10/28 - WORLD SERIES GAME 5 + RANDOM NOTES

                *FORMER ARIZONA STATE COACH PAT MURPHY IS A MAJOR LEAGUE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: Jacob Misiorowski delivered his best postseason start with 5.2 scoreless innings (2 hits and 1 walk with just 2 strikeouts on 86 pitches) before leaving with cramping issues. Rookie Cooper Pratt added 2 more hits as Milwaukee won Game 5 in the 4-1 victory before thousands of Milwaukee fans in St. Petersburg watching the Brewers win the World Series for the first time ... The Brewers finished 11-2 this postseason and won 26 of their last 31 games ... Milwaukee is the first World Series champion with more stolen bases than home runs since the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, the best team of my lifetime ... Tampa’s Kevin Cash did not give his team its best chance in multiple games. There were several bad pitching decisions. He stayed with Steven Matz too long in Game 1 and did not insert Nick Martinez to start the 5th inning in Game 5. Cash also benched his best hitter Jonathan Aranda in Game 3 ... Who knows when we will see baseball again with labor war coming this winter and HOPEFULLY not altering spring training? 

*BRIAN CASHMAN AND AARON BOONE ARE STILL TOGETHER: The organization recently confirmed that both will return next season.

*THE ARIZONA CARDINALS MIGHT TRADE AT  LEAST 1 PLAYER: Edge rusher Josh Sweat should be on the move before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

        *THE FIRST-PLACE GIANTS AND CARDINALS COULD BE TRADE PARTNERS: It would be shocking if New York doesn’t add an edge rusher.  

        *THE TITANS TONY POLLARD SHOULD BE CHANGING TEAMS: Seattle is among the MANY teams looking to add a running back.

        *THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IS MAKRING A STARTING QUARTERBACK CHANGE: Tommy Carr is replacing Bryce Underwood who was highly overrated when rated the #1 high school quarterback.

CHECK BACK FRIDAY FOR WEEKEND FOOTBALL PREVIEW

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

10/27 - WORLD SERIES GAME 4 + RANDOM NOTES

        *THE RAYS EXTENDED THE MLB SEASON AT LEAST 1 MORE DAY: Pinch hitter Ben Williamson, previously 1 for 15 this postseason, singled against a 5-man infield in the bottom of the 12th to give Tampa a 4-3 victory over Milwaukee which finally ran out of effective relief pitchers. Milwaukee was stuck with Antonio Senzatella and Shane Drohan who allowed 4 straight hits without recording an out ... The Brewers took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th on a Cooper Pratt solo home run. Prior to that neither team scored after the 5th inning.

        *THE COLTS AND SEAHAWKS GOT NEXT TUESDAY’S TRADE DEADLINE STARTED: Indianapolis deal elite OL Quenton Nelson to Seattle today for 2 draft picks. Tuesday afternoon the Colts dealt DL stud DeForest Buckner to San Francisco for a 4th round pick. Star RB Jonathan Taylor is likely to go next.

        *THE COWBOYS BLEW OUT THE EAGLES ON MONDAY NIGHT - BOTH TEAMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ACTIVE: Dallas with Jerry Jones is always looking to add while the Eagles have lost 5 consecutive games and Howie Roseman is expected to trade multiple players.

        *THERE IS COLLEGE FOOTBALL QUARTERBACK INJURY NEWS: Oregon’s Dante Moore (concussion) and Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor (toe surgery) are out for the season.

        *IOWA HAS GOOD AND BAD NEWS: The good news is original starting quarterback Hank Brown will return from injury and start this week at home versus Wisconsin, but leading rusher Kamari Moulton (unspecified injury) is out for the season.

        *FYI - NFL HEROES AND ZEROS WILL RETURN NEXT TUESDAY!

10/26 - WORLD SERIES GAME 3 + MNF

        *THE BREWERS ARE 1 WIN AWAY FROM THEIR FIRST EVER WORLD SERIES CHAMPONSHIP: I was TOTALLY WRONG picking Tampa to win the series. Milwaukee dominated the far superior National League with a lineup that puts the ball in play, an athletic defense which delivers standout plays seemingly every game and baseball’s best bullpen ... In Monday’s Game Three, the Brewers scored 8 runs with 2 outs IN THE 8-RUN FIFTH INNING to eliminate any drama in the 10-1 mismatch at Tampa.  The first 5 hitters (Jackson Chourio, Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich, William Contreras and Bryce Turang were a combined 12 for 22 with 5 RBI and 5 runs scored ... Milwaukee improved to 10-1 this postseason ... Tampa starting pitcher and former Brewer Freddy Peralta was out after 4.2 innings and 22 batters (5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks).

        *THERE IS NO D IN PHILADELPHIA OR DALLAS: Monday night was more like flag football or 7 on 7 throughout the 38-21 Cowboys victory in The City of Brotherly Love. The Cowboys ended a lengthy prime time television dry spell. Dallas was 0-7-1 in its last 8 prime time contests, including 0-3 this season ... The Dallas offensive line was the most dominant unit paving the way for 204 yards rushing on just 38 carries ... The Eagles have lost 5 consecutive games, the last 2 without Jalen Hurts (blood clots). Saquon Barkley was active after missing the last 2 games. He started the game but was limited after aggravating his hamstring injury, finishing with 62 yards on 7 carries.

        *THE CARDINALS NEED TO MAKE AT LEAST 1 COACHING STAFF CHANGE: Arizona’s defense lacks talent but the organization should find out if someone can do better than coordinator Nick Rallis who is out schemed far too often.

        *THE RAIDERS ARE RIGHT NOT MAKING A QB CHANGE: Kirk Cousins has been effective without much offense line help and rookie Fernando Mendoza was awful during the preseason.

        *RG3 IS INTERESTED IN THE VACANT BAYLOR HEAD COACHING JOB: Griffin has been excellent as a television commentator and there is no doubt how much he cares about his alma mater.

        *ELECTION DAY NEEDS TO GET HERE FAST: I am sick of ALL political advertising!  

10/25 - NFL WEEK 7 ANALYSIS

        *IT HAS BEEN 406 DAYS SINCE THE LAST CARDINALS WIN IN GLENDALE: Arizona lost a 10th consecutive home game, 30-16 to now 5-2 Denver which had thousands of fans in State Farm Stadium ... The Cardinals retired Larry Fitzgerald’s #11 during a halftime ceremony ... By the way, in  Houston, Marvin Harrison Jr. caught a TD pass for the Texans from former The Ohio State University teammate C.J. Stroud.  

        *THE SEAHAWKS CONTROLLED THE GAME VERSUS THE CHIEFS: Seattle, favored by 3.5, dominated in total plays (69-50), time of possession (35:51-24:09) and third down (11 of 16 to 3-11) in the 20-3 victory at Seattle ... Kansas City had zero red zone snaps while the defense missed many tackles. Kenneth Walker, in his return to Seattle, finished with just 35 yards on 14 carries with a longest run of 7 yards.

        *DETROIT TWICE OVERCAME DAN CAMPBELL FOURTH DOWN IGNORANCE: Campnell refused to kick a field goal with a 17-14 lead, and after the Packers tied the game at 20, the Lions failed on 4th +2 from THEIR OWN 22-yard line. The head coach was bailed out largely because the Packers missed 2 field goals and Josh Jacobs dropped a pass while wide open in the end zone . By the way, the entire NFC North is above .500 with the 4-3 Packers in last place.

        *THE 48ERS ARE NO LONGER UNDEFEATED: San Framcisco had 5 turnovers in the 26-21 loss at Atlanta. The last giveaway was a Brock Purdy pick with 3:00 remaining ... Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) was limited in the second half after going to the locker room late in the first half. Mike Evans (Achilles) did not play for the second consecutive week .... Atlanta safety Jesee Bates had a highlight reel interception and a fumble recovery.

        *THE INJURY DEPLETED RAMS DOMINATED AT LAS VEGAS: Now 3-4 Los Angeles scored touchdowns on 4 consecutive drives during the 35-21 victory. Matthew Stafford is now the all-time touchdown pass leader for the Rams and Lions, the first player ever to accomplish that for TWO franchises.

        *INJURY NOTES: Others leaving games on Sunday were Cam Skattebo (hamstring) who admitted he was hurting after his final carry in the first-place Giants overtime win - Also, Giants RB Tyrone Tracy (leg) did not return ... Also not returning was the Vikings Aaron Jones (leg).

SATURDAY CFB ANALYSIS

        *ARIZONA STATE MIGHT HAVE FOUND A LONG-TERM QUARTERBACK: True freshman Jake Fetty made his debut with the Sun Devils at home trailing Kansas State 17-14. Fetty completed just half of his 6 pass attempts and Arizona State moved to 4-3 after scoring 14 fourth quarter points to win 28-17. The late rally also included 2 fourth quarter stops ...  KSrate starting quarterback Avery Johnson (undisclosed injury) traveled to Tempe but was in street clothes.

        *THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA MOVED TO 6-1 WITH AN EASY HOME WIN OVER IOWA STATE: The Wildcats led 25-3 at halftime and cruised in the 39-3 win in Tucson ... Arizona has been in the top 25 at some point in each of the last 5 seasons, something that had never happened previously.

        *VASTLY OVERRATED BYU PREDICTABLY LOST AT UCF: The second ranked Cougars lost 39-31 in double overtime after a missed UCF field was instead an accurately called roughing the kicker penalty ... The Knights victory was their first ever versus a top 5 opponent.  

        *THE MOSTLY MEDIORCE AT BEST BIG 12 HAD AN AWFUL DAY: TWO top 10 teams lost to unranked opponents. In addition to the BYU loss, 6th ranked Texas Tech failed to score an offensive touchdown until garbage time and was routed 37-24 at Cincinnati.

        *2 HEAD COACHES WERE FIRED: NC State finally pulled the plug on Dave Doeren after 14 mostly underachieving seasons and 4-3 Baylor somewhat surprisingly said goodbye to Dave Aranda midway through his seventh season.

        *RANDOM NOTES: Utah scored the final 14 points to remain unbeaten with a 21-13 win over Houston at Salt Lake City ... Indiana outlasted Michigan 13-6 in a totally unwatchable game at AnN Arbor ... Texas blew a 23-3 lead but ended its 2-game losing streak as Arch Manning overcame 2 more interceptions but accounted for 3 touchdowns in the 34-27 win over Ole Miss and hot and cold quarterback Trinidad Chambliss ... Oregon, a popular preseason national championship pick, fell to 4-3 after a 21-10 loss a Illinois.

10/24 - WORLD SERIES GAME 2 + CFB ANALYSIS

        *WORLD SERIES GAME 2 - THE BREWERS CONTINUED THEIR AMAZING RUN OF COMEBACK VICTORIES THIS POSTSEASON: Milwaukee trailed Tampa 4-0 after 5 hitters on Saturday before getting postseason ace Drew Rasmussen out of the game in the 4th inning, tying the game in the sixth and taking the lead during the seventh in the eventual 5-4 win at Milwaukee ... The Brewers are 8-1 this postseason, including 7 come from behind wins ... The starting pitchers did NOT last long. Rasmussen, the best MLB pitcher since the All-Star break, was out after 3.2 innings (3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks on 89 pitches). He entered the game with a 1.29 ERA in 3 postseason starts and Tampa had won his last 11 starts. Logan Henderson recorded just 9 outs on 64 pitches (4 runs, all in the first inning). The Brewers are 22-4 in his 2026 starts.   

SUNDAY: MIDDAY SATURDAY CFB ANALYSIS + LATER NFL WEEK 7

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

10/23 - WORLD SERIES GAME 1 + WEEKEND PREVIEW

        *THE BREWERS WON GAME 1 ONE AS EXPECTED WITH ACE JACOB MISIEROWSKI ON THE MOUND: The expected National League Cy Young Award winner allowed 1 run over 5 innings and Milwaukee, a 9-5 favorite, made 2 first inning runs stand up in the 3-2 victory ... Milwaukee catcher Willson Contreras was the best player on the field delivering a first inning RBI single plus throwing out 2 runners attempting to steal and going 2 of 3 on ABS challenges ...  Brewers closer Trevor McGill loaded the bases and allowed a run in the 9th.

        *SUNDAY - CARDINALS VERSUS BRONCOS, 1:05, CBS: Denver -4, 42.5 ... PREDICTION - Denver 24, Arizona 17 - The Broncos struggling offense finds the perfect remedy which is the Cardinals pathetic defense.

        *SATURDAY - ARIZONA STATE VERSUS KANSAS STATE, 12:45, ESPN2: Kansas State 2.5, 55.5 ... PREDICTION - We know ASU pounds bad teams and can’t compete against good opponets. Which is 4-2 KState?  I have ZERO betting interest, but ASU definitely has the inferior coach and quarterback = KState 31-28.  

        *SATURDAY - ARIZONA VERSUS IOWA STATE, 4:30, ESPN2: Arizona 9.5, 51.5 ... PREDICITION - The 5-1 Wildcats probably should be ranked higher than 25 but they are in the awful Big 12 = Arizona 31-23.

        *SUNDAY - CHIEFS AT SEAHAWKS, 5:20, NBC: Seattle 2.5, 42.5 ... Kenneth Walker returns to Seattle. The Chiefs have the NFL’s most improved running game while Seattle can’t run at all without Walker = Kansas City 23, Seattle 17.

        *SATURDAY: It’s been a fun college football season but not this week with ZERO matchups between ranked teams.

10/22 - WORLD SERIES PICK + MORE

*WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: Milwaukee and Tampa are MLBs 2 BEST teams, and it should NOT be surprising they are the final 2 teams ...  The Brewers have the deeper pitching STAFF but the Rays have superior STARTING pitching. Playoff baseball this century has mostly favored teams with deeper bullpens, but, I am going against recent history. Tampa’s superior STARTING pitching reduces the innings pitched from the bullpen. Also, for many years I have eliminated home field talk because teams that advance this far in the postseason have won important games away from home = Tampa wins the World Series.

*GARY SHEFFIELD WAS INTERVIEWED ON THURSDAY’S MLB TONIGHT: He is my favorite hitter EVER! No player in my 69 years has swung with wicked force but had less swing and miss. Sheffield also unofficially had the most home run distance down the left field line fouls balls.

        *THE ANGELS LOOKING FOR A NEW MANAGER WAS OBVIOUSLY COMING: Los Angeles finished 62-100 and manager Kurt Suzuki had just a 1-year contract. Any chance of him returning vanished when Kroenke Sports & Entertainment purchased controlling interest of the franchise on September 1st.

        *THE 2-4 COLTS MADE THE RIGHT MOVE FIRING GENERAL MANAGER CHRIS BALLARD: Among many decisions Ballard trade for Sauce Gardner which leaves the Colts without a 2027 first round pick.

        *HEADLINE IN DALLAS - BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER NOF ON HOT SEAT: He is NOT responsible for the player which is the primary job of Stephen Jones who is not going be fired by his father Jerry Jones.

        *MICHAEL ROBINSON SHOULD NO LONGER BE ON NFL NETWORK: His doubting the seriousness of Jalen Hurts blood clots is a fire able offense.

‍10/18 - ALDS GAME 6 + MNF

         *THE RAYS TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS AND CONCLUDED THEIR SEASON-LONG AMERICAN LEAGUE DOMINANCE: Tampa combined another sparkling Freddy Peralta start and added some pop to its usual outstanding defense and base running to eliminate the Guardians with a 7-3 ALDS Game 6 victory before a rare almost capacity crowd at The Trop ... Peralta allowed 1 run in 5.1 innings and has an ERA of below 1.00 over his last 9 starts. Tampa concluded the series with ZERO errors in the field and 6 stolen bases ... Cleveland cleanup hitter Joe Adell finished 3 for 21 in the series.

        *THE 49ERS HELD ON IN THE FINAL MINUTES AFTER NEARLY BLOWING A 23-3 LEAD: San Francisco led 20-3 at intermission and held on late for a 23-17 victory at Santa Clara ... San Francisco quarterback and Arizona Perry High School produce Brock Purdy IN THE FIRST HALF was 17 of 22 for 214 yards with a touchdown. The Niners led 23-3 during the final minute of the third quarter but Washington trailed just 23-17 but Washington got the ball back with 7:45 remaining and had a game-leading touchdown accurately nullified by an offensive face mask penalty. The Commanders also got the ball back with 54 seconds remaining, but the game ended on a sack from the Niners 40 ... Niners WR Mike Evans aggravated his right Achilles injury and did not play in the second half ... Washington lost 2 more of its best players. Its best player Terry McLauren was carted off in the first quarter with an apparent significant serious knee injury and Treylon Burks (unspecified injury) went out during the final drive. Also, top notch DL Javon Kinlaw (knee) did not play after halftime.

CHECK BACK THURSDAY FOR WORLD SERIES PREVIEW?

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

10/18 - ALDS GAME 5 + NFL WEEK 6

‍ ‍*THE RAYS NEED 1 MORE WIN TO CONCLUDE THEIR SEASON-LONG AMERICAL LEAGUE DOMINATION: Drew Rasmussen continued his post-season dominance with his third straight elite postseason start totaling 20 innings while allowing just 3 runs for a 1.80 ERA. On Sunday, the right-hander allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk with 6 strikeouts as the Rays grabbed a 3-2 lead in the ALCS with a 3-1 win at Cleveland ... The Guardians left 2 runners on base in the 8th inning when Jose Ramirez struck out against Tyler Wells and had another runner on base in the ninth before Bryan Baker closed the deal ... Cleveland ace Parker Messick has hit a late season rookie wall. After posting a 2.25 ERA in 186 regular season innings, the lefthander 4.43 ERA in post-season including 2 runs and 7 base runners in 2 innings on Sunday

AROUND THE NFL

*THE CARDINALS RECORDED A RARE VICTORY OVER LONG-TIME NEMESIS SEAN MCVAY: Arizona failed to score a touchdown but SIX Chad Nyland field goals were enough to beat the now 2-4 Rams. The Cardinals are also 2-4 with both wins at SoFi Stadium. Maybe they represent the NFC on the Su[er Bowl on February 14 which is also at SoFi? ... Sunday’s game was the buggest NFL underdog (13.5 points) to wins SU this season ... Before Sunday, the Cardinals were 3-16 versua McVay.  

‍ ‍*NOT EVERYTHING IS BAD IN CLEVELAND TODAY: The Browns lead the AFC North after beating the Ravens 13-10 in a not surprisingly poorly played game.

‍ ‍*THE INJURY PLAGUED EAGLERS HIT A LOW: Philadelphia has lost 4 straight, its longest such run under Nick Sirianni.

‍ ‍*RANDOM NOTES: Individually, Alvin Kamara became the sixth player ever with at least 5,000 career rushing yards and 5.000 career receiving yards ... The Titans will not go winless after winning 26-23 at Indianapolis ... The  Bears nearly blew a 31-7 lead before prevailing 31-23 at Atlanta ... The 6-0 Chiefs had no issue defeating the 0-5 Chargers 22-6 at Kansas City.

‍ ‍*INJURY NOTES: Among players leaving because of injury were Ladd McConkey (concussion) … Grant Delpit (concussion), Romeo Doubs (shoulder) and new Rams kicker Blake Grupe (knee) ... Alsom Bills safery C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected for spitting on a opponent, something he has done before.

10/18 - ALDS GAME 4 + CFB ANALYSIS

*THE RAYS DEADLOCKED THE ALCS AT 2 AND REGAINED THE HOME FIELD EDGE WITH A 7-3 WIN AT CLEVELAND: The Rays first 2 hitters in their lineup Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda combined for 5 hits, 4 RBI and 4 runs scored in the 7-3 victory. Nick Martinez was the winning pitcher allowing just 1 run on 2 hits in 5.1 innings. The Guardians were sloppy on defense committing 2 official errors that should have been at least 3.

*ARIZONA STATE WAS HUMILIATED AT TEXAS TECH: The Sun Devils trailed 21-0 in the first quarter and 43-10 at halftime before a meaningless second half that ended in a 53-25 loss ... ASU once again received unacceptable quarterback play from Cutter Boley (5 of 10, 2 interceptions) before he was pulled and the defense was either awful tackling of a unit that quit (404 yards IN THE FIRST HALF).

        *OHIO STATE WON AND LOST AT INDIANA: The Buckeyes won 19-15 but lost quarterback Julian Sayin (shoulder) for weeks and top defender Kenyatta Jackson (lower leg) indefinitely ... The Indiana loss was its first in 22 games and also the first ever in 20 at home under head coach Curt Cignetti.

        *THE BIG 12 OFFICIATING CREW FAILED TO CALL A NO DOUBT DEFENSIVE HOLDING PENALTY ON NOTRE DAME’S FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME INCOMPLETE PASS IN THE END ZONE WHICH HANDED BYU A MUCH-NEEDED WIN FOR THE BELEAGURED BIG 12: BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier accounted fur all 4 BYU touchdowns (2 runs, a 1 pass and 1 receiving on a trick play) in the 28-24 victory at Provo ... Notre Dame rallied from a 21-10 halftime to take a 24-21 with 9:31 remaining. The Irish entered the game with a nation’s best 16 consecutive wins, all by double digits.  

*IT WAS CHAOS IN THE SEC: Top ranked Georgia lost for the first time in 54 games to an unranked opponent falling as a 19.5-point favorite on a last-play field goal in Athens to Auburn ... Texas favored by 11.5 blew a 17-3 lead and lost at home 27-24 to Florida ... Alabama coach Kelen DeBoer might be calling his Tuscaloosa realtor after losing last week at home to Georgia and today 26-10 at Tennessee.  

        *PERSONNEL NOTES: In addition to the Ohio State injuries,  Alabama’s best offensive player wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams (knee surgery)  and Texas top defender edge rusher Isaiah Simmons (ankle) were unavailable.

10/16 - ALDS GAME 4 + WEEKEND FB PREVIEW

*RAYS AT GUARDIANS GAME 4 - RAIN OUT

        *SUNDAY - CARDINALS AT RAMS: 1:05, FOX, Rams 12.5, 51.5 = Los Angeles 31, Arizona 17 - The 2-3 Rams have been a massive disappointment, but the 1-4 Cardinals lone win was against the 0-5 Chargers.  

        *SATURDAY - ARIZONA STATE AT TEXAS TECH: 12:30, FOX, Texas Tech 15.5, 49.5 = Texas Tech 38, Arizona State 23 The Sun Devils are average at best while 5-0 Texas Tech has largely overwhelmed suspect opponents.

        *SATURDAY - OHIO STATE AT INDIANA: 9:00, FOX, Ohio State 2.5, 29.5 = Indiana 24, Ohio State 23. The Buckeyes best OL Austin Siereveld and best RB Ja’Kobi Jackson have been ruled out.

        *SATURDAY - NOTRE DAME AT BYU: 4:30, ABC, Notre Dame 10.5, 46.5 = Notre Dame 26, BYU 20. Notre Dame has a far better roster, but BYU has long been one of college football’s strongest homefields.

        *THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL OBSERVATION: Kenneth Walker is the NFL MVP. He left Seattle which can no longer run the ball and lands in Kansas City which has become an elite running  team.

CHECK BACK SATURDAY FOR CFB ANALYSIS

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

10/15 - 2 LCS GAMES

*THE GUARDIANS PIRCHING CONTINUES TO COME THROUGH THIS POSTSEASON: Cleveland got 5 innings from ace Gavin Williams (2 runs, 9 strikeouts) and the bullpen delivered 4 shutout innings in the 3-2 Game 3 ALDS win at Cleveland ... Petey Halpin belted a 2-run homer in the 5th inning to conclude the scoring ... The contest was moved up 4 hours because of predicted rain that might also alter Friday’s Game 4. 

        *THE BREWERS WON ALL 6 GAMES THIS SEASON AT DODGER STADIUM: In Thursday’s series ending Game 4, Milwaukee rallied from a 4-0, second-inning deficit to prevail 6-4. The final 2 relievers (Jo Jo Romero and Andy Ashby) combined for 5 shutout innings to end the series ... The Brewers hit the fewest homers in the National League during the regular season but outhomered the Dodgers 7-1 in the ALDS ... LA starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow allowed 3 runs and 3 hits in 4.1 innings against a Milwaukee lineup that was previously 6-68 with 28 Ks against him.

 1014 - NLCS GAME 3 + NO MORE

*THE BREWERS FINALLY GOT TO BLAKE SNELL BY BLASTING BACK-TO-BACK HOMERS TO LIKELY END THE DODGERS FREAM OF A THIRD CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER THE 6-2 MLWAUKEE WIN IN GAME 3 OF THE NLDS AT LA: After Snell had surrendered just 1 run over 14 innings with 18 strikeouts against Milwaukee over the last 2 postseasons, he was rocked for 4 runs and on 5 consecutive hits in the 6th inning including long homers to Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell ... Possibly lost after the offensive explosion was Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser threw 5 shutout innings ... No NATIONAL LEAGUE team has EVER won 3 consecutive World Series.

1013 - ALCS GAME 2 + NO MORE

*THE RAYS EVENED THE ALDS AS FREDDY PERALTA CONTINUED HIS LATE-SEASON DOMINANCE: Peralta tossed 6 shutout innings, and the Rays scored 3 unearned runs in the 4th inning during the 3-1 Game 2 ALCS win over Cleveland ... Peralta has won his last 6 starts with an ERA blow 2.00 ... Jose Ramirez, the Game 1 hero, had a game from hell Game 2. His error opened the door for the 3 unearned runs and he popped up to leftfield as the tying run in the 7th inning ... Cleveland entered Tuesday with a 4-game postseason winning streak having scored 27 runs.

1012 - MLB PLAYOFFS + MNF

                *THE BREWERS DELIVERED CLUTCH HITS AND CONTINUED THEIR PLAYOFF LONG OUTSTANDING RELIEF PITCHING TO HOLD SERVE AT HOME AGAINST THE DODGERS: Willson Contreras was 3 for 4 with 3 runs batted in and the bullpen retired all 15 hitters in the 7-4 Game 2 Milwaukee home victory ... In this postseason, Milwaukee’s bullpen has allowed 1 run in 29 innings ... On Monday, the Dodgers had just 3 hits and used 7 pitchers ... LA starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto was removed after 2.2 innings and 75 pitches. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with just 1 strikeout. Previously, Yamamoto was 8-1 with a 1.41 ERA in the post-season.

        *CLEVELAND SCORED 5 RUNS IN THEIR FINAL 2 AT BATS TO STEAL GAME 1 OF THE ALCS AT HEAVILY FAVORED TAMPA: Chase DeLauter was a triple short of a hitting cycle and Jose Ramirez also had 3 hits in the 7-3 victory at Tropicana Field which had many empty seats with the Yankees no longer the opponent. Cade Smith only needed 6 pitches in the bottom of the ninth ... Tampa Bay did not trail at any point of the 3-game ALDS sweep of New York.

        *JOSH ALLEN RECORDED HIS FIRST EVER NFL OVERTIME VICTORY AFTER 7 LOSSES IN THE BILLS 37-34 OVER THE NOW 2-3 RAMS: Tyler Bass ended the post-halftime scoring festival with a 45-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining in overtime. The Rams special teams’ issues of the last 2 seasons continued earlier in the overtime when Harrison Mevis’ 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Greg Rousseau ... The teams combined for 35 fourth quarter points ... Los Angeles had a massive 78-67 total play edge.

        *NFL SUSPENDS LINEBACKER: San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw will appeal his one-game suspension for headbutting, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Greenlaw was ejected on Sunday for using his helmet to headbutt Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who wasn't wearing a helmet.

        *PENIX INJURY NOT SERIOUS: Falcons quarterback Michael Penix (ribs) is expected to play Sunday against the Bears, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

        *UCLA QUARTERBACK OUT FOR SEASON: Nico Iamaleava (knee) is not expected to return this season, according to multiple reports. Iamaleava missed the second half of Saturday's 17-15 victory over Oregon.

10/11 - NFL WEEK 5 + NLCS GAME 1

        *THE CARDINALS WERE ROUTED AT HOME BY THE LIONS ON A DAY MARVIN HARRISON BECAME THE LUCKLIEST MAN IN THE NFL: The Cardinals resembled an amateur team throughout the 45-21 mismatch in Glendale against the inconsistent Lions ... Harrison was traded to the Texans earlier in the day for 4th and 6th round picks. Hopefully the Cardinals will have a new general manager before the 2007 Draft because Monti Ossenfort should have been fired after last season. Also, Harrison will be reunited with C.J. Stroud, one his former quarterbacks at The Ohio State University.

         *THE BREWERS OVERCCAME A SHORT START BY JACOB MISIEROWKI WITH TREMENDOUS RELIEF PITCHING TO WIN GAME 1 OF THE NLCS AT MILWAUKEE: The bullpen quartet of DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and closer Trevor Megill combined for 5 shutout innings in the Brewers 2-1 victory. Mizierowski was done after 4 innings and 85 pitches, including 18 fouls balls ... Tarik Skubel allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, including the eventual game-deciding single bu Luis Lara ... The game easily went under the 5.5 run total posted by most oddsmakers.  

         *THE RAVENS MOVED TO 4-1 WITH A FOURTH QUARTER RALLY TO TIE THE GAME BEFORE DOMINATING OVERTIME TO BEAT THE NOW 2-3 FALCONS: Baltimore won the overtime coin toss before using 7:03 of the 10:00 overtime before scoring on a 1-yard Snoop Huntley quarterback sneak with 2:57 remaining. Derrick Henry finished with 120 total yards with 3 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion ... Huntley completed his last 11 passes over a span of the game tying drive at the regulation and the overtime drive ... Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix (ribs) was injured on the final possession of regulation. Backup Tua Tagovailoa saw his first snaps of the season in overtime which ended on a game ending pick on his second pass.  

        *AROUND THE NFL: San Francisco moved 5-0 and gained a game in the NFC West standings with a wild 32-29 win at 3-2 Seattle. Mike Evans delivered another Hall Of Fame performance (7 catches for 113 yards and 1 touchdown) in a game that was littered with 7 turnovers ... The Vikings moved to 5-0 without even decent QB play from Kyler Murray after the 23-13 win at New Orleans that included another touchdown from Brian Flores defense ... The Chargers dropped to 0-5 after losing 23-17 at home to the Broncos ... The Browns 3-game winning streak ended as they allowed 8 sacks in the 17-12 loss to the Jets in rainy Swamps of Jersey (my almost weekly Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band reference) ... The Eagles lost a 3rd consecutive game after allowing a long kickoff return and game deciding field on the final 2 plays to the Jaguars in London ... The Giants and Commanders fittingly ended in a 27-27 tie with former Arizona State players in spotlight roles. Cam Skattebo fumbled in overtime with Washington in field goal territory before Jayden Daniels inexplicably allowed the clock to expire instead of killing the clock which ended the game.

        *THE COWBOYS ARE A COLLECTION OF HIGH-LEVEL PLAYERS WHO ARE POORLY COACHED: The 2-3 Cowboys have allowed at least 375 yards in every game after Thursday night’s embarrassing 24-16 loss to the previous 0-4 Buccaneers who rushed for 242 yards. 

        *NFL PERSONNEL REPORT: Among those leaving because of injury were Jordan Brooks (foot), David Montgomery (groin), T.J. Hockinson (concussion), Dalton Schultz (concussion) and KC Concepcion (concussion).  

10/10 - CFB WEEK 6 + ALDS GAME 5

         *THE GUARDIANS’ FRANCHISE PLAYER AND ACE STARTER COMBINED TO ELIMINATE THE WHITE SOX IN THE ALDS DECIDING 5TH GAME: Jose Ramirez golfed an out of the strike zone pitch for a 2-run homer in the fourth and Gavin Williams struck out a franchise playoff record 12 over 5.2 innings in the 2-0 Cleveland victory ... Closer Cade Smith was the fourth pitcher and recorded the final 4 outs ... It was the lone home team victory in the 5-game series.

*ARIZONA STATE CONTINUES TO PROVE IT CAN BEAT INTERIOR OPPONENTS: The Sun Devils moved to 3-2 after beating lowly Hawaii 30-12. The ASU wins have been against Morgan State, Hawaii and Kansas which almost certainly will finish with a losing Big 12 record. The losses were by 28 points at Texas A&M and by 36 points at home to Baylor ... Hawaii dropped to 1-5 with a roster that is mostly underclassmen, including 15 players making their first D1 start ... The game was stopped for a 32-minute lightning delay during what became an extended halftime.  

        *ARIZONA OUTLASTED ITS FORMER COACH RICH RODRIGUEZ AND WEST VIRGINIA AT MORGANTOWN: Noah Fafita, without his top 3 receivers because of injury, completed 16 passes for an astronomical 341 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 52-31 victory. The teams combined for 1,010 yards and 50 first downs, 30 by West Virginia. 

*GEORGIA OVERCAME AWFUL FIELD POSITION NEARLY THE ENTIRE GAME AND HELD ALABAMA TO THREE POINTS AFTER HALFIME: The Bulldogs finished with 458 yards and had far better quarterback play in the 20-17 win at Tuscaloosa. Georgia’s Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards. Alabama’s Keelon Russell only 16 of 30 passes.

*UCLA REMAINED UPBEATEN WITH AN UGLY WIN AT OREGON: The Bruins used 7 takeaways and some more questionable Oregon decisions to win 17-15 at Oregon. There is zero question that Dan Lanning badly misses his former coordinators Will Stein and Todd Lupoi who left after last season to become head coaches at Kentucky and Cal, respectively. Also, Valley high school product Dylan Raiola, great when replacing the injured Dante Moore at USC, was awful on Saturday, completing just 6 of 18 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions and lost a fumble being pulled.

       *MUCH MALINGED OKLAHOMA QUARTERBACK JOHN MATEER PLANTED A FLAG: Mateer directed the Sooners on 2 fourth-quarter scoring drives, while Manning threw 2 fourth quarter interceptions in the fourth quarter including a low football IQ Pick 6 in the 27-24 Texas win that ended with the game-winning field goal onr the final play ... It was the first time in 6 meetings that OU beat a #1 ranked Texas team and just the second time in 6 games that Oklahoma coach Brent Venables beat the arch rival.

        *INDIANA CONTINUES TO WIN: Indiana won its 22nd consecutive game after scoring 4th quarter touchdowns of 79 and 44 yards to escape 20-17 at Nebraska which has lost 31 consecutive games versus ranked opponents dating back to 2016.

10/9 - A WEEKEND PREVIEW

        *CARDINALS VERSUS LIONS: Arizona MIGHT be able to hang versus overrated and poorly coached Detroit but probably not = Detroit 30, Arizona 23. There are Marvin Harrison trade rumors with the desperate Colts reportedly interested in the Cardinals FOURTH best receiver.

        *ARIZONA STATE VERSUS HAWAII: The Sun Devils after last week’s beat down by Baylor needs a patsy opponent which is 1-4 Hawaii = ASU 34, Hawaii 13. There were multiple signs of a team that quit last Saturday when ASU was outscored 31-6 in the second half AT HOME against Baylor.

        *ARIZONA AT WEST VIRGINIA: Two average unpredictable teams so who knows? Best guess is the home team wins a close game ... The Wildcats will be without WR Tre Spivey (broken foot) for the rest of the season.

*GEORGIA AT ALABAMA: Another who knows game? FYI - Georgia’s Kirby Smart is 2-7 against Alabama.

*UCLA AT OREGON: UCLA should move to 5-0 under first-year coach Bob Chesney at Oregon which will be without starting quarterback Dante Moore (concussion).  

        *TEXAS-OKLAHOMA AT DALLAS: Rumors are Oklahoma made changes during the bye week with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer possibly demoted.

10/8 - MLB + MORE

*THE GUARDIANS FORCED GAME 5 BACK IN CLEVELAND AFTER WINNING FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE DAY AT CHICAGO WHICH WAS 48-33 AT HOME DURING THE REGULAR SEASON: The lead changed 4 times before Cleveland scored 6 times in the 6th inning during the eventual 9-5 victory. The game-deciding inning included home runs by pinch hitter Patrick Bailey and Jose Ramirez. The only possible issue for Cleveland was presumed Game 5 starter on Saturday night, Gavin Williams got the final 3 outs on Thursday ... Chicago’s lack of pitching depth finally mattered when manager Will Venable opted in the 6th inning for usual closer Grant Taylor who failed to retire any of the 6th hitters he faced ... The White Sox still have not clinched any postseason series at home since winning Game 6 over the Cubs in Game 6 of the World Series in 1906.

*MILWAUKEE AND SAN DIEGO HAVE THE BEST HOME CROWDS IN BASEBALL: Those 2 fan bases are best because they fully support the home team and definitely do not have the hostility of The Bronx and Philadelphia when things are NOT going well.

*SPEAKING THINGS NOT GOING WELL IN THE BRONX: Jazz Chisholm almost certainly will not be in pinstripes next season because his act has gotten old.

*FOX SPORT CAN BE ACCUSED OF MISLEADING ADVERTISING: The network has been hyping Saturday’s Indiana at Nebraska game as an undefeated showdown which is accurate. What FOX is not publicizing is Nebraska has lost its last THIRTY games against ranked opponents.

*SOUTH CAROLINA HAS ONE OF THE BEST COLLEGE FOOTBBALL JOB: The rabid fan base has seen enough of Shane Beamer whose player development skills have been poor.

*OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS A&M ARE UNDERACHIEVING WHICH IS EASY TO EXPLAIN: Quarterbacks John Mateer and Marcel Reed have not come close to their decent 2025 campaigns.

10/7 - AN MLB BONANZA

        *THE GUARDIANS REMAINED ALIVE AFTER THE OFFENSE FINALLY DID SOMETHING IN THE ALDS AGAINST THE WHITE SOX WHOSE HITTERS STRUCKOUT 19 TIMES: Trade deadline addition Joe Adell’s bases loaded triple in the 3rd inning gave Cleveland a 4-1 lead and 7 pitchers, including Foster Griffin who recorded 8 outs (7 strikeouts) in the eventual 9-3 win in Game 3 at Chicago ... Jose Ramirez 0-8 the first 2 games, had a double, triple, walk and scored a run via outstanding base running. If the series goes 5 games, Cleveland has its 2 best starting pitchers, Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, ready on regular rest ... The White Sox have not clinched ANY series AT HOME since the 1906 World Series when beating the Cubs in 6 games.  

        *THE OFT-DOUBTED LOS ANGELES BULLPEN EXCELLED AGAIN IN THE SERIES CLINCHING X-X WIN AT ATLANTA: The Dodgers relievers (Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, Tanner Scott and Edwin Diaz combined for 4.1 scoreless inning allowing just 2 hits and 0 walks with 4 strikeouts ... Tyler Glasnow showed rust starting for the first time in 13 days with 5 walks in 4.2 but none of the walks scored ... The Braves bullpen, elite during the regular season, failed again in the playoffs. In the game deciding 7th inning, Didier Fuentes walked 2 of the 3 hitters he faced, and both scored when Andy Pages doubled with 2 outs off Robert Suarez ... Braves sluggers Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson finished 4-31 in the postseason.

*THE RAYS NEVER TRAILED DURING THEIR 3-GAME SWEEP OF THE YANKEES WHICH MEANS ITS TIME FOR THE ALMOST ANNUAL WILL AARON BOONE RUMORS: The 4-3 Tampa win meant it was the second time this season the Rays celebrated in the Yankee Stadium visiting clubhouse after previously clinching the AL East during the regular season ... Tampa took a 4-2 sixth inning lead in Game 3 when Victor Mesa Jr. crushed a Max Fried pitch for a 2-run homer into the right field upper deck ... Giancarlo Stanton pinch hit with 2 outs and 2 on in the 8th inning but struck out against Rays reliever Kevin Kelly ... Following the Yankees Game 2 defensive atrocity, Jazz Chisolm and Ryan McMahon were benched to start the game for Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero for that what Aaron Boone called “performance reasons.” Chisholm did enter the game in the 7th and was hitless in 2 at bats.   

        *THE BREWERS ARE HEADED BACK TO THE NLCS FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE SEASON AFTER ELIMINATING THE PADRES AT THE ALWAYS LOUD PETRO PARK: The Brewers combined their frequent formula of pushing across some early runs (Wednesday night in the 3rd, 5th and 6th innings) and depending on their deep bullpen to win 3-1. Starting pitcher Robert Gasser allowed 1 run in 4 innings, Aaron Ashby added 3 scoreless innings retiring 9 of 10 hitters while Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill each tossed hitless innings in the 8th and 9th, respectively. In the 8th Manny Machado had a 2-run homer taken away when Milwaukee centerfielder Garrett Mitchell made a leaping catch over the wall in right center field. Mitchell also had 2 hits, an RBI and scored a run.  

*ALEX CORA TURNED DOWN THE PHILLIES AGAIN: The former Red Sox manager said no to his former Boston Boss Dave Dombrowski in April and did so again recently saying he will sit out the 2027 season.

*IF  I WERE A MAJOR LEAGUE MANAGER ... I would not allow any player to ask for a Ball-Strike Challenge before the FIFTH inning.10/7 - AN MLB BONANZA

  CHECK BACK THURSDAY FOR MLB + MORE

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

10/6 - NLDS + MORE

        *YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO, KEKE HERNANDEZ AND FREDDY FREEMAN ADDED TO THEIR ALREADY IMPRESSSIVE POST-HISTORY AS  DODGERS WON THE OFTEN-PIVOTAL GAME 3 OF THE NLDS AT ATLANTA: Yamamoto (1 run on 4 hits in 7 innings with a career high 10 strikeouts), Hernandez smashed his 17-postseason homer (12 with Los Angeles and 5 with Boston) and Freeman added his second homer of this series in the 31-1 victory ... Yamamoto is now 34-0 lifetime when receiving at least 3 runs of support. All 10 LA runs in the series have come via home runs ... Chris Sale was done after 5 innings allowing 3 runs and 7 hits on 95 pitches ... In MLB postseason 5-game series history, the Game 3 winner captured the series at a 72% rate.

        *THE SHORTHANDED AND SLICK FIELDING PADRES REMAINED ALIVE WHILE THE BREWERS ROAD PLAYOFF LOSING STREAK CONTINUED: Jake Cronenworth hut a 5th homer, breaking a 3-2 tie and Michael King, 2 days after throwing 74 pitches in his Game 2 start, got the final 6 outs on 40 pitches in the Padres 4-3 victory ... The Brewers have lost 12 consecutive road postseason games dating back to 2018 and left 11 runners on base including multiple runners in 4 innings ... Padres LF Gavin Sheets (neck) was a late scratch, and closer Mason Miller was unavailable (paternity leave) = 2 words - Planned Parenthood!

        *FORMER MLB EXECUTIVE FRED CLAIRE DIED: Among many jobs in MLB he was the general manager for the 1981 World Series Champion Dodgers.  

        *THE ARIZONA CARDINALS ARE SCRAMBLING FOR OFFENSIVE LINE HELP: With LT Paris Johnson (torn bicep) on IR and out for the season the Cardinals claimed former All-Pro Jedrick Wills off the Bills practice squad. Wills was cut by the Bears after the pre-season before landing in Buffalo.  

        *THE EAGLES ERODING OFFENSIVE LINE TOOK ANOTHER HIT: Longtime stud right tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement on Tuesday to focus on his mental health.

        *LAMAR JACKSON WILL MISS AT LEAST THIS WEEK’S GAME THE FALCONS: Jackson (sprained ankle) could miss several games, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

10/5 - MNF, ALDS

        *THE WHITE SOX MOVED TO 4-0 THIS POSTSEASON WITH A FAR SUPERIOR BULLPEN AND SOME CLUTCH HITTING TO TAKE A 2-0 ALDS LEAD: Braden Mongomery delivered a 2-run double in the 6th inning and the Chicago bullpen allowed 1 earned tun in 8.2 innings and the offense delivered 3 runs with 2 outs n the 4-3 victory ... Sean Burke allowed just 1 run in 5.1 innings and Grant Taylor, after pitching 4 shutout innings in Game 1 on Saturday, got the final 4 outs on Monday ... Cleveland ace Gavin Williams had 11 strikeouts but was out after 5 innings + 1 batter in the sixth because of 98 pitches.

        *THE RAYS ABILITY TO PUT THE BALL IN PLAY ON THE GROUND WAS DECISIVE AGAINST THE INEPT FIELDING YANKEES IN GAME 2 OF THE 5-2 TAMPA WIN IN GAME 2 OF THEIR ALDS AT TAMPA: Tampa scored 4 runs against Cam Schlittler on 7 hits and 4 New York errors that could have been ruled 7 errors. The likely American League Cy Young Award winner was done after 4.1 innings and 76 pitches including 18 foul balls ... Tampa starter Freddy Peralta was pulled after 4.2 innings with the Rays leading 2-1.

        *IT WAS THE ALMOST WEEKLY BIJON ROBINSON SHOW IN THE FALCONS EASY WIN AT NEW ORLEANS: The Tucson Catholic High School alum Robinson rushed for 145 yards on just 19 carries and 2 touchdowns in the 45-24 laugher at New Orleans on the 20th anniversary of the Saints-Falcons first game in The Superdome after Hurricane Katrina ... The Falcons lost top shelf LT Jake Mathews (groin) in the first half ... The Saints Alvin Kamara (knee) was in the injury tent twice.

        *THE DBACKS WILL HAVE A NEW VOICE NEXT SEASON: The organization announced Monday that Steve Berthiaume will not return in 2027 after 14 seasons as the television play-by-play voice.  

        *THE CHIEFS ARE EXPECTED TO BRING BACK A FAMILIAR FACE: After losing 2 more wide receivers to injury on Sunday, Kansas City has been linked to free agent Tyreke Hill.

        *ONE OF THE LEAGUE’S BEST PAYERS IS LIKELY OUT FOR THE SEASON: Vikings left guard Donovan Jackson (knee surgery) might be able to play sometime in January if the team is still alive in the playoffs.

CHECK BACK TUESDAY FOR MLB + MORE

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

10/4 - AN INJURY FILLED NFL WEEK 4, MLB PLAYOFFS

        *THE CARDINALS HAD FINAL DRIVE CHANCE BUT THEEY FOUND A NEW WAY TO LOSE TO LOWLY AND INJURY DEPLETED GIANTS: Arizona trailed just 30-24 and first and goal at the 4-yard line in its final possession. But 3 incomplete Jacoby Brissett passes was followed by a a fourth down pick 6 returned 98 yards by Deonte Banks as time expired ... The final play capped an awful game for the 1-3 Cardinals who should consider a quarterback change. Brissett was bad on Sunday completing 21 of 35 passes for an paltry 166 yards with 3 interceptions and 2 touchdowns, the first Marvin Harrison Jr.’s first TD since Week 10 of last season.

        *AROUND THE NFC WEST: The 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all won ... San Francisco is 4-0 and has yet to allow a sack this season after a 24-14 homefield win over the Broncos ... Los Angeles is 2-2 after rallying from a 20-10 halftime deficit to win 24-20 at Philadelphia ... Seattle was in control most of the game before holding on for a 30-23 homefield win over the Chargers.

        *THE CHIEFS WON THE UNBEATEN AFC BATTLE IN LAS VEGAS AGAINST THE RAIDERS: Kansas City outscored Las Vegas 20-14 in the final quarter to escape with a 30-27 victory. Kenneth Walker made another early-season MVP statement with 177 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.  

        *NFL RANDOM NOTES: The 2-2 Cowboys won the Texas Showdown after scoring 28 second-half points to win 34-30 at the 0-4 Texans. CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards including the game-winning TD with 1:43 remaining ... 2-2 Eagles were 0-12 on third down and need significant changes on offense after being shutout in the second half at home ... The Texans dropped to 0-4 after their defense ... The Jets lost at Chicago, but Minka Fitzpatrick intercepted a pass, the Jets first pick in 20 games going back to the 2024 season.

        *MANY SIGNIFICANT NFL PLAYERS WERE INJURED: Fantasy stars Lamar Jackson (ankle), Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and Ja’Mar Chase (concussion) were all injured in the first half ... Among those also leaving on Sunday were DJ Moore (shoulder), Rashee Rice (hamstring), Patrick Surtain (non-contact leg) and Kyle Juszczyk (knee) ... The Chargers lost top wide receiver Ladd McConkey (non-contract leg) and starting offensive tackles Slater and Joe Alt (knee) ... The Vikings lost the left side of their OL Christian Darrisaw (head) and Donovan Jackson (knee) ... The ugliest injury of the day was Broncos WR Patrick Bryant (dislocated ankle).  

        *NLDS: Michael Harris had 3 hits, scored once and drove in another as Braves manager Walt Weiss saved Chris Sale for Game 3 and went with another bullpen game, including 3.2 innings from Didier Fuentes in the 3-2 Game 2 win at Dodger Stadium. LA starter Blake Snell was done after 3.2 innings and 90 pitches, yet he allowed just 1 run ... The Brewers took a 2-0 series lead after Jackson Chourio singled in the bottom of the 9th off elite Padres closer Mason Miller who in 2 innings allowed 4 runners and 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth.

10/3 - CFB, MLB PLAYOFFS

         *BAYLOR’S SEC TRANSFER QUARTERBACK IS FAR BETTER THAN ARIZONA STATE’S SEC TRANSFER QUARTERBACK: D.J. Lagway (25-405, 304 yards and 4 touchdowns passing plus a rushing TD) led the 4-1 Bears to a surprisingly easy 55-19 destruction over Cutter Boley and the now 2-2 Sun Devils ... Baylor led 31-13 after kicking a field goal to end the first half and scoring a touchdown in its first possession after intermission ... Baylor had 408 yards 5 minutes into the second half and finished with xxx total yards ... The rah-rah Kenny Dillingham stick appears to be bullstick. If you eliminate the 11-3 magical/fortunate Big 12 Championship season 2024 season, ASU with Dillingham is 13-16.

