The Sports Curmudgeon

I have said here more than a couple of times that I do not want to see MLB expansion simply because there is already not enough good pitching to go around and adding two new expansion teams would put about 24 more “minor league pitchers” in major league uniforms.  Having said that, it surely looks as if momentum is building for some sort of MLB expansion.  There are organizing committees and the like in places like Portland and Nashville and the Research Triangle “studying” the feasibility of having a team in those areas.  Do not count Las Vegas out of any sort of discussion of this type; returning a team to Montreal to play in a modern facility there is also a possibility.  And then, last week, news broke about another aspirant.

Pat Williams has a long history in pro sports in the US – – mostly in basketball – – and he is now involved in a group that would seek to bring MLB to Orlando, FL.  I am sure there is sufficient money in the Orlando area to arrange for a stadium and to buy into MLB.  The negative question that hangs over any potential franchise in Orlando is basic:

• So, how are the other MLB franchises in Florida doing these days?

The Marlins and the Rays can’t draw flies.  That problem is endemic to both areas; even when the teams are good enough to get into the playoffs, they reside at or near the bottom of MLB in terms of attendance.  A common explanation given for that situation is that there are always so many other recreational things to do in Florida that it is difficult for a baseball team to be a “center of attention” for 81 home games.  Well, last time I checked, there are plenty of diversions in Orlando to give residents – and visitors – there options regarding their recreational time and money.

Orlando folks point to the fact that it is one of the fastest growing urban areas in the country based on Census Bureau stats.  Currently, Orlando ranks as the 22^nd largest market area in the country.  Sounds good until you also check and see that Miami is the 16^th largest market area in the country and Tampa/St. Petersburg is the 12^th largest market area in the country.

Pat Williams has a name for his putative baseball team – – the Orlando Dreamers.  If they do come into existence and suffer the same fate as other Florida franchises, they will soon be known as the Florida Nightmares.

Obviously, I think a franchise in Orland is a bad idea.  Scott Ostler had this item in the SF Chronicle last weekend about another bad idea in baseball that seems to have been acted upon:

“Is baseball the stupidest sport? Bad question. It’s not even close. Only in baseball, this kind of thinking: ‘I’ve got an idea. We steal signals from opposing catchers with a spy cam. Nobody will know, except all 25 of our players, the manager and coaches, bat boys, the camera crew, and people we tell in bars when we’ve had too many, so it will be easy to keep it a secret, as long as none of those people have a conscience or character. Nobody on the outside will ever bust us, unless they have ears or look at a box score. We could win some games, and the only downside is that if we get caught, we’ll all be branded cheaters, liars and losers forever. Let’s do it!’”

I must admit it; that is a difficult argument to pick apart…

In a similar line but in a different sport, Vontaze Burfict has questioned the integrity of NFL games saying that some are “rigged” and the way the league effects the rigged games is to have the officials call penalties that determine the outcomes of those rigged games.  Three quick thoughts here:

1. Vontaze Burfict is serving a season-long suspension as we speak.  His reinstatement has to go through the Commish who wants to hear about “rigged games” about as much as Chris Christie wants to be Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, sports and Nutrition.
2. Somewhere, Tim Donaghy is smiling…
3. The spate of bad calls this season – as shown by replay after the fact – will cause some folks who are prone to believe conspiracy theories to take this seriously.  If that kind of thinking spreads, the “gambling interest” in NFL football will diminish and – even though the NFL would never admit this even under waterboarding – the biggest factor that spurred the growth of the NFL to be the dominant sports enterprise in the US is the degree to which people bet on game outcomes.  This “indictment” goes to the heart of the “integrity of the games”.

Another NFL player has voiced a similar concern – but in a much more nuanced way.  Richard Sherman sort of wondered aloud if the officials were flagging him for penalties he thought he did not deserve because he is an outspoken member of the NFLPA Executive Committee.

I am not saying that it would be impossible to “rig” an NFL game – – or even a bunch of NFL games.  Nor am I saying that any attempt to “rig” an NFL game would be done without any officials being aware of the “rigging”.  Here is where I am on these sorts of things:

• To convince me of a grand conspiracy – one that would have to involve league execs and probably some of the officials in the league – I need evidence that is probative.  It is not nearly sufficient to assert the existence of the alleged conspiracy and then point to no evidence of its existence as proof of its existence.

Finally, since much of today’s rant deals with things like cheating and the rigging of games which would be despicable and immoral acts, let me close with a definition from The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm at the other end of the spectrum:

“Chaste:  Morally pure; decent.  A quality known in the dating scene as a waste of your time and effort.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Time constraints for this week allow only for a mini Football Friday this week and no room for a Six-Pack.  Half a loaf is better than none…  In fact, half a loaf may be more than can be delivered next week with the intervention of Thanksgiving.

Last week, the Six-Pack was under .500 for the first time this year.  The record was 2-3-1.  Here is how the Six-Pack has done so far this season:

• Overall:  28-18-2
• College:  15-6-1
• NFL:  13-12-1

 

College Football Commentary:

 

Last week, the Linfield College Wildcats finished their regular season with a 24-17 win over George Fox University.  Linfield was 8-1 for the season and as Northwest Conference Champions, they will play in the NCAA Division 3 playoffs.  Their first-round opponent this weekend is Chapman University, the champions of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  Chapman’s record this year is 9-0; they score an average of 37.1 points per game and allow 16.9 points per game.

These teams have two common opponents.  Both defeated Whitworth during the season.  Chapman beat Redlands 21-18 back in October; Linfield’s only loss for the season was to Redlands in September by a score of 27-19.  Go Wildcats!

Undefeated seasons ended for two teams last week:

1. Minnesota lost to Iowa – at Iowa – 23-9.  The Big 10 West just got a lot more interesting.  Minnesota has 1 loss in conference and Wisconsin has 2 losses in conference.  Both the Gophers and the Badgers are solid favorites this week.  Then, the two teams meet on November 30 at Minnesota.  Assuming both teams win this week, that game will determine the Big 10 West champion.
2. Baylor lost to Oklahoma 34-31 at Baylor.  Both teams have 1 loss for the season and those losses are both in conference.  Baylor led this game 28-3 early in the 2^nd quarter but the Sooners pitched a shutout in the second half to win the game.

Reacting to the Baylor result on Facebook, Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times posted this comment:

“Baylor blew a 28-3 lead in losing to Oklahoma.

“Adding further insult, the Atlanta Falcons immediately sued the Bears for trademark infringement.”

Penn State beat Indiana last week setting up the Game of the Week for this weekend.  Penn State travels to Columbus, OH to take on the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes.  Penn State has one loss in conference – – to Minnesota – – but a win here would give them a tie-breaker’s edge over Ohio State in the Big 10 East.  Yes, the Nittany Lions do have a conference game after this one, but it is a home game against Rutgers – – so this game is the de facto Super Bowl game for Penn State.

Ohio State, on the other hand, has a real opponent on deck after Penn State leaves town.  The Buckeyes close out their season against traditional rival, Michigan, in Ann Arbor a week from Saturday.

Speaking of Michigan, the Wolverines dispatched Michigan State last week 44-10 leaving the Spartans with a 4-6 record for the season.  The schedule makers for the big 10 may have seen this coming because they set up Sparty to finish with games against Rutgers this week and Maryland next week.  Bowl-eligibility is very possible in East Lansing…

Clemson remained undefeated breezing by Wake Forest 59-3.  ACC football is plain vanilla except for Clemson…

Florida State achieved bowl-eligibility with its 6^th win of the season over Alabama State – a team the Seminoles ought to be embarrassed to schedule.  The final score was 49-12.

Iowa State beat Texas 23-21 last week; both teams now have 4 losses for the season.  Texas was ranked #19 going into this game and certainly did not play the way a ranked team should be expected to play.  Texas scored 2 4^th quarter TDs to take the lead with 5 minutes left to play.  The Longhorns lost the game after allowing a 10-play drive to set up a 36-yard game winning field goal as time expired.

Kentucky beat Vandy 38-14; that is the 5^th win for the Wildcats.  They can become bowl eligible with a win in either of their final two games against Tennessee-martin (this week) or against rival Louisville (next week).

Georgia beat Auburn 21-14.  Georgia will play in the SEC Championship Game as the East Division winner.

Alabama beat Mississippi State 38-7 but QB Tua Tagovailoa dislocated and fractured his hip and is out for good.  Any of the NFL teams who were quietly “Tanking for Tua” were not happy with that result.

