A-Dub

It was billed as the fight of the century. This is the matchup that boxing fans around the world had been waiting for. Errol Spence, Jr. vs. Terrence “Bud” Crawford for the undisputed welterweight championship of the world.

Both fighters came into this matchup undefeated. Spence was 28-0, while Crawford was 39-0. Both fighters have pretty much run rough-shod through the division, beating every opponent put in front of them. It was only natural to finally have the best fight against the best. 

They attempted to make this fight a year ago, but talks stalled, and each fighter moved on to different opponents to stay active.  After both fighters successfully defended their titles, they came back to the table. This time, they made it happen. 

With all the hype and anticipation, fight fans were expecting a classic battle that would go down in the annals of history. What we got was a masterclass in the sweet science, taught by none other than Professor Terrence “Bud” Crawford. 

I would say that round 1 was even, but after that, it was total domination by Bud. It began with what could be considered a flash knockdown in round 2, and then the route was on. Crawford dominated each and every round!!!  

In round 6, it was the beginning of the end with Bud delivering punishing blow, after punishing blow. He appeared to be toying with Spence. In round 7, he thoroughly dominated with 2 knockdowns, and continued to punish Spence all over the ring in round 8. In round 9, he finally put Spence out of his misery with a barrage of punches that he had no answer for, resulting in a TKO, and Bud being crowned the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. 

Going into this match, many viewed Spence as the bigger fighter that would dominate due to his size and punching power that he possessed in both hands. And after all, Spence has fought at welterweights since he was an amateur. 

Bud was considered the smaller fighter having began his amateur career at lightweight, and then moving up to become the undisputed jr. welterweight champ. He has the ability to fight in both the orthodox and southpaw stances, showing off his versatility and the fact that he too possesses power in both hands. 

Bud began this fight in the southpaw stance, and would never stray from it. It clearly caused Spence some problems. Even with Spence being a southpaw himself, he hasn’t fought against many in his career. This was a beautiful tactic by Crawford, and is more than likely one of the reasons for his dominating victory. 

Crawford has been underestimated his entire career, and last night was no different. Even after racking up 10 straight knockouts, 7 in the welterweight division, he was still thought to be the smaller fighter, and that Spence would in essence bully him around the ring. Instead, it was the opposite. Crawford painted a masterpiece!  He constantly beat Spence to the punch, and whenever Spence did something positive, it was effectively countered by Crawford. 

Because of the resume of both fighters, this was one of the most dominating performances in the history of the sport. While there is an automatic rematch clause in the contract, I think it’s safe to say that Spence will definitely ask for the rematch. But will the outcome be any different?  Based on what I saw last night, I think the result will be close to the same. But then again, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. 

Sha’Carri Richardson! Remember that name. This young lady first burst on the scene in 2019 as a freshman sprinter at LSU, where she won the collegiate championship in the 100m in a time of 10.75 sec. That set a collegiate record, and U20 record, while being one of the ten fastest times in the history of the sport.

In mid-June, Sha’Carri started what was to be her natural progression in the sport of track & field by entering the Olympic Trials which had been delayed 1 year due to the pandemic. In what was somewhat expected, Sha’Carri wowed us all be outclassing the field in Eugene, OR that first week. She won the 100m in convincing fashion, and was considered a top contender for the title of “World’s Fastest Woman”.

But on June 28th, the unthinkable happened. Due to a failed drug test, Sha’Carri was stripped of her 100m title, thus making her ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics. So what did she test positive for? THC, a.k.a. Marijuana. Not steroids, HGH, or any other performance enhancing drug, but “WEED”!

Now rules are rules, and we all must follow them, but I must say, this one is archaic and definitely needs some revision. It’s 2021! There are 18 states + the District of Columbia that have legalized recreational cannabis usage. Not to mention those states which allow medicinal usage. It is CLEARLY not a performance enhancing drug, and even the addictiveness to the drug is questionable.