        *ALABAMA ROUTED OVERRATED PREVIOUS UNBEATEN MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Tide had 462 yards in the 56-23 win at Starkville. Mississippi State has a brutal remaining schedule and likely will lose several more games, especially if Kamario Taylor does not return quickly from his second half injury.

        *OHIO STATE PLAYED ITS BEST GAME THIS SEASON THROUGHOUT THE 31-14 DOMINATION AT IOWA: Jeremiah Smith had 11 catches for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns to became the all-time receiving yards leader in The Ohio State University history ... Iowa was 5-2 home last 7 top 5 opponents before Saturday.

        *RANDOM CFB NOTES: Lincoln Riley narrowly avoided a second consecutive homefield loss with a 25-21 win over Washington which fell to 1-6 against ranked opponents with head coach Jedd Fisch who always talks a big game ... Florida’s bad defense was further exposed while being crushed at 45- 17 at Missouri which was led by Jamal Roberts 211 yards RUSHING ... Michigan and overrated quarterback Bryce Underwood has lost consecutive Big Ten games to Iowa and Minnesota.  

        *ALDS: The White Sox and relief pitcher Grant Taylor (4 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts) continue to prove me wrong with a 3-0 win over at Cleveland, The Rays made a third inning homer Jonathan Aranda off Gerrit Cole stand as starter Drew Rasmussen pitched 7.2 no-hit inning before UA alum Austin Wells doubled but was foolishly thrown out third for final out of the inning. Aaron Judge (ribs) is NOT on Division Round roster.

        *NLDS: Tarik Skubal allowed 1 run in 6 innings dealing the record setting 100+ Los Angeles heat and Teoscar Hernandez added to his October legacy with a 2-run homer in the 5-3 win over Atlanta... Trevor Megill recorded just the third four-out save of his career in the Milwaukee 3-2 win over the San Diego which had 31 foul balls off Jacob Misierowski who was done after 4 innings and 84 pitches while allowing 2 runs.

        *TOREY LOVULLO IS STAYING WITH THE DIAMONDBACKS: The sides agreed on a 2-year contract extension. Lovullo has been the Arizona manager since 2017. Only the Dodgers Dave Roberts and the Rays Kevin Cash have been with their teams longer.

*GUARDIANS OVER WHITE SOX: I was totally wrong about White Sox-Astros but my baseball brain almost picks the team with better pitching and defense.

        *RAYS OVER YANKEES: Tampa has the deepest MLB roster. The biggest question is whether the Yankees will have more fans IN Tampa?

        *BREWERS OVER PADRES: This is TOTALLY a guess going against a team that is 18-3 in the last 21 games, but Milwaukee has superior STARTING PITCHING and an offense that puts the ball in play.  

        *DODGERS OVER THE BRAVES: It’s difficult to go against Yamamoto, Skubal and Snell.

WEEKEND FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS

        *SATURDAY - ASU (-3.5) VERSUS BAYLOR: I will take the home team 24-20 which means ASU QB Cutter Bolley must improve.

        *SUNDAY - CARDINALS (-2.5) AT GIANTS: The Giants 26-20 even with backup QB Jameis Winston against the Cardinals who lead the planet in DUMB penalties and have allowed touchdowns on the first possession in all 3 games.  

10/1 - MLB WILD CARD ANALYSIS

        *THE BRAVES WON THE SERIES-DECIDING NLWCR GAME 3 WHEN THE PHILLIES DECIDED TO START AARON NOLA INSTEAD OF ACE ZACH WHEELER: The Braves finished 11-5 versus the Braves this season after the 6-2 victory on Thursday night. Nola was removed after just 9 hitters and 5 outs. In the first inning, after consecutive walks to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson, Nola allowed a 3-run homer to Michael Harris. Wheeler, after throwing the first 6 innings in Sunday’s playoff clincher, was the third pitcher in Thursday’s game entering to begin the 3rd inning with the Phillies down 3-0. Ozzie Albies added a 2-run homer in the 4th inning off Wheeler who went 4 innings and allowed just the 2-run homer ... Atlanta’s Ray Kerr, normally a reliever, made it through the first 3.1 innings, allowing 0 runs and 1 hit. Lefthanded hitters Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, the primary reasons King started, were hitless in 4 plate appearances against the lefty. Grant Holmes, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd and ace starter Chris Sale combined to throw the final 5.2 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits. Also, the Braves’ defense added a handful of elite plays.  

        *MLB NEEDS TO CHANGE ITS PLAYOFF FORMAT: Beginning next season MLB must reseed after each playoff round.

        *MLB HAS DONE AND EXCELLENT JOB AT PROMOTING ITS GAME: The season-long promotional commercials have been well done. The Play Ball spots targeting children and the Postseason promo featuring CC Sabathia were especially well done.

        *WILLSON CONTRERAS WILL NEVER SHUT UP: After the Red Sox were outscored 18-2 against the Yankees, the Boston first baseman blamed Boston’s analytics approach.

        *PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG UNDERSTANDS: The Cubs, the highest scoring MLB team during the regular season, scored 1 run and went 8 of 62 in the 2-game sweep at San Diego, PCA took responsibility. Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman were a combined 0-15 with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts.

        *AARON JUDGE DID NOT REVEAL HIS STATUS: Judge (strained right calf) was not on the Wild Card roster but speculation is he will be on the Division Round roster against top seed Tampa.

9/30 - MLB WILD CARD ANALYSIS

        *THE PHILLIES DANCED AROUND THEIR SEASON-LONG RELIEF PITCHING AND BAD DEFENSE ISSUES WITH 3 CLUTCH LATE-INNING HOMERS TO FORCE A SERIES DECIDING GAME 3 VERSUS THE BRAVES ON THURSDAY: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper belted  back-to-back blasts off lefty Dylan Lee in the 8th inning just after Harper’s misplay in rightfield gave Atlanta the lead - Alec Bohm’s opposite field homer off Didier Fuentes in the 10th was the game winner ... Rookie Andrew Painter was the winning pitcher after tossing the final THREE innings because closer Jhoan Duran was unavailable after throwing 27 pitches in Game 1 ... Lee did not allow a home run in 102 at bats against lefthanded hitters during the regular season … Fuentes did not allow a homer to a righthanded hitter during the regular season. 

        *THE YOUTHFUL WHITE SOX ELIMINATED THE PLAYOFF EXPERIENCED ASTROS 7-3 BEFORE THOUSANDS OF EMPTY SEATS IN HOUSTON: The Chicago scored 4 tuns in the top of the first inning, and after Houston narrowed the deficit to 4-3, a 3-run Chase Meidroth homer off Bryan Abreu lessoned the suspense ... It was the first White Sox postseason series victory since winning the 2005 World Series. The Astros have reached the postseason 10 of the last 11 seasons missing out only last season ... Astros ace Hunter Brown allowed 4 runs and recorded just 2 outs in the first inning.

        *THE YANKEES EASILY ELIMINATED THE PUNCHLESS RED SOX FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE POSTSEASON WITH A 9-2 GAME 2 VICTORY: Max Fried allowed 1 run in 6 innings before New York exploded for 6 runs in the 6th to take an 8-1 lead after manager Chad Tracy opted to insert Garrett Crochet. Crochet out since April 24th with shoulder issues failed to retire any of the 4 hitters be faced ... Boston did end a 26.2 scoreless innings streak in the postseason when Willson Contreras homered in the sixth ... Red Sox leadoff hitter Roman Anthony (wrist) was unavailable after leaving Tuesday’s Game 1.

        *THE PADRES HAVE WON 19 OF THEIR LAST 22 GAMES AFTER ELIMINATING THE VISITING CUBS WITH THE 4-1 GAME 2 VICTORY: Before the series, multiple Padres expressed extra motivation after being eliminated in last year’s Wild Card round at Wrigley Field ... Starters Nick Pivetta and Kevin Gausman both were finished after just 3.1 innings, but predictably the Padres bullpen was far superior. Four Padres relievers (Bradgley Rodriguez, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller) allowed no runs over the final 5.2 innings. Cubs’ reliever Daniel Palencia allowed a 2-run Gavin Sheets pinch hit homer in the 4th that increased the Padres lead to 4-1.  

CHECK BACK THURSDAY MORE MLB WILD CARD ANALYSIS

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

9/29 - MLB WILD CARD ANALYSIS

        *FYI: Before today, there have been 12 best of three Wild Card series - The Game One winner has won 11 of the 12 series.

*THE BRAVES REGULAR SEASON LATE-INNING SUCCESS CONTINUED IN THE 5-3  GAME 1 WILD CARD WIN: Austin Riley, demoted to 7th in the lineup during his poor regular season, blasted an opposite field 3-run homer in the 8th off Phillies closer Johon Duran who was pitching his second inning, a curious decision BY Don Mattingly. Doron had pitched more than 1 inning just once this season. The Braves led MLB with most runs in the 8th inning and later during the regular season.  

        *THE WHITE SOX LED FROM START TO FINISH IN THE 6-3 WIN OVER THE SLOPPY ASTROS: Chicago had the better opener starting pitcher with Hagen Smith tossing 3 shutout innings while the first 2 Houston pitchers (AJ Blubaugh and Bryan King) combined to allow 3 runs and 7 baserunners in the first inning ... The White Sox have 7 rookies on their Wild Card roster while the Astros are in the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

        *BEN RICE HIT 2 HOME RUNS, INCLUDING AN 8TH INNING GRAND SLAM, AND WINNING PITCHER CAM SCHLITTLER DELIVERED 6.1 SHUTOUT INNINGS IN THE YANKEES 9-0 GAME 1 WIN OVER THE VISITING RED SOX: Schlittler allowed 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9. He threw a career most 117 pitches, 10 more than his previous high ... Boston leadoff hitter Roman Anthony (hand) left the game in the 6th inning after 2 strikeouts in 2 at bats ... Aaron Judge (calf) is NOT on the Wild Card roster, but Giancarlo Stanton (calves) IS active for the first time since April 21 and could be used as a pinch hitter.

         *THE PADRES PLAYED HOME RUN DERBY OFF CUBS STARTING PITCHER MATTHEW BOYD AND MICHAEL KING CRUISED IN THE 8-0 GAME 1 VICTORY AT PETCO PARK: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado hit first inning homers and Xander Bogaerts added another in the 4th to give the Padres a 4-0 lead. San Diego extended the lead to 7-0 thru 6 innings before the Cubs had a hit. King allowed just 1 hit in 7 innings with 3 walks and 8 strikeouts while throwing 97 pitches ... Alex Bregman entered the game 7 of 8 lifetime versus King but struck out in all 3 at bats against King on Tuesday. Boyd was removed after 4.2 innings. He allowed 6 runs on 5 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts.

9/29 - NFL WEEK 3 HEROES+ZEROS

        *HERO (COUNTRY) - BRAZIL: The country hosted possibly the best NFL International game ever, the Baltimore last play 31-28 win over Dallas.

        *HERO (TEAM) - WASHINGTON: The previous winless Commanders were 8-point home underdogs before the 33-31 win over the previous unbeaten and defending champion Seahawks.

        *HERO (PLAYER) - AARON RODGERS: The Steelers are 2-1 after their QB had 3 touchdowns and 292 yards passing in the 30-27 victory over the previous unbeaten Bengals.

        *ZERO (TEAM) - HOUSTON: The Texans are 0-3 for a second consecutive season. They rebounded to reach the postseason in 2025.

        *ZERO (PLAYER) - DRAKE MAYE: The Patriots quarterback was yanked after 3 more interceptions in the 35-6 loss at Jacksonville.

        *ZERO (COACH) - BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER: The Cowboys head coach and his staff continually failed to put their players in proper position to win throughout the last play loss to the Ravens.

9/28 - MNF + MLB WILD CARD PICKS

       *CASE KEENUM IS THE MAN IN SWEET HOME CHICAGO FOR AT LEAST 1 NIGHT: Making his first start in 3 seasons Keenum (24 of 34 for 247 yards with 2 touchdowns and zero interceptions) significantly outplayed Jalen Hurts (16 of 25 for 153 yards with zero touchdowns and 1 interception) in the 27-7 win over Philadelphia which continues to be a difficult team to trust.

        *WILD CARD PREDICTIONS: Atlanta over Philadelphia - Chris Sale is starting Game 1, Zach Wheeler had to pitch in Game 162 ... San Diego over Chicago - The Padres have an elite bullpen, the Cubs frequently have relief pitching issues ... New York over Boston - I have zero confidence with this pick but Cam Schlittler will start Game 1 ... Houston over Chicago - Josh Hader might be the lone dependable pitcher on either team ... FYI - I have a long history of NOT batting on Wild Card Series.

        *THE 0-3 BUCCANEERS WILL BE WITHOUT BAKER MAYFIELD: The quarterback will miss a minimum of 3 weeks with a dislocated thumb, according to Todd Bowles.

        *THE PANTHERS LOST A KEY DEFENDER: Cornerback Jaycee Horn might be placed on season-ending Injured Reserve after suffering a quad injury during Sunday's loss to the Browns.

        *THE GIANTS WILL BE WITHOUT BRIAN BURNS: The edge defender is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

        *J.J. MCCARTHY IS MOVING: The Vikings traded their 10th overall selection of the 2024 draft today to the New York Giants for a 2027 fifth round pick.

CHECK BACK TUESDAY FOR NFLHEROES + ZEROS - MLB POST SEASON

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

9/27 - NFL WEEK 3 ANALYSIS

        *THE CARDINALS PATHETIC DEFENSE ELIMINATED ANY CHANCE OF A ROAD UPSET AT SAN FRANCISCO: Arizona surrendered 437 yards in the 36-30 loss, its third straight after the shocking Week 1 win over the Chargers. The Cardinals covered the point spread when Mike LaFleur widely opted for a field goal with 39 seconds remaining. The onside kick that followed was not successful.

        *THE BRONCOS RALLIED FROM DOWN 16-0 AT HALFTIME AND SCORED THE WINNING POINTS WITH 47 SECONDS REMAINING TO BEAT THE RAMS 30-26: Bo Nix scored on a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line on a final drive that had 2 highly questionable defensive penalties that went in Denver’s favor ... Rams outgained the Broncos 273-67 in the first half but managed just 1 touchdown and 3 field goals ... Los Angeles was again without Puka Nakua (hip) and Myles Garrett (knee) and lost corner Trent McDuffie (shoulder) in the first half. 

        *MARCUS MARIOTA ENGINEERED THE NFL UPSET OF THE YOUNG SEASON: Previous winless Washington got 3 touchdowns from their now starting quarterback in the 33-31 win over the previous unbeaten and defending champion Seattle ... The final Washingon touchdown came on a Sam Darnold interception return with 3:37 remaining.

        *THE BROWNS ARE 2-1 WITH STARTING QUARTERBACK DESHAWN WATSON: The quarterback turned the hometown boos from the preseason to cheers for at least 1 day with 2 touchdown passes, including the game winner 14-yarder with 1:48 remaining, to beat Carolina 21-18 ... The Panthers were +101 in yards but managed just 2 touchdowns.

        *DRAKE MAYE WAS BENCHED AS THE NOW 1-2 PATRIOTS WERE BLITZED 35-6 at JACKSONVILLE: Maye was 14 of 25 with 2 more interceptions when Mike Vrabel made the change to Tommy DeVito in the fourth quarter. Maye has 6 interceptions in 3 games.

        *PERSONNEL NOTES: Baker Mayfield (thumb) did not return after going down late in the fourth quarter ... It was a bad day for multiple star receivers - Justin Jefferson (ankle), Mike Evans (ribs) and Garrett Wilson (undisclosed) did not return to their respective games ... Also leaving and not returning were De’Von Achane (serious knee injury according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, 49ers future Hall Of Fame LT Trent Williams (neck) and elite Giants edge rusher Brian Burns (knee).

9/26 - CFB WEEK 4 ANALYSIS

         *OREGON WITH VALLEY PRODUCT DYLAN RAIOLA IN FOR THE INJURED DANTE MOORE WON AT USC WHICH CONTINUES TO FAIL IN HIGH PROFILE GAMES UNDER LINCOLN RILEY: Raiola’s touchdown pass with 8:35 left gave Oregon the lead in the eventual 41-27 victory. Raiola finished 19 of 25 for 289 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Moore suffered a significant injury after taking a dirty cheap shot in the second quarter with Oregon trailing 7-3 ... It was a rare sellout for a USC home game but there were thousands of Oregon fans in attendance at the LA Coliseum.       

