Armadillo Sports
Monday’s 6-pack:
Some modern QB’s W-L record as a rookie:
13-3– Dak Prescott
11-5— Russell Wilson
6-1— Lamar Jackson
6-3— Tua Tagovailoa
2-7-1— Joe Burrow
2-8— Matthew Stafford
5-10-1— Kyler Murray
1-0— Patrick Mahomes
0-0— Aaron Rodgers
Quote of the Day
“Whatever you do, always give 100%, unless you’re donating blood.”
Bill Murray
Monday’s quiz
Which Hall of Fame tennis player was a judge in an episode of Law & Order?
Sunday’s quiz
Dave Stieb (1990) is the only Toronto Blue Jay to throw a no-hitter.
Saturday’s quiz
In the football movie Necessary Roughness, Texas State’s football team were the Armadillos.
*************************************************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday…….
— Very busy couple of days for NFL front offices; teams have to trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 players, by 4:00 Tuesday.
1,184 players will be released, waived or put on injured lists; 544 of those players will wind up on somebody’s practice squad.
This week’s episode of Hard Knocks is usually the best one of the summer.
— Cruddy teams will be scouring the waiver wire, improving their roster by pouncing on guys cut by the better teams.
— Tigers 9, White Sox 4
It is August 26, the White Sox have already lost 100 games.
They traded for Miguel Vargas from the Dodgers on July 29; he is 6-62 for Chicago.
Oy.
— Padres 3, Mets 2
Mets led this game 2-0 in 8th inning,
Jurickson Profar tied game with an 8th inning home run.
Jackson Merrill walked it off with a ninth inning tater.
— Astros 6, Orioles 3
ESPN’s Sunday night crew likes to put a microphone on a player and interview him while he’s in the field; for this game, they chose 20-year 2B Jackson Holliday, who is hitting .171 for an Oriole team that is 6-8 in its last 14 games, as they struggle to make the playoffs.
This is why ESPN has become annoying; Baltimore has a lot of good young players, why not choose one of those? Someone hitting over .200, maybe? Why put mikes on players at all? They just ask stupid questions and distract the players.
— A’s 4, Brewers 3
When I was in Las Vegas for Opening Day of baseball season, the A’s season win total was 56.5; this was their 56th win this year, after last year’s horrific 50-112 nightmare.
A’s are 19-14 since the All-Star break; manager Mark Kotsay is doing a good job with the hand he was dealt.
— Dodgers 3, Rays 1
Mookie Betts hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning.
Dodgers are 78-53, have MLB’s best record.
— Cardinals 3, Twins 2
Lars Nootbaar hit a two-run single with two out in 9th inning.
St Louis has won four of its last five games.
— Famous birthdays, August 26th:
Brett Cullen, 68
Melissa McCarthy, 54
Morris Peterson, 47
Macaulay Culkin, 44
David Price, 39
Elvis Andrus, 36
James Harden, 35
Ranger Suarez, 29
Kyren Williams, 24
— Cardinals’ C Willson Contreras broke the middle finger on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch Saturday, bad news for St Louis (and my fantasy team). Contreras missed six weeks earlier this year- he broke his left hand when a hitter smashed it while batting.
— The high temperature in Las Vegas Friday was 96, the first time in 65 days the temp didn’t to 100 degrees on the Strip. Friday’s low temp was 77, the lowest temperature in Las Vegas since June 20th.
— On August 4, 1982, Joel Youngblood played for two different teams in two cities, on the same day; he went 1-2 for the Mets against Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins at Wrigley Field, then got dealt to Montreal— he flew to Philadelphia, got a pinch hit off of Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in that game.
Five Hall of Famers played in that Expos-Phillies game.
— I’ve never had cotton candy or coffee; cotton candy looks gross. My parents drank coffee, but to me, it just looked like warm mud.
— Joe Musgrove has thrown 20 consecutive scoreless IP against the Mets.
— In 1952, a pitcher for the Tigers named Virgil Trucks threw a no-hitter on May 15 another one on August 25, and also threw a one-hitter on July 22nd.
What makes this interesting is Trucks’ record for 1952:
5-19, 3.97 in 29 starts, with two no-hitters and a one-hitter.
— There is no on-deck circle on the field at Fenway Park; it just looks strange.
— Congrats to Hall of Famer Rod Carew; the 78-year old native of Panama became an American citizen last week. Good for him!!! He was a career. 328 hitter, just a great freakin’ hitter.
Monday’s 6-pack:
Some modern QB’s W-L record as a rookie:
13-3– Dak Prescott
11-5— Russell Wilson
6-1— Lamar Jackson
6-3— Tua Tagovailoa
2-7-1— Joe Burrow
2-8— Matthew Stafford
5-10-1— Kyler Murray
1-0— Patrick Mahomes
0-0— Aaron Rodgers
Quote of the Day
“Whatever you do, always give 100%, unless you’re donating blood.”
Bill Murray
Monday’s quiz
Which Hall of Fame tennis player was a judge in an episode of Law & Order?
Sunday’s quiz
Dave Stieb (1990) is the only Toronto Blue Jay to throw a no-hitter.
Saturday’s quiz
In the football movie Necessary Roughness, Texas State’s football team were the Armadillos.
*************************************************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday…….
— Very busy couple of days for NFL front offices; teams have to trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 players, by 4:00 Tuesday.
1,184 players will be released, waived or put on injured lists; 544 of those players will wind up on somebody’s practice squad.
This week’s episode of Hard Knocks is usually the best one of the summer.
— Cruddy teams will be scouring the waiver wire, improving their roster by pouncing on guys cut by the better teams.
— Tigers 9, White Sox 4
It is August 26, the White Sox have already lost 100 games.
They traded for Miguel Vargas from the Dodgers on July 29; he is 6-62 for Chicago.
Oy.
— Padres 3, Mets 2
Mets led this game 2-0 in 8th inning,
Jurickson Profar tied game with an 8th inning home run.
Jackson Merrill walked it off with a ninth inning tater.