When you look at other professional sports such as the NBA and NFL that have relaxed their stances on marijuana, it makes perfect sense for USADA and USATF to do the same. With the increased push to decriminalize marijuana and make it legal across the country, and with this happening to one of our brightest young talents, now is as good a time as any to have this conversation. This may be on the extreme side, but an athlete could conceivably run drunk, and not receive any penalty. The only reason marijuana is still illegal, is because the government hasn’t come to an agreement on how to tax it. Cigarettes/tobacco, alcohol, both heavily taxed and potentially hazardous to your health with prolonged, excessive use, but marijuana is still a banned substance despite all of the actual health benefits it has for individuals with certain conditions.

C’mon people! I know it may not happen for these Olympic Games, but this rule has got to change. Not just for Sha’Carri, but for the betterment of the sport, and individuals around the globe who suffer from anxiety, depression, chronic pain, ptsd, and many other ailments/issues that marijuana can help with. But in the end I believe we want to see Sha’Carri in Tokyo. So to USADA, USATF, USOC, IAAF, and the IOC, #LetHerRun!!!

Well, Monday night’s NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship has come and gone, and many of us were shocked by the outcome.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs, #1 all season, went into the tournament undefeated. This 2 week process was almost expected to be a coronation of sorts, seeing as how the Bulldogs had run rough-shod through opponents all season long.

The Zags opponent, Baylor University, had other thoughts. The Baylor Bears were the #2 ranked team all season long, and also got to the title game as expected.

This long awaited matchup was supposed to take place in December, in among all places, Indianapolis, IN. However, due to COVID-19 complications, the game was cancelled after a player and a staffer for Gonzaga tested positive. Thus, Monday night’s much anticipated clash was long overdue.

After Baylor outlasted Houston on Saturday, and Gonzaga barely got by UCLA with the help of Jalen Suggs’ half court buzzer beater, we all figured that Monday night’s final, would be just as entertaining. As it turned out, the singing of the National Anthem by various front line workers was the most entertaining part of Monday’s coverage.

The Bears blitzed the Bulldogs from the opening tip! Baylor’s Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell put on an absolute show! Butler killed the Zags from downtown, while Mitchell drove to the basket at will. Sometimes taking it all the way to the cup, and other times kicking it to an open man for the three pointer or finding a cutter in the lane for an easy bucket. Baylor’s defense was stifling, and wreaked havoc. Gonzaga couldn’t get anything going, trailing by as many as 19 in the first half.

The Zags cut the lead to 10 at the half, and in the 2nd half, briefly got the lead under 10, but then Baylor turned on the jets to finish them off and claim their first national title in Men’s Basketball in school history.

Gonzaga had the opportunity to go undefeated and become the first undefeated national championship team since the 1976 Indiana team that featured Isiah Thomas. Many teams have tried and failed to finish off an undefeated season. There was Larry Bird’s Indiana State team in 1979, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in 1991 that featured Larry Johnson and Stacey Augman, and the 2015 Kentucky team that featured Karl-Anthony Towns.

Those were all great teams, but the fact that no one has been able to finish off a season undefeated speaks to how difficult it is to pull off. The best players don’t hang around for more than 1 or 2 seasons. It’s hard to say no to that NBA money. With players not staying for more than a season or 2, it’s hard to build on what was done the previous season because it’s like you’re always starting over. Is that to say that we’ll never have another undefeated champ? No, but it’s so much more difficult now

Congrats to both the Baylor Bears and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. You both had great seasons, and endured probably the most challenging season in sports history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that vaccines are available, maybe next year’s tourney will be a little closer to what we can refer to as normal. But I guess time will tell.

