“Cheap Shots..Big Hits…Penalty Flags”

====================

Names in the News-Lots of storylines-Lots of opinions

PATRICK MAHOMES…How brilliant is the Chiefs star.  Playing with that high ankle sprain, limited in mobility, facing constant blitzes, he side stepped the rush, scrambled to throw on the run, and then busted off the biggest run of the game, the final second scramble, with a late hit penalty added on, that gave his team the field position to win with (:03) on a game winning field goal.  Purely, the most complete QB in the NFL.

49ers…A painful loss and a question for GM-John Lynch, who put this talented roster together?  You had a chance to get a veteran QB with experience to join the roster after Brock Purdy became the starter.  Why Josh Johnson, who was (1-8) at a starter in the NFL and was with 14-different teams?  Baker Mayfield was available on waivers. At midseason they could have taken a look at Cam Newton, Blake Bortels, Sean Mannion, Tim Boyle.  All those guys have experience as a starter and were in game-shape and would have been an insurance policy, a proven policy.  They didn’t make the call.  Wound up with Josh Johnson, and then he got hurt too, and we know the rest.

CHARGERS…NFL people tell me Kellen Moore is a good hire as the new Offensive Coordinator, based on what he did in Dallas.  But there is a difference.  The Chargers don’t have a power running back like Ezekiel Elliott, and the Cowboys huge offensive line is alot better than what Moore will inherit from the Bolts.

FERNANDO TATIS…He is ready to come to spring training.  He has alot to prove, including how he will act and play in the future.  He says his left shoulder is completely healed and that his wrist is about 80%-strength.  Only time will tell if his power comes back in his injured wrist and if he can be a 40-home run guy again.  Only time will tell how he adapts to the new position, likely center-field.  How the fans react, likely positive, as long as El Nino does not make any more bad decisions on and off the field.

YOUR STARTING LINEUP…So the Dodgers are done dealing and there are 10-veterans gone in the off season.  There is no Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger among others.  Your new batting order will have Max Muncy-3B..Gavin Lux-SS..Miguel Vargas-2B..Miguel Rojas top utilityman…Chris Taylor-CF.  This lineup scare you?

NEW ANGEL SEASON–YEAR-OLD PROBLEMS…So Arte Moreno is staying as owner of the Halos.  What needs to change.  He needs to make himself available to the media.  Last I checked the Orange County Register or KLAA-830 didn’t give drug troubled players vast sums of money, didn’t have a PR Director dealing drugs to players, didn’t allow the mistreatment of minor league players, didn’t diminish the Spanish language broadcasts, and didn’t allow the Stadium to deteriorate.  Be available, be a stand up guy, and win your market back.  You can’t control bad injuries, that have hurt the team.  You can control how to run your business and act.

ROCKIES-PADRES….Why would Dick Monfort think he has any credibility to criticize Padres owner Peter Seidler over the San Diego payroll this owner has elected to spend.  You know the Rockies, once upon a time a great regional franchise that drew 4M in a season.  but now is a last place team, doesn’t draw 2M fans a game, and last year had a (131M) budget.  And this owner dares to critique the Padres decision to spend (251M), coming off a 93-win season.  Oh by the way, under the Monfort watch, his Rockies have dealt away Nolan Arenado-Troy Tulowitzki-DJ LeMahieu and let numerous players go to free agency.  And he is ripping the Padres?

TRADE DEADLINE DAY…It’s fast approaching in the NBA.  The Lakers have likely made their last deal, the Rui Hachimura-Wizards trade, because they want to hold onto their future #1 picks.  The Clippers, trying to fight thru injury after injury, may make a deal to go get a scoring guard.  Biggest names might be Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz or Eric Gordon of Houston or Buddy Thield of Indiana.  Stay tuned.

HORRIBLE HOCKEY…It’s been a tough year for the Anaheim Ducks and its top farmclub the AHL, San Diego Gulls.  The Ducks are rebuilding with a ton of young players being force fed at the NHL level.  They are in last place and likely  to get a shot at generational player Cam Bedard of the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League.  The Ducks get to the NHL All star break, having won 4-of-5 and playing better.  It’s even worse for the Gulls.  All their good young players are in Anaheim, and what is left behind, young guys who cannot handle the AHL rigors.  The (12-31) record says it all.  Hopefully this becomes a 1-off type of season, but the fans have walked away from the franchise.

HOCKEY HERO…Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet, passed away and the NHL, Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets, remember him fondly.  Not just for the long blonde hair, the screaming slap shot, the constant smile.  Hull changed hockey twice.  The first with the invention of the curved stick coupled with his blistering slap shot off the left wing, which revolutionized offenses and changed the NHL style of play.  The other was his decision to be the first big name to jump to the WHA at a big salary, which changed the structure of the way NHL players were to be paid…for decades to come.  Yes Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky scored goals and Montreal’s Flying Frenchman won Stanley Cups, but Hull’s impact on and off the ice was amazing.

SOCCER…Looking for leadership for Team USA and this is hard to fathom.  Coming off a successful run into the World Cup knockout round, The Sporting Director has quit, the GM was fired, and the coach is still unsigned, caught up in a 31-year old domestic scandal.  How could the USSF allow this to happen.  Gregg Berhalter deserves an extension, regardless of what happened in 1991.  Why Earnie Stewart would quit or Brian McBride would be let go, is beyond me. The job is half done.
==================================

Please follow and like us: