The World Cup Issue

The Odyssey from Christopher Nolan arrived in theaters this weekend. Matt Damon and the superstar cast is making the rounds promoting the nearly 3-hour saga.  Stuart of Denver alerted Yard staff that USC Trojans have jumped on the promotional bandwagon.  The USC Athletic Department proudly proclaiming that the Trojans football odyssey begins on August 29 against San Jose State. The Trojans lineage is linked to Troy. The funny costumes the band wears and the horse harken back to ancient times.  The Trojans marketing department must not have read Homer’s 3000-year-old tome.  Odysseus was not a Trojan.  He was on the other team.  His team brought in the Trojan horse and sacked the city of Troy and stole Helen. It was a stunning home loss for Troy.  It would have gotten any Trojan head coach sacked on Monday. The Yard hopes Trojan football is on a ten-year Odyssey at sea.

The Yard has never been a soccer pundit.  AYSO was founded in 1964 in a garage in Torrance, CA.  The founder's expansion did not make it to Glendale, CA until the 1970’s.  By that era, the Yard was involved in many other recreational activities that did not include soccer.  The Yard progenies thought they wanted to play soccer for a hot minute. And it was hot that fall in Pasadena.  The Rose Bowl fields offered little shade protection and our middling enthusiasm for the sport set with the November sun.

The World Cup is the largest worldwide sporting event held every four years.  The US men get the spotlight this year to highlight their potential.  The US Women will compete for the title next year like they have every four years since 1991. It is something the men have not done since the 1930’s.  The greatest male athletes around the world either play basketball if they are tall or play soccer if they are like 5’7” Lionel Messi. The greatest athletes in the US could play soccer but probably pursue other sports if qualified.

The drama of the World Cup in the United States is beguiling. The US has not seen this many foreigners seamlessly entering our borders in years.  Even the Iranian soccer team cleared customs.  There were stories of Vikings storming grocery stores in search of Ranch Dressing. The Scots in kilts slamming down all the Sam Adams in a tri-state area.  The teams stayed in villages all over the country and meshed their cultures. Who even knew Canada and Mexico were co-hosts?

The storylines for this final are fantastic.  Argentina had to slay the British monarchy and did so with a dash of sudden.  David and Victoria Beckham were high fiving with Mick Jagger before Messi did what he does in an Argentine victory.  Beckham is part owner of the inter-Miami FC that Messi plays for. Star player gives former star player the shiv in the end. Argentina has been doing that to Britain since the 60’s.  Britain still has the Falklands.

Argentina and Spain have interesting narratives.  Lionel Messi was born in Argentina, but his legend sprang from Barcelona FC in Spain.  Messi led Barcelona and their fanatical followers to several European championships. He is their all-time leading scorer. He famously took a photo holding Spanish teen superstar Lamine Yamal in his arms.  The legend is real, but that photo is kind of creepy.  Messi rocking a Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men pageboy awkwardly holding the future of Spain. It was a publicity stunt for the FC.  Who is the genius in that marketing department?

No more Kings!

Doc Holliday had a huckleberry in Tombstone and so do the Dodgers, the San Diego Padres.  There was constant chatter out of San Diego in 2024. Manny the Mouth and Fernando the Juiced were tearing up the league and the Dodgers demise was forecasted.  The Dodgers overcame the 2-1 Series deficit and went on to win the 2024 WS and then again in 2025. San Diego has not recovered, and the Chargers are not coming back to heal that winter pain. Thursday July 2, the Pads hit three homeruns in the first two innings taking a 6-0 lead in Los Angeles. They ended up getting pummeled 12-7. Friday night, they took a 3-0 lead into the 8^th before Teoscar hit the game winning Grand Slam. Saturday night Yamamoto struck out 10 in seven innings in a 3-0 defeat. For a modest $21 million, Machado has hit 18 home runs, played a solid 3^rd base while batting .188. Tatis hitting .290 with 5 HR’s for his $20million. The All-Star break is approaching, and the Friars $213 million payroll is 14 games out and fading.  Machado is 34 and never happy. Tatis is 27 and steroids tainted.  Neither are clubhouse leaders just the highest paid. The Giants were our nemesis. They are barely ahead of the Rockies and well past their expiration date. Arizona was all the rage when they went to the 2023 WS. They have not made the playoffs since.  Now they are just another middling team in Arizona. The Padres had offered promise to their title starved ciudad. They were false prophets.

The King James era began its decay on February 2, 2025, when the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic. The Yard wrote one of our best pieces going deep undercover on Google revealing details of this historic transaction. One key detail was that Lebron was not consulted regarding the trade. James had exerted his influence over the organization since the 2020 title.  The King came and he delivered the Laker nation their 17^th title.  He broke the NBA all-time scoring record as a Laker surpassing Laker Kareem.  Kareem has a statue in front of the Lakers home court, whatever it is now called.  Lebron never will. He was an interloper in Laker history, not a legend in Laker lore.

The news was national headlines that Lebron was leaving Los Angeles.  James announced he was not coming back, and pundits bemoaned the Lakers’ loss.  The Lakers had no intention of re-signing him for another year.  He had worn out his welcome with the Buss family and Rob Pelinka.  When the Lakers were trying to find their next superstar, it was Lebron.  After the 2020 title, James inserted himself in personnel decisions and Jeanie and Rob let him.  He advocated for Russell Westbrook as the missing piece to another title.  Laker fans know how that went and there has not been another title since 2020.  The Lakers had to draft Bronny James because Lebron wanted to play with his son. The Lakers traded for Luka to replace the King as the face of the franchise. There was a science project this past year to see if maybe they could share the ball. Luka got the three-year $165 million deal, and James was exit stage left.

Magic City and Maz

We received feedback regarding the piece on the 1968 Detroit Tigers WS championship.  Incarnation Elementary school is where Yard delinquents listened to the 1968 game on the radio.  Several of the 1971 Incarnation alumni subscribe to the Yard.  They promptly reminded staff that it was not 5^th grade Mrs. Dawson’s class, but 6^th grade with Sister Leona.  Leona was a Yard favorite who spent countless hours in parent-teacher conferences with Yard parents. Leona was a lifelong family friend who even attended a Dodger game with her three T’s of trouble: Tim, Tom and Tony.  

 We also were called out for citing hall of famers who never played in the Super Bowl.  Dan Marino’s name was mentioned.  I was notified by many that Dandy did play in SB XIX.  In just his second year in the league, Marino’s legacy was etched when he became the youngest starting QB in SB history. He still owns that record. The game was played in the old Stanford stadium for some reason. Joe Montana and the SF 49’ers bulldozed the Dolphins 38-16.  Marino would pass for over 300 and 1 TD but two picks. Marino would play 17 years for Miami. He would never play in another SB.

Yard beginnings in career work life began with a southern firm called Lanier Business Products. LBP was led by the irascible Gene Milner. Lanier offered sales training to neophytes to learn how to sell dictation equipment. Lanier bought the technology from Thomas Edison, so it goes back a bit. Dictation was an archaic business product that is buried alongside 8-track tapes.  Lanier is where Jim Rome got his start after UCSB. The sales training was in Atlanta, GA at a converted Ramada Inn off I-85 in an area that preceded gentrification.  Tattletale Gentleman’s Lounge was a stumble away. Sales newbies and sales trainers made the clandestine trek to the Tale.  Atlanta has a legendary strip club history. The Gold Club raised the bar in 2001 luring in NBA superstars like Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. Special favors were provided to their famous clientele and profits soared.  The Gambino Crime family was thrilled until the FBI got involved and started deposing NBA players. Gold Club closure and jail for the owners came next.

Twenty-five years later, the Atlanta Hawks will be hosting Magic City Night at State Farm Arena on Monday March 16. The event pays tribute to Magic City which the Hawks contend is a cultural institution.  Magic City advertises itself as the Premier Atlanta Strip Club on their website. We don’t think there will be table dances at the arena, but we are advised to bring some small bills. Not sure if the “like a good neighbor” State Farm guys are thrilled with this promotion.  The backlash has just started, and the Hawks marketing department is on LinkedIn update alert.

The Ides of March are upon us. In 44 BC, it was when Julius Caesar was dramatically removed from the Roman Senate.  Leaders of state seemed to be getting removed a bit of late.  In 2026, March 15 is when the NCAA March Madness selection show is scheduled. The Yard has always pledged our allegiance to the NCAA basketball tournament.  It is a national event that links communities small and large on either side of the political spectrum. It can be pure joy until Bryce Drew hits a 23-foot runner at the buzzer to eliminate your team. Unless of course, your pool had Valparaiso that afternoon. The first two days of the tourney are the most exciting 48 hours in sports.  April 6, there will be an NCAA Champion and Notre Dame will probably still be pissed at the NCAA.  Let the Madness carry us through the insanity.

Senior night can be a special night in an NCAA basketball player's life. Graduating and graduation adjacent, these seniors are recognized by the university, family and friends celebrating their journey.  It was a real big deal before the one and done era.  Kobe and Lebron were none and done and don’t think they missed it. Patrick Ewing had a senior night and so did Reggie Miller.  The UCLA greats from John Wooden’s ten championship teams all had epic senior nights including Lew Alcindor, Marques Johnson and Gail Goodrich. Today’s elite programs have few graduating seniors who play.  The “players” are usually in the NBA prior to their senior night.  It was the only night seniors at Kentucky got on the floor. In 2026, senior night is farcical at times.  With NIL, players are staying in college longer.  Not to get an education but to get paid for playing college sports. The Yard supports that.  Athletes are going to court to get years five and six of their college eligibility. Athletes claim lost seasons to Covid seasons or other injuries.  Bluto Blutarsky could barely get away with this rationale.