Anyone who follows the NBA knows that the dunk contest has been suffering for years.  Subpar performances, missed dunks, and bad judging have marred what was once the marquee event of All-Star Saturday Night.  But this year, all of that was gonna change.  The 4 contestants in this years contest included Dwight Howard, former champion, and back in the contest after a 12-year hiatus, Derrick Jones, Jr., a.k.a. “Airplane Mode”, Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Aaron Gordon, who arguably should have a title under his belt, but lost a few years ago in a classic showdown with Zach LaVine. 

While all 4 contestants were worthy of entry into the contest, this night belonged to Jones and Gordon.  Once we entered the final of the contest, it was reminiscent of the last time the All-Star Game was held in Chicago, and that infamous showdown between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in 1988.  That is still recognized as the BEST dunk contest in the history of the contest itself.  And this 2-man show did not disappoint.

The 2 went back and forth, soaring with grace and power.  Each pulling something out of the bag that we hadn’t seen before.  While Jones started off a little slower than Gordon, scoring 46 on his first dunk, Gordon was making light work of all of the challengers scoring 50 after 50 on each dunk.

In the final round, Gordon kept up the blistering pace by continuing his 50-point assault on the rim.  With both contestants tiring, they continued to pull out all the stops, scoring 50 after 50 on each dunk.  On what would turn out to be the final dunks of the contest, Jones scored a 48.  Gordon had not scored less than 50 on any of his dunks.  In order to seemingly cement an imminent victory, Gordon chose Tacko Falls as a prop to jump over and dunk.  Mind you, Falls is 7’6″ tall.  Gordon proceeded to complete the dunk as we all anxiously awaited the score.  He scored a 47, giving the title to Derrick Jones, Jr.

While no one can say that Jones isn’t deserving, it is the feeling of myself and many others that Gordon was robbed.  How can you score 50 on each and every previous dunk and then only get a 47 on a dunk in which you cleared a 7’6″ human obstacle?  It just ain’t right!  If anything, the right thing to do would have been to make this into a tie.  But apparently the judges received pressure from NBA officials saying that a winner HAD to be declared.  If the line is gonna be drawn in the sand, and 1 winner must be chosen, we need to change the rules to make it a little more exact.  We don’t have this problem in the skills competition or the 3-point contest, so we need to take some of the subjectivity out of it.  For instance, if you miss an attempt, you can’t possibly score a 50.

If you have an idea, put it in the comments.  I’d love to hear what my fellow basketball junkies have to say.

Shock, disbelief, unfathomable tragedy.  Just a few of the feelings running through everyone’s mind after the news of the passing of Kobe “Bean” Bryant on January 26, 2020.

Most of you who know me, know very well that the Lakers are my favorite team, and have been for pretty much all my life.  My hero and favorite NBA player was Magic.  But in 1996 this kid out of Philly burst on the scene and became the new favorite.  But not without some angst along the way.

When Shaq came to L.A., he was my guy.  He was the most dominant player in the game, and part of the Laker tradition of great centers, following in the footsteps of Mikan, Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar.  Who wouldn’t gravitate toward the most dominant player in the league?  But we drafted this young kid straight out of high school in ’96.  Actually, we made a draft day trade with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire the rights to Kobe Bryant.  A phenom out of Lower Marion High School in Pennsylvania.  My first thought was what the hell are we gonna do with this 17 year-old kid in L.A.?  This is a mistake.  The bright Hollywood lights are gonna eat this kid alive.  I was soooooo wrong!

Kobe proved almost immediately that he had the stuff to make it in this league.  In Kobe’s 2nd season in L.A. he made his first All-Star team.  Together with Shaq, they made the Western Conference Finals that year against Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz.  Unfortunately, they didn’t make The Finals that year, but used it as a learning experience.

Fast forward to the year 2000 and the first of 3 consecutive titles for arguably the best duo in NBA history.  Shaq and Kobe would win 3 straight Finals from 2000 to 2002.  Then came 2004 and The Finals loss to Detroit.  Shaq and Kobe had had enough of each other and desired to go their separate ways.  Shaq went to Miami, Phil retired, and Kobe was left holding the bag in L.A. with a cast of mediocre guys.  But his resolve and drive to be the best never wavered.

