by sloppyvinyl | Nov 13, 2018 | SPORTS
Nets Lose More Than A Game In Minnesota
After dropping a game in Oakland to the defending champs, the Brooklyn Nets were looking to end a four-game road trip with a win.
Instead, the Brooklyn Nets lost, and they would end up losing far more than a game in their one and only visit to Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Timberwolves got past the Brooklyn Nets 120-113 on Monday night at the Target Center to improve to 5-0 at home this season.
The story coming from this game isn’t the loss on the court, for Brooklyn, but rather the loss of the player.
The Brooklyn Nets lost their rising guard and leading scorer Caris LeVert at the end of the second quarter to a serious right leg injury that left players on the court with their stomaches turning.
LeVert went skying for a shot block on Timberwolves’ guard Josh Okogie but would come down awkwardly, holding his hands to his head in heartbreak as he knew the extent of the injury.
He would be stretchered off the court to cheers by the Target Center crowd as they acknowledged the 24-year-old guard, who was having a breakout season to this point.
The Minnesota Timberwolves got a balanced offensive attack out of their starting lineup as all five guys in the starting lineup finished in double figures.
Three players would finish with 20+ points as Karl-Anthony Towns helped guide Minnesota in a big way with 25 points and 21 rebounds as they played their first game after trading away disgruntled forward Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The backcourt duo of the resurgent Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague gave Brooklyn fits with their pick and roll action and ability to attack the paint as they had little answer for either defensively.
The Nets, who were without starting center Jarrett Allen due to an illness, once again lost out on the rebounds as Minnesota out-rebounded them 52-42 on the night.
Brooklyn remarkably would secure a season-high 19 offensive rebounds minus their center, but all for naught as they shot only 39.6 percent as a team while Minnesota shot 52.5 percent from the field.
D’Angelo Russell poured in a season-high 31 points, hitting a career-high and Nets franchise record nine 3-pointers in the loss.
His huge night from distance allowed Brooklyn to hang around in this one until the fourth quarter, where the game would finally get away from them.
The bench provided somewhat of a spark, but not nearly enough as both DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe combined to shoot 5-for-17 from the field.
Brooklyn failed to finish this road trip strong after two wins to open the trip in Phoenix and Denver, a disappointing reality as they will now turn their attention to trying to find success with their leading scorer likely lost for the rest of the season.
The Brooklyn Nets will return home to host the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center as they look to snap a two-game skid.
What are your thoughts on Brooklyn’s loss in Minnesota tonight? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 13, 2018 | SPORTS
Nets’ Franchise Suffer Big Blow
Brooklyn Nets’ guard Caris LeVert went down with a gruesome right leg injury near the end of the first half vs the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
LeVert went skying for a shot block, only to come down awkwardly and he immediately acknowledged that his leg was broken.
The third year guard was having an impressive start to the season, leading the Brooklyn Nets in scoring with 19 PPG.
He also hit two game-winning shots for the Nets, with his most recent being against the Denver Nuggets last Friday night at the Pepsi Center.
LeVert, 24, was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 2016 NBA Draft, only to be traded on Draft night to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Thaddeus Young.
How big of a blow is this to the Brooklyn Nets? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 12, 2018 | SPORTS
Embattled Coach Not Fired Day After Humiliating Jets Loss
In a shock to anyone who attended yesterday’s massacre at MetLife Stadium, Todd Bowles is still wearing a headset for the New York Jets.
Following a 41-10 loss at home to the lowly Buffalo Bills, Gang Green nation were vehemently calling for the firing of the embattled coach who fell to 23-35 as Jets coach yesterday.
Bowles is still here, and that’s not sitting well with fans of the New York Jets.
https://twitter.com/ariashe/status/106198829525994291
https://twitter.com/UrbanExplorer6/status/1061992080183123968
https://twitter.com/JGrayNY/status/1062014140284354560
Todd Bowles was hired back in January 2015 by the New York Jets and went 10-6 in his first season as head coach after being a successful defensive coordinator for two seasons in Arizona.
Since then, he’s gone 13-29, with his latest loss being an embarrassing one to a team starting their fourth quarterback of the season.
While there is some thought going into not firing a coach at this juncture, Bowles doesn’t belong anymore and Jets fans will be letting the organization know that when opposing teams take over MetLife Stadium over their final three home games of the season.
The New York Jets (3-7) have a bye week and will host the New England Patriots two weeks from now at MetLife Stadium.
Agree with the Jets decision to not fire Todd Bowles? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 12, 2018 | SPORTS
Cowboys Edge Eagles In Philly
The image of Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliot hurdling Philadelphia Eagles’ safety Trey Sullivan is the image of Week 10, and rightfully so.
Week 10 saw a number of teams hurdling challenges thrown their way. From the Washington Redskins winning in spite of being out-gained by 215 yards, to the Colts winning without scoring a point in the second half.
It was a fun week of action, one that saw the Kansas City Chiefs offense look as human as they have all season long while Baker Mayfield put forth his best start as a pro to date.
