![[SPORTS] LAKERS COME UP SHORT IN OVERTIME TO SPURS; FALL TO 0-3](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8301-1.jpg?resize=600%2C431&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 23, 2018 | SPORTS
LeBron Can’t Seal The Deal For Lakers At Home In OT
When it’s winning time, LeBron James showed his new team and a sellout crowd at the Staples Center his value in those moments.
Good and bad.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night at the Staples Center to fall to 0-3.
LeBron James finished the game with 32 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds with one steal and one block in 43 minutes.
Coming down the floor with under 10 seconds to go, LeBron James would bury a 3-pointer at the top of the key over Rudy Gay to tie the game with 2.4 seconds remaining to send it to overtime.
James scored or assisted on five of Los Angeles’ six baskets in overtime, but it’s what happened with time winding down in the game that will be remembered.
Nursing a one-point lead in the final seconds of the overtime after a Rudy Gay three-pointer, LeBron James missed two critical free throws.
Coming off a pin down screen, Patty Mills would give San Antonio the lead with 6.8 seconds remaining in overtime.
James would miss a stepback jumper over Rudy Gay as the clock hit zero for the Lakers, who are still searching for their first victory.
The Los Angeles Lakers erased a eight-point deficit in the final 70 seconds of regulation, but that is all for naught following their latest setback.
In need a co-star on the night as they were shorthanded, Kyle Kuzma gave the Lakers that with a game-high 37 points to go along with eight rebounds in 45 minutes.
The Los Angeles Lakers were without Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo as both players began their suspensions for their role in a physical altercation in last Saturday’s game vs the Houston Rockets.
The Los Angeles Lakers will have to clean up their defense, but there will be enough time for the team to get that done.
The Lakers sellout crowd went from erupting after a and-one by LeBron James with 55.6 seconds remaining to leaving the Staples Center with a bitter taste in their mouth.
LeBron James was less than a minute away from giving Lakers fans their first true moment to remember.
A persistent Spurs team and huge misses down the stretch however robbed Lakers fans of being able to embrace in what would’ve been LeBron James’ first win as a Laker.
The Kobe Bryant apologists will be out in full force following this game, but that isn’t as newsworthy as Los Angeles blowing a six-point lead in the final minute as the coach Gregg Popovich’s used a 7-0 run to end the game.
LaMarcus Aldridge (37 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and DeMar Derozan (32 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds) led the way for the San Antonio Spurs, who improved to 2-1.
The Los Angeles Lakers shot 51 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range as they 14 on the night.
They allowed the San Antonio Spurs to shoot 51 percent from the field and 53 percent from three-point range as they hit 15 during the game.
The Lakers once again lost the free throw battle as the San Antonio Spurs short 28-for-38 from the free throw line compared to Los Angeles’ 18-for-26.
Los Angeles trailed by as many as 17 points in the first quarter, but fought their way back into the game. That fight is something that coach Luke Walton is hoping to see when the Lakers next take the floor.
The Los Angeles Lakers, looking to get their first win of the season, will visit Talking Stick Resort Arena to face the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
What are your thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers loss on Monday night? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] 2018 WORLD SERIES PREVIEW/PREDICTION](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8297-2.jpg?resize=960%2C540&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Who Will Win The 2018 World Series?
The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, two of the MLB’s most storied franchises, are set to do battle for the ultimate prize in this year’s Fall Classic.
This is the first time the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers will have competed in a World Series.
With that said, these two fanbases are familiar with one another from the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers Rivalry so expect some ‘Beat LA!’ chants to echo throughout Fenway Park in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
In this piece I will be taking a special look at the World Series and how the two teams vying for the World Series title got here.
Let’s begin.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Finished regular-season 92-71
Won NL West
Won NL Pennant
Defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in NLDS
Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in NLCS
Strengths: Power, Starting Pitching, Closer
Weaknesses: Bullpen, Strikeouts, Catcher, Defense
Analysis:
The Los Angeles Dodgers made it to the World Series last year having cruised through the NL side with a 7-1 mark. That was different this season as they went 7-4 this season, needing a Game 7 win at Miller Park to advance to the World Series.