People said that he’d never win a title without Shaq, that he wasn’t good enough to carry a team to the “Promised Land”, but they were wrong about that too.  Little did they know, the Black Mamba was being unleashed.  In 2008, Kobe won league MVP and made it to The Finals against their arch rival the Boston Celtics.  They lost in 6 games but would make The Finals the next 2 seasons defeating the Orlando Magic in ’09 and winning the rematch with the Celtics in 2010.

After 2010, there were no more titles, only 2 more playoff appearances and a host of injuries.  There was the torn Achilles, the fractured leg, the torn rotator cuff, and he just kept coming back because he didn’t want to our last memory of him on the court to be of him being injured.

In 2016 Kobe retired from the league, but he went out with a BANG.  In his final game he scored 60 points and led the Lakers to a win over the Utah Jazz.  He thrilled us for 20 years in that purple and gold uniform, and was preparing to do some big things in what was going to be his 2nd act.  In 2018, Kobe won an Oscar for an animated short film called “Dear Basketball”.  He started a media company, Granity Studios, and began passing on his love for the game to his 13 year-old daughter Gianna (GiGi), even being a coach for her travel basketball team.

With so much going on, we were all expecting great things in this, his 2nd act.  But then the morning of January 26, 2020 happened.  We don’t know why, or the cause, but just when you thought The Mamba was invincible, we were reminded that no one is immortal or invincible.  On that fateful morning 9 lives were snuffed out, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter GiGi, as they were on their way to one of her travel basketball games.

I keep thinking this is some kind of cruel joke, or nightmare, and that I’m gonna wake up and everything will be ok.  But unfortunately, that’s not gonna happen.  Kobe was my guy, my favorite player.  And even though he wasn’t playing anymore, I always looked forward to interviews and news of what was next for him.  This really hurts, and probably will for a long time to come.  It feels like we’ve all been punched in the gut, and just can’t get any air; like we’ve lost a family member.

Our prayers go out to his wife Vannessa and their 3 daughters, Natalia, Bianca, and Capri, and to the families of the other 7 passengers aboard that helicopter.  May God keep them safe and comfort them during this difficult time.

Kobe, you will be missed, but never forgotten.  #MambaOut

Now that The Finals are over, we are all longing for something interesting in sports to happen over the summer.  Yeah there’s baseball, the Women’s World Cup, and the Track & Field World Championships, but the most interesting part of the summer is NBA free agency and the draft.  And today, the Los Angeles Lakers put their own stamp on the NBA off-season by making the much-anticipated deal for AD, Anthony Davis.  Yes, Anthony Davis is a Laker.  The deal won’t be official until July 1st, but the Lakeshow looks like their going all in on next season.

With the injuries to KD and Klay Thompson during The Finals it looks like the western conference is up for grabs.  The Rockets, Blazers and Nuggets will be in the mix, but the Lakers have put themselves in the fray as well.  The only concern is did L.A. give up too much to get their 2nd superstar?  Initial reports indicate that the Lakers will send Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, along with 3 first round picks to New Orleans in exchange for Davis.  New Orleans wanted Kyle Kuzma as well, but the Lakers were able to keep him in the fold.

From my perspective, both teams HAD to make this move.  Davis didn’t want to be in New Orleans any longer, and the Lakers did not want to waste another year of Lebron’s time in L.A.  Many would argue that the Lakers gave up too much.  But you have to give in order to receive.  Many remember the ill-fated deals for Dwight Howard and Steve Nash which mortgaged the future of the Lakers and helped to begin the 6 year playoff drought that the team is currently mired in.  But if you look at the situation, it does not compare.  Davis is in his prime, whereas Howard was coming off of a back injury and Nash was at the end of his career.  From a draft perspective, while L.A. had the #4 pick, this draft was only 3 “difference makers” deep.  After Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett, there was a hodge-podge of potential, but no one expected to be able to take an NBA team to the next level.