RIP:  Pittsburgh Pirate HOF Bill Mazeroski died last week at the age of 89. Maz will always be known for his dramatic walk off Game 7 bottom of the 9^th homerun to win the 1960 World Series over the Yankees. His HOF career batting average was .260.  He hit 138 HR’s and 853 RBI’s.  It was pedestrian stats for the Hall. He is still the only Game 7, bottom of 9 walk off HR to win the WS. Everyone saw Joe Carter’s but that was Game 6. Yard youth loved the pugnacious 2^nd basemen called Maz and Glove.  He did win 8 Gold Gloves.  He won another title with the Pirates in 1971.  The Baltimore Orioles were heavily favored to repeat as WS. Maz was coming off the bench, but Roberto Clemente was at the height of his powers and carried the day.  Yard Youth got to see those Pirates on June 16, 1970.  Maz went 0-4 with four assists. Matty Alou went 0-4 leading off and Willie Stargell 0-4 batting cleanup.  Dodger Don Sutton pitched a 4-hit shutout and the Blue won 1-0.  The Pirates would win the WS the following season.  Mazeroski played his entire 17-year career for Pittsburgh. Good speed Glove, they might need you for spring ball upstairs.

Super Bowl Sam and the Tigers of Summer

There have been many iconic moments in Super Bowl history with LX looming in Santa Clara. The original two SB were called the World Championship until KC founder Lamar Hunt coined the Super Bowl in 1966.  It became official in 1969 just in time for Broadway Joe and the NY Jets to storm the Orange Bowl on January 12. The heavily favored Colts were still in the NFC and residing in Baltimore. Who knew it was the Jets last moment in the sun? The 1970 KC Chiefs showed the World that the AFL was no joke blasting the heavily favored MN Vikings 23-7 behind the mastery of Len Dawson. Many future HOF athletes played in the Super Bowl.  Some famously did not like Dan Marino, Dan Fouts and Phil Rivers. Trent Dilfer has a SB Ring, so does Jeff Hostetler and Nick Foles. The most surprising QB’s missing from Super Bowl lore is one from USC.

The rich Trojan legacy has produced many heroes in Super Bowl history. Lynn Swann SB X MVP, Marcus Allen SB XVIII MVP and Malcolm Smith XLVIII represented the U well.  USC is among the leaders trailing Michigan with six SB MVP’s five go to Tom Terrific and one for Desmond Howard.  USC has never had an alumni QB start in the Super Bowl.  Carson Palmer got the closest. Pat Haden got injured and Vince Ferragamo got the nod in 1979.  Matt Lienart thought pro football was supposed to be like the pool scene in 1969 with Broadway Joe lounging in a bathing suit talking to reporters.  Mark Sanchez was a Jet and a sportscaster with a bright future once. John David Booty was booted out of the NFL before an opportunity arose.  Sam Darnold will be the first USC QB on the main stage. UCLA has had two in our less storied history.  Troy started 3 and the ageless Billy Kilmer started SB VII for the Washington Redskins. Darnold has had a remarkable two seasons after an unremarkable start of his career.  The Jets will do that to you.  The Yard is rooting for Sudden Sam and the upstart Seahawks. Yard disdain for the Patriots has not diminished since TB moved to the booth.  With Belichick’s recent HOF snub, we are not the only ones.

Indiana’s mythological charge to 2026 Natti happened fast.  Fernando Mendoza is a rare talent, and Curt Cignetti is an exceptional coach. Mark Cuban’s investment via NIL into Indiana University cannot be understated. The Indiana Alum partnered with Cignetti to leverage his financial largess into a national champion.  USC has been funneling donor money to athletes for a millennium. Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight were cashing NIL money 20 years before NIL became a thing.  The Trojan alumni have been conducting research on this slippery slope for generations.  Their results with legitimate NIL graft have been middling. With Will Ferrell, Spielberg, Lucas and the rest of the Trojan oligarchs, USC should be dominating the Big Ten not losing in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Oklahoma State had T-Bone to fund their rise from obscurity in the SWC.  Phil Knight made the Oregon Ducks into a powerhouse. We are waiting for Sergey Brin, and the Google boys to put the Stanford Cardinal back in the mix.  Nick Saban bailed from Alabama when he realized there were not many billionaire Tide fans to support the tectonic shift in college recruiting.  He could compete in the recruit’s living room but not their checking account. 

Tigers of Summer:  After being swept in the 1966 WS by the Baltimore Orioles, the Los Angeles version of the Boys of Summer had fallen with the leaves. They finished 28.5 games behind pennant winner STL Cardinals in 1967.  Those Cards were stacked with Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Tim McCarver, Curt Flood, Lou Brock and the Baby Bull Orlando Cepeda.  Managed by the legendary Red Schoendienst, STL would win the 1967 WS over the then still cursed Boston Red Sox.  The Dodgers would finish 21 games out in 1968, and the Cards would return to the WS as defending champions. Yard yearling was just getting their legs underneath them when the Dodgers went to the WS in 1963, 1965, and 1966 winning twice.  It seemed that this is how sports fandom rolled for the inexperienced LA fan.  Pain and suffering would be revealed during this period.  This would last 16 years and beyond. The Cardinals were our demons then.  The Giants were not on our radar, and the Miracle Mets were a year away. 

We rooted fanatically for the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 WS. The Fifth grade at Incarnation was in an early testosterone phase and sides were taken that fall in Mrs. Dawson’s class. The Tigers would counter the Cards with our new heroes. Denny McLain and his 31 wins with 28 complete games.  HOF Al Kaline was coming off the bench with Norm Cash at first and Bill Freehan catching. Our favorite was Jim Northrup. The 28-year-old RF had 21 home runs in the regular season but four of them were Grand Salami’s.  On June 24, Northrup hit GS in consecutive innings on consecutive pitches. He would hit another GS in WS Game 6 to blow a hole in the Cardinal’s mystique at home forcing game 7. Mickey Lolich hit the only HR of his career to lead to Game 2 Win.  He was given the ball facing surly HOF Bob Gibson that final Thursday afternoon in October in 1968. They both had won two games in this Series. Mickey would prevail as both pitchers would go the distance.  Lolich would be the WS MVP.  He would pitch seven more seasons for the Tigers and won 217 games in the majors.  He is in the Yard HOF but not the MLB HOF.  He is one of only 14 pitchers to win three WS games in a single series. The most recent Dodger Yoshi Yamamoto with only Randy Johnson with DiamondBacks in 2001 in between.  Mickey Lolich is a name forever etched in Yard lore.  Mickey passed away last Wednesday at age 85.  RIP ML!

The Christmas Bowling Edition

Tim of K-State has hosted an annual Bowl Battle for nearly two decades.  It is a fun cashless challenge to pick the most outright winners during the bowl season.  No point spreads need to be considered just victory. The Yard sealed victory with 27 winners in BB VIII. The Winner gets the golden toilet seat.  It is like a Masters green jacket. I gotta keep it for my victory year, but Tim gets it back at the end. It has gotten much more complex picking these bowl winners. First, opting out by star players became all the rage.  Coaches changing jobs before their bowl game and taking people with them has become very popular. And this was before NIL. Arch Manning can make more money staying in Texas for now. They expanded the CFP to 12 teams and Notre Dame still could not get into the thing. It is not your father’s Rose Bowl anymore.

In 2025, Lane Kiffin was on the first bus leaving Ole Miss to take the LSU job. The Yard couldn’t blame Kiffin; he is making $3 million a year more in Baton Rouge.  Ole Miss is a nice job with modest expectations.  The LSU HC is a bigger job than the governor of Louisiana.  Kiffin never gets a dinner and a proper send off when he departs.  It is always a shotgun divorce. Raider owner Al Davis got out the 1967 overhead projector to fire him in 2008.  Knoxville, TN still serenades Kiffin with boos every time he visits because of his sudden departure to USC in 2010.  USC AD Pat Haden met Kiffin’s return flight at LAX to remove Lane from the job at 2:00 AM five games into the 2013 season. Kiffin joined up with Darth Saban in Alabama as his OC. Apparently, Saban’s daughter and Kiffin got along great.  Not so much with Nick who sent him packing before the 2017 Championship game. Kiffin’s wife packed up and moved on as well. Ole Miss took a flyer on the Little Kiff in 2019 after his penance at FAU. Kiffin has delivered Ole Miss into the CFP playing in the grueling SEC. This season he was brilliant and he could have coached in Oxford for another 20 years, but he opted for the Bayou. Ole Miss fans are genteel southerners; LSU fans are rabid Tigers. Those Ole Miss genteel fans chased Kiffin’s exodus convoy all the way to the plane. It will not be pleasant if Lane does not meet LSU expectations which are National Championships.  If the LSU gig goes south, he won’t be chased to the airport; he will be driven out into Blue’s Bayou.

