Merry Christmas from the Yard

 During the holiday season, all kinds of clever Christmas ideas are presented on the airwaves. A few years ago, it was 23 and me and all the DNA testing programs. We commented on the creepiness of such an invasive gift. It is no surprise all kinds of wacky and frightening DNA connections have been reported. This season Master Class is hawking their masters for their classes. Yard staff wondered what makes talented writers, comedians, and others competent teachers of their craft. Look at the job Michael Jordan has been doing with the Charlotte Bobcats. He is one of the greatest ever in any sport. During his  tenure as owner and GM of Bobcats, they have had a winning record just twice. Over the weekend, former president Bill Clinton was advertising a leadership class on master class. Now Billy Bob has not been leading much for a long time. We did watch American Crime Story about he and Monica’s trysts during his presidency. The only leading Clinton appeared to be doing was Ms. Lewinsky by the hand to the dark recesses of the oval office beyond those invasive cameras.

The Oakland A’s have made more trips to Las Vegas than Ben Affleck. A’s management contends that they are seriously considering Las Vegas as the new home for the team in 2024. Negotiations with the City of Oakland have been stalled since the late 70’s. The A’s want to keep the pressure on the city by exploring alternatives. They have visited Las Vegas over a dozen times in the past several months. They have scouted locations while having major sunshine blown up their bottoms. Las Vegas officials are professionals in that regard keeping the sunshine flowing up the chute for whales. Oakland officials have enjoyed fine dining, shows and loyalty rewards points. We would love to have another Oakland transplant, but it does feel like these players are playing us.

The NFL has been a regular Yard foil because of their hypocrisy. The NFL would never allow professional football in Nevada because of the scourge of gambling. Today, the scourge of gambling is a major driving force in NFL marketing. Terry Bradshaw is promoting a segment each week called Win Terry’s money. It is a betting proposition supported by the NFL and Fox. The NFL has learned albeit a bit late that when people have scratch on the game, they become more fervent fans. Fervent fans are a mainstay of the NFL and gambling is a huge part. FanDuel, fantasy football, and legalized sports books are driving popularity for the sport. This does not go unnoticed by Roger Goodell and company. In the 1960’s, players got suspended for being associated with gambling or actually doing it. In 2021, they are doing paid advertisements promoting it. The Pro Bowl, Draft and Super Bowl are on their way with legalized sports gambling in thirty-six states, the NFL has changed their stance.

Jon Gruden got run out of the NFL for his racist, homophonic, misogynistic emails that were uncovered during the investigation of the Washington Football Team and their toxic work environment. Gruden was working for ESPN at that time and was good friends with then Redskins GM Bruce Allen. Lord knows, many of us might cringe if your emails were exposed and the opinions, we might share with a friend what we do not share with the world. The Yard is not justifying the derogatory and disgusting comments Gruden made in private to a friend. We are a bit shocked that the NFL went to such lengths to expose his emails. The emails were “leaked” first to some news outlets. When the story did not gain viral traction, it was then leaked to the Wall Street Journal. That spill got the viral ignition that cost Gruden his job. The Raiders have always been a diverse organization and his ancient emails would not survive the season. The NFL did review 650,000 emails associated with this inquiry. Apparently, Gruden was the only person who wrote anything inflammatory. His calling Roger Goodell a euphemism for a vagina in one of his missives might have sealed his fate. We are sure it was not personal. The NFL has never had a vendetta for the Raiders, right?

The Yard hopes everyone is coping with the scourge of COVID. It is a rinse and repeat year. This Omicron phase has been voracious, and the wolves are circling the campfire. The science of the vaccines seems to be playing out in real time for the unvaccinated. With over five hundred million doses jabbed and 203 million people vaccinated, there have been a microscopic amount of post poke issues. Nudnicks like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are still trying to evangelize their message of not trusting Fauci or the science. I was an economics major so I cannot comment on the science besides it seems to be working. The patients populating the ICU with COVID issues are largely unvaccinated. Jonas Salk was a hero for the polio vaccine. There has not been a polio related death in this country for decades. At the height of that pandemic, polio killed 50,000. COVID deaths are at 800K plus and climbing. Sure, there are the existing conditions and other statistical anomalies but even if that were 50% of the cases, it is a substantial number. There is no argument from the Yard regarding your personal choices because it does not seem to have influence. We have yet to hear a conversation where either side of the discussion says, “Wow, that is a good point.”  We will stick with science, and we will miss some of you in the future.

End of an era:  When the Buss Family sold naming rights to the Fabulous Forum to Great Western Savings and Loan, Laker nation was outraged. The commercial naming of Sports Venues was still quite a new branding exercise that that time. The Forum was the Lakers home not the Great Western Forum to many of us. When the Lakers moved to LA and the Staples Center, no one complained. Naming rights were part of the process to build a new stadium. Alas, our beloved Staples Center is becoming the Crypto.com Arena. It is a harsh change, and it is not necessarily a good one. But $700 million gets you a named arena for 20 years and Staples was not re-upping. It does seem the arena and this Laker team have jumped the shark. And if you think that sucks, welcome to Las Vegas and the rebranded Harry S Reid airport.

