Red's RBI #6 (11/08-11/15)

Welcome to the latest edition of Red' RBI, where I complain about how shitty most of my favorite teams are doing and praise the few that are doing decent. A reminder that a majority of the coverage in this ongoing segment features teams from the New York area with Italian clubs taking the second place spot and a few "random" ones rounding things out. I have a reason for each fandom and will sprinkle some info on why alongside the info below this time for those that might be curious. Also, note that I am changing the days covered moving forward, going from Sunday-Saturday and now opting for Monday-Sunday. As a result of that change, this edition includes an extra day.

BASKETBALL
Dinamo Sassari's Serie A1 Femminile squad once again had to delay their game this week due to, you guessed it, COVID. The men's team had a rough week, too, slipping once more and eating another L and have been very beauty and the beast this year with a 3-3 record across all forms of competition during the last six.

Why do I call myself a fan of Dinamo Sassari? For the same reason I cover AS Roma and Italia national teams. I have Italian ancestry and have a love for the country. I watched a few of the teams several years ago and landed on this one to support.

FOOTBALL

The Jets came close, but once again failed to play a full dollar and continued on their ways of providing us diehard fans with an insultingly tragic season that solidifies this year's squad as being an all-time flub. Also, here's this. Oh, and I agree 100% with Bart here.

Why am I a Jets fan? Because I like to suffer, it seems. I've actually been a fan of the team since I was a little kid. I LOVE the NY/NJ area, though a big part of why I latched on to them instead of the Giants might have been a result of a lot of well placed advertising in some of my favorite shows growing up. It's been a long, long drain on my soul more often than not. I love them regardless.

USC, on the other hand, picked up a second victory but did so in another close game that they won in the closing seconds. While it makes for compelling television, I fear that the first true challenge that comes along will end in humiliation for the Trojans. I'd love to be wrong.

Why am I a fan of USC? Back in the day, I thought I was going to be a star athlete, either in football, soccer, or both. That didn't happen. But I have family from California and it's my favorite state outside of NY/NJ. I wanted to play for the school which never happened, though I did play club quidditch for Texas A&M for a few games. Anyway, USC remains the main college that I support and love.

Texas A&M had their game against Tennessee postponed and Ohio State's game against Maryland was cancelled. Syracuse was off for the week. A reminder, but colleges care more about their legalized slavery system that pushes these children into playing during a pandemic and, for the most part, the schools and conferences have learned nothing.

As far as these other colleges, I love them for a wide variety of reasons. I lived in the BCS area for a while, moving because that's where my wife wanted to go and I was, and still am, in love with the girl, and I was going to school for a while too before life got in the way, and grew to love the Aggies. I attended multiple basketball, baseball, football, and women's soccer and softball events. When I was a ref I even got the chance to work an Aggie practice session. Mike Evans ribbed me a bit. The Buckeyes are a team I love for rather personal reasons. Lastly, when I was young I mentioned I wanted to play for USC. I then imagined moving to Syracuse after to live after getting my degree and then continuing education there. Neither happened, but I rather enjoy watching the Orange play even if I am rarely rewarded for my troubles.

GOLF

The Masters were this week, and the drama was high! I watched the final night which saw Dustin Johnson walk away victorious and Woods crumble like a cheap construction project in a medium sized wind. DJ walked in with a four shot lead, seeking his second major win and found it in the 84th edition of the Masters.

I enjoy golf because I am an old fart. Actually, it's because I was sick as hell a few years ago while living in Bryan, Texas. It came on and I was too sick to move and find the remote. By the end of the broadcast I found myself enjoying myself and I still tend to check back in during the major tournaments. Yes, it's mainly just rich snobs that make up the lineups and don't get me started on the environmental issues, but damn if it isn't fun to watch and screw anyone that says there's no skill required.

MOTOR
Logano won the first stage, Kes the second, but Chase won when it mattered and took home this year's championship. At 24, Elliott joins the elite class with his father with this victory. While I admittedly was hoping to see the #2 win this, I applaud Chase for the victory. I was a fan of his father's and Khane so it was a nice sight for sure even if I don't personally care for Chase a whole bunch. It's been a long season, and I am sure Elliott will remain a force every year moving forward!

Why do I watch NASCAR? I'm from the south. It's a tradition I suppose? I've been watching since before I could speak and have been to a handful of races in person, even. 'Nuff said.

SOCCER

On the 11th, Italia faced Estonia in a throwaway. They scored four times, two per half with the last two being late in the second off of PK's, and managed a clean sheet to sweeten things. Then, on the 15th they beat Poland 2-0 in Nations League action. With England out, there's a real chance at redemption here. While the team has been hit hard by the pandemic, they still look like they might move past their demons from three years prior. Their Nations League journey continues as well so this can help confidence levels for sure.

On the 12th, the USMNT had their own friendly but weren't as lucky as they and Wales ended in a 0-0 draw with neither squad finding the net in 90. They have Panama next.

The New York Red Bulls closed the season with a win. It was a big victory for the club heading into the postseason considering Toronto closed the season placed 2nd on the table and New York ended 13th. They'll have Columbus in the opening round and will be looking to bring some magic to the playoffs in their search for a 1st ever championship.

I am a fan of the team because they were the only NY team when I started watching MLS.

Liverpool hit in a goal early in the first off of a PK but an equalizer before the half evened things up. Manchester City failed to step ahead. A handball set up a chance that should have knocked them ahead, but nothing is ever guaranteed in life. A nice downpour during the game and some true effort on both sides kept this interesting throughout.

I enjoy Manchester City because when I started watching the EPL I was trying to pick a club and a)I disliked ManU already and b)I watched a few teams play and decided they were the one for me.

AS Roma put three on the board against Genoa, who was in turn only able to hit one in. Mkhitaryan was on fire putting in for a hat trick and I must say that the second and third goals from La Lupa were a thing of beauty. The club now sits 4th on the Serie A table and are a team worth keeping an eye on.

And why do I love AS Roma? So much so that I stole their logo and embedded it into my blog's logo? Because as I stated above, I love my Italian heritage and because to me, Rome is what I first think of when I think of the country. There are personal reasons too.

Once again, thanks for reading. I am still figuring out how I want this segment to solidify, so shoot me some hate mail....I mean, suggestions if you'd like.