Sports Banter

(Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports)     Last week Netflix released their series "Full Swing", which was watched and completed by myself in 3 days. Although I am not a binge watcher by any means, I was enamored by the authenticity of this series. The platform was similar to Netflix's F1 series "Drive to Survive", but let me tell you "Full Swing" is exceptional. But let me get back to what I really want to talk about, Tiger Woods and his impact on the game of golf. This weekend was the Genesis  tournament, which started on Thursday and ran through Sunday with Tiger Woods as the host of the event. I am a pretty big golf fan, maybe not as much as Doc Downing but I am pretty close. This weekend there was so much coverage of the tournament and the reason for that is because of Tiger. Tiger was able to get through the weekend, and I was watching every single day. On Friday he birdied the last three holes of the tournament on a bum leg, bad back, and noneth...

  (photo is owned by Porter Binks/Getty Images, we do not own the rights) Less than 10 months removed from Jay Wright's abrupt retirement, Villanova basketball is at a crossroads. Adapt or die. When Wright announced his retirement following his 3rd Final 4 run in 7 years, winning National Championships in both '16 & '18, he blindsided College Basketball, Nova Nation, and most importantly, his program. A legend and architect of arguably the most dominant basketball program of the 2012 - 2022 era, Wright was done. The fire and passion that had propelled the miraculous run had fizzled out and Wright had "lost his edge", as he put it. Months before the announcement, Wright notified Mark Jackson and Father Peter of his decision. Seemingly to both save the heralded incoming recruiting class and "keep it in the family", the trio allegedly chose to forgo a quiet national coaching search for a top 10 job in college basketball, and instead appointed former ass...

  I AM SICK. This is the most disturbed I've been watching one of my teams play since Cody Parkey's double-doink. That's a DEEP cut. The Lakers go into Boston and play an absolute beauty of a game, only to be cheated out of their rightful win in the final moments. This isn't an overreaction piece, this isn't a debate, this is just a blatant lack of accountability on 3 NBA referees who took this win from the Lakers and there's obvious video evidence to back it up. Truly disgusting. A couple notes to harp on from the last 10 seconds of play: 1. Only in Boston, would a historically HORRIBLE 3 point attempt from Al Horford that hits the top of the backboard end up in the hands of Jaylen Brown. He gets the rebound, puts it back in for the layup and that was that. No whistle, the play moves on, Lakers still up 1. But ohhhhhh wait the referee by the Celtics bench decides 2 full seconds after the play that he's calling a foul. Let's make this clear. It was a fou...

  (Image is owned by FOX, we do not own the rights) When the 49ers drafted Brock Purdy with the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, they never could've imagined that this would be the result. All of the franchises stock had been invested in top pick Trey Lance. So much so that the organization had basically made it known to Jimmy G (who just led the team to an NFC Championship appearance) that they were openly looking to trade him. That was the plan. But when Trey Lance suffered a serious season ending ankle injury in week 2 everything changed. The once scorned Jimmy G was in line to be QB1 for the niners once again, music to the 49er faithful and why wouldn't it be? Like I said he just led the team to an NFC championship appearance and damn near Super Bowl berth. And that would have been a good enough script for the 49ers this year. But again the injury bug bit the niners and bit them hard as in week 13, Garropolo went down with a broken foot and was ruled out for the season...

  (Photo owned by Tom Fox/Staff Photography)     At the end of every season you have two groups; one group fighting for the title and one group trying to re-build to compete next season. The group of teams that are looking for the edge next season are conducting interviews with college coaches, front office personnel, and crazy enough other coaches that are still coaching in playoff games. This to me is one of the weirdest things in the NFL, interviewing for a  job while you are working towards the title. Perfect example, Dan Quinn of the Cowboys had a number of interviews this past week leading up to their divisional play off game against the 49ers. Quinn and other coaches are being pulled away from focusing on winning to interview for potential future jobs. I understand that the goal for other teams is to get the edge early and fast, but I don't understand what a couple of months could change.      The NFL needs to review and change th...

(Video owned by Highlight Heaven)     Wildcard Weekend is always full of emotion and we saw that with all the games from this past weekend. If there is one team in the NFL that is emotional, it is the Buffalo Bills and it starts with their quarterback Josh Allen. Allen is someone that every game you will see all the emotions that one person can have during a game; anger, sadness, frustration, joy, etc.. which as fans we love to see. Emotions were high this weekend with the Bills playing the Miami Dolphins, especially late in the second quarter. Josh threw a pick to Xavien Howard of the Dolphins, which was returned for around 30 yards. When this ball was picked off, you can see Christian Wilkins (Miami D-End) blocking Allen in the hopes of a pick six. During this altercation between Wilkins and Allen, Wilkins gives Allen at the end a little love tap just to show whose boss; or so it seemed. Once Bills center, Mitch Morse saw this altercat...

  (we do not own the rights to this image) Nate Kaeding had nothing to do with the Chargers blowing a 27-0 lead in Jacksonville last Saturday..... or did he? This latest playoff catastrophe is exactly who the Chargers have been as long as I can remember, which for me started with the king of disappointment Nate Kaeding. I remember being so upset as a kid watching the Chargers season's come to an end due to self destructing in any way you could think of. And today that is amazingly still the case. Players, coaches, and even the city in which they play in has changed, and yet it's still the same recipe of disaster. It's amazing really.  Here's what the recipe of every season is: 1. Put together a top 5 roster in the offseason, fix the holes left from the previous season, and enter the year a super bowl contender 2. Have various starters get injured starting week 1. O-line depleted 3. Lose games you shouldn't, win games you shouldn't, and then go on a nice run in D...