— Astros 6, Orioles 3
ESPN’s Sunday night crew likes to put a microphone on a player and interview him while he’s in the field; for this game, they chose 20-year 2B Jackson Holliday, who is hitting .171 for an Oriole team that is 6-8 in its last 14 games, as they struggle to make the playoffs.
This is why ESPN has become annoying; Baltimore has a lot of good young players, why not choose one of those? Someone hitting over .200, maybe? Why put mikes on players at all? They just ask stupid questions and distract the players.
— A’s 4, Brewers 3
When I was in Las Vegas for Opening Day of baseball season, the A’s season win total was 56.5; this was their 56th win this year, after last year’s horrific 50-112 nightmare.
A’s are 19-14 since the All-Star break; manager Mark Kotsay is doing a good job with the hand he was dealt.
— Dodgers 3, Rays 1
Mookie Betts hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning.
Dodgers are 78-53, have MLB’s best record.
— Cardinals 3, Twins 2
Lars Nootbaar hit a two-run single with two out in 9th inning.
St Louis has won four of its last five games.
— Famous birthdays, August 26th:
Brett Cullen, 68
Melissa McCarthy, 54
Morris Peterson, 47
Macaulay Culkin, 44
David Price, 39
Elvis Andrus, 36
James Harden, 35
Ranger Suarez, 29
Kyren Williams, 24
— Cardinals’ C Willson Contreras broke the middle finger on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch Saturday, bad news for St Louis (and my fantasy team). Contreras missed six weeks earlier this year- he broke his left hand when a hitter smashed it while batting.
— The high temperature in Las Vegas Friday was 96, the first time in 65 days the temp didn’t to 100 degrees on the Strip. Friday’s low temp was 77, the lowest temperature in Las Vegas since June 20th.
— On August 4, 1982, Joel Youngblood played for two different teams in two cities, on the same day; he went 1-2 for the Mets against Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins at Wrigley Field, then got dealt to Montreal— he flew to Philadelphia, got a pinch hit off of Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in that game.
Five Hall of Famers played in that Expos-Phillies game.
— I’ve never had cotton candy or coffee; cotton candy looks gross. My parents drank coffee, but to me, it just looked like warm mud.
— Joe Musgrove has thrown 20 consecutive scoreless IP against the Mets.
— In 1952, a pitcher for the Tigers named Virgil Trucks threw a no-hitter on May 15 another one on August 25, and also threw a one-hitter on July 22nd.
What makes this interesting is Trucks’ record for 1952:
5-19, 3.97 in 29 starts, with two no-hitters and a one-hitter.
— There is no on-deck circle on the field at Fenway Park; it just looks strange.
— Congrats to Hall of Famer Rod Carew; the 78-year old native of Panama became an American citizen last week. Good for him!!! He was a career. 328 hitter, just a great freakin’ hitter.
Armadillo Sports
Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Highest-paid wide receivers:
$35M— Justin Jefferson, Minn
$34M— Cee Dee Lamb, Dal
$32M— AJ Brown, Phil
$30.002M— Amon-Ra St Brown, Det
$30M— Tyreek Hil, Mia
$28.3M— Jayden Waddle, Mia
Quote of the Day
“I never respond to guy that’s never won a championship. He didn’t win a college championship, I don’t know if he even won a high school championship.”
Magic Johnson, talking about Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who had dismissive things to say about NBA stars of the past.
Tuesday’s quiz
In the history of the New Jersey Jets, which QB threw the longest touchdown pass?
Monday’s quiz
Hall of Fame tennis player Billie Jean King was a judge in an episode of Law & Order.
Sunday’s quiz
Dave Stieb (1990) is the only Toronto Blue Jay to throw a no-hitter.
********************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..
— Dallas Cowboys gave WR CeeDee Lamb a 4-year deal worth $136M, with $100M guaranteed, including a $38M signing bonus.
— Green Bay Packers upgraded at backup QB, acquiring Malik Willis from Tennessee, in exchange for a 7th round draft pick. Titans drafted Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft; he played in 11 games for Tennessee, starting three times (1-2) in 2022.
— Pittsburgh Pirates are switching Oneil Cruz from shortstop to center field; Cruz is hitting .265 this year with 18 home runs, but he’s also made 24 errors at shortstop.
— Should a designated hitter win the MVP? I know Shohei Ohtani has done amazing things, but with year, he never steps on the field, except to hit. Dodgers have other stars; Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, so Ohtani isn’t their only big name.
Seems like Mets SS Francisco Lindor would be an good choice for MVP; he plays every day, bats leadoff, plays shortstop. It is an interesting debate.
— Orioles acquired P Trevor Rogers from the Marlins at the trade deadline, for two prospects; Rogers then went 0-2, 7.11 in his first four starts for Baltimore, and they sent him down to AAA.
Makes me feel better when I screw something up with my fantasy team; guys who are getting around $1M a year make mistakes, too.
— New York Stock Exchange closed Monday at 41,241, the highest it has ever been, which is good news if you’ve invested in the market.
— Famous birthdays, August 27th:
GW Bailey, 80
Buddy Bell, 73
Diana Scarwid, 69
Mike Maddux, 63
Jim Thome, 54
Patrick Adams, 43
Darren McFadden, 37
Kevin Huerter, 26
Franz Wagner, 23
— Royals 4-9, Guardians 3-4
Kansas City sweeps a twinbill, moves within a game of first place.
Salvador Perez knocked in six runs in the nightcap.
— Mariners 5, Rays 1
Bryce Miller is 6-3, 2.14 in 14 home starts.
Bryce Miller is 4-4, 4.75 in 12 road starts.
Randy Arozarena homered against his old team.
— Phillies 3, Astros 2 (10)
Bryce Harper had the walk-off single for Philly.
Houston is 2-5 in its last seven games.
— Cubs 18, Pirates 8
Chicago had 21 hits, stole eight bases.
Cubs are 7-3 in their last ten games.
— Florida Gators have a freshman center from Canada named Olivier Rioux, who is a very tall young man; he is 7-foot-9.
