What a fun game, Andrew! I was having a great Monday morning…slept through my alarm, got to work a little late, and was scrolling through Twitter for a second in my car when I saw the tweet above. Definitely a great start to the day. I knew how close the Rams were to the playoffs up until Week 16, but the season is over, and I didn’t need a reminder.
It’s been clear all season that the Seahawks, despite Russell Wilson’s almost MVP-worthy season, are frauds. Like the tweet reminds us of…the Rams were a field goal away from beating the Seahawks back in Week 5, plus they routed them to a 28-12 victory a few weeks ago. They Rams weren’t the same team they were last season and they should’ve beaten them twice. They really showed flashed of brilliance this year, but just failed to be consistent.
If that’s not enough proof, their point differential this season was +7. If you are unfamiliar with “point differential”, +7 means that they only scored 7 more points than they gave up this season, which isn’t all that concerning until you compare it to the Ravens, whose point differential was +249. Now obviously the Ravens had an unreal offense, but even the Eagles, who struggled all year offensively, had a point differential of +31 – Rams were +30 btw.
Now, even though the Rams were so subpar this season, I can’t believe it had to come down to that one missed kick against the Seahawks. I’ve never liked the Seahawks…maybe it’s because Pete Carroll is a scumbag (ditched USC amid cheating scandal that he DEFINITELY knew about and chews gum like a psycho) or maybe it’s because they retired the number “12” in honor of their fans (hardo move). Either way, I’ll never be able to live down that pain I suffered at the hands of Greg Zuerlein on that fateful Thursday evening. I hate having to think about it now, and just reminds me how important every single game in an NFL season is – especially in your own division.
I do find solace in the fact that there’s no way in hell the Seahawks will make a Super Bowl run. The Rams probably wouldn’t have either, but at least they’re not frauds like the Seahawks.
I’m currently in the middle of the California desert making my way to Scottsdale where my Tigers will be playing tomorrow night in the Fiesta Bowl. I don’t think anyone cares about the LSU-Oklahoma game, so the review for that is going to be minuscule. The game that all of America wants to watch is the 2 vs. 3 seed game. Ohio State and Clemson are running it back with a rematch of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl that saw Clemson kicking the shit out of OSU, 31-0. I was at that game and what a site it was. Thousands of obnoxious snow birds made the trek to the desert to watch their beloved Buckeyes get their teeth kicked in. I’ll try to retain my journalistic integrity for the remainder of this post, but Ohio State fans are the absolute worst fans in all of college football. Apart from your school and their rival, I would like to think that everyone who has come face-to-face with OSU fans agree. Alright let’s get into this CFP Semifinal review.
#1 LSU vs. #4 Oklahoma
No shot Oklahoma wins, right? Can we agree on that? Yeah, it’s a cool story that Jalen Hurts transferred from Bama and took his new team to the CFB Playoff. Unfortunately, the fairy tale ends there. Personally, I think Oregon would put up a better fight than Oklahoma. I’m not saying they should have put in Oregon instead of Oklahoma, but just think that would be a better game.
Coming off a heisman trophy ceremony where Joe Burrow got damn-near every single vote, I would be surprised to see him and the Tigers stumble in this one. Oklahoma is probably the 4th best team LSU will play all season, and the Tigers handled the pressure of the SEC schedule about as well as they could this year.
The National Championship game in New Orleans will be the biggest shit-show of a weekend since….well I guess since last years Mardi Gras now that they Tigers will be in attendance
Prediction: LSU 32 Oklahoma 17
#2 Ohio State vs. #3 Clemson
Clemson’s schedule has been God-awful this season. Thanks to schools scheduling games 20 years in advance, the Clemson-Texas A&M game in week 3 was anticlimactic. I’m sure when the game was scheduled back in 1983, both Clemson and A&M were title contenders though. Thanks to a last-minute thriller against UNC, Clemson was back in the “fraud” category even after coming off a national championship last season. Dabo then began to ask every single member of the media in the entire South why people question Clemson. Well, you almost lost the UNC…so that’s why. I think every team Clemson played this season ended up at about .500, so hats off to the ACC for another stellar season of riding Clemson’s coattails. Then they played the perennial powerhouse of the ACC, Virginia, in the conference championship game.