The Thankful Edition

 Thanksgiving 2021 was truly a thankful holiday at the Yard. The staff and management have been working remote for over 18 months and we are missing the social aspects of our pursuit of societal ignorance. There is talk of getting back to the Yard HQ in early 2022 and Jo at the Yard is trying to get me out of the house. We got out of LV and went to a turkey dinner for ten on San Juan Island. Jo and I were thankful for all our friends in SJ that we have cultivated through first cousins at the Yard, Dom. They are her friends but gave us lots of seasonal love. Personally, I was thankful that Jo and Dom are such kitchen geniuses. My responsibilities for the pre-meal festivities were limited to firewood and opening wine. Between those minor inconveniences, I warmed myself by the fire, watched football and sampled wine while giving praise to the demanding work going on in the kitchen.

Watching Jared Goff slog to another loss in a Lions uniform makes one wonder what he was thankful for Thanksgiving. He was the number one pick in the draft, and guided the LA Rams to their first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XIV.  Those 1979 Rams are still the Yard’s favorite. The plucky roster of aging vets and youngsters finished the season 9-7. Pat Haden started that season at QB, broke his finger and gave way to Vinnie Ferragamo who led the team all the way to a Super Bowl Sunday loss to the vaunted Steelers. It was the best season of 25-year-old Vinnie’s career. Who knew at the time? The precocious Wendell Tyler dazzled and frustrated with fumbles and 100-yard games. Jack Youngblood played the entire playoffs with a cracked fibula. And Hacksaw Reynolds, enough said. Those Steelers had a HOF player at every position. Bradshaw, Swan, Stallworth, Lambert, Greene, and the list goes on; first names not needed. Neither Vincent nor the Rams knew that this was going to be the last high note for that Rams’ chapter. Their slow downhill arc started in the fourth quarter of that painful game. Within two years, they were the Los Angeles Rams in Anaheim. By 1995, they were the St. Louis Rams. For poor Jared, he witnessed all those emotions during his scant time with the Rams. We are certain that he is very thankful for his girlfriend SI swimsuit model, Christen Harper. Yard staff are very fond of her and her Instagram account as well. Christen will help Jared get past the pain of it all. Goff finally led the Lions to their first victory in 2021. His biggest victory prior to that, was getting Ms. Harper to move from the bright lights of LA to the grind of the Motor City. Christen helps Goff’s Lion roar even in defeat.

There were several bright Yard moments that we shared gratitude for our chosen teams in those moments. In the 139-year history of the MLB Giants, no team had ever won 107 games in a season. When SF won a few titles a decade ago, they won 92, 84, and 88 games in those seasons. In 2021, the Giants caught fire completely unexpectedly and raced to the finish line. The Blue Crew never gave up pursuit finishing with 106 wins and one game out of first in the NL West. The second-best record in MLB got the Dodgers a one game elimination with the frigging STL Cardinals. The Cardinals have been the Dodgers nemesis in the playoffs. The heartburn of playing one game to get into the real playoffs after winning 106 was an ignominious finish to a great season. The Dodgers slayed the Birds and headed to the Bay for the first real playoff game between these two bitter rivals in their shared history. The Dodgers won the real-World Series with their crushing defeat of the favored Pumpkins. The Giants led throughout the season and the playoff series until they did not. Their fans had to take their orange foam fingers and put them back in the attic. Unfortunately, the Dodgers had nothing left in the tank or in the starting rotation when they rolled into Atlanta after all those elimination games. The 90-win Braves got home field because they won the NL Least. We are thankful the Dodgers beat the Giants. San Francisco had home field advantage for all the playoffs. We are quite certain the Giants would have rolled the Braves and had another title in their sights. The Dodgers saved us from that calamity. The Giants are never going to win 107 again in our lifetimes. Neither team has a title to boast from their brilliant seasons. Except the Dodgers beat the Giants when it mattered most and thankfully put the shiv into their faithful. It was exciting for Dodger nation and a crushing defeat for the Giants who were predicted to finish out of the playoffs. It was the last gasp for their aging roster. Buster Posey saw the last chance season as his last and pulled the ripcord into retirement.

Thanks, and praise to the UCLA Bruins who shellacked the USC Trojans 62-33 in their crib. The score looked like a basketball game from the 70’s. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson Robinson was intercepted twice in the first quarter and the Coliseum demons of UCLA football past started to creep from the shadows. But this Trojan team is a shadow of their legacy. Troy was suffering through their worst season since Larry Smith was misguiding the team. The Bruins tried hard to give the Trojans every reason to have hope that a victory over the Bruins would salvage their season. The USC season was a salvage project as soon as Clay Helton got another chance to disprove his detractors. Two games into this pivotal season, Clay was left on the tarmac. The best part of the Bruins record breaking victory is that I am having dinner this week with my Trojan friends from the former Pasadena Athletic Club. The club no longer exists but our steadfast friendships and historical truths are the best. It is always best when the only Bruin alumni in the room can walk in tall, shaken not stirred.

 Overtime: There will be banter about Chip Kelly and his future at UCLA with the messiah Lincoln Riley coming to LA to save the university. Riley is being heralded as the second coming of Peter the Great. At UCLA, we are simply happy to still be in the discussion at this time of the football season.  Truth be told, the best athletic program in southern California for both basketball and football are San Diego State’s. The Aztecs may have the best program in CA. They play a lighter schedule in the Mountain West, but they have averaged ten wins a season since 2012. The Trojans and Bruins are far behind in total victories, bowl games and seasonal rankings. Aztec basketball has been superior to USC and UCLA for the past decade as well. Hail the Aztecs!