An Astros-Yankees ALCS was a worst-case scenario for me. I don't like either franchise for a multitude of reasons (antiquated facial hair rules, elitist nature of the franchise; cheating, etc.), but if there's one positive to take away from this short series that sent the Yankees home without a World Series for the 13th straight year, it's the play of Providence's own Jeremy Peña.
Peña's father, Gerónimo, played in the big leagues from 1990-96 with the Cardinals and Indians and settled back in the Dominican Republic after his career ended. Jeremy was born the following year, and the family lived in the DR until moving to Providence in the mid-2000s
Houston drafted the 2015 Classical High School grad in the 3rd round in 2018 after playing college ball at the University of Maine (good job recruiting URI!!!!).
Jeremy was such a promising prospect that the Astros let Carlos Correa leave in free agency to open up a spot for him at SS.
As a rookie, Peña hit .253 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs. I know counting stats aren't in anymore, so his WAR was 4.8, which is pretty good. In October, he's been a star. Jeremy hit the ALDS-winning HR in the 18th inning vs. the Mariners.
Then followed that up with an outstanding ALCS, hitting .353 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 4 RBIs in the four-game sweep.
Things are looking up for little ole Rhody on the national scale. Hocus Pocus 2 was filmed in Newport (as well as HBO's The Gilded Age). Hendricken produced an MLB Manager (at least for now) in Rocco Baldelli and current Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla (how many high schools can currently say that?). Kwity Paye became the first Rhode Islander drafted in the NFL's 1st round since 1939.
Now Classical's own Jeremy Peña is MVP of the American League Championship Series. It's still fuck the Astros, but this is objectively wicked cool for the Ocean State. Congratulations, Jeremy! Good luck in the World Series. I hope you bat 1.000 in a Phillies sweep.
P.S.
I actually wanted the Yankees to make it a competitive series. It's sad see them falter like this after such a historically hot start to the year. This isn't even sarcasm...at least you've got the Giants and Jets. That being said, I love their fans. I wish the Yankees won games 4 and 5 so Rafael had to deal with this for a little longer. This is the passion you love to see!!!
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Just because you love someone or something doesn't mean you shouldn't be critical of them. If anything, I think it means you should be more honest with them because you care so much and don't want to see them struggle.
I care about the New England Patriots. I understand that losing the greatest quarterback of all time to one of the biggest joke organizations in all sports can make you do crazy things, but their post-Brady unis are terrible. I've hated them since I first laid eyes upon them.
I've compared the change to when a woman gets a drastic (usually bad) haircut after a breakup, but at least the hair will grow back. The Pats are stuck with these until they decide to switch it up.
The Patriots current home threads are bottom-tier NFL uniforms (like the Jets). The all-blues are trash. They look like Violet Beauregarde. But it's not just the blue on blue; it's the numbers. I don't know how else to say it other than they're ugly to me. When the Patriots started wearing all-blues again for color rush in 2016, they used the same numbers and font as their regular uniforms.
It's just a minor tweak that some might not even notice, but now they're worse than they were in 2016. They don't look like NFL quality uniform numbers.
Last year vs. the Bills, Mac Jones and Josh Uche's jerseys resembled the Pats 2016-19 color rush uniforms, while the rest of the team wore their current digs. This image below shows the difference. You can see Mac's 10 and the 67 behind him are not the same number font.
Another example:
If you couldn't tell the difference, look at that 10 compared to this 10.
I get it, it's new era, and the Pats wanted a new identity, but these unis are objectively worse than their predecessor (there's no TV numbers on the sleeves either). With constant turnover in professional sports, you really are rooting for the uniform and I just straight up hate the Pats current ones. The Brady-era uniforms weren't elite, but they were solid, professional NFL uniforms. They weren't embarrassing, and with the Pats in the midst of a double-dynasty, they became synonymous with winning.
While the jerseys aren't changing (yet), it appears the Patriots are finally doing something to address their current threads. Silver pants are back??
I think we're gonna see these tonight and I'm excited. The pants won't make the shitty number font look better, but it'll be a major improvement from the disgusto-barfo blue on blue monochromatic look.
Song: Oh Caroline (2022) Artist: The 1975 Album: Being Funny in a Foreign Language Yes, ANOTHER song from "Being Funny in a Foreign Language." I fucking love The 1975. I got my wheels back this weekend after almost a month in the shop and listened to this album straight through about three times. Tickets for their show at Mohegan are extremely reasonably priced. If you want to go with your favorite niche undiscovered blogger, the concert's on November 3rd.
