And a rigged game to finish off the NFL afternoon...

So how did the Raiders get their first win?

Rigging.

How is this NOT A FUMBLE for the @Browns?!? Took a TD off the board in a CLOSE game!! Awful. pic.twitter.com/JoaUfGRjwB

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 30, 2018

And then, up 8 with under 2 minutes to go after what should've been a Last Chance Miss for Oakland, it appeared that Cleveland had the clinching first down..

Watch the video on this Deadspin article.

They measure for the first down, Cleveland gets it.

THEN they review, re-spot the ball, and they fail.

Punt, TD and 2, overtime.

Raiders win it with about 1:45 to go.

And you want to give up life, friendship, and honor for THIS SPORT????

EDIT TO ADD one note:  NFL record for points in a week is 859.  53.69 PPG in a 16-game week -- 15 games in this week's schedule.)

OK, Goodell, I see what you did here...

You counterprogrammed "Game 162"...

The last game is still going (the third overtime game of the day -- Oakland-Cleveland).  20 more minutes real-time, and it runs into Baltimore-Pittsburgh.

NFL weeks with three OT games aren't particularly common, but about one a year average since 2005.

The last NFL week with four overtime games was Week 12 of 2005.

The first two both went to the overtime gun, and the third one, barring a quick score, is headed there.

But the other thing that makes me call bullshit???

Scoring is about 54.5 PPG for the week so far!

Someone saw what Sunday was in MLB and decided to turn up the points even FURTHER!!!

Game 162 Rig-Job Blog

Well, they did get rid of the Best Racist Fans in Baseball yesterday in St. Louis, but they have created a double-playoff scenario, with both the NL Central and West heading for possible Monday tiebreakers...

I am expecting shenanigans.  

• This created a problem for the Dodgers, to determine exactly who they wanted to pitch today.  They eventually went with Rich Hill, ready to hold back the #2 starter Buehler for any potential playoffs or the play-in game.
• 12:25 PDT:  Which appears to be a good call.  Although the Dodgers got 2 in the top of the first and held San Francisco for a 2-0 lead, Colorado got 2 on Washington.
• And, oh by the way...  there was talk in Washington on Friday that Max Scherzer wanted to pitch on Sunday to specifically fuck up the Rockies' season.  Well, that got about as far as either Dave "I slept with your wife" Martinez or the Commissioner's office -- Washington trotted out Erick Fedde, he of an over 5 ERA...
• St. Louis also got 2 in the first on Chicago for a 2-0 lead before the Cubbies came to bat.
• And also in the background is that if Cobb County loses, the National League West winner is the 2 seed.  Philadelphia has at least 2 in the bottom of the first for a 2-0 lead.
• 12:30 PDT:  And Milwaukee has just snagged a 2-0 lead of their own.
• 12:45 PDT:  Settling down to watch the Milwaukee game on the free MLB.TV streams they always do for the final weekend.  2-0 a very popular open:  All five games relevant to the seeding and playoffs are 2-0. 
• And just as I type that, the Dodgers make it 3-0 and threatening for more in the third.
• Excuse me, forget three...  Make it SIX! 
• Nope.  NINE!!!
• 2:55 PM:  It's basically all over but the tiebreakers.  Dodgers put 15 on the Giants in winning.  Colorado has nine on what's left of Washington (and the main rig-job is shelving Scherzer for some strange reason! *cough*)  Brewers have 10 on Detroit and the Cubs up 9-4...  Almost the complete opposite of that classic 2011 "Game 162".
• 1:00 PDT:  Cobb County threatening.  Halved the Philly lead to 2-1.
• And we're headed for an NL West playoff, as the Martinez-Manfred conspiracy has apparently worked.  Two dingers and Colorado is already up 4-0 themselves. 
• Seemed like the ump was a little pleased at calling the Strike 3 there for the 2nd out in the 4th against St. Louis -- still 2-0. 
• 1:20 PDT:  And the Cubs have squared St. Louis and the Brewers just added another for 3-0.  And the Dodgers are already at 10 and trying to send a message to Colorado. 
• And are they beginning to manipulate the double tiebreaker?  3-2 Cubs in the 3rd. 
• 1:30 PDT:  And now 4-2. 
• 1:40 PDT:  And get Dodger Stadium ready for Monday, it's 7-0 Colorado! 
• So as the Redskins are losing to the Broncos by one touchdown, the Rams/Chargers are defeating the 49ers by TWO touchdowns... Oh...  wait, nevermind.  But it is LA 14 - SF 0, in a BASEBALL GAME. 
• 3:30 PM PDT:  Dodgers/Rockies confirmed for tomorrow (Buehler vs. Marquez).  Brewers won.  Combined total margin in the three shutouts, THIRTY-EIGHT.  Cubs up 10-5 top 8. 
• 4:15 PM PDT:  And the 10-5 was the final.  Game 163 is a doubleheader Double-Chance Battle Royal, tomorrow and Tuesday.  Cubs-Brewers and Dodgers-Rockies, winners are the 1 and 2 respectively.  Losers play Tuesday for the 4.

No, you aren't seeing things: We have an official Player Safety coverup in the NFL.

Week 4 games have started, and I have yet to find a single fine per Week 3.

An official NFL coverup is underway.  With known fines all over the prime time games, and a total of at least FIFTEEN fine-actionable offenses in the prime time games in Week 3 alone (not to mention Clay Matthews third Roughing the Passer in three weeks), the NFL does not want you to know how little it, or especially the players, care about not only Player Safety, but the rules and regulations under which they are governed.

Questions you should all be asking the NFL before you decide to watch a single further down:

• Why was Shawn Williams not suspended in Week 1 for his spearing shot on a sliding Andrew Luck?
• Why was Damontae Kazee not suspended in Week 2 for HIS spearing shot on a sliding Cam Newton?
• Why was LaGarette Blount not suspended multiple weeks in Week 2 for his involvement in a fight -- in a game he formally didn't suit up for?
• Why has the league decided to accept the Roughing the Passer penalties on a known repeat-offender with a burgeoning history of Player Safety offenses (yes, Packer fans, I am talking Clay Matthews) and not decided to eject, fine, nor suspend him?
• Why was Isaiah Crowell not ejected from the game and/or suspended for his protracted unsportsmanlike conduct and taunting in Cleveland two Thursdays ago?
• Why was Darrius Heyward-Bey not ejected from the game last Monday night when he commits Unnecessary Roughness on one punt and then Unsportsmanlike Conduct on the other?

ESPN reported on the nature that the NFL has had five ejections already this year.

There's five MORE that should've happened already!

And now, with known fines on the table, we've heard NOTHING on Friday or Saturday from the league or any other source vis-a-vis the Week 3 fines??

2018 NFL Week 3 Fine Blotter (and other news)

NFL appears to be playing a bit closer to the vest.

Nothing on Twitter, nothing on Pro Football Talk...  as of about 6 PM EDT.

With 11 actionable fouls in the Monday Night game alone, I'd have to think this is a very interesting week, as well as the incidents with Isaiah Crowell Thursday Night.

Before I dig up anything, one from PFT talking about a player telling the truth.

Cameron Wake of the Dolphins, regarding his teammate's Rodgers Rule ACL tear:

“Everybody knows the league is concerned about player safety, [but] it just depends on what player,” Wake said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “If it’s players’ safety, everybody should be safe, not just certain players. It should be everyone. . . . Now I’m supposed to sacrifice myself in order to protect [the quarterback]?

“My knees mean just as much to my family and my ability to play and provide as [Dolphins quarterback Ryan] Tannehill’s does. I can’t understand that his are more important than mine.”

Well, do we need to answer that question, Mr. Wake?


--

Also, another body for the altar:  Wes Hopkins is gone.

He was 57.

Of the feared Eagles defenses of the 1980's and 1990's, he's the fifth to die before 60.

--

Digging for fine information this weekend:

•  To be forthcoming...

Singing the Praises of the Preferred Six: Two more notes toward more Manfred tampering...

• Colorado is up a game now in the NL West after a 4-game sweep of the Phillies -- today was 5-3.
• But that wasn't the biggest story so far which might involve Manfred getting his hands dirty.  That honor goes to CC Sabathia.

Final game of the year between the Yankees and the Rays.

Complete blowout.

And it got a little testy as it was getting out of hand...

Back to back home runs by Voit and Stanton made it 11-0 in the 6th.

Then Austin Romine took a pitch up and in to clear the benches.

"was that on purpose" - romine pic.twitter.com/dhqsoDp85E

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) September 27, 2018

Sabathia did this to start the bottom of the 6th, after warnings...

CC SABATHIA STANDS UP FOR HIS TEAMMATES NO MATTER WHAT #NYY pic.twitter.com/oKYUZ3S4rQ

— Steve Angelovich (@angelsteve89) September 27, 2018

Right on the knee, gone.

Now why would Angelovich go all caps?

Because, had Sabathia completed the seventh inning of what certainly (with a play-in game Tuesday) will be his last start, he would've attained his 155-inning $500,000 bonus.

By getting ejected there, he cost himself a half-million dollars.

And he should cost himself a lot more than that -- like a suspension from the play-in game and maybe the divisional series as well!!

The point I'm making with this post, though, is there's NO CHANCE.

If anything, Manfred suspends him three games tomorrow -- three games he will not pitch! -- and expect us all to accept it.

And the Pac-12 is full of shit...

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said Porter Gustin's controversial hit on Gardner Minshew was not targeting: https://t.co/t5kkTqBp9z pic.twitter.com/odxhGdRD37

— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 26, 2018

You tell me that's not helmet-to-helmet and targeting.

Larry Scott, you are FULL OF SHIT.

Setting the Narrative and Peer Pressure: How Sports Centralize Fandom...

(EDIT TO ADD 10 PM:  Colorado is now in first in the division, 14-0 laydown by Philly.  Arizona wins it's first series in five, 7-2.)

Oy.

Been seeing this quite a bit in two major respects, and watching fans I know have enough.

It is CLEAR, now, that there is a multi-team conspiracy to eliminate the Dodgers this year.  They (and MLB, and Rob Manfred) don't want them in this year's playoffs.

How do I know this?  Let's go back a few games on teams other than the Dodgers...

Let's take a look at those Philadelphia Phillies.