The Irish were ready to fight when they learned they had no ticket on the CFP Tour Bus.  Notre Dame had won ten straight games by double digits leading up to the selection show.  The football independent Irish got leapfrogged by the ACC dependent Miami Hurricanes.  Neither team played the weekend of the show.  Somehow the Hurricanes moved up a spot ahead of ND while everyone was watching at home.  Notre Dame is an ACC member in all sports except football and hockey.  The Yard is not sure on the hockey holdout. Football ND kept their lucrative TV money but needed a conference for basketball.  When football ACC Miami needed to rally votes over ACC lite ND, guess who won that battle.  Las Vegas books have ND being a favorite in any CFP game except Ohio State. The Hurricanes will be in College Station playing Texas A&M as 3-point underdogs.  The Canes will be underdogs in every game. Notre Dame will be at home in South Bend playing Scrooge this Christmas.

The Raiders are working hard to secure the first pick in the NFL draft.  They have a lot of competition with the dreadful NY Giants and the woeful Tennessee Titans.  They are all at 2-12 in this dogfest. Arizona, Cleveland and the NY Jets are in hot pursuit at 3-11.  The Yard is hoping the Raiders do the right thing and lose the rest of their games.  They would end up with the number 1 pick because those 3 losses would include one at home to the NY Giants. The Raiders have not had a franchise QB since Kenny Stabler in the 70’s.  Derek Carr holds most of the records thanks to increased games per season in pass happy times. Carr was released and disappeared into the NOLA wasteland. A QB does not solve all the Las Vegas, but it will get them closer than Geno Smith ever would. This biggest obstacle in the Raiders mission to lose is Pete Carroll.  Peter is not going to be here next year, so he wants to go out with a few wins.  His legacy is scratched but not tarnished.  He is not the guy for a rebuild.

OMG Michigan: University of Michigan is a top academic institution and sports powerhouse. Academic light Ohio State has been their football Huckleberry since 1897. Bo vs. Woody was the Civil War.  Michigan Alum Jim Harbaugh was hired to bring Michigan back from being a perennial 9-3 team that always seemed to lose to Ohio State when it mattered. It took Jimmy awhile to beat the Buckeyes but once he did, he would never lose to them again. The Wolverines would go 38-3 in Harbaugh’s last three years and win the National Championship in 2023. Michigan was thrilled with the results while gradually removing many compliance guardrails to accommodate Jim.  He pushed every boundary to bring greatness.  The NCAA investigators were in hot pursuit those last three years. Michigan athletics was losing faith they could keep not taking their calls.  Harbaugh finally burned the house down after the National Championship.  He resigned at the end of January when all coaching candidates had found their chair and the music stopped.  Michigan was left standing. UM was left with few options to save the recruiting class.  OC Sherrone Moore became the HC.  Moore had already been head coach for four games when Harbaugh was suspended for his NCAA shenanigans. Moore was already in the system, so he was not vetted like a new hire.  Well, here is another nice mess you got us into.

Merry Christmas

We have a lot to unpack Toto!

During the Dodgers first 65 years in the National League, they won the pennant ten times.  They lost nine times in the WS, six to the Yankees. Their only WS victories were The Boys of Summer in 1955 who finally beat those villainous Yankees.  Yankee Don Larsen returned the title perfectly in 1956. NY City Planner Robert Moses had allowed the house that Ruth built for the Yankees to rise along the Hudson.  Walter O’Malley and the Dodgers were afforded no such consideration by Mr. Moses.  First term LA city councilwoman Roz Wyman heard of O’Malley’s and Moses' mutual disdain.  Their stern stalemate was documented in the press. She reached out with a deal that forever changed the trajectory of the Dodgers. O’Malley dragged Horace Stoneham and the NY Giants with their wagon train west.  The Willie Mays led Giants won the 1954 WS. NY lost both championship franchises because of Robert Moses' singular clout. In 1962, he allowed the Mets to build on the land O’Malley had originally desired. The move paid immediate dividends for the Los Angeles Dodgers with three WS titles in their first decade in the City of Angels. The City was eternally invested, and Yard youth was infected. The Giants had to wait fifty years for their titles but with better stadium concessions.

Tony at the Yard was launched in October of 2007. Dr. Jerry was still running the Lakers with his crazy kids. They were on the cusp of their second repeat and fifth title of the decade. Pete Carroll was pursuing championships at USC with his latest Orange County stud QB Mark Sanchez. The Karl Dorrell experience was limping towards its delusion.  Ben Howland was about to lead the Bruins to three consecutive Final Four trips sans titles.  The Rams were still in St. Louis dancing with Georgia Frontières’s minions.  The Rockies swept to the World Series only to be swept by a historic Red Sox team.  Grady Little had just resigned as Dodger manager after guiding the team to 4^th place in the NL West. The steroid era was being exposed. It was fertile ground for this cub writer. 

The Yard has never cloistered our rabid Dodger demons.  In 2007, the Dodgers were not our lead story.  The Lakers were always relevant with Kobe on the floor.  The Dodgers were a boring mix of young Matt Kemp, ordinary Russell Martin and Brad Penniless. This was the Dodger period of extreme averageness. Tommy Lasorda managed the team to finally beat the Yankees again in 1981.  Tommy conjured up the improbable impossible 1988 championship over the mighty A’s. It would be almost 30 years before the Dodgers would return to the WS. Our Dodger fanaticism was skewered with trey Giant WS titles during the bitter interlude.  We were tortured by the 2017 trashcan Astro ball.  Clayton continued his regular season mastery followed by postseason misery. Red Sox Mookie and company crushed the Dodgers 4-1 in 2018. Our affliction was suppressed with the 2020 COVID title in the Texas bubble but not exorcised.

In 2024, the Dodgers were vindicated with a second title in real time. This time we got the parade with the tee shirts!  The Yard boldly predicted that last year’s championship was the end of the beginning. Andrew Friedman had moved the pieces into place and Dave Roberts maneuvered them with precision. Padre Manny and the steroid kid pressed the Azul to the edge of the barranca. The Mustard and Brown clenched while the Dodgers clinched for two straight years. The Padres were the anointed before they were the quieted. This year they were just quiet. The Yankees' misfortunes are best told by others.  

There is a lot to unpack with these 2025 playoffs. The Dodger stumbled through the season.  The vaunted starting pitching would have but 33 victories.  Kershaw and Yoshi had 23 of those wins. Max Muncy would only play in 100 games.  Mookie Betts would have his worst season since joining LA.  The bullpen was the strength in 2024 but a liability in 2025. The pen’s ERA in September was 4.90 and 6.16 in the postseason. Relievers had 43 saves with 27 blown saves. They were ranked in the lower half of MLB all season. The expectations for the WS were aflutter.  Toronto had a better record in the more competitive AL East with comparable well-paid talent.

In the main event, the Blue Jays matched the Dodger pitching; they had more hits and runs than the Dodgers.  The Dodgers had three more homeruns. It was those last three home runs that mattered most. To snatch victory from a Toronto franchise that had never lost a WS, in Toronto before 50,000 pissed off Canadians was Yard shattering. They don’t like Trump, Ohtani or the Dodgers. After surviving the protracted 18 inning death march, the DTSS Dodger Traumatic Stress Syndrome reached DEFCON 2.  Every game was a sofa grind of anxiety snacking malaise.

 The Dodgers have played in consecutive WS three times all versus their New York nemesis. The PinStripes won two and split with Jackie Robinson’s teams. For a team to repeat as MLB champions is Big Red Machine stuff.  The Dodgers are the only team in the last 25 years that has a chance to Three-Peat TM Pat Riley.

Game three was a cross section of the entire series. It was essentially a doubleheader.  The first game was a slugfest ending in a 5-5 tie. The second game was a pitching battle ending with another Freddie WS walk off 1-0.  Ohtani getting on base 9 straight times is timeless. He would walk five times, four of them intentional. Seven players were thrown out on the bases. There were manager challenges at every base. There were over 200 baseballs used. 25-year-old Will Klein came in to pitch the 15^th inning. He was the last available pitcher in the bullpen. Will joined the Dodgers in July and was just added to the World Series roster. The most innings in any game that Klien had pitched was 1.3 all season.  He needed to go four on this night and he did with 5 K’s and a WS W.  Not a lot of major league pitchers have one of those WSW’s. He will be forever remembered in Dodger lore.

The 2025 team is largely intact for 2026. Ohtani will pitch more.  Mookie will probably hit better and might win a Gold Glove at shortstop. Freddie and his special sauce will be penciled in at first most nights. Yoshi’s greatness has been revealed which questions the loser Josh Reddick’s intelligence. Snell and Glasnow will start and win more games. The bullpen will get figured out. There are lots of salaries going away with Kershaw retiring and Conforto getting kicked to the curb.  Tanner Scott is a glaring liability.  The Giants are rebuilding.  They are .500 since their last title in 2014.  They are going to give it the old college try in 2026. The Padres have a clubhouse that scowls off managers.  The Diamondbacks can’t decide if they are in or out but mostly out.  The Rockies are an embarrassment to the MLB. The team that led to the gentrification of downtown Denver lost 119 games and finished 50 games out. When we launched Tony at the Yard, the Rockies were in the World Series and Mark Sanchez was a first round pick.  Hope Pete gets the Raiders back to being competitive. How far have we come, Toto?

Our prayers to Alex and Kayla Vesia’s for their tragic loss of their newborn daughter Sterling Sol. Class act with Blue Jays bullpen staff stitching Vesia’s number in their hats to show support for one of their brethren in arms.