— A’s have a pitcher Grant Holman who made his MLB debut August 17; so far he’s allowed a run in 3 IP, in four relief appearances.
On August 16, 2013, Holman threw an extra-inning no-hitter in the Little League World Series, the first one of those since 1979.
— Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lakob has listed his Malibu home for $44M; he bought the house five years ago, for $29.1M— the property taxes are $350,000 a year.
— UCLA’s football team will travel 22,048 miles this year; they have road games at both Hawai’i and Rutgers, which are 4,935 miles apart. Bruins will cross 26 time zones in their travels this season.
Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Highest-paid wide receivers:
$35M— Justin Jefferson, Minn
$34M— Cee Dee Lamb, Dal
$32M— AJ Brown, Phil
$30.002M— Amon-Ra St Brown, Det
$30M— Tyreek Hil, Mia
$28.3M— Jayden Waddle, Mia
Quote of the Day
“I never respond to guy that’s never won a championship. He didn’t win a college championship, I don’t know if he even won a high school championship.”
Magic Johnson, talking about Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who had dismissive things to say about NBA stars of the past.
Tuesday’s quiz
In the history of the New Jersey Jets, which QB threw the longest touchdown pass?
Monday’s quiz
Hall of Fame tennis player Billie Jean King was a judge in an episode of Law & Order.
Sunday’s quiz
Dave Stieb (1990) is the only Toronto Blue Jay to throw a no-hitter.
********************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..
— Dallas Cowboys gave WR CeeDee Lamb a 4-year deal worth $136M, with $100M guaranteed, including a $38M signing bonus.
— Green Bay Packers upgraded at backup QB, acquiring Malik Willis from Tennessee, in exchange for a 7th round draft pick. Titans drafted Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft; he played in 11 games for Tennessee, starting three times (1-2) in 2022.
— Pittsburgh Pirates are switching Oneil Cruz from shortstop to center field; Cruz is hitting .265 this year with 18 home runs, but he’s also made 24 errors at shortstop.
— Should a designated hitter win the MVP? I know Shohei Ohtani has done amazing things, but with year, he never steps on the field, except to hit. Dodgers have other stars; Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, so Ohtani isn’t their only big name.
Seems like Mets SS Francisco Lindor would be an good choice for MVP; he plays every day, bats leadoff, plays shortstop. It is an interesting debate.
— Orioles acquired P Trevor Rogers from the Marlins at the trade deadline, for two prospects; Rogers then went 0-2, 7.11 in his first four starts for Baltimore, and they sent him down to AAA.
Makes me feel better when I screw something up with my fantasy team; guys who are getting around $1M a year make mistakes, too.
— New York Stock Exchange closed Monday at 41,241, the highest it has ever been, which is good news if you’ve invested in the market.
— Famous birthdays, August 27th:
GW Bailey, 80
Buddy Bell, 73
Diana Scarwid, 69
Mike Maddux, 63
Jim Thome, 54
Patrick Adams, 43
Darren McFadden, 37
Kevin Huerter, 26
Franz Wagner, 23
— Royals 4-9, Guardians 3-4
Kansas City sweeps a twinbill, moves within a game of first place.
Salvador Perez knocked in six runs in the nightcap.
— Mariners 5, Rays 1
Bryce Miller is 6-3, 2.14 in 14 home starts.
Bryce Miller is 4-4, 4.75 in 12 road starts.
Randy Arozarena homered against his old team.
— Phillies 3, Astros 2 (10)
Bryce Harper had the walk-off single for Philly.
Houston is 2-5 in its last seven games.
— Cubs 18, Pirates 8
Chicago had 21 hits, stole eight bases.
Cubs are 7-3 in their last ten games.
— Florida Gators have a freshman center from Canada named Olivier Rioux, who is a very tall young man; he is 7-foot-9.
— A’s have a pitcher Grant Holman who made his MLB debut August 17; so far he’s allowed a run in 3 IP, in four relief appearances.
On August 16, 2013, Holman threw an extra-inning no-hitter in the Little League World Series, the first one of those since 1979.
— Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lakob has listed his Malibu home for $44M; he bought the house five years ago, for $29.1M— the property taxes are $350,000 a year.
— UCLA’s football team will travel 22,048 miles this year; they have road games at both Hawai’i and Rutgers, which are 4,935 miles apart. Bruins will cross 26 time zones in their travels this season.
Armadillo Sports
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Some notable QB’s who got cut Tuesday:
— Mike White (Dolphins)
— CJ Beathard (Jaguars)
— Matt Corral (Vikings)
— Brett Rypien (Bears)
— Nate Sudfeld (Lions)
— Sam Hartman (Commanders)
Quote of the Day
“It means everything, the blood, the sweat, tears that I’ve gone through over the last 10 years that I’ve been in this game, it’s nice to see it finally pay off.”
33-year old Brady Feigl, called up to the Pirates after spending a decade in the minors.
Wednesday’s quiz
On the old TV show The Addams Family, what was the butler’s name?
Tuesday’s quiz
In the history of the New Jersey Jets, Ken O’Brien threw the longest touchdown pass, an 85-yarder to Wesley Walker, in 1985.
Monday’s quiz
Hall of Fame tennis player Billie Jean King was a judge in an episode of Law & Order.
****************************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..
— White Sox are the worst baseball team in the last 100 years; Tuesday night, their best pitcher is pitching, a young guy (Garrett Crochet) whose innings they’re trying to limit, because he has already thrown 128 innings this year— he’s thrown a TOTAL of 73 IP in the previous FOUR years combined, so he is at risk of injury, according to analytics people.
So Tuesday night, Crochet throws four pitches and it starts raining and never stops; the game is suspended until Wednesday. I’m thinking there is no way they let Crochet warm up again and pitch Wednesday, which is good news for Texas, the team they’re playing.
— Royals 6, Guardians 1
Kansas City wins first three games in series; the teams are tied for first in AL Central.
Royals are 23-13 since All-Star break; they were 56-106 last year.