Cobb County was tied with Los Angeles for the 2 seed when a four-game series started last weekend in Cobb County with the Phillies.  Then, Philadelphia went to Colorado.

• 8-3 Cobb County (5 in the seventh and eighth) to start the 4
• 6-5 Cobb County (5 in the seventh loses it after going up 4-1 in the top of the inning)
• 5-3 Cobb County (clinches the division for Cobb County, go down 4-0 pretty much off the rip)
• 2-1 Cobb County for the sweep (and also eliminating Philadelphia from anything)
• 10-1 Colorado (8-0 end of 4)
• 10-3 Colorado (bring Colorado to within a half-game, 8-1 after 5)
• 9-0 Colorado tonight and threatening more as I write...

You've made abjectly ZERO effort, except maybe the weekend games in Cobb County, and especially now that Colorado can take the NL West lead over the Dodgers unless the Dodgers come back tonight!

The Dodgers against those Arizona Diamondbacks, who performed a nice little reversal after they spent most of the year in first place in the NL West...

• September 5, entering a four-game series at home with Atlanta, 11 over .500.  Lose three of four.
• Lose two of three at Houston
• Lose two of three at Chicago
• Swept by the Rockies at home.

So that's 3-10, and NOW we get to hear they'll take it seriously against the Dodgers.

And, barring a Dodger comeback, the Colorado Rockies will be in first place at the end of the that series, them with four to play and the Dodgers three.

At least two teams taking a convenient dive.

And, oh, let's not forget the Giants, who are the final Dodgers opponents...  They just came off the longest losing streak they've had in San Francisco (I think even since 1951!!), taking a once-promising season to 12 under .500...

Haven't beaten a team not named the San Diego Padres THIS MONTH.

--

Why did I just go through all this?

Because we are seeing an effort on the part of Corporate American Sport to centralize the fandom.

Brian Tuohy has talked in his books about the identification of one with their sports teams -- and when the team wins, they win.

Well, when you're now getting some degree of effort, be it the refereeing/umpiring, be it open jocking (as many Dodger fans point out) in the national media against them, be it other teams taking blatant dives...

We are headed, sadly, for the Preferred Six/Super Six.  No team west of Houston.  Has to include the Yankees and Red Sox.  The racist fans of St. Louis.  The ivy-covered hypocrites in Chicago.  And the racist bleaching of the fan-base in Cobb County.

And that's going to be the extent of relevant baseball if Rob Manfred has anything to say about it!  No pesky 10:35 PM start times...  (Hell, if what I said earlier comes to pass, there will be ONE Mountain timezone start -- Game 3, for when Cobb County or Chicago sweeps out Colorado!)

And it's all about controlling the narrative.  They don't care if people leave the fandom, because their intention, eventually, is to let the fans of these six teams take over all 30 stadiums, and be the only use thereof.

Hey, it worked for....

*sigh*

Tiger Woods is back again.

In what kindly has been called by soon-to-be-former golf fans at this rate:

• "Everyone's yelling and screaming and running around and carrying on like God himself is walking the course..." 
• "If it were possible to rig a golf tournament I would believe I was watching one..."

Tiger Woods, in 2018-19, and after FOUR BACK SURGERIES, is the TGA Tour again.

The Chase for Eighteen is back on with his victory at the Tour Championship.

Worst thing that could've happened to golf, because now, the narrative, as with baseball, will be controlled to the extent that no one outside of the Tiger Woods fan-jocking brigade will be allowed to enjoy a golf tournament...

And, you know what?

That's exactly what the Corporate American Sports Machine wants.

It's like Vince and the WWE.  We'll tell you who to cheer for, and, if you don't want to??  There's the door.  I still have my $2.5 billion TV money and enough Saudi money to pay Brock Lesnar a $1,000,000 one-shot for Saudi Arabia in a month.

Thanks.  Just...  thanks.

And how well is it working, at least for Tiger??

• Round 3's ratings for the Tour Championship were double and then some of Round 3 of the last two years.  It was the highest rating of any round of the tournament in nine years -- the time Tiger won the Fed-Ex Cup and Phil won the Tour Championship.
• But Round 4 and Tiger's win blew that out the door. The 3.7 TRIPLED the last two years, and over 10 million people saw the end of it when Tiger triumphantly "won".  Of the five rounds that had better ratings over the year, none had NFL competition and four were majors...

Why I have no problem with the crackdown... The fans want someone to die...

Here's today's example, a two and a half minute Twitter video of hard and illegal hits, with the caption "RIP to real football"[sic].

RIP to real football pic.twitter.com/CPRakB99tS

— n1irving (@TFYNICK) September 24, 2018

• Rams-Seahawks:  That's been a 15-yard penalty at least since 2011 -- interference with the ability to catch a punt.  If he'd been an instant beforehand, that's an ejection.
• Nebraska-Wisconsin, I think:  That's targeting.  That's a shot to the head.  He's GONE.
• Rams-Denver:  That's a nice showing of the reason we have a Defenseless Receiver rule now.  It makes me wonder, Mr. Irving, how much of what has masqueraded as "Defense" in the National Football League is really "Intent to Injure".  15, $30K+ fine now, and possibly an ejection if there was contact to the head.
• There's a CFL hit and a practice hit.  It looks like the latter is a blatant intent to injure, and is the kind of thing that can start those training-camp fights you hear about.
• San Francisco-Seattle:  And that's one close too!
• A couple further, Chicago-Chargers on MNF, looks like November 2015:  That would be an ejection today.  That's Helmet Rule/Spearing.

I could go on and on through this clip.  It's hard for me to find even a LEGAL hit in this clip, even under older rules!

And another sacrifice to football?

This one IS recent-former NFL...

Neiron Bell, cup of coffee in the NFL, now in a medically-induced coma after an aneurysm.

Bell was diagnosed with a rare brain blood-vessel entanglement, but had that addressed in college in Florida after a brain bleed was noticed.

The doctor said football would NOT worsen the condition -- but, given the reality of the sport and the belief the entanglement was, as one advocacy group for the disease put it, "obliterated", I have my very serious doubts.

(NFL) And, usually, when it comes apart, it REALLY comes apart...

Disturbing story from Minnesota...

Everson Griffen has been the equivalent of 5150'd/Baker Acted after a Saturday incident where Griffen was heard threatening to kill one or more parties at the Hotel Ivy (where Griffen was staying...) and a Saturday incident where Griffen was apparently breaking and entering into a home of a teammate -- though, more likely, hearing from the teammate, that probably was more an extension of the concerns the team had for Griffen...  The teammate probably takes him in.

And it gets worse:  Griffen had been acting in an erratic manner at the team facility most of the current season and was finally banned from there and ordered for the psych evaluation on Thursday.

He's 30.  Ninth year in the league, Pro Bowl the last three years...  Knee injury out last week, will not play the Thursday nighter vs. the Rams.

Head injuries, yes....  But I do get the sense it's also coming apart in Minnesota -- not unlike a certain other high-profile incident in Oakland a number of years back.

Well, I think it safe to say we got _a_ paradigm shift in the NFL from the new rules...

We all knew, especially with the new helmet rule, there would be a major shift in the sport of football this season.

But we didn't get the one we expected.

Instead, we now have a two-fold problem:

• The players are attempting to injure each other.  There's no mystery to me that there is much anger on the defensive side of the football.

We've now had five ejections this year in the NFL.

Two have been blatant spearing shots on sliding quarterbacks.

One was an unsuited player coming off the bench to join a fight (a fact that should have been an immediate multiple-game suspension for LaGarrette Blount).

Phillip Lindsay of the Broncos faces a stiff letter from the league.  Though he believes he was diving into a pile for a loose football, the officials ejected him because they viewed his actions as throwing a punch.

And the officials were correct.  The replay shows Lindsay diving onto the pile and attempting to punch an opposing player to get toward the football.

Akeem Spence of the Dolphins was tossed against the Raiders for pulling a helmet off of a Raider player after a fight.

The five ejections is the same number as in 2010 and more than the four in 2015.

The NFL record was 18 last year, and 15 of those were in the last 9 weeks.

Meaning, in the last 12 weeks, we've had 20 players tossed.

It is clear the message should be getting through to the league that there is a definite conduct problem in the league.

And if it wasn't evident before last night, last night's 11 15-yard penalty game should get it through.

Four Roughing the Passer
Four Unnecessary Roughness
Two Unsportsmanlike Conduct
And a Chop Block

• Oh, on Roughing the Passer:  That's now 34 Roughing the Passer flags in three weeks.

If you don't think the frustration with a lot of players isn't coming from this and the Helmet Rule, you're nuts.

Something is going to happen violently soon.

The NFL Competition Committee is going to talk after Week 4 about the Rodgers Rule.

That said, I believe they will actually crack down further before they let off, because of the glut of actions which are indicating a real out-of-control nature of the players in the sport.

Great. It's almost as if I can tell you what's going to happen for the next three weeks in baseball...

My long-suffering anonymous friend is correct.  It does suck to be a Dodger fan.

But FAR MORE than doubly so when it's clear that it's all part of a goddamn script!!!

It's clear to anyone with two working eyes that, for reasons I cannot comprehend, Rob Manfred is trying to piss away the Los Angeles Dodgers and a Dodger tradition going back to the days of "WHO'S A BUM???"

The latest in all of this is the Diamondbacks, who have rolled over completely out of the playoffs over the course of the last two weeks.

So NOW they tell everyone they're going to play seriously!!

And MLB puts JOE FUCKING WEST in the crew for this series in Arizona????

With THIS being the scenario...

The entire American League is effectively settled, one through five.

Boston has clinched home field for the entire playoffs as the 1 seed.  Houston has clinched the 2.  Cleveland clinched the 3 seed somewhere in the area of about June 15th.

(If the Minnesota Twins do not win another game, the entire remaining American League Central will lose 90 games or more.)

(The Baltimore Orioles are 60/5 games back with 6 to play.  It's down around historic levels.)

The play-in game will be Oakland vs. New York, and New York, right now, has a 2-game lead (season series tied 3-3).

So the Yankees beat Oakland, go 5 with Boston, Houston dispatches Cleveland...  I think you get the point.

The real salivation is how Rob Manfred is going to shit down baseball tradition to ram probably Cubs vs. Cobb County down our throats.