It seems like all the talking heads at ESPN love Ohio State this year, and for good reason. The team has boat-raced nearly all of their opponents so far. Their biggest scare came in the B1G Championship game against Wisconsin when they trailed at halftime. This game should be a close one, and I can’t wait to watch it
Welp…the finale episode of season one of The Mandalorian was released today, marking the end of quality television for 2019. The Mandalorian was the last on-air show everyone was talking about, and now we are left with a void in our weekly television calendar until The Bachelor premiers in about a week and a half. And I just want to say that while I love being able to binge a show, I do love the hype surrounding each episode when they’re released weekly.
Now let’s get into the episode *Spoilers*
The episode opens with the storm troopers that killed Kuiil and captured Baby Yoda. They are riding toward the town to deliver Baby Yoda to Moff Gideon, who has Mando, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga trapped and surrounded by dozens of Storm Troopers. What I liked so much about this scene was that for the first time I can remember in the Star Wars franchise, we see the human element of the Storm Troopers. At times we forget that they’re people under there and they shoot the shit just like the rest of us. The one Storm Trooper was obsessed with seeing Baby Yoda, which would be an actual human reaction to this whole situation. However, I can’t seem to figure out why Baby Yoda didn’t choke their asses after they hit him in the head MULTIPLE times…stand up for yourself dude??!
Then we see our metal hero Bounty Droid approach from the distance like Pam Anderson along the California coastline, and at this point we know it’s over for those child-beater Storm Troopers.
He proceeds to fuck them up using his nursing/assassin capabilities, which only leaves me with one question: where was all this when they were hunting down Kuiil? You can’t tell me IG-11 (B̶o̶u̶n̶t̶y̶ ̶D̶r̶o̶i̶d̶ ̶ Nurse Droid) didn’t hear all that ruckus outside as Kuiil was riding up on the Blurrg + the Storm Trooper’s speeder noise. His ONE job was to be on the lookout, and because he was probably off WD-40-ing his rod (as bored men do) in the depths of the ship somewhere, Kuiil is killed, and Baby Yoda is almost delivered to Moff Gideon. In the words of Mando (paraphrasing)…”fucking droids, man”.
Sidenote: We find out Mando’s birth name is Din Djarin after Gideon shouts it from outside the building they are hiding out in. Mando realizes the man is Moff Gideon because he used to be a high ranking official on Mandalore, which is the only way he would know Mando’s real name. Mando abandoned his birth name after his parents were killed by an imperial droid fleet and he was saved and taken in by the Mandalorians.
Now it’s time for IG-11 to fully redeem himself. In classic droid fashion he calls up Mando and notifies him that Kuiil is dead and provides no further details of what happened, leading Mando to freak the fuck out because he thinks IG-11 has gone rogue. However, we know he hasn’t, and he takes the Storm Trooper speeder and makes a beeline for town to, in the words of 21 Savage, go “savage on these hoes”. And that is exactly what he does. He rides into town like a bat outta hell and starts murkin’ Storm Troopers left and right.
Mando and the squad take advantage of IG-11’s fiery entrance and start fighting as well. But, this whole time, IG-11 has Baby Yoda on him like so, which made me extremely nervous:
I knew nothing would happen to him, but if the droid’s purpose is to keep Baby Yoda safe, in theory wouldn’t the best way to keep him out of harm’s way be to avoid an all-out battle with storm troopers?? One blast to the chest that the little guy is done for. Not really sound logic if you ask me, but I knew nothing was going to touch him.
As the battle is raging on, Mando takes over a giant Imperial gun that the Storm Troopers were using and begins to wipe out dozens of them. Moff Gideon, who has been absent since IG-11 entered the town, appears and shoots the energy source for the weapon Mando is using, which promptly blasts him twenty feet away. He’s dead. Okay, he’s not dead thanks to all that Mandalorian armor, but he’s hurt bad. IG-11 drags him into the building they’re hiding out in, and it appears they are outmatched…
As Mando is writhed with pain, Cara attempts to take his helmet off but he doesn’t let her. He wants to go out a Mandalorian, and that can’t happen if he lets a person see his face. As all this is happening, IG-11 is lazering through a sewer grate that leads to an underground tunnel that the Mandalorians built. And as if they aren’t beaten up enough, a storm trooper with a flame thrower enters the picture and starts flaming the room they’re in through a then slit in the wall! Flame Thrower Trooper makes his way over to the door to finish the job. Mando, Baby Yoda, Cara, Greef, and IG-11 are all about to burnt toast. That is until Baby Fucking Yoda joins the party! As the trooper begins to flame the room, Baby Yoda steps up and fights the flames back with the force…eventually knocking the fire back on the trooper and promptly blowing him to smithereens. Basically went something like this:
Baby Yoda has saved the day…for now. Cara insists that Mando come with them…but he can’t…he simply doesn’t have the strength. He makes them go without him, and to my surprise, IG-11 stays behind with Mando.