— A’s 5, Reds 4
When I see the A’s winning in Cincinnati, I think of October 22, 1972, my all-time favorite day as a sports fan.
A’s beat the Reds in Game 7 of the World Series
Rams won on a 54-yard field goal on the last play of the game, also against Cincinnati.
12-year old me was very happy that day.
— Orioles 3, Dodgers 2
O’Hearn, Urias homered for Baltimore.
Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman (broken finger) sat this game out.
— Rays 3, Mariners 2
Game was scoreless after five innings.
Jeffrey Springs tossed five shutout IP for Tampa Bay. ‘
Siri, Diaz homered for the Rays.
— Braves 8, Twins 6 (10)
Atlanta led 4-0 in 7th inning.
Braves have won eight of their last ten games.
— Red Sox brought 44-year old Rich Hill back to the majors; Hill has pitched for 13 different teams in his 20-year career. In his MLB debut, he came in to relieve Greg Maddux for the Cubs, that’s how long he’s been around.
— Famous birthdays, August 28th:
Lou Piniella, 81
Barbara Bach, 78
Ron Guidry, 74
Joel Youngblood, 73
John Long, 68
Shania Twain, 59
Anthony Weaver, 44
Jeff Green, 38
— Sometimes late at night, I watch re-runs of Hollywood Squares, the great game show; it baffles me why someone would start a game of tic-tac-toe and not try to win the center square first, but I’m thinking less than half the games start with the center square being won/lost.
— NFL teams with most turnovers last year:
37- Cleveland
34- Minnesota
33- Jets
32- Washington
30- Jacksonville
— NFL teams with fewest turnovers last year:
14- Houston
16- Cincinnati
16- Dallas
16- Pittsburgh
17- Seattle
— Cleveland Browns kept four QB’s on their initial 53-man roster, which is unusual.
— Of the 19 quarterbacks drafted in 2021-22, only six of then are still with the team that drafted them:
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
Kyle Trask, Buccaneers
Davis Mills, Texans
Sam Ehlinger, Colts
Skylar Thompson, Dolphins
Brock Purdy, 49ers
— Baseball injuries:
Reds put P Nick Lodolo on IL, for 4th time this year
Giants put P Robbie Ray on the IL
— Word of the Day: Chicanery- The use of trickery to achieve a purpose.
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Some notable QB’s who got cut Tuesday:
— Mike White (Dolphins)
— CJ Beathard (Jaguars)
— Matt Corral (Vikings)
— Brett Rypien (Bears)
— Nate Sudfeld (Lions)
— Sam Hartman (Commanders)
Quote of the Day
“It means everything, the blood, the sweat, tears that I’ve gone through over the last 10 years that I’ve been in this game, it’s nice to see it finally pay off.”
33-year old Brady Feigl, called up to the Pirates after spending a decade in the minors.
Wednesday’s quiz
On the old TV show The Addams Family, what was the butler’s name?
Tuesday’s quiz
In the history of the New Jersey Jets, Ken O’Brien threw the longest touchdown pass, an 85-yarder to Wesley Walker, in 1985.
Monday’s quiz
Hall of Fame tennis player Billie Jean King was a judge in an episode of Law & Order.
****************************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..
— White Sox are the worst baseball team in the last 100 years; Tuesday night, their best pitcher is pitching, a young guy (Garrett Crochet) whose innings they’re trying to limit, because he has already thrown 128 innings this year— he’s thrown a TOTAL of 73 IP in the previous FOUR years combined, so he is at risk of injury, according to analytics people.
So Tuesday night, Crochet throws four pitches and it starts raining and never stops; the game is suspended until Wednesday. I’m thinking there is no way they let Crochet warm up again and pitch Wednesday, which is good news for Texas, the team they’re playing.
— Royals 6, Guardians 1
Kansas City wins first three games in series; the teams are tied for first in AL Central.
Royals are 23-13 since All-Star break; they were 56-106 last year.
— A’s 5, Reds 4
When I see the A’s winning in Cincinnati, I think of October 22, 1972, my all-time favorite day as a sports fan.
A’s beat the Reds in Game 7 of the World Series
Rams won on a 54-yard field goal on the last play of the game, also against Cincinnati.
12-year old me was very happy that day.
— Orioles 3, Dodgers 2
O’Hearn, Urias homered for Baltimore.
Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman (broken finger) sat this game out.
— Rays 3, Mariners 2
Game was scoreless after five innings.
Jeffrey Springs tossed five shutout IP for Tampa Bay. ‘
Siri, Diaz homered for the Rays.
— Braves 8, Twins 6 (10)
Atlanta led 4-0 in 7th inning.
Braves have won eight of their last ten games.
— Red Sox brought 44-year old Rich Hill back to the majors; Hill has pitched for 13 different teams in his 20-year career. In his MLB debut, he came in to relieve Greg Maddux for the Cubs, that’s how long he’s been around.
— Famous birthdays, August 28th:
Lou Piniella, 81
Barbara Bach, 78
Ron Guidry, 74
Joel Youngblood, 73
John Long, 68
Shania Twain, 59
Anthony Weaver, 44
Jeff Green, 38
— Sometimes late at night, I watch re-runs of Hollywood Squares, the great game show; it baffles me why someone would start a game of tic-tac-toe and not try to win the center square first, but I’m thinking less than half the games start with the center square being won/lost.
— NFL teams with most turnovers last year:
37- Cleveland
34- Minnesota
33- Jets
32- Washington
30- Jacksonville
— NFL teams with fewest turnovers last year:
14- Houston
16- Cincinnati
16- Dallas
16- Pittsburgh
17- Seattle
— Cleveland Browns kept four QB’s on their initial 53-man roster, which is unusual.
— Of the 19 quarterbacks drafted in 2021-22, only six of then are still with the team that drafted them:
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
Kyle Trask, Buccaneers
Davis Mills, Texans
Sam Ehlinger, Colts
Skylar Thompson, Dolphins
Brock Purdy, 49ers
— Baseball injuries:
Reds put P Nick Lodolo on IL, for 4th time this year
Giants put P Robbie Ray on the IL
— Word of the Day: Chicanery- The use of trickery to achieve a purpose.
