1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Tuesday “NBA All Star Game–What Was That”

Posted by on February 20th, 2024  •  1 Comment  • 

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“All Star Games-Not What They’re Supposed to Be”

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“All Star Games”

I guess if you like French Pastry, the NBA All Star is all about scoring and nothing else, it was alright..

If you wanted to see something of credibility, that was 3-hours of your life you will never get back.  You paid alot of money to be there, wasted alot of time to watch it on TV.

Recapping: the NBA East blew out the West (211-186).  Yes 211-points.

The East hit 42-3 point shots.  Guys were heaving shots from mid-court, even canned one.  There was no defense.  No attempt to really play.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was so incensed he didn’t congratulate the East when he gave them the trophy, just said East-you outscored the-West.

LeBron James said things had to change.  So did lifetime hoops junkie Larry Bird.

The national media panned the entire game.  So did the columnists.  The fans stayed there for the entire night, though after awhile you’d think you’d get sick of eating too much French pastry.

It’s a problem the NBA has, but so does the NFL and the NHL.  You’re asking these players to risk injury in a showboat All Star game, when they have the playoffs up-ahead and the real NBA championship trophy.

The NFL has gotten rid of its Pro Bowl, which had deteriorated into nothing more than pitch and catch ‘flag football’.

The NHL changed it’s All Star game because it was nothing more than slapshots and breakaways on goaltenders.

The MLB All Star game has color-pagentry-history and real effort still.

Someone said put a pot of big money up as the Grand Prize.  Why?

The NBA just did that, awarding 500,000 per player for the NBA Cup in November, they tried to hype, but was nothing more than a bunch of weekend games that only counted one win in the standings.

And why would anyone want to see LeBron James making (45M) this year earn another 500,000- to put in his pocket for something meaningless.

Do something, like donate all the prize money to Ukraine-Gaza relief if you want to do something special.

Once upon a time the concept was pretty cool, but that was before every network had games on most every night and on weekends.  Back then you could see Walt Frazier-Oscar Robertston-Jerry West, stars vs stars.  Now there are so many games to watch, you seem great matchups all the time.

Even the slam dunk contest and the 3-point shooting event have lost their luster.

The only thing worth watching on the weekend was Steph-vs-Sabrina, the NBA-WNBA 3-Point shootout.  That was fun.  Now they need to build on that stage.

The NBA has a problem now.  No one wants to watch this any longer.  Just like no one wants to see any NBA games that don’t involve the Super Power Teams.

Three hours of my life I won’t get back.  At least I did not pay to attend it.

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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports–Monday “PADRES–LEADERS SOUND OFF”

Posted by on February 19th, 2024  •  0 Comments  • 

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“My Thoughts-The Team”
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What I see-what I think.

PADRES…New CEO-Eric Kutsenda held his first press conference taking over  for the departed Peter Seidler, giving a vote of confidence to GM-AJ  Preller.  He may be the only one speaking like that.  The Padres are preaching patience, saying all the pitching they got from the Yankees, will make a difference.  I don’t see any Blake Snell types there, nor any proven veterans like the Michael Wacha-Seth Lugo.  From Michael King going to the back of the rotation, alot to prove going towards the opening of the season.  Prellar’s contract runs thru 2026 so I don’t think he is in jeopardy of losing his job, yet.  But Kutsenda used the word ‘accountability’ three times in one sentence.

TV DEAL…President Erick Greupner says the TV deal rules are being set by MLB and he trusts they get the distribution packages done by the start of the season.  Have a hard time believing though the loss of 60M in annual TV revenue has not played a part in the fact the team has spent 101M-less in payroll this year than last year.  Greupner praised the fans, the season ticket holders, and saying they have put a quality product on the field for the 3-years in a row.  Excuse me, a 2021 season they tanked, a 2022 season run into the playoffs was fun, a 2023 season of underachievement.  I’m not sure that qualifies as quality.  And now the owner is gone, the manager fired, an MVP player traded, and a payroll a 100M less than last year.  Anybody like the direction they are going?

INFIELD..Xander Bogaerts to 2nd, Jake Cronenworth stays at 1st, Ha Seong-Kim at short, and hopefully not setbacks with the elbow for Manny Machado.  Think that group will be okay.

OUTFIELD..Is Jackson Merrill a true outfielder, and can he hit MLB pitching?  Sugar Azocar has to show he can hit?  Why all the excitement over the re-signing of Jurickson Profar-a super utilityman at best?  Until any of these guys show they can hit well, they are suspect prospects right now.  Big hole out there right now.  Big depth issues too.

CATCHER..Luis Campusano looks like has arrived.  If he gets hurt, they might have a black hole behind him.

DH..Looking for volunteers.  Why not bring Garrett Cooper back, he is still out there?  JD Martinez wants too much money.  Awful lot of fringe guys out there.  We don’t want a Ji Man Choi type acquisition, do we?

The spring training schedule opens end of the week.  Time to prove themselves.  Then we can make real judgements as to whether this team can be good, or will be in trouble.