 

The SHOE Candidates:

 

We are beginning to develop some clarity at the bottom of the college football barrel after last week.  I will stick with a list of 12 candidates for the 8 slots in the imaginary SHOE Tournament this week – – but it sure looks like about half of the slots have inhabitants…

• Akron:  They lost again last weekend to E. Michigan and they lost again on Wednesday night this week to Miami (OH).  Akron is the only winless Division 1-AA team in the country at 0-11 and will close out their season next week against Ohio University.  Akron will be in the SHOE Tournament.  Cumulative score so far is 383 – 123.
• Georgia Tech:  Ga Tech lost to Va Tech last week 47-0.  However, they survived a 13-point rally in the 4^th quarter by NC State to win last night.  Their third win on the season may have eliminated them from SHOE consideration – something that will not annoy the players, coaches or alums.
• New Mexico State:  They won their first game of the season last week over Incarnate Word.  ‘Nuff said…
• Northwestern:  They demolished UMass last week.  They still belong in this candidate list, but that dominant performance against a “true bottom-feeder” probably means they don’t belong in the SHOE Tournament itself.
• Old Dominion:  They did not lose because they had a BYE Week.  This week’s opponent is Middle Tennessee State.  See below for a comment there…
• Rice:  They won their first game of the season last week over Middle Tennessee State 31-28.  The Owls scored all their points in the first half and hung on to win.
• Rutgers:  They lost to Ohio State 56-21.  Is there a sign of life in the Rutgers’ team?  They scored 21 points here; in their previous 6 Big-10 games, they had scored a total of 24 points.
• S. Alabama: They lost again last week to fall to 1-9 on the season.
• UConn:  They did not lose because they had a BYE Week.
• UMass:  They lost to Northwestern (a SHOE candidate) last week 45-7.  Prior to that game, Northwestern had been averaging 12 points per game.  UMass closes out the season against BYU – another shellacking likely.  I will be shocked if UMass is not in this year’s SHOE Tournament.
• UTEP:  They lost again last week to fall to 1-9 on the season.
• Vandy:  The Commodores lost last week to Kentucky.  They have 2 wins this year and face East Tennessee State this week, a team that is Division 1-AA with a record of 3-8.  A loss here will put Vandy in the SHOE Tournament for sure.

Action for SHOE candidates this week presents some interesting things to look for.

1. UTEP and New Mexico State meet in a game they call the “Battle of I-10” for the Interstate highway that connects El Paso and Las Cruces.  I wonder if the folks at Florida and Florida State take umbrage here…
2. ODU plays Middle Tennessee State this week.  That is the team that lost to Rice last week.  Maybe Middle Tennessee State becomes a SHOE candidate with a loss here?  Maybe this is a second win for the Monarchs?
3. UConn plays E. Carolina – a team with only 3 wins on the season – this week.  Maybe this is a second win for the Huskies?

 

College Games of Interest:

 

Michigan – 9.5 at Indiana (51.5):  Wolverines must not look ahead to Ohio State next week…

Texas A&M at Georgia – 13 (44):  That’s a big spread for what looks to be a low-scoring game.

E. Carolina – 14.5 at UConn (66): SHOE Tournament interest only…

BYU – 40 at UMass (68.5):  SHOE Tournament interest only …

S. Alabama at Georgia State – 10 (52): SHOE Tournament interest only …

Purdue at Wisconsin – 24.5 (48):  Badgers must not look ahead to showdown with Minnesota next week.

Minnesota – 14 at Northwestern (40.5):  Gophers must not look ahead to showdown with Wisconsin next week.

Oregon – 14.5 at Arizona State (52.5):  Oregon leads the PAC-12 North comfortably.

Utah – 22 at Arizona (57):  Utah leads the PAC-12 South by one game over USC.

UCLA at USC – 14 (65):  USC is still in the PAC-12 South race.

Cal at Stanford – 2.5 (40):  This rivalry provides a “Game of Interest” every year…

Texas at Baylor – 5.5 (59.5):  Baylor cannot afford another conference loss…

SMU at Navy – 3.5 (67.5):  Two “under the radar” teams that are very good.

Michigan State – 20.5 at Rutgers (43):  SHOE Tournament interest here plus potential impact on Mike Dantonio’s continued employment as head coach at Michigan State.

North Texas – 6.5 at Rice (55):  SHOE Tournament interest only…

Arkansas at LSU – 43.5 (69):  These two teams are in the same division in the same conference – – but they are miles apart in terms of quality.

UTEP at New Mexico State – 7.5 (55.5):  Major SHOE Tournament interest here…

ODU at Middle Tennessee State – 14.5 (47):  Major SHOE Tournament interest here…

Penn State at Ohio State – 18 (57.5):  That is a big spread for what is the Game of the Week.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

CBSSports.com had a report earlier this week that Marvin Lewis is one of the “hot candidates” for an open NFL head coaching job when that coaching carousel starts to spin.  If you are surprised by that assertion given the status of the Bengals in his final years and their current doormat status, please remember that he took over the Bengals in 2003 when the entire franchise was a laughingstock and he made it respectable.  Between 2003 and 2018, he took that laughingstock franchise to the playoffs 7 times.

What I find interesting about that report is that it swims upstream in the current NFL where the trend most definitely is to find a young offensive-minded wunderkind to be the next head coach for a downtrodden franchise.  Lewis is definitely a “defensive guy” and he is 62 years old.

Speaking of the Bengals, here is a comment on that subject from Bob Molinaro in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“Quick hit: Until 0-9 Cincinnati gets off the schneid, let’s call them the Bagels.”

If you watched the Chiefs/Chargers game in Mexico City on Monday nite, I assume that you observed the condition of the field.  Kickers and runners where kicking up large divots on at least half of the plays.  That made me wonder how bad the field had to be last year when the league moved the venue out of the stadium in Mexico City and put it in Los Angeles on several days’ notice.  I thought the field this year was a substandard facility.

Last week, the Bills thumped the Dolphins 37-20 putting an end to the 2-game win streak for the Dolphins.  Before the kickoff, Greg Cote had this comment in the Miami Herald:

“Suddenly an 0-7 team seen as tanking is a 2-7 team in jeopardy for not getting the quarterback its wants in the 2020 NFL Draft on account of unexpected success. And poor Dolfans aren’t sure how to feel. What a truly weird-ass season.”

Last week, the Broncos led the Vikes 20-0 at half time and had held the Vikes to 58 yards passing in the first half.  Then everything went south…  In the second half, Kirk Cousins threw for 261 yards and 3 TDs as the Vikes rallied to win the game and stay with the Packers in the NFC North race.

In a game with precisely zero significance regarding the playoffs, the Jets beat the Skins 34-17.  The Skins’ 2 TDs in the 4^th quarter accomplished two things:

• It broke a streak of 16 straight quarters where the Skins had failed to find the end zone.
• It made this game look a lot closer than it was.

The Cowboys beat the Lions 35-27; coupled with an Eagles’ loss, that puts the Cowboys on top of the NFC East for the moment.  However, consider that the Cowboys’ defense gave up 27 points to the backup QB for the Detroit Lions.  That is not a good reflection on the Cowboys’ defense…

The Falcons beat the Panthers 29-3.  Are we living in Bizarro World – – or were the Falcons of September and early/October the inhabitants of Bizarro World?  The Falcons have given up only 12 points in the last two weeks to a pair of teams that possess good offenses.  Prior to those two games, the Falcons were giving up an average of 31.25 points per game.

Three top-shelf teams – the Niners, Pats and Ravens – all won last week.  The Raiders aspire to top-shelf status in 2019 and they too won last week, but their win was labored even against the woebegone Bagels – – er Bengals.

Last night, the Texans beat the Colts 20-17.  That puts the Texans a game up on the Colts for the moment.  The Colts have 5 losses this year; the Texans have 4; looking at the AFC standings, it looks as if 11-5 may be necessary to make the playoffs in the AFC.

 

NFL Games This Week:

There are 4 teams enjoying their BYE Week this week:

• Arizona:  The Cards are playing competitively and need for their defense to improve to start winning games.
• Kansas City:  Their half-game lead over the Raiders in the AFC West is seriously in jeopardy this week as they try to get themselves healthy.
• LA Chargers:  Sorry, but that loss on Monday was the end of their playoff hopes for 2019.
• Minnesota:  They trail the Packers by half a game now and will be pulling for the Niners to beat the Packers on Sunday.

 

Miami at Cleveland – 10.5 (45):  I suspect that the clock has struck midnight for the Dolphins after a 2-game winning streak and they will go back to being pumpkins – er … doormats.

Denver at Buffalo – 3.5 (38):  This spread opened at 5 points and has been dropping all week long.  The Total Line opened at 35 points and has risen steadily all week.  I suspect that the Broncos will have plenty of difficulty scoring on the Bills’ defense; the Bills have difficulty scoring just about every week.  Lots of punting and field goal tries here…

Pittsburgh – 6.5 at Cincy (39.5):  Steelers are on the fringe of playoff relevance; a loss here will mean the end of their season.  The Bengals just stink…  The Steelers need this game to remain relevant.  The Bengals have conclusively shown themselves to be irrelevant.  Seriously now, do you really want to spend 3 hours watching these two teams go at it?

Giants at Chicago – 6.5 (39.5):  Here is the existential question:

• Is the Giants’ defense lousy enough to yield more than 20 points to the inept Bears’ offense?

Oakland – 3 at Jets (46.5):  The Raiders squeaked by the lowly Bengals last week with a half-hearted effort.  They are in the thick of a playoff race and do not need a loss to a bad team because they took that bad team lightly.

Carolina at New Orleans – 10 (47):  The spread here opened at 7 points and has been rising all week.  One Internet sportsbook has the line at 11 points as of this morning.  The Saints were awful two weeks ago and rebounded last week; Panthers were awful last week.  Both of those “awful performances” came against the Falcons.  Hmmm…  A win for the Saints here all but ends the NFC South race.