I'm lying on my blogging station/bed watching the Padres put up a crooked number against the Phillies to come back from down 4-0. It's 7-4 Padres in the bottom of the 5th as I type this. Phillies just changed pitchers, I'm assuming. I missed it in real-time, and I'm not breaking my stride to rewind for a moot detail. (in editing..yes, pitching change).
I fucking love sports, dude. The last few years with Covid, personal shit, and fears of a fascist uprising redirected my focus away from my love of sports. While I'm still worried about the fascists, I'm gonna enjoy life while I can. Sports are one of the best parts of the human experience. I've written countless blogs about baseball in the seven calendar years of DOL. I love baseball and lived and died with the Red Sox until ownership decided to trade away a Hall of Famer for a pair of foakleys; there are countless blogs about that too, but I don't wanna think about that right now. This is a happy thoughts blog, and nine years ago tonight was one of the happiest nights of my life. Before I get into that, I wanna keep talking playoff baseball. I love the new format. I've seen people crying on Twitter because the 100+ win NL teams looked like shit, but in the AL, it's 1 vs. 2 in the ALCS (in editing..Astros now lead the series 1-0...great catch by Judge though). Maybe you'd like to see one powerhouse and one nice story per league? But it's year one. I'm sure things will level out over time. One year might be all chalk. This year we have chaos, and it's perfect. That's what October is all about. I'm not crazy about the lack of off days for travel, though. It'd (potentially and likely) make for better pitching match ups. I wouldn't hate to see the LDS round going to best of 7, either to give higher seed more wiggle room (maybe something wild like the higher seed has to win 3 games but the lower has to win 4? That'd probably never work, but that'd be cool). As for the Boston Red Sox. My current relationship with the Sox is one of a divorcee who still cares about and loves their ex but also wouldn't hate seeing them die, or at very least letting themselves go. I will always cherish the memories of October baseball, and I know since this ownership won those championships, I may come off as ungrateful, but I'm not. Life is complicated, and things are not always black and white. Ownership can still be awful and scuzzy while also technically being responsible for some of my fondest memories. It's like Amazon. I feel guilty using it, but it can be kind of awesome, sometimes. I was blessed to experience a Red Sox World Series run at 12, 15, 21, and 26 years old. Middle school, high school, college, and post-college. All were very different and worthy of their own blogs. I can't love the Sox the way I used to, even if deep down, I want to. You can't make yourself fall in love again. Sports and fandom represent many things to people, but one part that I've always latched onto was the sense of community. When I moved to Florida in 6th grade, my ever-developing sports fandom was a part of home I brought with me. It was a way to connect with other transplants when I was down there and a point of pride as the Patriots won two Super Bowls, and the Red Sox broke the curse during my less than two-year stay (Nov '03-July '05) in that swampy sess-pool. As I've aged, so have my views on sports. Growing up, all I cared about was championships. That's what determined a significant percentage of my happiness. I was fortunate in that sense because they happened frequently (the Pats 10 year Super Bowl drought while always being in the mix and fielding what would've been the greatest team of all time was a very trying time!). I started following the Patriots in 2001; their Super Bowl XXXVI run is one of my earliest football memories. I may have watched other Super Bowls, but Ravens-Giants the season before is the first I can actually remember. It's natural to get greedy once you've tasted success. I know I'm lucky to witness all that winning and dominance. I still want my teams to win, and I certainly don't want to see prolonged championship droughts (like the Celtics' current dry spell..they may have 17, but I've only been alive for one!), but I also know how incredible those moments are. I want to see other people get to experience them (well, most people...it's always fuck the Yankees, Steelers, Lakers, etc.) during their time on this rock. That's why the 2016 World Series was fantastic. Either way a long-suffering fanbase got to win. I'm like a sports philanthropist in that way. I made my billions off of other people's heartache. Now I'm a little older an have gotten more champions (12) than anyone should in a lifetime, I'm ready to give back...as long is it doesn't come at an expense to my lifestyle. Like, I used to hate the Canadiens when I followed hockey closer. But