Well, I've got the BBQ Bug and am enjoying my Traeger like no other. I'm training myself with the help of the Traeger app and so far the results are promising. On Wednesday, I'm getting a Blackstone grill to add to the arsenal and my wife couldn't be more excited.
I'm also hooked on this new Gordon Ramsay show about using fresh ingredients from whatever locale he is at. So far I've watched Peru, New Zealand, and Morocco. Now I could never do that, but I always like to watch and try to learn something.
Finally, I'm back to watching Anthony Bourdain. I always seems to learn something from him too, and it isn't always necessarily about cooking - it's about the human condition and the positives therein.
Minnesota seems to be still holding on with what is now a 3.5 game lead in the last week of August and while certain media types state for the record that the Yankees skipper should get manager of the year - somebody needs to vote for Rocco Baldelli in Minny - they've had injuries and they certainly don't have the payroll of the Evil Empire and they're holding off a very hot Cleveland team. Who the hell expected this? Happy for them.
If I had a say, this is what I would do for the NFL in August: Drop down to two games. In return, I would negotiate a 17th game regular season plus a week of two-team practice and one controlled scrimmage at the end of that week. Oh, and I would limit players with four years or more of service to one quarter per pre-season game (negotiable) - it could reduce the injuries somewhat - besides most will have already made the team anyway. This allows for teams to look at the future with what they have and make informed decisions.
MLB. So what are my takeaways as of the week before Labor Day?
- San Francisco fell apart the very minute the trade deadline passed and for years I've silently wondered what they were going to do when they finally realized their window was closed. It is said that they have a horrible farm system, though their AAA team here in Cracktown is in first place. Now they mortgaged their bullpen via trades and I'm left to wonder what they can do. True, they are only four games out of the wild card and have gained exactly ZERO games since the beginning of August, but there's too many teams ahead of them and they don't appear ready for prime time. That being said, Johnny Cueto is almost ready to return and that could be a very valuable arm down the stretch.
- I'm having trouble understanding how MLB is allowing the shittiness in Baltimore and Miami to continue - particularly in Miami. That city made over a billion dollar commitment to this franchise and I don't blame the fans and the city for being pissed and staying away. Miami has a shit ton of advantages (location and fan base among them) and they choose to be shitty - so I'm at a loss.
- Oh, and this past weekends black and white unis? Not in 2019. Sorry.
NFL. While August rings in "actual" NFL action, its like a false holiday for fans. Pre-season has devolved into awful games that can't possibly make the team owners (am I allowed to use that term) enough money to offset the damage to the shield. By the same token, I believe that the "pre-season" is a necessary evil: The preseason games aren't just about the players trying to make it - you simply have to have them if for no other reason then it being for the refs work out the kinks with the new rules in a game scenario, while media, stadium staff, cops, and traffic enforcement getting their rust out.
Alternatively: Trade two weeks of pre-season for more spring and early summer OTA's and the refs spend more time with teams to work with them. Meanwhile drop two pre-season games.
- Memo to Terrell Owens (err, Antonio Brown), you are the very definition of a diva. If you feel the rules for all particularly related to safety are beneath you, then do what you claim and retire. Safety is and should be paramount. You said it yourself, you don't need football, and quite frankly, we don't need your shit.
- What happened in Winnipeg was stupid. I don't blame the Canadian side of it, but how the hell are you gonna tell me that the NFL didn't have some sort of plan for the field not being ready? Secondly, no disrespect to Winnipeg, but why them? Why not Vancouver, Edmonton (who both have large stadiums) or Montreal or Toronto? Hell, why not Calgary or even Regina who both have fanatical fan bases?
- What happened with Andrew Luck sucked on about 100 different levels. I get the media rush to "be first", but could you not have had a media agreement to let the game end before you reported it? As for the Colts, could you just have waited to make the announcement of the press conference until after the game? And to those fans who booed Luck off the field? Really? Get a life.
- In the end, Andrew Luck owns his own life and is free to make his own decision on how he wishes to live it. No amount of hype and/or discussion nor talking heads are going to change that.
- Now I'm no expert, but that hit on Lamar Miller of Houston seemed questionable.
CFB. We all know where it ends in January with Alabama and Clemson, so as usual I'll be looking at FCS football. Looking at where to take my trip this year: San Diego, North Dakota, Portland, or San Luis Obispo.
- What I will say about D-1 is this - there seems to be some yapping about Coach Dabo Swinney mocking the SEC or putting them on blast for a perceived slight, so now I is my chance to put SEC fan on blast - he's right!!! Alabama yapping/complaining about their "tough schedule" is a joke. They won by an average of 32 points and most of the SEC isn't what it was, so just stop. Just admit that Clemson has punked you TWICE and move on.
My final thought - Sports Media. There are certain realities that we all deal with in life, one of which should be that sports are evolving and changing. While that may be good for some, its not for me. JT the Brick yesterday said on Mad Dog Radio that we have changed from X's and O's to what he called the "TMZ-ifi-cation" of sports and the evolution to sports entertainment. I find that a bit disheartening. There has to be a way to be able to do both X's and O's and the "entertainment" portion. At the very least, there's Barstool that seems to be the entertainment alternative while the mainstream stuff could adapt and add more X's and O's?
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