Here are my takeaways from the NFL Week 10 action.
Cowboys Get Season-Saving Win In Philly
By any means necessary.
That was the mentality for the Dallas Cowboys heading into a make or break showdown in Philadelphia with their season on the verge of completely falling apart.
In their most resilient showing of the season, the Dallas Cowboys edged the Philadelphia Eagles 27-20 on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field to avoid falling to 3-6.
Behind Ezekiel Elliot’s 187 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns and Dak Prescott’s 270 passing yards and two touchdowns, Dallas kept their hopes of an NFC East title alive.
The Dallas Cowboys were coming off a disappointing 28-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans last Monday night in Dallas that sent every Cowboys apologists scurrying away in embarrassment.
They were underdogs heading into this matchup, but it was the Cowboys who were imposing their will against the defending Super Bowl champs, who fell to 4-5 this season.
Dallas’ defense created an early turnover that led to a field goal, and for much of the first half they stymied Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense as Dallas took a 13-3 lead into halftime.
Elliot’s punishing rushing and hurdling of a Eagles defender highlighted his strong night for the Cowboys.
While the game got tight in the second half, Dallas didn’t fold, answering Philadelphia’s punches with haymakers of their own.
After the Eagles tied the game at 20-20 in the fourth quarter with 7:27 remaining in the game, Jason Garrett’s Cowboys used a 8 play/75-yard drive that ended in a Ezekiel Elliot 1-yard touchdown run on 3rd and goal to take a 27-20 lead.
Dallas’ defense would come up huge on two last gasp attempts by Philadelphia’s offense to tie the game, first stopping Zach Ertz short of a first down on 4th and 7 after the two minute warning and then again on the final play of the game as a lateral would be snuffed out to give Dallas their most important win of the season.
The Dallas Cowboys (4-5) still have work to do with Washington holding a two-game lead over Dallas for the first place in the NFC East, but with a clash with Washington on Thanksgiving, Dallas will have an opportunity to close the gap.
Titans Punish Brady, Patriots In Tennessee
No one saw that coming.
The Tennessee Titans dominated the New England Patriots 34-10 on Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium to snap New England’s six-game winning streak.
Marcus Mariota threw for 228 passing yards and two touchdowns and the Titans defense showed up huge as they further put themselves back in the AFC South race.
After looking like one of the NFL’s worst offenses over their first seven games, scoring under 20 points in their previous three while being shutout in one game, Tennessee’s offense has kicked it into high gear following their bye week.
The Titans took a 17-3 lead in the first quarter vs the Patriots after two touchdown throws by Marcus Mariota, one to wide receiver Corey Davis, who finished with 125 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Without Rob Gronkowski for a third straight game, Tom Brady and Patriots offense struggled to find much of a rhythm as they were held to 284 total yards and 3-for-15 on third down.
Even without Gronkowski, this was a stifling performance by Mike Vrabel’s team on defense with defensive coordinator Dean Pees hitting the right buttons against his former team.
In a battle of teacher against pupil, this day belonged to the former New England Patriot Mike Vrabel as he got the better of his former coach Bill Belichick.
The Titans are a talented team that surprised people to begin the season with their struggles on offense, particularly in losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, but in these past two weeks Marcus Mariota in particular has shown this offense’s capabilities.
That will be huge in the upcoming two weeks as they face off with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans on the road in their quest for division supremacy.
Rams Bounce Back At Home vs Seahawks But Lose Kupp
Coming off their first loss, Sean McVay was confident his team would respond to the adversity of defeat.
The Los Angeles Rams held off a late charge by the Seattle Seahawks to pick up a 36-31 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to sweep their division rivals.
Jared Goff threw for 318 passing yards and two touchdowns while Todd Gurley rushed for 120 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Rams avoided back-to-back losses.
It wasn’t easy, as Russell Wilson and the Seahawks were once again the competitive and fighting team they have been this whole season.
Their offensive firepower, however, would prove to be too much for the Seahawks as they racked up 456 total yards of offense in the win.
The Rams trailed 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter, but fought back as they took back the lead on a touchdown reception by Tyler Higbee.
After another score by Brandin Cooks to make it a 36-24 game, Seattle would rally to get within five points and would hold on a third down to get the ball back with 1:24 to go.
The Los Angeles Rams would make a late stop on a 4th and 10 from their own 35-yard line to preserve the victory, but the story coming from the game would be the injury of wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Goff’s security blanket and most trusted target would hurt his left knee in the fourth quarter after running and trying to make a cut into the grass.
Cooper tore his ACL and will be lost for the rest of the season, a huge blow for the Los Angeles Rams wide receiving corp.
How the Rams go about replacing Kupp will be an interesting development to monitor over the final six weeks of the season.
Saints Light Up The Scoreboard In Blowout Win
The Saints wouldn’t let a trip to chilly Ohio slow down their tear.
The New Orleans Saints pounded the listless Cincinnati Bengals 51-14 on Sunday afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium to win their eighth straight game.