Tampa at Atlanta – 4 (51.5):  Which Falcons team will show up Sunday?  How many INTs and lost fumbles will Jameis Winston contribute to this effort?  Avert your eyes…

Detroit – 3.5 at Washington (40.5):  The Lions have NEVER won a game over the Skins in Washington.  Last road win for Lions over Skins was in 1936 when the team was in Boston.  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week – – although it got some competition from the Giants/Bears game.  Dwayne Haskins versus Jeff Driskel; be still my heart.

Jax at Tennessee – 3.5 (41.5):  The word that comes to mind here is “Boring” …  Titans are on track to have a shot at finishing 9-7 for the fourth consecutive season.  The best “angle” I can come up with for this game is:

• Battle of the Big Backs:  Leonard Fournette versus Derrick Henry

Like I said, “Boring” …

Dallas at New England – 6.5 (45):  Two division leaders; and yet, this is not the Game of the Week.  Pats’ run defense will need to play well here to stop Ezekiel Elliott.  Cowboys’ defense remains suspect.

(Sun Nite) Green Bay at SF – 3 (48):  This game was flexed from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night.  This game also pits two division leaders against each other and the combined records for these teams is 17-3.  That makes this the Game of the Week.  The key matchup here will be the front four of the Niners against the OL of the Packers.

Seattle at Philly – 1 (47.5):  This spread opened at 3.5 points for reasons I could not possibly explain.

• Factors favoring the Eagles:  Home field; body clock game for Seahawks.
• Factors favoring Seahawks:  Everything else.

Eagles’ season is on the line here and I think the wrong team is favored.

(Mon Nite) Baltimore – 3 at LA (46.5):  This game may not have the luster of the Packers/Niners game, but it has the potential to be as fun to watch as any game this year.  Come on now, Aaron Donald and his cohorts against Lamar Jackson $ Co…

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for 2019 is out.  This is the first year of eligibility for Derek Jeter.  If he does not get on this induction cycle, they should drug test everyone who voted against him.  I wonder if Jeter’s candidacy has what the politicos call “coattails”.  Jeter was the Yankees’ captain from 2003 to 2014.  Can his momentum getting into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot inspire folks on the Veterans’ Committee to elect a former Yankees’ captain – – Don Mattingly – – to the Hall as well?

For the record, five former Yankees’ captains are already in the Hall of Fame

1. Clark Griffith
2. Wee Willie Keeler
3. Frank Chance
4. Babe Ruth
5. Lou Gehrig

The other player on the ballot I think should get in – – but likely will not – – is Curt Schilling.  He started 19 post-season games over his 20-year career and his record in those games was 11-2.  In those games he pitched 133.1 innings with an ERA of 2.23; he struck out 120 batters and only walked 25.  Personally, that looks dominant enough for me…

Switching gears…  Often, I – and other sports commentators – speak of coaches or managers who are “on the hot seat”.  In fact, it is an annual feature in my NFL preview rants here.  However, there should be the same level of scrutiny attached to that group of players who have drawn attention to themselves in one way or another and who may not have lived up to the standards implied by the attention drawn by themselves.

Note, I am also talking here about players who get overly inflated contracts from teams that decided to overpay them and about players who were drafted much sooner than they should have been.  In those cases, the player is on a hot seat as a result of the actions of others.  But that seems fair because coaches are on a hot seat because of the actions/failures of others too.

As a first pass at this idea, let me limit my musings to NFL players for the moment.  If this idea is inspiring in some way, I may extend it to baseball and basketball sometime down the road.  In alphabetical order:

• Odell Beckham, Jr.:  He brought attention to himself in myriad ways during his days with the Giants and then convinced the Browns to pay him big bucks – reported to be $95M with $65M guaranteed.  So far, in 13 games for the Browns, he has caught 48 passes for 692 yards and 1 TD.  Those are pedestrian numbers…
• Le’Veon Bell:  After sitting out all of the 2018 season, engaging in a public spitting match with the Pittsburgh Steelers over a new long-term contract, and producing/releasing his first rap album, he signed on with the Jets as a free agent for 4-years and $52.5M with $25M fully guaranteed.  So far, in 10 games for the Jets, he has carried the ball 161 times for 508 yards.  He has also caught 46 passes for an additional 309 yards.   His 3.2 yards per rushing attempt is less than his season average at any time in his career AND his 6.7 yards per reception is also lower than his season average at any time in his career.  Those are not the numbers one might have expected…
• Jared Goff:  His performance has regressed from last season to this one after the Rams signed him to a contract extension of 4 years and $134M with $110M guaranteed.  In 10 games for the Rams in 2019, the following stats are down from the previous two seasons – – completion percentage, touchdown percentage, yards per pass attempt, yards per completion, QB Rating.  In those same 10 games for the Rams in 2019, the following stat is up from the previous 2 seasons – – interception percentage.  That cannot be the level of performance envisioned by the Rams when they signed that contract extension…
• Marcus Mariota:  He is in the final year of his rookie contract after being drafted #2 overall in 2015.  He was to earn $20.2M this season and he has already been replaced as the starter by Ryan Tannehill – a QB I refer to as a Lake Woebegone QB because he is slightly above average.  Because he was so highly regarded coming into the NFL, he is likely to get a contract with someone during the NFL’s free agency period – – but it will not be anything near the 9-figure deals that are being handed out to top-shelf QBs these days.  The next time he gets a chance to start, he needs to shine – – lest the sun set on his career.
• Mitchell Trubisky:  He is only in his third year in the NFL and my inclination is to avoid judgements on player development so early in a career.  However, in 2019, Mitchell Trubisky has been certifiably awful.  He has only averaged 5.6 yards per pass attempt and only 9.0 yards per catch; those are substandard numbers for a starting NFL QB.  In 10 games this season, the Bears have only scored more than 20 points twice – – and one of those times was against a woeful Washington team.  Trubisky is not yet any sort of “salary cap burden” for the Bears – – but he is an on-field burden that the defense must carry.
• Jameis Winston:  He is in the final year of his rookie contract after being drafted #1 overall in 2015.  He was to earn $20.9M this season and the Bucs need to decide if they are going to sign him as their long-term franchise QB soon.  From the time he entered the NFL, Winston has shown signs of brilliance – – and signs of dysfunction.  Going into last week’s game against the Saints, Winston had thrown a league-leading 14 INTs; he proceeded to throw 4 more last week.  He augments his interception numbers with fumbles; he has committed 11 of those in 2019.  Having been the overall #1 pick in the draft, he will find employment in the NFL – – but his last 5 games in 2019 will need to be eye-popping if he hopes to get any contract offers that might make splashy headlines.

Finally, here is a cogent observation from Brad Rock, formerly with the Deseret News:

“A Puerto Rican doubles bowling team has been stripped of its gold medal at the Pan Am Games for a doping violation.

“How that would help pick up a 7-10 split is anyone’s guess.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Today is World Toilet Day.  It is a day sponsored by the United Nations every year that intends to inspire “action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help attain Sustainable Development Goal 6, which promises sanitation for all by 2030.”  According to the website dedicated to this event, 4.2 billion people live “without safely managed sanitation”.  That is approximately 55% of the people on the planet – and the UN thinks this will be resolved by 2030.  Good luck with that.

Oh, by the way, the “theme” for this year appears to be:

• No one left behind.

Seriously…

There is an international sports story percolating at the moment.  Rick Maese had a report in the Washington Post recently about some conflict that exists between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the US Anti-Doping Agency.  This story has more than a few threads that have gone beyond “interwoven” and have arrived at the stage of “entangled”.  At issue is a bill introduced into the US Congress that would allow the US to apply fraud and racketeering laws to conspiracies to dope athletes.  For a thorough explanation of the issues, here is a link.

I am of two minds on this matter.

1. The IOC and WADA oppose the legislation saying it goes too far.  The IOC and WADA are not the most trustworthy entities on the planet, and I am loath to align myself with their positions on any matter more nuanced than the rising of the sun in the east.
2. Enacting broad legislation into law in the US opens the door to prosecutorial zeal and over-reach – neither of which is beneficial to society.

The fact is that doping exists; the doping-cheaters are always one step ahead of the doping-authorities and people who believe that situation is going to be changed by legislation are simply dopes.

OJ Simpson is back in the news.  Don’t get excited, he has not yet found the real killers; this is about a totally different matter.  TMZ reports that OJ has filed suit against The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas over an incident from several years ago.  According to the lawsuit, the hotel escorted OJ off the premises and presented him with a note saying that he was banned from the hotel for life due to drunken and disorderly conduct in the hotel.  Evidently, word of this incident and banishment got out and OJ now claims that he was defamed by the hotel because he was neither drunk nor disorderly in the casino.

Given the interactions of OJ Simpson and the US system of jurisprudence over almost the last 25 years, I personally think it would be extremely difficult to defame his character over a matter of inebriation.  According to a report ion the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the suit seeks at least $30K plus undetermined punitive damages and attorney’s fees.  Maybe – given the amount of time he has spent there – OJ Simpson has come to like being in a court room…  Hopefully, this matter will go away quietly because – truth be told – this really does not matter.

