Joe T…Mets are going to the playoffs!
By Joe Torosian
“If Relationship George walks through this door, he will kill Independent George. A George divided against itself cannot stand!”—George Costanza
Kick it!
Right off the Top: The saying of “Loud Mouth Soup” refers to alcohol, but by and large beer.
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Oh, I’ve always been a Jim Jakeway fan!
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“This book has been such a breath of fresh air. Reminding me why I sit on bleachers and what a community is all about. Most importantly what high school football is all about. I read the book 3 times.”
“Anyone who has a kid trying out for his High School football team needs to read this book. Torosian has taken his 20 some years of reporting on Prep sports, mixed a healthy dose of San Gabriel Valley insider references and created a very readable first effort.”
“A page turner…I’m sorry it’s over! Is a sequel in the works?”
“Torosian does for high school football what Hemingway did for the Spanish Civil War…compelling look beyond the scoreboard and into the lives of players…”
“A truly great story unfolds in the pages of Joe Torosian’s first novel. With high school football at its core, the story of Dale Andrade shows how a young man grows in all aspects of his life thanks to being a part of a team and a football community.”
“This is a great read for everyone: from those who love high school football to those who have no idea about the game.”
“This book brings you onto the field and into the locker room…”
Joe Torosian’s high school football novel is available through Amazon.com –click pic–
(Cover by Pat Cherry www.blackheartart.com)
I guess along with bad seats, drunken Los Angeles Rams fans can also be considered those of the “Horseshoe Variety”…
Only speaking from personal experience but in my other line as a Pastor when people of faith come to me and say they’re struggling spiritually, I ask them how their prayer life is.
Meaning, if you are going to live as a Christian you need to spend time in prayer. Duh.
Now before “Vinman”/”Joe Pulitzer”/“FridayKnights” come after me for preaching in my column…hold on…I’m getting to a point here. The most obvious thing is, which does not require a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Seminary, is if your prayer life sucks then your spiritual life is going to suck.
That’s 123 words to make this point: When serving beer/alcohol at a sporting event without any serious limits or restrictions…people will turn into morons…and you get drunken brawls.
Duh.
Then you get the media, press and social, trying to figure out why there’s violence at sporting events. Why are people getting into fights at the Coliseum?
The answer is simple, the most simple to all social questions, turn off the tap and you shut down the brawls.
If a family of four wants to go to a Rams game this season between tickets, parking, and food you’re talking $800 to $1,000 on the conservative side. Why would anyone invest that…just to sit next to a bunch of drunks?
Give me the RamCave…I’ve got great parking, great seats, and no line for the bathroom. I even have an in with the people running the snack bar.
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Did you know Burbank has not defeated Monrovia since 1980? Unless you count the 2015 opener when the Bulldogs beat the Wildcats, 38-20.
But that game was erased by forfeit…and M-Town got the win…What do you think of forfeits?
I’ve made this argument before…why should a clerical error or a player who didn’t see any action (but may have been in uniform) delete the results of 48-minutes on the field?
Now if the kid scored six touchdowns in a 49-0 win over Keppel…then let it rip. But to punish everybody for a screw up…please?
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You heard it hear first…The New York Mets will be in the playoffs. Lock it up!
Oh, I guess that sounds crazy…Kind of like the Los Angeles Dodgers holding on to first place in the National League West with Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling, and Julio Urias headlining the pitching staff.
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Is it just me or does it seem like there are more and more left-handed quarterbacks these days?
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So if you’re a batter and you make it to the big leagues and get a hit off of Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher Cody Reed…does it really count? I mean isn’t that like saying you got a hit off former Los Angeles Dodgers’ starter Carlos Perez?
Isn’t that like saying most Hollywood celebrities are supporting Hillary Clinton in November?
Isn’t that like saying when people get drunk fights tend to start?
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Just so everyone is aware…the Rams have not drafted a lot of quarterbacks in the first round…Since the start of the common draft era, they’ve only taken Sam Bradford (2010) and now Jared Goff. Prior to this, they took Bill Munson (Utah State, 1964), Terry Baker (Oregon State, 1963), and Roman Gabriel (North Carolina State, 1962). In 1949 they drafted Bobby Thomasson (Virginia Military Institute), who threw 12 passes for the team that season before becoming a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Of all these players the only who shined was Gabriel…but, it took four years and the ability to survive two number one picks (Munson & Baker) before he became the starting quarterback for good.
I want Goff to succeed…I want him to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns…but it’s going to take time, Gabriel at least had some linemen blocking for him.
Will Los Angeles, management, the offensive line, and the media give Goff four years to develop?
I think, I’d like a little more arrogance out of him.
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LL Cool J once said, “I need love.” So do these teams based on the last time they had a winning season.
Alhambra: The Moors have not had a winning season since imploding on itself after 2011.
Arcadia: The Apaches have not been on the right side of the ledger in terms of wins & losses since the last ride of Jon Dimalante in 2011. Their absence from the playoffs the last four years is the longest stretch without a post-season date since the 1960’s when they missed the CIF ball from 1964 through 1969. That stretch includes a 7-1-1 record in 1965 that left them on the outside looking in because they tied Montebello (20-20) and lost to Monrovia (12-6) in Pacific League play.
Mt. View: The Vikings have not had a winning season since 1997 (the last time they made the playoffs). What’s interesting is that in 1998, View started 3-0-1…But an October 9 loss to La Puente seems to have cursed the program and they’ve never recovered.
Temple City: The Rams have not had a winning season since Anthony White’s pitstop in 2009, but that 5-4-1 record wasn’t enough to earn a playoff birth. The program returned to the playoffs in 2010 & 2012 but did not finish with a winning record. This is the school’s longest stretch ever without a winning football team. From 1955 through 1959 (the first five seasons) school did not post a winning record. Then in 1960 there was Hitchcock and things you could count on.
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Midbits (same as ‘Tidbits’)
Midbits: “I can never trust a woman who changes football teams with every new dude she gets with.”—Former Arroyo quarterback (2003-2005) Dominic Salmon.
Midbits: Really looking forward to seeing Hard Knocks tonight…Of course, Peterson says he’s always looking forward to seeing Hard Knocks…I said, really? He said, S’il vous plaît!
Midbits: “First they love you, then they hate you, then they love you again.”—Tavon Austin
Midbits: “Somewhere along the way the blogs have to evolve…right? Opinions are like elbows, everybody has two…and we’re trying to sharpen ours a bit.”—Joe T. in Fanview on this day back in 2011.
Midbits: “Joe, just read your book this weekend! Great job! I will be recommending it to all the dads at my son’s school. You captured something special!”—Former Arcadia fullback Jim Jakeway
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MLB GAMES JOE T. HAS WATCHED THIS SEASON (Minimum 5-innings)
New York Mets: 94
Los Angeles Dodgers: 14
San Francisco Giants: 12
Los Angeles Angels: 8
Quick Pitch (Watney/Ryan): 72
The Dude abides…
629
Psalm 122:1
Contact Joe at joe@midvalleysports.com
Author of “Tangent Dreams: A High School Football Novel” available through amazon.com …and “The Dead Bug Tales” available this fall.
Follow Joe on Twitter @joet13b
“Joe T.’s Scoreboard” is found at www.midvalleynews.com every Wednesday & in the hard copy of the Mid Valley News, published every Wednesday.
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