The draft is still to come, and free agency doesn’t begin until July 1st.  With $32.5 million in cap space, the Lakeshow can still be a big player.  They now have 2 all-stars, can they come up with a 3rd to make a legitimate run at a title?  They are now in need of a legitimate point guard, could Kemba Walker be next?  Or do they put all their chips in to try to lure Kawhi away from The North?  After winning the first NBA title for a team outside the U.S. I can’t see The Klaw leaving, but we shall see.  It’s gonna be an interesting and busy summer.

The stage was set, it was all or nothing.  The Golden State Warriors, 2-time defending champs, in a 3-1 hole to the Toronto Raptors.  They’ve been in this situation before, on both sides.  In 2016 they were down to KD’s OKC team 3-1 and came back to make The Finals.  Then in The Finals that year, against the Cavaliers, they led 3-1 and proceeded to lose 3 straight after Draymond Green’s suspension.

After splitting the first 2 games in Toronto many thought that the Warriors would put their foot on the gas in Oakland and take a commanding lead.  Instead it was the other way around.  The Raptors swept 2 from the Warriors in Oakland to take a commanding lead.  Game 5 was either gonna be a coronation for the Raptors or a stay of execution by the Warriors.

The night started with a pleasant surprise, with the return of all-star, Kevin Durant.  Durant had missed all of the conference finals and the first 4 games of The Finals due to what was termed a strained calf suffered in the conference semi-finals against Houston.

Durant made his return in game 5 and got off to a fabulous start.  But then the unthinkable happened.  Durant crumpled to the floor after trying to make a move in the 2nd quarter.  He left the game with what appeared to be an Achilles injury.  The question then became should he have even been out there?

The Warriors would go on to win and force a game 6 back in Oakland, led by fantastic performances from the Splash Brothers.  But was the cost for that win too great?  When Durant was originally injured in the Houston series, it looked like an Achilles injury, but the Warriors billed it as a strained calf.  Many experts and fans, including myself, did not expect to see Durant back during this post season.  His workouts leading up to game 5 were not great, and he was seen walking around with an ice pack on his Achilles, not his calf.

The immediate question is why was he cleared when he clearly was not 100%?  I know the Warriors were desperate for a win, but now you’re playing with this man’s future.  Not just his health, but his financial future. This summer was supposed to be KD’s big payday.  This was supposed to be the year that he made a decision on where he’d spend the rest of his career and GET THAT BAG!  But after last night’s events, all that has changed.

If you ask me, there’s no one individual to blame for this tragedy.  Everyone is to blame, from the Warriors and the medical staff, to KD himself.  The Dubs were desperate, but no way KD should have been cleared to play, and they should have been honest about the original injury.  And KD, you have to take care of yourself.  We all remember how puzzled we were about Kawhi Leonard not playing that last season with the Spurs, and everyone questioning his health.  That situation right there should be a lesson to all players going forward.  Trust yourself and YOUR OWN TEAM.  Not the team doctors and staff members.  Grant Hill’s all-star level career was cut short due to negligence by the Detroit Pistons staff that kept telling him his ankle was fine.  Six surgeries, and a malpractice suit later, we find out that his ankle really was screwed up.

KD, we’re all praying for you and hope you have a speedy recovery.  In the meantime, we’ll all be tuned into game 6 to see if the Dubs can do what was done to them in 2016.

All the hype, all the pomp and circumstance, and what did we get?  A DUD!  This year’s Super Bowl was billed as the young lion vs. the old salty dog.  The Rams up and comer head coach, Sean McVay playing the young lion, along with his young QB Jared Goff.  Those salty dogs, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were playing in their ninth Super Bowl and 3^rd consecutive.

