Fanview: December 21, 2016

Joe T. is ready to play center field for the Mets if they need him.

Joe T. loves the idea of Curtis Granderson playing center field for the Mets.

By Joe Torosian

“No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Kick it!

Right off the Top: Did you know Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley only needs 222 yards to reach a 1,000 for the season.

…And if he gets it, does it not prove how meaningless a 1,000-yard season is and has become in the NFL?

***

Stanford star Christian McCaffrey will skip Sun Bowl to focus on NFL Draft preparation…Perfectly within his rights to do it…The Sun Bowl game means nothing…I’ve always advocated that football should rarely be played in exhibition form because it is too violent.

So I get it…

tdchristmas1But he did sign a contract to play college football for Stanford…We can kid ourselves and say it was a “scholarship” but—please—the moment he put ink to paper he was a professional athlete. He plays for the Cardinal, and the school compensates him with an education exceeding $200K

These college athletes are compensated/paid for their efforts…period. Now if you want to argue if it is a fair compensation, I get that too, a reasonable discussion.

With all of that said…if I was Christian McCaffrey…I would have a hard time looking my teammates in the eye and telling them I’m not playing to focus on the NFL Draft.

That could—right or wrong—be considered some “7-9 Bolshoi.”

***

Going to the Poinsettia Bowl tonight and expect to be thoroughly entertained by the BYU Cougars and Wyoming Cowboys.

Four players connected to the MVS coverage zone in the past are part of these programs.

For the Cougars, Warren alum Kainoa Fuiava (defensive tackle) is redshirting, but former Glendale Nitro wide receiver Mike Davis is a nickel-back for BYU. Davis, a fifth-year senior, was at Glendale in the early days of head coach John Tuttle’s stay.

For the Cowboys, West Covina/Diamond Bar veteran Antonio “Noodles” Hull is in his second year as a starting corner for Wyoming. Former Paramount quarterback Cassh Maluia is seeing a lot of action at linebacker as a true-freshman.

***

I’m amazed at the things I’m see on our boards…South El Monte has a losing season and Frank Gallardo sucks…South El Monte has a winning season and Frank Gallardo sucks…

In my time I’ve seen Eric Escamilla, Ray Hernandez, and Ibis Aguilar all lead the Southmen to the playoffs…and I’ve seen all three coaches ripped apart on the boards before, during and after their CIF appearance.

Bottom line is the folks down on Durfee Road are seldom, if ever, happy.

Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames! You went to the semifinals this year! Be happy and throw a parade for the players…and the coaching staff.

***

Speakes2Note to Dodgers Fans: Are you good with a trade for Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier if it includes Cody Bellinger?

I put out on Monday if Dodger fans were good with the idea of the trading pitching prospect Jose De Leon for Dozier…and I got a bigger response on Twitter for including Bellinger in the deal.

@TBLCali—“Win Now!!!…There is always a power hitting first baseman available…but a 30 homer second baseman? Win Now!!!”

I’ve seen Bellinger in Spring Training…He’s terrific and perfectly primed to replace Adrian Gonzalez in another season for two…but there is some truth to the fact that you can get a power hitting first baseman as easy as finding a car walking onto the lot at CarMax.

I’d never trade pitching…unless it was Zach Lee, Grant Holmes, or Logan Verrett…and Elias Sosa…

***

cobbMidbits (same as ‘Tidbits’)

Midbits: “Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker should both be in the Hall of Fame.”—MLB writer Ken Rosenthal

Midbits: Speaking of the MLB Network…Does anyone think Bob Costas played a part in Keith Costas getting his gig there?

Midbits: “Hillary now blaming defeat on Head Coach Hue Jackson.”—Dennis Miller

Midbits: “The Wishbone returns!”…very soon.

Midbits: “Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty”—By Charles Leerhsen…What a great book!

The Dude abides…

653

Psalm 146

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

7 Comments to "Fanview: December 21, 2016"

  1. My Two Cents's Gravatar My Two Cents
    December 21, 2016 - 8:18 pm | Permalink

    I don’t think it is that important to Stanford that McCaffrey plays in the Sun Bowl. If it was, couldn’t they have gotten him an insurance policy to protect him against injury?

  2. Pacific League Poinsettias's Gravatar Pacific League Poinsettias
    December 21, 2016 - 7:03 pm | Permalink

    Davis did not go on a mission. Hansen went to South America. And somehow I don’t think that two years away from the game and the weight room is a great training technique. Riding a bike and getting a door slammed in your face on the regular (though I think it helps one develop a thicker skin) is hardly a substitute. In light of that, being a couple of years older isn’t that big a deal.

  3. December 21, 2016 - 6:34 pm | Permalink

    Make no mistake about it… people at SEM are plenty happy with Frank Gallardo. A few haters (probably from the former staff) on these boards can’t cloud that. My son played for the former staff and he’d much rather this staff. The entire school is pumped up about this season and I as a parent was proud to see my son (senior) finish out his career with a semis run. There’s always room for improvement and I’m sure the people on that staff will get the most of next years team just like they did this season. but most people are thrilled in Eagle land. Haters will always hate. Frank Gallardo was coach of the year!

  4. Gear up's Gravatar Gear up
    December 21, 2016 - 12:59 pm | Permalink

    @sg
    You’re an idiot lol funny though

  5. Amen's Gravatar Amen
    December 21, 2016 - 12:42 pm | Permalink

    The private High Schools use religion to ensure that their attendance zone is infinite, even including those who commute from Mars. The thinking is: God told these kids that school X is the only way to worship him, so you best not interfere with the kids’ freedom of religion. In a similar way, BYU uses the missionary ploy to avail itself of over-age athletes, which of course isn’t fair, but BYU is able to claim that anything else would also interfere with THEIR freedom of religion, so the advantage is granted. Think I’ll start a religion that says paying taxes is an insult to the almighty.

  6. sg's Gravatar sg
    December 21, 2016 - 12:11 pm | Permalink

    Mike Davis: A mission? Did he go to Mars?

  7. Pacific League Poinsettias's Gravatar Pacific League Poinsettias
    December 21, 2016 - 11:08 am | Permalink

    Mike Davis is in his 4th year at BYU. He graduated from Glendale in 2013. Porter Hansen, a 2013 graduate from Crescenta Valley is on the BYU team as well. Due to a mission, he is only a 2nd year player.

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