Armadillo Sports
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Most fumbles lost, the last three years:
21— Trevor Lawrence
14— Jared Goff
12— Josh Allen
11— Justin Fields
11— Lamar Jackson
10— Austin Ekeler
Quote of the Day
“I think I probably put my foot in my mouth speaking too quickly. Again, this is a day-to-day situation. We’ll just keep seeing it as that. I think every day is a new day, we’ll keep working through it. Not going to make predictions on what tomorrow brings.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor, on WR Ja’Marr Chase’s contract status
Thursday’s quiz
Who is the all-time leader in passing yardage for the Dallas Cowboys?
Wednesday’s quiz
On the old TV show The Addams Family, the butler’s name was Lurch.
Tuesday’s quiz
In the history of the New Jersey Jets, Ken O’Brien threw the longest touchdown pass, an 85-yarder to Wesley Walker, in 1985.
*******************************************
Thursday’s Den: Random stuff on a summer day……..
— Dodgers 6, Orioles 4
Shohei Ohtani homered, stole two bases on his bobblehead night.
People lined up eight hours before the game to get a bobblehead; only 40,000 of the 53,290 fans got one. I’m guessing they’re reasonably priced on EBay today.
Five of the Dodgers’ six runs were unearned.
— Astros 10, Phillies 0
Yordan Alvarez hit three home runs for Houston.
Rookie Spencer Arrighetti didn’t allow a hit until the 8th inning,
— Cubs 14, Pirates 10
Pittsburgh led 10-3 after six innings.
Cubs scored 68 runs in their last seven games.
Chicago is 17-8 in its last 25 games.
— A’s 9, Reds 6
A’s blew a 5-0 lead in 7th inning, but scored four runs in the 8th.
Seth Brown hit two home runs for a spunky Oakland team.
Since July 1st, A’s are 28-19. Sadly, the season started in April.
— Diamondbacks 8, Mets 5
Corbin Carroll homered twice, knocked in five runs.
Carroll’s 8th-inning grand slam off Edwin Diaz was the game-winner.
— Mariners 6, Rays 2
Seattle is 43-4 this year when they score 5+ runs, 25-62 when they don’t.
Mariners bullpen threw 3.1 perfect innings to record the save for Luis Castillo.
— Movie of the Day: Up in the Air (2009)- George Clooney plays a guy whose job is to travel around the country firing people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman are the cast, with cameos by Sam Elliott, JK Simmons, Zach Galifianakis.
Very good movie, a little disturbing at times, but a good movie.
— Rams traded LB Ernest Jones and a 6th round pick to Tennessee, and only got a 5th round pick in return; Jones is entering the final season of his rookie contract and LA has promising rookies on defense, so they made the deal.
Rams have five undrafted free agent rookies on their roster, all defensive players.
— LA Chargers got a new backup QB when they acquired Taylor Heinicke from Atlanta, in exchange for a 6th round draft pick. Heinicke is 13-15-1 as a starter in six seasons in the NFL, for four different teams.
— Pittsburgh Steelers named Russell Wilson their starting QB for their season opener next week in Atlanta; Steelers’ OC Arthur Smith was the Falcons’ head coach the last three years, so this game obviously has a little extra meaning.
— Famous birthdays, August 29th:
Elliott Gould, 86
Eddie Murray, 68- Lions kicker, not the Orioles’ 1B
Rebecca De Mornay, 65
Carl Banks, 62
Carla Gugino, 53
Roy Oswalt, 47
Jamal Lewis, 45
Noah Syndergaard, 32
Hunter Brown, 26- He’s pitching tonight
— Longest at-bats in the major leagues this year:
Twins OF Manuel Margot had a 16-pitch at-bat against Andrew Heaney- he lined out. Margot was the first batter of that game, which Minnesota won, 4-3.
Brewers C William Contreras walked on a 15-pitch at-bat, the 2nd-longest at-bat this year.
— Milwaukee Brewers have $1 hot dog day coming up Monday; their TV guys were talking about the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest- the analyst was saying how gross he thinks the contest is, while the play-by-play guy was egging him on, which made for good TV.
— OF Jason Heyward signed on with Houston, after the Dodgers dumped him last week. Astros are Heyward’s 5th team in his 15-year career.
— Teams that have made 4+ errors this season are 7-12 in those games; you’d think the record would be even worse than that.
— Watching TV late at night, they have all these commercials for a product that supposedly restores hair loss. Listening to those commercials, you’d think going bald was the same as getting pancreatic cancer or some other hideous disease. Oy.
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Most fumbles lost, the last three years:
21— Trevor Lawrence
14— Jared Goff
12— Josh Allen
11— Justin Fields
11— Lamar Jackson
10— Austin Ekeler
Quote of the Day
“I think I probably put my foot in my mouth speaking too quickly. Again, this is a day-to-day situation. We’ll just keep seeing it as that. I think every day is a new day, we’ll keep working through it. Not going to make predictions on what tomorrow brings.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor, on WR Ja’Marr Chase’s contract status
Thursday’s quiz
Who is the all-time leader in passing yardage for the Dallas Cowboys?
Wednesday’s quiz
On the old TV show The Addams Family, the butler’s name was Lurch.
Tuesday’s quiz
In the history of the New Jersey Jets, Ken O’Brien threw the longest touchdown pass, an 85-yarder to Wesley Walker, in 1985.
*******************************************
Thursday’s Den: Random stuff on a summer day……..
— Dodgers 6, Orioles 4
Shohei Ohtani homered, stole two bases on his bobblehead night.
People lined up eight hours before the game to get a bobblehead; only 40,000 of the 53,290 fans got one. I’m guessing they’re reasonably priced on EBay today.
Five of the Dodgers’ six runs were unearned.
— Astros 10, Phillies 0
Yordan Alvarez hit three home runs for Houston.
