Some Games are a little toughe...

October 19th 2022

Some Games are a little tougher to win, but the handicapping is a little more predictable now as the season is moving on

A tough week this week for a lot of teams. It was pretty much a separation of the men from the boys these past few days. For some it was glorious, for others it was rather painful and I mean really painful. For a few teams the separation between winning and losing came down to the last play, one, or two, or maybe three more points scored. For a few other teams it was a meltdown from the start to finish of the game or a playoff series. In the end we play the game to pick both a winner and a looser. In my book there are no moral victories, there are no good losses and I don’t believe in participation trophies. Only one team will walk away happy. You can’t have it both ways, our society doesn’t allow for that. Ever notice why no one can remember who got the silver snd bronze medal in the olympics? Its because Americans feed off a winner. Its a Gold Medal or bust . Period. In the words of the Great, legendary, Hall of Famer, Ricky Bobby, “If You Aint First Your Last”. With this ladies and gentlemen I give you the present state of affairs in the world of sports, October, 2022.

If I was to use one phrase to describe the Major League Baseball Playoffs it would be “shockingly surprised”. I use a phrase because one word just won’t describe it. Just a couple of weeks ago I never would have guessed that both the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers would be eliminated. Six or seven weeks ago I thought that the season was over for the San Diego Padres, maybe. Once again, fate and the sporting world has proven me wrong. The Dodgers and Braves are out, the Padres and Phillies are in. It’s crazy how some teams can have a smoking hot offense all year long, a pitching staff like no other, then in a span of 4 or 5 days go completely cold, have a complete meltdown. Teams that do that remind me of The New York Yankees for some reason. And that’s just the National League side of it. Ok, I’ll use one word, unbelievable!

Over in The American League Playoffs the Houston Astros made quick work of The Seattle Mariners. It didn’t really seem to be much of a contest. The Astros are EXTREMELY hot right now and remember, their ace Justin Verlander is pichting lights out baseball. Plus his wife is the Super Model Kate Upton, and as Tom Brady has shown us, having a wife who is a super model definitely counts. Riding the Victory Wave with the Astros, The New York Yankees will begin traveling to Houston on the day after their 5 game victory over Cleveland. A tough call as they must be tired. The ALCS will prove to be an excellent watch as both teams are peaking in pitching and hitting. Stay tuned for this one.

What can I say about college football. It never fails to excite and entertain. Like Rome, Alabama has finally tasted defeat after what seemed like years and years of glory(it was only a few months but the analogy sounds good right)? The Saturday night game against an undefeated Tennessee Volunteer team has to be one of the greatest ever. In the end, The Crimson Tide came up just 2 points short. The win solidified Tennessee’s place as a top 5 football team and hopefully a spot in the FBS playoffs.

Speaking of FBS playoffs, there are now 17 teams still eligible to make it into the final four of college football(here’s a challenge, name just 8 of the 17 teams). I won’t go through every one of them, but apart from the usual suspects (Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State) we have to add some rising undefeated talent in Tennessee, ‘Ol Miss, TCU and UCLA. No team as of this writing has a certain lock on the end of season series however I feel the Southeastern Conference will make a strong showing. Look out for those West Coast teams. The fact that they don’t get a lot of attention might end up biting east Coast teams in the butt. Lincoln Riley, the new head coach at The University of Southern California, has begun a revitalization of the school’s football program that is sure to turn heads. In spite of their single defeat to TCU, I feel they could be a legitimate contender. Look West young man!

It’s week 6 in the NFL. We have 11 more weeks to go. At this point, you’d think the league would be running out of surprises but once again fate, karma and a some solid running games has proven me wrong. There are some teams that are playing really well. Excellent balance, smart coaching decisions and a really good place kicker have proven to be the winning formula. They’re like a well oiled machine purring along at 80 miles an hour. Then there are some teams that remind me of a painful dental procedure. It literally hurts watching them play. You can’t wait for it to be over.

Let’s mention here some teams with some obvious falls from grace.

The Packers lost to The New York Jets, IN Green Bay. A shocker if there ever was one, but hey, The Jets look pretty darn good. Nothing is more boring then watching Arron Rogers whine and cry in a post game conference. The guy has brought finger pointing to a new level.

The Denver Broncos paid Russell Wilson 250 million dollars to do what? Play football right? Is it ever going to happen? Maybe not. Maybe they should stay off prime time TV for like 5 years. I can’t even watch it anymore. People are beginning to think that the Russell Wilson trade was as big of a mistake as Russia selling the U.S. Alaska for 7 million. I’m beginning to believe them.

At the beginning of the season I had high hopes for The Baltimore Ravens. They currently sit at 3-3. Lamar Jackson shows flashes of brilliance, but they never quite get it done. It’s disappointing. Is it Lamar? Is it the coaching? Is it the weather? Hopefully they get it together soon.

There are 32 teams in the NFL. This year might be the year The Buffalo Bills stand at the top of all 32. Being a Miami fan I hate to admit it but The Bills look pretty darn good. Sure, The Dolphins beat them way back when, but Miami has slid while The Bills get better snd more polished every week. It’s only week number 6, a lot could happen still so we’ll see. Remember, you can go undefeated in the regular season, but loose that one game in the playoffs and it’s over.

This week’s “Also Mentioned” goes to The Dallas Cowboys. After stepping in as Dak Prescott’s replacement at QB and going undefeated, Cooper Rush settled the quarterbacks controversy in Dallas by throwing about a million interceptions and loosing to the Philadelphia Eagles on prime time TV.

Which leads me to my closing comment. Has anyone noticed that the Eagles are undefeated? Has anyone noticed they are playing lights out football? It’s not all about Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Tom Brady. There’s 32 teams, it’s week 6 with 11 to go. A lot can still happen! It’s never over till the fat lady sings!

Kev