Yeah, in the current college football landscape, FSU is still a blue blood. Still a huge name. They have clout and all that... So, maybe it's time to get a coach with a "big name" and some business to stand on. Because you have to attract these kids with $$$ and a coach that people know... Otherwise, they are going to UF or wherever. FSU has the name, they have the money. They just need to go all in and start making money moves. That is the only way to get ahead now in college.

And to your criticism of the 4th down calls. I agree. But it's systemic, and it's not just in college. This week alone in the NFL, 5 teams did this same thing. And all five of them suffered the same fate. Zero points. Turnover on downs. Shit, the Jags did it THREE FUCKING TIMES because they were worried about their long snapper. 

It's the analytics and shit. Paralysis by over analysis. And all that.... It's fucking crazy. You can already tell when the nerds have gotten to the OC's and shit. You can tell when it happens. There are 10 minutes left, they are at midfield and it's 4th and 3 and they go for it and shit.... Because the analytics said so. Well, my analytics say: You have a less than 10% chance of converting that. I am taking the 100% chance of pinning these assholes back on their own 5. Every time....

Crazy shit right now. 

And I will just point out the most egregious one of all. Even worse than the FSU one... 

It's the end of the first half. Jags are winning. They have 1st and goal from like the 10 or something. 30 seconds left. 2 time outs. They run a couple of plays. Nothing. Timeout.... Penalty. Another first and goal from the 2 or something.... Second time out...

So, the Jags have first and goal from the 2. 5 seconds left. No time outs. End of the half... Take the points, no? I know you have long snapper issues, but this is a 15 yard chip shot boys... Take the points....

So, what do the Jags do? They say, okay, Trevor can get off a quick pass to the end zone in 3 seconds. It's either a TD or it's not. That leaves 2 seconds...

So, the play happens, Trevor hesitates. Doesn't zip the pass right away. He lofts up a deep ball, batted down. Half over. No points. 

These guys have like 10 opportunities to get the points. They didn't. They went on to do this two more times, none of which resulted in any points. The Jags won that game, but that is simply because the Philly Coaching staff was THAT MUCH WORSE. 

Philly ties the game with 8 seconds left, but apparently didn't watch the Ravens game two weeks ago. Kick off to the returner. Gets it to the other 40 yard line... Then the very kicker who they WOULDN'T LET KICK THE ENTIRE GAME, comes in and seals the deal with a 55 yarder. So funny, yet so stupid..... 

Point is: Had the Jags taken the points on ANY of those 3 occasions, the game is over. No OT. No problem. Fucking idiots. 

Take the points, that's the lesson here. Just as important as don't leave good waves in search of better waves.

I watched that Rays game last night. Great one. Tampa held on by the seat of their pants and handled business. If nothing more, it's at least a series now.

And from what I am hearing on ESPN and FOX Sports and what not, the pundits are starting to share my own gripes with the general public. Not that it matters really, but like I said: The only remaining large market team that moves the national needle are the Dodgers. They are down 0-2. So, it is looking like it might be: Milwaukee vs Tampa, or Milwaukee vs Cleveland....

Now, the pundits are complaining about what a terrible ratings matchup Cleveland and Milwaukee would be, because they are two small market teams, neither of which have ANY national following outside their designated regions. 

But, I would argue back to everyone saying that, and say this: Tampa proper has a population of 400,000 thousand. Cleveland proper has a little over 300,000 people. Similar in size. Both small markets. But I also feel like if you live ANYWHERE in Ohio, or are from that region, you support the Indians/Guardians..... That is not true for Tampa. There are very few, if not any, Tampa fans that are from outside of that general area.

So, to ESPN and what not. Although I want to see the "Devil Rays" in the world series, I would say that Tampa is a worse market to have in the world series than Cleveland. And by a LONG SHOT. 

So, baseball fans are going to watch the world series. Casual fans will not. That is just what it is. If the Dodgers DO make it, then yes, you will have a few million more people interested, most of which will be just actively rooting against the Dodgers. 

It's like back when the Patriots were cheating and winning every year. Or when the Chiefs were running through everyone. Or back in the day when the Yankees were out spending and winning every year. At that point, myself and baseball fans in most other places all just turn to "cheering for whomever is playing these evil empires"...

