 2022

The Rams probably didn’t deserve to win that game yesterday with how they played that 4th quarter. However, Matthew Stafford came up big when they needed it most. The final minute of the game. That was nearly a devastating loss, and the way it would have happened seemed so predictable with Tom Brady on the other side. Sometimes it feels like Brady inevitably gets every break in these games. It’s like he has a lifetime contract with the devil. Yet Stafford made incredible plays that yes, Jared Goff couldn’t make. How the heck did Cooper Kupp get so wide open? He’s only the best receiver in the NFL. It was domination for 3 quarters, but the Rams were very lucky to hold on and win. Now they get their arch rivals at home in the NFC Championship, the San Francisco 49ers. There’s not a team I would rather see less. Kyle Shanahan has Sean McVay’s number, as the Niners have won six straight against the Rams. The Rams can’t seem to run the ball against these guys, and the Niners dominate the line of scrimmage. That can’t happen next week. However, it’s really the Rams passing game that can exploit a beat up San Francisco secondary. This is going to be a tough task to beat San Francisco, but you would think the Rams are due for a win against them.

Elsewhere around the divisional weekend of the NFL, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen were human video games last night. It’s a shame that one of them had to lose. You know you are fast when you are Tyreek Hill, and you are hitting defenders with the peace sign before running by them into the end zone for a late touchdown. One of the best football games I had seen since the previous three the playoffs gave us. Meanwhile, we all thought that Aaron Rodgers had a shot, but it wasn’t the first time this year he fooled us. It’s pretty wild that with natural immunity he couldn’t get any protection against the 49ers. In all seriousness, it’s really not that surprising the Packers lost to the 49ers, given that they never handle business at home in the playoffs. Their special teams play was historically bad. Aaron Rodgers has a plan and will likely leave the Packers now. As for the Bengals and Titans, Ryan Tannehill turned into Miami Dolphin Tannehill at a bad time for Tennessee. Funny because Tannehill is who everybody thinks Kirk Cousins is. Neither can get you a Super Bowl though. However, if the Titans had just run the ball more in the 4th, they probably would have won that game by 10 points. The Bengals are a young and dangerous team though, and could easily beat the Chiefs next week on the road.

To the NBA where you should probably just stop watching the Lakers right now if you care about your mental health. This team is so aggravating to watch, and losing to a shorthanded Miami team yesterday provided more of that. I’m also very annoyed at all the talk that Frank Vogel is on the verge of getting fired. Vogel coached up one of the best defenses in the league for the last two years. Now suddenly he just can’t coach defense? He’s been saddled with an old team that doesn’t want to play hard defensively. Anthony Davis is at least close to coming back, but unless AD turns into his 2020 version, this team is toast.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are at a serious cross roads in their season with some decisions to make. They have lost 6 of their last 10 games and slipped to ninth in the Western Conference. However, the worst part is that Paul George may not return this season, and Kawhi Leonard may not want to either if George is done. For that reason, they may want to consider trading off spare parts like Marcus Morris or Ivica Zubac for some draft picks. I’m sure they’d love to do what Golden State did last year when Klay was hurt, so They can get a high draft pick. However, they can’t really do the same thing the Warriors did because they don’t have a lottery pick since they traded everything for Paul George. However, nobody would blame them for waiving the white flag on the season.

UCLA Basketball looks extremely rusty after having about a month off. They’ve fallen to #9 because the voters forgot about them. Their lineup is in flux because of injuries and illnesses, and the Bruins’ keep hunting for reliable production from their big men. Cody Riley still doesn’t look like himself, and Myles Johnson doesn’t look ready for prime time. They managed to get by Utah on the road Saturday, and their fans will be coming back to Pauley Pavilion tomorrow night to cheer the team on against Arizona. The Bruins are just a game back, but with all the injuries impacting their depth a wing, and the lack of rhythm, I’m not sure how ready they will be to match up with the #3 Wildcats come tomorrow night. At least they are back on the floor with fans.

We are exactly halfway through the NHL season, and the LA Kings have quietly climbed their way to 2nd place in the Pacific Division. I feel like Rob Blake must be reading Jock Talk LA, because their rise in the standings has coincided with the fact I urged them to start playing all the blue chip prospects they have at the NHL level. The Kings got a nice win yesterday against the Devils after getting beaten by the the elite Lightning and Avalanche earlier in the week. Not sure why everybody is making a big deal out of the the Lightning beating the Kings while shorthanded, while the Kings have been forever shorthanded with Rob Blake as their GM.