The Dodgers have the right-handed power in their lineup to offset facing Chris Sale and David Price. The Dodgers went 40-25 vs LHP in 2018 during the regular-season, but one question I have about the team is their ability to slow the Red Sox offense.
I do not think Clayton Kershaw throwing 91 MPH and trying to fool the Red Sox hitters will work vs this lineup. The Dodgers will also be trotting out a rookie pitcher vs the Red Sox at some point in this series and at another point a 38-year-old left-hander.
The Red Sox went only 21-16 vs LHP pitching in 2018, but this team has little problem of hitting off of left-handers.
The key to the series will be limiting the walks to the Red Sox hitters while also limiting the bottom of the order, where Jackie Bradley Jr., the ALCS MVP, did his fair share of damage in just three swings during the ALCS.
Boston Red Sox
Finished 108-54
Won AL East
Won AL Pennant
Defeated the New York Yankees 3-1 in ALDS
Defeated the Houston Astros 4-1 in ALCS
Strengths: Contact Hitting, Power, Bullpen, Defense
Weakness: Starting Pitching, Closer
Analysis:
The Boston Red Sox come into the World Series knowing one thing is for certain: They know how to bounce back from a loss.
Both the New York Yankees and Houston Astros learned this the hard way in the postseason as after their wins, neither team tasted victory and had their seasons ended promptly.
That’s a quality that says a lot about Alex Cora as a manager and the Red Sox as a team. There’s no question that the Red Sox offense will score runs in this series, the question for Boston however is can their starting pitching limit Los Angeles’?
A big reason why Boston is here is because of two strong performances by Nathan Eovaldi, a stellar start by Rick Porcello in Game 4 of the ALDS and David Price’s magical Game 5 gem in the ALCS.
What about Chris Sale? Sale dealt with a stomach ailment that kept him from starting Game 5 last Thursday and he was shaky in his last start in Game 1 of the ALCS.
The fastball velocity is noticeably down and against a hard-hitting lineup like Los Angeles’, could put Boston in a early series hole as Chris Sale is slated to start Game 1 vs Clayton Kershaw.
In a way, it’s two pitchers that at this point in time are not what their teams are used to seeing.
Prediction: Boston Red Sox in 6
I’m going with Boston needing six games to vanquish the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. When it comes down to it, it’s hard to envision Los Angeles’ pitching staff and bullpen slowing down Boston’s offense when Houston’s couldn’t.
I’ll go out on a limb and say that this series will feature a team coming back from a five-run deficit, a hitter on the Red Sox hitting multiple home runs in a game and a pitcher hitting a home run.
What are your thoughts on the World Series? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] NFL WEEK 7 RECAP: PANTHERS GET COMEBACK WIN IN PHILLY](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8295-1.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Panthers Comeback Highlights Week 7 Takeaways
Outside of Derek Anderson and Blake Bortles, it was a fine day to try eating a chicken sandwich and watching football at the same time (just stay away from those two guys).
We saw the sensational, the unforgivable and the unexpected in Week 7. From Cordarrelle Patterson going from goat to hero in the same quarter to Justin Tucker missing his first extra point attempt of his career, we got a treat from a slate that on paper was mediocre at best.
Want to boost the viewership ratings for the NFL? Tell them that a coach who’s team just got shutout 21-0 the week before would make a decision to go for the win over overtime.
Be sure to also tell them that New England came within a yard from allowing ‘Mitch’ Trubisky’s Hail Mary to Kevin White to tie the game with time expired to be a thing.
With so much to talk about, we’ll jump into my takeaways from a great day of action in the NFL.
Let’s get started!
Panthers Rally In Fourth Quarter To Upend Eagles
Cam Newton and the Panthers left their offense in Carolina for the first three quarters at Lincoln Financial Field.
When the fourth quarter came around, a team looking like they had also lost their will to fight back did.
The Carolina Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17 on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.
Led by Cam Newton, the Panthers overcame a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to upend the defending champs.