        *TEXAS OVERCAME 11 PENALTIES FOR 115 YARDS AND HELD ON LATE TO WIN AT TENNESSEE: The Longhorns, a 4-point favorite, led 20-10 in the fourth quarter before allowing a TD 1:22 remaining that was followed by a successful Volunteers onside kick before finally getting a 4th down stop to seal the 20-17 victory at Knoxville ... Many of the Texas penalties were low IQ football decisions ... Arch Manning completed 14 of 19 passes for 201 yards with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.  

        *FLORIDA OUTSCORED OLE MISS WHICH LOOKED SPENT FOLLOWING LAST WEEK’S CRUSADE-TYPE VICTORY OVER LANE KIFFIN: The favored Gators prevailed 52-28 at The Swamp as the Gators won for just the second in their last 12 games versus ranked opponents ... Florida had a 498-425 total yards edge in what might have been the worst tackling game between ranked teams in college football history.

         *THE BIG TEN OFFICIALS COULD NOT SAVE MICHIGAN AGAIN: Hank Brown connected with Reece Vander Zee for the 16-yard touchdown on the final play to give Iowa the 20-19 win at Ann Arbor ... Iowa had just 1 offensive touchdown before driving 75 yards on 11 plays during the final 1:16 ... The Wolverines, favored by 5.5 points, had a 429-285 edge in total yards.

        *FRIDAY NIGHT: Indiana extended its national best winning streak to 20 but the Hoosiers, favored by 20.5 points, needed 203 yards rushing from backup running back Lee Beebe Jr. in the 29-23 homefield win over Northwestern. Indiana lost top running back Turbo Richard and leading tackle Elijah Hardy to injury.

       *RANDOM NOTES: Wisconsin rallied down 17 to win 24-20 over Penn State at State College ... The Ohio State University wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had a career day (12 catches for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns) in the 42-19 win over Illinois which inexplicably chose to mostly single cover the nation’s best player ... Maryland needs to immediately move on from annual failing coach Mike Locksley whose team was embarrassed 54-3 at home by UCLA.

 9/25 - WEEKEND FOOTBALL PREVIEW

        *THE CARDINALS ARE UNDERSTANDABLY 8-POINT UNDERGOGS SUNDAY AT SAN FRANCISCO: Arizona has a chance to hang because of San Francisco’s inexplicable annual lengthy injury issues, this season running short on wide receivers = San Francisco 27, Arizona 20.

*THE RAVENS AND COWBOYS PLAY SUNDAY AT RIO: I believe it’s foolish to bet on international games with too many unknowns. For example, there are concerns about the playing surface after record setting rainfall in a country where it rains frequently annually.

*WHO WILL BE UNDER CENTER MONDAY NIGHT IN CHICAGO: Caleb Williams (hamstring) is expected to be ruled out officially on Saturday while backup Tyson Bagent (concussion) is likely to be ruled out. That would leave Case Keenum who has started 4 games the last 5 seasons.

• USC HAS NOT LOST IN THE LA COLISEUM SINCE 2024: The Trojans are 3.5 home underdogs Saturday against Oregon which will be without receiver Jeremiah McClellan (broken foot). I would like to bet on USC but I can’t because the now Gary Patterson coached defense has not improved enough.

        *I DID BET UCLA -1.5 @ MARYLAND: I have been betting against Mike Locksley for years, including this matchup last season at the Rose Bowl and last week at home against Virginia Tech. By the way, the almost always cordial Locksley had a confrontational exchange Tuesday during his weekly presser with a member of the media.

*BACK TO THURSDAY NIGHT - BIJON ROBINSON IS MY FAVORITE FOOTBALL PLAYER: The latest example was the Falcons Thursday night dominance at Green Bay which has issues and are hopefully headed to a bad season (I picked the Packers to finish last in the NFC North and I bet under 9.5 wins).

CHECK BACK SATURDAY FOR CFB ANALYSIS

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

/24 - CARDINALS + RANDOM NFL NOTES

*THE 1-1 CARDINALS HAVE ISSUES: starting corner Will Johnson (neek) will likely miss the rest of the season ... On the offensive side, Marvin Harrison Jr. can’t get separation off the line of scrimmage, which I emphasized BEFORE he was drafted out of Ohio State where he mostly overwhelmed inferior opponents with superior size.

*THE BENGALS ARE FINALLY LEGITIMATE: After trading for Dexter Lawrence and making other additions, through 2 games Cincinnati has 8 sacks, 4 takeaways and is a top 5 rushing defense.

*MY AFC SUPER BOWL PICK TEXANS ARE 0-2: Houston can’t run the ball and C.J. Stroud badly needs a healthy Nico Collns. But what happened to the elite defense which is allowing 28 points per game?

*THE CAN’T BE TRUSTED EAGLES IMPROVED THIS WEEK: The defense added top corner Kenny Moore who excelled with the Colts.

*THE GIANTS NEED TO ADD A QUARTERBACK TO THE ROSTER AFTER LOSING JAXSON DART TO AN INJURY: One possibility is Jimmy Garoppolo who remains unsigned but says he has not retired.

*MUCH HAS BEEN MADE ABOUT THE BILLS NEW STADIUM: How could they spend so much yet have MANY obstructed view seats?

9/22 - NFL WEEK 2 HEROES AND ZEROS

        *HERO (TEAM) - LAS VEGAS: The Raiders are 2 games above .500 for the first time in 5 seasons.

        *HERO (PLAYER) - PANTHERS LB DEVIN LLOYD: He finished with two interceptions, a sack, two tackles for loss, and three passes defended. One of those interceptions was returned 16 yards for a touchdown.

        *HERO (COACH) - MINNESOTA’S KEVIN O’CONNELL: His Vikings are 2-0 with division wins over the Packers and Bears while being flagged just 6 times total during the 2 wins.

*ZERO (TEAM) BALTIMORE: The Ravens long history of blowing second-half leads returned. Derrick Henry had just 5 second half carries as Baltimore blew a 14-3 lead and lost 24-17 AT HOME to New Orleans.

        *ZERO (PLAYER) - JUSTIN HERBERT: The Chargers quarterback has 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in the HOME FIELD losses to the Cardinals and Raiders.

        *ZERO (COACH) - DEMECO RYANS: The Texans are 0-2 with home losses to the Bills and Bengals.

9/9/21 - MNF + WEEKEND LEFTOVERS

        *DAVANTE ADAMS STOLE THE SHOW WITH PUKA NAKUA SIDELINED AS THE RAMS ROUTED THE GIANTS WHO LOST JAXSON DART TO INJURY IN THE FIRST QUARTER: Adams finished with 8 catches for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Rams 28-6 win over the visiting Giants. He had 5 catches for 145 yards before halftime ... Nakua (hip) was inactive ... Dart left during the Giants first offensive series because of a knee injury and did not return. Also, Giants elite edge defender Brian Burns (ankle) was injured during fourth quarter garbage time.

        *THE EAGLES CAN’T BE TRUSTED: Philadelphia’s offensive line has gone from elite to average at best in less than 2 seasons.

*THE PACKERS WERE FORTUNATE TO AVOID THEIR FIRST 0-2 START IN 20 SEASONS: Green Bay recorded its first win since 1995 with fewer than 200 yards.

        *THE COWBOYS DEFENSE IS STILL BAD: It is difficult to understand how a defense that includes SEVEN first round picks is so poor.  

        *LANE KIFFIN FAILS AGAINST ELTE OPPONENTS: After LSU’s loss at Ole Miss, Kiffin is 1-7 against top 10 teams and 13-26 versus ranked opponents.

        *KENTUCKY’S OFFENSE WAS DOMINANT IN THE WIN AT TEXAS A&M: Will Stein’s offense put up 31 points on 54 offensive snaps.

9/20 - NFL WEEK 2

        *THE CARDINALS DEFENDED LIKE JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA AS IF HE IS A ROLE PLAYER: The Ohio State University stud had an 82-yard touchdown catch on the Seahawks first possession and added 2 more TDs on 165 yards on 9 receptions from backup QB Drew Lock in the Seahawks 31-10 domination before thousands of Seattle fans in Glendale. The Cardinals anemic offense had only 151 yards and 10 first downs.

         *THE CHIEFS BEAT THE COLTS IN OVERTIME AFTER INDY COACH SHANE STEICHEN AFTER WINNING THE COIN TOSS ELECTED TO PLAY DEFENSE AND GIVE PATRIK MAHOMES THE BALL TWIICE: All 3 possessions in overtime resulted in field goals capped by the Harrison Butker’s 40-yarder on the final play of the 10-minute overtime to give the Chiefs the 33-30 win ... There were 4 lead changes and 3 ties after halftime ... The Colts lost deep threat Alec Pierce (heel) in a first half injury.

        *INJURIES TO HIGH PROFILE QUARTERBACKS WAS THE BIGGEST NEWS: The Commanders Jayden Daniels suffered an ugly looking elbow injury similar to what ended his 2025 season and the Bears lost Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury. The Bears went from 59 points in Week 1 at Carolina to a 6-3 loss to the Vikings in the rain and wind in Chicago. The Commanders lost 37-20 at Dallas.

        *THE BIG TALKING JIM HARBAUGH IS 0-2 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS HEAD COACHING CAREER: The Chargers, 6.5-point favorites, were outplayed in every aspect and flagged for 8 penalties in the 26-14 home field loss to the Raiders who had more fans in the LA stadium. Harbaugh’s  coaching career includes The University of San Diego, Stanford, Michigan, the 49ers and the Chargers.  

        *THE PACKERS NARROWLY AVOIDED A 0-2 START AND 7 GAME LOSING STREAK GOING BACK TO LAST SEASON: Green Bay trailed 17-7 in the fourth quarter at the rainy SWAMPS OF JERSEY (Springsteen reference) before winning 20-17 in overtime. Jordan Love threw 2 touchdowns.

        *THERE WERE MANY OTHER INJURIES: Among those going down were Chargers stud safety Derwin James (hand), the Packers Christian Watson (mid-section), the Packers Jaden Reed (neck) was carted off after the second play and the 49ers Damarcus Robinson (leg).  

919 - CFB WEEK 3 ANALYSIS

*ARIZONA STATE BENEFITTED FROM ANEMIC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY TO WIN THE UNION JACK CLASSIC: ASU bridged each half with touchdowns in 34 seconds to take control in the eventual 24-17 win over Kansas in the Big 12 season opener for each team ... The Sun Devils needed the special teams plays in the London rain because quarterback Cutter Boley was not good (11 of 22 just 95 yards and some horrendous pocket awareness issues) ... Kansas outgained ASU 414-228.

*OLE MISS HELD OFF A SECOND HALF CHARGE AGAINST LSU IN THE LANE KIFFIN BOWL: Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss delivered when it mattered (33 of 48 for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns) in the 32-24 victory. The Rebels scored the first 17 points, but the Tigers tied the game at 24 before Chambliss engineered the final drive. Former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt keyed the second half comeback but the his fourth down incomplete pass in the red zone sealed the result ... Each team lost key players to injury - LSU lost TE Trey’Drey Green (lower body) and Ole Miss was without stud RB Kewan Lacey (shoulder) in the fourth quarter.

*LOUISVILLE OUTLASTED 41-31 SMU IN SATURDAY’S “OTHER” TOP 25 MATCHUP: Lincoln Kienholz (3 touchdowns) outplayed quarterback counterpart Kevin Jennings (2 turnovers) as the Cardinals won for the first time in 5 all-time meetings including Mustangs wins the last 2 seasons in ACC play. Saturday’s game included multiple cheap-shot personal fouls on both teams.

*FLORIDA’S JADEN BAUGH IS THE NATION’S BEST RUNNING BACK: On Saturday night, Baugh rushed for 162 yards and averaged 9.3 yards per carry in the Gators 44-39 win at Auburn.

*CLEMSON MIGHT HAVE A QUARTERBACK: Freshman Tate Reynolds in his first career start led the Tigers from down 17-3 early in the second quarter to a 21-20 victory over North Carolina at Death Valley. Prior to the comeback, Clemson had a stretch of 22 consecutive drives this season without a touchdown. It was one of many games on Saturday that had a weather delay.

*RANDOM NOTES: Kentucky first-year head coach Will Stein engineered a 31-21 at Texas A&M which was favored by 17.5 points ... Florida State has lost 10 consecutive road games and is 10-20 in its last 30 games overall ... On Friday night, overrated Texas Tech benefitted from multiple borderline calls from the Big 12 referees to hold off Houston 28-26 on Friday night.

CHECK BACK SUNDAY FOR NFL WEEK 2 ANALYSIS

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

*THE CARDINALS WILL NOT SHOCK THE WORLD FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEK: Seatttle wins even without the injured Sam Darnold, 23-20.

*MY WEEK 2 TEASER BET AT TALKING STICK RESORT IN SCOTTSDALE: Patriots +1 vs. Steelers and Eagles -1 @ Titans.

*RANDOM STUFF: Dak Prescott is 20-1 SU and 16-5 ATS against NFC East rivals ... The Broncos are 4-8 ATS in September with Sean Payton as the head coach ... Among those ruled OUT on Friday were Kyler Murray (concussion), Nico Collins (hamstring) and Minka Fitzpatrick (groin)

*ARIZONA STATE SHOULD ROLL SATURDAY IN THE UNION JACK CLASSIC: Kansas is just an average Big 12 team which is NOT good.

*SAM LEAVITT WILL PLAY ON SATURDAY IN THE OLE MISS GRUDGE MATCH: His “doubtful” status earlier this week was Lane Kiffin’s latest example of messing with the media ... By the handicapping front, I have zero clue how to bet on the LSU-Ole Miss Saturday night circus ... FYI - Lane Kiffin teams are 0-3 all-time versus Top 10 opponents.

CHECK BACK SATURDAY FOR CFB ANALYSIS

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

*FRIDAY NIGHT’S HOUSTON AT TEXAS TECH GAME IN THIS WEEK’S OTHER TOP 25 MATCHUP: I expect Houston to at least cover the 7.5-point spread.  

9/17 - RANDOM NOTES

*THE NFL DOES NOT LIKE THE CARDINALS: Arizona is one of 5 teams with all 17 games scheduled on Sundays.   

*THE DIAMONDBACKS ARE LIKELY COOKED: Added pitching this month activating Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka hasn’t mattered because of anemic offense in many September offenses.

*FORMER DIAMONDBACKS TELEVISION ANNOUNCER THOM BRENNAMAN IS THE VOICE OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE ON ITS CW NETWORK FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL COVERAGE: Brennaman was a loyal listener of my local KDUS radio show and was kind enough to contact me off the air to inform me that he appreciated my work.

*THE CUBS AND WHITE SOX ARE BOTH POSTSEASON BOUND: It will be only the third team EVER both Chicago teams have reached the playoffs in the same season.

*RECENT MLB MILESTONES: Jose Altuve joined Freddy Freeman as the lone active players with 5,000 career hits ... Aroldis Chapman became the 9th pitcher ever with 400 saves.

*NFL INJURY UPDATES: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (glite) could miss 6 weeks, according to SI.com NFL writer Albert Breer ... The Lions were missing 2 starting OL on Thursday, Christian Mahogany (knee) and Blake Baker (knee) ... The Eagles placed stud OL Landon Dickerson on IR.

9/16 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL LEFTOVERS

        *OHIO STATE LED TEXAS 23-3 IN THE FOURTH QUARTER BEFORE FALLING 24-23: Since 2004, AP No. 1 teams with fourth-quarter leads of 20-plus points had been on a 197-0 streak. The game was watched by 14 million viewers, an all-time record for any Week 2 game.

        *ARCH MANNING WAS GREAT THROUHOUT THE FOURTH QUARTER RALLY: In the fourth quarter, the Texas quarterback was 8 of 11, including 4 of 5 on the final drive, plus added 33 yards rushing.

        *ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY THE HUMAN POLLS ARE A JOKE: Ohio State loses at Texas and dropped from #1 to #6?

        *OREGON WAS EMBARRASSED 39-31 AT OKLAHOMA STATE: Dan Lanning cited his players for a lack of leadership. The Ducks’ much hyped defensive line has been MIA through 2 games.  

        *MICHIGAN IS 2-0, BUT ... The Wolverines had fewer than 300 yards in each win over Western Michigan and Oklahoma with almost no passing game from Bryce Underwood.

        *OKLAHOMA NEEDS TO REDUCE THE MISTAKES: The Sooners had 9 penalties for 76 yards in the loss at Michigan. After this week’s automatic win over New Mexico, the Sooners play at Georgia and inside the Cotton Bowl against rival Texas.

9/15 - HERO AND ZERO TUESDAY

        *HERO (TEAM) - BALTIMORE: a 31-point first half in the Jesse Minter debut.