The MLB lockout is still going, but there’s a lot of noise around what the Dodgers could do when they can start signing players again. I’m not sure if people realize this, but after Corey Seager and Max Scherzer departed, the Dodgers have money to spend like you have when you get all those gift cards from Christmas. Plus, according to Dodger Insider David Vassegh, Clayton Kershaw is expected to return, and the Dodgers are strong contenders for the services of Freddie Freeman, and even yes……Carlos Correa. If they were to sign Freeman or Correa, no matter how much you hate Correa, they might be even better than last year. Congratulations to Brandon Gomes as well, who was just promoted to General Manager. Gomes isn’t that far removed from being a big league player, when he pitched for the Rays in 2012. I’m curious though if Andrew Friedman will have the computer tell Gomes what to do like he does with Dave Roberts.

Finally, congratulations to Taco Bell for coming to their senses and finally bringing back the Mexican Pizza. I haven’t seen a debacle like this since the last time the Chargers played football. I’m sure they just got tired of answering those questions on the corporate Twitter account, but it’s coming back in the spring. The Mexican Pizza is considered by many to be one of the most reliable and consistent parts of their childhood, if you are of a certain generation. This was all apparently due to environmental concerns with the packaging but this is 2022, there is packaging out there you can find that can still be environmentally responsible. Now if only McDonald’s would bring back the snack wraps.

January 17, 2022

Welcome to the MLK edition of Monday Morning Coffee!  We start with some NFL Football, where the Cowboys collapsed like they usually do in playoffs yesterday.  Nice work Mike McCarthy.  That was the most Mike McCarthy way to lose a game.  Meanwhile the Eagles will probably now ask the Sixers to include Jalen Hurts in any Ben Simmons trade given how awful he looked.  Travis Kelce looked like a better quarterback than Big Ben, as the Chiefs dismantled the Steelers.   The Bengals took down the Raiders, but the referees were a disaster, and are going to have to polish off their LinkedIn profiles.  Josh Allen went into beast mode for the Bills, and did everything he can to send Bill Belichik into retirement.  I’m sure Bill has thought about those New Years resolutions by now.

Meanwhile the Rams and Cardinals will go at it tonight at SOFI.  I think it’s total crap that this game is on Monday, because the winner will be at a disadvantage on a short week.  However, if the Rams do win tonight, they should feel good about the fact they won’t have to go to Green Bay next week, since the 49ers took care of the Cowboys.  As for tonight though, the pressure is on Matt Stafford to take care of the ball, and perform.  Jared Goff would win this game.   Jared Goff got the Rams to the Super Bowl and almost won.  Matt Stafford was brought here to take the Rams to the next level, so a first round loss would be considered a failure.  Other than that no pressure at all.

To the NBA where the Lakers are still a disaster in every way.  We’re halfway through the season.  This team is what they are: old and mediocre.  I think Russell Westbrook is the first player to actually be able to stop both Anthony David and Lebron James.   He’s that bad of a fit!  Now there’s talk about Myles Turner or Jerami Grant being traded to the Lakers.  Neither one of those guys will move the needle and make the Lakers good enough to be true title contenders.  Especially not for the cost to acquire them.  I also keep hearing about a lack of effort.  That may be the case in some instances, but this team isn’t even that good when they have been healthy.  Don’t be fooled.   Effort or no effort, this team doesn’t have the depth, or the defense to be what we thought they would be.

So the Bruins made the ridiculous decision to extend Chip Kelly’s contract. Don’t you just love this country? You can fail upwards and make millions of dollars. In this case, this is nothing but a bad marriage on both sides between two people that looked around and couldn’t do any better. Martin Jarmond apparently does not have UCLA Football on his priority list. This is still very much a basketball school.

Speaking of basketball, UCLA Basketball is finally back in action after some trouble with COVID. However, the Bruin defense got gashed by Oregon last week. I’m going to chalk this one up being a little rusty and not playing some elite level competition for some time. However, the Bruins are still pretty damn good, and they’ve shown it against some elite competition already this season. It’s also nice to see Peyton Watson getting some more playing time and starting to look like a real contributor.

Leave it to the LA Times to take a story about the National Championship game and turn it into some homer piece about USC Football. What a joke….”this could be us?” We get it, USC has the potential to become a powerhouse again with Lincoln Riley coaching them. However, there is a lot of work to do before that happens. In fact, they should probably start by locking up a quarterback. I’m not sure what the hell is taking Celeb Williams so long to make a decision since he’s boys with Lincoln Riley.

January 10, 2022

That Rams game yesterday was a total disaster. When this team plays teams that are more physical than them, they suddenly turn into Anthony Davis. Yesterday was especially disastrous because they blew a 17-0 lead and had the chance to knock out the 49ers from the NFC Playoffs, while getting the #2 seed. Now they will likely have to go through Green Bay or San Francisco if they want to get to the Super Bowl, which won’t be very easy for them. The 49ers have their number, and Aaron Rodgers has Matt Stafford’s number. The Rams also are extremely dependent on their stars. If the stars don’t make the big plays like yesterday, it won’t happen. Jalen Ramsey can’t make up for the rest of the flawed secondary. Aaron Donald can’t make up for the rest of the flawed d-line. Cooper Kupp and OBJ can catch anything, but the running game is inconsistent. Matt Stafford can make some amazing throws, but when he’s bad, he’s awful and can cost you a game. It’s these type of flaws that make me think this isn’t a Super Bowl contender, even though I think they can get by the Cardinals next week at home.