Both have clinched at least play-in spots.  Only Cobb County and it's White fanbase has clinched the division.

(In fact, if Philadelphia does not finish it's last seven games with a winning record, we will have TWO divisions this year where only the division champion had a winning record!)

The reason that all goes crazy is the following scenario:

As of right now, with all teams with six to play except the Rockies, who have seven:

Milwaukee with 89 wins
St. Louis with 87
Dodgers with 87
Rockies with 85

And, oh, Cobb County has 88 on the outside.

Each pair of divisional teams has a three-game series with each other this week.

Consider the following scenario:

Milwaukee goes 1-5
St. Louis 3-3
Dodgers 3-3
Rockies 5-2

And, if you want to put some extra spice in it, Cobb County goes 2-4.

This would mean a four-way tie in the National League, two for the West, and the loser of that with two others for the play-in.

What would happen:

Monday:  Rockies at Dodgers for the division.  Brewers probably at Cardinals for one play-in spot.
Tuesday:  The two losers play for the other.  (Cardinals would host either NL West opponent, Brewers would host the Rockies, Dodgers would host the Brewers.)
Wednesday:  NL Wild-Card game between the Brewers-Cardinals winner and the Tuesday winner.  Same home-field rules apply.

Now if you don't think that, after that BLESSED GAME 162 that led to all this second wild-card hullaballoo, Manfred wouldn't salivate all over this shit, you're funny.  (Except to a Dodger fan, who has every right to believe this NOT FUNNY!!!)

But then, who are we kidding?  Manfred probably wants Colorado to win the Monday game, the Wild-Card Game be won by the Most Cracker Fans in Baseball (so St. Louis), and the NLCS is Chicago-Cobb County.

And you wonder why some people want to give the fuck up on the sport???  Watch this space.

EDIT TO ADD 10:30 PM PDT 9/24:  And why would Dodger fans like my friend revolt at the thought of Joe West on the crew?

Shit like this!!!  Watch the whole thing and tell me Joc Pederson was not being egged toward a vital suspension here, which he gladly did not take the bait on...

(Video from Dodger Digest)

2018 Week 3 NFL Score Report

(The technical time might be an impossibility, but I am at least going to top-blog this bullshit in MLB...)

Something went Cuckoo For Cocoa Puffs this week.

Non-competitive losses for the Vikings, Packers, Patriots, and Broncos.

I mean, what are we looking at here?

NFC:  Rams 1, Philly 2, then some melange of Carolina/New Orleans/Tampa, Chicago...
AFC:  Who knows on the seedings, but Miami, Kansas City (Mahomes has been getting most of the quarterback jocking so far this year!), Baltimore, Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Not New England???

Imagine trying to sell THOSE playoffs...

Well, after this week, it is beginning to look more a possibility...

• Last year's per-game Week 3 was 49.9.  This year, it dropped almost five points to 45.1875.
• Per-game average for the three weeks:  This year?  46.4375  Last year?  43.787

So it's still a field goal to the good year-over-year.

• Home teams were 11-5 this week, 30-16-2 (.645) for the year.  Last year:  10-5 for 26-20 (.565)

Anyone thinking we may actually also be seeing home teams winning to pump up the attendance numbers, since it is clear that the league is getting embarrassed by some of the pictures of "crowds" at the games?

• The Over went 8-8 this week for 25-23 -- a slight winner season-long for Vegas.  Last year:  11-4-1 (note the almost 50 PPG) to erase most of the early-season discrepancy.

Look a bit deeper in the totals, though.  There were FIVE Vegas totals of 50 points or more, including both Sunday Night and Monday Night.  The Over was 4-1! 

1. KC-SF went 65 on a total of 54.
2. NO-ATL went 80 on a total of 54.  Second game this year that New Orleans has reached or passed 80 total.
3. The Rams and Chargers went 58 on a total of 50.
4. The one Under was the shocker in Detroit, where they and New England went only 36 on a total of 56.
5. And Pittsburgh and Tampa went 57 on a total of 56.  (Highest total since last year's Super Bowl Rematch totaled 57 Week 7 SNF.)

Nine of those games total this year, the Over is 6-3.

I will probably have to dig, but I do believe that is an NFL record for a week -- FIVE 50+ point Vegas totals.

• And it's 3 for 3.  For the third week in a row, Vegas favorites lost against the number.  7-9 this week.  And only 9-7 straight up.  Last year:  4-12 ATS  8-8 SU
• Season:  19-28-1 ATS, 27-19(-2) SU.  Last year:  19-28 ATS, 29-18 SU.

I'm really beginning to think this malarkey with the rule book is creating a mass paradigm shift in the league.  Minnesota and Green Bay are 1-1-1, New England is a moribund 1-2.

And all those who went to Vegas (or other legal states) and got on the money line for Buffalo probably ate like kings Sunday night -- the Money Line at the Superbook in Vegas?  +1000 -- TEN TO ONE!!!

• Team with more penalties was 7-9 this week.  18-22 for the year.  Last year:  6-9 for 21-22/
• Number of penalties was back up.  232 this week for 693 for the year (about 14.5 per game)  Last year was a big penalty week 3:  251 (almost 16!)  for 706.
• ESPN notes, however, that there have already been FIVE NFL ejections this year through just about three weeks.

And there should've been more.  This was a partial list of the 22 penalties in Monday night's game:

1. Roughness penalty on Pittsburgh after the first Tampa TD.
2. Roughness penalty on a hit on the Tampa QB as a runner on the next Tampa drive.
3. Roughing the Passer on Tampa on the next drive.
4. Face Mask, Pittsburgh
5. Next play:  Roughness, Pittsburgh
6. After a Pittsburgh pick:  Roughing the Passer, Tampa
7. After a punt, Roughing the Passer, Pittsburgh!
8. On a late second-quarter field goal drive, ANOTHER Roughing the Passer, Pittsburgh
9. 4th quarter, punt to Pittsburgh, Roughness penalty, Darrius Heyward-Bey
10. On the ensuing punt back, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Darrius Heyward-Bey...
11. And I forgot a Chop Block somewhere in there!

That's ELEVEN fifteen yard penalties in the game.  I think the Fine Blotter is going to be quite full this week.

Four Roughness penalties on Pittsburgh.

Four Roughing the Passer penalties in the game.

And Darrius Heyward-Bey gets consecutive punt 15's.

Hey, NFL, you getting the impression yet the players are actually getting MORE VIOLENT?

To wrap it up:

• 1 Cliffhanger, the overtime game.
• 7 each of games finishing within eight points and non-competitive.  (As many of the latter as had been the first two weeks.
• 2 Last Chance Misses.  (Indy had two shots to punch it in the end zone against Philly in the last 1:19, and an onside kick missed in the Miami-Oakland game)
• Last year:  4 Cliffhangers, 8 finished within 8, 5 non-competitives, 2 Last Chance Misses.
• Year totals:  This year:  6 Cliffhangers, 28 games within one score, 14 each non-competitive and Last Chance Miss
• Last year:  7 Cliffhangers, 20 within a score, 19 non-competitive, 8 Last Chance Misses.

Suspension Blotter: You know, at some point, the league has to start taking a look at the Jets...

• Free Agent:  Dylan Donahue has been suspended for the remainder of the 2018 season for his second DUI conviction.  He was one of the last cuts from the New York Jets this year.
• The Jets have also cut one of their three previous suspensions:  ArDarius Stewart is gone as of last week.

Three suspensions before this cut -- Jets are NOT responsible for this one.  Suspension was Sept. 14, cut on Sept. 1.

Very real possibility they hit Level 1 this week -- if not, they'll be CLOSE.

At some point, this league has to start wondering what the fuck is going on up in New York...

Two probable upcoming announcements...

• Seattle Seahawks:  Mychal Kendricks is appealing a suspension and it's going through the process.
• Dallas Cowboys:  Terrence Williams is on the docket for a suspension for a May public intoxication incident.

A previous suspension which has hit the news:

• Corey Liuget has sued his former trainer for giving him unwanted PEDs which have resulted in his 4-game suspension.

And this from Cleveland:

• Cleveland Browns broadcast team:  It is unclear if this is going to have ramification with the Browns per policy (it well might!), but their sideline reporter, Nathan Zegura, was caught in an argument with one of the referees during the Week 2 game.  

He is now banned for eight weeks.

NFL Ratings Overnights, Week 3

• Week 3 National Window the highest in four years -- led by the Cowboys.  Up 11% over last year to a 15.3, only the Week 1 National (also Cowboys) was bigger.
• Sunday Night Football, also up big.  13.6 to see the Patriots get exposed, up 17% over last year's Week 3.
• Week 3 Regional, though, led with the Packers??  9.0, down 10%.
• And the Single for CBS?  8.3, down 19%!!

Thinking we might see a push coming for the 'Boys???

Or is it another manifestation of the TGA Tour?  More to come on that abomination.

When are people going to learn that to sack a quarterback is illegal?

We now have the first CONFIRMED season-ending injury due to an attempt to sack a quarterback under the Aaron Rodgers Rule.

And, to no one's shock, it's a defensive player from a not-chosen team:

The Miami Dolphins have lost William Hayes for the season.  ACL.  Deliberately by an attempt to avoid a flag.

When are people just going to understand that there is a paradigm shift in the NFL, and the way the league wants passing stopped (if at all!!) is at the linebacker and defensive backfield level.  That, at best, the D-Line now only exists for running plays.

I think one future that football might have would be literally those 7-on-7's that many football camps have to spotlight quarterbacks and receivers!

Oh, and I think I got it wrong on Crowell too...

Word is he flipped BOTH touchdown balls into the stands -- he scored both first-half Jets touchdowns...

By my math, he's about at $35K or so, and that's if Supplemental doesn't get their claws into him tomorrow morning.

Week Three Notes: Picture becoming FAR clearer now...

Updated for the Sunday Night non-competitive game...

• Bye bye Minnesota.  Didn't think they'd be pushing you this year, probably after the Sendejo statement, but I think today probably sealed the deal -- the largest-scale upset probably in the history of the league!

Buffalo was a 17-point underdog and deserved every consideration on that level in the book!

So what happens?  Non-competitive game, yes.

But Buffalo runs out to a 27-0 lead and wins 27-6!

