Good morning, all! It’s hump day!!!!!
The Los Angeles Dodgers are poised to defend their World Series title. Why? They execute. I break it all down in the video, including the brutal strategy employed by Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson that could cost him his job.
Here are some other thoughts, while I yearn for World Series games in the afternoon:
It seemed a lock that one of the two benched Giants quarterbacks, Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, would be traded to the quarterback-depraved Cincinnati Bengals. Such was not the case, however, as the Bengals defied the football “experts” and traded with instate rival Cleveland for Joe Flacco. The veteran QB, 40, might be enough to jumpstart a Bengals offense that has stagnated since the injury to starting QB Joe Burrow.
Speaking of trades, did you see where the Harbaugh brothers have engineered a trade? Pass rusher Odafe Oweh and a seventh-round 2027 draft pick go to the Chargers. In return the Ravens acquire safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round draft choice.
For those suggesting a reunion between the Giants and WR Odell Beckham Jr.? Forget about it! Beckham has accepted a six-game ban from the NFL for violating the league’s drug policy. That means his return would not be until late November at the earliest.
The Houston Astros are sticking with their GM and manager after suggesting changes might be in the offing, after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Good move. It is not as if the bottom fell out, even though the team did collapse down the stretch. They were a very respectable 87-75, finishing three games behind the AL West winning Mariners. Houston could very well make another run next season. Too early to pull the plug for a rebuild.
If you are a New York Giants fan, the more you see how inept that franchise is being run, the madder you have to be. First, Daniel Jones is hung out to dry by the current regime, and now he is tearing it up at QB for the Indy Colts. Now the story comes to light in a documentary to be released Thursday night that Saquon Barkley personally asked Giants co-owner John Mara for a trade in the summer of 2023 and Mara refused, saying Barkley was “too valuable” to the franchise. Then why did the Giants let him become a free agent? What a joke of an organization.
Sounds like the new owners of the Tampa Bay Rays are prepared to make a major commitment to build a new ballpark, as part of an overall development similar to that of the Atlanta Braves in suburban Atlanta. Believe it, when you see it, but at least hope springs eternal for a franchise that needs committed ownership.
Amazon is not messing around, when it comes to sports. Word came down Tuesday that PRIME-TV is reviving golf’s skins game on Black Friday. The televised golf competition will start at 9 AM EST, followed by an NFL game and two NBA games. Sandwiched in between will be numerous ads promoting Amazon Black Friday sales. Welcome to the sports-on-TV paradigm in 2025.
Forget that Hulu documentary on Bill Belichick’s first year as NC football coach. The team is playing so badly, not even Hulu believes it is worthy of any coverage and has scrapped plans for the feature. Now maybe I can stop getting their annoying emails.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you for subscribing and have a great Wednesday.
DAN