Then there’s the Chargers, who missed the playoffs after losing to the Raiders. This is extremely on-brand for this team. The way it happened wasn’t typical Chargers, but the final outcome was. There’s no excuse for the Bolts to give up 35 points to an undermanned and under coached Raiders team. The defense totally let them down. The Raider were just happy to be in this situation, but they managed to do the unthinkable and win. Justin Herbert is incredible, but even his 4th quarter heroics weren’t enough. That’s probably because Brandon Staley was out here pretending like he’s playing Madden with the playoffs on the line. The reason the Chargers converted so many 4th downs is because they stunk on 3rd down, and have stunk all season on 3rd down. The Raiders probably would have settled for the tie if the Chargers had not called timeout towards the end of OT. Still, the concept of playing for a tie intentionally on both sides was one of the dumbest sports stories I’ve heard in a while. These are division rivals that are playing to win. In the end, the Chargers are gonna Charger.

Elsewhere around Week 18 of the NFL, the Colts went from a team that nobody wants to play in the playoffs, to a team that nobody will be seeing in the playoffs. The Antonio Brown situation is so fascinating because the man has a complete lack of self-awareness. There’s so many idiotic things you can call out, it’s like going trick or treating and getting good candy at every house you go to. The Vikings are money when the games are completely meaningless. Even Big Ben has to be shocked that the Steelers made the playoffs. The Lions actually beat the Packers, and even though the game was meaningless, if you lose to the Lions you should be kicked out of the league.

Just when you thought the Lakers were turning it around they reminded us last night that there are still problems. They may have won 4 in a row prior to getting owned by the Grizzlies, but they were mostly against crummy teams. Lebron is balling, but the team has too many needs. More defense, a true center, more wings, better rebounding, and fewer turnovers. It’s also safe to say that Russell Westbrook is a terrible fit, and they are likely to just be stuck with him for a while.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have to be pumped up. They are hanging in the playoff race, and they just got news that Kawhi Leonard’s rehab is going ahead of schedule, and that he’s looking likely to return this year. That makes the Clips pretty dangerous given how they are playing already without their stars. The Clips also must be hoping that somebody will donate their elbow to Paul George, so they can get him back in the lineup as well.

We are in January and we still have no idea what’s up with Chip Kelly and UCLA. It’s getting extremely awkward, because there is no extension in place, and if there isn’t, should both sides just agree to part ways with one another? We know it’s certainly what the Bruin fans want. There are some interesting names in the transfer portal that might help Chip Kelly’s cause in the short-term if he can land one or two, but I’m not so optimistic. This could be a great chance for UCLA to start fresh, because most likely, next year won’t be great with or without Kelly.

Finally, The Bachelor is truly back to it’s roots. Clayton Echard is The Bachelor this season. 30 women are so fed up with online dating that they are going to humiliate themselves on National TV by chasing a middle class dude from Missouri. How about Sally, who said she was supposed to get married on the day she started the show. Hopefully the producers of the show got her a really good therapist. Clayton and Jesse Palmer look exactly alike. I’m surprised they didn’t do their alumni handshake. It’s like they were fraternity brothers shaking hands at a tailgate. Seeing the two of them on screen was like the real -life Spiderman meme. The show is ridiculous, but it might actually bring back ratings.

January 3, 2022

Happy New Year everyone! The Rams started off 2022 nicely with a clutch road win against the Ravens. This game made me nervous as hell as to what bad Matthew Stafford could look like come playoff time, especially in the first half. However, Stafford made some clutch throws late in the game to both Cooper Kupp and OBJ to secure the win. I was beginning to wonder if Justin Tucker was going to break the Rams hearts with a field goal from the parking lot to win the game, but the defense came up big when it mattered. Just curious, but has the acquisition of OBJ still hurt the Rams locker room like everybody said it would? He’s been great, and so has Sean McVay in figuring out how to maximize his effectiveness in the offense. OBJ looks like he’s having a great time out there too. Getting Cam Akers back is going to be huge. Now the Rams just need to figure out how to avoid the 49ers in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Chargers dismantled the Broncos at SOFI. The Bolts just overwhelmed the Broncos with their skill. Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler put on a show, which they desperately needed. Now comes a massive showdown with the Raiders for the right to go to the playoffs on Sunday Night Football. Make no mistake about it: The Chargers SHOULD win this game against the Raiders. They have more talent, the Raiders are outmanned, and they have an interim head coach who is probably still trying to find the playbook. Then again, this is the Chargers we are talking about, and it’s a big game. So for all the logic that suggests they should win, I can easily see a scenario where they blow it.