Rookie Spencer Arrighetti didn’t allow a hit until the 8th inning,
— Cubs 14, Pirates 10
Pittsburgh led 10-3 after six innings.
Cubs scored 68 runs in their last seven games.
Chicago is 17-8 in its last 25 games.
— A’s 9, Reds 6
A’s blew a 5-0 lead in 7th inning, but scored four runs in the 8th.
Seth Brown hit two home runs for a spunky Oakland team.
Since July 1st, A’s are 28-19. Sadly, the season started in April.
— Diamondbacks 8, Mets 5
Corbin Carroll homered twice, knocked in five runs.
Carroll’s 8th-inning grand slam off Edwin Diaz was the game-winner.
— Mariners 6, Rays 2
Seattle is 43-4 this year when they score 5+ runs, 25-62 when they don’t.
Mariners bullpen threw 3.1 perfect innings to record the save for Luis Castillo.
— Movie of the Day: Up in the Air (2009)- George Clooney plays a guy whose job is to travel around the country firing people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman are the cast, with cameos by Sam Elliott, JK Simmons, Zach Galifianakis.
Very good movie, a little disturbing at times, but a good movie.
— Rams traded LB Ernest Jones and a 6th round pick to Tennessee, and only got a 5th round pick in return; Jones is entering the final season of his rookie contract and LA has promising rookies on defense, so they made the deal.
Rams have five undrafted free agent rookies on their roster, all defensive players.
— LA Chargers got a new backup QB when they acquired Taylor Heinicke from Atlanta, in exchange for a 6th round draft pick. Heinicke is 13-15-1 as a starter in six seasons in the NFL, for four different teams.
— Pittsburgh Steelers named Russell Wilson their starting QB for their season opener next week in Atlanta; Steelers’ OC Arthur Smith was the Falcons’ head coach the last three years, so this game obviously has a little extra meaning.
— Famous birthdays, August 29th:
Elliott Gould, 86
Eddie Murray, 68- Lions kicker, not the Orioles’ 1B
Rebecca De Mornay, 65
Carl Banks, 62
Carla Gugino, 53
Roy Oswalt, 47
Jamal Lewis, 45
Noah Syndergaard, 32
Hunter Brown, 26- He’s pitching tonight
— Longest at-bats in the major leagues this year:
Twins OF Manuel Margot had a 16-pitch at-bat against Andrew Heaney- he lined out. Margot was the first batter of that game, which Minnesota won, 4-3.
Brewers C William Contreras walked on a 15-pitch at-bat, the 2nd-longest at-bat this year.
— Milwaukee Brewers have $1 hot dog day coming up Monday; their TV guys were talking about the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest- the analyst was saying how gross he thinks the contest is, while the play-by-play guy was egging him on, which made for good TV.
— OF Jason Heyward signed on with Houston, after the Dodgers dumped him last week. Astros are Heyward’s 5th team in his 15-year career.
— Teams that have made 4+ errors this season are 7-12 in those games; you’d think the record would be even worse than that.
— Watching TV late at night, they have all these commercials for a product that supposedly restores hair loss. Listening to those commercials, you’d think going bald was the same as getting pancreatic cancer or some other hideous disease. Oy.
Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 6-pack:
Miami Hurricanes’ last six bowls:
2016— W31-14 over West Virginia
2017— L24-34 vs Wisconsin
2018— L3-35 vs Wisconsin
2019— L0-14 vs Louisiana Tech
2020— L34-37 vs Oklahoma State
2023— L24-31 vs Rutgers
Thought of the Day
“There is no such thing as an overnight success; the way to success is that you work really hard for years. You show up every day, you do the work. You see yourself as an artist dedicated to your craft with a desire to get better every day. You keep working hard, stay positive and just persevere. Then you make it!!!”
Friday’s quiz
Who was the Los Angeles Rams’ coach before Sean McVay?
Thursday’s quiz
Tony Romo is the all-time leader in passing yardage for the Dallas Cowboys.
Wednesday’s quiz
On the old TV show The Addams Family, the butler’s name was Lurch.
*************************************************
Friday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….
— If you know Steph Curry, today would be a good day to ask him for a loan; the great shooting guard signed a one-year extension with Golden State, which will net him $62.6M two years from now, when Curry will be 38 years old.
In 2026-27, Curry will be making $763,414 for every game the Warriors play.
Curry’s salary the next three years:
2024-25: $55.76M
2025-26: $59.6M
2026-27: $62.6M
— North Carolina 19, Minnesota 17
Tar Heels kicked a 45-yard FG with 1:44 left for the road win.
UNC lost its QB, Max Johnson, with a leg injury.
Minnesota missed 47-yard FG at the gun; they also missed a 27-yarder early in the game.
— Colorado 31, North Dakota State 26
Jackrabbits, a I-AA team, led 20-17 at halftime.
Colorado outgained North Dakota State, 504-449.
— 49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk agreed on a 4-year, $120M contract extension
— New England named Jacoby Brissett as its starting QB for the season opener in Cincinnati; Brissett is 18-30 as an NFL starter, for four different teams. Rookie QB Drake Maye figures to be the starter before the season is over, but not yet.
— Apparently there is a casino called Muckleshoot, which is about a half-hour from Seattle. I’ve got nothing else about the casino, other than Muckleshoot is an unusual name.
— Famous birthdays, August 30th:
Elizabeth Ashley, 85
Bill Keller, 77
Timothy Bottoms, 73
Robert Parish, 71
Michael Chiklis, 61
Michael Michele, 58
Cameron Diaz, 52
Cliff Lee, 46
Adam Wainwright, 43
— Phillies 5, Braves 4
Nick Castellanos hit the game-winning home run in the 7th inning.
Atlanta led 4-0 in the sixth inning.
Phillies increased their NL East lead to six games over the Braves.
— Angels 3, Tigers 0
Rookie Jack Kochanowicz pitched six shutout innings.
SS Zach Neto joined the 20-20 club by hitting his 20th home run.