The Rams had been a high wire act all season with there 30+ points per game scoring average and the reigning 2 time DPOY in Aaron Donald.  The Patriots on the other hand had pretty much flown under the radar this season.  This was the first time in a long time that they didn’t have home field throughout the playoffs and were not favored to win the AFC title.  But that is why they play the games.

Prior to the game everyone wondered about the health of the Rams’ Todd Gurley.  He had been shelved over the last 2 weeks of the regular season due to a minor knee injury, and didn’t get his usual workload in the previous 2 playoff games due to the emergence of free-agent signee, CJ Anderson.  But all indications were that he was healthy and would take on his familiar work-horse role in the Rams high flying offense.  However, we received a rude awakening.  I don’t know if it was scheme, or flat out inept play calling, but we’re still waiting for Gurley to show up.

After only 3 touches in the first half, Gurley ended the game with only 10 carries for 35 yards.  This was not how this was supposed to go.  At the half, the score was 3-0 Patriots.  You just continued to feel that L.A. would get on track in the 2^nd half and give heavy doses of Gurley.  But it never happened.  Only 7 carries and only 2 targets out of the backfield.  This is a guy that was your workhorse, and you never got him into a rhythm.  As a result, the play-action pass was a non-factor.  Expecting Goff to drop back and pick apart a Belichick coached defense was asking a lot.  Apparently the young lion failed to do his homework.

Instead of the well-played 27-24 game most expected, this turned out to be a 13-3 snoozer.  People will call it a great defensive game, but in my view, that was definitely not the case.  It was a case of total ineptitude by both offenses.  In other words, 4 hours of my life that I can’t get back.

This will sting the Rams for a while.  But it could also be viewed as karma.  They got here as the beneficiary of a famous non-call in the NFC title game vs. New Orleans.  Fans from the Big Easy will say they didn’t deserve to be here, so they got what they deserved.  Others will say that they blew a golden opportunity on a night when Tom Terrific wasn’t all that terrific.  But the obvious is that young McVay was outcoached by wise old Belichick.

The Patriots now join the Pittsburgh Steelers as the only 6-time Super Bowl champs.  And according to Brady and Belichick, they’re not done yet.  And quite frankly, who in the AFC is gonna stop them?  The Steelers continue to implode.  Kansas City was close, but was this year a fluke?  The Texans can’t seem to get out of their own way in the post season.  And San Diego just seems to be forever a bridesmaid.  Only time will tell, but the haters and nay-sayers may have to endure another Super Bowl trip by the Patriots next season.  Hopefully next time it won’t be such a waste of time.

So after the championship games we have our two combatants for Super Bowl LIII, but not without some controversy.  In the 4th quarter of the NFC Championship game between the Rams and the Saints, the Saints were driving to take the lead late in the game.  After completing a long pass to Ted Ginn to get in the red zone, the Saints were on the verge of closing out the game with less than 2 minutes remaining and the Rams having only 2 timeouts remaining.

Since they were already in field goal range, the Saints decided to stay aggressive and threw a pass on first down.  The pass fell incomplete with the help of an obvious defensive pass interference.  However, to everyone’s surprise, no call was made on the play.  Everyone watching, including the player defending on the play, Nickell Robey-Coleman, knew that this was a penalty but the whistles stayed silent.

Rightfully so, the Saints and their fans were livid.  But there was nothing they could do.  At the most inopportune time, the refs decided to “let them play”.  In a call to Sean Payton after the game the league admitted that the officials blew the call, but there’s no consolation for the Saints as that call helped prevent them from making it to Super Bowl LIII.

But this is not the first time controversy has arisen in the NFL post season.  We all remember the “tuck rule” game in 2002 between the Patriots and the Raiders.  A rule/decision that changed the trajectory of 2 franchises.

Then there was the Wild Card playoff game between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 where a penalty was called and then the flag inexplicably picked up.  Not only was the receiver held off the line of scrimmage, but the defender never played the ball contacting the receiver while the ball was in the air.