Elsewhere around the NFL in week 17, the Bucs rallied to beat the Jets, but Antonio Brown quit the NFL in the middle of the game. That’s the kind of thing you do when you find out you won the lottery at work. He’ll probably be fighting Jake Paul in an Octagon in six months. Joe Burrow has suddenly turned into Peyton Manning overnight, and the Bengals took down the Chiefs. The Bills clinched a playoff spot with their win over the Falcons, and Bills Mafia is celebrating by jumping off of more tables at tailgates. The Titans dismantled the Dolphins to take over the top spot in the AFC, and Miami is probably ready to send every 1st round pick they own for the next decade to Houston for DeShaun Watson. The Eagles took down Washington, and Jalen Hurts almost got sacked right after the game, but managed to avoid that too.

To the NBA, where the Lakers climbed back to .500 last night with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The good news is that Lebron is in beast mode and everybody got tacos last night. The bad news is that this team is struggling just to beat terrible teams, and they are so bad defensively, they can’t stop a parked car. DeAndre Jordan is completely useless and should we waived immediately. As good as Rondo was two seasons ago, his time has passed, and I’m glad that they opened a roster spot for Stanley Johnson by trading Rondo. I would have liked to see more of an investment in Darren Collison, but after he was inactive last night, it looks like they are ready to part ways with him. He was quite a player when he was last in the league, and there are still signs he can get some of that back for a team that is starving for the qualify defense he can bring. Then there’s Anthony Davis. The Lakers are going nowhere unless he gets healthy, and gets back to 2020 AD. I also think that Lebron needs to take the same approach that Kobe took with Pau 10 years ago. He got to be tough on him, Pau toughened up, and they won a title. Lebron is capable of doing the same, and desperately needs to right now.

It’s amazing how many games you can win in the NBA just by playing hard on a nightly basis. That’s exactly what the Clippers are doing without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clips found a way to beat the Nets the other night on the road without their stars, and they are clinging to the 5th seed in the West. With the Clippers playing hard, they are benefitting from many other teams that just can’t get their chemistry together, or that don’t play hard. Considering they play the T-Wolves tonight who are on a back-to-back, they have a great chance to keep the winning going.

I cannot believe that the Holiday Bowl ended up getting cancelled. Yes, I realize that COVID-19 is a problem. However, regardless of your feelings on COVID, it’s probably not going away any time soon, and we’re not going to shut everything down again because of COVID. So why couldn’t UCLA, NC State, and the Holiday Bowl figure out a way to reschedule this game? These teams have been practicing for a month. You’re telling me they couldn’t have just waited another week and stayed another week in CA to play what would likely be the last football game for many of these Seniors? It’s not like these kids have school to go back to the first week of January. As usual, the administrators that run these Universities have very little imagination and brain power.

Finally, congratulations to Alabama and Georgia for making it to the CFP National Championship Game. This game is basically going to be a Trump Rally to start 2022. Where are all the people to tell us that Cincinnati and Michigan don’t belong in the playoff and that they belong in a women’s league instead? Oh that’s right, people only do that with Notre Dame because they hate Notre Dame. Of course, leave it to those same people to pile on after the Irish lost a close one to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. All those same idiots are forgetting that the Irish played without their starting running back, starting safety, and that their head coach left three weeks ago. Still, they almost beat Mike Gundy’s best team he’s ever had at OK State. One thing you can count on: Notre Dame will continue to live rent free in the heads of many of these fools that call them “overrated”.

December 27, 2021

There are so many issues with the Lakers, I don’t even know where to begin. The Nets came to down with James Harden and a bunch of G-Leaguers and took a crap in the Lakers Christmas stockings. It doesn’t matter how super human Lebron’s efforts are, the Lakers are atrocious defensively, and can never get stops when they need it most. Hopefully the last week without Frank Vogel has made Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss realize that this has nothing to do with coaching. In fact, the dumbest thing in the world to do would be to take a team that is struggling defensively, and then fire a coach who actually helps their defense. It looks like the Laker defense has been out all season due to health and safety protocols. I also like how Stanley Johnson looks like Larry Bird to most Laker fans right now since they don’t have any reliable wings that can play defense at the moment. Good for him though for getting back in the league. I think it’s going to take a trade to turn this thing around, and I don’t think the Lakers have attractive enough pieces to make something that impactful happen.

The news isn’t that much better for the Clippers. They found out they are going to be without Paul George for at least the next 3-4 weeks with a torn ligament in his right elbow. The Clippers came into Sunday in 4th place in the West, but now that they are going to be without PG, they will likely take a big hit in the standings for the next few weeks. Then again, there are about 7 teams behind them that can’t even get out of their own way, so the Clips may surprise themselves and hang around in the West playoff race. They can’t be too upset right now being 2 games over .500 with an injury and COVID list long enough to put a strain on the US hospital system.