IG-11 has now turned his attention on saving Mando, but that requires him to take off his helmet. Remember when I said that he is no longer a Mandalorian if he lets a person see his face? Well that just became very important. In what could go down as the most anticipated scene of the season, Mando lets IG-11 take off his helmet to reveal the face of….MUSTACHE-LESS Pedro Pascal.
I knew we’d see his face eventually, and I think this was a great way for them to do it. For him to survive, they took off his helmet for a couple minutes just to verify that it is indeed Pascal under there.
Then boom…IG-11 sprays some healing spray on his head and they go on to meet up with the rest of the group, who assumed he was going to die.
In the tunnels they come across the blacksmith Mandalorian who makes Mando’s beskar steel armor back in the earlier episodes. She is rounding up spare helmets/parts of Mandalorian armor that is down there, revealing that many Mandalorians were killed and/or fled due to rogue Imperial insurgents. Mando is devastated and tries to stay with the blacksmith, but she does not let him. She tells him that it is his duty to get the child (Baby Yoda) to safety. However, she does point them in the right direction, and they head toward a lava river that will bring them to *safety*.
One thing that irritated me about this whole scene in the blacksmith’s lair was that they were acting like there wasn’t an army of storm troopers trying to kill them. Like, right after the flame thrower guy blew up, the rest of the brigade would’ve stormed the room to get them all. And they were just taking their sweet ass time to figure out a plan and just debating too much for my liking.
Nonetheless, they head toward the lava river and as they’re riding this ferry, Mando spots a clan of Storm Troopers waiting for them outside the tunnel. To complete his redemption arc, IG-11 realizes what he must do – blow himself up to save the group. He walks in the lava river to the outside of the tunnel and initiates his self-destruct setting and wipes out the entire group of Storm Troopers. What a selfless act…it could bring a tear to my eye.
But of course, the battle is not over. Moff Gideon shows up flying his TIE fighter and begins shooting at the group but misses of course. Mando was gifted a jetback by the blacksmith back in the tunnels and realizes it’s time to use it. He straps it on and flies toward Gideon, hooking himself on the vehicle and manages to stick a bomb on it and blow it out of the sky. Mando lands safely and for some reason they don’t investigate the crash?? They just assume he’s dead, which if any TV/movie has shown me, it’s that the bad guy isn’t dead until you literally see him die. If they just allude to the bad guy being dead, they’re never dead. So, if you can see where I’m going with this, the last scene of the episode is of Gideon managing to get out of the TIE fighter with only minor injuries. Looks like he’ll be back for season two!!
All they had to do was go over to the wreck and MAKE SURE he was dead. But I guess that never occurred to them. We find out that Mando is going to try and find the Yoda species and reunite Baby Yoda with them. Karga and Dune look like they’re staying on the planet to make a life for themselves as bounty hunters. If the last scene showing Gideon’s survival is any indication, season two will continue the storyline that he is after Baby Yoda, which I much prefer to the Space Western we were seeing in episodes 4, 5, and 6.
We were also gifted with some of the cutest Baby Yoda moments in the show so far:
The season finale of #TheMandalorian is a masterpiece. I can’t believe we got Taika Waititi to sprinkle his magic on Star Wars and honestly that setup at the end is so exciting and rewarding for fans who keep up with the lore. Give me more, more and more. I love this show. pic.twitter.com/LSuVULyJdg
Let that sink in. The Lebron James and Anthony Davis-led Los Angeles Lakers have lost four games in a row, tonight’s loss denying me of my most coveted Christmas present: a win.
I’m pissed, I really am. One could make excuses for their previous three losses being that Lebron and AD didn’t play in a couple of them, but there’s no excuse for tonight’s loss; they both played AND Kuzma was wet all night, leading the team with 25 points.