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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports–Friday “PADRES-ROSTER-GM”

Posted by on February 16th, 2024  •  0 Comments  • 

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“BASEBALL NOTEBOOK”
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Here-There-Everywhere from Spring Training with Padres.

PADRES…AJ Preller uses the word ‘opportunities’ alot.  Give him his space and see if the acquisitions he made in the Juan Soto trade step into all the open slots in the Friars rotation.  They better.  A year ago, the Padres have 9-potential starters with major league starting experience.  Injuries hit them, and they did not have enough by the time August rolled around.

EX YANKEES..There is praise heaped upon the major league stuff that pitcher Michael King brings to the rotation.  He is slated to the 3rd spot in the rotation.  After that who knows who to trust.  Jhonny Brito and Randy Vasquez were more bullpen that starters in New York and both had ERA’s north of 4.00.  After that is Adrian Morejon, who has yet to establish himself in any role, Matt Waldron-more of a 4A pitcher than an established MLB starter.  The rotation is really thin beyond that and top prospect Robbie Snelling has yet to pitch above AA.

THE NEWCOMERS..The Padres have acquired 21-new players in the off season.  The 4-pitchers in the Soto-Yankees trade led by the highly regarded Drew Thorpe-who was in Class A-last year.  The big money relievers Yuki Matsui and Woo Suk-Go come from Japan-Korea and instantly go into the bullpen.  San Diego also traded for Enyel DeLos Santos, getting him back from Cleveland, as a setup guy.  And then there is the late signing of free agent reliever Wandy Peralta.

ON THE FENCE..Of the others signed, none seems ready to be a key guy in the rotation, Logan Gillaspie was let go by Boston;   Ryan Carpenter is an unknown who was in Japan last yar; Austin Davis was in Seattle; Luis Patino, has gone from San Diego to Tampa Bay to the White Sox, then broke down.

OTHER QUESTIONS..Jurickson Profar comes back a 3rd time in San Diego, but do you really think a (.236) hitter makes the Padres a pennant contender?

Is Jackson Merrill ready to be an outfielder?

If the Padres trade soon to be free agent Ha Seong-Kim, isn’t that a blow to their credibility?

How comes the Padres did not bring back Garrett Cooper to be DH-1B considering he was productive in Miami and San Diego?

No thought of giving Jake Cronenworth a glove and tell him to move to the outfield?  He’s played well all the other positions he has been at.

PADRES TV…So you can subscribe to Padres TV for 19.99 a month…and for 99.99 for the season.  So much for MLBs streaming packages.

No mention of Mike Pomeranz returning to host Padres-pre-post.  We know Mark Sweeney and Annie Heilbrunn were removed in budget streamlining.

The loss of the 60M per year with the collapse of Bally Sports will have a catastrophic impact on the Padres payroll.

USA TODAY…Quite a critical column as spring training by the paper, saying ‘Padres are old news…The excitement has vanished…The Fans are gone’.   Shall to be interesting to see if this is the roster they open the season with against the Dodgers, and if the criticism levelled the first week of camp is right on.

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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Thursday

Posted by on February 15th, 2024  •  0 Comments  • 

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“AZTECS BASKETBALL…BOUNCING BACK”
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That was a statement game, San Diego’s State explosive come from behind win, crushing Colorado State.
It put SDSU back in the Mountain West race with 3-weeks left in the conference season heading towards the MWC tourney

State flashed its fierce brand of defense that wrecked the Rams, who had a 14-point lead.
Jaedon LeDee put on a power forward show, shooting, rebounding, passing.

For the first time, the mass of guys off the bench played their best game collecrively, wave after wave of bigs coming off the bench.

It was an amazing display both front and back court.  Next up comes 20-win New Mexico with its high powered guards on Friday night.

In a sense, it is a chance of ‘payback’ after the 4-road beatings SDSU suffeered on the road.  Now State looks different, feels different, and may play different at the most important time of the year.

We know about LeDee, and now we know State has a ton of fouls to give if the rest of their ‘bigs’ show up and play that way again.

That was special, that was a statement game for the fans and coach Brian Dutcher.

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Coach Brian Dutcher:

Spectacular 2nd half vs Colorado State
That was dominant..we took it to them…took it from them
Here comes New Mexico

Jalen House-New Mexico so fast dynamic-gets downhill
Shoots 3-willing passer-gets to basket
He plays animated-plays to the crowd
Contain him with our guards-impact him and his ability
Dynamic-emotional player

Survived bad starts last couple of games
We took physical control by going big in lineup
We constantly in self examination as to why we are not productive early

Refs-not worry about what is being called-not called
Play beyond the refs calls and adjust

Jaedon LeDee played so well at different positions and survived fouls

Jay Pal created 2nd chance opportunities using his length
Our bigs played so tough inside
We are going deep into the bench to get minutes and fouls to give

New Mexico only win in this building in 2-years
Our players know that

Hard winning on the road…in MWC
Lost leads on road-have not won on the road
Deepest-best Mountain West season ever seen
7-teams are within 1-game of 1st place
Venues are so tough to go ito

LeDee-he plays the right way…knows he will not score off double team
We knew how good he could be..now country knows
He is big-strong..moves his feet..not just an upper body game

Everyone gives him their best…double-front him..push him
He fouled two of them out in CSU game

Time to move on from Colorado State-focus on New Mexico.
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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports–Wednesday “UCLA-in-CRISIS”

Posted by on February 14th, 2024  •  1 Comment  • 

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“UCLA IN-CRISIS”
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They are leaving, UCLA football, headed to the Big 10-Conference.