now I don't really give a shit. I hope the Bruins do well, but it doesn't matter to me whatsoever. No Bruins loss has ruined my day since like 2015. Even in 2019, I wanted them to win, but I felt next to nothing when they lost Game 7 (I was much more worried about David Ortiz's health). One of my best friends is a Habs fan, and when they went on their Covid Cup run in 2021, I jumped on the bandwagon cause I wanted him to experience a 'ship. I joked about #ourhabbies in one of our group chats whenever we talked puck. That same year one of my buddies, who's a diehard Bucks fan and has been since the day I met him, finally saw his team win it all and even got to a Finals game in person. I was so pumped for him. Obviously, I'd rather see the C's win, but if it's not my team, I want it to be someone I care about or a passionate fanbase that's been waiting for decades. In 2016, when the Cavs were down 3-1 against the Warriors, I started rooting for the comeback, even though idfw Lebron, I wanted to see the Cavs comeback for my boy I call pops. I was with him when they won it all, and I'm sure some of my friends might make fun of me because I get emotional about shit like this, but it was incredible to see how happy he was. I'm glad he got to experience that. I'm sure he wishes he was with fam, but they weren't around, so I watched it with him. I know firsthand how great it feels, especially the first time. I've loved watching the Padres' playoff run. They've now won the game I referenced at the beginning of this blog...got off track with a phone call and other things (a couple bathroom breaks & a few bowl rips) since I started writing. Sure, I kind of wanted the Mets to beat them, but watching these fans that only have the Padres get to experience this run is incredible. Petco Park's been rocking. How many times have you been able to say that since the place opened? Maybe 6? You can feel the passion through the internet TV 3,000+ miles away. San Diego lost the Chargers, and before this run, the Pads hadn't had a home playoff game (with fans) since 2006 (two losses during a quick 3-1 NLDS loss to the Cardinals). That's a loooong ass time. For reference: I was a freshman in high school in the fall of '06. Now I'm 30. It's essentially half a lifetime ago. So you look at that same POV as a San Diegoite...San Diego in...San Diegan. A 25-year-old Padre fan hasn't had an opportunity to go to a home playoff game since they were in 5th grade. Nobody under like 23 remembers the 2005 or '06 Padres. No matter how I currently feel about the Boston Red Sox, their 2013 World Series title run is one of my favorite life experiences. I went to 5 games including$1 beard night. It was my 21 summer; needless to say, it was a fun year. 2013 was an unexpected title after one of the worst collapses in baseball history and a miserable 69-93 campaign in 2012. Of course, there's the Boston Strong rallying cry after the Marathon Bombing. We all know how much it meant. For the sake of length, it was a special bearded season. I enjoyed the ride all year long but didn't expect to win it all. It was a remarkable story, but I remember talking Sox at work that summer and saying I think this team has ALCS loss to the Tigers written all over them. On paper, Detroit was a much better team. Scherzer and Verlander. Miggy was at his peak. Torii Hunter. Prince Fielder. Leyland was great. The 2013 ALCS (and the entire playoff run) coincided with easily the most challenging part of my college career. I had my history capstone and the longest and hardest **that's what she said** paper I've ever written on a topic I knew little to nothing about (It was on the economic impacts of illegal immigration). Socially I was slinging pies, living with my best friends (there was still plenty of beefin'), crushing @URIprobs, and amidst turbulent times with my ex-gf that I still did stuff with once in a while. Plus, I still had scars from being at the AFC Championship Game in January. That set the whole year off to a rough start, but looking back it was amazing. Game 2 of the ALCS was on October 13th. Papi's Grand Slam. It saved the season and somehow found a way to unseat a walk-off Tom Brady touchdown pass hours earlier as the day's best Boston sports moment. Selfishly, I was jealous I wasn't there. I had talked to people about going to that game, but things fell through, and I had to watch from the couch in my college house. When my buddy who went to Game 2 told me he was getting standing-room-only tickets for like $90 and asked if I wanted one, I said yes without hesitation. I wish I remembered more of the small details. It could've been that day; maybe a few before? I think he got tickets after the Sox won game 5; either way, I would be at Fenway with a chance to see the Sox win the pennant.
We got to Fenway early to get the best spots possible.
