MidValleySports.Com

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

Conclusion: Watching the on going implosion of the Buss family reminds me, again, that money/generational wealth are not the greatest gifts you can give your children.

Seventeen years ago, my mom died, and among the gifts she gave us over a lifetime was the blessing that all we had to do as a family was divide up her photos.

Selfishly, while I’m still going to root for the New York Knicks, I really want the Lakers to do well.

Have you seen the recent pics of Luka? Can Walker Kessler be a 2026 statistical version of Vlade Divac?

The New York Times recently ran a huge piece on CTE and football.

As I shared a few months ago, don’t sell your soul to a “scientific” report. No matter how credible it sounds. Before diving in, ask who paid for it, what their agenda is, and why they claim absolute certainty.

I share this in light of a Facebook memory that popped up from 13 years ago about the imminent end-of-the-world scenarios “Climate Change” would bring about in the next five years.

“Joe! It’s already happening!” And the “science” would be cited.

Match that with the millions of gallons of Kool-Aid swallowed about the absolute certainties of COVID six years ago.

And I refuse to believe everyone was trying to be safe and careful with the information they had. No, there was an agenda beyond the “greater good” narratives.

And this is where CTE becomes a thing with football. Don’t trust everything you are told or see in print. (If you got a pastor that expects you to trust him over the Bible, you need to fire that guy.)

Rather ask where the money behind it is coming from, who the information serves, and why it—like everything else—is an absolute. (Like the pastor telling you his church is the only true church.)

The “science” the MLB trusts can’t even figure out how to preserve and protect million-dollar arms.

We can’t even define or agree on what a woman is in this culture, but a “scientific” report by the New York Times has nailed all things CTE, football, and traumatic brain injury?

Yeah, and Kawhi Leonard will play 82 games this season.

We still have football because it makes so much money, but there is an agenda—arming itself with fear & emotion—to get rid of it.

I can go on a long rant on why football is great…and easily produce another 500 words on why it is important for young men…and maybe the last island remaining where we encourage our young men to grow as men…and why there’s an agenda to destroy it…but not today.

Speaking of football…Two things are true about the Los Angeles Rams after Saturday’s dirt-roading of the New Orleans Saints.

1—The discussions about there being a legitimate battle for QB2 were ridiculous.

2—The Rams are the only NFL team that can give snaps to their #3s/Practice Squad guys with the expectation they’re going to play good football.

I’m not condemning Kansas City, New Orleans, or any other NFL franchise to a high draft pick next April, but the Rams are the only team I’ve seen operationally that looks ready for the regular season.

Last Add Saints-Rams: Is anybody looking out for Jourdan Rodrigue? I’ve sung her praises, but the pairing of her with Brenda Song was an image-destroying catastrophe.

Someone should have been looking out for her, and demanding that she stay on the football script—a script she does really well with.

Instead, all that celebrity in the booth moment did was give fuel to every dude arguing women shouldn’t be involved with football at any level.

…And I’ve never said that. I don’t want them doing play-by-play…and if they’re going to provide analysis, they need to be as good as Rodrigue has been in the past.

Late to the party on this, but my only question regarding the Ennis Kanter Freedom-Natasha Cloud spat over the weekend is, did he say something?

I haven’t heard anything about him verbally taunting her (I welcome correction), so if she was triggered merely by his presence and t-shirt, the whole thing’s her fault.

Then I begin to wonder if the rage was pre-planned. In the end, all Cloud did was show the QNBA’s immaturity and shed more light on a debate it can’t win.

Hey, the New York Mets are only nine games back in the National League Wildcard race.

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

Last Add Mets: I’m telling you there’s a chance.

The Dude abides…

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