It is, and I checked Pro Football Reference, so I think I'm right, only the fourth time in league history (and definitely the first in 23 years -- that was reported in the media) that a 17+ point favorite lost the game.

But all three previous that I could find on PFR were either 3 or 7 point margins.  If this is true, this would be the first time in the history of the league that a 17-point underdog won by anything CLOSE to three touchdowns!!

• See ya Green Bay.  If they knew Week 1, Chicago would probably be 3-0 right now, and probably will win the division anyway.

After a draw in which they got screwed by the refs to cement it, the refs doubled-down today and Washington won a non-competitive 31-17 victory over the Packers.

The Packers actually got called for defensive pass interference three separate times in Washington's second TD run.

And, for the third week in a row, Clay Matthews is bitching.

That's because, for the third week in a row, Matthews will be up for a fine for a 15-yard Roughing the Passer penalty!

THIS, at 28-17 Washington, late third quarter, was a 19 yard QB sack by Matthews, flagged for a net +34 that changed the field position and probably blew a chance for the Pack to get to 31-24...

Roughing the passer. Clay Matthews may actually kill a referee at this point pic.twitter.com/ta9zJqrAOO

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) September 23, 2018

A POSSIBLE helmet, MAYBE the Rodgers Rule???

But nope -- it's time to officially put the Packers to bed.  I gave it a pass last week when I really should not have.  But I'm not doing it twice.

• Bye-bye New England.  It sounds like whatever demons actually helped precipitate the Super Bowl LII(E) loss (and, more and more, I'm beginning to think it's a revolt/throwing against the Alex Guerrero contingent on this team! by Belichick!!) are back and in full force.

They lose to the FUCKING LIONS????

Yeah, the story is "Is the Belichick motivation getting through?", but this would stand to reason for a team whose coach may have taken the pins of Championship Number Six out from under them at the last feasible moments!

Both last week and this week, neither game competitive.  Weren't within one score in the fourth quarter in either of the last two games, and, as I said last week, you have to go back to 2014 to find a New England game under Brady where that happened!

And the next non-competitive game Brady played and lost:  Week 9 2010 against the Browns -- 34-14!

It's been eight years (before the last two games) that Tom Brady has quarterbacked two games in which the New England Patriots lost and were never within eight points in the fourth quarter.

I'm now officially down to the Rams (3-0) and Philly (2-1) in the NFC.  You can make a case for Tampa to go quite a distance (2-0 and the only other NFC undefeated, Monday Night for the 3rd game of the suspension) for a Matt Ryan reset motif like they did in Atlanta IF AND ONLY IF Winston does not see the field again, but I don't think it gets through the Rams and that new LA stadium.

AFC?  Good God only knows. The Dolphins and Chiefs are the only two undefeated teams.  There are 5 2-1 teams at the moment and the Browns are 1-1-1.

Yeah, beginning to get that LA feeling....

• The 43-37 overtime win by the Saints over the Falcons is the second 80+ point game the Saints have had in three weeks.
• By contrast, Tennessee and Jacksonville scored only five field goals in the 9-6 Tennessee win!
• Average Week 3 score through Sunday:  44.4.  Last year's Week 3 was almost 50!
• Seven non-competitive games so far this week.  (As many as the first two weeks combined.)
• Only one Cliffhanger (the OT game).
• Only six games with margins of eight points or less.  Have to go back to Week 16 last year for fewer (4).
• Eight teams had double-digit penalties.  The fifth and sixth of the eight were in the same game.  The first five all lost.  The last two both won.

The National Religion of the NFL: Shedding parts all over the racetrack

About a half-hour into the 1 PM Eastern starts of Week Three as I'm starting this post.

I've been getting bugged a bit by a number of things going on in the National Football League.  I got in an argument with a Jets fan after Thursday night -- and I continued my position (which has been my position for a number of years) that the national college-football champion could defeat the worst of the NFL if the two teams ever played.

I wonder why I would get this position when this appears to be the landscape of the NFL these days:

• Jets:  One winning season this decade.  A complete lack of discipline.  Turns out Isaiah Crowell will be fined TWICE for throwing balls into the stands -- he committed at least THREE fine-able offenses against the Browns.
• Bills:  9-7 last year, last winning season before that was 2004.  The LeSean McCoy drama has completely permeated this team, looking disgraceful in two non-competitive losses so far.
• Steelers:  Drew the Browns, lost to the Chiefs.  Largely seen as a possible option to New England, now both Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are causing significant drama.
• Raiders:  Hoo boy.  Is John Gruden going to quit before the end of the year with all this going on?  Last year, real allegations surfacing that Black players on the Raiders actually allowed White quarterback David Carr to be injured due to the National Anthem protests.  Now, this year, a very real probability of a half-billion-dollar lawsuit by the city has raised the very real scepter of an attempt by the franchise to sabotage it's value, leaving the eventual Las Vegas successors (of which there's no guarantee they get the Raider name or legacy -- Oakland wins the suit, they get both!) holding the bag with the stadium at least two seasons off.  Very real chance that this situation is a sabotage job that could get VERY UGLY if it becomes clear it will cause the team to play in UNLV's stadium next year.
• Lions:  A team which has been at least a divisional option the last number of years is now a complete mess.  So bad that it is believed that the New York Jets had the Lions' playbook for a Week 1 MNF rout.
• Seahawks:  Largely seen as a rebuilding job to begin with, now one of the few remaining Legion of Boom holdovers wants out, the team is trying to hold it back, and now it appears that drama is going to explode all over the Hawks.

And then several other teams that just plain don't have it: Cardinals, Texans, etc. and so forth.

You really think that this league isn't being damaged by at least the league not looking at situations like Oakland, Buffalo, etc.?

Yeah and right.  It's one thing to be the job-boys.  We all know they exist.

It's quite another to be completely non-credible.

Gee, Deadspin... We trying to stay alive by pumping up NBC's Sunday Night Football?

I mean, Univision is an NBC affiliate company.

But, once again, it appears that Deadspin has been caught trying to suck up to the NFL narrative to try to help parent company NBC.

How do I say this?  Two things...

• First, a common feature of Deadspin before this season, especially when the #NFLBoycott began to take real hold, was the "Avoiding the NFL" series.  The last (at least tagged as Counterprogramming" NFL avoidance article by Chris Thompson was last October.

Thompson is still writing for Deadspin and covered the game last night quite a bit, with at least FOUR articles on it written by him.

• The other is a hit-piece interview with Eric Dickerson about the Hall of Famers' letter about insurance and salaries for former NFL players.  Dom Cosentino wrote the article.

The article (like at least one other on the site) slams the letter, does correctly note that at least two signatories want to walk back on boycott talk...

But where Deadspin, Consentino, and the UPI all lose the plot was this:

"Other knotty issues have since come up. Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith discovered a UPI wire story that identified Dickerson as a picket line-crosser during the final week of the 1987 NFL players strike, when the owners broke the union’s solidarity by replacing the strikers with scabs for three games. A Los Angeles Times story from Friday, Oct. 16, 1987, said Dickerson and Rams quarterback Jim Everett were indeed on the list of players who would have been eligible to play that weekend because they reported for work before the strike officially ended two days earlier."

That's not crossing the picket line, morans.

In fact, even your own article notes that Dickerson himself said that, had he even considered it, he couldn't chance his future behind an offensive line of scabs!!

The resulting Q&A accuses Dickerson of crossing the line, in one form or another, at least three times if not FOUR.

So what the fuck's your deal?  Are we now, after years of slamming on Roger Goodell, in his corner because you need Univision to keep the tap on for you (even with significant layoffs already apparent at Univision)?

Are you afraid you'll be working under Peter Thiel if you don't suck NBC/Goodell cock?

Am I the only person now wondering if the script got flipped last night?

I had a gut feeling, when I read of the idiocy of Isaiah Crowell, that there was the real possibility of that the script was probably flipped.

Watch the first 45 or so seconds of the NFL highlight video, see a blatant end-zone PI no-call in favor of the Jets, and start wondering some more!

Is Major League Baseball sending a message that it truly wants to be MAGA's National Pastime?

Why do I have a feeling that a lot of these things go together?

• The plummeting of Black players to 7% of the MLB total
• The de-pushing of all Western teams (read: The Dodgers especially) in favor of what is increasingly becoming The Preferred Six (NYY, BOS, HOU, Cobb County, CHC, STL), bringing the game back to before the California expansion...
• The ping-ponging of Aroldis Chapman, AFTER HIS SUSPENSION, between two of the Preferred Six...
• The Guerriel incident from last year's World Series
• The Cubs acquiring Daniel Murphy, known homophobe...
• And another with our wonderful friends from the Confines...

Addison Russell is basically being called out for beating his own wife, Melisa Reidy-Russell.  (Deadspin, hat-tip to my anonymous friend, who is now prepared to walk from baseball if the Cubs actually win the Series this year!)

June of 2017, Russell's (now ex-)wife posted a post on Instagram about being cheated on and lied to.  A friend added physical and mental abuse to the charges, but she would not cooperate with MLB, simply because she wanted a quick resolution for her son.

And now MLB has basically done the Janay Palmer routine on her as a result!

Melisa added a blog post yesterday, and MLB has basically done the "Commissioner's List" job on Addison.  The investigation has apparently been ongoing fifteen months now.

Of course it's a fucking PR problem, Deadspin!  The Cubs are one of the Preferred Six, and it's clear that, barring anything stupid like, oh...  letting the games be played and umped fairly, the Cubs are the clear favorite the league wants to face the Red Sox, Yankees, or Astros in the World Series!

So, if they don't do something now, people like us who don't have head up Cubbie Ass will more than angrily keep mentioning it!

I Think I Just Saw The Greatest Advertisement in the History of Beer

Dilly Dilly, Cleveland.

Sometimes, in my perusal of the Internet for angry material, I find stuff so cool that I have to talk about it.

Last night in Cleveland was one of these examples.

About a month before the season started, Bud Light gave out 37 "Bud Light Victory Fridges" to various Cleveland bars, the Browns' stadium (WWE's The Miz (he's from Cleveland!) ended up with one), etc.  Each one had a chain on it, which would not release and allow the refrigerator to be opened until the Cleveland Browns had won their first game since Christmas Eve, 2016.

(How they did it:  After the 0:00 (and, in The Miz's video, they showed it was literally about FIVE SECONDS), a wireless signal dropped the chain and allowed the fridge to be opened.)