So, at least if LA makes it, it will attract some haters....

But shit man.... Statistically speaking, if LA doesn't make the WS, I guarantee you that this will go down as the lower rated WS in modern history....

We will wait and see who it ends up being, but when this is all said and done, I will look at the numbers and see if I was correct and post it. 

Either way, what a disappointing season, in general. O's shit the bed. Padres are looking better and better every year, but they just can't get any luck on their side. At this point, San Diego looks like a perenial contender, that will just get booted in the NLDS every year. Not a good place to be...

Kind of like back in 2005-2015, when Mark Lewis was the coach of The Bengals. They had the Red Rifle at QB. In that ERA, the Kyle Boller Ravens Era, Cincinatti ended up winning our division like 6 out of 7 years in a row. And they lost in the wild card round EVERY SINGLE YEAR. It became a joke. Like, Cincy shouldn't be allowed to enter the playoffs. Wasted space. Lewis got fired because of it... But anyway, that is about what the Padres are feeling like at this point....

So, I didn't notice this earlier in the year, but I obviously noticed last night. Tampa's throwback "Devil Rays" Jersey. I still refer to the as The Devil Rays in my own mind. I know they changed it like 20 years ago because of a Christian Movement in Florida that didn't appreciate the "Devil Reference"..... As a Christian myself, I never once found offense in the name. Although it is in the name, it's describing an animal.... So, I always thought this was a stretch. I mean, I don't think the fine hockey fans of New Jersey ever considered renaming their team.... 

Anyway, I like the hats and the Jerseys. It was funny, because my wife asked me about it, and why they were doing it. I said I don't know why, then she pointed out: "I remember when they changed the name and you were watching sports center all the time, and for about 2 years following the name change, any analyst that said the words "Devil Rays" on air, would have to pay a fine. They would joke about it on the air. So, it was that big of a deal to remove the name and ensure it was never spoken of again....

Crazy that the wife remembered that, but she was correct....

I mean, I look at it like this:

Even though Washington are the "Commanders" now. I grew up with Skins season tickets in my family at RFK. So, looking back to my childhood memories, and the years of our 3 super bowls and stuff, and talking about the times with my pops and grand father at games.... Even though the name changed, I will never look back when telling those stories to my kids and say "Back when I was your age, I would go to Commander's games with your Grandfather and Great Grandfather.... no, I am going to say "I used to go to Redskins games every year"..... Same with the "Wizards".... I grew up going to Bullets games. Not when they were the Baltimore Bullets, but The Washington Bullets. So again, I know that "Chocolate City" as they called it in the 90s was the murder capital of the world, and they made them change the name to take away notions of gun violence. Complete horse shit... Only "Wizards Game" I ever attended was when Jordan was playing there, and I only went for that reason. But again, when I tell my kids that I used to go watch Chris Weber, and Juan Howard and Tim Legler, the story goes: I grew up going to Bullets Games.....

So, I just think it's a weird one, that ESPN and everyone, even dating back to the days when they were "The Devil Rays", that they just aren't supposed to acknowledge it....

And to that point, I reminded the wife: Okay, I understand that if you think that "Redskins" is a racial slur, then fine, you can chose not to say it now. I get that.... That is why when people refer to the Skins in the 80s, they just say "Washington"... They don't really call them "The Commanders"

So, moving forward, this is my take: If you are referring to Tampa in the mid-late 90s or early 2000s, in any way shape or form, you should refer to them as "The Devil Rays" or as "Tampa".... I simply cannot bring myself on any consistent basis to refer to these teams, prior to name changes, as what they are known as now, because that was NOT what they were known as at the time...

I rocked "BULLETS" gear. I still to this day only own Washington NBA gear that reads "Bullets". I do have a Wizards hat. I wore it once. They day I bought it. 

I also have a bunch of throwback "Baltimore Bullets" gear to this day. Because back around 2000 when I was living in Baltimore, the throw back bullets shit was A THING. Gangsters all over the city would wear all that throwback "Baltimore Bullets" gear. Bloods and Crips don't exist in Baltimore, so the color schemes don't matter. As stupid as most Baltimorons are, at least they are smarter than every criminal on the west coast that flaunts colors. Every criminal in any part of Baltimore all dresses the same. Long white tee. Capri like gay looking jeans, and either Timbs or Jordans.... And they ALL keep short hair for that same reason. Every APB that goes out city wide, dozens of times each day, all have the exact same description... Which is why they could all get away with wearing that shit anywhere in town....