— Dodgers 6, Orioles 3
Dodgers are 8-2 in their last ten games.
LA leads NL West by 4 games over San Diego, 5 over Arizona.
— Reds 10, A’s 9
Reds scored 3 runs in bottom of 9th, after A’s scored 3 in top of 9th
Oakland OF Lawrence Butler hit three more home runs.
— Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 0
Bowden Francis took a no-hitter into the six inning.
Francis has a 1.06 ERA in five August starts.
Boston reliever Rich Hill made his ’24 debut, his 20th year in the majors.
— Mets 3, Diamondbacks 2
Jose Iglesias had the game-winning hit in the ninth inning.
Mets are 6-4 in their last 10 games, vs Orioles, Padres, Arizona.
— Rangers 2, White Sox 1
Corey Seager hit his 200th career home run.
Nathan Eovaldi tossed seven shutout IP.
White Sox are an unbelievably bad 31-104.
Friday’s 6-pack:
Miami Hurricanes’ last six bowls:
2016— W31-14 over West Virginia
2017— L24-34 vs Wisconsin
2018— L3-35 vs Wisconsin
2019— L0-14 vs Louisiana Tech
2020— L34-37 vs Oklahoma State
2023— L24-31 vs Rutgers
Thought of the Day
“There is no such thing as an overnight success; the way to success is that you work really hard for years. You show up every day, you do the work. You see yourself as an artist dedicated to your craft with a desire to get better every day. You keep working hard, stay positive and just persevere. Then you make it!!!”
Friday’s quiz
Who was the Los Angeles Rams’ coach before Sean McVay?
Thursday’s quiz
Tony Romo is the all-time leader in passing yardage for the Dallas Cowboys.
Wednesday’s quiz
On the old TV show The Addams Family, the butler’s name was Lurch.
*************************************************
Friday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….
— If you know Steph Curry, today would be a good day to ask him for a loan; the great shooting guard signed a one-year extension with Golden State, which will net him $62.6M two years from now, when Curry will be 38 years old.
In 2026-27, Curry will be making $763,414 for every game the Warriors play.
Curry’s salary the next three years:
2024-25: $55.76M
2025-26: $59.6M
2026-27: $62.6M
— North Carolina 19, Minnesota 17
Tar Heels kicked a 45-yard FG with 1:44 left for the road win.
UNC lost its QB, Max Johnson, with a leg injury.
Minnesota missed 47-yard FG at the gun; they also missed a 27-yarder early in the game.
— Colorado 31, North Dakota State 26
Jackrabbits, a I-AA team, led 20-17 at halftime.
Colorado outgained North Dakota State, 504-449.
— 49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk agreed on a 4-year, $120M contract extension
— New England named Jacoby Brissett as its starting QB for the season opener in Cincinnati; Brissett is 18-30 as an NFL starter, for four different teams. Rookie QB Drake Maye figures to be the starter before the season is over, but not yet.
— Apparently there is a casino called Muckleshoot, which is about a half-hour from Seattle. I’ve got nothing else about the casino, other than Muckleshoot is an unusual name.
— Famous birthdays, August 30th:
Elizabeth Ashley, 85
Bill Keller, 77
Timothy Bottoms, 73
Robert Parish, 71
Michael Chiklis, 61
Michael Michele, 58
Cameron Diaz, 52
Cliff Lee, 46
Adam Wainwright, 43
— Phillies 5, Braves 4
Nick Castellanos hit the game-winning home run in the 7th inning.
Atlanta led 4-0 in the sixth inning.
Phillies increased their NL East lead to six games over the Braves.
— Angels 3, Tigers 0
Rookie Jack Kochanowicz pitched six shutout innings.
SS Zach Neto joined the 20-20 club by hitting his 20th home run.
— Dodgers 6, Orioles 3
Dodgers are 8-2 in their last ten games.
LA leads NL West by 4 games over San Diego, 5 over Arizona.
— Reds 10, A’s 9
Reds scored 3 runs in bottom of 9th, after A’s scored 3 in top of 9th
Oakland OF Lawrence Butler hit three more home runs.
— Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 0
Bowden Francis took a no-hitter into the six inning.
Francis has a 1.06 ERA in five August starts.
Boston reliever Rich Hill made his ’24 debut, his 20th year in the majors.
— Mets 3, Diamondbacks 2
Jose Iglesias had the game-winning hit in the ninth inning.
Mets are 6-4 in their last 10 games, vs Orioles, Padres, Arizona.
— Rangers 2, White Sox 1
Corey Seager hit his 200th career home run.
Nathan Eovaldi tossed seven shutout IP.
White Sox are an unbelievably bad 31-104.
Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Minnesota Gophers’ last seven bowls:
2015- W21-14 over Central Michigan
2016- W17-12 over Washington State
2018- W34-10 over Georgia Tech
2019- W31-24 over Auburn
2021- W18-6 over West Virginia
2022- W28-20 over Syracuse
2023- W30-24 over Bowling Green
Quote of the Day
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
Steve Jobs
Saturday’s quiz
Who has hit the most home runs ever for the Milwaukee Brewers?
Friday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was the Los Angeles Rams’ coach before Sean McVay.
Thursday’s quiz
Tony Romo is the all-time leader in passing yardage for the Dallas Cowboys.
***********************************************
Saturday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….
— Monday is Labor Day, a national holiday, but there are only 11 baseball games, which means that eight teams have Labor Day off, which is nonsensical.
— There were also 11 baseball games Thursday; Oakland A’s were only team of the 22 that played who scored a run in the first inning. I mention that because you can bet on whether or not teams score in the first inning.
— A’s 9, Rangers 2
Brett Rooker homered twice for the A’s, who have now had consecutive winning months for the first time since 2021.
Mark Kotsay has legitimately done an excellent job managing this young team; the guy in Kansas City will get Manager of the Year, but Kotsay deserves kudos for the job he is doing.
— Astros 3, Royals 2
Framber Valdez pitched 7 innings, didn’t allow a hit.