To the NFL, where the Rams took down the Vikings yesterday in the Twin Cities. LA is back in 1st place in the NFC West, and even has an outside shot at the top seed with two weeks to go. Matthew Stafford was actually pretty bad yesterday, but the Rams were good enough in a lot of other areas to overcome that. However, if Stafford plays that bad against a playoff team, they are toast. I hate to simplify it, but even with Cam Akers coming back; even with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey; and even with Cooper Kupp and OBJ; it all comes down to how well Stafford can take care of the ball. I’m somewhat fearful, given that Stafford has never actually won a playoff game. Not that it’s entirely his fault, but we will find out soon enough how much of it really was on him, since he’s going to be on the big stage in a few weeks. I’m also fearful of the fact the Rams might have to play the 49ers on Wild Card Weekend if the standings stay as they are now. Considering how Kyle Shanahan owns Sean McVay, I’d rather the Rams play the ’72 Dolphins than the 49ers.

Meanwhile, the Chargers did some very Charger like things yesterday. They lost to a Houston Texans team that isn’t even trying to win football games, and had half their regulars sidelined due to COVID. I told you last week, Charger fans should be terrified that their schedule is softer than everybody else’s going into the last three weeks of the season. That’s because I fully expect the Bolts to play down to the competition like they just did, and fail to clinch a playoff spot. Justin Herbert was actually rather mediocre yesterday, but the real failure was the defense, which let guys like Rex Burkhead run all over them.

Elsewhere around Week 16 of the NFL, The Washington Football Team put up a much better fight against themselves on the sidelines than they did against the Cowboys. The Panthers got blown out by the Bucs, and Matt Rhule proved he not only doesn’t know anything about football, but he also doesn’t know anything about Jay-Z since he claimed he was an “overnight sensation”. The Patriots lost to the Bills, and to nobody’s surprise, Bill Belichik refused to even tell reporters what his New Years resolution is. The Browns lost to the Packers, and Baker Mayfield was probably just hoping his coaching staff never asks him to throw a pass again.

Imagine being Cody Bellinger and getting the Christmas gift of a life time. This dude just hit .165 for the year, and he is going to make $17 million next year for the Dodgers. That’s a $200k raise from what he made last year. It would have been amazing to see how that negotiation went. “Hey Cody your performance has declined rapidly over the past two years. So we’re not only going to let you keep making a boat load of money, but we’re actually going to give you a raise.” Cody probably said “Where do I sign?” What a joke.

Is UCLA Basketball ever going to play again? The Bruins keep getting game after game cancelled due to COVID-19. That’s now three non-conference games that are cancelled, and three conference games that need to be rescheduled. The last time the Bruins played, Santa was still figuring out who was naughty and who was nice this year. Well we know that COVID-19 has definitely been naughty, because it’s been wiping out a lot of sporting events and athletes from playing in the past couple of weeks. At one point it felt like this was a great chance for UCLA to get healthy, but now this is going to kill all momentum, and will need a complete re-start to the season given the amount of time off.

I’m also unsure when we’ll see the NHL come back again, but the Kings and Ducks have made things interesting with what we’ve seen from them so far. The Kings are fighting for a playoff spot, so about where I thought they would be at this point in the season. They have some good young talent, but somewhat clueless on how to develop it quickly. The Ducks on the other hand have surprised everyone, tied for 1st place in the West. This is what happens when you don’t slow play the development of your young players like the Kings have. Are you taking notes Rob Blake? Probably not.

Finally, the Bachelorette wrapped up this season last week, and to nobody’s surprise, Michelle ended up with Nayte. This ended up being the first black couple to come out of the history of the franchise, which is a nice story. Then what happened? The franchise announced that Clayton was going to be the next Bachelor, which apparently pissed off a ton of people. So is the expectation now that there can no longer be white men or woman as The Bachelor or Bachelorette? Just curious now that the ABC products caved into social pressures. Of course as we’ve seen time and time again, The Bachelor’s ratings were horrible this season. They fired Chris Harrison, replaced him with two women that were great on the show, but didn’t do much as hosts; then they brought in a Bachelorette that is great in the real world, but boring in world of reality TV. I don’t feel bad at all for ABC and the franchise. They made their bed and now they have to sleep in it. Not sure how they expect to turn it around here after doing a complete 180 for the show. There’s a way to create inclusivity in society without completely sabotaging yourself in the process. ABC definitely hasn’t figured that out.