Interesting facts: Shohei Ohtani set a record with the four intentional walks in Game 3.  Three of the walks were with the bases loaded.  Ohtani has intentionally walked 88 times in his career.  In his MLB career, he has never issued one as a pitcher.  Congratulations on your 4^th MVP in five years.

The Fall Classic

The World Series is the pantheon of sports championships. It takes an Iliad and the Odyssey for any MLB team’s journey to raise the chalice. The first World Series was played in the 1903 classic between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Sox won the best of 9 series 5-3.  The NFL was decades away from its founding and basketball was still played at the YMCA.  The Americans would become the Red Sox and would go on to win five WS titles by 1918 when they traded Babe.  The second curse of baseball mythology was hatched in that transaction.  The Red Sox broke the curse in 2004 and won another three WS in the 2000 teens.

The Sisyphean effort of pushing the rock for 162 games was ingrained in the Yard like a continuous loop documentary via the LA Times sports section.  The Dodger historical grapples in WS history percolates in our intestines each fall. The Azul has lost in the WS 14 times.  The Toronto Blue Jays have never lost in the WS. Our Magic 8 Ball says Future Uncertain. The first two games at Dodger Stadium were emblematic of our strife. Most certainly, either the BJ’s finally lose one or the Dodgers take the overall title for most WS lost.  They are currently tied with the Yankees at 14.  Yard tea leaves request to see two victories on the horizon for our team. Dreams like the foliage, fall to the ground and get bagged.

In 2018, the stars aligned and World Series tickets became available to the Yards. It was the uncursed version of the Red Sox.  They had this kid Mookie Betts playing right field.  Betts would win the AL Batting Title, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and AL MVP in 2018.  October 26 was a beautiful fall night in Los Angeles.  The Dodgers had already lost the first two games in Bean Town so a lot was at stake that night. Of course, Kenley Jansen blew a 4 out save opportunity with a homerun to the first batter he faced. The Dodgers battled that night for 18 innings.  It was 1-1 through 13 innings before the Sox scored in the top of the 13^th. The Dodgers returned the favor in the bottom half of the inning.  The game would be scoreless until First Baseman Max Muncy homered in the bottom of the 18^th. It would be the last gasp for that version of the Dodgers.

First Son of the Yard has inherited some of our genetic bile as well as managing the season seats.  With the malaise in the bullpen and the injuries the World Series did not seem certain in early August.  Expectation dipped with the reality of attempting to repeat as champions.  Everyone hates the Yankees, but the Dodgers are a close second according to some of our industry insiders.  You know you raised your kid right when he takes you to a WS game, bravo son. Monday October 26 would be game 3 of the 2025 World Series.  We settled into our seats at 4:30 PM PST. The Yard does not need to report on how the Monday game turned out.  A few other outlets released the details before I could get to my MacBook Air. Let Freddie Reign! It was a 2 for 1 sale.  First game balls flying everywhere, Ohtani showing all his $700 million portfolio.  Second game 1-0 with another First baseman walk off homerun.

Being an LA Dodger fan beyond the constant base level anxiety is also knowing when to stay and when to go.  As the game persists, getting out of Dodger Stadium looms in your psyche. Ball one, Fletcher Drive or Stadium Way? Fouled off. Maybe sneak through ChinaTown. Is Phillipe’s open late? Ball two. What is the score again?  Who is warming up? Foul ball down the line stays foul. When Kirk Gibson hit his momentous homerun in 1988, in the corner of the shot are all the redlights heading out the Academy Road gate.  We are pilloried fans and deservedly so, but LA traffic is real.  Both games had a 14-inning stretch.  First game only the Churros and Sodas finally played after the 11^th inning.  Monday night, 25 people were in line for Dodger Dogs when Freddie went to the Yard.  Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes were there at the finish. And so were we!

This is not a David vs. Goliath Series with the big bad overpaid Dodgers beating up on Canada.  Canada has been a bit brow beat since late January by mouths that are loud.  The Blue Jays have the 5^th highest payroll in the MLB.  They have Vlad Jr getting his $500 million Canadian.  This is US vs Canada, and the quiet kids always scared us.

Make the Ryder Cup Great Again!

The Ryder Cup is our favorite biennial event. In 1927, British entrepreneur Samuel Ryder donated the trophy and hatched the competition between US and British professional golfers.  From 1927 until 1979, the US record in Ryder Cup play was 19-2-1.  With the 1981 Ryder Cup, the match had evolved into US versus Europe, The US record since the change is 8-14-1.  It has been an ugly ride, and it seems patently unfair.  Our US golf warriors must now take on practically the entire world to reclaim what is rightfully our championship.  The president has been busy, but golf is his thing.  He is already pissed off at Europe anyways.  These Euros had to pass through US border control to get to Bethpage Black.  Curly Joe Homan has lots of juice, he could have created some travel delays, right?  He should have started with Tommy Touchdown Jesus Fleetwood.  There is an agitator sheen on that one.  And did you see Rory’s behavior at the course? Just because NY fans degraded his wife during his back swing, he doesn’t get to drop F-bombs on national TV. He should have been deported Saturday night. DT, you can make it happen.  Tariff Ryder cup back to just US v. UK.  Not sure how you negotiate that but work it in on one of those Big Bad Deals. Make the Ryder Cup Great Again!  We know, it is all Biden’s fault but do what you can.

The Yard has relocated back to our Las Vegas HQ.  It was a spectacular summer in the Pacific Northwest. The seafood, Orcas and scenery were sensational, but Cal Raleigh became legend.  The Seattle Mariners have had some great teams over the years but never a World Series attendee.  In 2001, the Mariners won 116-46 and lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.  They became the first team ever to win 110+ games and not go to the World Series.  This inglorious record was matched by the Dodgers in 2022. Raleigh had the greatest year in Mariner history eclipsing Junior’s 56 HR with a cool 60. The switch-hitting catcher is a refreshing; throwback player and we judge him to be the MVP.

The MLB playoffs are here minus the New York Mets.  The Yard staff and Brian of the PNW are not fans of the Metropolitans.  F- the Mets is a common refrain. The Yard had forecasted that billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen would not honor his commitment to MLB ownership to not “overspend” on payroll.  The Mets began the 2025 season with their highest payroll of $342 million in team history.  On June 12, 2025, the Mets had the best record in MLB baseball 45-24.  The Yankees were struggling, and the Mets had their moment in the NY sunlight.  Three and a half months later, the Mets slogged to their fate. On the final day of the season, the Mets could still make the playoffs if the Reds lost and they won their final game.  The table was set when the Reds lost early on Sunday.  The Mets could not muster a single run in their 4-0 loss to the freakin Marlins.  The Marlins, who were eliminated from the playoffs in July, loved spoiling the Mets last chance.  The Fish played like it was a game 7.  Steve Cohen continues to reap what he sowed with SAC.  It was ironic to see the Reds celebrating with champagne after their last game loss almost kept them out. Then the Mets punched the Reds ticket for champagne and goggles.  In the end, Juan Soto got what he sowed.  He wanted the other NY Team. Yankees did not miss him one beat.

Clayton Kershaw has been destined for the HOF since high school. He went 13-0 with 139 K’s in 64 innings during his senior season at Dallas Highland Park.  One of the highlights was an all-strikeout perfect game that was shortened to six innings due to the mercy rule.  Kershaw ridiculously had 15 k’s and a grand slam in the five-inning game.  Sophomore year, he had given up being Matt Stafford’s center to concentrate on baseball.  Stafford was still his shortstop that senior season.  Number 22 went on to have the HOF career foretold in the stars. 2025 will be his final season and he let us all know right before his final home start. He told his teammates and then the world.  He never wants the attention on him, just the team.  He has had huge success and pitching nightmares in the playoffs throughout his career.  He had a brilliant regular season this year.  With the Dodgers starting rotation, he gets his starts, but he is not number 1 or 2 anymore. He is still playing if the Dodgers do.  He gets to exit this grand game on his terms. All Hail Clayton.

 

A'ja Wilson is the WNBA’s Michael Jordan if they needed one.  MJ won a title at every level and is always in the greatest ever conversation.  A'ja plays with an aggressive grace and demonic polish that sets her above any bar.  She won in high school and at South Carolina.  She has two WNBA titles, two Olympic Gold Medals, four MVP awards and she is only 29.  In May 2025, Nike would release her signature sneaker, the A’One. The Aces were having a middling season when A'ja lit a fire and willed them to a 16-game win streak to close the season and into the WNBA finals.  The first game is Friday night in Las Vegas.  Go Aces!

Hurricanes and Macchiatos

The 60^th Anniversary of the Sound of Music was last week.  Mary Jo Seber loaded up the Seber siblings into the Chrysler Travel wagon and took us to Graumann’s Chinese Theater to see it. The Oscar winning story is the musical narrative about the Von Trapp Family singers rise to fame under Mary Poppins’ tutelage.  The movie is an all-time classic.  Several news outlets went to Salzburg, Austria where their story originated. Many Austrians were unfamiliar with the story and its global impact.  It could be because there were many Austrians dressed in Nazi uniforms throughout the film. With Uncle Adolph running the show from the Reichstag in Berlin, Austria’s future looked bright in 1944. Passive acquiescence to the Fuhrer was prudent and with a potential Prussian land grab upside. The Rise before the Fall of the Third Reich was still in the rising phase. Austria was betting on the come. Unfathomable stories of paramilitary groups dragging “undesirables” off the streets without rights or due process and throwing them in detention centers occurred daily.  Austrians probably don’t want to properly recall their role as the dark undercurrent in this family classic. What lighthearted movie will morph out of the ICE family singers?