Part of me doesn't like putting this part of the story on wax, but I mean, with everything being digital now, I think it's okay to admit it. The best part of this whole night was getting onto the Monster. I remember this part vividly because my paranoid ass was terrified. Since my buddy had standing-room-only Monster tickets from Game 2, he scanned those, photoshopped them to say "Home Game 3," and made four copies for us all to watch from 37 feet (even higher cause we were in the back) in the air. Absolute legend move. I bought real standing-room-only tickets for like $90. We used those to get into Fenway, but from being there earlier in the week, he knew we just had to get into the building. They weren't going to scan the tickets again; we just had to get past the usher guarding the Monster. Once up there, we didn't walk to any other part of the stadium to risk showing our papers again. But being up there by scamming the marketed-up playoff ticket market was the peanut butter drizzle (cause idfw cherries) on a brownie sundae of a night. We weren't hurting anybody. Just some sly dogs who love(d) the Sox.
We settled in the 2nd section SRO, right next to a light tower. So if you're reading this, John Henry, you can stroke off knowing we had a significantly obstructed view.
We couldn't see center or right field, but it didn't matter. We were on the Green fucking Monster in a potential-pennant clinching game (and I was right next to a beer vendor and had a few Wachusett Blueberries).
The Dropkick Murphy's played "Shipping Up to Boston" during the pre-game festivities. At 21, I was kind of sick of that song by now with how much I had heard it from the Departed, Papelbon (s/o my 58 brethren)..pretty much every 2 hours for over five years, but even my hardo 21-year-old ass thought it was pretty cool to hear in person. It was Max Scherzer vs. Clay Buccholz on the mound; two of the best pitchers in the AL that season, although Buccholz was not nearly the same guy he was before the ASG. A Game 2 rematch. Clay was much more solid this night but struggled in the 6th before Franklin Morales let the two men he inherited score. Scherzer was just as sharp for most of the night. He won his first Cy Young that year and was an absolute machine. 21-3, 2.90 ERA, led the AL in WHIP. Would've won Game 2 if it weren't for Big Papi.
2-1 Tigers going into the bottom of the 7th and that's when it happened.
I haven't even mentioned that I ran into a girl from my high school advisory on the Monster. Such a small world! She missed the granny :(
0-2 pitch, Victorino corkscrews a ball to left, and it's coming right at us. I cannot believe it. You're hoping it clears the wall, but you knew the game was tied at the very least. I just wanted to at least tie it at this point. The inning before, the Sox had men on 2nd & 3rd with 1 out and struck out twice to end it. But the ball was coming towards us; it was unreal. I had never been in that position before. A home run was coming toward us like a missile. It landed like 15 feet away, and the Monster and the rest of Fenway exploded in jubilation. It was the 7th inning, but with our bullpen, it might as well of been a walk-off blast. We knew the pennant was ours. Koji wasn't gonna blow a 3-run lead if we got through the 8th. If you slow down the broadcast video like I've done thousands of times since that night, you can see me put my arms in the sky and immediately turn to celebrate with the guys I came with (pause). (this is not that moment).
It was pure bliss. Earlier in the night, we had a close call with a Pedey foul ball that we thought was gone, but this time it was a no-doubter. The ball landed like 12 feet from me. Everybody was going crazy. People were taking pics with the guy who caught/got it off the bounce, myself included.
A minute after midnight (at least according a vine I made), Koji struck out former Red Sox José Iglesias (thank you so much for booting that grounder in the 7th). The Red Sox were going to the World Series for the first time since 2007!
If you looked closely on that super fuzzy, zoomed in iPhone 4 photo, you can see they screwed up and put "AL East Division Champs" on the board.
I don't want to say I'll never experience anything like that again. I'd love to be in a position to watch one of my teams win it all, but if I never do. I'll always have this night. Nothing John Henry can ever do will take that night away from me. I love the 2013 Red Sox, and being at Fenway to watch to clinch the American League is, without question, the coolest thing I've ever seen since I started breathing nearly 31 years ago; easily a top 3 night of my life.