He has left them, Chip Kelly, exiting the Bruins head coaching job.

Kelly is headed to the Big 10-too, but will show up as Ohio State’s Off Coord.

He has arrived, DeShaun Foster, as the surprise choice to take the Bruins job.

What a weekend for the once powerful Bruins team, the ones who won with Terry Donahue, Bob Toledo, Rick Neuhisel and Jim Mora.  Once upon a tme, the ‘Gutty Little Bruins’ or the Troy Aikman era.

Then came the bad hire of the ill prepared Karl Dorrell.  And now this mess with a name coach.

Now they have problems everywhere.

A trauma filled financial issue, with some 36M-in Athletic Department debt.  A university with a massive debt on the campus

A football program that has more empty seats at the Rose Bowl than fans in the stands.

A defection to the Big 10-Conference, triggered by the financial trauma, a move to play games in a powerful conference with very hard road trips coming up.

Blood on their hands, along with USC, for the death of the Pac 12, once knows as the Conference of Champions.

And now the nationally known coach exits, tin cans tied to his tail, after 6-years of disappointment at UCLA.

Chip Kelly, who built a brilliant football program at Oregon, is no longer what he used to be, one of college football’s bright lights.  He failed in the NFL with the Eagles, then the 49ers, then arrived at UCLA, only to drift aimlessly for the past 6-years.

Now after they gave him everything he wanted, including a record setting salary, and massive football budgets, he leaves in the middle of the night, with a (35-34) record, a fall from grace as a program, and he as a person.

He was interviewing for NFL jobs with the Raiders-Commanders, days after the National signing date, and a month after he lured players in from the transfer portal.

Now he has bailed, or been told to leave, but the wreckage left behind is monumental.  Lousy recruiting, half a coaching staff gone, his top QB having already left for Oregon, and the transfer portal opening for 30-days for UCLA players to leave because the coach left.

Lots of words come to mind at his hour when I think of Kelly.  Ingrate, deplorable, dispicable, selfish, egotistical, boorish, condescending.  They gave him everything he asked for to build the Bruins into what the Ducks were.  And he failed, and then he walked out.

Former Bruins running back DeShaun Foster is hired.  He spent 11-years there as a running back coach.  Just seven days ago he left to go to work for the Raiders, now he opts out and applies to come home upon finding Kelly jumped ship.

But this instant hire comes with issues.  He’s never been anything more than a position coach.  Never a coordinator.  Never a play-caller.  Never worked any side of the ball aside from running and catching it.

For AD-Martin Jarmond, this looks like a desperate move, hiring someone so unqualified for the big job as they move to the Big 10.

UCLA could have pursued a rock star coach like Pete Carroll, the USC and Seattle Seahawk icon.  There was David Shaw, the once highly regarded Stanford coach for more than a decade.  There was ex-Bruin Tony White, who helped rebuild Nebraska.  And a few other big names.

But they went for the easy choice, the home town running back, who has no experience swimming with the sharks that will be in the water in the Big 10.

And there’s a sidebar story.  Kelly not only lost bad games to bad teams over his tenure, not only failed to develop young star players, failed to get 5-star recruits to put on blue colors, there was so much off the field about him that turned out to be a turn off.

He refused to work with the collective raising NIL money.  He did not wish to interact with boosters.  He has a grudge relationship with the working media.  He didn’t care about anything except Xs-Os, his offense, his image.  It is all a bad look what he turned into.

And now we find out that the ‘Men of Westwood’, who run the NIL collective stopped giving money to UCLA football, and inferred if Kelly remained, they  would remain absent from involvement with Bruins football.

It is awful where we stand right now observing Bruins football.  Losing seasons, lost quarterbacks and now a late-late start right infront of spring football for an incoming inexperienced head coach, with half a coaching staff.

Kelly failing so badly, acting so badly, is an utter shock, to people inside and followers outside the circle covering UCLA football.

He used words like ‘relationships-friendships = championships’.  Guess that turned out to be a lie too, just like his reputation he could do at the Rose Bowl what he did at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

Things cannot get worse can they?  You seen UCLA’s schedule for Year 1-in the Big 10-this fall?

Call me if you think the light at the end of the tunnel is a Foster-led UCLA solution, or a Big 10-freight train coming down the track?

UCLA in crisis for sure.

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