When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August 2005, the New Orleans arena where the then New Orleans Hornets played was severely damaged.  The Hornets were forced to relocate their home games from 2005-2007.  The Hornets went 77-87 during this period and averaged over 18,000 fans per home game.  Having the NBA in OKC, was enlightening for the NBA and local businessman Clay Bennett’s ownership team.

In 2001, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz led The Basketball Club of Seattle and their 58 partners to acquire the Seattle NBA team and keep them in the Seattle. Schultz and his minions could not right the ship.  The Supersonics lost millions during Howie’s reign of Macchiato mediocrity.  Starbucks stock roared but the one-time NBA Champion Supersonics were dismal.  In 1979, Dennis Johnson, Jack Sikma and Gus Williams beat the Washington Bullets 4-1 for the City of Seattle’s first professional championship.  Lenny Wilkens was the head coach. By 2005, the Sonics were a Dungeness dumpster. The Puget Sound Penises could not lift the basketball prospects for the Seattle Supersonics. Schultz agreed to sell the team to Bennett’s management team with the good faith understanding of keeping the team in Seattle. The Supersonics drafted Kevin Durant with the 2^nd pick in the draft and the future was a Keyless arena away. Key Arena had to stay, and Seattle would not pay for a new facility, Bennett gleefully paid the penalty and moved the team to OKC.  It was not a happy day in the PNW when OKC won the NBA title in 2025.  There were watch parties for OKC haters all over Seattle.  There was not as much vitriol in 2005 when they left.

Seattle has become a WNBA town.  Sue Bird is a hero and icon to many and deservedly so.  Key Arena finally got redone at a cost of $1.1 billion in 2021.  The only tenant at that time was the Storm. We have our summer AI team computing how that equates in 2006 dollars, but the rejected budget was $350 million.  We have another team working on the 2025 value of an NBA team in the Seattle market.  Schultz sold the Sonics for $350 million.  The Lakers just sold part of the Lakers for $4 billion. Statues honoring basketball stars at NBA arenas have become a thing.  The Lakers have a HOF starting lineup of bronze figures with Chick Hearn at the microphone encircling Crypto. Key Arena with no NBA team unfurled the statute of Lenny Wilkens when he was a player for Seattle.  The WNBA Seattle Storm are the little engine that could, and they have kept the basketball dream alive locally.  Sue Bird will get her statue in August. Clippers have a new stadium and are waiting patiently to honor someone, anyone in their 55-year history. No one ever plays for the Clippers long enough to matter.

 

Bottom of the 9^th: The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers are having some moments, and they are not shining ones.  The team has been horrific since a torrid Max Muncy went down with a frightening knee injury three weeks ago.  Muncy was the MLB player of June, and the Dodgers have been in a funk since his injury.  Funkmaster General is Mookie Betts.  He was 1 for 38 at one point and Roberts benched him for a game.  He is playing shortstop this season for the first time since Little League or something.  He might never be a Gold Glove SS, but he is serviceable and gets another outfielder batter in the lineup.  His batting struggles might be related to this position change.  Betts came up with two outs in the bottom of the 9^th yesterday with the Dodgers down a run.  We quickly dug an 0-2 hole and somehow squibbed a ball towards third and beat the throw.  The Twins then walked the bases loaded for Freddie Freeman’s winning hit; We hope this moment gets the team and Mookie off the snide.

Hometown Heroes and Huckleberries

The US Food and Drug Administration passed legislation to remove Red Dye 3 from all US products by 2027.  This ruling affects iconic brands like Heinz 57 ketchup and one of the M&M’s. Europe banned the dye years ago but not here.  US Secretary of Human and Health Services RFK Jr. has been a champion of the cause leading to passage.  He has targeted these artificial additives as part of his campaign to make America healthy again. We sincerely hope the first effort he makes is to remove this additive from his face. The quivering head, gravelly voice and wild eyes are not good optics on the red backdrop. Bob, just a thought to help drive your agenda. Start at home and all that. 

The Donald was channeling his despotic bad self, following his military birthday parade.  With tanks rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue and soldiers, horses and two mules for Sister Sara, it was quite the spectacle.  You couldn’t burn $45 million faster in an incinerator. Before the bills were paid, Israel was bombing Iran and DT was war lord by proxy. We own the skies, possible assassinations, and other rhetoric roared from our strongman. We have it on good authority blabbering Pete Hegseth was kept outside the ropes for this operation.

Rock and Roll lost two industry visionaries in Brian Wilson and Sly Stone this past week.  The Beach Boys and Wilson cultivated the Southern CA beach sound.  With images of sports cars, surfers and hot girls, Wilson lyrics with his family band was beyond the Yard youth’s orbit.  In the Glendale suburbs, surfing was for cool kids with access to cars.  Hot girls were with those surfers and those cars. The Beach Boys sang of a world that was foreign to this youth.  Sly and his Family Stone preached to me.  I wanted to go higher with them.  I was an Everyday People.  The funk, rock gospel impresario colored my soundtrack of suburban life. He was the coolest band leader I had ever seen with his multiple instruments, dancers and alternating lead vocals.  The Beach Boys were clean cut white kids in frigging cardigans.  Sly was a force of nature that rocked until he didn’t.  The Beach Boys influenced the Beatles among others. Sly influenced generations of artists from multiple genres that still resonate today.  Pet Sounds they are not. We were shocked they both lived to 82!

The San Diego Padres are officially now the Dodgers’ Huckleberry. Just like the late Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday sweating and pale taking out the bad guy.  The Dodgers did the same last fall when all seemed lost in Paradise on the border.  San Diegans cheering wildly for their only hope in professional sports.  It was excellent to see them dashed. The great mustard colored hope flailed when it mattered.  Dodgers off the mat and to the title.  Watching Fernando Tatis at the plate is terrifying.  Watching Tatis play right field is hilarious.  Yard played a lot of RF back in the day for the same reason Tatis does.  Where do you play that glove? He thought he was a shortstop.

Fifty years ago this month, the Glendale Hoover High Tornadoes baseball team beat mighty Lakewood High school for their first CIF-SS Title.  Ricardo, a Yard Patron, was on that team. We all grew up together playing Little League around town.  The Yard was a big observer even back then.  We were at that championship game at Dodger Stadium. Lefty Chuck McMichael pitched the greatest game of his life in the 2-1 victory. It was astonishing to watch these local legends lead Hoover to the title that night. It has not happened since, but it was a special night for the kids from Glendale.

 

Controlling interest in the Lakers being sold for $10 billion to Mark Walters was a surprise today but not shocking.  The Jerry Buss progeny have been sucking on the family teat for decades.  When Doctor Jerry was still alive, he hired basketball people to run the basketball operations.  He put everyone else on the payroll and there were many. The boys could shadow him, and Jeannie could do community outreach. The cousins could find their niche. Jerry West saw the future without Jerry Buss and departed at the top. The leadership abyss following Jerry’s passing has been comically tragic.  The problem is too many Busses on the payroll sucking operational cash flow and not providing value. The Lakers are not the same cash cow for the Buss family that they were a decade ago.  With this deal, everybody gets paid and off the payroll.  Now the Lakers can move beyond the Buss family and write the next chapter.  The Buss Family still owns a third just like Frank McCourt still owns the Dodger parking lot. Magic will be everywhere from the Ravine to Crypto and back. Jeannie’s husband Jay Mohr is thrilled.  Courtside seats with cake.

 

Extra Period:  Hockey is the national sport of Canada. It has been some time since Lord Stanley’s trophy has crossed the border for a visit.   1993 to be exact was the year.  South Florida has won four titles in the past six years. Las Vegas has one also.  Oh, hail Canada but what the hell happened with your national pastime? Even Florida man is kicking your ass!

All Hail South Side Bobby

An outbound shart was intercepted before it hit cotton with a quick clench Sunday morning.  It was a symbolic event on the 45^th anniversary of Mt. Saint Helens eruption.  Helen did not clench that day, and it forever changed the region. The stakes were minimal Sunday but a laundry crisis with the missus was averted.

The World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers just got swept at Chavez Ravine by the Los Angeles Angels from Anaheim. Mike Trout was not playing, while Ohtani was. With their off season moves and a WC in the bag, the Dodgers should be ahead by 5-6 games by now. We figured out a magic number by mid-July.  Swept by the moribund Angels of Arte Moreno at home is alarming.  We think Dave Roberts' job is safe for now.

The world had the shock and awe of South Side Bobby Prevost becoming the first American pope in Catholic church history.  Pope Leo is an Augustine for the world with his dual American and Peruvian citizenship. No one ever thought that an American born priest could ever be the pope.  America already tried to influence everything else globally, but the church has remained provincial.  Now if we can get an American’s Men Soccer team to do something in the World Cup, that would be something!