I went with three guys from the class two years below me. One I have no issues with whatsoever; we're just not friends. I don't dislike him we just don't know each other at all outside of going to the same high school for two years. This was the only time in my life I've ever hung out with him other than maybe a quick what up nod at a party if you ever count that which to me is not on par with witnessing the Boston Red Sox win the pennant atop the Green Monster. He's friends with the other two guys, or at least was then because, again, I don't really know him. Another guy I'm cool with, but we haven't seen in forever. I love that dude and hope he's doing well. His mom was our HS art teacher and was always cool to me because I was an older guy and nice to her son. Hashtag good guy. The last one I consider almost a little brother. I took him under my wing during my junior, his freshman year of football, and he's been my dude ever since. Are there other people I would've liked to experience that with? Sure. I'm sure they'd all say the same too. But it's something we'll always have and I'm glad we experienced it together. I barely know the guy Marc, but if I were to run into him, I'd have an awesome story to reminisce about instead of fumbling through small talk. Maybe you're not into sports, so it's hard to translate the experience of watching your favorite team win a pennant that nobody expected---on another clutch grand slam mere feet away from you in a series you were utterly outmatched in (Tigers starters broke a strikeout record in 6 games)---during a year where a terrorist bombed a staple of Boston---but I hope you too get to experience a night like that in your lifetime, many nights in fact. I may never love the Red Sox like I did in 2013, but that was the fucking time of my life. It was nice to go down memory lane and share a few pics with my guy Nino. I'll give you the DOL reader (thank you) a peek.
I've got that shirt in a tote in the basement near my DVDs.
A couple weeks later, I went back to Boston for the parade. I've been to three (2011 Bruins, 2013 Sox, and 2016 Pats). Let's end this 2,600+ worder on that.
haaaarddddoooooo
Fuck You, you lizard fuck!!!!
I was the #1 Daniel Nava fan in America..he should've played more than Jonny Gomes....dude slashed .303/.385. Nav's had the Sox only hit in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Bae.
P.S.
As a 30-year-old, I grew up during the final days of physical media. If I try hard enough, I can still hear the pop of a plastic VHS case and the grind of the rewinding machine. New Year's Eve for the new Millennium I was at party at my mom's friend's house and was blown away by their DVD collection and big screen TV that was a solid two-to-three feet deep. Very impressive for 1999.
Over the next few years, I grew my own collection. The first DVDs I remember owning were used ones from Blockbuster and other smaller independent rental places. For a brief moment, I switched to HD-DVDs (my dad got a free HD-DVD player with a 52 inch Sony Bravia in 2008) before they lost the format war to Blu-Ray.
For music, cassettes were still around, but definitely on their way out. CDs were king. Stunt by Barenaked Ladies is the first one I remember wanting and getting. I'm pretty sure I had two copies (s/o divorce). Of course, Hit Clips had their time (about 45 seconds). Like other kids my age, I had a CD case to bring upwards of 120 songs with me on a trip, but some of the real Richy-Riches of the early 2000s had full-on zipper-binders to store their CDs. If you were from the Rockefeller bloodline, you might've even had one with your DVDs for a portable DVD player on field trips. As I got older, things progressed to streaming. I'm responsible for killing at least two laptops with Limewire for my video iPod which was my BIG Christmas '05 gift. In high school, I still used that iPod (until it got stolen), but with a mini-van that had an 8-CD changer that my dad installed when it was his, I still played CDs in the late 2000s and early 2010. Then in 2016, when I had my Grand Cherokee with a 6-disc changer, I had a little CD Renaissance. There's a copy of Currents by Tame Impala in a shoe box somewhere in the basement. I still bought DVDs and Blu-Rays regularly until like 2018. I have two full storage totes downstairs that I haven't touched since moving into my current place, but I have zero intention of getting rid of them in case the internet ever goes down. Movies come off streaming services all the time. This way you have it forever. PIus, I'm a collector. I took pride in my collection of classic comedies, rom coms, and the occasional action flick. I'm not just gonna throw them away. Now I'm fully on Apple Music. I respect people who want to support artists by buying vinyls, but I just can't get into it. Too much work. I like ease and convenience, and playing a record is a whole to do. I'd rather watch music videos on Youtube, but if you're a record person, that's your swag. I'm not mad at cha, but I do think it's a bit try-hard. I guess the sound quality is better? But the people/robots at Youtube and Apple Music do a fine job IMO. I saw a video on IG today, which inspired this blog. It just hit home hard. Sure, I don't have a record collection. But I sure as shit still have a bunch of CDs/DVDs/Blu-Rays in Target totes that I'm holding onto because you never know when you'll need a copy of National Treasurer or Knocked Up. This mom already fucked up getting rid of her vinyl and refuses to make the same mistake! Those things are supposedly worth serious money now too.