Well...

Watch for yourselves.

NFL Week Two 2018 Fine Blotter

• Green Bay Packers:  HAS HE SKATED AGAIN???

Clay Matthews said he was not fined for his roughing the passer penalty (or his postgame comments). So at least the NFL didn't triple down on hm. https://t.co/PjptUxkpt9

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 21, 2018

We've seen TWO of those questionable Roughing the Passer Rodgers Rule calls doubled-down on already this season with $20,054 fines.

So this would indicate, if true, that Clay Matthews has now escaped TWICE (and, with the post-game comments, THREE TIMES) from what are considered, this year, to be proper NFL fines!!

Of course, there's an easy answer, but no one will admit it.  The NFL is telling you to your face, if you're paying attention, that the game was rigged, at minimum for overtime and eventually for the tie.

Keep believing people.

Blotter and updates coming through the weekend as information comes in!

Here's the start of Week 2, and it starts with a BIGGIE:

• Minnesota Vikings:  Andrew Sendejo, $53,482 for unnecessary roughness with repeat-offender status.  Under the Club Remittance Policy, the Vikings are charged the maximum $50,000 against their number.

Sendejo, I believe, may be one of the main reasons the Vikings won't get pushed.  He got both fined (Week 3) and suspended (Week 7) for helmet hits last year, leading to his repeat-offender status.  He was (in)famously spotted wearing a "Make Football Violent Again" hat after the release of the new helmet rules.

• FOR THE SECOND WEEK IN A ROW, THE EJECTEE SKATES:  Atlanta Falcons:  Damontae Kazee gets only $10,026 (the same fine Shawn Williams got last week for spearing Andrew Luck) for spearing Cam Newton and getting ejected.

The league is sending a message to quarterbacks:  Do not run, do not slide.

That is the THIRD slide Spearing incident in the league in about ten regular-season weeks (Alonso on Joe Flacco last year, Williams on Luck and Kazee on Newton this year), and they don't even get the standard fine for a Helmet Rule violation.  (All three got roughly the same original-$7,500 fine.)

IT'S -- FUCKING -- SPEARING!!!  It doesn't even have to be under the new rule.  There's been an ejection foul for that action for DECADES in the sport of football!

Ejection, automatic suspension, loss of a game check.

If I'm going to only get tossed and fined $10K, why am I, especially in this kind of a situation in the league with respect to the Rodgers Rule, NOT going to openly attempt to spear a quarterback and knock him out of the game?

Will someone fucking answer me that question from the NFL offices in New York??

• Houston Texans:  Jadaevon Clowney:  $10,026 for taunting.
• Carolina Panthers:  Torrey Smith
• and Atlanta Falcons:  Takk McKinley, each $10,026 for scuffling after the Damontae Kazee incident.
• Philadelphia Eagles:  Nelson  Aghilor:  $26,739 for an unnecessary roughness (Forearm Uppercut to the Chin/Headshot)
• New York Jets:  Buster Skrine:  $10,026 for a face mask.
• Detroit Lions:  LeGarrette Blount:  $10,026 for coming off the sideline, leveling a 49er player, and getting ejected!

The standard fine for that, since he seems to have come off the sideline and involved himself, should be upwards of $40,000!!!

• Yannick Ngakoue barely skated being a three-time loser, as he again was examined for a hit on Tom Brady.  Eric Kendricks also did not get fined for his Roughing the Passer against Green Bay.

More to come, probably.

PreSeason NFL Fine Blotter Update: An interesting one here, because it might tell you something!!

Perusing Twitter for some early Fine Friday material before I go on my daily rounds, I found THIS...

#Packers safety Kentrell Brice said he was fined $20,000 in the preseason for an unpenalized hit on Raiders QB Connor Cook. League told him after the game he roughed the passer. He said it would’ve been a $30,000 fine if he hit Vikings WR Adam Thielen to break up game-tying TD.

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) September 21, 2018

Wood is a beat writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

So, I guess, first:

• Green Bay Packers:  Kentrell Brice:  $20,054 for Roughing the Passer

But it's the second part of this that makes me wonder what the Hell is going on here.

I'm convinced, from the Clay Matthews situation (for which his fine should be announced today!), that the NFL was manipulating/rigging overtime here.

I'm seeing snark in the comments like:  "Well, good thing he just let him score."

I believe what Brice may be implicating here is that he was told that, if he broke up this play, he would be FINED for doing so!  That it would've been a Defenseless Player situation for him to break up the tying touchdown!

How would he say this in that context if he wasn't TOLD, on a pre-existing basis, not to do so?

How would he say this if it wasn't clear that any attempt to prevent overtime would not be financially punished?

You don't need to lay someone out in that context.  The play is clear, if he drills the guy, he probably IS fined.  But you can break that up without laying someone out.

2018 NFL Week THREE Fine Blotter, Part Negative One

Yeah, I'll go there, but I think this one's obvious.  And if the league doesn't fine him this at minimum, we're going to have to talk.

• New York Jets:  Isaiah Crowell.  TWO TIME LOSER, Same Play.  $20,053 will be his fine, according to the NFL Fine Schedule when he gets his letter in eight days.  

Deadspin reported on it tonight.

Crowell scored in the second quarter of the game with the Cleveland Browns to put the Jets up 14-0.

He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for shitting out the football in his touchdown celebration.  For that, he will be fined the standard $13,369 fine.

He then will be fined an additional $6,684 at MINIMUM for throwing the ball into the stands in Cleveland.

If I were the official (and yes, for those wondering, Joe Buck was on the NFL Network broadcast and had another "moment" with this), I'd have thrown a second 15-yard penalty and expelled Crowell from the contest for taunting!

Worse yet:  It woke the Browns.  The Cleveland Browns won their first National Football League game since Christmas Eve of 2016, 21-17.

Team Fine Blotter: This one's interesting...

Well, we know if this team doesn't get many calls this year, we know what happened:

• Baltimore Ravens:  Ian Rapoport reported yesterday that the Ravens were fined $200,000 for illegal communication devices.  Only one player at a time may wear a coach-to-player helmet-communication device, and the Ravens were caught with a number of them.
• For offseason workout violations, they also lost their last two OTA days, and the head coach was fined $50,000 and the owner $100,000...

So $350,000 and the loss of two OTA days...  does NOTHING in the final analysis.

Especially two years removed from losing 3 OTA days and fined $500,000...

Especially for something like this, there is only one place which would hurt the franchise, since $850,000 isn't doing it.

No guts to do it, though -- The Show Must Go On.

Not long enough, NHL...

Max Domi of Montreal has been banned the rest of the preseason for four punches at an unwilling Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers.

Knocked Ekblad down and cut him with the fourth punch, got a seven-minute power play against the Canadiens and a match penalty for his efforts.

Banned five more preseason games, but none of the regular season.


I'm all for the "Wanna go? Wanna go???" nature of pro hockey.

But especially with the league watching fights a lot closer these days, that should've been five of the REGULAR season on top of the other five, and longer, depending on Domi's record.

Not enough, NHL. NOT ENOUGH!

Mark it down. Revenge gets served, probably, December 28th -- the first regular-season meeting.

Mark Cuban Faces The Music... Or Does He?

This is a definite Your Mileage May Vary situation, but Mark Cuban has finally had the investigation completed into the sexual harassment culture of the Dallas Mavericks, as Sports Illustrated revealed back in February.

• An agreed $10 million will be donated to various relevant charities by Cuban.
• The NBA will allow Cuban to remain owner of the Mavericks with no further penalty for this.
• Cuban has tried his best to officially apologize to all relevant parties.

Adam Silver and the NBA retained an outside investigative team which saw more than 200 people impacted by the allegations, many against former team CEO and President Terderma Ussery, as well as reviewed over 1.6 million documents in the investigation.

Very few, if any, people felt that Cuban himself was responsible in any way further than "The Buck Stops Here" -- and that was also the NBA's eventual conclusion.

Cuban has, according to reports, instituted reforms to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Cynthia Marshall was named CEO after the SI report, and spent the next 100 days cleaning house.  The head of human resources was also immediately fired after the report.

--

I'm of two minds.

First mind is that the league was correct:  Cuban did not take part (though there were some later reports that he might've done other things) in any of this.

Second mind, though, is that the culture was so repulsive to women working with the team that he still needed to be more responsible.

To give an idea: The CEO, head of ethics, vice-president of human resources, and other executive positions are now all headed by women.

A forced sale of the team was never discussed or considered.

Not saying this action solely would've resulted in one, but I'm still not sure he's out of the woods just yet.

Apparent Transient Kills Budding College Superstar Golf Player

(Deadspin)

And then this complete tragedy out of Iowa.

2018 Big XII women's golf individual champion Celia Barquin Arozamena was found deceased on her home golf course in Ames, Iowa on Monday.  (She attended Iowa State University.)

She had been taken from the course, assaulted, and murdered on Monday morning September 17th -- a call came in when her golf bag was found unattended at approximately 10:24 AM.

Won the recent European Ladies' Amateur Championship, participated in the most recent US Women's Open.  Was ranked #69 in the women's golf rankings in Golfweek, the Spaniard appeared to be on the fast-track to the LPGA Tour after completing her civil engineering degree this term at ISU...

Iowa State, last school year, named her their Female Athlete of the Year.

... until, it is alleged, she was assaulted and murdered by a man on the course.  Now charged for the murder is Collin Daniel Richards, who, like his alleged victim, is 22.  Ames police have no known address for Richards, meaning he probably was a transient!

One of the commenters has noted that Richards actually said he wanted to rape and kill a woman, showed up at a friend's house covered in sand and blood, and no one bothered to notify the police until after.