Decades ago, the NFL broadcast networks realized that female sideline reporters had a better chance of getting a head coach to stop and talk rather than a dude in a suit.  Female reporters are very qualified in their efforts but there is not an on-camera slouch in the bunch.  It seems like President Trump has used these qualifications for his appointees. Tulsi Gabbard, Kristie Noem, Pam Biondi and Karoline Leavitt all play key roles and are camera friendly. We could not determine if Noem had fake eyelashes or hair extensions when she killed her dog, Cricket?  She has her smoky eye shadow and extensions when she stares into the TV while letting illegals know she is coming for them.  Trump does not care about approval ratings, but he does care about who he must look at in cabinet meetings.

The NFL has been at the top of the sports mountain top for public mindshare. They conquered TV over the decades. No other sport has the ratings numbers for just about any NFL game. A Jacksonville – Cleveland NFL skirmish will outdraw an NBA playoff game in viewership.  The Super Bowl has become a national day of excessive celebration.  It was no surprise that it was national news when the NFL released their schedule last week.  It was major news that the NFL released their 2025-26 Schedule five months before one of those games would be played.  Major networks' sports departments spent airtime analyzing this schedule before it is relevant.  The NBA Conference Finals, the Stanley Cup are in full swing.  Baseball is getting more interesting for some fans.  Quality airtime was given to discuss a football schedule without real games for months. Wow!

Here come the A's

Major league weekend comes to our minor league ballpark in Summerlin this weekend.  The Las Vegas ball field where the Aviators play is a gem in our community and excited for the games. Timmy aka Panda, Wayne and Brian are making the pilgrimage to Las Vegas to see the games.  These four amigos were regulars for AZ spring training before the Giants won a few titles.  The over-excited Bay area fan’s largesse over inflated the cost of the experience. The Athletics and Diamondbacks are also migrating to Summerlin for the event.  It will be a split squad game, and we hope we get the split with A's budding superstar Brent Rooker.  Rooker signed a 5-year $60,000,000 deal to be the mug of the franchise at least until they get to Vegas.  The Oakland Athletics will just be the Athletics this season without a city affiliation.  Sacramento is not part of the narrative beyond playing 2025-27 in the state’s capital.

The move to Las Vegas will be the A’s fourth move in franchise history. They were formed in 1901 in Philadelphia as a founding member of the American League.  The A’s would play for over 50 years in the City of brotherly love.  Connie Mack managed the team for 50+ years taking them to the apex of the game and down to the nadir of suffering.  The Philadelphia A’s of the late 1920’s and 30’s were a forgotten legend.  Everyone remembers the Bronx Bombers and their titles during the period. The A’s would largely be wiped from consciousness from the period because the Yankees were in NY.  Both teams would win three straight pennants and two WS titles.  Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane and Lefty Grove were all future HOF and members of those A’s teams. They won five WS titles in Philadelphia during the golden era from 1901-1931. Things went way below the Mendoza line in the 40 years that followed.  Their win percentage was .402 with 2,119 wins against 3,147 losses, The redemption sojourn would not be realized until the 3-peat of 1972-74 with Reggie, Catfish and Gene Tenace.  The bash brothers juiced another title in 1989 after the monumental Dodger upset in 1988. Ricky the legend Henderson was leading the charge,

The green and gold is coming to Las Vegas for the 2028 season. There are renderings of the new ballpark on the internet.  It looks like the Sydney Opera house.  When the Raiders came, they got their stadium and that is all there is there except for an In n Out. The baseball stadium will have a hotel and casino attached with all the trimmings. It will be a summer destination venue for many except maybe the Canadians. They might still be pissed off.  The A’s bring a rich MLB legacy that includes nine world series titles.  Tied for 3^rd place with the Red Sox.  There are over 30 HOF players who wore those garish uniforms.

The Luka-AD trade has sent Laker betting futures soaring.  The Lake show was +2500 at the beginning of the season. They were +1200 at the time of the trade.  They are now +600 and 4^th favorite to win another title.  The Kid and the King have meshed well when many thought they would clash. They play similar games and want the ball.  James has acquiesced the offense to Luka and the results have been extraordinary.  They have won 8 in a row and are 9-2 since the trade.  They lead the West by six with 20 games left.  Lebron is playing differently and more refreshed with Luka carrying more of the offense. AD was supremely talented and gifted but not a playmaker.  Davis did play defense, and the conjecture is Doncic does not. Luka is playing and AD is injured.  Kyrie “the world is flat” Irving went flat last week and is done. This trade may haunt the Mavericks for a decade.  After just missing an NBA title last year, they are probably missing the playoffs this year.  Nobody is buying Nico drinks anymore except his good friend Rob Pelinka.  He might be sending him champagne in June.

 

The March of the Madness

Government employees received emails last week requesting that they list five things that they had accomplished last week.  The indignation and outrage were fiercely immediate.  Elon the unelected was the originator of the request and spectrally deflected criticism. He has the president's benign support on this issue.  The Yard toiled for decades in the private sector.  Capricious demands for “What have you done for me lately?” were the norm.  Threats to future employment were shrouded in these missives.  The narrative is that the emails were to detect signs of life at the destination email. We would not retain anyone who could not bluff their way through that request in ten minutes or less.  The Yard made a career of it as several of my audience can attest, Buck up, @gov, deal.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had been a controversial nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. His thoughts on vaccinations have been well documented.  He got the job and was on camera at the first cabinet meeting.  Bad day at the office when an unvaccinated child dies of measles right before your first press Opp in the new gig. These things happened and RFK Jr, graveled through his short comments about the occurrence. It is hard to imagine what his qualifications are besides bowing out of the primary at Trump’s behest. He has conducted personal research on most recreational drugs including heroin.  He has stated that he was a heroin addict for 14 years. He is no quitter that is for sure.  He certainly does not look very healthy with the two pack a day voice, bloodshot eyes hanging off his crimson mug.  Maybe just bad genes.  Heck, he roped Cheryl Hines into his orbit of the irrational. There must be something there, right?

The Dodgers have been busy this off season and the rest of the NL West appears to be happy fighting for a wild card berth.  The Dodgers stormed through the gates at Petco all the way to the World Championship, San Diego is still stunned. The Padres are wrapped up in a family legal battle that has stymied baseball operations. The Padres are Knott’s Berry Farm to the Dodgers Disney World. Go for the fried chicken not a WS title.  The D’Backs picked up Corbin Burns in a huge deal.  They were a player away from the title before missing the playoffs LY.  The Giants are stuck in 81-win hell.  Hiring Posey might be a good start but so did the last three GM’s hirings. The Rockies might get dropped out of the Champion’s League after this year if they do not win 60.

Baseball is still on the horizon.  The NBA is edging towards seasonal relevance. Hockey is nearing beast mode. For March, it is all about the Madness.  College basketball will demand our attention for the next five weeks. Fortunately, if asked, we already have our five accomplishments teed up for each week in March. There are several exceptional teams this season with Alabama and Auburn taking that great state to a place typically reserved for football. UCLA is a solid six seed with a big win on Bill Walton Day last Saturday. Selection Sunday is March 16 with first round games the following Thursday.  It is the greatest sporting event every March.  If you are in a pool and your bracket survives the first weekend, even more fun.

The trade of the decade will be the jolt that Luka needs to take his career to the next level.  Watching Lebron James play each night must be enlightening for young Doncic.  The king is 15 years older than him and plays every night at a level that Luka can aspire to.  Kyrie was not a role model or a leader.  He is an outstanding offensive player who can carry a team for spurts. He can also say things that do not get him invited to team BBQ’s. Lebron has embraced LA.  He is a media mogul who is still a top ten player in the league. He can bring Luka under his cape and show him what the promised land should look like.  His legacy is not Bronny, it may be Doncic.

The Bill Walton Day was very special on network television of the UCLA-Ohio State game.  UCLA played up to Walton’s honor.  His legendary exploits were sprinkled through the broadcast.  One tidbit was Walton did not lose in High School, and he did not lose at UCLA until his senior year when the wheels fell off the big red head in a rebellious haze.  The Yard blog about Walton can be found here:

  https://tonyattheyard.blogspot.com/2024/05/21-notes-for-big-red.html

Follow the Luka brick road

Kobe Bryant’s first agent when he came out of high school was Arn Tellem.  Tellem had become close with Joe Jellybean Bryant when he played at La Salle in Philadelphia. He took a keen interest in Bryant’s son Kobe who was playing on the Merion High School varsity as a 14 years old freshman.  Jordan did not make the varsity until his junior year.  Tellem was also close friends with Jerry West.  He alerted West to this phenomenon and set up a tryout with the Lakers. Young Bryant went toe to toe with elite defender Michael Cooper for 20 minutes.  West shut the tryout down and instructed Tellem to get Bryant for the Lakers.  High schoolers going straight to the NBA was uncommon and all had been big men. Skinny teenager Bryant was considered risky.  Tellem did not allow any other teams to try out Bryant prior to the draft.  Charlotte drafted him 13^th and immediately traded him to the Lakers for Vlade Divac.  Kobe for Vlade, try and wrap your head around that one.

 

Kobe’s point person within Tellem’s STX sports agency was Rob Pelinka.  Pelinka became Bryant’s friend and confidant. When Bryant was indicted for sexual assault in Colorado, Pelinka was at his side for every court hearing. Mamba convinced Pelinka to leave Tellem and partner with him as his sole agent and business partner. Adidas had aggressively signed the 17-year-old Bryant to a 6 year $48 million as High School Senior.  It would be one of many things that the Black Mamba would do that no one had ever done.  With that contract expiring, Bryant teased all the shoe companies in 2002-23 by wearing different shoes for different games.  Pelinka and Bryant knew they wanted a deal with Nike. Nike famously created the Air Jordan. At 23 years old with three NBA championships, Kobe's ascension to that throne was affirmed. Nike became part of the Kobe Bryant inner circle with Pelinka.  The point person at Nike was Nico Harrison. They all became lifelong friends taking family trips together over the years. Pelinka and Harrison grieved over Kobe’s untimely death.