I like to think I have eclectic taste. This year, I've seen Tame Impala, Steely Dan, Cobra Man, Jimmy Buffett, and Florence+ the Machine live. My first concert was Mos Def and Talib Kweli. I love hearing other people's favorites that seemingly don't go together, and I don't think you could find a more opposite pair than Oingo Boingo and Anita Baker. Sometimes you need to physically touch something to remember all the emotions it made you feel or if that artist is still alive. Looking at a screen just isn't the same.
You can feel this mom's pain. She done fucked up before! "I'm not getting rid of this shit!" I don't careeee if I don't even have the means to play them. I'm stuck in my ways and no amount of logic is gonna change that. I feel you, girl. Do you (P.s. sup?). When people are stuck in their ways with shit like this, as opposed to restricting rights, it's harmless and fun; I say go for it. Let the mom keep her CDs. You can keep streaming shitty Machine Gun Kelly, she'll dust off her Color Me Badd CD, and everybody can be happy until the nuclear fallout.
I don't believe in jinxes, so I'm just gonna come out and say it; the only thing that can stop the Boston Celtics is themselves and injuries (maaaybe unconscious shooting from the Splash Bros too).
Sure, it's only one game, and they didn't even look like the C's in those Seattle Supersonic digs---
---but the defending Eastern Conference Championship Celtics looked nicer than a Stanzo brand fedora on opening night.
Grant Williams scored 15 on 100% shooting from the field.
Malcolm Brogdon is gonna be a force off the bench this year. He kept getting to the cup with ease.
126 points without Timelord, this team is gonna be something else once they're at full strength. I say let Rob take as much time as he needs. As great as last night was, it's just one of 82 games. They'll surely be off nights and head scratching losses, but this team is built for another Finals run. Not only did the Jays each drop 35 but they did so on efficient shooting. Jayson was eating on the glass too.
The 76ers are frauds, so I'm not gonna let one game blow too much smoke into my head, but last night was an excellent start for the 2022-23 campaign (at least for the C's....TNT fix your audio bro).
Again, it's all about 18 is a little too New York Yankee adjacent for me, but it really is all about 18. I'm gonna enjoy the ride, but after last season's Finals run, I just want it to be the playoffs (partly because that would mean it's spring/summer again). The C's even had a dude from Massachusetts on the floor for the first time since 2004...or at least for the first time in a win?
I don't know how long Noah Vonleh will play for, but that was pretty cool. Speaking of New England, congrats to Rhode Island's own Joe Mazzulla for picking up that first win!
Stay hungry!!!
P.S.
This game had everything, including Marcus with an all-time flop and Harden still couldn't hit!!! Shimmy your ass back to Philly with this L.
Song: I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am (2022) Artist: Arctic Monkeys Album: The Car AM continues to reinvent themselves. This shit has a lil bit of funk to it. I dig it big time. The Car drops Friday.
When Dustin Hopkin's fourth field goal of Monday Night Football split the uprights, it marked the official end of Week 6. Thanks to last year's season expansion and remembering elementary school math (18/6=3), the regular season is now a third of the way finished.
It's bittersweet.
Bitter because it's a further reminder that our precious time on this planet is fleeting and finite, but sweet because it gives us a large enough sample size to provide a fair reflection on the season so far and predict what's to come!
In September, I published my 2022 NFL Preview. I gave some hot takes, picked playoff teams, postseason results, and award winners. All teams have played 5 to 6 games, so there's still plenty of season left. In 2018, the Colts started 1-5, finished at 10-6, and even won a playoff game. Technically, all 32 teams are still alive, but there have been plenty of pleasant surprises and disappointments to this point in the year. Let's take a look!
Biggest Surprises: New York via New Jersey Football Teams May Actually Be Good???
The New York Jets and Giants are the season's most shocking stories through six weeks. The Jets are 4-2, and the Giants are 5-1. When Robert Salah said he kept receipts, I thought he sounded like a fool, but it looks like he fooled around and fell in love with winning, as the Jets have already matched their 2021 win total in 11 fewer games. Sure, it took an all-time miracle/collapse to beat the Browns, but wins are wins. The Jets just went into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers (who we'll get to) convincingly to ruin Week 6's TML teaser of the week (it went 7-1...kill me).