It’s hard to sit here and complain about a team that’s still 24-7, but there’s really some cause for concern with this team. There’s such a monumental drop off in talent after AD and Lebron it’s scary. Danny Green, a guy we’re supposed to count on to be a shooter only had six fucking points tonight! If Kuzma didn’t have such a hell of a game it no doubt would have been a lot uglier. Despite a decent stat line, Lebron played like shit tonight too, going 9-24 from the field, and turning over the ball on the Lakers last hope possession to end the game.
It doesn’t bother me that the Lakers blew a 16-point lead, or that the personification of low top black Air Force 1’s (Patrick Beverly) got Lebron to turn the ball over with seconds left in the game, it’s how they did it. This Lakers team simply just doesn’t want it as bad. I don’t think they’ve realized that they have a huge target on their backs, and that every team wants to beat their ass. They’re going to face the best version of whatever team they’re playing every night, which is the cost of having two superstars on one team. For example, the Clippers play differently against the Lakers; that’s the only way you can explain the fact that they’ve lost to the Suns and Pelicans, but have beaten the Lakers on both occasions. And it’s the same for every team the Lakers will play, because of the organization and the star-studded talent.
This Lakers team thinks they’re the shit because they started out hot, but what all of their losses have shown is that they can’t win the big game. All their losses have been to top teams – Clippers, Bucks, Mavs, Raptors, Nuggets, and Pacers.
It’s time to hit the panic button if I’m Rob Pelinka. With the star power on the Lakers roster, there’s no way they can continue to lose these types of games. At some point they’re going to have to beat a team like the Bucks or Clippers to establish their dominance…if not, they’re just a decent team that beats up on all the weak NBA teams as they should.
After this series of losses there’s no doubt in my mind they’ll put together a trade package for a legit guard in the next week or so. Bradley and Rondo, specifically are so bad, I want them off this team immediately. I really tried to give them a shot, but I don’t see hope for either of them. Guys like Dennis Schroder and JJ Redick have been tossed around in trade rumors with the Lakers, and honestly, either of those guys would be huge upgrades from Bradley and Rondo.
Regardless of what the front office is thinking at the moment, the Lakers seem to have been exposed, and they need to make a move or two to get themselves on par with the rest of the league. I’m tired of this shit.
It’s true. I, indeed, am a fan of the S̶a̶n̶ ̶D̶i̶e̶g̶o̶ Los Angeles Chargers. It’s been a tough life, and frankly, it might have caused some early onset childhood depression. The memory of waking up on Sunday to watch my Lord and Savior Philip Rivers throw an interception and then yell “Dah gummit” will always be with me.
Ignore everything you thought you knew about the Bolts. The franchise that I know and (kinda) love can be summed up by one season: 2019.
W – Chargers 30 Colts 24 (OT)
L – Lions 13 Chargers 10
L – Texans 27 Chargers 20
W – Chargers 30 Dolphins 10 (thank God)
L – Broncos 20 Chargers 13
L – Steelers 24 Chargers 17
L – Titans 23 Chargers 20
W – Chargers 16 Bears 15
W – Chargers 26 Packers 11 – real Charger fans weren’t even surprised by this one. This was right on brand
L – Raiders 26 Chargers 24
L – Chiefs 24 Chargers 17
L – Broncos 23 Chargers 20
W – Chargers 45 Jaguars 10
L – Vikings 39 Chargers 10
L – Raiders 24 Chargers 17
TBD – Chargers @ Chiefs (At least the boys will end the season on a high note when they beat the Chiefs practice squad)
Ignore the wins and losses, let’s just admire these scores. 9 of their losses so far have been within 7 points. That’s absolutely brutal. That’s getting your teeth pulled without anesthesia. That’s confusing a bottle of water with your roommate’s dip spit (yes, true story). That’s marrying your girlfriend of 3 months just because you got her pregnant (check back in 3 years to see if this is true). Close losses are worse than blowouts for every sports fan. The blowout gives you time to accept your fate before the 4th quarter even starts. I truly don’t think I can handle another (attempted) 4th quarter comeback from Phil ‘The Thrill’ Rivers. I love the guy, but it’s sad seeing his career come to an end like this.