So anyway, most sports fans know this: But,

- The Washington Bullets were originally the Baltimore Bullets, taking the name as a reference to FSK and the revolutionary war battles in Baltimore

- The LA Clippers were originally the San Diego Clippers, who played in the Sports Arena in Ocean Beach at the time. The Clippers were named after all the sail boats in the San Diego Bay..... Now, they are in LA...

- The most notable re-branding in modern sports history is this one: The LA Lakers.... Again, sports fans know this, but many do not... The Laker's are not from LA. The Laker's are from Minnesota, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes"..... When they moved to LA, they kept the name....

It happens all over the place, but leave the fucking Devil Rays alone. Again, as a Christian, I take zero offense to that. 

I'm still butthurt from our collapse against the Phillies in the WS a ways back lol, I hope the Rays can finish the deal man, I really do. 

Man, what a game last night. I watched the whole thing. I was streaming it in the car for part of it while I was picking my daughter up. The one takeaway I got from the broadcast, was simply that the announcers were hanging all over Blake Snell's nuts the entire game. So, he gives up a solo HR on his first pitch of the game. Down 0-1. After that, he settled in and was dealing. I will give him that. But every inning, the broadcast was just praising Snell's stuff and his overall performance and how great he was. Meanwhile, through 5 innings, they are still down 0-1. Snell has given up that one hit, and the Brewer's had only given up 3 hits total...

So, all in all, the Brewers, throughout the entire game, were pitching better and playing better, but despite being down, they were just clamoring for the Dodgers the entire time. And when they took the lead in the 6th, and went up 2-1, they just went in even more. Like, this is what the Dodgers do.... 

The entire offense on the Dodgers are in a slump. Last night, going into Freddy Freeman's 3rd at bat, he was 1 and 13 in his last 14 at bats. Ohtani is batting like .90 in the post season....

They have hit ZERO home runs in the NLCS. Zero. And that is their bread and butter....

So, since I had to suffer through watching the Padres lose to the Brewers (Two of them were heartbreakers. Hitting the indoor roof and shit with a home run ball, but I digress), the takeaway is this: Millawakee is REALLY GOOD. Like, really, really good. Like kill you slowly with 1,000 paper cuts. There is a reason that the first 2 games in every series are played in their home stadium. Because over 162 games, they were the best team in baseball. So, the post season is no difference. These guys are good....

So, ESPN and everyone else can be as mad as they want about it, but we are going to see either The Brewers and the Indians, or the Brewers and the "Devil Rays".... 

Either way, great matchup. For once, this gives hope to the small market, and lets the MLB and the owners continue to fleece us with the, "Oh, don't pay attention to LA and NY spending a billion dollars. Your little town can spend $150 million each year and win a ring... See, we told ya so... Pay no mind to the other past 20 champions.... That was just bad luck for you guys. 

So, this isn't really political at all. Because he has said this time and time again, but I read a quote yesterday from Trump on Truth Social, and he was "demanding" that the Washington Football team and the Cleveland baseball teams revert back to the "Redskins" and the "Indians" because they are disrespecting the indigenous people and all that...

He has said it before, and now he is calling for them to do it "immediately"...

Now, I feel like he used those same terms many times, and nothing has happened, so I look at this as a big nothing burger...

But, it is funny to me... And I think that the tribes AND THE FANS would all agree. I just don't see in this political climate, in a city like DC or Cleveland EVER doing that and having to deal with the backlash....

You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, as they say...

Funny shit though... I would be fucking stunned if it happened. But still. Here is to hoping. 

Especially with all the rich, old white dudes getting their teams jacked from them... For instance, if Dan Snyder were still the owner of Washington, they would be the Redskins as of this morning. Done... He refused to do that for YEARS, until they caught him human trafficking cheer leaders and shit to Epstein Island. At that point, he just slithered back under his rock and disappeared... But until that very moment, he told the league and everyone else to fuck off about the name change.... 