        *HERO (PLAYER) - JOSH ALLEN: 20 of 29 for 324 yards and 2 touchdowns plus 2 rushing TDs against the vaunted Texans defense.

        *HERO (COACH) - MIKE LAFLEUR: The Cardinals were biggest Week 1 underdog (9.5 points) but dominated in all areas while destroying millions survivor pool participants.

        *ZERO (TEAM) - DALLAS: The Cowboys had won 12 of last 14 games versus the Giants and 10 in a row with a healthy Dak Prescott.

        *ZERO (PLAYER) - BAKER MAYFIELD: The Buccaneers quarterback lost 3 fumbles in the 1-score loss at Cincinnati.

*ZERO (COACH) - MATT LAFLEUR: The Packers led 22-17 when he removed a field goal off the scoreboard and, after getting stuffed on 4th down, his team was outscored 22-0 to become Green Bay’s 6th consecutive loss going back to last season.

CHECK BACK WEDNESDAY FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL LEFTOVERS ...

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

9/14 - MONDAY LEFTOVERS

         *PREDICTABLY THE CHIEFS WON THE HOME OPENER: Kenneth Walker scored 2 touchdowns and had 191 total yards with his new team in the 31-10 Kansas City rout ... Denver’s tackling was awful, topped by CB Riley Moss who missed open field attempts on long TDs by Rashee Rice and Walker ... Chiefs first round pick safety Mansoor Delane (shoulder) intercepted a poor Bo Nix pass but was later injured and did not return after the first quarter.

*WEEK 1 WAS ENTERTAINING: Prior to MNF, it was 42 points short of the highest scoring Week 1 since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.

*THERE IS ONE OBVIOUS REASON FOR THE OFFENSE DOMINATION: Many, if not most, starting defensive players in Week 1 did not play during the preseason and had not tackled since last season.

*NEW YORK, NEW YORK: The Giants and Jets are BOTH 1-0 for the first time since 2009.

*HOW FEEBLE WERE THE COWBOYS? The 244 yards were their fewest against the Giants since 2008.

*SUNDAY INCLUDED A FIRST FOR JIM HARBAUGH: It was his first ever Week 1 loss as an NFL head coach.

 9/13 - WEEK 1 ANALYSIS

       *THE CARDINALS DELIVERED THE UPSET OF THE DAY: Arizona, 9.5-point underdogs, shocked the Chargers and Jim Harbaugh 26-14. Arizona made key plays in all aspects, including a fourth quarter blocked punt inside the 10-yard line by Simi Fehoko that was quickly followed by Trey McBride’s 3-yard TD catch from Jacoby Brissett ... The Cardinals offense delivered 23 first downs and 393 yards while holding the ball for 36:59 while the defense forced the only 2 turnovers in the game. 

      *THE FIELD GOAL UNDERDOG GIANTS PHYSICALLY WHIPPED THE COWBOYS: John Harbaugh’s influence was obvious in New York’s 28-20 victory, especially in the second half the Dallas defense wilted. The Giants had lost 12 of the last 14 matchups between the NFC East rivals and Dak Prescott had won his last 10 starts in the series ... One thing that must change is that Jaxson Dart will not last the season unless he protects himself better avoiding big hits.

        *JOSH ALLEN AND THE BILLS WON IN THEIR PREVIOUS HAUNTED HOUSE: Allen connected with Joshua Palmer for the only time in the game on the game-winning 34-yard touchdown pass with 1:36 remaining in the Buffalo 36-31 win. The touchdown came 1 play after Texans corner Kamari Lassiter dropped what should have been a game-clinching interception ... Allen, previously 1-4 against the Texans, completed 20 of 29 passes for an impressive 334 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions plus added 2 rushing TDs, including a 21-yarder in the second quarter.

*HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS CALEB  WILLIAMS AND BRYCE YOUNG WERE PART OF THE HIGHEST SCORING WEEK 1 GAME IN LEAGUE HISTORY: The Bears outlasted the Panthers 59-37 in a game that produced 1,030 yards. Williams completed 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards and 2 touchdowns plus rushing touchdowns of 9 and 29 yards while Young was 23 of 37 for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns plus a 7-yard rushing TD.  

       *THE NEW LOOK RAVENS ROLLED IN JESSE MINTER’S DEBUT: Minter directed the Ravens to 31 first half points before coasting in the second half to a 41-23 win at Indianapolis. Minter replaced John Harbaugh, the franchise all-time winningest coach before finishing 8-9 last season. Derrick Henry rushed for 144 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns to pass Marcus Allen and move to third on the NFL’s all-time rushing TD list.

        *PERSONNEL NOTES: Former Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had a brief, yet eventful debut with the Vikings. His first pass was intercepted before we forced to leave in the first half (concussion) ... Also leaving because of injury were Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (chest), Jacksonville WR Bryan Thomas Jr. (shoulder), Baltimore WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) during his 150-yard first half and Chicago LT Braxton Jones (undisclosed) ... Steelers corner Joey Porter (contract dispute) was inactive and could be traded, according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter.

CHECK BACK MONDAY FOR BRONCOS @ CHIEFS AND WEEK 1 LEFTOVERS

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

9/12 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYSIS

        *ARIZONA STATE’S SPECIAL TEAMS GAVE IT ALMOST NO CHANCE TO WIN AT TEXAS A&M: The Sun Devils, a 14.5-point underdog, trailed just 24-20 entering the fourth quarter but a third massive special teams gaffe resulted in a quick TD in the eventual 48-20 Aggies victory ... ASU quarterback Cutter Boley was mostly impressive (21 of 34 for 254 yards and 2 touchdwns).

        *ARIZONA WAS PHYSICALLY MANHANDLED DURING THE SECOND HALF AFTER LEADING AT HALFTIME IN PROVO: BYU outscored the UA 14-0 and had a 185-87 total yards edge after halftime in the 28-17 victory. Last season, Arizona blew a second half lead to BYU during a double overtime loss in Tucson.     

         *STEVE SARKISIAN FINALLY GOT A WIN AGAINST OHIO STATE WHICH LED 20-3 AFTER DOMINATING THE FIRST HALF: Texas scored the game-winning TD with 25 seconds remaining in the 24-23 victory, It was the third  Longhorn TD in the FOURTH-QUARTER. Before Saturday, Sarkisian was 0-5 the last 2 seasons against Ohio State and Georgia. Ohio State’s recent history of missing big field goals in losses continued when Baylor transfer Connor Hawkins badly hooked an attempt that would have extended the lead to 26-10.   

        *MICHIGAN’S DEFENSE WAS DOMINANT AGAINST OKLAHOMA WHICH STILL HAS ISSUES AT QUARTERBACK AND ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE: The Wolverines, an absurd 4.5-point home underdog, did little on offense but excellent defense and special teams play was enough in the 17-10 victory. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, overrated last season, threw an awful 4th quarter pick in OU territory with the game tied at 10 that led to a 5-yard Michigan touchdown drive.

‍ ‍*OREGON  WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST UPSET LOSERS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY: The Ducks, 24.5 favorites, lost 39-31 at Oklahoma State which had lost 12 consecutive games. According to the ABC telecast, it was the first time EVER that a team with a losing streak of at least 10 games lost to a Top 10 opponent ... AND, it was NOT a fluke as the Cowboys outgained the Ducks 554-281.  

9/10 NFL SEASON LONG PREDICTIONS

DIVISION PICKS

*NFC EAST: Phil, Dall, NYG, Wash

        *NFC NORTH: Chic, Minn, Det, GB

        *NFC SOUTH: TB, Car, Norl, Atl

        *NFC WEST: LAR, Sea, SF, Az

        *AFC EAST: Buff, NE, NYJ, Mia

        *AFC NORTH: Balt, Cincy, Pitt, Cle

        *AFC SOUTH: Hou, Jax, Indy, Tenn

        *AFC WEST: Den, LAC, KC, LV

        *NFC CHAMP: Los Angeles

        *AFC CHAMP: Houston

        *SUPER BOWL CHAMP: LA Rams

9/9 THE NFL IS BACK

‍ ‍ *THE SEAHAWKS STOLE THE OPENING NIGHT 13-10 VICTORY WHEN DRAKE MAY THREW HIS THIRD INTERCEPTION WITH 26 SECONDS REMAINING AND THE PATRIOTS IN POSIITON TO AT LEAST TIE THE GAME WITH A CHIP SHOT FIELD GOAL: The Seahawks won their 11th consecutive game going back to lace season after losing Sam Darnold to a hip injury on the 5th snap ... The Patriots were 9-0 on the road last season and lost new addition A.J. Brown (hip) to a third quarter injury.  

*AARON DONALD WILL NOT BE ACTIVE IN THURSDAY’S RAMS SEASON OPENER IN AUSTRALIA VERSUS THE 49ERS: He is coming out of retirement but did not take the 15-hour flight.

*PATRICK MAHOMES WILL PLAY ON MONDAY NIGHT IN THE CHIEFS SEASON OPENER AGAINST THE BRONCOS: This is hardly breaking news, but Andy Reid confirmed on Tuesday that his quarterback’s 2025 season ending knee injury is healed.

        *TUA TAGOVAILOA WILL START WEEK 1 FOR THE FALCONS: Michael Penix Jr. has yet to be cleared to return from his 2025 season-ending injury.

*THE COWBOYS WILL BEGIN THE SEASON SHORTHANDED: Starting guard Tyler Smith will miss at least 4 games with a thumb injury.  

        *GOOD MORNING AMERICA HYPED WEDNESDAY’S FERNANDO MENDOZA APPEARANCE FOR WEEKS: ABC was obviously not anticipating Mendoza totally sucking during the pre-season, except when he had some success against the awful Arizona Cardinals backups.

9/7

*SMU CONTINUALLY LACKED ATTENTION TO DETAIL BUT STILL WON AT FLORIDA STATE: SMU overcame 4 turnovers and multiple IGNORANT penalties to escape with a 27-24 win at Florida State. The Mustangs won because they had 585 yards.

        MANY FSU FANS ARE MORE INTERESTED IN MIKE NORVELL BEING FIRED THAN THE SEMINOLES WINNING: The Tallahassee fan base LOUDLY booed with frequency even when the Seminoles were playing well, including when the score was tied at 24.

*BLOWBACK FROM MICHIGAN’S LUCKY SEASON OPENING VICTORY: First-year Michigan coach Kyle Willingham spent much of his weekly MONDAY press conference answering questions about starting quarterback Bryce Underwood who did NOT receive a ringing endorsement from his new head coach who did NOT recruit him ... FYI - Michigan is a 5.5-point home underdog this Saturday against Oklahoma.  

9/6 MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL

‍ ‍*WASHINGTON’S OFFENSIVE LINE NEEDS TO IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY: Washington, 24-point favorites, overcame 12 penalties to win 24-10 in the 18th edition of The Apple Cup.  The Huskies led by 1 score before adding a touchdown with 2:18 remaining.

*NOTRE DAME WILL MISS THE NOW NFL ROOKIE SKILL TRIO OF JEREMIYAH LOVE, JADARIAN PRICE AND MALACHI FIELDS: Notre Dame, favored by 22.5, scored touchdowns on offense and defense during the first 6:00 of the second half after leading only 13-10 at halftime in the eventual 41-13 win over now good Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.

*OLE MISS QUARTERBACK TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS OUTDUELED LOUISVILLE COUNTERPART LINCOLN KIENHOLZ IN THE LONE WEEK 1 GAME BETWEEN RANKED OPPONENTS: Both quarterbacks were bad in the first half but excellent after intermission in the 41-38 shootout that was decided on a final play field goal. Ole Miss lost 3 key players (running back Kewan Lacy (quad), right tackle Tommy Kinsler (knee) and defensive lineman Cam Franklin to injuries during the second half.  

        *UCLA APPARENTLY AVOIDED A SERIOUS INJURY: Nico Iamaleava left Saturday night’s 45-24 win over California in the fourth quarter.

        *AUBURN RECORDED A RARE 1-POINT WIN: The Tigers 17-16 win on Saturday was their first 1-point victory in 16 seasons. Auburn last season LOST six one-score games.

        *DABO SWINNEY WAS UNDEFEATED IN BATON ROUGE: Before Saturday’s embarrassing 51-10 loss at LSU, the Clemson coach bragged that he was 6-1 all-time, all as an assistant for Alabama. It was Dabo’s worst loss in 241 games as a head coach.

CHECK BACK WEDNESDAY FOR SEAHAWKS-PATRIOTS AND MORE - EMAIL BOB @bkempzail.aol.com

9/5 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1

        *THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE HANDED MICHIGAN AN UNDESERVED VICTORY: The conference officiating crew inexplicably allowed the Wolverines to run 1 final play after the stadium clock IN ANN ARBOR clearly hit 0:00. The extra play resulted in a Hail Mary touchdown pass and Michigan 13-12 win  in a game in which THE VICTORS had 10 penalties and 3 turnovers. The home crowd spent the majority of the second half booing.  

*FROM THE HERE WE GO AGAIN CATERGORY - THE BIG 12 LOST ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE MATCHUP: Baylor turned it over 3 times and allowed 436 yards in a 17-16 loss to Auburn at Atlanta.

       *FORMER ARIZONA STATE QUARTERBACK SAM LEAVITT LED LSU TO AN EASY WIN OVER CLEMSON: Leavitt completed 16 of 28 passes for 230 yards with 1 touchdown plus 12 carries for yards and another score in the 51-10 rout.

        *OREGON MIGHT HAVE MISSED THEIR 2025 COORDINATORS WHO LEFT FOR HEAD COACHING JOBS: The Ducks, favored by 25.5 points, trailed 17-7 in the first half and needed a touchdown with 7:57 remaining to beat visiting Boise State 34-27.

*THE UPSET OF THE SEASON MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED ON THURSDAY NIGHT: Rutgers, favored by 29.5 points, lost AT HOME 37-21 to lowly UMasss, the lone winless FBS winless team in 2025.

        *HEISMAN TROPHY TALK IN SEPTEMBER IS STUPID: Don’t tell that to Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith who struck the Heisman pose after his second TD against Ball State, likely one of the worst teams on Planet Earth.

9/3 - DIAMONDBACKS/OTHER NL NOTES

‍ ‍ *I AM NOT ROOTING AGAINST THE DIAMONDBACKS, BUT I AM ROOTING AGAINST MR. SELFISH AND OUT OF EXCUSES KETEL MARTE: I hope he makes an out every at bat and makes an error every opportunity on defense. Marte returned to the lineup on Monday at home. Many of the hometown Arizona justifiably booed him but those who cheered in approval should be ashamed for supporting a selfish loser.

*THE DBACKS BAT WERE FORTUNATE TO WIN 1 OF 3 GAMES THIS WEEK VERSUS THE PHILLIES: Arizona scored 4 runs total in the 3 games, left 20 runners on base and went ZERO for 16 with runners in scoring position.

*IF CORBIN CARROLL DOES NOT START PRODUCING, THE DIAMONDBACKS WILL NOT REACH THE POST-SEASON: Carroll was 0 for 3 on Wednesday and is 3 for his last 36.

*PITCHING ADDITIONS MIGHT BE CLOSE: Zac Gallen (elbow) is scheduled to make a simulated start on Friday while Corbin Burnes (elbow) has started a minor league rehab assignment. Gallen has been out since July 7 and was mostly awful this season when he did pitch (3-9, 6.34). Byrnes has not pitched THIS SEASON.

*THE BREWERS ARE 2-1 AGAINST THE CUBS 3 GAMES INTO THEIR 7-GAME IN 10 DAY STRETCH: The rare 4 all night game series at Wrigley Series concludes on Thursday. The big headline thus far was the Wednesday night Milwaukee win after likely NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski allowed 5 runs in the first 2 innings. Milwaukee is the lone MLB team with at least 86 wins in the last 9 full schedule seasons.

*THE NL EAST WILL TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT THE NEXT 10 DAYS: The Braves lead the Phillies by 4 games. Beginning on Friday, they square off 7 times in 10 days.

CHECK BACK SATURDAY FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

9/1 - NFL ROSTER MOVES

*THE CARDINALS, SITTING THIRD ON THE WAIVER WIRE CLAIM ORDER, SHOULD BE HIGHLY ACTIVE BEFORE THE SEPTEMBER 13TH OPENER: Among those cut over the weekend were cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting who was in the final season of a ridiculous at the time 3-year/$22.5 million deal, and Starling Thomas V, a former second round selection.   

*THE CARDINALS PLACED JAMES CONNOR ON INJURED RESERVE: Connor missed the final 14 games in 2025 after an ankle injury.