 

On January 7, 2025, these two decades long friends met for a cup of coffee in Dallas. Harrison queried Pelinka if the Lakers would be interested in acquiring Luka Doncic. Rob thought his buddy was clowning him. The conversation endured and Pelinka realized Harrison was serious. He had his full attention now.  They both agreed that concealment of all discussions would be kept between the two friends.  The Lakers had seen the Chris Paul trade blow up in 2011 when word got out the deal.  Grumblings around the league that they all wanted a shot at CP3.  Late commish David Stern vetoed the deal as being “unfair”.  Harrison and Pelinka knew secrecy were key to making the deal happen. If word got out, it would get ugly and neither of them get what they want.

 

The Dallas narrative was that Luka was aggressively out of shape with persistent injuries. It was observed that Doncic put on weight during the tough NBA season.  One can only imagine what a multi-millionaire Slovenian 25-year-old might be doing but it wasn’t the gym. The Mavericks hired conditioning coaches and nutrition magicians to assist the lad. Luka loved the people, but the results were wanting. Doncic did not care because he was going to get a 5-year $345 million max deal at the end of the season. Harrison was terrified of paying that freight for the over-served adolescent.  They put the deal together that was announced last weekend.

 

The backlash in Dallas and around the league was shock and outrage.  Doncic was barely in his prime and fresh off a trip to the NBA finals.  Boston figured out in those finals that the offensive sansei was a defensive albatross.  They ran right through Luka on their way to the title. A rim protector like Anthony Davis is what Harrison felt they needed to get over the hump not Luka. Davis is under contract through 2027-28 with an opt out potential in 2026-27.  Lebron and AD had a nice Batman Robin thing going but Davis did not like playing center. He wants to play on the wing, and he will in Dallas. The Lakers were thin there in the paint, Dallas is not. He will be a tree in their forest of big men, not the big man. Doncic's max contract with the trade is now reset to a 4-year $229 million deal. Nice cake but big cut.

 

The Lakers are a special franchise with a rich history of making deals like this that transform. Kareem was traded for Junior Bridgeman, Elmore Smith, Dave Meyers and Brian Winters. In 1971, Jabbar won his first title with the Bucks, but he requested the trade. He would win five more titles with the Lakers.  The Bucks won their second in 2021 fifty years after the trade.  In 1976-77, the New Orleans Jazz signed Laker great Gail Goodrich. The NBA awarded the Lakers compensatory draft picks as part of the transaction.  When the draft picks came due, they were the Utah Jazz and the worst team in the NBA. LA won the coin flip and drafted Magic Johnson with that first pick.  In 1979, new Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien wanted immediate results for that moribund franchise.  He traded his 1980 first round pick to the Lakers along with Butch Lee for Laker Don Ford and the Lakers 1980 first round pick. Stepien’s grand plan made the Cavaliers the worst team in the NBA.  The number one pick became James Worthy. First time in NBA history that the defending champion had the first pick. Just goes to show, the leprechauns don’t have all the gold at the end of the rainbow.  Game on again!

Viva Las Vegas!

The Yard moved our world headquarters to the Las Vegas Valley in December 2009.  It was the first time the Yard had lived outside of the Los Angeles area, and it was one of our better decisions.  Several other organizations have left California for the same reason; affordable housing and no state income tax. When we started our missives from the desert, LV was a sports town without any professional sports.  Since the Yard relocated, T-Mobile Arena was built and in 2017 became home to the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team.  The Henderson Silver Knights AHL team came in 2020. $2 billion Allegiant Stadium rose from a blighted industrial zone. The Raiders left Oakland and played their first game in LV with the 2020 season.  The Tropicana has been imploded to make way for the Oakland Athletics playing Vegas baseball in 2028.  In 2018, the Las Vegas Aces relocated from San Antonio to play their WNBA games.  The Las Vegas Aviators were purchased by the Howard Hughes corporation and crowned with their splendid new minor league park in Summerlin.   They are the A’s affiliate, and they outdraw them in attendance nightly. The Desert Dogs became one of the founding franchises for semi-pro lacrosse in 2021.  Is it just a coincidence that these franchises saw the way and the light after The Yard led the way.  We think not! 

 

The tremendous growth that the Yard has experienced since moving out east is dwarfed by the success of these teams.  Ok, maybe not so much the Raiders, oh boy.  The Vegas Golden Knights made it to Lord Stanley’s final in their inaugural season.  VGK came back in 2023 and won the Stanley Cup.  It was the first professional title for the state of Nevada and a proud moment for Las Vegas.  The Vegas Aces won consecutive WNBA titles in 2022-23.  Caitlin Clark has helped the WNBA, but the Aces were selling out their home games before she showed up.  The city of Las Vegas is now home to three professional championships. San Diego may find out one day what a professional championship feels like with the parade and all the trimmings, but probably not any time soon. The Padres are the last major professional sports franchise in San Diego.  They are also MLB’s oldest team that has never won the WS.  They have won 1 WS game in nine tries so there is that.  Charger Bobby Beathard built the only San Diego Super Bowl team in 1994.  Bobby Ross guided them to a Super Bowl slaughter by the 49er dynasty. Owner Dean Spanos guided them back to the grit of LA in 2017 after 56 years with the winsome winless fans.

 

The expansion of professional sports in Sin City has stoked the fires at UNLV.  The 1992 Running Rebels were world famous and played in back-to-back NCAA finals.  It would have been legend if they beat Duke both times, but it was not in the Baileys. Rebel football has had few highlights in their history.  Randall Cunningham was a shining star.  Johnny Robinson coaching UNLV after USC in 1999 was another.  There just have not been enough over the years. UNLV stepped up, paid the freight and moved into Allegiant Stadium when it opened. They are more entertaining than the Raiders and the tickets are priced for families. The Stations group Fertitta’s kickstarted a major fundraising effort.  With this backing, UNLV built the best training facilities in the Mountain West. Barry Odom arrived as head football coach in 2022.  He inherited a 5-7 unfocused wandering tribe of a football program. The former Missouri linebacker kicked in the doors and raised the bar.  He put Boise State on his dartboard. The Rebels went 9-5 in 2023 and 10-3 this year.  This week, they won their first bowl game since John Robinson was at the controls.  Odom did not stick around for the game and tripled his pay taking over the 1-11 Purdue Boilermakers.  He might need to slam a few of those in the stout Big Ten. Rebel fan is upset he left but he put the whole program on his back and took it up a few rungs.  He did not beat BSU, but he got their attention.  He raised the profile of the job. UNLV would never have been able to get Dan Mullen if Barry hadn’t built the road to that door.  Las Vegas high school basketball and football are exceptional.  Bishop Gorman is third among all HS for players currently in the NFL. If the Rebels can keep some of the talent, they will catch Boise and pass them.

 

Extra Frames: The NBA is determined to have an NBA team in Las Vegas.  The NBA summer league has consolidated its two-week summer league in Las Vegas.  It is one of the only places with enough hotel rooms and hard courts to accommodate the players. The nascent NBA Cup finals have matriculated to Las Vegas.  Lebron says he wants to part of the investor group that brings a team here.  The plans are being drawn for a major casino, hotel, basketball arena between the Sahara Hotel and Fremont Street.  Commissioner Silver has been coy while trying to keep Seattle in the conversation. The Seattle Supersonics becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder was not an NBA shining moment.  No San Diego, you lost the Clippers and didn’t know Sterling had moved them to LA. It is unheard for a city to lose to professional franchises to the same city! Except Oakland but that makes sense.

 

Final Thoughts: The Yard was looking for the Laker bandwagon.  It must be in for repair because no one rides that anymore.  Dodgers took back the town this year and from the looks of things, they are not giving it up any time soon.

 

The Yankees have one bad fifth inning in the WS and now are frenzied in the free agent market. They lost Soto to the Mets but signed gave Max Fried the largest contract ever for a left handed pitcher.  They took on Cody Bellinger contract and reupped Gerrit Cole. Cody is married to Chase Carter, a smoking 27-year-old Bahamian model in 2023. They started dating in 2020 after Chase broke up with New York Yankee Giancarlo Stanton.  She and Belli have two children.  There could be a few awkward moments.  We can only hope.

Whimsy and other nonsense.

Russia and North Korea have engaged in several strategic alliances for soldiers and weapons in recent months.  This week they jointly announced entering a strategic economic alliance.  These two fiscal powerhouses have the world economies shuddering with the market power they might wield.  Russia is the 11^th largest economy in the world at times. Fluctuations in the Ruble and frozen oligarch wealth plays like three card Monte with world valuations.  North Korea is somewhere around $23 billion give or take a few NPK’s.  Kim’s economic powerhouse is just ahead of Mozambique and trailing Haiti.  Haiti is in the news a lot but not for their thriving economy.  Vlade and Rocket man are having a bromance.  Sort of like DJT and his rocket man Elon.

