MidValleySports.Com

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

The Aaron Donald comeback story is boring.

I’m far more interested in the Rams’ Terrance Ferguson breaking out on offense than I am about Donald returning to a defense that is already Super Bowl-caliber.

Do present-day sports fans recognize the difference between rooting and belief…Meaning you can root for your team, but have doubts about them winning a title?

I’m trending that way as a Rams fan.

The Chargers can keep kidding themselves about Trey Lance and D.J. Uiagalelei, but Mac Jones is what you should be looking for in a backup quarterback.

Yes, I’d trade Stetson Bennett for him in a heartbeat.

Should we still be on the lookout for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to break out heading into year three?

Does Harrison’s slow career start give you any doubts about Carnell Tate, who was taken #4 overall this year by the Titans, or current Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith?

Last night’s Indiana Fever-Dallas Wings game on Prime was set to feature Caitlin Clark versus Paige Bueckers. It was going to be this epic showdown between the two icons.

Apparently, Kelsey Mitchell (37 points) and Arike Ogunbowale (32 points) didn’t get that memo before the Wings’ 91-85 victory.

The two stars, Clark & Bueckers, combined for 23 points on 9-of 31 shooting.

Last Add QNBA: Wait, are you telling me Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese’s epic, stop the presses, breaking news, night of perfection came against the tanking Los Angeles Sparks?

The Dream taking the court on Thursday against the Sparks is akin to sending Walter Mondale out to face Ronald Reagan in November of ’84.

Speaking of wide receivers…what happened to those Jack Bech-Cooper Kupp comparisons?

A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts have hugged it out. If I were a Philadelphia Eagles fan, that doesn’t make me feel better. 

Question: Do you take a football analyst/commentator/broadcaster/writer seriously when they rank Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson no lower than third when listing the NFL’s top QBs? Because I don’t.

As summer winds into September, and the U.S. Open looms, I can’t remember the last time I watched tennis. Do any of you still watch tennis?

It was part of the everyday sports conversation growing up. Could Ivan Lendl finally win at Wimbledon? Will Andre Agassi ever win a major? And Jimmy Connors at the Open, late in his career, was appointment television.

(I won’t even mention getting up early on a Saturday to watch “The War of 18-16.”—If you know, you know.)

Is interest the same in tennis, or has there been a radical change? Did the analytic nerds take over and kill the joy? It feels so much more niche these days and tucked into some forgotten corner next to lacrosse.

Can’t speak for the rest of the NFL, but former Rams quarterback Brett Rypien seems to be in midseason form with two fumbles (one lost) and a pick while leading the Houston Texans to a come-from-ahead, 22-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Mets are just ten games out of a Wild Card spot. Historic perspective: in 1969, they were ten back on August 14th before going 38-11 down the stretch, winning the East, beating the Braves in the NLCS, and whipping the Baltimore Orioles in five.

To keep it fair and balanced…The Detroit Tigers are 61-66 and just five games back in the A.L Central…and only 1.5 games out for the A.L.’s final wild card spot.

So, I’m telling you there’s a chance.

#98—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth…

Last Add Mets: It’s really a good thing they didn’t bring back Pete Alonso…his 2026 numbers of 29 home runs, 82 RBIs, and .360 OBP with the Orioles would have only made things worse.

The Dude abides…

1,345
James 5:19-20
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b