With that being said, I would like to take this time to officially announce my retirement from the Chargers fanbase. Dean Spanos bringing the team to LA was the straw that broke my camel’s back. He decided to leave SD and chase the money up the 405 where he was greeted by the worst attendance in NFL History (don’t fact-check that).
To show my solidarity with Phil, I will retire when he does (so, next week)
In what has been a frustrating season all around, last night’s loss against the 49ers officially eliminated the Los Angeles Rams from the playoffs. What makes it an even tougher pill to swallow is that the Rams actually showed up to play, and put up a good fight against the Super Bowl-hopeful 49ers.
After last week’s embarrassing loss to the Cowboys, I really thought the Rams season was over. I thought that they had officially given up, and there was no way they’d be able to make a playoff run. That was until I saw NFL Network’s graphic before last night’s game showing that if the Rams beat the 49ers and Cardinals, and the Vikings lost their last two games, they’d make the playoffs. Brought me 100% back not gonna lie. Especially after the 49ers lost to the Falcons last week, I totally thought there was a chance the Rams could beat them.
Then the Rams started off HOT on offense, and I thought they had that game in the bag.
Goff and Gurley were on their A-game, and it was really up to the defense as to whether or not they would win this game. But of course with Jimmy G and the rest of the 49ers’ high-flying offense, that was going to be a tough task. For the most part, they kept San Francisco’s offense at bay, even sacking Garoppolo SIX times.
You’ve gotta love seeing that pretty boy Jimmy G taste the grass.
But like I was saying, ultimately the Rams defense just couldn’t do enough to keep the 49ers from scoring. The Rams held a four-point lead with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, that is , until this:
Look, I respect Kittle, I really do. But he looks like a redneck straight out of the backwoods of Kentucky. I realize you should never judge a book by its cover, but I just don’t like that guy. He looks like a guy that would scalp your house cat and wear the fur as a hat. He looks like he’s carrying all the venereal diseases. All of ’em. If I had a daughter, and she brought home this guy, I’d question where I went wrong as a father. Now, if a guy like Kittle is on your team, you love him because he’s a crazy person, but if he’s an opponent, he’s no doubt the most hatable guy on the field. Tell me I’m wrong…
*As an avid PMT listener, I realize he’s a great guy off the field, but I can’t stand him on it*
Back on topic.
Following Kittle’s TD, the 49ers take a 31-28 lead with six minutes left in the game. The Rams make it interesting with a field goal with 2:30 left in the game, but after the 49ers get the ball back, they stomp down field mostly because of this absurd blown coverage by Taylor Rapp:
Then they nailed a walk-off field goal, and that was that. Playoff hopes dead.
But where do they go from here?
I still have full confidence in Sean McVay…he has to be one of the hardest working head coaches in the NFL, and he knows the game inside and out. And don’t forget that they won the NFC last year. But with a defense that consists of Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald, they can’t be ranked 15th in the NFL in scoring, ninth in pass defense, 23rd in run defense, 16th in third down efficiency and 29th in red zone efficiency.
According to a report by CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo, the Rams are considering a change in Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, which I really do like. With the stars that headline that defense, they can’t be that mediocre.
The same report discussed the possibility that the Rams part ways with either Aaron Donald or Todd Gurley, which will no doubt yield a lot in return. I would be heated if Donald were to be traded, which is honestly a ridiculous thought in the first place. Donald is the best defensive player in the league, and the Rams should be focused on building around him, not rebuilding. That would be a good move if he were on the Dolphins or Giants, who need to build up their entire team. But the Rams, despite a down season, are already a good team, and are so reaching the playoffs again.
Trading Gurley on the other hand, is an intriguing thought. I love homegrown guys, but parting ways with Gurley might be the best thing for the Rams offense. He is in the middle of a 4-year $60 million contract, and his declining productivity (2019 was the worst season of his career) makes him an attractive trade piece. He’s still a top-tier running back, and would be an attractive player for teams looking for a premium back.
I still think Donald and Gurley will stay, but I do see McVay making some significant changes with the coaching staff. Either way, it is going to be an eventful offseason, as they prepare to make their debut in SoFi Stadium next year. The Rams front office will do everything they can to get them to the playoffs in their inaugural season in that football palace.
I can’t wait to see this beauty in its finished state
According to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Dodgers are in discussions to land outfielder Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have engaged in exploratory trade talks with the Boston Red Sox about former MVP outfielder Mookie Betts, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
The officials spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the talks publicly.