Rookie Breece Hall has been a delight for gang green, with over 600 scrimmage yards in his young career. Sauce Gardner may be "HIM." Zach Wilson's only thrown one touchdown pass in three starts, but he's 3-0 since coming back from injury. I hate to give the Jets any credit, but they're a decent football team, at the very least. Pats Week 8 will be a major test. As for their port authority counterparts, the New York Football Giants are possibly the most surprising 5-1 team in NFL history. I thought they'd end up like 4-13. Brian Daboll already has Coach of the Year in the bag. He's changed the culture and gotten the most out of a subpar roster. Your local high school probably has more talented receivers, but the G-men's defense and Saquon's Renaissance have Big Blue right in the thick of the NFC BEAST. The Giants win ugly and grind it out, which is what it takes to win late in the season, and with a favorable stretch in their schedule, don't be surprised if the Giants have 8 or 9 wins on Thanksgiving. Before you get too excited in the NY/NJ area, remember that the 2009 Giants started 6-0 and missed the playoffs and the last time the Jets made the playoffs people were Dougie-ing. There's a LOT of football left.
Biggest Disappointments: Green Bay Packers are FRAUDS
Coming off of back-to-back losses as touchdown-plus favorites against the New Jersey teams, the Green Bay Packers sit at 3-3. I knew their offense would take a significant step back without Devante Adams, but what we're seeing in Wisconsin is more like you're accidentally in reverse when parking and end up running over the neighbor's dog.
If it weren't for the Patriots playing ultra-conservative in OT, the Packers could be 2-4, but they're currently a .500 team and a struggling one. This defense was supposed to be legit, and they've only forced four turnovers through six games (0-3 in games with zero turnovers). Their passing game is a mess. Rodgers hasn't been himself without a stud WR, but in his defense, his current crop of pass catchers sucks. This is an incredibly flawed offense that's in significant trouble. They have no identity. You'd think they'd utilize their loaded backfield more, but AJ Dillon has only one touchdown. With a HOFer at the helm, it's not too late, but unless the production substantially increases or they make a few trades, the Packers will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018. I still have a feeling Odell ends up in GB, but who knows how effective he'll be coming off another torn ACL. I'm sure Rodgers would take his chances vs. these scrubs.
Biggest Surprises: Atlanta Falcons & Seattle Seahawks don't suck
There's still plenty of season left for the wheels to fall off, but through a month and a half, the Atlanta Falcons have a share of the lead in the NFC South at 3-3 and are 6-0 against the spread. If you're not a gambler, that might not mean much to you, but it means they're in games. Atlanta's averaging 24.3 PPG and have proven to be a tough out for any opponent. I fully expected the Falcons to be one of the worst teams in the league this year, but even with a reluctance to involve Kyle Pitts in the offense, things are going surprisingly well in the ATL (Braves choke job withstanding). Credit to silver spoon in his mouth Arthur Smith. These Falcons are frisky! It's nice to see Marcus Mariota playing alright.
You can say pretty much the same thing for the Seattle Seahawks. They're frisky despite pretty much everybody assuming they'd just roll over and die without Russell Wilson. Through six games Geno Smith has done an adequate job and provided the quote of the season. They're 3-3 and tied atop the NFC West. Injuries and a lack of talent may be their undoing, but Pete Carroll has impressed to this point, milking this much out of a subpar roster.
Biggest Disappointments: Baltimore Ravens close games like Byung-hyun Kim in the 2001 World Series
Did you know the Ravens are 3-9 in their last 12 games? It's almost impossible to believe, but it is true. They finished last season with a six-game losing streak and are just 3-3 in 2022. Did you also know the Ravens held a double-digit 2nd half lead in all three of their losses? Not to make excuses for my Patriots, but Baltimore could've easily lost that game too.
Why can't this team close out games? Has Harbaugh lost it? He's been in Baltimore since 2008; maybe the old song and dance have lost their luster? I still can't believe he went for it in a tie game against the Bills. A decision like that could lose the locker room. I had the Ravens bouncing back and winning the AFC North this season, but their defense and inability to seal the deal is a problem. At 3-3, they're still very much in the race, but as things stand, this is not a team built for playoff success. Luckily for the Ravens, they already beat the Bengals, so they currently hold that tie-breaker.
Biggest Disappointments: Russell Wilson is No Longer Elite
Through six games, Mr. Unlimited's offense is dead last in the NFL in scoring. The Broncos have scored just 91 points and only surpassed 20 points once in six games. 1/6 is never good. Russell Wilson is the quarterback, so he's the one to blame. It's easy and fun to gang up on Russ online, but his regression is more shocking than the end of Bad Sisters (I highly recommend...it's on AppleTV+). I don't know if it's the elevation or the fact he's turned into a one-read quarterback, but Russ is making the 2015 Broncos offense look like the Greatest Show on Turf.
