1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Monday. “Wins-Losses-Opinions”

Posted by on October 23rd, 2017  •  0 Comments  • 

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“Wins-Losses-Opinions”

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Chargers….They have now won 3-in a row, begting down a cripple (Denver), getting a win against a spiral down team (Giants)….and a victory over a team hoping not to let its quarterback get hurt (Raiders)

The Bolts defense, especially the pass rush, is carrying the team. Not much else impresses me.

Philip Rivers to Hunter Henry looks exceptional, and Keenan Allen may be as crafty as anyone running routes. The rest of the offense is spotty.. There is not much of a run game, and health issues keep springing up.

They failed to punch it in four times from the one yard line to start the game. We had the usual array of two delay of game penalties…a grounding flag….sacks-hits on the QB.

We did have a strong day from the punter. And there was a signing of a punt return for a TD, something we have seldom seen despite all the money they gave Travis Benjamin.

And like other “road” home games, too much orange in the crowd, but ownership must not care, cause Denver’s fans money is just as green as anyone from LA buying a ticket.

Just because some of the teams in the division have come back to the pack, does not mean the Chargers are a calibre playoff team yet. Next up, tough road games, at New England then Jacksonville. See me in two weeks will you.

Another Sunday home game in Carson, and the color of the week was a sea of Broncos fan wearing orange. What an embarrassment Team Spanos has created.

Broncos…The bottom seems to be falling out. QB-Trevor Siemian has guts, is an athletes, takes a lot of hits. His offensive line is really beat up. I don’t see many game breakers at wide receiver, and a pedestrian run game.

Hard to believe the Broncos have 3-touchdowns in the last 16-quarters.

They are wasting a very fine defense, and I don’t think there are other solutions on that offense. John Elway’s team might be headed for a bad season.

Chiefs….I said they’d be good till they got guys hurt. Now Tyreek Hill is nicked up, the run game has slowed down. Alex Smith is starting to take some shots. And the defense is not making big plays any longer.

Not as good as we thought when they stormed out of the gate. The sixteen game season is taking a toll.

Raiders…It is Derek Carr all the time. He has to make plays, has to get the ball down the field, has to be protected. His quick twitch passing game is tough to defend, but he does not have much of a run game.

They will have to throw first to run second, and Marshawn Lynch seems to be a shell of himself. And then there is a young defense, that doesn’t make a lot of plays. Name me anyone on that defense aside from Khalil Mack

Might not be as good a season as prognosticators predicted.

Aztecs….Two tough defeats, the battering at the hands of Boise State, and then the disappointing loss to Fresno State. Scouting reports say load the box and make it tough for them to run, because Christian Chapman cannot beat you down the field with the passing game.

The offensive front, the kids, are really struggling protecting the quarterback, allowing 8-sacks, and 34-hits over two games. Injuries are playing a role in all this.

That defensive front seven looks fatigued, , but it still is what you have to hang your hat on.

The rest of the games are very winnable, and (10-2) is likely, but that is a far cry from what we were talking about two weeks ago.

NFL….Is it me, or is it gruesome what we saw on Sunday?

The Foxboro Fog rolled in, and the Patriots made the Falcons disappear. Atlanta is not the same team that was in the Super Bowl last year for sure, and Tom Brady is Tom Brady. That Falcons losing streak is now 3-in a row, with just 5-TDs from that offense.

Speaking of tanking, as in the Giants case, Eli Manning has nothing to work with now with all those injuries. New York had 47-yards, yes 47-yards at halftime in Seattle.

Andy Dalton was a bright star in the making, but the Bengals let lots of players leave in free agency. End result…he had 44-yards passing at halftime against the Steelers.

Chicago won because of two big turnover touchdowns. Aside from that, they had 5-first downs in all, yet still beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Yes, five first downs.

In Minnesota, with backups at quarterback and running back, they needed 6-field goals to win their game.

Baltimore’s offense has gone south, in fact, just 80-yards in total offense in the first half even with big throwing Joe Flacco at quarterback.

The mess in Indianapolis isn’t getting better. Jacksonville sacked QB-Jacoby Brissett 10-times, and do you think Andrew Luck really wants to get back onto the field for that?

It was only one Sunday’s worth of games, but it was not good football.

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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Friday “Watching TV-Talking TV”

Posted by on October 20th, 2017  •  0 Comments  • 

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“Watching TV-Talking TV”

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What a five hours of watching television.

The Dodgers punch the ticket to the World Series.

The Raiders rally to club Kansas City.

The Lakers, new players, same result, ugly blowout loss.

I was dial switching back snd forth, from a baseball blowout, to a football street fight, to what looked like a basketball preseason game.

The Dodgers are going to the Wolrd Series. I became choked up listening to manager Dave Roberts talk about his feeling in the dugout, thruout the night, as his team stormed to victory at Wrigley Field. Thinking about his dear-departed dad all evening log.

Every night a different hero, and in the Thursday win, Keke Hernandez carried his team. A grand slam home run, and 2-solo home runs. A 7-RBI night launching LA into the World Series. And he too spent time thinking of is ravaged homeland, Puerto Rico, and all the suffering they’ve gone thru.