December 20, 2021

Don’t try to tell me that it’s about the injuries. Don’t try to tell me it’s about not having enough time on the floor together. This Laker team stinks. They are old and they don’t play any defense. They can’t shoot, they turn it over too much, and they don’t rebound. Anthony Davis has also lost his motivation to be an elite basketball player. It’s like he won a title, and started mailing it in. Karl Anthony Towns is the latest NBA big men to embarrass Davis, which he did on Friday night. I get that AD isn’t durable, but when he’s healthy he’s supposed to be elite. Now he’s not even that elite when he’s been on the floor. That’s a problem. This team will be lucky to make the playoffs and win a game or two as constructed. It was a nice run while it lasted, but we’re a quarter of the way through the season, and the team is what it is. This team wasn’t good with Anthony Davis, and they’ll be even worse without him for the next four weeks.

To the NFL, where the Rams have a massive opportunity in front of them tomorrow night. They can catch the Cardinals for 1st place in the NFC West with a win over the Seahawks. The Cardinals lost to the Lions. If you lose to the Lions you should be demoted to the CFL. The Rams can also gain ground in the NFC seeding as well since the Bucs lost this weekend. After last week we were reminded that this team is still very gritty, and when they don’t turn the ball over, they can beat anybody in the NFL. They’ll get Jalen Ramsey back, and maybe even more reinforcements before Tuesday night.

As for the Chargers, they had their chances against the Chiefs on Thursday night, but it was KC that came up with the big plays when it mattered. Travis Kelce really made the Bolts defense look like a bunch of high schoolers on that game-winning catch, which is exactly how I always picture the Chargers finishing a big game with all the chips on the line.
Brandon Staley was foolish and it cost him and his team dearly. After a 75-yard kick off return, you need points. A touchdown is great, but get any points you can, especially on fourth-and-five. His decision cost his team the game.  The Bolts are the 6th seed right now, but they could easily slip out of a playoff spot with the Steelers, Browns, and Ravens all breathing down their neck. The scary part for the Chargers is that the schedule is easy for the last three weeks: Texans, Broncos, Raiders. This is the Chargers we are talking about. They could easily blow it when it’s being gift wrapped for them.

Elsewhere around the NFL, due to unfortunate circumstances, the Texans Jaguars was not cancelled due to COVID-19. The Saints took down the Bucs, and Tom Brady was throwing clip boards like a teenager throws a tantrum when they run out of Uggs at the mall. Death, taxes, and the Ravens failing to score a 2-point conversion at the end of the game. The Dolphins beat the Jets in a game that should have been aired on Comedy Central. The Cowboys took down the Giants, and Stephen A Smith is going to be devastated he can’t make any jokes this week about Dallas. The Titans lost to the Steelers and they looked more terrible than those ugly towels the Steeler fans waive around.

I realize that there is a lot of hype around the Trojan football team, but now this is getting insane. I mean judging from the articles in the LA Times, you would think that USC would be the preseason favorite to win a National Title next year just because of Lincoln Riley’s eating habits and his dogs. Yes, he’s pulling some five-star recruits we haven’t seen in a while at USC. However, if we’ve learned anything from hype like we’ve seen from the Lakers, let this thing play out first before you all start buying your plane tickets and booking hotels for the College Football Playoff.

Meanwhile, we still haven’t heard anything from UCLA Football as they prepare for the Holiday Bowl. We also got a reminder that Chip Kelly has been a lazy recruiter these last four years. The Bruins miraculously landed a quarterback through the transfer portal last week. That’s pathetic. Chip Kelly had four years to replace Dorian Thompson Robinson, and at the eleventh hour all he can do is land a transfer. This guy is not only lazy, but he’s about to get rewarded for his laziness with an extension, because they just don’t think at this point they can find any better.

I wish there was something to talk about with UCLA Basketball other than COVID. Unfortunately there isn’t. The Bruins were still playing elite basketball until their last three games got wiped out because of COVID. Looks like they won’t play until they matchup with #8 Arizona on December 30th. The only small consolation here: the break will give Cody Riley a chance to get healthy, which is much needed because the Bruins need to get some size back.

Finally, the Bachelorette Season finale is going down on ABC tomorrow night. I feel like Bachelorette Nation is screaming from the mountain top that Nayte isn’t the guy for Michelle, but those two ending up together is more inevitable than Urban Meyer leaving a job five minutes after getting it. Everyone further lost their mind when Michelle picked Brandon over Joe. Then again, Joe did ghost her before the show, so Michelle really got the last laugh on this one. Still, that’s like choosing to watch paint dry instead of going on a tropical vacation. I like how Joe, Nayte, and Brandon acted like they finally realized Michelle has been dating all 3 of them at Fantasy Suites. You know that this season is boring when the most interesting things to talk about in the last few weeks have been Tayshia and Zac’s breakup, and all the Hannah Brown drama. Better luck to the producers in the next season.