Ahem...  Accessory After The Fact, Iowa Code 703.3

Updates: Kyrgios Umpire Suspended, Winston Sued, Brown Doesn't Show Up

Gee, you can't go a day anymore without things going sideways:

• The Uber driver whose sexual assault by Rapeis Winston led to his current three-game suspension (and perhaps benching or worse, as the league may be about to pull a Matt Ryan on his Michael Vick!!) has sued Winston.  Undisclosed damages.  (Deadspin)
• The tennis umpire who counseled Nick Kyrgios during his match has been banned two tournaments without pay.  (Deadspin)
• The situation in Pittsburgh is getting more dire.  After the Le'Veon Bell mess has led the Steelers to tie the lowly Browns and lose to the Chiefs, now Antonio Brown's "trade me let's find out" has led to him missing Monday film sessions.  Next expected report is Wednesday.  (Deadspin)

I'm just going to leave this out there:

1. Khalil Mack never reports to the Raiders, traded to the Bears.
2. Josh Gordon appears to injure himself off-duty and is in no condition to practice or rehab for the Browns, leading them to trade him to the Patriots (for whom he's always wanted to play).
3. Le'Veon Bell has not reported.
4. In response to comments about that Ben Roethlesberger is the only reason Antonio Brown has numbers, Brown says the Steelers should trade him to find out, then he no-shows the mandatory post-game media on Sunday and film session on Monday.
5. And then, the capper on it all, Vontae Davis retires from the National Football League at halftime of a regular season game!

Now, no one will confuse the Steelers, at least before Week 1, with a team with no future.  But, in this American Sports Machine Era of the Superteam, are we beginning to see the rats fleeing sinking ships?  Definitely like Cleveland, Oakland (with the impending lawsuit), and Buffalo -- we'll see on Pittsburgh going forward.

Hall of Famers, your idea is right, the message is wrong...

(Deadspin, hat-tip to my anonymous ex-football-fan friend...)

A number of Pro Football Hall of Famers sent a letter to the Hall of Fame, Commissioner Goodell, and they are threatening to boycott future induction ceremonies unless certain demands are met -- including salaries and health insurance for the Hall of Fame.

Now, if you look at the headline, you're thinking "What elitist fucks!!  They want this just for themselves."

The letter (signed by a group including Jim Brown, Joe Namath, Lawrence Taylor, Bruce Smith, and spouses like Reggie White's widow) states that giving such benefit to the Hall of Famers would cost .03% of the operating revenue of the NFL, or 80% of a 30-second Super Bowl LII ad.

What is later noted by commenters, though, is statements by the likes of Eric Dickerson, stating this is Step One to eventually getting more guarantees and insurance for all NFL players, current and former.

That's all fine and good -- except for three problems:

• You're dealing with Roger Goodell, who has no regard for the present players and little to none for former ones.
• The odds of you even getting your demands met for yourselves, as a result, is, at best, remote!
• And, as my anonymous friend notes, if, by some miracle, they surmount that chance, chances are that Goodell would respond to any expansion of demands about like the headmasters at Oliver Twist's school wondering why Oliver wants more....

Stay tuned.

2018 NFL Week Two Scoring Report: Defense is Outlawed

Or at least pretty close...  Offshooting from the ESPN article on the Packers openly wondering if they are allowed to play defense (Answer:  No.):

• 46.3125 points per game Week 2.  (40.188 last year, 45.25 two years ago, 47.75 three years ago)

Two weeks in a row now.  A touchdown (well, a six-point touchdown in both cases) more scoring per game than last year.

Last week was 6.75, this week was 6.15.

• Meaning that the two week average per-game of 47.0625 is 6 1/2 points more than the 40.613 last year.  2016 was a tick over 45, 2015 was 46.5.

Maybe not QUITE as much as might've been proposed, but it's clear the rules are having a negative impact on defenses, as scoring is heading back toward mid-decade records.

• First six games of the week on the board, home teams were 2-4.  No home team lost again, the Packers drew the Vikings for 11-4-1 this week.  (Last year:  9-7,  Two years ago:  10-6)
• Meaning we now have 19-11-2 (0.625) for the home teams this year so far.  (Last year:  16-15, two years ago:  17-15)

I do believe the NFL is still trying to find it's footing, so it's no surprise to me the home-cooking (sans the big 1 Eastern start in Green Bay) is flowing pretty good right now.  We'll see if it holds up.

• Vegas has officially adjusted for the new rules:  The Over was 8-8 this week for 17-15 for the year.  Last year:  4-9-3 for 9-19-3.
• Average total on the line for the Vegas number this week:  45.375  Last year:  44.9.  (Which is why the bettors took a beating the first two weeks of last year on the Over.)
• Where they DID take a beating this year's Week 2:  Against the spread!!  5-11 against the number, 8-7 straight up.  Last year:  7-9 against the number, 11-5 straight up.
• Two weeks total:  12-19-1 ATS, 18-12(-2) SU.  

Meaning the favorites are winning at less of a percentage than the home teams!!

• The team with more penalties was 5-7 this week, 11-13 for the year.  (Last year:  6-9 and 15-13)
• Only 206 accepted penalties this week, an average of less than 13.  Last year had 228, 14.5
• Two week total:  461 in 32 games this year (14.4 per game)  Last year:  435 in 31 games (14.0)

The refs are still the main story.  We'll see how long that goes.

• 4 Cliffhangers this week:  The 2nd tie (MIN-GB) also had a late score in the last two minutes for a double,  NO-CLE had a go-ahead CLE TD at 1:16 followed by a winning NO FG at :21 for a double, TEN beat HOU with a winning FG at 1:00, and DEN beat OAK with a winning FG at 6 seconds.
• Total of 5 for the year.  Last year had 3 Cliffhangers in Week 2 after none in Week 1.
• 11 of the 16 games finished within 8 points this week.  That's 21 of the 32 for the year.  Last year:  8 in Week 2 for a total of 12.
• Non-competitive games:  3 this week, 7 for the two.  Last year:  8 in Week 2, 14 total.

Interesting statistic:  One of those four games was Jacksonville beating New England 31-20.  It was the first time New England had lost a non-competitive game (a game which, at no point in the fourth quarter, the margin was eight points or less!) since Week 4 of the 2016 season to Buffalo, 16-0.

But that was the final game of the Brady suspension.

The last time a Tom Brady-headed New England team went down in non-competitive fashion:  You have to go back to Week 4 of 2014 when Kansas City ran them over 41-14.

• Plenty of Last Chance Misses:  The only Cliffhanger which didn't have at least one was Denver and Oakland.  Carolina had ball in the air at the gun to tie Atlanta.  Both the Sunday nighter and the Monday nighter had late onside kicks missed.
• 6 total for the week, making 12 of the 32 games this year with an opportunity to tie or win the game in the last two minutes or overtime.
• Last year had 4 in Week 2, 6 total.

More Monday Updates: Gordon goes where he always wanted, The Patriots

• Should've known it, perusing Reddit and the like (maybe I saw it as a Facebook comment on Yardbarker), but Josh Gordon is a New England Patriot -- like he has said he has wanted to be.

Browns get a fifth-round pick next year -- have to give up a seventh-round pick next year if Gordon doesn't play 10 games.

When Gordon's Saturday firing was revealed, several fans noted that Gordon has said he's always wanted to play with Tom Brady.  Monday, he gets his wish.

Well, that's one way to move up in the draft.  I still don't understand how any of this happens with Gordon effectively being fired for showing up Saturday in a condition which indicated a probable relapse.

• The problems in Pittsburgh apparently are going beyond La'Veon Bell.

Antonio Brown wants out.

A former Steelers PR guy had serious questions on Brown's contributions to the offense in Pittsburgh, to which Brown responded [sic]: "trade me let's find out".

Ryan Scarpino, who left the team after last season, said openly that he felt that Brown would not get the numbers he did outside of Ben Roethlesberger's offense.

Brown and Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fitchner had a verbal altercation on the sideline, and a second conversation later.  Brown then, against league rules, bolted on the media after the 42-37 loss to the Chiefs.

Apparently, Brown also threatened an ESPN beat writer for similar questioning after Jesse Washington wrote whether all Brown really was was an "Instagram All-Pro".

Brown then said to make sure Washington met him to see what Washington's jaw would end up like.

There are a number of teams where the situation is flying apart and really threatens to fuck up this league really hardcore.  The league needs a look.

• The Minnesota rookie kicker is gone for forcing (*cough*being ordered to facilitate*cough*) the tie with the Vikings.  

To no one's abject surprise, Daniel Carlson was cut for (probably intentionally) shanking three field goals in Sunday's draw -- either of the last two would've won the game for the Vikings against the Packers.

• One of the things which might say the Packers won't be The Team in the NFC this year is that they are the first team for which it becomes clear that the defense may not be able to stop water under the rule meant to protect their own quarterback!

And it's no real surprise when you understand that Clay Matthews has a SIGNIFICANT Player Safety history.

The Packers got three Roughing the Passer calls against them in the win over the Bears in Week 1.

They got Rodgers Rule'd to force the overtime on the last drive with Clay Matthews in Week 2.

In fact, FOUR Roughing incidents between the quarterbacks in the Week 1 Sunday Nighter -- none of them got fines.

The question is going to become, very quickly, whether Matthews (or someone else) is going to get suspended for one of these hits.

ESPN, who's brought up the Green Bay situation, talked about a larger problem with penalties like Roughing the Passer going up this season.  Through almost two weeks of this season, 21 calls for Roughing the Passer -- six this week so far, two in the Minnesota-Green Bay draw.

Last year had nine.

As of tonight's game, Week 2 this year is almost six points a game more than last year.

Week 1 this year was almost seven.

You figure it out.

Week 2 Notes: Ratings, Kickers, and the Washington Redskins Getting Told To Fuck Themselves

Ratings Overnights (from Sports Media Watch):

• Week 2 National window fell to CBS this year, and it fell 12% over last year's Week 2 National Window on FOX.  Not good when 80% of the country got Patriots-Jaguars.  Pretty much even to last year's first CBS National window.
• Sunday Night Football was up 10% over last year's Week 2 SNF, and that had the Cowboys.  However, vs. last year's SNF Cowboys-Giants, down 13%.  And, since 2010, only one of the 15 meetings between the two marquee sides is rated worse.
• FOX Single Window (36% Packers-Vikings, 25% Cardinals-Rams) up 18% from last year's single window, but down 11% from two years ago.
• Week 2 Regional Window for CBS:  Up 11% from last year, down double-digits from two years ago.
• Thursday Night:  Down 14% in ratings, 13% in viewers.

Five of the seven primetime games have fallen in ratings, and one of the other two was one of the worst Cowboys-Giants ratings in years.