The Super Bowl halftime show next February will feature Shakira and Jenifer Lopez as the headline acts.  Knowing that these next comments will bring scorn and derision upon me, I’ll state them anyway:

• I would not know Shakira from Shaquille O’Neal – – except for the fact that I know why Shaquille O’Neal is famous.
• Until I did a Google check about two minutes ago, I had no idea that Jenifer Lopez was a singer.  I thought she was an actress and a celebrity who was engaged to Alex Rodriguez.

Given those two admissions of ignorance, you can safely deduce that I will not be magnetically drawn to the TV set to watch his extravaganza while the coaches and players are cooling their heels in the locker rooms.  Here is my perception of Super bowl halftime:

• It is a 30-minute break in the reason everyone has tuned into this telecast in the first place and it has nothing to do with that basic reason.
• It is a time for the audience to take a bathroom break – – assuming that all of us are watching in a place where toilets and sanitation facilities are not only readily available but are also properly functional – – and then to grab another beer to recharge one’s kidneys.

Admit it; until 30 seconds ago, you did not think there was a linkage between World Toilet Day and the Super Bowl halftime show…

Finally, in keeping with today’s celebration of World Toilet Day plus my personal perception of the real purpose of halftime during the Super Bowl, it seems appropriate to close with a focused definition from The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm:

“Toilet:  A type of chair without which many people would never get any reading done.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

I know you have seen and read about the Myles Garrett/Mason Rudolph incident in abundance by now.  Much of what I have heard and read has fallen into one of three buckets:

1. Condemnation of Garrett:  What he did was criminal in any other setting and he is lucky he did not maim or even kill Rudolph by his actions.
2. Attempted mind reading:  What action(s) by either party caused this scene to spin so far out of the norm.
3. Seeking a precedent:  Rehashing the John Roseboro/Juan Marichal free-for-all from the 1960s

Rather than add to any of that, let me point you to a column written by Jerry Brewer in the Washington Post.  It is a bit different than anything that falls into any of the categories above and it is extremely well written.  Here is the link; I recommend you read it in its entirety.

Reacting to the revelations that the Houston Astros were stealing signals during the 2017 season – and post-season – Dwight Perry offered suggestions for remakes of some of the classic movies about baseball over the weekend in the Seattle Times:

“Cameras in the Outfield”

“2017*”

“Phoneyball”

“Bang the Can Slowly”

To which, might I add:

• A Cabal of their Own
• Bullpen of Spies
• The Shame of the Astros

Another story that has gotten a ton of exposure recently involves the NCAA and Memphis’ prize recruit James Wiseman.  The NCAA ruling is that Wiseman is ineligible because his family got $11,500 to help fund their move to Memphis while Wiseman was still in high school.  If indeed that happened without any other circumstances surrounding the “transaction”, the NCAA’s ruling is certainly consistent with its rules governing recruitment of athletes.  However, there is an aspect to this story that doesn’t ring true to me; someone needs to explain this to me:

• The allegation is that the $11,500 money-transfer came to the Wiseman family from Penny Hardaway, who – wait for it – is the head basketball coach at Memphis University.

So, riddle me this…  If there is sufficient evidence of this improper transfer of money to support an NCAA finding that James Wiseman is ineligible, why is Penny Hardaway not doubly to blame here?  After all, Hardaway is an adult and presumably recognizes the impropriety here.  I simply do not understand this one…

In yesterday’s Washington Post, there was a report that the ESPN program, High Noon, “faces an uncertain future at the evolving network.  High Noon is high brow discussion of sports issues; it is the antithesis of First Take; on an intellectual scale, it is 5 levels above Get Up!  The hosts are Pablo S. Torre and Bomani Jones; you can listen to either of them in settings other than their own program and you will conclude immediately that they come at whatever the topic may be from a different starting point than most other commentators.  Here is my analogy:

• Two of ESPN’s college basketball voices are Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas.  How long do you have to listen to them to reach the conclusion that these guys are “different from each other”?

According to the report in the Post, both Torre and Jones have contract renewals coming up next year and of the quartet of sports “debate” shows offered by ESPN in the late afternoon, High Noon draws the smallest audience.  [Aside:  The other three programs in question here are “Highly Questionable”, “Around the Horn” and “Pardon the Interruption”.]

Let me go on record here saying that I think High Noon is second only to Pardon the Interruption in that quartet of ESPN shows and I would miss it if it were to disappear.  For the record, I would not even notice if Highly Questionable went the way of My Mother the Car.  Moreover, if the poohbahs at ESPN even begin to wonder if Pardon the Interruption belongs on their airwaves, that will mean that the clan consisting of the likes of Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless and Michael Irvin have won the day.  Should that become evident, I would have to scale back my consumption of sports on TV and restrict it to watching live games and replays of live games.

Finally, here is a definition from The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm:

Despair:  An utter loss of hope; a feeling of uselessness.  Often brought on through contact with a greeter at Walmart.

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The arrow of time – the macroscopic sense that time flows in a single dimension – has advanced a period that we call “seven days” since the last Football Friday.  So, you know what that means…

Let me begin with some foreshadowing.  If there is a Football Friday next week, it will be a brief one.  We have houseguests visiting next week and we will be traveling late in the week.  The next week is Thanksgiving Week.  I suspect that the next full-blown Football Friday will be on December 6, 2019.  That assumes, of course, that the arrow of time does not reverse itself between now and then.

Last week, the Six-Pack resulted in 4 wins, 1 loss and 1 push.  Here is the cumulative record for the Six-Pack to date:

• Overall:  26-15-1
• College games:  14-4
• NFL games:  12-11-1

 

College Football Commentary:

 

The Linfield College Wildcats went on the road and beat the Whitworth Pirates last week 38-31 in overtime in an important Northwest Conference Game.  Whitworth led 31-21 at the end of three quarters but the Wildcats came back to force overtime.  The game winning touchdown was a pass from QB Wyatt Smith to his younger brother, Colton Smith.  This win assures Linfield of the Northwest Conference title for 2019; they have been conference champions in 10 of the last 11 seasons.  This week, Linfield hosts the George Fox University Bruins in their final regular season game.  The Bruins are 5-4 for the season and bring a 3-game win streak to the contest.  Go Wildcats!

Based on LSU beating Alabama last week in Tuscaloosa, the Tigers have moved into the top spot in the CFP ranking.  The undefeated Tigers have played a far more difficult schedule than any of the other unbeaten teams – – Baylor, Clemson, Minnesota and Ohio State – and strength of schedule deserves to be cited here as the reason for the ranking

This is Nick Saban’s 13^th season as the head coach at Alabama.  His record there is 149-22 with 5 national championships.  Impressive, no?  Well, here is something else to consider:

• In almost 13 full seasons, Saban’s teams have lost only 5 games in Tuscaloosa.
• LSU owns two of those home defeats for Alabama since 2007.

Minnesota beat Penn State last week in a battle of undefeated Big-10 teams.  Minnesota has a pretty clear path to the Big-10 West championship and a slot in the Big-10 Championship Game on December 7 in Indy.  They are not a mathematical certainty to be there, but a win this week will all but nail that down for the Gophers.  Their opponent there remains to be determined.

Minnesota is 9-0 so far this year.  The last time a Minnesota football team was 9-0 was back in 1904.  Here are six happenings in 1904:

1. The Russo-Japanese War began.
2. The US bought the Panama Canal Zone for $10M and construction of the canal began.
3. The first line of the NYC Subway system opened.
4. Teddy Roosevelt won re-election as President.
5. Dr Seuss was born.
6. Anton Chekov died.

Minnesota coach, PJ Fleck deserves serious consideration as the Coach of the Year.  Fleck took over a Western Michigan program that was not a powerhouse in the MAC.  His first year there in 2013 was a miserable 1-11 experience.  However, his teams went 15-9 in regular seasons in the next two years and that got him hired at Minnesota starting in the 2017 season.

For the 7 seasons prior to his arrival at Minnesota, the Gophers’ regular season record was a cumulative 40-37; it was not horrible nor was it laudatory.  In his first two seasons there, Fleck’s teams were 11-13 in the regular season – – and now this year they are 9-0.

As a result of another embarrassing loss last week, Arkansas fired head coach Chad Morris.  Last week, I said in Football Friday that if Arkansas lost to Western Kentucky, Arkansas would be a SHOE Tournament candidate.  Well, the powers that be in Fayetteville decided that they had seen enough and chose to move on from Coach Morris.