Paul DeJong tied the game 2-2 with a 9th inning home run.
Jose Altuve walked it off with a 9th inning double off the Crawford Boxes.
— Cubs 7, Nationals 6
Chicago scored seven runs in the second inning.
Cubs scored 80 runs in their last eight games.
Cubs are 8-2 in last ten games, are five games out of last playoff spot.
— Royals 1B Vinnie Pasquantino broke his thumb Thursday, is out 6-8 weeks, which means he is likely out for the year. Pasquantino has 19 homers, 97 RBI this year; big loss for the Royals.
— Braves 7, Phillies 2
Orlando Arcia homered twice for Atlanta.
Phillies lead the Braves by five games in NL East, with 27 games to play.
— Famous birthdays, August 31st:
Richard Gere, 75
Tom Candiotti, 68
Hideo Nomo, 56
Debbie Gibson, 54
Larry Fitzgerald, 41
Matt Adams, 36
Ronel Blanco, 31
Jalen Brunson, 28
Desmond Ridder, 25
— Indiana Pacers gave guard T.J. McConnell a 4-year contract extension worth $45M; he scored 10.2 ppg last year, first time in his nine NBA seasons that he averaged double figures.
— TCU 34, Stanford 27
TCU scored two TD’s in 1:22 span late in 4th quarter for the win.
Cardinal led 17-10 at halftime.
Horned Frogs outgained Stanford, 457-288.
— Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10
First score of game was a safety for the Spartans.
MSU led 16-3 at the half, didn’t score in second half.
Teams combined to convert 5-28 third down plays.
— Wisconsin 28, Western Michigan 14
Badgers led 10-7 at halftime.
Broncos led 14-13 early in 4th quarter.
Wisconsin was 10-16 on 3rd down, Broncos 3-10
— Oklahoma 51, Temple 3
From 2015-19, Temple was 43-24.
Since 2020, Temple is 10-34.
Oklahoma is in the SEC now, which takes some getting used to.
— They have a 2:00 warning in college football now, probably because they make lot of $$$ for TV commercials during the 2:00 warning, but it does make a difference for coaches.
— Miami Dolphins gave coach Mike McDaniel a contract extension thru 2028; Dolphins are 20-16 in two years under McDaniel, 0-2 in playoffs- they haven’t won a playoff game since 2000, when Dave Wannstedt was their coach.
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Minnesota Gophers’ last seven bowls:
2015- W21-14 over Central Michigan
2016- W17-12 over Washington State
2018- W34-10 over Georgia Tech
2019- W31-24 over Auburn
2021- W18-6 over West Virginia
2022- W28-20 over Syracuse
2023- W30-24 over Bowling Green
Quote of the Day
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
Steve Jobs
Saturday’s quiz
Who has hit the most home runs ever for the Milwaukee Brewers?
Friday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was the Los Angeles Rams’ coach before Sean McVay.
Thursday’s quiz
Tony Romo is the all-time leader in passing yardage for the Dallas Cowboys.
***********************************************
Saturday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….
— Monday is Labor Day, a national holiday, but there are only 11 baseball games, which means that eight teams have Labor Day off, which is nonsensical.
— There were also 11 baseball games Thursday; Oakland A’s were only team of the 22 that played who scored a run in the first inning. I mention that because you can bet on whether or not teams score in the first inning.
— A’s 9, Rangers 2
Brett Rooker homered twice for the A’s, who have now had consecutive winning months for the first time since 2021.
Mark Kotsay has legitimately done an excellent job managing this young team; the guy in Kansas City will get Manager of the Year, but Kotsay deserves kudos for the job he is doing.
— Astros 3, Royals 2
Framber Valdez pitched 7 innings, didn’t allow a hit.
Paul DeJong tied the game 2-2 with a 9th inning home run.
Jose Altuve walked it off with a 9th inning double off the Crawford Boxes.
— Cubs 7, Nationals 6
Chicago scored seven runs in the second inning.
Cubs scored 80 runs in their last eight games.
Cubs are 8-2 in last ten games, are five games out of last playoff spot.
— Royals 1B Vinnie Pasquantino broke his thumb Thursday, is out 6-8 weeks, which means he is likely out for the year. Pasquantino has 19 homers, 97 RBI this year; big loss for the Royals.
— Braves 7, Phillies 2
Orlando Arcia homered twice for Atlanta.
Phillies lead the Braves by five games in NL East, with 27 games to play.
— Famous birthdays, August 31st:
Richard Gere, 75
Tom Candiotti, 68
Hideo Nomo, 56
Debbie Gibson, 54
Larry Fitzgerald, 41
Matt Adams, 36
Ronel Blanco, 31
Jalen Brunson, 28
Desmond Ridder, 25
— Indiana Pacers gave guard T.J. McConnell a 4-year contract extension worth $45M; he scored 10.2 ppg last year, first time in his nine NBA seasons that he averaged double figures.
— TCU 34, Stanford 27
TCU scored two TD’s in 1:22 span late in 4th quarter for the win.
Cardinal led 17-10 at halftime.
Horned Frogs outgained Stanford, 457-288.
— Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10
First score of game was a safety for the Spartans.
MSU led 16-3 at the half, didn’t score in second half.
Teams combined to convert 5-28 third down plays.
— Wisconsin 28, Western Michigan 14
Badgers led 10-7 at halftime.
Broncos led 14-13 early in 4th quarter.
Wisconsin was 10-16 on 3rd down, Broncos 3-10
— Oklahoma 51, Temple 3
From 2015-19, Temple was 43-24.
Since 2020, Temple is 10-34.
Oklahoma is in the SEC now, which takes some getting used to.
— They have a 2:00 warning in college football now, probably because they make lot of $$$ for TV commercials during the 2:00 warning, but it does make a difference for coaches.
— Miami Dolphins gave coach Mike McDaniel a contract extension thru 2028; Dolphins are 20-16 in two years under McDaniel, 0-2 in playoffs- they haven’t won a playoff game since 2000, when Dave Wannstedt was their coach.