*MORE BAD NEWS FOR CARDINALS’ FANS - AARON DARNOLD WILL PLAY THIS SEASON FOR THE RAMS: After weeks of speculation, the future Hall of Famer made it official on Sunday.

*ALSO OFFICIAL, ASU ALUM JORDYN TYSON WILL MISS AT LEAST 2 MONTHS: His rookie season with the Saints will begin on injured reserve because of his long-time hamstring issues.

*OBJ IS PART OF THE GIANTS ROSTER: New coach John Harbaugh did NOT keep him for historic reasons. Beckham earned the spot during training camp and the preseason. 

*STICKING WITH THE GIANTS, THEY CUT A FORMER 7TH OVERALL PICK OF THE DRAFT: Offensive lineman Evan Neal was #7 in the 2022 draft but has significantly underperformed.

8/31 - RED SOX-YANKEES WEEKEND LEFTOVERS

        *THE YANKEES AND RED SOX ARE HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE THE TOP 2 AMERICAN LEAGUE: The Yankees are 4.5 games behind the first-place Rays in the East vyt New York, after winning 3 of 4 in the Bronx over the weekend, are 4 up over Boston in the Wild Card standings.

        *THE RED SOX HAVE LOST 10 OF THEIR LAST 22 GAMES: Boston did get some reinforcements back before Sunday’s 16-1 loss with top prospect Roman Anthony and badly needed starting shortstop Trevor Story activated.

*ADLEY RUTSCHMAN HAS NOT BEEN GOOD: Since being traded from Baltimore on deadline day, the catcher is 9 for 53 (.169) with 1 home run and only 4 runs batted in.

        *PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT HAS BEEN CLOSE TO WORTHLESS THIS SEASON VERSUS RIGHTHANDED PITCHERS: Thru Sunday, against righties he is barely hitting above the Mendoza Line (.201 with 7 home runs and 25 RBIs in 147 plate appearances).

        *THE YANKEES MADE A ROSTER MOVE BEFORE SUNDAY’S GAME: Luis Gil will pitch out of the bullpen, mostly in long relief. He has been oft sidelined with a variety of injuries since his impressive 15-7, 3.50 season in 2024.

*BOSTON’S BEST PITCHER MIGHT MISS HIS NEXT START: Sonny Gray (16-4, 2.82) has some issue that the Red Sox were vague about on Sunday. 

8/30 - RANDOM NOTES

*THE RAIDERS HAVE NO CHOICE OTHER THAN TO START KIRK COUSINS IN WEEK 1: First overall pick Fernando Mendoza was decent only against the pathetic Arizona backup defenders. He was mediocre too bad during the 2 other Las Vegas pre-season games.

*THE QB ROOM IN NEW ORLEANS BETWEEN PHOENIX AREA QUARTERBACKS  MAY BE OVER: Tyler Shough won the starting job for a second consecutive season and the weekend has been filled with Spencer Rattler trade rumors.

*THE STEELERS TRADED THEIR STARTING LEFT TACKLE OF THE LAST 2 SEASONS: The Cowboys, always looking for offensive linemen, added Broderick Jones who started 38 games for Pittsburgh.

*AARON JUDGE COULD BE ACTIKVATED THIS WEEK: He will not go a rehab assignment and will instead travel with the Yankees who begin a 3-city road trip Monday at Anaheim.

*THE NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP WILL BE DECIDED IN SEPTEMBER: Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered a 3-home run game on Saturday while Shohei Ohtani may pitch this week for the first time since July 3 (bicep soreness and knee issues). 

*AT LEAST 3 POSSIBLE DIFFERENCE MAKING PLAYERS WILL LIKELY BE ON NEW MLB TEAMS THIS WEEK: Geo Suarez, R.J. Friedl and Luis Robert were all placed on waivers last week.

8/29 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK ZERO

        *BIG 12 FOOTBALL WAS EMBARRASSED IMMEDIATELY: TCU, 9.5-point favorites, was physically defeated and significantly outcoached as North Carolina and Bill Belichick, picked to finish 15th in the ACC, defeated TCU and Sonny Dykes whose undisciplined team had 11 penalties during the 15-10 loss in the Dublin rain.

*USC WAS THE LONE RANKED TEAM PLAYING SATURDAY: The 14th ranked Trojans, unbeaten at home last season, were 37.5-point favorites today and won 42-26 over San Jose State. USC led 35-3 in the third quarter.

*VIRGINIA’S OFFENSIVE LINE IS A JOE MOORE AWARD CANDIDATE: The Cavaliers, anchored by the most experienced OL in college football, rushed for 258 yards and toyed with N.C. State throughout the 34-8 victory. Three-time portal transfer quarterback Beau Pribulla rushed 15 times for 110 yards. If he continues to get that many carries throughout the season, it is highly unlikely he will remain healthy.

*N.C. STATE WILL NEVER GET OVER THE HUMP WITH DAVE DOEREN: The Wolfpack have not won the ACC since 1979 and never won more than 9 games in any of his 13 seasons with their current head coach. Quarterback C.J. Bailey has NFL skills but made a massive mistake but NOT leaving via the transfer portal. On Saturday, he was 12 of 23 for a career low 84 yards throwing to one of the worst receiving groups in college football.

        *FLORIDA STATE MUST IMPROVE SIGNICANTLY BEFORE SEPTEMBER 7TH: Oft-criticized and vastly overpaid Mike Norvell ($10.3 million this season on a 8-year contract thru 2031) spent much of Saturday’s opener hearing boos from the sellout crowd before pulling away in the fourth quarter as 31.5-point favorites in the eventual 34-17 homefield win over New Mexico State. FSU wide receiver and NFL prospect 6-6 Duce Robinson from Phoenix Pinnacle High School caught 3 passes for 50 yards and drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone. The Seminoles next host ACC heavyweight SMU.

        *KEY COLLEGE FOOTBALL PERSONNEL NOTES: Stud Missouri running back Ahmed Hardy (gunshot wound) is out until at least mid-September ... All SEC Texas linebacker Anthony Smith has been removed from the program (detrimental conduct).

8/28 - PACKERS 42, CARDINALS 38

        *BOTH TEAMS RESTED THEIR PROJECTED STARTERS: The starters participated in Wednesday’s Cardinals-Packers joint scrimmage. By the way, not surprisingly, the Green Bay starters reportedly had the upper hand versus its Arizona counterparts.  

        *JEREMIYAH LOVE WORKED OUT ON THE FIELD BEFORE FRIDAY NIGHT’S GAME: The third pick of the draft has been sidelined with an ankle issue since he foolishly was used for 14 touches in his opening pre-season game.

        *IT WAS THIRD AND FINAL GARDNER MINSHEW TRADE SHOWCASE GAME: He finished the preseason completing 40 of 48 passes for 404 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.

*THE CARDINALS SHOULD TRADE AT LEAST 1 WIDE RECEIVER: Arizona has at least 6 NFL quality players at that position while they desperately need many even average defensive players.

        *ALL NFL TEAMS MUST CUT TO 53 PLAYERS BY SUNDAY: Arizona, because of its lack of even decent depth, should be among the NFL leaders in transactions before the September 13 season opener against the Chargers in Los Angeles.

827 - AROUND MLB

        *EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ IS SAVING THE DIAMONDBACKS:With the rest of the rotation struggling, Arizona moved to 21-6 this season in Rodriguez starts after he allowed just 2 hits in 7 shutout innings to ignite the 2-0 win over the Cubs.

        *THIS IS SPOTLIGHT WEEK FOR THE DODGERS: Thursday night’s series finale at Atlanta is Yoshinobu Yamamoto versus Chris Sale. Friday night, Tarik Skubal is the scheduled starting pitcher in his return to Detroit. Also Friday, Shohei Ohtani will hrow a bullpen, and it that goes well, he could start Sunday in Detroit.  

        *THE BREWERS HAVE AN MLB BEST 82 WINS: Milwaukee began a stretch this week of playing 16 consecutive days, including 7 games versus the Cubs.

*THE YANKEES AND RED SOX PLAY 4 THIS WEEKEND IN THE BRONX: The Yankees are 2 up on the Red Sox heading into the series, including Saturday’s split doubleheader.

        *BRYCE HARPER IS A FUTURE HALL OF FAMER: This season, Harper has 27 homers and 77 runs batted in and, amazingly, in 571 plate appearances, he has been hit by pitch ONCE!

        *JACOB DEGROM’S PATH TO COOPERSTOWN HAS BEEN DERAILED BY INJURY: Last weekend he became the second fastest pitcher ever to achieve 2,000 strikeouts.

NEXT UPDATE FRIDAY NIGHT - CARDINALS @ PACKERS

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

8/24 - RANDOM NOTES

*THE DIAMONDBACKS ARE STUCK WITH KETEL MARTE: After his selfish and classless actions of last week, once he is activated, they should make him the final man on the bench or hope he opts for a Roulette table. Unfortunately, they can NOT designate him for assignment because he would immediately be claimed on waivers by a contender that would not be scared off by his hefty contract status.

        *THE BROWNS DO NOT HAVE A LEGITIMATE NFL QUARTERBACK: Monday’s announcement that Deshawn Watson will start ahead of Shedeur Sanders should NOT have been a surprise. Browns GM Andrew Berry has NEVER been a Sanders guy having drafted Dillon Gabriel before Sanders. Also consider this, the Browns offense will have 6-7 first year starters.

        *THANKS GOD ESPN AND FOX STARTED THEIR PRESEASON COVERAGE: It was refreshing to hear Joe Buck and Troy Aikman last Monday night and Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma on Sunday compared to the informercial local broadcasts proclaiming their teams will finish 16-0 ... More on Vilma and his playing days, he waving his arms to approximately 30,000 Jets fans orchestrating the Jets-Jets-Jets cheer in Sun Devil Stadium that might be the most hilarious thing I have ever witnessed in my 30+ years covering NFL games.  

        *THE TEXANS MADE A LIKELY DECISIVE TRADE ON MONDAY TO SOLVE THEIR WIDE RECEIVER ISSUE: Houston acquired Kayshon Boutte from the Patriots to replace and significantly upgrade from Jayden Higgins who suffered a season-ending torn ACL during training camp.

        *MY FAVORITE RUNNING BACK THIS CENTURY HAS RETIRED AFTER MANY INJURIES: Nick Chubb was the most instinctual running back in the NFL and University of Georgia. He’s also a smart dude which could land him, if he desires, on television.

        *THE COMMANDERS ARE DOWN MAYBE THEIR BEST PLAYER: Left tackle Laremy Tunsil (torn triceps) will miss a significant portion, if not all, of the 2026 season.

NEXT UPDATE THURSDAY - AROUND MLB

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

8/23 - COWBOYS 34, CARDINALS 13 (SATURDAY NIGHT)

*FIRST YEAR HEAD COACH MIKE LEFLEUR WAS PREDICTABLY DISGUSTED: Nearly all the starters did not play, but the backups were mostly awful with multiple pre-snap penalties, drops, pathetic tackling and non-existent pass defense that allowed 3 touchdown passes to NFL journeyman Joe Milton. Also, the Cardinals, predictably, were physically manhandled at the line of scrimmage on bot sides of the ball.

*THE LONE PRESEASON HOME GAME WAS A NEUTRAL SITE GAME AT BEST: Cowboys fans took over State Farm Stadium which has been the case in Arizona since Jerry Jones declared Arizona as “Cowboys Country” after a Dallas rout of Arizona in the 1990s at Sun Devil Stadiuim.

*CARDINALS RUNNING BACK JEREMIYAH LOVE WILL NOT PLAY UNTIL HOPEFULLY WEEK 1 ON THE ROAD VERSUS THE CHARGERS: He suffered an ankle injury after foolishly overused during a 14-touch preseason game at Las Vegas.

*IT WAS GARNDER MINSHEW TRADE SHOWCASE, PART 2: He completed 19 of 23 for 177 yards and 1 real bad red zone interception.

*FREE AGENT RECEIVER JALEN BROOKS APPEARS TO BE A LOCK TO MAKE THE 53-MAN ROSTER:A positive sign is he did not even play against Dallas, the team that drafted him in 2023.

*TWO PLAYERS FROM THE 2023 CARDINALS DRAFT CLASS ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE ON THE WEEK 1 ROSTER: Second round edge rusher BJ Ojulari and sixth rounder Kry’ Trel Clark played deep into the fourth quarter on Saturday.

8/20, 5 PM - NFL RANDOM NOTES

*THE CARDINALS ARE BY FAR THE BIGGEST WEEK 1 UNDERDOG: Arizona is a 10.5-point dog at LA against the Chargers. I have preferred NFL underdogs forever, but there is NO WAY I will bet on Arizona’s pathetic defense.

*ASU ALUM JORDYN TYSON IS INJURED AGAIN: The Saints rookie will miss AT LEAST 2 months with yet another hamstring injury.

        *CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY IS MISSING PRACTICES: There are many that believe he is not ailing physically but is sitting out in a contract dispute after Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs signed contract extensions.

        *THE BUCCANEERS HAVE ONE LESS CONCERN TODAY: Stud tackle Vita Vea ended his contract dispute, signing a 1-year, $30 million deal.

        *THE COWBOYS WISELY SIGNED VON MILLER: The future Hall Of Famer had 9 sacks last season in part-time duty with the Commanders.

        *TREY LANCE REMAINS A BACKUP QUARTERBACK AT BEST: It’s 5 years since he was surprisingly the third pick of the draft by quarterback guru Kyle Shanahan.

8/18 - AROUND MLB

*THE DIAMONDBACKS ARE LYING TO THEIR LOYAL FAN BASE: Ketel Marte is a problem, AGAIN. With his teammates fighting for the final wild card, Marte was MIA for hours. He flew to Boston WITH THE TEAM, then failed to show up for Monday’s game and landed on the seldom used restricted list. Torey Lovullo admitted he did not know where Marte was when interviewed after the game by Jody Jackson who asked all the right questions. Tuesday morning Marte was reportedly headed back to Phoenix for an MRI on his knee but Lovullo said prior to Tuesday night’s game that the Dbacks organization has still not heard from Marte.

        *THE MIGHTY DODGERS ARE CURRENTLY THIRD IN THE IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS:Milwaukee took a 3-game lead after winning 3 of 4 last weekend at Dodger Stadium with star second baseman Bryce Turang out because of injury. LA scored 10 runs in 4 games and desperately need a healthy Will Smith who has Beeb out since June 6 because of back issues.

*I ATTENDED THE FIRST EVER CUBS-WHITE SOX REGULAR SEASON GAME: That game June 16, 1997 (my 40th birthday) was fun, but neither team was any good. The Cubs-White Sox series this week is epic because both teams are very good. One thing I have not understood for years is how MANY Cubs SEASON TICKET HOLDERS sell their tickets to White Sox fans. 

*LOOKING AHEAD, THE BREWERS AND CUBS STILL SQUARE OFF 7 TIMES: Those 7 games are in a 10-game span (August 31-September 3 at Wrigley and September 7-9 at Milwaukee).

*THE YANKEES BAD DEFENSE REMAINS AN ISSUE: New York below average gloves at first base and rightfield, both crucial positions in Yankee Stadium games.

        *NO DIVISION EVER HAS BEEN WORSE THE CURRENT AL WEST: The current combined winning percentage of the 5 teams in the division has the lowest winning percentage of any MLB division since division play started in 1969.

NEXT UPDATE THURSDAY - RANDOM STUFF

EMAIL BOB - bkempzail@aol.com

8/17 - AROUND THE NFL

        *THE BROWNS QUARTERBACK SITUATION REMAINS A MESS: Deshawn Watson was OK in the preseason opener which he started. Shedeur Sanders threw an awful second half interception and will start the second preseason game, according to Todd Modken, who has not named a regular season starter.

        *THE BEARS MAIN STORY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ON-FIELD PERFORMANCE: Instead, the Chicago franchise moving to northern Indiana is dominating the headlines.

*THE BEARS DO HAVE AN ON-FIELD ISSUE: Elite safety Coby Bryant, signed away from the Seahawks, will miss 4-6 MONTHS after left knee surgery.

*JAXSON DART STILL HAS NOT LEARNED TO TAKE A HIT: He somehow passed concussion protocol and foolishly returned to throw a touchdown pass in the preseason opener.

*RAMS ROOKIE FIRST ROUNDER TY SIMPSON IS A PERFECT FIT IN SEAN MCVAY’S SYSTEM: However, forget that if the Rams win the Super Bowl on Valentine Day in their home stadium. A championship would result in Matthew Stafford retiring and more likely Sean McVay leaving for television, most likely the CBS #1 analyst seat replacing the probably still intoxicated Tony Romo.  

*THE BILLS MIGHT TRADE KEON COLEMAN: The disappointing wide receiver had some second unit snaps during the first preseason game.