December 13, 2021

I don’t know about you, but I think the Chargers looked pretty damn good against a crummy New York Giant football team yesterday. Look, the Bolts are looking good for a playoff spot, and Justin Herbert is totally a stud. Their schedule is also pretty easy down the stretch. However, if you’re asking me if I trust them to come through late in a critical game with their season on the line, that’s like asking me if I trust a 5 year old with a lighter. I don’t think they are better than Kansas City, I don’t think they are better than New England, and they probably aren’t better than the Titans at full strength. There’s plenty of time for weird stuff to happen, but weird stuff usually happens to the Chargers, and it usually isn’t good.

I’m not saying the Rams season is on the line tonight against the Cardinals on Monday Night Football, but it will tell us everything we need to know. The Rams have been beaten badly by some of the elite teams in the NFL this season, including the Cardinals. If they are really the contender we think they are, they will respond with a win tonight in the desert. If Matt Stafford can just stop turning it over, they should have a chance to win these games. Stafford looked like an MVP candidate in the first month of the season. Since then, he’s been turning it over like the Lakers. More on that in a moment.

Elsewhere around the NFL in Week 14, I guess Mike McCarthy wasn’t lying when he guaranteed a Cowboys win over The Washington Football Team. Tom Brady is now 33-3 against the Bills. Do the Lions even have 33 wins in the last 10 years? What’s that loud sucking noise? Oh, it’s just Chris Collinsworth slobbering all over Aaron Rodgers after the Packers win against the Bears. The Raiders stood on the Chiefs logo, and then the Chiefs stood all over them with a 48-9 win. The Titans beat up on the Jaguars, and Urban Meyer is probably busy telling all his assistants they are losers. Cam Newton was playing quarterback like Olivia Newton in the Falcons blowout win over the Panthers. Meanwhile, Chase Claypool is still at US Bank Stadium celebrating his 4th down catch, and is wondering where everyone went.

The ups and downs with the Lakers are a lot to take. I’m beginning to think the rest of the league is catching on to the Lakers dribble the ball down to 7 seconds on the clock and force something ugly offense. Some of you want to point the finger at Russ. Some of you want to point the finger at Frank Vogel. Some of you want to point the finger at Anthony Davis like the TNT guys. However, the reality of it is, Lebron hasn’t been on the floor that much, and the defense hasn’t been as good as it used to be. They also tend to have more turnovers than Betty Crocker. That’s a recipe for inconsistency given the talent the Lakers have. I mean at this point, do the Lakers just go to Lebron every night and say “so we’re going to need you do to everything for us tonight?” It feels like it. But he can’t over an 82-game stretch anymore. He won’t last if you want to do something in the playoffs. There’s some glimmer of hope that Lebron could be getting healthier, but the Lakers schedule is only going to get tougher from here. That’s what should concern Laker fans the most.

Do you realize that the UCLA Bruins have held six football practices in preparation for The Holiday Bowl, and they have yet to make an appearance in front of the media? I’m sure there are a lot of fans and big time donors that want to know what the hell is going on with Chip Kelly and the rumors that he could be interviewing for other jobs. Let’s be honest though, there was probably a large segment of the fan base and alums that would have packed Kelly’s bags for him had he been hired by Oregon. However, now him coming back to the program is like pleading with your wife to take you back after you thought you were gonna go off with your side piece forever. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake the Bruins and Chip can’t come to an agreement on a contract extension, and everyone can just happily go their separate ways.

Speaking of UCLA, their basketball team might start flying commercial again after their chartered flight was diverted unexpectedly. At one point, the players didn’t actually know whether or not they were going down apparently. Nevertheless, it was Marquette that ended up going down later in the day, as the Bruins defense was looking really good. I sure hope Cody Riley gets back in the lineup soon, because UCLA could really use some help in the front court against the elite teams. Riley appears to be close.

Finally, it’s fantasy suite night tomorrow night for The Bachelorette. However, it was The Men Tell All on center stage in the last episode. I can’t believe that’s how the producers had Tayshia announce her breakup with Zac Clayton over Rodney for The Bachelor? The producers must have realized that Michell is just too normal to be making stupid decisions, so they had to make some of their own. Michelle is way to sensible for this show. In the real world she’s a great girl. In the world of trashy reality TV, it’s boring. We’re watching to see a train wreck. It’s been nothing like that. That’s a compliment to Michelle, and a shot at the producers if you’re keeping score at home.

December 6, 2021

The Rams finally got back in the win column yesterday. You can’t make too big of a deal out of this one, since the Jaguars are booking their offseason flights to Cancun at this point. However, it was a get well game for Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and the Rams defense. I haven’t jumped ship on this team yet, even after some of the blow out losses to elite teams. I still think if they can manage to stop the turnovers they can beat anybody, and that’s what has killed them in the games they’ve lost. Some of that might be Matt Stafford being banged up, and some of that might be Matt Stafford being Detroit Lion Matt Stafford. Hopefully it’s not the latter, but we’ll find out soon.