Also to note, guys like Magic Johnson and some other notable people are in the ownership group for Washington, and seeing that Magic is such a prominent figure and business man in the black community, I doubt he would be for a name change of that nature at all....

Last point: Remember, Trump has been trying to buy an NFL team for 40 years. The NFL backballed him back in the 1990s. His last attempt to buy a team was back in like 2014 - 2015. He put a bid in to purchase the Buffalo Bills and the owners voted and declined his offer. Albeit the highest bidder....

So I say that to say this: Trump love HIS NFL. But he HATES the current and actual NFL and it's power brokers. They have locked him out for decades, and even with his POTUS influence, he is still on the outside looking in, so you will notice that in some ways, Trump always takes shots at the NFL, while also saying shit like "They run a great business model, unlike the NBA. The NFL actually makes money... Yada Yada"....

But if you read between the lines WHENEVER Trump talks NFL, that is 50% of his reasoning. When he went scorched earth about the Kaepernick and the kneeling, MOST of that was anger towards the NFL and an opportunity for him to criticize the very people that black balled him..... So, most of what he was saying that was just ego and show. I have no problem with it, but like I said, anything regarding NFL talk with Trump, I take with a grain of salt. Because he has a love/hate relationship. Because it seems that having an NFL team is the one thing on earth, that the most powerful man on the planet just can't have. And I believe he loses sleep over that every single night.

I think at some point, when he is out of office, he will get one....

He will buy the fucking Arizona Cardinals and name them "Trump's Dragon Slayers" or some shit. It will happen, but the NFL has made a point to stay completely out of the shit show business until Trump backs out of power. That is my take anyway. 

I just discovered Milwaukee is in the World Series.  I could root for that.  Laverne and Shirley.  Cheese hats.

I just looked at my on screen TV guide.  There's college foosball on Fox from now til 1:30 tomorrow mornin.  Non stop.  Actual games.  Go HOOSIERS! 

Let's see what Noter Dame does against Bring em Young.  

Get ready, y'all.  The Zombie Apocalypse must be around the corner.  Crazy day. 😲

One of my favorite Far Side comics really applies this past weekend.  Between college upsets and Cleveland Browns birth of the next dynasty, I'm like WTFO? 

I always hear My Cousin Vinny sayin it.  

College football was wild. Kinda suprised Miami is on top after it's all said and done. FSU bout had em, some calls at the end were controversial to say the least. Interesting thing about Milwaukee is that the movie Major League was actually filmed in Milwaukee. Would like to see Cleveland get the win tonight and tomorrow. But either way, i think the salary cap discussion in MLB is finally over because of the Brewers' sweep agains the Dodgers

I did NOT know that about Major League.  I love that film.  Bring in Vaughn.  "WILD THING!" 🎼🎵🎶

Let's go RAYS! 3-1 W yesterday, moved to 3-2 in the series, one more W, let's go!!!

Fire Coach Norvell and bring in Prime Time! Sick of this crap, dude went for 3 TIMES on 4th down again, and didn't get ANY of them. I blame coach for the L, that was a winnable game. His play calling leaves me frustrated and wondering WTF are we doing out there? The players play hard and they are talented and keep these games interesting despite Coach / gameplan.

Raiders blew it too, did a great job getting the game tied with an INCREDIBLE TD throw by Cousins to Tucker, it was EXACTLY what we needed in order to have a chance to get the ball back and get a fieldgoal to tie or a TD to win, but the "onside kick" was about as bad as I have ever seen, no chance whatsosever, and I blame it on the "drop kick" BS they came up with for doing these. I ABSOLUTELY HATE the new kick off rule, it's the worst decision the NFL has made in recent memory, but I digress. 

was telling a buddy yesterday that MLB might have one of its lowest ratings i figure. He wasn't so sure, but don't think many ppl are watching at this time of the year (pretty much football). Then i heard the WNBA is gonna have their next playoff game at 12:30pm thursday. Yeesh. The bar can be lowered i guess

also, I'm hoping this is the last year that the NFL is getting input from the Roc - JayZ himself. I don't hate JayZ but some of these halftime shows are from stars from yesteryears. Every now and then that's cool, but I think he's in a position of limiting to who he knows. Time to get a reputable searching firm to find a solid halftime performers from a wider spectrum