The Dodgers’ top priority remains Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, but if the two sides can’t agree on a package for the All-Star, the Dodgers could turn its attention to Boston.
The Red Sox are much more inclined to trade Betts – who’s projected to earn $27-30 million in his final year before free agency – than Cleveland is with Lindor. The Red Sox, who had baseball’s highest payroll at $244 million, and will pay $13 million in luxury tax penalties, want to slash their payroll to be under the $208 million tax threshold in 2020.
I wouldn’t be unhappy if the Dodgers were to trade away Corey Seager, but it’s still a weird move to me. It’s clear that the Dodgers are aiming to land a power bat, now that Francisco Lindor and Mookie Betts have entered the conversation. They want more protection around Cody Bellinger, and either of those two guys will add immense firepower to an already stacked lineup.
In my opinion, I would rather land Betts than Lindor, being that Seager is still a solid shortstop; don’t forget he finished third in MVP voting three years ago and was coming off Tommy John this season. Seager still led the league in doubles this season with 44, though his average did dip a bit. The fact of the matter is that he is still an above-average shortstop, plus they have Gavin Lux over at second base, which makes for a pretty solid middle infield.
What makes Betts a better addition IMO is that aside from Bellinger, the Dodgers’ outfield has been a revolving door the past couple seasons between Kiké Hernandez, Joc Pederson, A.J. Pollock, Matt Beaty and Alex Verdugo. The reason they get switched out so often is because none of them are all that great at hitting, which adding Mookie Betts will fix. Come to think of it… Cody B works in at first base often as well, so even he’s gotta get used to single position! There are just way too many guys to be balancing out there every day, and I think they could use some consistency…which is exactly what Mookie Betts will bring on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Then of course there was the MLB Network opinion of what a trade including Betts and David Price to the Dodgers would look like:
Former Rockies GM and current MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd laid out a potential framework of a Mookie Betts-David Price deal, how do you feel about his hypothetical? #Dodgerspic.twitter.com/bCIhDbbJtE
Although he’s not what he used to be, Price would be a nice little addition to their staff. In this hypothetical trade, the Dodgers would give up a few prospects, but prospects don’t pan out all the time, so I don’t get that worked up when teams let go of them. Plus, I’ve been wanting the Dodgers to add a starting pitcher, and although he’s not top of the line, I’d be fine with adding Price to the rotation.
Watchmen was the best show on TV this year, and that isn’t a debate. The fact that it was snubbed from receiving any Golden Globes nominations, yet The Morning Show did, verifies that the Globes are a joke. The worst part about Watchmen being over is that a second season is still up in the air. Show runner Damon Lindelof has been quite vague regarding his plans to bring the show back, which leads to three options for the future of this franchise.
They replace Lindelof with another writer and continue the series with another showrunner within the next year/year and a half.
Lindelof stays fully on-board, but there will no doubt be considerable time before a second season.
They leave the show as is, because it’s about as perfect as a TV show could be at this point.
Let’s break down each of these scenarios.
They replace Lindelof with another writer and continue the series with another showrunner within the next year/year and a half. Bringing in another lead writer with a different take on the Watchmen franchise could bring a unique twist to the series. If HBO has someone in mind, perhaps a current writer on the show who has an idea what a second season could look like, this could bring the show back earlier than a Lindelof-led show would.
Lindelof stays fully on-board, but there will no doubt be considerable time before a second season. Obviously, this is Lindelof’s baby, and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job leading this show. However, he is on the record saying “every idea that I had went into this season of ‘Watchmen.’” This basically leads me to believe that his version of the story is over, and if there were to be a second season, someone else would need to bring him or HBO the story.
They leave the show as is, because it’s about as perfect as a TV show could be at this point. Listen, I get it…why mess with perfection? But unless I was watching a different finale than the rest of you, I think there is plenty to build off for a second season. Ozymandias is still alive and Angela just became Dr. Manhattan. You could make the argument that they could’ve ended Game of Thrones or The Wire after one season, because weren’t those basically flawless as well? But they didn’t. And that’s why I think they should continue Watchmen, because I think there is much more in this universe they could touch upon.