Drew Brees finished with 265 passing yards and three touchdown passes in the win. He also ran for a score.
Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas each scored two touchdowns while Mark Ingram ran for 104 rushing yards and scored on a touchdown reception.
This was seen as a trap game coming off a 45-35 win over the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Rams a week ago, but the Saints quickly turned this one into a laugher as they had a 35-7 lead at the half.
The Saints defense didn’t have much trouble with the A.J. Green-less Bengals as they held Cincinnati to 0-for-6 on third down and forced Andy Dalton into two interceptions.
That unit, as I said last week, is coming on strong in a way that further validates them as strong Super Bowl contenders.
For the Saints, the path to home-field advantage is clear. And with only three games remaining vs teams with a record above .500, they appear on the verge of reaching that goal.
What are your thoughts on the NFL Week 10 action? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 11, 2018 | SPORTS
Rodriguez Gets KO At The Buzzer In Fight of the Year Contender
It’s been a long road back to the octagon for Yair Rodriguez, and on Saturday night, he left the octagon unable to walk after a unbelievable war that saw him pull off a dramatic victory.
Yair Rodriguez (11-2, 7-1 UFC) defeated Chan Sung Jung (14-5, 4-2 UFC) by 5th-Round KO on Saturday night in a classic at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
Rodriguez, who made his first octagon appearance since May 2017, used an elbow strike in the final seconds of the fifth and final round to finish Jung in one of the best knockout finishes in recent memory.
The fight would end with one second remaining in a fight that saw Jung up 3-1 on two of the judges scorecards.
Each fighter had their moments in the first round with “Pantera” working the leg kicks and Jung getting in with punches landing when Rodriguez made himself a stationary target.
A war broke out at times in the the second round eight both fighters getting as well as they took, with Rodriguez landing slick counter shots and a hard flying knee while Jung remained consistent, pressuring Rodriguez even with a bloody nose developed.
The exciting Mexican-bred fighter would have a strong round three, tagging “The Korean Zombie” with hard left hands and landing strong counters in what turned into a back and forth barnburner.
Jung would have a huge round four, rocking Rodriguez with a hard right cross that would send him stumbling to the cage as the two bloodied fighters continued their duel.
Piecing up Rodriguez, who slowed but got in shots here and there against the iron chinned Jung who may have had his nose broken, Jung was in control of the fifth round.
With about 15 seconds remaining in the fight, Rodriguez would get the crowd, which had witnessed a brilliant contest up until that point, fired up by standing in the middle of the octagon waving both of his hands.
Jung would show respect for his opponent, touching gloves with him before blitzing in with strikes. As Jung blitzed in, Rodriguez, who had his head ducked out of the way, would land a sneaky elbow strike that crushed Jung, sending the Denver faithful into a frenzy in this 25th anniversary event.
Talk about a return to the octagon, can you believe a fighter like this was cut by the UFC earlier this year???
Luckily the UFC and Yair Rodriguez would rekindle their relationship with one another before too long, or the UFC would be without one of the possible faces of their company.
The creative 26-year-old striker was beaten brutally in a 2nd-Round TKO loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 211 last year, and with injuries and contract negotiations holding him back, it was a lengthy 18-month lay-off for the promising contender.
A win Saturday night over a former title challenger and a fighter with championship metal goes a long way towards Rodriguez potentially one day chasing down UFC gold.
For now, we’ll enjoy the memorable fight and finish he and Chan Sung Jung gave us tonight.
UFC Fight Night 139 Results
Donald Cerrone uses armbar in Round 1 to turn back Mike Perry
Germaine de Randamie takes unanimous decision win over Raquel Pennington
Beneil Dariush uses ground game to befuddle Thiago Moises for unanimous decision victory
Maycee Barber tattoos Hannah Cifers in vicious Round 2 TKO win
Michael Trizano does just enough to snatch split-decision victory over Luis Pena
Ashley Yoder slides past Amanda Bobby Cooper with split-decision victory
Bobby Moffett gets controversial submission win over Chas Skelly in Round 2
Davi Ramos gets rear-naked choke submission win over John Gunther in Round 1
Devonte Smith uses punch power to blast Julian Erosa with Round 1 KO
Eric Shelton picks up closely contested split-decision win over Joseph Morales
Mark De La Rosa outlasts Joby Sanchez for hard earned split-decision victory
What are your thoughts on Yair Rodriguez’ stunning victory over Chan Sung Jung? Leave your comments below!
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 11, 2018 | SPORTS
It’s A Girl!!!
Justin Verlander’s season didn’t end with another World Series title and it may not end with another Cy Young Award.
Neither of those two could amount to the birth of his baby daughter, Genevieve Upton Verlander, who his wife Kate Upton shared to the world on Saturday just days after Upton gave birth.
Justin Verlander and Kate Upton got married last November in Italy, not very long after Verlander and his Houston Astros won the World Series vs the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Thoughts? Leave your comments below!