Arkansas used to be a top-shelf football program back in the days of the Southwest Conference; Texas and Arkansas played one another as the #1 versus #2 team in the country at one point.  That has not been the Arkansas football status recently.  Last week, Arkansas not only lost to Western Kentucky – – a C-USA team no less – – but here is some of the embarrassment:

• Kentucky led at the half 35-7
• Final score was 45-19
• Arkansas was held to 68 yards passing
• W Kentucky outgained Arkansas 478-321

That gave the Athletic Director cover to fire the coach and buy him out.  That action is not going to make Arkansas football in 2019 any better – – but it does allow the AD and the boosters at Arkansas to think they have “taken action”.  There was plenty of reason to fire Morris a week or two before this game; consider his record at Arkansas:

• Arkansas was 4-18 in almost 2 full seasons under Morris
• None of the 4 wins were over SEC opponents
• Arkansas record in 2017 – leading to the firing of that coach and the hiring of Morris was better than now.  Team then was 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the SEC.
•             Somewhere in the cosmos, Frank Broyles is gulping down Rolaids to ease his agita…

With Chad Morris out at Arkansas, that makes two Power 5 schools who have fired their coach in mid-season this year.  Willie Taggert got a pink slip from Florida state two weeks ago.  So, are there other Power 5 coaches in trouble?

• Mark Dantonio (Michigan State) after suffering a hugely embarrassing loss at home last week (see below)?
• Clay Helton (USC) who is always the target of USC fans’ scorn?
• Kevin Sumlin (Arizona) who lost to Oregon State two weeks ago giving up 56 points to the Beavers?
• Jeremy Pruitt (Tennessee) who probably needs to get a bowl bid this year to keep his job?

Let me explain what happened to Michigan State last week in East Lansing.  The Spartans led by 25 points at one point in the game and held a comfortable 31-10 lead at the end of 3 quarters against Illinois.  Fans in the stands were thinking about victory parties and kegs at that point; the big money alums noted that the Spartans were comfortably covering the spread which had closed at 14.5 points.  All was well – – and then:

• Illinois scored 27 points in the 4^th quarter to win the game 37-34 without the need for overtime.

[Aside: And that rally made one of my Six-Pack picks a winner too]

What looked like a Saturday night full of fun and frolic in East Lansing – along with the cashing of some nice wagers on the Spartans – turned into a giant turdburger.  Sparty is 4-5 at this point in the season with the following opponents:

• At Michigan
• At Rutgers
• At Maryland

I think Mark Dantonio’s job would be in serious jeopardy if he lost to either Rutgers or Maryland; I think he will definitely be out of a job if he loses to both Rutgers and Maryland.

Cincy is 8-1 in the AAC along with SMU and Memphis.   It is interesting to compare the losses for those three teams:

• SMU lost to Memphis
• Memphis lost to Temple
• Cincy lost to Ohio State
• Hmmm…

Boise St. is another team in a “lesser conference” with only one loss.  They won last week but it took OT for the Broncos to subdue Wyoming.  Boise St. won despite playing without its starting QB who missed the game due to an injury suffered the week before.  The Broncos seem to have a breather this week in case their starting QB cannot go again; they host New Mexico – a team that was a SHOE Tournament candidate last week.

Speaking of teams that were missing a top player last week, Ohio State seemed not to miss DE, Chase Young, all that much.  The Buckeyes strolled to a 73-14 win over Maryland.

Wisconsin beat Iowa 24-22 thereby keeping alive their mathematical shot at the big 10 West title.  Here is what has to happen:

• Wisconsin must win out beating Nebraska this week Purdue next week and then Minnesota on November 30.  The first two games are clearly winnable; the game against Minnesota will be difficult.
• Meanwhile, Minnesota has to lose to Iowa this week or SHOE candidate Northwestern next week prior to losing to Wisconsin on November 30.  This week’s game against Iowa – at Iowa – is a BIG game in the Big 10.

Last week, Florida State rallied under its interim coach and beat BC on the road 38-31.  That leave both teams with 5-5 records.  Florida State will get its 6^th win this week against Alabama State before facing Florida in a season finale on November 30.  Meanwhile, BC will need a win over either Notre Dame (next week) or Pitt (on November 30) to be bowl eligible.

Texas beat K-State last week 27-24 on a field goal as time expired.

Oklahoma squeaked by Iowa State 42-41 last week.  With a loss to K-State already on its record, that is not the sort of outcome that Oklahoma needs to gain favor with the CFP Selection Committee.  The Sooners take on Baylor this week – – another BIG game but this time in the Big-12

Southern Mississippi beat UAB 37-2 last week.  UAB is 6-3 on the season’ they are not a doormat.  Nonetheless, they got steamrollered here…

USC beat Arizona State 31-26.  The Trojans scored 28 points in the first quarter and then went into hibernation offensively.  But a win is a win, right?

 

The Shoe Tournament Candidates:

 

As with last week, I will present 12 teams in alphabetical order that I believe deserve consideration for the imaginary SHOE Tournament this year and I will provide the result of their game from last week:

• Akron:  They had the week off; their record is 0-10.
• Arkansas:  They lost to W. Kentucky 45-19 (see above); their record is 2-8.
• Georgia Tech: They lost to Virginia 33-28; their record is 2-7
• New Mexico State:  They lost to Ole Miss 41-3; their record is 0-9.
• Northwestern:  They lost to Purdue 24-22; their record is1-8.
• Old Dominion:  They lost to Texas-San Antonio 24-23; their record is 1-9
• Rice:  They had the week off; their record is 0-9.
• Rutgers:  They had the week off; their record is 2-7
• South Alabama:  They lost to Texas State 30-28; their record is 1-8.
• UConn:  They lost to Cincy 48-3; their record is 2-8
• UMass:  They lost to Army 63-7; their record is 1-9.
• UTEP:  They lost to Charlotte 28-21; their record is 1-8.

 

College Games This Week:

 

Before listing individual games of interest for this week, did you happen to notice that Navy is 7-1 this year?  Annapolis is not far from Washington DC and I did not have the Midshipmen on my radar until this week.  Their only loss was on the road against Memphis who is 8-1 for the season.

 

VA Tech – 6.5 at Georgia Tech (51):  SHOE Tournament interest…

Indiana at Penn State – 14.5 (55):  Penn State can still make it to the Big 10 Championship Game, but it must win this game to keep that door open.

Ohio State – 52.5 at Rutgers (61.5):  Oh, and Chase Young will be ineligible for this game too.  Challenge for Rutgers here will be to score twice…

Minnesota at Iowa – 3 (45):  Minnesota continues to get no respect from the oddsmakers.  I know Iowa is tough at home, but this will be a low scoring game won in the trenches.  I’ll put Minnesota plus the points in this week’s Six-Pack.

Wake Forest at Clemson – 34 (59.5):  This is what passes for a “stiff conference test” for Clemson in the ACC…

UMass at Northwestern – 41.5 (57.5):  Folks, Northwestern scores an average of only 11.1 points per game – – and they are a 41-point favorite here.  That is because UMass gives up an average of 53.1 points per game.  This game is the moveable object facing the trivial force…  I’ll put this game to stay UNDER in this week’s Six-Pack.

New Mexico at Boise St. – 27.5 (59):  Possible SHOE Tournament interest here…

UCLA at Utah – 21.5 (52):  UCLA had last week off and is riding a 3-game win streak.  The oddsmaker is unimpressed…

Navy at Notre Dame – 7 (54):  Not the best game of the week – – but it could be fun to watch…

Arizona at Oregon – 27 (68):  Oregon is looking toward the PAC-12 Championship game; Arizona could wind up with a fired coach at the end of this season…

UTEP at UAB – 17 (44):  SHOE interest…

Georgia – 3 at Auburn (40.5):  Georgia needs this game to keep its path clear to the SEC Championship Game, but the Auburn defense is very good.  Georgia is ranked #4 this week in the CFP rankings; some folks think that is too lofty a position for the Dawgs.  This is the best game on this list so far…  The Total Line opened the week at 45 points and has dropped quickly to this level reflecting the two good defenses here.  [Auburn is at home, getting points with a really good defense so, I’ll put Auburn plus the Points in this week’s Six-Pack.]

Oklahoma – 10.5 at Baylor (67.5):  Oklahoma has 1 loss in the Big 12 and Baylor is undefeated for the season.  This is a very important game for both teams and for the Big-12 conference, so I’ll anoint it as the Game of the Week.

Michigan State at Michigan – 13.5 (44.5):  Mark Dantonio has had plenty of success against Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan team in the past.

Rice at Middle Tenn. State – 14.5 (47.5):  SHOE Tournament interest here…

Alabama – 17.5 at Mississippi State (61):  Bama cannot afford another loss; the Bulldogs are tough at home – – but not that tough.

Wisconsin – 14.5 at Nebraska (50.5):  The Badgers need this one badly…

LSU – 21 at Ole Miss (66.5):  I don’t expect any let down from LSU.  I do expect the Tigers to throw the ball at will against an Ole Miss defense that gives up 275 yards per game.  I’ll put LSU to win and cover in this week’s Six-Pack.

Incarnate Word at New Mexico State – 7.5 (60):  A loss here for the Aggies will guarantee a very high seeding in the SHOE Tournament.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

The Raiders beat the Chargers 26-24 last Thursday night.  That win coupled with a Chiefs’ loss last week (more on that later) puts the Raiders only a half-game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West race.  Earlier this season, the Raiders have had a two-game losing streak followed by a two-game wining streak followed by a two-game losing streak followed by a two-game winning streak.  Last week’s win was the second of the last two-game winning streak, but the future looks favorable for the Raiders here.  The next two games are bunnies if the raiders maintain focus:

• Vs. Bengals
• At Jets

The Raiders look to have a real shot to be part of the playoffs come January 2020…

Greg Cote had a comment about the Chargers – and their rumored move to London – in the Miami Herald last week:

“Forget the tree falling in the forest. If the Chargers moved to London, would anybody miss them?”