Other news:

• Cleveland is releasing their kicker after basically hanging their loss on him.  Never mind the team is 4-45-1 in their last 50 games, no!!
• The LeVeon Bell fiasco continues:  Chiefs over Steelers as the pall continues to hang.
• No word yet on the Vikings, but one person has noted that the Vikings have had three punters and three kickers in just over two seasons.
• And you can add Washington to Buffalo and Oakland as situations this league better get a look at if Deadspin's report of the supposed home opener with Indianapolis is any indication. 

The Redskins CLAIMED 57,000 showed up, but if there were 25,000 there at all to see that debacle...

One Twitter video scanned the stands during a Redskins drive, and if there were even 15,000 in that video, I'd be stunned.  But I guess that's what happens with six winning seasons (none better than 10-6) and two playoff wins since they won the Super Bowl...

in 1991-92...

HEY MANFRED: Are you really trying to take baseball back to about 1950???

I mean, it's damn well good and clear, after that 3 1/2 hour anti-Dodger commercial you had on ESPN tonight -- ESPN openly cheering on the Cardinals, the home-plate umpire so slanted he'd fall off home plate...

ESPN showing off the home run from five years ago that set off this fucking Clayton Kershaw meme -- forget that Kershaw pitched FRIDAY NIGHT.

But NO, we can't have the Dodgers leading the NL West (as they were before today) and ahead in the wildcard as well, if it was needed (like they were today -- and today's win means that if St. Louis and the Dodgers play #163 to determine who goes to Milwaukee, St. Louis won the season series because of tonight's slant-fest)....

I mean, are you telling us that there are only about (Yankees, BoSox, Cobb County Crackers, St. Louis KKKrackers, Cubs, Astros...) six bandwagons worth caring about??

Gee, you want the other stadiums, ESPECIALLY Dodger Stadium, to sound like this next year?


The first 15 seconds is sufficient.

NFL Week 2 Notes: The league needs more info before Rodgers can be pushed, so kiss your sister -- and a halftime retirement???

• Hope you all enjoyed that production from Lambeau today. That was rigged for overtime, and then again rigged for a tie.

Roughing the Passer reared it's ugly head twice -- once leading to a Packer field goal in the first half, and then the big one, Clay Matthews getting Rodgers Rule'd to set up the tying 8 which got us to overtime.

And look at the vid on Deadspin and tell me that isn't going to get him a fine, same way as the other two bullshit Rodgers Rule bullshits.

Can't seem to embed the .MP4 -- vid's at the link.

Tony Corrente, the referee, actually called Matthews for lift and drive into the ground...

And you want to tell me these games are legit?

And then the kicker for the Vikings shanks THREE field goals, none close...

OK, the two from 48 and 49 could be somewhat excused, right-hash, wide right.

But then he completely shanks a 35 yard centered one for the draw...

A draw, Deadspin reports, that is an NFL first.  It is the first game in NFL history to end 29-29.

So, since it's clear, at least to date, the NFL is fucking the Vikings, why not put the Pack over?

Because they don't know if the knee will hold up 16 weeks.  Come back to us Week 12 when the two teams rematch in Minnesota.  The tie also means a Chicago win over Seattle on MNF would put the Khalil Mack-led Bears closer than if either team had won.

• Vegas wins again:  Entering MNF, the favorites are 4-11 against the number.
• And a shocking twist of the decaying situation in Buffalo.  

Vontae Davis did THIS at halftime...  He retired from the NFL, with the injuries and violence the main reason, in the middle of a regular-season NFL game!!!

Official statement from CB @vontaedavis. pic.twitter.com/8WXszhnrUo

— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2018

I want anyone from Football Nation America to continue to justify their viewing of this sport as their lifeblood after THIS alone.

Andrew Luck last week, Cam Newton already today

There is becoming an inescapable truth about the NFL...

The players learned from last year -- injuring players wins games.  And 15 yards and an ejection is not going to do it.

I'm not even sure the suspension it should carry would do it either, but Damontae Kazee should sit at least two games for this Trevathan job on Cam Newton, for which he was tossed...

Kazee is gonna be ejected for this. Late hit, helmet to helmet pic.twitter.com/hxZf3vJvqQ

— Carlton (@SlopingGiraffe) September 16, 2018

Josh Gordon Fired After Possible Relapse

And this is why players that get this many strikes should not be considered employable, by any of the football leagues.

The Cleveland Browns have fired Josh Gordon, according to Yardbarker, and word from Browns camp is that Gordon not only injured his hamstring in a promotional event (not on the practice field), but showed up Saturday in a condition which led team officials to believe he has possibly relapsed.

He will be released Monday, after the Week 2 game.

Gordon has been suspended four times by the league for various violations of the drug policies, plus a fifth time by the Browns for unspecified violations of team rules.

He's in the league seven years.  He has played 41 NFL games, according to Wikipedia.

He's been banned 56 games.

Teams are lining up for a potential trade, but that should be contingent on an immediate investigation of the last week in Cleveland for this guy.

My guess?  Strike Five.

And, of course, Barstool Sports sensing Gordon is sprinting out of Cleveland for a contender.  Stay classy, assholes.

More MLB umpiring incidents...

It's almost as if the umpires are STATING they'll exert that they control who wins and loses, at the behest of Commissioner "Blinded By The Light" Manfred.

Two more incidents add to a growing list that the umpires are more than happy to take matters into their own hands.

• Tom Hallion was questioned after having an incident at the end of Todd Frazier's walk-off home run for the Mets Thursday night.  (Yahoo!) 

Hallion was standing square on home plate while the Mets celebrated a walk-off win, and MLB wanted words with him.

Hallion was the famous "our ass is in the jackpot" umpire in a 2016 confrontation with the Mets.

It's also speculated Hallion, who appeared to bump square into Frazier as Frazier scored the run, was also making a statement protesting the Mets' usage of a rubber ball to trick the umpire into calling an out against the Dodgers.

• In another case of what Michael Kay said:  "It's always fun when Laz Diaz is around", another round of Bryce Harper vs. The Umpires.  (Deadspin)

Diaz and Harper went at it over several innings Friday night.

Since it was a balls-and-strikes thing, just toss Harper and be done with it, Laz!

Or did you want to do THIS to help the Braves win, which they did (GIF from the article):



Stay tuned, this could get uglier!!

Some random thoughts...

• Joy.  ANOTHER Mayweather-Pacquiao farce.  The woman-beater vs. the homophobe, because the former realizes there's no money in boxing unless he's out there.  Barf.
• Color me old-fashioned, but Marcus Peters should be suspended for this week's game.

The pick-six celebration was apparently a tribute to Raider Marshawn Lynch, fined twice for grabbing his crotch after touchdowns.

He said the fine was worth it.

If I'm the league, that's a suspension face-up.

Add the fact that:

1. If this had been high school, he would've been suspended, because he would've been tossed for flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct -- and, depending on the stature the football team has with the community, he could've been suspended from the school too.
2. If it had been college, the six would've come off the board.

Ironically, I'm not sure if the six would come off the board in high school or not.  It's not the case, at least, as of 2014 (and the college rule was changed in 2011).

• Another person people would think I'm nuts to do this to, but I'd also suspend David Onyemata for two Roughing the Passer penalties.

A lot has been made that he literally played for free last week.  But the fact he committed two such penalties should be ejectable, and the fact he committed two FINEABLE penalties of that regard should've automatically triggered Supplemental Discipline.

But, that's right, the NFL cares about Player Safety, and so do the players.  Shyeah and fucking right.

• Are we getting an early tell here?  Are we actually going to go with an Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl if the knee can hold up long enough (or the wide-eyed drugs good enough) to get Rodgers through a season, at least kinda like Peyton Manning and his neck the year the Broncos won?

I mean, damn if this isn't about the only damn story this week in the NFL -- and you have to wonder, given the heavy slams on injurious defensive play, if even the Vikings breathing on Rodgers is going to be a penalty.

Recall:  The "Aaron Rodgers Rule", and the injury to Rodgers which took the Packers out of play, was against Minnesota! 

#NFLBoycott Report: Has the bloom FINALLY come off the Cowboys?

Found a report on a singular team that was very interesting.

Right-wing economic blog (dare I say alt-right?) Zero Hedge reported this morning that the Week 1 Dallas Cowboys game, probably the last team even somewhat immune to the boycott, had the lowest rating in Dallas for Week 1 in almost a decade -- since 2009.

You know football in Texas and all -- so a 28.2 would seem huge, but it's the lowest they've had for a Week 1 since 2009's opener scored only a 25.2

2018 NFL Week 1 Fine/Suspension Blotter

Will be updated through at least Friday and Saturday as research finds more.

Vast bulk of these are from the Associated Press, but also searching Twitter, NFL.com, and other sources for more.

The whole point of this is two reasons:

1. That the league has no real interest in Player Safety.
2. Neither do the players.

• Los Angeles Rams:  Marcus Peters:  $13,369 for an illegal touchdown celebration.  In college, that backward-leap crotch-grab on a pick six would've taken the six off the board -- the rule should be instituted everywhere.
• Cincinnati Bengals: Shawn Williams:  For the helmet hit that got him ejected against Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck?  Only $10,026!
• New York Jets:  Parry Nickerson:  $10,026 for taunting -- on his first official NFL play and tackle.
• Miami Dolphins:  Andre Branch:  Was not fined for a defenseless player hit (Chad Clifton Rule) against Tennessee's Taylor Tewan, which concussed and put out Tewan.  He was fined $10,026 for taunting him afterward!
• Miami Dolphins:  Jordan Phillips:  $10,026, Taunting.
• New Orleans Saints:  David Onyemata, first TWO-TIME LOSER of the year, didn't take him one game to do it.  Fined $40,108 for Roughing the Passer twice.  Not only should that be an ejection offense in the first place, Onyemata was forced to surrender his entire Week 1 paycheck.  He played for free -- he makes just over $39K a week.
• Los Angeles Rams:  Aaron Donald
• Minnesota Vikings: Sheldon Richardson
• Atlanta Falcons:  Grady Jarrett
• Dallas Cowboys:  DeMarcus Lawrence, ALL $20,054 for each Roughing the Passer
• New England Patriots:  Duron Harmon:  $26,739, Unnecessary Roughness
• Pittsburgh Steelers:  Artie Burns:  $13,369 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct
• Baltimore Ravens:  Matt Judon
• Buffalo Bills:  Dion Watkins
• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Cam Robinson, ALL $10,026 for Unnecessary Roughness
• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Yannick Ngakoue, TWO TIME LOSER, $10,026 for a facemask. 
• New York Giants:  Ereck Flowers:  $10,026 for Tripping
• Green Bay Packers:  One of the most egregious escapes of the week was Clay Matthews for THIS:

Somehow, CLAY MATTHEWS will NOT be fined for this late cheap shot on Mitchell Trubisky #Packers

Launches and leads with the crown of the helmet after the QB already threw the ball. This is ridiculous, @NFL! pic.twitter.com/UxyxO9Tmiu

— PirateLife Football (@PirateLifeFF) September 14, 2018

• Miami Dolphins:  This hit that took out Marcus Mariota by William Hayes is probably a close second.  No fine for THIS:

Why is this play not generating more discussion? Mariota hit well after a handoff was finished and was hurt on this play. With how QBs are protected like Fort Knox, no one is talking about this? pic.twitter.com/3D2HH5f4CO

— Matt Prehm (@Prehmmr247) September 14, 2018

The tweeter on the Matthews hit is correct to be outraged Matthews wasn't fined.  That was a clear $20,054 job and 15 yards (be interested, if anyone can recall, which half of the game that no-call took place in) -- but it's not only late, it's a blow to the head, no helmet to be seen, though.

