MidValleySports.Com

Joe T.

“Love arrives safely with suitcase in tow.
Carrying with her the good things we know.
A reason to live and a reason to grow.
To trust. To hope. To care.”
—The Avett Brothers

Kick it!

That Pirate performance last night was the worst I’ve seen since “At World’s End”.

It was as if they were whining…”Oh please Mr. Bumgarner take it easy on us…We’ll swing at all those pitches in the dirt. By the way here’s a hanging curve for Brandon Crawford to hit…”

It’s not because I dislike the Giants, but it felt like Pittsburgh rolled over. Maybe it’s wrong on my part to think this, but if they couldn’t rattle Madison Bumgarner on the hill maybe they should have attempted to rattle him when he got into the batters box.

But then again baseball is niiiiice these days…it’s a niiiiice game…and if you get angry and do something then you won’t be considered niiiice…and everyone wants to be nice these days…even in competition.

Speaking of doing something…speaking of having guts…can I tell you the last few weeks the team popping into my head has been the San Gabriel Matadors.

(626) 287-6417
Monday-Friday 8-6 | Saturday 8-4
9237 Lower Azusa Rd. #N
Temple City, CA 91780

SG is 0-5 on the field (they did pick up a forfeit win over Montclair), they have allowed 220 points, and have not scored once this season…Yet those players on the roster, the ones that keep putting on the helmet and pads when they know what is waiting for them when they come out of the locker room and what the scoreboard will look like when they leave the field…Those guys got guts and they’ll never get the credit they deserve for showing up when things are tough.

…And so few people these days keep showing up when things are tough.

Is it just me or do life’s burdens feel lighter when your fantasy football team is 4-0 and the last undefeated team in your league?…By the way I’ve won 14 consecutive regular season games in the Mid Valley Perspective League.

I’m not going to get crazy…and I’m not telling you to bet your money…but, but, but…I can’t escape the thought that Calabasas has a puncher’s chance at St. Francis tonight. The CalPreps prediction of 56-14 in favor of the Golden Knights might be a little excessive.

(So if Calabasas wins or loses by less than two touchdowns can I get some credit on this?)

It’s really nice to have the Smudgepot (Smudge Pot?) back in October. I was never a believer in August football rivalry games. Though with a projected 106 this coming weekend it will still feel like August.

Note to Bonita: Stop the run…(Like Adrian Medrano didn’t know that already?)…Stop the run and you stop SD…Then again maybe you don’t…

Before handing Friday’s Suburban showdown between La Mirada and Bellflower to the Matadores, keep in mind Derek Brown and the Bucs have beaten La Mirada as recently as 2011. So a Bellflower win might be a surprise but not unprecedented. I like their offensive line.

Hard to believe, but it looks like the Mission Valley League will be settled tomorrow night when Rosemead goes to Arroyo. The Panthers were winless until last week when they hammered El Monte. Gabrielino’s wins have come against Bosco Tech and Pasadena Marshall, Mt. View and South El Monte are winless and unimpressive.

So it comes down to the this game that the Knights have won every year since 2008 when they started a freshman quarterback named Steven Rivera in a 50-12 loss. Arroyo began 2008 0-5 before running off three in a row (View, Gab, EM) and then dropped its last two, including a playoff game to Temple City.

Interesting part is the Knights, with three league wins (3-7 record overall), went into the post season as a second place team. In 2014, with six leagues now in the Mid-Valley Division, only second place guarantees you a playoff birth. Right now the MVL is so far underwater when it comes to wins and losses it is certain there won’t be a third place team going to the playoffs this year.

Arroyo’s going to win this game, but Panther fans need to keep the faith, their powder dry, and eyes forward. Your team will go to the playoffs…Of course you might end up out at Sierra Canyon, but at least you can say you made the playoffs.

Regards:

In regards to Austin Davis: Declaring him the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season was the smart thing by Rams HC Jeff Fisher…But, really, was there another option? Was Jeff Smoker available?

In regards to the Earth shaking news: The Whittier quake was 27 years ago today. I woke up, put my feet on the floor and felt everything start to shake. It stopped, I walked into the living room and asked my brother if itwas an earthquake…He said yes, it started to shake again and we started laughing our heads off. It was a good shake, but after Sylmar in 1971 it was really hard for us to be scared again.

In regards to the Feds/FCC censorship: If they can arbitrarily censor the word “Redskins” from the airwaves…what else can they sensor? Latest poll from right-wing conservative bastion ESPN came out that 79% questioned do not believe the name “Redskins” is offensive. I wonder what the poll numbers would be on the word “censorship”?

In regards to censorship: Has the N-Word ever been officially censored?

In regards to searching for role models: “Obviously they have a talented group over there, there’s no question. They have some great pitching. But come playoff time, talent can take you a long ways, but what do you have between your legs? That’s going to take you real far. And I think we’ve got a group in here that really has some of that.”—San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Hudson on the Washington Nationals.

The Dude abides…

585

Psalms 69:13

Contact Joe at joe@midvalleysports.com

“Joe T.’s Scoreboard” is found at www.midvalleynews.com every Wednesday & in the hard copy of the Mid Valley News, published every Wednesday

Follow Joe on Twitter @joet13b

Listen to “The Joe Show” every Wednesday (6 & 6:30 P.M.) at www.midvalleyradio.net
LIKE “The Joe Show” on Facebook

“The Mid Valley Sports Show” is LIVE every Tuesday (7:PM) at www.midvalleysports.com (Click on “UStream” button)