• 8/16 - A LOCAL FOOTBALL UPDATE

        *THE CARDINALS RECEIVED EXPECTED BAD NEWS: Projected starting rookie right guard Chase Bisontis will miss the entire regular season after going down with a torn ACL in his left knee during the third quarter of the second preseason game last Thursday night at Las Vegas.

*JEREMIYAH LOVE WILL ALSO MISS TIME: Love injured an ankle while getting an unnecessary 14 touches in the game at Las Vegas.

        *THERE IS NO TIMETABLE FOR A JAMES CONNER RETURN: The 2024 Cardinals leading rusher has not been available after the 2025 Week 3 season-ending ankle injury.O

        *KYLER MURRAY HAS BEEN NAMED MINNESOTA’S STARTING QUARTERBACK: He was declared the starter ahead of J.J. McCarthy before the first preseason game.

*ASU ALUM JORDYN TYSON CONTINUES TO HAVE HAMSTRING ISSUES: The wide receiver has been shutdown in Saints training camp. He had frequent issues at ASU and was unavailable at the NFL Scouting Combine last February.

        *THE SUPER BOWL FAVORED RAMS MIGHT GET EVEN BETTER: Aaron Donald seems ready to return from retirement, something Sean McVay would not officially confirm on Saturday.

‍8/13 - CARDINALS 27, RAIDERS 14

        *THIS WAS NOT HIGH-LEVEL FOOTBALL: Arizona and Las Vegas were 2 of the 3 worst teams in the NFL last season, and according to Bleacher Report, the Cardinals and Raiders have 2 of the 3 worst rosters this season, along with the the Jets.   

        *THE CARDINALS HAVE PLENTY OF SKILL PLAYERS: Jacoby Brissett was 5 of 5 for 44 yards and a touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr., who has struggled getting separation in training camp, a constant regular season issue in 2025.

        *TOP PICK JEREMIYIAH LOVE LOOKED GREAT: He had 14 FIRST-HALF touches (11 runs for 58 yards, 3 receptions for 15 yards). The third selection of the draft multiple times made the first man miss, something he did in excess during his first team All American final season at Notre Dame.

        *THE CARDIALS FIRST UNIT DEFENSE WAS PATHETIC: It resembled last season when Arizona led the NFL in missed tackles.

*CARSON BECK DID NOT PLAY: The third-round rookie (ribs) was apparently injured at some point in last week’s opener against the Panthers.

        *IN OTHER INJURY NEWS: Cardinals second round selection Chase Bisontis, competing for the starting tight guard spot, did not return after going down with an ugly looking knee injury.

8/11 - AROUND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

*PLAYERS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE PROPER TIME TO USE AN ABS CHALLENGE: Counting spring training it has been more than 6 months, yet it seems at least once per game there is a foolish attempt by catchers and/or hitters.

*THE JAYS OFFENSE HAS NEARLY VANISHED: The World Series Game 7 group from last season scored the 4th most tuns per game in MLB. This season, with basically the same players, Toronto is 30th (dead last) in runs per game.

*THE PIRATES DECLINE IS DESERVED: Pittsburgh is 4 games below .500 with their season-long awful fundamentals on defense and poor situational hitting catching up.

*THE PADRES MAY GET AN UNEXPECTED ADDITION: Yu Darvish, believed to be out for the season after elbow surgery, has been throwing in recent days.

*JACK WILSON HAS THE BEST HANDS OF ANY SHORTSTOP EVER:He broke the all-time MLB record with 110 consecutive errorless games at the psotion.

*THE YANKEES HAVE RECEIVED MUCH NEEDED HELP FROM TOP PRSOPECT GEORGE LOMBARD: He is already an elite defender and massive upgrade over the erratic Anthony Volpe, plus Lombard has hit 2 homers in his first 5 MLB games.

8/8 - LARRY FITZGERALD LANDS IN CANTON

*I COVERED THE CARINALS FOR 22 SEASONS: Larry Fttzgerald was BY FAR the best player over that span and NO DOUBT a first ballot Hall of Famer.

*EASILY THE INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHT OF THOSE 22 SEASONS WAS A FITZ MOMENT: I was in Tampa covering the Cardinals Super Bowl. Fitzgerald’s 64-yard touchdown with 2:47 remaining gave Arizona a 22-20 lead. Unfortunately, the Cardinals defense was unable to maintain the lead.

*ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT WAS FROM TRAINING CAMPS IN FLAGSTAFF: The highlight of nearly every practice were the 1 on 1 highly competitive battles between the still in his prime Patrick Peterson versus Fitz. Both of them took those drills very seriously,

*IT’S A SHAME LARRY FITZGERALD SR. WAS NOT IN CANTON TODAY: Unfortunately, Larry Sr. passed away just 2 months ago.

8/6 - CARDINALS PRE-SEASON GAME 1

        *NEW CARDINALS HEAD COACH MIKE LAFLEUR LOOKED COMFORTABLE: Most notably he is calling the offensive players, something he obviously did not do as an assistant coach for the Rams who have Sean McVay calling the plays.

*FIRST ROUND PICK JEREMIYAH LOVE DID NOT PLAY: It MIGHT be the new coaching staff waiting for the rookie to earn playing time or it MIGHT be a rookie struggling to adjust to the NFL?

        *ROOKIE CARSON BECK WAS IMPRESSIVE: Jacoby Brissett’s projected backup took advantage of the opportunity, completing 15 of 19 for188 yards with 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions.

        *THERE IS NO D IN ARIZONA: The Cardinals were 29th in points allowed last season and it Is shocking that LaFleur kept inept coordinator Nick Rollis.

        *ONE CARDINAL DEFENDER STOOD OUT: Tackle Andrew Billings, fighting for a roster spot, was dominant during one first quarter sequence.

        *IF ANYONE CARES: Panthers 33, Cardinals 30.

8/4 - MLB TRADE DEADLINE

*THE WILDEST TRADE DEADLINE IN MEMORY IS OVER: Some years it seemed like nothing was going to happen. Not 2026 when 37 trades were finalized ON MONDAY.

*THE DIAMONDBACKS MADE JUST 1 ADDITION: Outfielder Lars Nootbaar was no longer wanted by St. Louis. Arizona’s awful minor league system significantly limited the trade options.

*THE DODGERS ORGANIZATIONAL DEPTH, NOT MONEY, LANDED TARIK SKUBAL: He went to LA because it had the best group of prospects to land the top prize of this deadline. After the trade the Dodgers are +185 to win the World Series, -105 to win the National League.

*THE RED SOX ARE ALL ABOUT RIGHT NOW: Boston used 3 of its top 5 prospects to add catcher Adley Rutschman who shuts down the opposing running game and puts the ball in play.

*THE YANKEES DID NOT ADD A CATCHER AS WIDELY ANTICIPATED BUT AL EAST RIVALS TAMPA AND BOSTON DID: In addition to Boston trading for Rutschman, the Rays acquired offensive weapon Liam Hicks plus Joel Peralta perfectly fits the Tampa pitching philosophy.

*THE CUBS ADDED TWO STARTING PITCHERS: Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes could be pivotal in October, but what about the bullpen which THIS SEASON has at least 1 save from 13 DIFFERENT pitchers?

8/2 - NFL BACK TOGETHER WEEKEND

*THE CARDINALS ARE THE NEAR UNANIMOUS PICK TO FINISH LAST IN THE TOP SHELF NFC WEST: Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Indianapolis and the Jets were the lone teams not part of The NFL Network training camp updates Saturday or Sunday.   

*49ERS HEAD COACH KYLE SHANAHAN IS EXPECTED TO BE AVAILALBLE TO START THE REGULAR SEASON: He has been an occasional training camp participant following a near fatal July car accident in  which he was at fault.

*PATRICK MAHOMES HAS NOT BEEN RULED OUT FOR THE REGULAR SEASON OPENER: He has been a limited practice participant coming off last December’s significant knee injury that required extensive surgery. KC begins the regular season at Denver in the first Monday night game.

*THE PRE-SEASON SUPER BOWL FAVORITE RAMS MIGHT BE STRONGER SOON: Future lock Hall of Famer Aaron Donald has been working out and is expected to end his retirement.

*CALEB WILLIAMS HAS SLIMMED DOWN: The third-year quarterback has lost 10-15 pounds, but he still needs to be better than the worst NFL on-target passer he was last season.

*CBS GOT LUCKY: Highly overrated game analyst Tony Romo has been placed on medical leave following a widely reported DUI incident. CBS reportedly will save a significant amount of the 10-year,$180 million deal he signed in 2020.

7-31 - BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS  

*INDIANA IS AN UNDERDOG, AGAIN: The Hoosiers are picked to finish third in the Big Ten even after their 16-0 National Championship 2025 season.

        *OHIO STATE HAS NOT WON THE BIG TEN SINCE THE 2020 COVID SEASON: Yet the Buckeyes whose 15-game winning streak ended against Indiana in last season’s Big Ten Championship Game are picked to win this season.

        *MICHIGAN HAS A KILLER SCHEDULE: Kyle Whittingham’s team welcomes Oklahoma in Week 2 and also hosts Indiana before November road games at Oregon and Ohio State.

        *OREGON LAST SEASON LOST TO ONLY INDIANA (TWICE): The 2026 Ducks final 6 games include road trips to Illinois and Ohio State plus home games versus Michigan and Washington.

        *PENN STATE IS ALMOST ALL NEW: New coach Matt Campbell has 40 new players, including 24 from Iowa State topped by All Big 12 quarterback Rocco Bechi.  

        *USC NEEDS TO BE BETTER ON THE ROAD: The Trojans were 7-0 in the rejuvenated LA Coliseum but 2-4 on the road. The 2026 road slate includes Penn State, Indiana and UCLA.

7/30 MLB TRADE DEADLINE PREVIEW

        *THE TIGERS WILL DEAL TARIK SKUBAL: The price tag increased with the Dodgers now interested because of Shohei Ohtani’s currently questionable pitching status.

*KEVIN GAUSMAN WILL ALSO LIKELY BE ON THE MOVE: The Jays have gone from Game 7 of the World Series to last place in the AL East.

*FREE AGENT ELIGIBLE LUIS ARRAEZ WILL BE DEALT BEFORE THE AUGUST 3RD DEADLINE: The base hit machine will be one of many Giants on the move.

 *THE ASTROS ARE EXPECTED TO DEAL JEREMY PENA: He hired Scott Boras recently as his new agent. There is close to zero chance the Astros will sign Pena to a long-term deal.

 *THE PADRES MIGHT MOVE STUD CLOSER MASON MILLER: There is no hurry contractually because he is signed thru 2029.

 *OTHER TRADE CANDIDATES: The Marlins Sandy Alcantara, the Angels Zach Zeto and Jose Soriano, the Rockies Hunter Goodwin, the Royals Seth Lugo and the Mets Luke Weaver.

7/26 -RANDOM NOTES

* THE DIAMONDBACKS SHOULD SELL PRIOR TO THE AUGUST 3RD DEADLINE: Eduardo Rodriguez and Paul Sewald could help a pathetic farm system which is ranked 26th by Baseball America. Unfortunately, Mike Hazen, responsible for the awful rank, remains the general manager.

*THE DODGERS PLAY THE GAME WITH FEW MISTAKES: In the field, they almost always make the routine play, and, at the plate, they put the ball in play. The results are 13 consecutive post-seasons and 12 straight NL West championships.

*THE TIGERS MUST TRADE TARIK SKUBAL: Splitting a 4-game home series versus the lowly Royals should end any doubt. There is ZERO chance they will re-sign Skubal. Also, Steve Phillips believes Detroit could also trade Casey Mize.

*AROLDIS CHAPMAN IS A CERTAIN HALL OF FAMER: He became the all-time MLB saves leader this week.

*THE MARINERS-RANGERS 4-GAME SERIES CONCLUDES ON MONDAY: Seattle has IS 6-4 this season versus Texas and just 1.5 games behind in the AL West.  

*CUBS-PIRATES GAMES COULD BE AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO: The Cubs are baseball’s best defensive team while the Pirates are the Bad News Bears.

7/24 - SEC MEDIA DAYS OBSEVATIONS

*SEC TALKING DAYS SEEMED TAME: I long for the “Talkin’ Time” days of Steve Spurrier and “Rat Poison” from Nick Saban who did use that term while a member of the of the media on SEC Network.

*THERE WAS 1 TALKING POINT MENTIONED BY NEARLY EVERY COACH: The SEC has opted for 9 conference games which means half the teams will play 5 road games.

*THE SEC HAS 6 DIFFERENT COACHES: including 3 from the ACC which is a massive jump in talent.  

*GEORGIA IS SEEKING A 3RD CONSECUTIVE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VICTORY: One of the highlights over the 4 days in Tampa was Kirby Smart discussing him studying the Oklahoma City Thunder because of their recent season annual success.

*ALABAMA COACH KALEN DEBOER WAS NOT RECEIVED WELL: The Tide media, and especially the fan base, were critical of the third-year Tide coach after saying, “We are NOT thinking national championship.”

*LANE KIFFIN CLAIMS HE IS OFF SOCIAL MEDIA: What’s next, a hot dog without mustard?

NEXT THIS WEEKEND - MLB RANDOM NOTES

7/20 - DODGERS/YANKEES OBSEVATIONS

*The Dodgers not surprisingly outclassed the shorthanded Yankees.

*Loa Angeles won 2 of 3 before Dave Roberts wisely went bullpen game on Sunday night before the trip continues with series versus the Phillies and Mets.

*The Dodgers mostly have the same starting 9 every game but should add a catcher because catcher Will Smith may not return healthy even in September.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto solidified his standing as baseball’s biggest clutch pitcher with a Sunday morning’s complete game domination.
The Yankees lost 10 of 11 at home before Sunday night’s win.

*Even if Aaron Judge returns healthy after the August 3rd trade deadline,  the Yankees need offensive help at catcher and third base.

7/17 - END SEASON MLB PREDICTIONS

NL EAST

1. Philadelphia: The Phillies should remove the weak link of the rotation Aaron Nola who is owed $9 million over EACH OF THE next 4 seasons.  

2. Atlanta: General manager Alex Anthopoulos has a long history of adding before the trade deadline.

3. Miami: The organization is making a mistake if they are buyers between today and the August 3rd deadline.

4. Washington: Entertainment guaranteed because of an explosive offense, bad defense and the MLB’s worst bullpen.  

5. New York: Front office man David Stearns did a horrendous job assembling this mess which had just Juan Soto on the All-Star Game.

NL CENTRAL

1. Milwaukee: The Brewers have hit the third fewest homers in baseball but still have baseball’s second best road record behind the Dodgers. 

2. Chicago: The Cubs must do better than David Peterson on the starting pitcher market.

3. Pittsburgh: The talented young starting staff is constantly throwing unnecessary pitchers because of horrendous fundamental defense resulting in multiple errors.

4. St. Louis: The Cardinals losing ways in July is likely to continue if the starting pitching does not show significant improvement.   

5. Cincinnati: It’s gotten so bad that Terry Francona has been booed in his home stadium.

NL WEST

1.Los Angeles: Edgar Diaz and Blake Snell are scheduled pitch soon for the first time this season.

2. Arizona: Sweeping the disinterested Dodgers in LA should not mean the Diamondbacks become buyers. Paul Sewald would be a highhly sought after closer.

3. San Diego: MLB’s most underachieving team starting tih Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.

4. Colorado: Predictably bad but mostly unwatchable.

5. San Francisco: Would fall into last place if they are able to find new home for Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers are traded.

AL EAST

1. Tampa Bay: Look for the Rays to trade for an effective mid-level starting pitcher,

2. New York; Will when healthy excellent offense and SP depth overcome blow average defense at multiple positions - also when will Aaron Judge return?

3. Boston: 9-game winning streak near end of first half quickly turned fortunes.

4. Baltimore: awful (7-14) in 1 run games.

5. Toronto: from Game 7 of the World Series at trade deadline sellers?

AL CENTRAL

1. Cleveland: will pull away when Jose Ramirez returns from injury.

2. Chicago: second half collapse coming because of fewest innings pitched from rotation.

3. Minnesota: Joe Ryan is the best starting pitcher who should be traded.

4. Detroit: Would be stupid if they do NOT trade Tarik Skubal who it had no chance to signing long term.

5. Kansas City: Salvador Perez needs to retire.

AL WEST

1. Seattle: Will all righthanded rotation backfire?

2. Texas: MLBs most boring team.

3. Houston: Yordan Alvarez baseball’s most feared hitter.

4. Oakland: last season’s fun was a fluke.

5. Los Angeles: Unfortunately, management said Mike Trout will not be traded.