Quick Takes Through 6 Weeks:
-I nearly included the Colts and Matt Ryan for disappointments, but at 3-2-1, I think they might be turning it around (at least, I hope so for the sake of my 6u future on them winning the AFC South). Jonathon Taylor is easily the biggest fantasy disappointment. -The Panthers have to trade Christian McCaffrey. It's over. Get all you can for him before he gets hurt again. -The Saints need to get Taysom Hill the ball more, but it'd be hilarious if he ended up as a top 5 fantasy "Tight End" with less than 10 receptions (he currently has 1 for 2 yards). -I was right about the Jaguars being decent (so far). -The League has to fix the Roughing the Passer problem. -Brandon Staley is a bottom 5 coach in the NFL. -If you vote for Herschel Walker, you're missing your brain. -The Eagles are super fun to watch, but they seem to do all their damage in one quarter and just hope to hang on. I think that will come back to haunt them in the playoffs. -Brady should just retire now and try to salvage his personal life. -The Bears orange helmets must be destroyed. Just because you can have an alternate helmet doesn't mean you have to. -The Chiefs may be 4-2, and Mahomes is still putting up massive numbers, but they clearly miss Tyreek. -Mike McDaniel was a cute story through three weeks, and sure the Tua injury affects things, but the Dolphins are done. -I don't have data to support it, but I feel like kickers miss more extra points on sudden change touchdowns like pick-6s because they aren't ready or expecting to kick. -Dan Campbell is a cool, likable dude, but he's not an NFL Head Coach -The Pete Davidson Taco Bell breakfast commercials fucking suck and are making me hate my favorite fast-food chain. -I think the Giants could make the playoffs, which is fucking bananas because they legit have mannequins for receivers. -The Bengals will be fine. -JC Jackson was a product of the Patriots system (congrats on the bag, though). -I don't know what "HIM" means or how one qualifies as "HIM," but that isn't stopping me from using it. I think it's like porn. You know it when you see it. -The Commanders is a bottom 5 team name in North American professional sports, and their helmets with the W on the front stink out loud. -The Bears skill position talent may be the worst I've ever seen in 20+ years of NFL fandom. -Nick Chubb is the best running back in the NFL. -Teams should always go for two in the 4th quarter if they score a touchdown to go up seven points. Go for the jugular and make it a two-score game. -This isn't a take, it's a stat nugget. There's only been 2 official blocked punts this year (the Packers blocked one vs the Jets but since it went like 7 yards it didn't register as one) and they've both been against the LA Rams. It's something to remember going forward, as special Teams are a third of the game.
1/3 of the Season Award Winners:
MVP: Josh Allen OPOY: Nick Chubb DPOY: Micah Parsons Comeback Player of the Year: Saquon Barkley OROY: Chris Olave DPOY: Sauce Gardner Coach of the Year: Brian Daboll
P.S.
Too Many Legs Teaser of the Week is live on my TikTok. I'm 0-6, -6U this season, but we're so close it's fucking stupid. Last four weeks the teaser's gone: 6-2, 6-2, 5-3-1, 7-1. We should have at least 2 wins by this point, but there's still 12 weeks to go. I'm saying we hit at least 4.
Your boi is too niche for his own good. I know this, but it's who I am. The internet is a big place, and there have to be other weirdos out there who appreciate my rabbit holes and esoteric references; they just haven't found me yet!
I'm starting to learn a little more about making Tiktoks. Last night I spent the entire duration of MNF making one because the original got fucked up by my lack of TikTok knowledge. I'd be editing the video then the sound would go away out of the blue. It was a mess and not worth diving deeper into unless you could show me the ropes. This TT tells the story about how linking a blog where I posthumously awarded Bill Russell the 1979 Hashtag Good Guy of the Year award (as well an incomplete history of the phrase) to my recent blog about the Celtics' new City Edition uniforms made me realize that I low key predicted an 87-year-old man's death!!! Wow!!!! Watch below to hear wtf I'm rambling about; enjoy!
Song: Looking For Somebody (To Love) [2022] Artist: The 1975 Album: Being Funny in a Foreign Language So dark, yet so peppy. Perfectly (the) 1975. I love what I've heard of the new album so far. |
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