In what was the biggest upset of the week – – and maybe the biggest upset of the season so far – – the Falcons beat the Saints 26-9.  The Falcons defense which had been as effective as a screen door on a submarine sacked Drew Brees 6 times and held the Saints to single digits in scoring.  This is the second loss for the Saints in 2019 and they only scored 9 points in both losses.  Here is a comparison of the rushing stats for the game:

• Saints ran the ball 11 times for 50 yards.
• Falcons ran the ball 34 times for 143 yards.

The unanswered question coming out of this game was:

• Is this an awakening of the Falcons team or was this a one-off effective performance?

The Ravens beat the Bengals 49-13 last week.  For a moment there, I had flashbacks to the beat-down that the Ravens put on the Dolphins in Week 1 of this year.  That game produced a score of 59-10.  Ryan Finley’s first NFL start for the Bengals did not go swimmingly.  He threw a 90-yard Pick Six AND he lost a fumble that produced a scoop-and-score later in the game.  Yowza!

The Browns beat the Bills 19-16 in a game where the Bills’ kicker, Stephen Hauschka, missed two field goals.  Also, the Browns ran the ball 26 times for 147 yards.  The Bills’ run defense has been exposed as a significant weakness over the last couple of weeks ever since the Eagles ran wild on the Bills’ defense.

The Jets beat the Giants 34-27 in an exciting game between two pretty bad teams.  Daniel Jones threw for 308 yards and 4 TDs, but that was not enough given the Giants’ miserable defense.  Meanwhile the Jets’ defense played well enough to win.  The Jets completely shut down Saquon Barkley, sacked Daniel Jones 6 times and provided the margin of victory when Jamal Adams stole the ball from Daniel Jones and ran it in for a TD.

The Bears beat the Lions 20-13 in what is best described as a soporific event.  If you a devotee of the punting game and/or punt coverage techniques, this was the game for you.  The Bears punted 9 times and the Lions punted 6 times.  Be still my heart …  The Lions held Mitchell Trubisky to 147 yards passing and sacked him 5 times, and they still came out on the losing end of this game.  The Lions will be the Lions…

Matthew Stafford did not play for the Lions; reports say he has “broken bones in his back” which sounds awfully serious to me but must not be dire because he may be back in a couple of weeks.  [Aside:  This is the first game Stafford has missed since 2010.]  Jeff Driskel took over as the Lions’ QB and did not embarrass himself with this stat line:

• 27 of 46 for 269 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT
• Driskel also ran 5 times for 37 yards in the game.

The Bears snapped a 4-game losing streak here; meanwhile the Lions have now lost 5 of their last 6 games – – and don’t know when Matthew Stafford will be back.

The Bucs beat the Cards 30-27; the Bucs negated the Cards’ run offense holding the Cards to 37 yards on 15 run attempts.  Given that information, you should not be surprised to learn that the Bucs dominated time of possession holding the ball for more than 36 minutes in the game.  Also, the Cards turned the ball over twice inside the Bucs’ 20-yardline.  Given all that information, you have to wonder how this wound up as a 3-point game…

The Titans beat the Chiefs 35-32 as – once again – the Titans played up to the level of their opponent.  Patrick Mahomes was back for the Chiefs and he played very well (446 yards passing plus 3 TDs) but the Chiefs’ defense was a no-show.  Derrick Henry gained 188 yards on smashmouth running and he scored 3 TDs.  The Chiefs’ special teams had a hand in the loss too.  They botched a field goal try in the 4^th quarter and had another field goal attempt blocked in the final seconds of the game.

Here are data that are interesting in juxtaposition:

• Andy Reid’s career coaching record in the regular season is 130-93-1
• Andy Reid’s career coaching record against the Titans is 1-8

The Packers beat the Panthers 24-17.  It took a goal line stand at the 1 yardline at the end of the game to lock down this win for the packers.  Even though the Panthers’ lost, Kyle Allen played VERY well.

The Steelers beat the Rams 17-12 even though the Rams’ defense held the Steelers to 42 yards rushing in the game (on 27 carries no less).  Here are some of the reasons why the Rams lost the game:

• The Rams faced 14 third down situations and converted only 1 of them.
• The Rams turned the ball over 4 times – one of them was a scoop-and-score that provided the margin of victory here.

The Rams now have 4 losses for the year.  That puts them 3 down in the loss column to the Niners and 2 down in the loss column to the Seahawks in the NFC West.  That will not be a deficit that is easy to overcome.  I’m not ready to pronounce the Rams dead in the water, but their margin for error in the NFC is minuscule.

The Dolphins beat the Colts 16-12.  The Dolphins are now riding a 2-game win streak.  This outcome certainly does not aid the Colts’ efforts to win the AFC South.   Brian Hoyer – – in for Jacoby Brissett – – threw 3 INTs in the game.  The Dolphins came to the game giving up 32 points per game and held the Colts to 12 points.  On any given Sunday …

The Vikes beat the Cowboys 28-24.  Kirk Cousins won a prime-time game against a team with a winning record on the road; perhaps that will get those monkeys off his back?  The Vikes dominated time of possession by running the ball 36 times for 153 yards and held Ezekiel Elliott in check (47 yards on 20 carries).  Dak Prescott threw for 393 yards in the game, but he was always playing in “catch-up mode”.  The Cowboys’ run defense looked awfully suspect in this game.

The Seahawks beat the Niners 27-24 with the game-winning field goal coming as time expired in OT.  If you did not like this game, you are either:

• Employed by the Niners
• Are a blood relative of someone employed by the Niners
• Bet heavily on the Niners
• Are a blood relative of Oscar the Grouch.

The Niners did not have George Kittle for the entire game and then Emmanuel Sanders left the game in the first half never to return.  This does not excuse the loss, but the fact is that Niners’ receivers dropped 3 or 4 important passes that hit the receiver on both hands.  Kittle and Sanders tend to catch anything that hits them on both hands.  Meanwhile, Jadeveon Clowney ran wild over the Niners; OL all night long.  He returned a fumble for a TD and he had 5 QB hits on Jimmy Garoppolo in the game.

Last night, the Browns beat the Steelers 21-7 but that is not the story of the game.  In the waning seconds of the game, Browns’ DE, Myles Garrett, leveled Steelers QB, Mason Rudolph and then for reasons only known to Garrett and mind readers everywhere, Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and swung it at Rudolph’s exposed head.  As you may expect a “melee” ensued and three players were ejected – – big deal, the game was over anyhow – – and it took more time than it should to re-establish order.

The NFL must hand down suspensions for this mess after reviewing the tapes to see who did what during the incident.  Those suspensions have to be significant; that sort of thing only has a place in pro ‘rassling; it cannot be condoned in pro football.  When that happens, the NFLPA will exercise its obligation to represent the suspended players in whatever grievance process exists in the CBA.  Before that happens, I think that Mason Rudolph should sit down with DeMaurice Smith to ask how he – as a member of the NFLPA – is being represented since he was the one who could well have been the recipient of the ripped off helmet.

 

Breaking News:  The NFL has suspended Myles Garrett indefinitely and without pay.  According to reports, his case will not be reviewed before the end of the 2019 season.  In addition, Steelers’ center, Maurkice Pouncey, has been suspended 3 games without pay and has been fined by the league for his part in the melee.  And, Browns’ DT, Larry Ogunjobi was suspended for 1 game without pay and has been fined by the league for his participation.  The players and/or the NFLPA have 3 business days to appeal the fines and suspensions.

 

NFL Games This Week:

 

Dallas – 3.5 at Detroit (51):  This game presents the Cowboys with a way to re-establish a lead in the NFC West as a favorite in this game and with the Eagles as an underdog this week.  The Lions will need to run the ball well here to stay in the game because the Cowboys’ defense can and will rush the passer relentlessly.  Last week, it was Dak Prescott versus the world; the Cowboys’ run game must give him some help here.  Consider this:

• Lions are not likely to play Matthew Stafford here
• Lions are mediocre with Stafford and not that good without him
• Cowboys need the game much more than the Lions do
• Game is in Detroit

Given all that; can the Cowboys simply take care of business here?  If not, there are real problems in Dallas…

New Orleans – 6 at Tampa Bay (50):  Was that just a stinker last week from the Saints or is there an offensive problem surfacing?  Even assuming the Bucs can shut down the Saint’s run game, isn’t Drew Brees going to feast on a Bucs’ pass defense that yields 298.9 yards per game (worst average in the NFL)?  I’ll wait before backing the Saints again…

Atlanta at Carolina – 4 (49):  Has a sleeping giant awakened in Atlanta – – or was last week a one-off?  The Panthers are playing solid football and need a win to keep pace in the NFC wildcard chase.  Too many question marks in this game to make a pick including these trends that point in opposite directions:

• Falcons are 5-16 against the spread in their last 21 road games
• Panthers are 3-8 against the spread playing teams with a losing record.

