By Joe Torosian
“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t know even where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”—Michael Scott
Kick it!
Right off the Top: I’d like to thank everyone for fighting with Tim Peterson on the comments thread of my Saturday column…Since The Peterson Principle routinely kicks Fanview’s butt, I’m grateful for the boost in my analytics.
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I was curious to see West Covina and Glendora (both teams need a win by the way) meeting this Friday on the same night they met in 2011…The Bulldogs won 20-19…and I think they’re going to take this one…20-10…I don’t have a hunch or a feeling…but I wanted to cover my tracks just in case it turns out like this…But I’ve seen the Tartans up close…and feel really good about this choice.
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First Add Rams: Glad, the team, is finally throwing the ball to Lance Kendricks…Always felt he was more than just a blocking tight end.
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On this date in 1974: Pasadena defeated St. Francis 20-14…San Marino’s Fred Cordova rushed for 149 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Titans 21-0 win over Arcadia…Dan Hansen scored on a 3-yard run to give El Monte a 7-6 victory over Whittier…Azusa quarterback Richard Nyden rushed for two touchdowns, passed for another, and intercepted Rosemead quarterback Mike Rust in the third quarter to stop a drive in the Aztecs 30-7 victory over the Panthers…Monrovia quarterback Dale Bunn and halfback Obie Graves sparked the Wildcats to a 30-6 victory over La Puente…Temple City put together a 12-play, 77 yard drive and took six minutes off the fourth quarter clock that ended with fullback Mark Wright scoring from 3-yards out to give the Rams a 13-9 victory over San Gabriel.
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I am openly anti-Dodger…I’m rooting against the Dodgers…I’ve reached a stage in my life where I despise the Dodgers…But I am very pro-Yasiel Puig…If the Giants Madison Bumgarner wants to do a mad dog routine, maybe he should save it for his team’s bullpen…maybe he should save it for his team’s front office…
Baseball players…professional baseball players…are the most entitled, self-righteous athletes on the planet…Colin Kaepernick is an easy mark right now, but baseball players don’t like people looking at them…they don’t like people who flip their bats…they don’t like players who have a home run trot that is too slow…or have a flap down when they run…they hate it when someone celebrates too much after a head-first slide into the third…and if you steal a base late in a game, against your hated rivals, your own teammates will turn on you…
Then when you say something about it, the MLB aristocracy and the praetorian guard made up of Bob Costas-George Will types will begin preaching the gospel of playing the game the right way…and everyone backs off…
Kaepernick (who I’m not even close to agreeing with) takes a knee, and everyone has a stroke.
Go Yasiel Puig…Go Clayton Kershaw…Go Vin Scully…Go Chavez Ravine…at least against the Giants…
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St. Francis has started the season 3-0 for the fourth consecutive year…Dorsey has speed…But when the sun comes up on Saturday morning the Golden Knights should be 4-0…
See me later about Buena Park in Week Five.
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Does “Bully Free Week” mean you’re free to bully someone? Does it mean you can bully someone next week but need to pay a fee to do so?
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From Fanview, September 8, 2016
“A feeling…call it a hunch (Ba-dum-chi!)…is saying, don’t write off Sam Bradford.”
Did you see what he did on Sunday night?
I hate to be that guy…then again, I really enjoy being that guy…but I told you so.
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On This Date Update: On this date in 1974, Temple City did beat San Gabriel 13-9…but they also beat SG on this date in 1985, 23-6. Dave Rodoracio carried the ball 23 times for 116 yards and scored on a 48-yard touchdown run to pace the Rams.
Weird…not really…TC played the Matadors again on September 20, 1991, and beat them 38-0.
Then again…it might get a little weird when you discover on September 20, 1996, the Rams beat San Gabriel, 49-7.
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So, do you have any compare-contrast thoughts about Jared Goff versus Carson Wentz…Or would it be better to compare Jared Goff to Brian Hoyer?
Wentz (I know it’s just been two games) looks like an NFL quarterback…Goff looks like he spent the last three years at Cal taking snaps out of the shotgun.
…But I want to believe…Help me with my unbelief…
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Last Add Dorsey: There’s a scoop…Dorsey has speed.
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Favorite Vin Scully Call: All of them…of course, that’s as easy as saying Dorsey as speed…But I think the one that got to me more than any other was R.J. Reynold’s squeeze bunt with Guerrero on third against the Atlanta Braves during a crucial September 11th game in 1983.
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El Monte and Mt. View meet this Friday for the 45th consecutive season…with the Lions leading the all-time series 31-13. This week’s game is the earliest the schools have met during the regular season since 1976 when they met on September 24…The Vikings won that night, 13-2.
With both teams at 2-2 this year…this one has big MVL ramifications.
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Midbits (same as ‘Tidbits’)
Midbits: Former Temple City trenchman Tony Forrand turns 35 today.
Midbits: It was interesting to hear on the ESPN broadcast last night that Jay Cutler is the only player remaining on the Bears roster from 2009, 2010, and 2011…If there is anything I dislike about the NFL is the turnover in rosters…I get it and understand there is no putting the genie back in the bottle…My first full season following football was 1973 and by the time the Rams went to the Super Bowl in 1979, eleven players from the 40-man roster of 1973 were still with the club.
How much better would football be if, somehow, a soft-cap could be created to allow teams to retain more of their players? We’re always hearing about rebuilt/reconfigured offensive lines…defensive units…the Rams defense is great now but much better would it be if there was a structure in place that would have allowed them to keep a Janoris Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, or even a Jame Laurinaitis?
Midbits:…And Charlie Whitehurst continues to draw an NFL paycheck.
Midbits: Speaking of La Serna, its success, and its schedule…When was the last time they had a bad quarterback? Working back you’ve got Jonathan Ceballos, Enrique Pacheco, Frankie Palmer, Andrew Buenrostro, and Ben Burke…Few schools have had a sustained run like that.
Midbits: Last Add Dodgers: Thanks for nothing Time Warner/Current Dodgers ownership…Dirtbags…
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MLB GAMES JOE T. HAS WATCHED THIS SEASON (Minimum 5-innings)
New York Mets: 111
Los Angeles Dodgers: 17
San Francisco Giants: 14
Los Angeles Angels: 8
Quick Pitch (Watney/Ryan): 85
The Dude abides…
639
Psalm 132
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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