Greg Olsen’s late touchdown reception from Cam Newton capped a 21-point fourth quarter as the defense held on for the win against the struggling Eagles.
Cam Newton led the way with 269 passing yards and two touchdown passes. He rushed for 49 rushing yards on the ground in addition to his performance throwing the ball.
The Panthers couldn’t block for Cam Newton in the first three quarters. Newton — flustered for much of the day — was mostly inaccurate and off his game because of it. Newton was hurried or hit on most of his dropbacks as Philadelphia mostly limited Carolina’s rushing attack that saw Christian McCaffrey rush for 29 yards on seven carries.
Carson Wentz (310 passing yards, 2 TDs) and the Eagles grinded their way to a 17-0 lead after three quarters, but Newton and the Panthers flipped the switch when it mattered most.
After 145 total yards and zero points in the first 45 minutes of the game on a brisk day in Philadelphia, Carolina’s offense used three touchdown drives that covered 237 total yards to hand Philadelphia its fourth loss of the season.
Carolina (4-2) solved their road woes to begin the season as they picked up an important victory having already dropped two conference games.
For tiebreaker purposes, beating Philadelphia could be the difference in a playoff spot or missing the playoffs if the Panthers are unable to win the NFC South.
Sloppy Patriots Use Special Teams To Win Fourth Straight
Bill Belichick will have a lot to stew about in the film room following the Patriots mostly bewildering performance on both sides of the ball at Soldier Field.
For the New England Patriots, they were aided by an unlikely unit to help them to a fourth consecutive win on Sunday.
The New England Patriots hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 38-31 on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field thanks to a pair of special teams touchdowns.
From drive extending penalties, dropped interceptions in the endzone, losing containment on scrambles by Mitchell Trubisky and turnovers that led to points, there’s plenty to take away New England’s ugly performance (Did I mention the Hail Mary at the end of the game?).
Doing so though would be ignoring the fact that in four straight games now New England has scored 38+ points.
It would also ignore that wide receiver Josh Gordon, who’s becoming more and more apart of New England’s offensive attack, recorded four receptions for 100 receiving yards on a day where New England played on without Rob Gronkowski and lost running back Sony Michel to a knee injury in the second quarter.
New England (5-2) has issues along the defensive side of the ball for certain as their speed at linebacker as well as on the defensive line made the susceptible to giving up 81 rushing yards on six carries by Mitchell Trubisky.
The fact of the matter is though, New England, who saw all three of their AFC East foes fall on Sunday, are the clear front runner in a division they’ve dominated for nearly two decades.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots will have a chance to clear another hurdle in winning their 10th consecutive division title when they visit New Era Field next Monday night to face the Buffalo Bills.
Redskins Win NFC East Duel Over Cowboys
The Washington Redskins like their chances to win the NFC East this season and in their first division showdown of the season with another hopeful foe, made a statement.
The Washington Redskins held on to beat the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 on Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field.
In what was mostly a defensive struggle with explosive plays sprinkled in, Alex Smith and the Washington Redskins did just enough as a late touchdown by the defense proved to be the difference.
Redskins’ linebacker Ryan Kerrigan would force a huge strip sack of Dak Prescott near the Cowboys own endzone late in the fourth quarter that would be recovered by linebacker Preston Smith for a touchdown.
That would prove critical after a late flurry by the Dallas Cowboys allowed Dallas an opportunity to tie the game and send this NFC East battle into overtime.
Dallas would have a critical snap infraction penalty called on them before an 47-yard field goal attempt by Brett Maher. Now a 52-yard field goal attempt, the Cowboys kicker would miss off the left uprights as the Redskins escaped with the win.
The Redskins have not necessarily dominated when they win, but having a quarterback in Alex Smith (178 passing yards, 1 TD) who does not turn the football over, a rushing attack led by the ageless Adrian Peterson (24 carries, 99 rushing yards), and a defense that outside of a bad Week 5 loss to the Saints has proven to be formidable, Jay Gruden has a team that the rest of the NFC East should take notice of.
