Fresh Baked Takes - Week 2

Following last week's entry, I had a few good suggestions from people on Facebook, which I have decided to provide my takes on this week. Hopefully that will happen more as the weeks go on because a lot of the topics were those that I hadn't considered writing. Anyway, let's get on with the show.

Refereeing at the World Cup

I think we can all agree (even me, as someone with a 'longstanding and admirable disdain' for the England team) that England didn't exactly get the rub of the green with penalty decisions in their first group game against Tunisia, but generally speaking the refereeing at the World Cup, and the introduction of VAR for the first time, has overall been a success. The issue with VAR as a system is not the fact that it stops the game, but the decision making process in and of itself. If we assume that a referee misses a decision, it is then sent immediately to the VAR truck for referral. Should the officials in the truck decide that the decision needs looking at, they then tell the referee, who has the final say on whether he reviews it. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but letting a man who gets one viewing, in real time, at full speed, have the final decision as to whether to bruise his ego on an international stage is a bit of a daft choice. The four officials in the truck, with the multiple replays and angles, should be able to be insistent upon a review, even if it turns out to be wrong. Serbia would have salvaged a draw from the Switzerland game if that had been the case, and if it had been the process during the England game, then maybe the media and Twitter wouldn't have gone into total meltdown as well.

The Plight of the Colorado Rockies



I think it goes without saying that it takes more than two superstars to create a contender in baseball, and although Colorado has those in Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, their roster pales in comparison to the best in the game. I don't think I could name you a single starter from the Rockies (I just checked, I couldn't), and the bullpen isn't strong enough to be able to carry a team to the offseason. As much as the infield has quality at each position, with Story and Desmond in particular playing above themselves this year, there isn't enough there to justify a playoff push. But if they're to do it any time, they'll have to do it soon. Arenado is a free agent at the end of next season, and he will have plenty of interest in his services as a Gold Glove winner at 3B and a demon at the plate, the likes of which are coveted by just about every team in the big leagues, and I'm not sure the Rockies will have the capital to be able to re-sign him after spending big on Charlie Blackmon this year. The blend of youth and experience that the Rockies have isn't quite right yet, which is why their push for a playoff place this year will ultimately be fruitless, although it doesn't help that the National League is looking like a pretty even playing field this year, with a number of contenders for the two Wildcard spots.

LeBron to LA?

Now, my basketball knowledge isn't massively up to snuff, and it never has been, but I've been picking up knowledge in the office, and I reckon I can give this one a good crack. If LeBron goes to the Lakers, he will have as good a shot to make it to the NBA Finals as he did this year with Cleveland. Maybe they'll even win a game. The Lakers have spent the past couple of years jettisoning big contracts and bringing in young players through the draft and trades. Lonzo Ball, despite his absolutely mental father, managed to put up strong numbers in his first season in the league, and will only get better, especially if LA surround him with a talent like LeBron. We've already seen what LBJ can do almost single-handedly (and no thanks to JR Smith), but in LA, James would be able to take the reigns and let loose with a much more talented team at his disposal. For much of the back end of the regular season, he was without Kevin Love, and even when Love came back from injury, he didn't quite look like he had fully healed. Consider also that LeBron was the best player for the Cavs despite having a broken hand after Game 1 of the Finals and you start to see just how talented this man is. In LA, I have no doubt he would be able to take the Lakers to the Playoffs, but in the Western Conference, would he want to play the Warriors before the Finals? My head says no. Golden State at the moment are like watching Space Jam, and they're the Monstars. Ultimately, as long as that team is together, and even 70% healthy, I don't think there's anything that LeBron and whatever Tune Squad he decides to sign with can do to stop GSW winning yet another title.