Jax at Indy – 2.5 (43.5):  The Jags are coming to this game off a BYE Week.  This game will see the return of Nick Foles (for sure) and the return of Jacoby Brissett (hopefully, if you are a Colts’ fan).  If I were certain that Brian Hoyer would play here, I would take the points, but we will not know that until game time.  Leonard Fournette should have a good game against a mediocre Colts’ run defense.

Denver at Minnesota – 10.5 (41.5):  The Broncos had two weeks to prepare for this game.  The Vikes return home after a very big win against the Cowboys in Dallas last week.  The Vikes are undefeated at home this year and are only 1 game behind the Packers for the NFC North lead.  Although the Broncos have a Top 5 defense overall, their run defense is in the middle of the pack; that is important because the Vikes love to run the ball and Dalvin Cook is a really good RB.

Jets at Washington – 2.5 (38.5):  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week, and I will not listen to any arguments to the contrary.  The combined record of these teams is 3-15; both will start “struggling” young QBs.  I will be force-fed this game on Sunday; if you live anywhere other than DC or NYC, let your network affiliate know you want some other game in your area this week.  I am tempted to take this game to stay UNDER because neither offense is any good, but I really do not want to have any reason to pay attention to this stink-bomb.  If you pick a side in this game, remember these trends:

• Jets are 3-8-1 against the spread in their last 12 games
• Skins are 2-6 against the spread in their last 8 games

Buffalo – 6.5 at Miami (40):  In case you had not realized, the Dolphins 2-game win streak is the longest winning streak in the AFC East.  The Bills’ offense is “spotty” to put it kindly but this week it faces a Dolphins’ defense that ranks 29^th in the NFL giving up an average of 391 yards per game.

Houston at Baltimore – 4 (50.5):  This is the Game of the Week and it will likely be the most entertaining game of the week.  Deshaun Watson versus Lamar Alexander; do you need anything else?  If you do, this game could have seeding implications for the AFC Playoffs because both teams lead their divisions at the moment.  I’ll put this game to go OVER in this week’s Six-Pack.]

Arizona at SF – 11 (45):  Time to test the Niners’ resilience after a close and emotionally draining loss last week.  Having the Cards come visit would seem to be a good way for the Niners to get rolling again.  Here are problem areas for the Niners:

• Will they have to play without George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders here?
• Can they contain Kyler Murray’s running?  They did not do so well last week containing Russell Wilson.
• Will they “look past” the Cards to see the Packers coming up next?

Given all the questions around the Niners in this game, I think that line is fat.  I’ll put the Cards plus the points in this week’s Six-Pack.]

New England – 3.5 at Philly (45):  Both teams had last week off for some rest and recuperation.  The Pats have a 2-game lead in the AFC East; the Eagles are tied with the Cowboys atop the NFC East – but the Eagles have this game followed by a trip to Seattle on the schedule.  This game is much bigger for the Eagles than it is for the Pats.  Eagles must establish the run against a Pats’ defense that was vulnerable to the run in the loss to the Ravens.

Cincy at Oakland – 11.5 (49):  A Raiders’ win here coupled with a Chief’s loss on Monday night would put the Raiders in first place in the AFC West.  Look for Josh Jacobs to have a big game against the Bengals front seven…

(Sun Nite) Chicago at Rams – 6.5 (40):  The spread started the week at 8 points and has sunk below 7 points here.  That is significant; the books do not like to be exposed on both sides of a 7-point spread because that is the value of a touchdown – plus a PAT – and that means bettors can try to get a middle on the game.  There must have been a lot of “Bears money” showing up when the spread was at 8 and then at 7.5 and then at 7 points.  Back in August, this game looked as if it might be a preview of the NFC Championship game in January 2020.  Even with a month and a half left in the regular season, I feel comfortable saying that ain’t gonna happen.

(Mon Nite: KC – 3.5 vs. Chargers (52) [Game is in Mexico City]:  Here are two inconsistent teams playing in a strange place at altitude.  The Chiefs need this game to keep the Raiders at bay; the Chargers need the game to stay playoff relevant – sort of.

Let me review this week’s Six-Pack:

• Minnesota +3 at Iowa
• UMass/Northwestern UNDER 57.5
• Auburn +3 versus Georgia
• LSU – 21 over Ole Miss
• Texans/Ravens OVER 50.5
• Cardinals +11 at Niners

Yes, I know; there are 4 college games and 2 NFL games in the Six-Pack this week.

Finally, Dwight Perry had this NFL related observation in the Seattle Times a few weeks ago:

“The worst city in the US to drive around in, according to a WalletHub.com survey is Detroit.

“Unless, that is, you happen to be at Ford Field driving against the Lions’ defense.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports ………

 

 

All change is not for the good.  Technological advances in image capture and recording have had lots of positive influences in society; now we hear that the Houston Astros may have used cameras and video links in 2017 to steal signals from opposing teams.  Major League Baseball has “launched an investigation”.  The basis of these charges comes from a player on the 2017 Astros team that won the World Series and three other unidentified people who were/are with the team.  That would seem like a lot of damning evidence right there.

Opposing teams have reacted in very predictable ways; if you read reports about how other teams view this matter, please do not expect to be surprised.  Spoiler Alert: None of the opponents likes the idea.  Of course, MLB will investigate; but I wonder if there is a viable endgame to such an investigation.  There is no direct precedent for MLB to draw on here.  Let me assume that all the allegations are provably correct, what happens then?

• For the last big “cheating event” in baseball – the Black Sox scandal in 1919 – punishments went to the players and not the team.  That punishment was lifetime banishment from baseball – – but once you get past the “cheating” aspect of the two cases, there are not a ton of parallels.
• The team had to be involved in the activities that are alleged here and not just the players.  How does MLB punish a team meaningfully?  Put an asterisk next to that World Series championship.  Oooh, there’s a deterrent against future malefactors…

Once this is proven to have happened to the satisfaction of MLB, the problem has only just begun because the “penalty phase” of this saga has no blazed trail or mapped coordinates for the poohbahs to follow.  I know there needs to be punishment here and it must be something more than a slap on the wrist.  But what it should be and to whom or what it should be applied will provide interesting reading down the line…

There is a current rule on the books as of Feb 2019 making it illegal in baseball to use technology to steal signs.  The allegations here are from the 2017 season so that rule was not on the books then.  One of the cornerstones of US jurisprudence is that one cannot be punished by an ex post facto law…

Given the presence of the new rule for baseball, it seems to say that stealing signs is OK if you do it visually or audibly, but not OK if you use any sort of tech gadgetry in the process.  Notwithstanding any of the allegations here, does that make sense to you?  The “sin” in sign stealing is in the technique and not the act itself?

Shifting gears…  Week 16 of the NFL season got a makeover from the NFL yesterday when the league announced a change in the scheduled times of 3 games.  There will be a triple header on Saturday December 21^st:

• 1:00PM EST:  Texans at Bucs
• 4:30PM EST:  Bills at Patriots
• 8:00PM EST:  Rams at Niners

These three games will be telecast on NFL Network and that makes this switch a bit surprising.

• Except for the Bucs, the other 5 teams involved in these games would seem to have playoff possibilities even at that late stage of the season.  That means the NFL has taken 3 meaningful games off broadcast TV where there are a lot of eyeballs to drive ratings and put those games on NFLN which has a smaller and limited audience as a premium cable channel.
• I can’t imagine that the NFL’s “broadcast partners” are happy to lose these three games and to be left with the likes of Bengals/Dolphins or Jags/Falcons or Giants/Skins.

Maybe it was that scintillating 34-27 win over the NY Giants last week that prompted Christopher Johnson to declare that Adam Gase will not only finish out the 2019 season as the head coach of the NY Jets; in addition, Gase will be the Jets’ head coach in 2020.  There had been more than a little speculation in the NY tabloids that Gase could be “one-and-done” in NY; that is put to rest.

The Jets’ owner – Woody Johnson – is not part of the team for the moment; he is “otherwise engaged” as the US Ambassador to the UK; that is why his brother, Christopher, is in charge and it was Christopher who made this proclamation.  As part of the announcement, Johnson said of Adam Gase:

“He’s a good man; he’s a good coach.”

Let me unpack that statement:

• I have no idea if Adam Gase is a good man.  For all I know, he could be the male equivalent of Mother Teresa – – or he could be a reincarnation of Jeffrey Dahmer.  It is not likely that I will ever know enough about him as a man to place him on that spectrum.
• Here is what I do know.  Adam Gase is 25-32 as an NFL head coach and Adam Gase is 2-7 as the head coach of the NY Jets.
• He had a mediocre roster in Miami and produced mediocre results there – – 23 wins and 25 losses.  Ho-hum…
• He has a very thin roster in NY this year and the team is taking its lumps at 2-7.
• It is probably too soon to know if Adam Gase is a “good coach”; he has never had the team resources to manage in a way that would shed light on that issue.