So which option would I choose? Obviously, I want the show to return, and I would be fine if Lindelof wasn’t apart of it. He wasn’t the only writer on this show, which leads me to believe his fellow co-writers could have some great ideas for another season(s). Like I said, the Watchmen universe is a big one, and they could take this show in so many different directions, leading me to believe someone has to have an idea for a follow-up. However, if they do bring it back and it sucks, I’ll be pissed.
Excuse me for being an ignorant Lakers fan, but at this point, I just assume they’re going to win every game. I should’ve realized that without Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma tonight, they would be tested – which was obviously the case. The Lakers lost their first away game of the 2019-2020 season tonight in what was a very close game against the Indiana Pacers.
The 14-game road winning streak was the third-longest in NBA history, which makes sense for a team with only four losses through 28 games. To be a truly great team you have to be able to win on the road, and although there have been some close calls, this Lakers team is finding a way to win.
They’ve had their share of close calls:
@ Dallas (119-110 OT)
@ OKC (130-127)
@ Memphis (109-108)
@ NOLA (114-110)
@ Atlanta (101-96)
Although some of these games were close calls, all that matters is that they pulled out a win. Yeah maybe the box score is ugly, and analysts will criticize the team for not beating up on inferior opponents like the Pelicans or Hawks, but who cares? The Lakers have not lost to a bad team yet this season. Their only losses this season have been to the Clippers, Raptors, Mavericks, and Pacers – all solid, playoff-bound teams. Most teams slip up once or twice against inferior opponents, but the teams that beat the teams they’re supposed to beat make the losses against competent teams easier to swallow.
Especially without AD and Kuz, the bench had to step up tonight, which they did decently well. The biggest surprise of the Lakers’ season so far, Dwight Howard was a perfect 10/10 from the field, along with six rebounds and two blocks. Rondo and Caruso also chipped in and put together solid games.
Despite the loss, I’m so damn excited about this Lakers team. They’ve showed that they can get it done in close games and on the road, which is excellent practice for the playoffs. And did you like how I went an entire Lakers blog without mentioning Lebron? I recognize he’s not the only player on the Lakers worth mentioning….but still #myKING.
Also, never thought LebronXSuperman was the duo I was missing all my life
Well, its official…The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially signed right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen to a one-year contract worth $10 million dollars. After a disappointing 2019 season where Treinen pitched to the tune of a 4.91 ERA over 58 2/3 innings, the Dodgers are hoping he can get back to his 2018 ways. He had an absolutely ridiculous 2018 season – just look at these stats:
9-2 W/L Record
0.78 ERA
80 1/3 IP
0.834 WHIP
AL All Star
6th in AL Cy Young Voting
AL MVP votes as a RELIEVER
A sub-1 ERA in 80 innings is a ridiculous stat, especially in the American League with the designated hitter in play. And although he was disproportionately bad in 2019, his 2018 season showed that he has the ability to be very good.Especially with Kenley Jansen coming off the worst season of his career, the Dodgers need help at the back-end of their bullpen.
Sadly, the Treinen news was basically the only thing that salvaged the hot stove season for the Dodgers, as they failed to make any other moves. As I said in a previous post, the Dodgers needed to prioritize starting pitching this offseason, which they have failed to do thus far.
Just a quick rundown – the best starting pitcher free agents have signed to other teams, even though the Dodgers have been in on most of them; meaning they’ve been unable to recruit free agents to Los Angeles of all places. Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Zack Wheeler, and just today, Madison Bumgarner are no all off of the board.
I don’t know what’s wrong with the Dodgers’ front office, but they seem to be content with JUST making the playoffs. They have been so close to getting all the pieces for a championship team, but fold when it comes to signing players. They are notorious for not making serious runs at top of the line free agents, but with the talent that was available this year, I really thought they would get somebody. A.J. Pollock is their biggest signing in recent years that wasn’t just a contract extension to a current Dodgers player (Kershaw, Turner, Jansen).
While it would have been an embarrassment of riches if the Dodgers signed Gerrit Cole, they needed to make a move for another starting pitcher. However, with a guy like Dallas Keuchel still available, I haven’t lost all hope, but there hasn’t been any rumblings that they’re even targeting him, which is ridiculous.
Bottom line is the Dodgers are one of the wealthiest teams in professional sports, but they need to start acting like it. After another disappointing postseason appearance, a big free-agent signing is exactly what this fan base needed to spark some excitement. Figure it out, Andrew Friedman.