As for the Chargers, as sure as the sun rises, you knew they were going to blow that 24-point lead against the Bengals. However, they managed to turn the tables in the 4th quarter with 17 unanswered points to get the win. I still have no idea where the Bolts find these kickers. I mean can they really not find anybody to kick the damn ball through uprights reliably? This felt more like the Bengals literally and figuratively giving this game to the Chargers after that Joe Mixon fumble in the 4th. The Bolts are still very much in the hunt for the playoffs, and their schedule is softer than tissue paper. However, I don’t have much confidence that they will actually get there. Knowing them, they’ll beat Kansas City, but find a way to lose to the Giants, Texans, Broncos, and Raiders.

This Laker team is so aggravating to watch. Lebron James hasn’t played in more than four consecutive games this season. That tells you everything you need to know about this team. They are very dependent on him. Too dependent on him. It also tells you everything you need to know about Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Both nice players, yet unable to carry teams by themselves (or even together) like we once thought they could. The best news for the Lakers is the fact that nobody in the west after the Warriors and Suns is doing much. Heck it feels like they could just sleep walk until March and slide their way into a top 4 seed. That really wasn’t the expectation this team had though, and would still be pretty disappointing since there were championship aspirations when the season started. Frank Vogel also feels like a guy who is demanding credit in his press conferences at this point. I don’t blame him because he knows he could get fired anytime, and that is the style of the Buss family.

So the Clippers beat the Lakers, then turn around and lose to the Kings? That’s the most Clipper thing I’ve ever heard, not to mention it’s the 2nd time in a week they lost to the Kings. I don’t know who Isaiah Hartenstein is, but how has this guy played on four teams in four years? He’s been passed around the NBA like a Kardashian, but at times the man looks like Kevin McHale. It’s limited minutes but you’ve gotta imagine over 36 minutes he can ball. The Clips should do their best to find out what that looks like because they need size right now.

The MLB Players have been locked out but not before the Dodgers lost a couple of key free agents. I said it just before Corey Seager and Max Scherzer departed and I’ll say it again: they weren’t worth the money they got. The Dodgers just aren’t that desperate and they have alternatives. They have Trea Turner as an elite replacement for Seager, and they have more young pitching coming to replace Scherzer. Also, if the Dodgers can find a way to sign Freddie Freeman, I would argue their team might actually come out of this even better than last year. The demise of the Dodgers is going to be greatly exaggerated because they had so much talent, but it didn’t actually get them a World Series title. There’s still plenty of time to improve this club, and I’m confident after the lockout that will happen.

Meanwhile, the Angels got some pitching but they needed more before the lockout. They really missed the boat on Marcus Stroman, who ended up signing with the Cubs for the equivalent of MLB welfare. The Angels beefed up a little, but so did the Astros, Mariners, and A’s. I’m not sure there will be much pitching left to sign after the lockout, so the Halos better hope they can make a trade for Luis Castillo, or else they will be on the outside of the playoffs looking in again.

USC Football wrapped up their miserable season on Saturday with a loss to Cal. I’m not sure anyone really cares though because the Lincoln Riley era is about to get underway. What they do care about though is whether Jaxton Dart will be ok, after suffering a concussion. I’m sure Dart will be fine, and he might end up being the guy for Lincoln Riley next year as well, even with all the five star recruits he is high-jacking. On the other hand, Lincoln Riley has now surpassed Kevin Durant as the most hated man in the state of Oklahoma.

Speaking of the wild coaching carousel in College Football, I might be one of the few Notre Dame alums who is disappointed with the hiring of Marcus Freeman. Brian Kelly leaving the program was short sighted on his part, but actually a tremendous opportunity for the program. So why would you let the players pick the next coach? I completely understand that Freeman is a bright young coach, who may actually end up being wildly successful. However, I wouldn’t want that unproven experiment to be at Notre Dame. Also, here’s to hoping I’m wrong about this. However, the alums of the schools biggest rivals are thanking their lucky stars that someone like Luke Fickell or Urban Meyer isn’t going to take the job. Not that any of this matters though because Alabama still owns College Football, as we learned over the weekend.

Finally, the Bachelorette is going down tonight on ABC with The Men Tell All. This is going to be the most boring MTA in the history of the franchise. There just hasn’t been enough drama. Hopefully Tayshia addresses her break up with Zac, because that will be more interesting than anything this season has to offer. This thing is already in the bag anyway. Michelle is going to pick Nayte and we all know it. The producers are clearly doing everything they can to try to stop the dam from breaking and delaying this inevitable conclusion, but it’s too obvious now. Joe’s only shot is that he’s from Minnesota, like Michelle, but I’m not buying it.