Finally, let me leave you with a definition from The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm:

“Choked up:  To be stricken with an onrush of tearful emotion that is just barely kept at bay.  A condition used to great effect by lying scumbags who want people to think they are actually repentant when being interviewed by 60 Minutes.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

College basketball has seen its first major upset of the 2019/2020 season – – and Thanksgiving is still a week and a half in the future.  Kentucky won its first two games of the season and one of those wins came over Michigan State – the team that had been ranked #1 in the pre-season polls.  The Wildcats moved up to #1 on the basis of that win and followed up with a glorified scrimmage at home against Eastern Kentucky that produced a 42-point win.  Next on the menu was Evansville and here is what went down:

1. Evansville had lost its last 33 games on the road against Top 25 teams.
2. Kentucky had won its last 39 games at home against unranked out-of-conference opponents.
3. The last time Kentucky lost to an unranked team from one of the small-time conferences while ranked #1 in the country was way back in December 1950.
4. Last night, Evansville beat Kentucky in Kentucky 67-64.

I did a rant recently about young NFL QBs and I want to follow up on that topic this morning with a few specific observations.  Lamar Jackson (Ravens) has demonstrated his commitment to professional football and none of it has to do with his performances in games so far this year.  Here is why I make that statement:

• Do a Google Images search for “Lamar Jackson Louisville” and look at his arms and legs in photos before he left to join the NFL in 2018.
• Compare the musculature on his arms and legs then and now.
• Mr. Jackson has spent a significant amount of time in the weight room preparing his body for the profession of “NFL QB”.  He has added plenty of lean muscle to his upper body and to his legs.

Then next young QB on my list for this morning is Ryan Finley of the Bengals.  He got his first start of his NFL career with Andy Dalton taking to the sidelines and to clipboard and baseball cap duties.  Finley did not have an auspicious beginning; he gave up a Pick-Six and lost a fumble that resulted in a Scoop-and-Score.  Those two turnovers led to 14 points for the Ravens and that was enough to win the game right there; the Ryan Finley led offense for the Bengals could only score 13 points last Sunday.

Now I want to explain why the Bengals did the smart thing in starting Ryan Finley last week.  The Bengals are 0-9 they are on track to have the overall #1 pick in the draft – – or certainly one of the top 5 picks.  There are more than a few decent QB prospects in this year’s eligible draft class and that means the Bengals need to know what they have in Ryan Finley as a young QB who might be their team leader somewhere down the road.  That means that the Bengals’ braintrust must come to a conclusion about Ryan Finley’s long-term prospects as an NFL QB prior to the completion of the 2019 season.

Finley started last week, and the Bengals have 7 game remaining after that one.  That sample will have to suffice for the Bengals to make their decision as to whether they draft a QB next year or possibly take Chase Young – the standout defensive player in the draft.  The Bengals as a team need a significant make-over; it would be foolhardy for ownership and the Front Office there to think that a single off-season is going to turn this roster into a playoff team.  So, it is imperative for them to try to understand Ryan Finley’s long-term viability as an NFL QB.

There is another nugget of information contained in last week’s decision by the Bengals to bench Andy Dalton in favor of Ryan Finley:

• Memo to Bengals’ Fans:  It wasn’t Andy Dalton’s fault that the team was 0-8.

While on the subject of Bengals’ fans, here is an item from Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times:

“Scientists are experimenting with psychedelic drugs in an effort to erase bad memories and thus prevent the triggering of depression.

“Rumor has it they plan to test it out on Bengals fans.”

Meanwhile in DC, the Skins announced that Dwayne Haskins will start the remaining 7 games of the 2019 season for the team.  The Skins now hold the #2 pick in the 2020 Draft and their situation is precisely what is facing the Bengals.  They took a QB in the first round last year; he showed that he was not ready to be a starter in 2019 but the team has to have enough film in the can to decide if he is the QB of the future – – or not.  This decision could well be clouded by the reports that the “football people” in the organization did not want Haskins in the first place but that the “owner” demanded the team take Haskins.

Without referring to my college football notes from TV viewing so far this year, here are the QBs available off the top of my head in alphabetical order for those teams at or near the top of the NFL Draft:

• Joe Burrow – LSU
• Sam Ehlinger – Texas
• Jake Fromm – Georgia
• Justin Herbert – Oregon
• Jalen Hurts – Oklahoma
• Kellen Mond – Texas A&M
• Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama

Finally, here is a comment from Greg Cote of the Miami Herald:

“O.J. McDuffie, Roberto Luongo and Tamara James are newest inductees into the Broward Sports Hall of Fame. If I have to explain who they are, they probably shouldn’t be in.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

A little more than 10% of the seemingly interminable NBA regular season is in the past and while it is way too early to make any sort of definitive projections for the season, there have been some interesting NBA happenings already.  First, the opening instance of “load management” took place before 10 games had been played by the LA Clippers.  Kawhi Leonard sat out a game against the Milwaukee Bucks; it was first game in a back-back scheduling situation.

I don’t want to rehash the “load management” debate both pro and con.  I will say that the folks who might put the arm on the NBA and the NBPA to do something about this are the execs at ESPN.  The network pays a tidy sum to the league for TV rights; if star players sit out nationally televised games, that is going to affect ratings; if those lower ratings bring in less ad revenue to the network, that could be a problem in the near-term and will certainly be a problem the next time negotiations commence between the network and the league.

Yes, I acknowledge the plight of the fans in Milwaukee who bought tix for that game hoping to see Kawhi Leonard vs Giannis Antetokounmpo – – but the fact of the matter is that the league and the players’ union do not give a fig for fans in that circumstance.  Reality bites…

Down in Miami, the Heat are off to a good start winning 6 of their first 9 games.  However, some drama just descended on the team as they have suspended – without pay – guard Dion Waiters.  The suspension is for 10 games and the reason is “conduct detrimental to the team”.  According to reports, here is the conduct detrimental…

• Waiters reportedly suffered a panic attack on the team plane late last week.
• Supposedly, the panic attack was brought on by Waiters’ consumption of gumballs that contained THC compounds.

Up in Boston, it seems that the basketball gods want to punish Gordon Hayward for signing there as a free agent.  Recall his gruesome leg injury early in his first season in Boston which had him out for all that season and limited his effectiveness for last year as he recovered from that injury.  At the start of this season, he looked to be back to his Utah Jazz form – – the form that made him a top-shelf free agent in the first place.  And then the basketball gods struck again…

Gordon Hayward broke his hand over the weekend.  Early reports say he will be out for 6 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the break.  The only part of this report that might be considered “good news” is that the broken hand is his left hand.  The Celtics have the best record in the NBA Eastern Conference this morning.  If you assume that Hayward will be back in 6 weeks and “back-in-form” in 8 weeks, that means the Celtics will have to play on without him until early to mid-January.  I doubt that the injury will cripple the team for that period, but they will have their work cut out for them to stay at the very top of the NBA East.

Now, all those happenings are merely the warm-up act for the latest episode in the New York soap opera known as the New York Knickerbockers.  The Knicks are at the other end of the NBA Eastern Conference standings this morning relative to the Celtics; the Knicks are dead-last with a record of 2-8.  That situation is not all that surprising when you look at the rosters of the two teams.  However, while the Celtics go about their business in a reasonable and rational manner, the Knicks invent ways to make the team look like a horse’s ass.

Last weekend, the Knicks lost to the Cavs – – another bottom feeder team – – by 21 points; it was a dispirited effort.  Rather than re-grouping and trying to figure out how to get blood from a turnip – – win half of your games with that roster – – the Knicks chose to take a different path.  They called an impromptu news conference featuring team president, Steve Mills, and Knicks’ GM, Scott Perry.  [Aside: Team news conferences need to be orchestrated events; impromptu news conferences are accidents waiting to happen.]

These gentlemen announced to the world that they believed that the team was not playing up to its capabilities.  The cynic in me finds that hard to believe since these are the two guys who assembled this roster and they are both reputed to be NBA-savvy execs.  Here are some of their comments:

“We think the team’s not performing to the level we anticipated or expected, and it’s something we think we collectively have to do a better job of delivering the product on the floor that we said we would do at the start of the season.”

And …

“We’ve seen glimpses of how we can play as a team when everything comes together, but we’ve got to find a way to play complete games at the level we expect our team to play at. That’s a responsibility we take collectively, but I also think it’s important for us to communicate to our fans that we’re not happy where we are right now. … We have to, as a group, come together and be more consistent in terms of how we play.”

They wove into their narrative the dreaded vote of confidence for their coaching staff although the NY papers say that Mills is setting the table to fire coach David Fizdale once he convinces owner James Dolan that is the right thing to do.  Fizdale signed a 4-year contract worth $22M last year; that means he has about $16M left in the contract.  Let me be clear, David Fizdale is not the reason the Knicks are not winning games; that roster is going to struggle to win 30 games for the season and could well find themselves with fewer than 25 wins next April.

Coach Fizdale did not help his cause much in the aftermath of that poor showing against the Cavs.  He threw this irrelevancy into the mix:

• We are only 2 games behind for the 8^th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Finally, Dwight Perry had this item in his column Sideline Chatter in the Seattle Times a while ago.  It shows that every time you go to see a baseball game, you stand the chance of seeing something you have never seen before:

“Astros minor-leaguer Miguelangel Sierra lost a home run playing for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers because … he failed to touch home plate.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………