Chiefs Dominate Bengals At Arrowhead
Following their first loss of the season, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill promised the Chiefs would be at their best when the team returned home to face the Cincinnati Bengals.
He may just be a prophet.
The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back with a 45-10 blowout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium.
Patrick Mahomes led the attack with 358 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception as the Chiefs offense put up 551 total yards of offense vs the Cincinnati Bengals, a season-high to this point.
While Mahomes — who broke Kurt Warner’s touchdown record through the first eight games of a career — will get the fanfare, it was Kareem Hunt who stole the show for what may be the run of the year to this point.
With Kansas City driving on their first possession, Kareem Hunt would take a 2nd and 10 carry and create a highlight reel to remember at season’s end. The second-year running back who’s tough to tackle in open space broke free from a crowd of Bengals before hurdling a defender and carrying four more with him for a 21-yard gain down to the Bengals 6-yard line.
Kareem Hunt finished the game with 141 yards from scrimmage while scoring three touchdowns on his electrifying night in front of all of Chiefs Kingdom.
Much maligned to begin this season, Kansas City’s defense limited Cincinnati to 239 total yards on the night. Chiefs safety Ron Parker intercepted Andy Dalton early in the third quarter and returned the interception for a 33-yard return.
Kansas City (6-1) flexed its muscles on a night where the only negative to come out of it was a ill advised throw by Patrick Mahomes down the field into triple coverage that got intercepted.
The Chiefs offensive firepower is something that teams are scrambling to adjust to. Through seven weeks there has not been much of an answer as Kansas City has scored 30 or more points in six of their seven games to begin the season.
They’ll take aim at the Denver Broncos next Sunday when they welcome Denver to Arrowhead Stadium.
Gurley, Rams Pound 49ers To Improve To 7-0
If not for Patrick Mahomes, Todd Gurley may be running away with the NFL MVP Award.
While that’s not the case, it didn’t stop Gurley from running over the San Francisco 49ers as the Rams have yet to taste defeat.
In a dominant display, the Los Angeles Rams capped a three-game West coast road trip with a 39-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium to improve to 7-0 this season.
Todd Gurley followed a career-high 208 rushing yards vs the Denver Broncos with three touchdowns vs the San Francisco 49ers defense. It was a modest day for Gurley rushing the ball, who had only 15 attempts while rushing for 64 rushing yards.
Showing their depth at running back to help spell Gurley when needed, running back Malcom Brown rushed for a team-high 65 rushing yards on Sunday afternoon.
Jared Goff bounced back from a rough game vs the Denver Broncos with 202 passing yards and two touchdown passes against San Francisco, who fell to 1-6 on the season.
Defensively, the Rams turned in a much needed performance as they forced C.J. Beathard and the 49ers into four turnovers on the day while limiting them to 228 total yards.
Sean McVay and the Rams figure to get more of a challenge next week at home vs the Green Bay Packers, who are coming off a bye week.
No matter, the Los Angeles Rams continue to look like the best team in the NFL as it’s only unbeaten team remaining.
What are your thoughts on the NFL Week 7 action from Sunday? Leave your comments below!
![[ENTERTAINMENT] ‘HALLOWEEN’ IS FULL OF CALLBACKS TO THE 1978 ORIGINAL](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/halloween-michael.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 22, 2018 | Entertainment
SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING FOR 2018’S “HALLOWEEN.”
Director David Gordon Green’s remake of the iconic slasher film “Halloween” had the innovative thought to forget about all the sequels. That means that in 2018’s “Halloween” there’s no mention of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) being Michael Myers sister, and none of the events that happened in “Halloween 2”, including Curtis’s reappearance in “Halloween: H2O” and “Halloween: Ressurection.”
Green makes smany of his sequel’s shots eerily remniscent of Carpenter’s original, which not only adds an interesting perspective, but makes the film seem born from the original.
THE OPENING CREDITS
The opening credits sequence for the original “Halloween.”
