Christmas has put us at MYLASports.com in a giving mood.
But what do we have to give?
I wrestled with this decision while dreaming of sugar plums the other night (ever have a sugar plum? I think they’re gross, give me roasted chestnuts any day). Then it occurred to me. We could literally give ourselves.
For the members of the Los Angeles sports world, we offer you this: An L and an A.
The L of course signifies that you may want to change your ways and do better before the man in the red suit comes calling in 2023. An A, well, who doesn’t want to ever receive an A? An A means good job, kudos, keep it up.
Before I continue….Merry Christmas to you. Thanks for coming along with us for this marvelous ride through the LA sports world.
Give Them The L
UCLA and USC
You don’t belong in the Big 10. There, I said it. This is a straight-up cash money grab, and I get that this is how our society works these days: Secure the bag.
But you’re both wrecking decades of tradition, and ruining college athletics, well, college athletics is already ruined, but you’re making it worse!
You were already making a lot of money in the PAC-12. Is the extra money going to the Big 10 really worth your self-respect?
Arte Moreno
How many lawsuits you going to get yourself involved with here Arte? It’s just not a good look. Of course though, you’ll be able to pay for all of this once you sell the Angels for probably something like $17 billion. (Actual price may vary). But you’ll be remembered in Los Angeles as a meddling, messy owner who ruined the prime years of superstar Mike Trout.
Kawhi Leonard
The Clippers star may be working his way off this list, but we will have to see. There is nothing more frustrating than when a good player gets hurt and keeps getting hurt (see Davis, Anthony). When Kawhi plays the Clippers are one of the best teams in the Western Conference, yet he keeps getting dinged up. Come on man. The LA basketball world is here for you to take. Take it!
Roger Carter
Roger, a bit of advice, look before you run out on to the field.
Carter, a rookie tight end, is the guy who coldcocked Rams coach Sean McVay in Week 12 (a loss to the Chiefs of course) running out on the field for a special teams play.
Carter is by all accounts a good guy. He had one of the highlights of the pre-season with a fumble return for a TD (I remember these things). He was an All-Sun Belt player at Georgia State.
McVay said he took a good shot and was Ok. But Carter hasn’t played in a game since. Hmmm, I wonder why.
Give Them The A
Justin Herbert
The world’s first social media quarterback has put the Chargers on the brink of a playoff spot. They just need to win two of their last three games, or maybe hope everyone else in the AFC loses (it’s possible). Herbert has overcome losing his best offensive lineman (Rashawn Slater), his two top wide receivers at times (Keenan Allen and Mike Williams) and endured something called fractured rib cartilage?
He’s thrown for over 4,000 yards and is growing into one of the NFL’s best young talents.
LAFC
Everyone raved about the World Cup Final. “It was the best soccer game ever,” said people who watch maybe two soccer games a year on average.
The final between France and Argentina may not have even been as good as the MLS Cup Final won by LAFC over the Philadelphia Union. There were four goals scored in extra time, including a Gareth Bale strike in the 128th minute to send the game to a shootout. There, LAFC brought home their first MLS Cup.
Caleb Williams
The former Oklahoma quarterback came over to LA with Coach Lincoln Riley following the 2021 season and all he did was win a Heisman Trophy. He has thrown for 37 touchdowns and 4,075 yards with the Cotton Bowl left to play.
This is why so many kids jump into the transfer portal. They think they’re the next Caleb Williams, but there’s only one.
St. John Bosco HS
The Braves are the best high school football program in America. Led by coach Jason Negro, the Braves beat rival Mater Dei in the Rose Bowl to win the sectional title, and then clobbered San Mateo 45-0 to win the CIF State Open Division title (Open Division means non-public schools that can get players with no geographic limits – ahem – recruiting). 12, count them 12 Braves signed Division 1 scholarship offers this past week for early Signing Day.
There is no real national championship high school football tournament, the honor is bestowed by media organizations and for the third time since 2013, the Braves are No. 1.
LeBron James
Sometime in the next six weeks or so, LeBron will break the NBA’s all-time scoring record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). The Lakers have been up and down so far. At the moment they’re 13-18. They have to hover a little closer to .500 if they’re going to make the playoffs.
At this stage in his career, James is like the elder statesman of the NBA. He’s the movie that you’ve seen 100 times before, but wow, it’s still good, and when you watch it you see moments that you forgot about.
James has played in 23 of 31 games – sometimes the movie doesn’t buffer – and is averaging 27.1 points a game. Pretty good. Off the court, James has never been involved in a major scandal, or caught tearing down a teammate or coach. He’s always carried himself with class. In 2022, that’s harder than ever. He deserves the A.