Clayton Kershaw was typical dominant and dazzling, as was his bullpen.

For the Cubs, a horrible finish to the pos-season, after getting to the Series, and getting a ring last fall.

From that game, on to the Raiders-and-Chiefs. A controversial start, with cheap shot hits on quarterbacks, personal foul penalties, and a bad ejection.

Derek Carr drove the Raiders to the win, as the Chiefs committed back to back holding calls, giving Oakland 3-untimed snaps on the goal line, where Carr threw a 2-yard TD pass to Michael Crabtree to cap the furious comeback.

There was rage everywhere in the stadium. Alex Smith took a brutal hit to the knee. Carr took a late hit to the head. Marshawn Lynch came off the bench to confront KC played about the hit, shoved a ref, and got ejected.

It was bedlam and a street fight of a game, something you’d expect in a game in the Black Hole.

When the Oakland-KC rumble was over, I flipped to watched the street kill that was the Clippers running over the Lakers college team.

There were stretches it looked like a bad preseason game. It was over by the 2nd quarter, but the Clippers, full of veteran players, have nothing to be proud of. They played poorly together, in the first game with an overhauled roster.

It only counts as one loss for the Lakers, but it wasn’t much of a debut for the launch of the Lonzo Ball career. He had 1-basket into the 4th quarter, got some rebounds, created a turnover or two, but looked overwhelmed.

Of bigger disappointment was the play of the so-called young leaders, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, who were a combined (4-of-15) shooting before it became a 25-point blowout.

The Lakers, no longer what they once were, look a long way off from being anything to get excited about.

Lot’s to look forward to, with the Dodgers heading to the Fall Classic against the Yankees or Houston, having now won 13-of their last 15-games..

Lots to look forward to for the second half of the AFC-West season, wondering if the Raiders can build off this win, and chase down Denver and KC and holdoff whatever the Chargers are going to be.

Some Thursday night. Have to go put new batteries in the channel changer, just in case I have another five hours of TV watching like this.

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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Thursday “NFL-Lots of Talk-Will There Be Action?”

Posted by on October 19th, 2017  •  0 Comments  • 

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NFL Talk-Will There Be Action?”

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The NFL. Everybody has an opinion.

Not about the games, but about the incidents.

President Trump, taking time out from all his initiatives, continues to tweet away pounding away at the NFL.

His continued tirades about the National Anthem have led to a league wide meeting, in a conversation that might have some real meaning.

At issue is whether the NFL players decisions to kneel, turn their back, raise fists, or stay in the lockeroom during the National Anthem, is disrespectful?

Trump, who is in the middle of all types of battles, with North Korea, Mexico, Iran, the trauma of hurricanes, the mess that is health care, and all the investigations surrounding his presidency, thinks the NFL’s refusal to mandate ‘all must stand for the anthem’, is disrespectful.

The NFL’s Roger Goodall says his players are not disrespecting the flag, but rather using free speech to discuss inequality and social issues.

The 4-hour meeting on Tuesday will lead to more meetings. The sessions are not to placate Trump, but rather find a common ground where the league can move forward as a spokesman for racial inequities.

Past history involving NFL issues has always involved talks and meetings, but not many solutions.

This might be different, because these are real life issues impacting society, and society is in love with lots of things in the NFL.

Look for the league, union and its players to set up committees to continue dialogue, on how to deliver messages to society.

The NFL wants its players to deliver messages in each of their individual cities, each city with sets of problems.

Can NFL players, standing infront of the NFL shield, deliver messages in all the NFL cities, about the need to deal with police brutality….respect of police….drugs…violence…domestic abuse and the family structure?

That should be the goal coming out of Tuesday’s meetings.

The NFL should put in place foundations in each NFL city, using some of their profits, and lots of their clouts for programs to help families, education, the poor and more.

NFL players need to give back to their respective communities.

The league is besieged with issues, some of their own doing, some of them societal problems, some out of their control.,

The concussion lawsuits, the appearance of unmitigated greed by franchises, the domestic abuse incidents off the field, the on going struggle with player discipline, the anger over franchise relocation and more.

It’s not just about faltering TV ratings, it is really about the NFL’s image, priorities and credibility.

Owners like Jed York spoke openly of having a better understanding of what social issues bother players, and it’s more than just Colin Kaeperneck.

Players like Russell Okung and Eric Reid says there is a plan in place but now they have to find action.

We should all be bothered by the Ferguson,Missouri’s of the world, what happened in Charleston, in Las Vegas and plenty of places in between.

Now the NFL Players, its Union and the owners need to join hands, become leaders, and help bring America back together.

And at the same time ignore the noise coming out of the White House.

Maybe the NFL can unify this country in a time of need, since it is apparent the President cannot.

Time to turn the talk into quality action.

The NFL is in trouble, but then so is the USA.

We’ve heard the talk. Now let’s see some action.