The one on the Hayes hit is correct because it was a clear late submarine job.  If defensive players are going to be fined and the like harder for Roughing the Passer, look for some more innocuous cheap shots like this one!

New York should've buzzed in and reviewed that hit as a "non-football act".  I would not have argued, under the context, had Hayes been ejected.

By my count, that is already 17 of the 32 teams the NFL has fined, and it's Week 1 and the reports are still coming in!

Total fines so far this week:  $264,305
Season total:                          $527,392

And a suspension to report:

• Free Agent:  Ahmad Brooks, banned six weeks.  Though the reason is undisclosed, it's probably from a 2015 sexual battery case (while Brooks was with the 49ers) that Brooks finally settled in January, unless he's already served a suspension for that.

2018 NFL Fine Blotter Preview

Well, tomorrow is the first Fine Friday of the NFL season -- and if FootballZebras.com is correct, there could be quite a few Roughing the Passer fines.  There were 14 such calls in the first week, and all save two deemed correct.  We'll find out how many are announced as fine-able tomorrow.

But some interesting looks at the pre-season, which counts against all Club Remittance totals for the year:

• The New York Jets are rapidly becoming the Bad Boys of 2018 -- which may not be that big a shock if that is going to get them a push like their Week 1 blowout of the Lions indicates!  The Jets were already being fined (in a separate column, this one for multiple suspensions) $79,800.  There were no announced fines in either Week 3 or 4 in the NFL of this year's preseason, but the Jets accrued FOUR fines in the first two games of the preseason, totaling $86,216.  So, not only are the Jets already over halfway to the Level 2 $50,000 fine at $140,395, but the Jets have already seen fine losses to the league totaling over $166,000 -- and the season hasn't started yet!

Only three other teams had multiple fines:

• The Browns had two in Week 1.
• The Raiders had two in Week 2.
• The Broncos had one in each game of the first two.

In all, eight teams are already sans the clean slate.  Fourteen players were fined a total of $263,357 -- in the PRE-SEASON, with NO augmented fines...

Hoo boy.  Tomorrow could get quite interesting!

• Interesting side-note on the Raiders.  The Raiders are now in a bit of a Catch-22.  When they cut Martavis Bryant in the pre-season, they could not say if it was about the suspension.  That would've been a $500,000 fine for tampering with the process under the Drug Policy.  However, since the Raiders already have two players suspended, keeping Bryant at that point would've resulted in a $250,000 total fine under the Club Remittance Policy should Bryant be suspended (as it graduates the first two to 25% of the lost salary, and Bryant's would be 25% of ALL of his 2018 salary).
• I'll say it again:  Someone better get a look into this situation in Oakland.  FAST!

And that narrative is destroying history too!

Jake Odorizzi was able to get MLB Network to salivate tonight.

7 no-hit innings against the Yankees at Target Field.

After getting the first out of the 8th, Luke Voit came up, and swung at what was called Ball 4 on a check-swing, appeal denied by the first base ump.

NEXT PITCH OUT OF THE STRETCH:  Greg Bird gaps one to break up the no-hitter and the shutout.

REALLY, UMPS???

Meanwhile, the umps are protecting Manfred's narrative in MLB...

Watching tonight's MLB Showcase game between Chicago and Milwaukee (Brewers 1 GB of the Cubs in the NL Central).

2-0 Cubs in the fourth.

First and second, nobody out, Quintana can't find the strike zone for the Cubs.

Until he gets a generous strike three call inside to put out Jesus Aguilar -- and it's fortunate Aguilar even lasted the half-inning not getting ejected.

Next pitch:  Lined to right, two out.

Next batter after that:  Popped out, inning over.

And again in the 7th!  Bases loaded, two out, still 2-0 Cubs...

Cubs go to the bullpen, get a generous high inside strike two on a three-pitch strikeout.

-

It's clear to me that Rob Manfred wants Cubs (#1 NL), Racist Cobb County (#2 NL), The Most Racist Fans In Baseball (St. Louis) (#2 NL Wild Card), Yankees (#1 AL Wild Card), Red Sox (#1 AL by a WIDE MARGIN, Houston (#2 AL), and NOT Dodgers in these playoffs.

If this is his view of the country and the National Pastime, maybe it is no surprise now that about one player in fifteen in MLB is Black.

Follow-ups to previous posts: The Show Must Go On, and Brian Tuohy ain't buying any of it!

• The Serena Williams situation is about to explode.

Fined only $17,000 by the USTA for her role in destroying the US Open Women's tournament for the third time in ten tournaments, Williams was actually defended by the head of the WTA, Steve Simon, a man with a known reputation of "The Show Must Go On" and pandering to star players.

“Yesterday brought to the forefront the question of whether different standards are applied to men and women in the officiating of matches,” Simon said. “The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men versus women and is committed to working with the sport to ensure that all players are treated the same. We do not believe that this was done last night."

There is now serious discussion of an umpire's boycott of Serena Williams -- given that the chair umpire for the women's final of the US Open was only paid about $500 for the responsibility and the WTA is not going to take action against Williams because of her stature in the sport, I hope they follow through.  Stay tuned!

• Adam Schefter reported Randy Gregory may have committed Strike Four on the drug policy in the last month.  The league is investigating, but Gregory played his first game in two years on Sunday.
• Brian Tuohy's Week 1 review of the NFL is up at his new season page, and to say he doesn't take too kindly to the NFL's scripted production of Aaron Rodgers is putting it lightly!

But, first, he mentions:

1. A key penalty giving a second chance to the Falcons at the end of the game, leading to two repeats:  The Eagles won Game 1 last year with a goal-line stand.  It also represents a repeat from another Thursday opener where the defending champs (in this case, Green Bay over New Orleans) needed a last-play goal-line stand after a penalty to win the opener.
2. There is now significant rumor that the Jets had the Lions' playbook last night in the blowout.  Various reports are indicating the Jets knew the plays the Lions were running before they ran them.
3. The "Sacking Is Illegal" rule reared it's ugly head, and the Browns got screwed because of it.  2nd quarter, Myles Garrett got Rodgers Rule-d for a 15-yarder -- that the NFL says should not have happened.  Steelers turned what would've been a field goal into a touchdown...  and probably cost the Browns their first win in two years.
4. The Andrew Luck saga continues, as opposing quarterback Andy Dalton of Cincinnati is saying he's certain that Luck got better treatment from the refs than he did on Sunday.

Nothing held a candle to the Aaron Rodgers situation in Green Bay, though.  I guess it helps when your "trophy girlfriend" is now Danica Patrick, apparently...

As most well know, the Khalil Mack-led defense of the Bears ran fucking roughshod over Rodgers and the Pack in the first half.  Mack, in fact, was the subject of an interesting statistic.

Mack had a sack, a forced fumble, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown defensively.  Who was the last person to actually do that five-some?

It was Khalil Mack, Week 12 2016.

Got the fumble, the fumble recovery, and the sack 3:07 left in the second, the pick and score for 17-0 on the next drive.

So the Packer fans are already writing the eulogy on this season with Deshon Kizer as their quarterback...  The 100th season of the Green Bay Packers...

And all of a sudden, out comes...  Aaron Rodgers!!

Oliver Kohn posted in his Facebook this postgame interview clip where it looked like Aaron Rodgers was on something fierce.

That was all Brian Tuohy needed to say to call bullshit:

Question: what kind and how many different drugs was Rodgers pumped full of to even play in the 2nd half?

Follow up: where can I obtain those same drugs to get me through Monday?

— Brian Tuohy (@TheFixIsInTuohy) September 10, 2018

But that wasn't all!  After going up 20-0, that was basically the last meaningful moment for the Bears.  After trading field goals, Rodgers threw three fourth-quarter touchdowns for the 24-23 win.

And appeared to have help from several things Tuohy pointed out:

What drama. The Green Bay O-line couldn't block in the first half, but now that an "injured" Rodgers is back in the game, the Bears can't touch him.

— Brian Tuohy (@TheFixIsInTuohy) September 10, 2018

Mack didn't even record a tackle in the second half. In fact, the sack was the only full tackle he had, but the pressure he had left Rodgers 3 for 7 in the first half before the injury. Second half? 17 for 23, 273 and 3 scores.

Bears need 10 yards. There's 3 receivers. Had to tell where Robinson ends up but the 2 on the right half of the field are easily 20+ yards downfield not really looking for the ball. Why? pic.twitter.com/Kmy39LuvMa

— Brian Tuohy (@TheFixIsInTuohy) September 10, 2018

That's the Bears' final offensive play of the game.

This country gives up friendships, destroys people emotionally, kills people physically (on (head injuries/CTE) AND OFF (domestic and other associated violence!!)), and the like.  And yet no intelligent person can look at shit like this and wonder how stupid Football Nation America has to be not to ask some very real questions.

For the record, Tuohy's fourth book on the rigged American sports machine, "The Fix Is (Still) In", scheduled to be released in 2019.