Photo courtesy of artofthetitle.com
The ’78 film begins with a title sequence with Carpenter’s iconic “Halloween” score playing in the background. Alongside the credits is a jack-o-lantern carved for the holiday. The score combined with the jack-o-lantern and orange titles made this an iconic opening. The 2018 version plays on this.
After an opening sequence introducing two exposition-feeding podcasters, the “Halloween” theme plalys at full volume as it cuts to the film’s opening credits sequence. This time, the jack-o-lantern is destroyed, either kicked in by Myers himself of michevious trick-or-treaters. As the title sequence goes on, the pumpkin slowly raises itself back to life and by the time the opening credits are done, it’s fully formed and seems identical to the original. I thought this was an awesome way to subtly call back to the original.
DAYDREAMING IN CLASS
Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) looks out the window during class only to see Michael Myers standing there.
Photo courtesy of Youtube.com
One of the original’s iconic shots are Laurie, as she’s sitting in English class, daydreaming, staring out the window, only to see a masked Michael Myers standing in the street. Green’s sequel plays with this idea. Laurie’s granddaughter, Allison, is sitting in class (possibly in the exact same seat, I’ll let you know after I rewatch the new version again), looking out the window. Instead of seeing the masked killer, she sees her grandmother, from whom she’s estranged.
This was a really interesting shot, not only because it’s a great call back, but because it raises questions about Laurie’s sanity. Through the sequel, we see that the events in 1978 have taken over Laurie’s life. She couldn’t successfully raise her kids, she became agoraphobic and she secluded herself in the middle of no where. With this shot, audiences subliminally wonder if she’s turned into the monster.
THE CLOSET
Another iconic shot from the original “Halloween.”
Photo courtesy of lamag.com
If you’ve seen the original “Halloween” chances are you remember the iconic shot of Michael, breaking through the closet door to find Laurie hiding in the corner, cowering in fear. In the remake, this scene is very briefly referenced.
Without getting too heavy into spoilers, I’ll say Laurie is in a house, searching for the-masked-babysitter-murderer, who’s once again managed to escape her grasps. She walks through the different rooms of the house, and in one, comes across a closet that looked identical to the one she hid in 40 years ago. This was probably done to intentionally subvert the audience’s expectations in the third act.
WHERE’D HE GO?
After Michael falls out the window in the ’78 “Halloween” he’s presumed dead, until Loomis and Laurie look out the window and see his body has vanished.
Photo courtesy of wrightonfilm.com
The 1978 “Halloween” ends with Myers getting shot and falling out the window. When Laurie and Dr. Loomis look out to see his dead body, it has mysteriously vanished. Once again, this year’s remake references this shot. Laurie and Michael are in an intense third act showdown, and it looks like Myers has the upper hand. He manages to toss Laurie out the second story window, causing her to roll off the balcony and onto the grass. However, when the masked murderer looks out the window, this time its her body that managed to quickly get away(Don’t worry, I won’t say what happens next).
This remake of “Halloween” is far from perfect. It has too many characters, an inbalanced tone and parts of it seem clumsy. However, the character work done by Jamie Lee Curtis and writer Danny McBride on the character of Laurie Strode is impressive. Walking out of the theater, I was thinking about the lasting effects and trauma that surviving a horror movie would cause, and that’s an idea that’s rarely explored. Even 40 years later, Laurie is still struggling to cope with what went down in Haddonfield.
While not perfect, 2018’s “Halloween” was clearly crafted with care and respect for the original, as evidenced by the shots that mirror the 1978 classic.
![[STYLE] Rihanna’s Lush ‘Savage X Fenty’ Campaign Video](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/rihanna-fenty-x-savage-campaign-vid-2018-billboard-1548.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 22, 2018 | FASHION, MUSIC
Rihanna’s glamorous, ethereal world is seen in the new Savage X Fenty campaign video released today (Oct. 22)
Directed by Philippa Price and styled by Savannah Baker, the video opens with scenes of models in Rihanna’s new lingerie pieces surrounded by a rainforest of lush greenery and flowing waters, reminiscent of her NYFW show.
Check Out Full Video Here