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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Wednesday “This-That-Some of the Other”

Posted by on October 18th, 2017  •  0 Comments  • 

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“This-That-Some of the Other”

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NBA…the excitement of opening night wore off quickly, just 5-minutes into the start of the season, with the gruesome injury to Celtics big money free agent forward Gordon Hayward. He went down with a fractured tibia and a dislocated ankle on a drive to the basket. As horrible an injury to see as the Joe Theismann injury that ended his NFL-career.

NFL…Colin Kaeperneck is taking legal action against the 32-teams for not giving him a chance at an NFL contract. He is (29-30) in his career…with 70-TDs-32-interceptions. Do you know he has more career wins than longtime starters Kirk Cousins, Tyrod Taylor, Jameis Winston,Case Keenum and many others?

Packers…Cosch Mike McCarthy went off on the Green Bay media for even daring to ask questions about why the team would not take a look at Kaeperneck. What’s the risk. You sign him to a minimum deal, you get a 3-weeks roster exemption to work with him on the playbook, you see what the kid Brett Hundley can do, and you would still have half a season insurance policy if you needed him.

Browns…What a mess, now thinking of going back to rookie DeShone Kizer at quarterback. Don’t know what is worse, Hue Jackson’s leadership, the front office acquisition of players, or the continued crisis at QB, where they have hd 28-different starting QBs since the franchise returned to play in 1999.

Yankees…You need just one or two good innings from the Bronx Bombers. Just asked Houston, which lost another lead when Aaron Judge hit a homer that woke up the rest of the lineup. Six runs later New York had the lead, turned it over to Aroldis Chapman and friends. And now the series is tied (2-2).

Cubs…Surely not the same team that won the Series last year. Bullpen has holes in it…team defense leaking…the big bats, Rizzo-Bryant not hitting, and now down (3-0)in the series.

Dodgers…The group that went (57-11) mid season, than lost 16-of-17, sure has it back in gear. Everyone contributing, superb starting pitching, and a near perfect bullpen, nine straight no-hit innings, in the series against the Cubs.

NFL….So they had 4-hour meeting to discuss lots of things, most notably, social issues that concern players. No rules handed down about the National Anthem, no resolution about how it should be handed, just a discussion they will form committees and meet again.

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1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Tuesday “NBA Season-Here It Comes-For Better or Worse”

Posted by on October 17th, 2017  •  0 Comments  • 

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“NBA-Here It Comes-For Better or Worse”

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Here comes the NBA season starting tonight.

Oh they are excited in a couple of these cities. Woe to be a New York Knicks or a Brooklyn Nets fan.

Sad to be in Chicago and other places where a total rebuild is about to begin.

Growth and transition will be the key words for the Lakers, very young team, and a Clippers team undergoing a personality transplant.

And who knows if perennial losers like the Suns or Sacramento or Philadelphia will ever amount to anything.

The Lakers-Lonzo Ball era begins later this week. He’s nicked up, and his team did not have a great preseason, trying to play as many young guys as they have. Regardless of whatever junk comes out of Magic Johnson’s mouth, this will be a couple of years process with the home they can recreate ‘Showtime’.

The Clippers spent lots of money but never got to the NBA conference finals. Now they will try to mix and match 9-new faces with their only two returning stars, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Not likely to be playing into April this year, if they even make the playoffs.

The dream teams are ready to roll the ball out on the floor.

The Golden State mini dynasty returns everyone, all with big contracts, hoping to get back and win another ring. Firepower everywhere, and the unique unselfishness of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and a loaded bench.

In Oklahoma City Russell Westbook has his new contract and two new stars to play with, in Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. Shall be interested to see if they can share the ball, because each was the focal point job their old team’s offense.

In Houston, they debut the James Harden-Chris Paul show under the direction of Mike D’Antoni as coach. Maybe as explosive a pair of guards as their is in the NBA, to go with big men Nene and Ryan Anderson.

In Minnesota, they’ve been building and they have three young studs in Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and now Jimmie Butler. Do they have enough?

Boston has been stockpiling players and draft picks, and they open with newcomers Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward as the focal point of a young team.

San Antonio has age and injury, but still have Kawhi Leonard, Pao Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge and the veteran guards. Don’t know if they have enough firepower.

Then there is King James and his court, LeBron and the Cavaliers. LeBron James and Kevin Love will be joined by 100,000 mile guards Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose, and by mid season-ex Celtics shooter Isaiah Thomas. They are all making one last push to go get another ring before virtually the entire roster goes free agent.

The hot storyline around the league has been the ‘Dream Team’ concept, stocking stars, circumventing the salary cap, and trying to buy yourself a ring. It all began with the Miami Heat and has spread to other cities.

The bigger question, is whether this is really good for the game? The Knicks and Nets will be horrible. Indiana and Atlanta look weak. Philadelphia seems forever rebuilding as seasons of losses pile up year after year.

Sure we like to see the marquee games, but what about the rest of the league? Almost all these other cities have no chance to succeed. Is that good for the game, or will fans keep watching TV, and keep attending, when the stars from the other teams roll into town?

Here comes your NBA, for better or worse, beginning Tuesday night.

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