 

Formula One returns to Las Vegas on Saturday night.  It is a frenzied time on the strip. During the day, tourists and traffic at night open wheeled racing at high speeds.  The hotel town cars, Ubers and family vans are replaced by McLarens and Ferraris barreling down the boulevard through the night.  The main event is Saturday night at 10:00 PM.  Jo and I are so excited.  We have our DVR queued up to record it. Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap and the winter’s nap scenario will override the necessity to watch it live. 10:00 PM on Saturday nights are a photo finish at the Yard.  Don’t worry about hiding the results from us on Sunday.  We love the spectacle more than the outcome.

 

Notre Dame and Army square off on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium. In the 111 years that the Fighting Irish and the Black Knights have been facing off, 24 of those games were played at Yankee Stadium.  Army has won five of those games but trails the history 39-8-4.  They have lost the last fifteen in a row.  Army is ranked 18^th and undefeated.  Notre Dame is 9-1 and ranked sixth. There have been some strange goings on in centerfield at Yankee Stadium.  Too many dropped balls to bet this one but go Army!

 

Ohtani winning the MVP was predicted in the sushi rolls.  In a flash he tied Frank Robinson as the only player to win the award in both leagues.  He simultaneously equaled Barry Bonds record winning back-to-back MVPs with two different teams.  Shohei won his third MLB MVP to go with his 2016 honor in Japan.  It has been common that players who sign large contracts can struggle to prove their worth.  Ohtani ignored the distractions and blistered the competition.  He struggled in the playoffs but contributed to the title.  He will be contributing for the next decade.  The Dodgers have become a global product with Ohtani and Yamamoto.  Game 5 versus the Padres was watched by more people in Japan than the US with Yamamoto vs. Darvish.  The Dodgers are opening the 2025 season in Japan versus the Cubs.  Yard in terns are trying to confirm but we think they sold a few jerseys also.

 

USC vs UCLA this weekend as well.  College football has been tough to follow through dodgy NIL deals and athletes escaping through the transfer portal with their outgoing coach.  USC head coach Lincoln Riley shoved Caleb Williams through the portal to depart Norman.  Williams won the Heisman and the top pick in the NFL draft.   Riley can be an offensive genius we are told, defense not so much.  Both schools got major money to move to the Big Ten with middling results on the field in year one. Go Bruins!

Hail Flutie: On this day in 1984, Doug Flutie dialed up the OG Hail Mary to Gerald Phelan.  #10 ranked Boston College was trailing #12 defending national champion Miami Hurricanes 45-41 with six seconds left. Jimmy Johnson was the Canes HC and Bernie Kosar was the starting QB. Before the bankruptcies, he was a great player.  The Hurricane defensive backs did not think the 5’10” Flutie could throw the ball that far, so they covered the up receivers.  Phelan snuck behind them and cradled the pigskin for the victory.  Jimmy would leave for the Cowboy job.  Flutie would win the Heisman. Bernie would go to Cleveland and suffer another ignominious defeat during John Elway’s The Drive in the 1986 AFC Championship game.

 

Creepmeter:  Lamar Odom has always lamented that he blew up his marriage to Khloe Kardashian. His NBA career was winding down while his drug use was ratcheting up. Keeping up with the Kardash clan was not the therapy Odom needed.  Khloe did race with local news teams to Las Vegas.  She was at his bedside after he ended up in a coma from a weekend of hookers and blow.  She has always been supportive of his mental health struggles.  Odom announced this week he has purchased a life size replica doll of Khloe that helps with that struggle.  He lives blissfully with his Khloe doll. That is flattering, right?

The End of the Beginning

Whew!  That was exhausting. The election cycle was pitiless. There is not a media outlet that provides relief from the rhetoric. We were enjoying UCLA’s upset win over Nebraska on Saturday on the Big Ten network, and they found me. Text messages, emails and phone calls pervaded each day long into the night.  It is estimated that there was almost $16 billion spent on the 2024 election.  In 1758, George Washington ran his and the country’s first presidential race in Virginia.  He spent his entire budget, the equivalent of 50 British pounds to purchase 160 gallons of alcohol. He distributed this largess to 390 voters who carried the election. With the massive spending in this election, it would be noble if the candidates could siphon off 1-2% and maybe send pizzas and Pinot Noir to all of us survivors.  Regardless, if you feel this is the apocalypse or MAGA 2.0, a little postgame nosh would be well received by all.  Here, here to GW the OG!

 

2024 had all the trappings of another Dodger postseason distress. The upstart Diamondbacks blitzed the Azul last year.  The Padres did the same disservice to them in 2022.  The truncated 2020 title seemed hollow with a 60-game season and a World Series in the bubble without a parade. Kershaw has been a great cheerleader, but he was not going to pitch in the postseason.  Freewheeling Tyler Glasnow flamed out early and had to be shut down.  Walker Buehler had been ineffective since returning from his second Tommy John surgery. Yamamoto had been brilliantly unpredictable. The Yankees gave Gerrit Cole $324 million to win important playoff games over nine years.  The Dodgers pay several pitchers well to be that person and many were useless this fall.  Occupational hazard in the pitching industry.

 

We now know what was not certain previously.  Dave Roberts knows what he is doing.  It has not always seemed that way in years past. His managerial skills were questioned perpetually and with good reason based on results. He became the unquestioned leader the team trusted.  He flipped the narrative. Each series was a chess match of burning arms to saving arms for another game. He outfoxed Mike Shildt in the NLDS. The Padres were at the precipice of history before they succumbed to it and fell into the hole. That series was the best series of the playoffs. New rivals to the south, fading rivals to the north and vanquished rivals to the east. Winter is coming to Westros.

 

Andrew Friedman joined the Dodgers in 2015. His first hire was Dave Roberts, and they started the long grind through the lofty expectations.  Friedman’s genius was already anointed by the agency of his years in Tampa Bay.  In 2005, he took over as GM of the Rays. He was just 28 years old.  By 2008, the Rays were playing for a WS Title.  Friedman was patient in the 2023 free agent market lying in wait for the Ohtani prize. Every move he made at the trading deadline was exaggerated in the playoffs.  Tommy Edman, Jack Flaherty, and Michael Kopech all were on other teams in July but helped the Dodger win the title in October.  

 

In 1988, Kirk Gibson hit the miracle 2-run homerun to upset the favored A’s and propel the Dodgers to the title.  Freddie hit his historic grand slam this year reminiscent of Gibbie. Orel Hershiser won game 2 CG shutout 6-0.  The Bulldog came out of the bullpen to save deciding game 5 in that series.  Walker Buehler would conjure his inner Orel to save deciding game 5 in 2024.  Ferris would wear the same number 55 jersey at the championship celebration last Friday.

 

For Giants, the beginning of the end was 2015.  San Francisco had won three WS titles in five years and had a young, talented everyday lineup. The pitching was aging.  Lincecum was the freak who had pitched two 130+ pitch no-hitters but lost that gear along the way. Bumgarner was now the star, but the Giants run of homegrown talent evaporated. Posey broke a leg, adopted twins and retired early.  They jumped the shark when they gave Jeff Samardzija $90 million for five years on December 5, 2015.  The Yankees beginning of the end might have been Giancarlo Stanton running like a pizza delivery person trying not to drop pizza in WS game 3. With the Yankees down 3-0, Bigfoot was waved home, and he didn’t ride it well, washing up on the beach three feet short.  The 5^th inning in Game 5 will live infamously in Dodger Yankee lore. It is still surreal that if Gerrit Cole covers first the score is 5-0 Yankees bottom of the fifth.  It was otherwise.  Aaron Boone reupped so there may be a rematch.

 

This is the end of the beginning for this Dodger edition.  With two titles in this decade and all the major pieces under contract, they are locked and loaded for more.  Ohtani will pitch next year.  Yamamoto has broken through and ready for what comes next.  Glasnow will be back with his eclectic stuff. The Dodgers have never won consecutive titles or three if five or something cool like that. It all will be laid plain in the coming years. They will have the pitching to win titles.  Dave Roberts joined Tommy Lasorda and Walter Alston in Dodger lore. The Dodgers won their record 24^th NL pennant and tied the Giants with 8 overall titles.  Odds are the Dodgers break that tie.

 

Juan Soto is now a free agent and hoping to cash in with Ohtani kind of money.  Soto had a dazzling season and playoffs.  His agent Scott Boras will press for every Benjamin for his client.  Ohtani and Soto have similar stats albeit Shohei will be MVP, Soto not.  Ohtani will pitch for the Dodgers when he can and could win a CY Young, Soto never.  Soto is a $30-40 million a year everyday player.  Ohtani is a $30-40 million a year everyday player.  He is also a $30-40 million a year starting pitcher.  He is the unicorn. Unicorns get $70 million a year.

 

UCLA plays Iowa tonight for the first time since the 1986 Rose Bowl.  The Yard was at the game.  There was a sea of Hawkeye yellow that made the pilgrimage to Pasadena in the winter.  Heavily favored Iowa had an explosive offense featuring Ronnie Harmon and Chuck Long.  Harmon fumbled on his first carry of the Rose Bowl.  He would go on to fumble four more times and drop a wide-open pass to round out the futility.  UCLA would romp 45-28 behind Eric Bell’s Rose Bowl record four rushing TD’s.  We will be rooting for UCLA tonight in the first rematch between these schools since that game.  UCLA is a 6-point dog.  Love to see them win, need them to cover.