Of all these controversial calls, the tuck rule game is the only one that was interpreted properly according to the rules of the game at the time.  But we have a larger problem here.  This season in particular the officiating has gotten worse and worse.  Could it be due to the fact that several veteran officials have retired over the last few years?  Are these newer officials not ready for prime time?

Blown calls are a part of the game, but on the big stage, the players and fans deserve better.  I’m not sure what the NFL official evaluation process is, but something must be done to prevent victories, or potential victories from being stolen.

Now you could probably say that this one call did not lose the game for the Saints.  There are obviously things they could have done better throughout the game, but the timing is obvious.  with 1:40 left in the game and your opponent with only 2 timeouts remaining, this completion for another first down obviously lets you milk the clock down to about 4 seconds and thus kick the game winning field goal.

So what happens to officials that blow calls at the most inopportune times?  I don’t have the answer, but something’s got to be done.  Maybe there needs to be more attention to certain rules at the ends of games similar to what the NBA and college football does.  Why couldn’t this be a reviewable play in the last 2 minutes?  Because it was not only PI, but was also helmet-to-helmet contact on a defenseless receiver.

At any rate, the NFL will have all off season to review this and come up with a remedy.  Something’s got to change.

Once again it’s that time of year, and the Fall Classic, a.k.a. World Series is upon us. The Dodgers make their 2nd consecutive appearance after getting past the Milwaukee Brewers in a tightly contested 7-game series. They are taking on the Boston Red Sox, who were the MLB’s best team all year and have steamrolled through the post season thus far. Boston is seeking their 4th title in the last 14 seasons.

After Boston dominated the first 2 games at home, the series switched to L.A. for game 3. Game 3 is now an instant classic!  An 18 inning thriller that ended with Max Muncy crushing a homer to left field to give L.A. the win, and put them back in the series.

This would be a costly loss for the Red Sox as they used their entire bullpen for extended innings, seemingly leaving little in the tank for Saturday night’s game 4.

Game 4 started out similar to game 3, with the game scoreless into the 6th inning. Rich Hill was on the mound for L.A., while Eduardo Rodriguez worked the mound for Boston. In the bottom half of the 6th, L.A. erupted for 4 runs, 3 of which came via a crushing 3-run homer by Yasiel Puig.

To this point Hill had allowed only 1 hit over 6 innings, and showed no real signs of tiring. After walking the lead off man in the 7th, Hill then struck out the next batter. Then inexplicably, Dodger manager, Dave Roberts removes Hill. Are you serious?

Why remove your starting pitcher who’s dealing? Hill has pitched a masterful 1-hit shutout to this point, and was not in imminent danger of opening the flood gates. There was 1 on and 1 out. But you pull your starter and go to the bullpen? After this switch, the Red Sox erupted for 3 runs in the 7th, 1 in the 8th, and 5 in the 9th to seal L.A.’s fate and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Needless to say, this decision will go down as the one that cost the Dodgers not only game 4, but the series, and possibly Roberts’ job as well. Now it’s no certainty that the Dodgers would be able to beat Boston in this series, but they certainly had the chance to even this series and carry that momentum into game 5.

Roberts has done a great job getting the Dodgers into the post season and appearing in the World Series for 2 consecutive seasons, but it’s become obvious that he is not the one to get L.A. to the promised land. He’s so wrapped up in the analytics of the game that he has no feel for what’s actually going on on the field. Had he had a true feel for the game he’d know not to pull his starter in the midst of a 1-hit performance. Especially after expending numerous arms in game 3’s 18 inning thriller.

I love Dave, but I think it’s time for him to sail off into the sunset. The Dodgers have done well in grooming talent from the minors and capitalizing on free agency and trade deadline moves, but Roberts may not be the guy to get them to their first title since 1988.

Time will tell, but I think the handwriting is on the wall. If the Dodgers lose this one, chalk it up as the second consecutive instance of what could have been.