The Winter Games Are Here While the NFL Has Revealed Its 2025 Regular Season MVP...

Mike Segar / REUTERS

Earlier today, the opening ceremony for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games was held at San Siro Stadium in Northern Italy, while yesterday, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was named as the Most Valuable Player of the National Football League's 2025 regular season.

While it would've been awesome if Stafford could utilize his newly-crowned MVP skills against the New England Patriots (and fellow MVP candidate Drake Maye) in Super Bowl LX two days from now, this was not meant to be as Stafford will have to wait till next season to try to bring the Rams to the Big Game for the second time since 2022. And interestingly, Super Bowl XLI will be played at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium—where Stafford won his first NFL championship almost four years ago.

In regards to the Olympics, the Games will last through February 22...and feature such Team USA favorites as figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates, alpine skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle and snowboarder Chloe Kim vying for another gold or silver medal, respectively. Carry on!

My SoCal Sports Wall of Fame, Updated!

Even though the Los Angeles Times was one day late in publishing coverage for Game 7 of the World Series in its newspaper (just like what happened last year), that didn't stop me from adhering to a tradition started in mid-2000 (when Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won their first NBA title with the Lakers) and displaying today's Dodgers-celebrating printed edition on my wall at home!

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:00 in the morning to buy the L.A. Times paper—at a 7-Eleven over 15 miles from my house. The donut shop that I went to last year no longer carries the L.A. Times (only a Chinese newspaper that costs $1.00 per copy), and another 7-Eleven that I was planning to buy the commemorative edition from didn't have the paper delivered yet...supposedly (7-Eleven clerks are giving me the impression that they don't tell the truth). There were, I think, four copies of today's L.A. Times left at the 7-Eleven I eventually went to.

And in case you're wondering— no, I didn't go to today's championship parade in downtown Los Angeles. This is the second straight Dodgers celebration that I couldn't attend because I had a doctor's appointment in the late afternoon. I definitely intend on going to the parade if they manage to three-peat next year!

Go Dodger Blue.

My SoCal Sports Wall of Fame, Updated!

Even though the Los Angeles Times was one day late in publishing coverage for Game 5 of the World Series in its newspaper, that didn't stop me from adhering to a tradition started in mid-2000 (when Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won their first NBA title with the Lakers) and displaying today's Dodgers-celebrating printed edition on my wall at home!

Yesterday, I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to buy the L.A. Times paper...with all but one store that I drove to (a donut shop in West Covina, versus 7-Elevens for the other visits I made around the cities of Diamond Bar and Pomona here in Los Angeles County) running out of Thursday's edition. To make things hilarious for those jerks who apparently bought multiple copies of the paper so that there wouldn't be any left for other customers to purchase yesterday, the L.A. Times had Game 5 coverage only on its website. Everyone had to wait till this morning to buy the commemorative paper celebrating Los Angeles' second Major League Baseball championship in five years.

I woke up at 5 AM today to ensure that would be a lot more papers left at that donut shop before I made my purchase. There were six in stock, and I bought two. (There were two papers remaining on the shelf yesterday.)

So while the Dodgers' 2024 championship coverage now graces my bedroom wall instead of the 2020 title, one wonders when I'll replace the newspapers celebrating the Lakers' 2020 NBA Finals victory and the Rams' 2022 Super Bowl win at home. The way that the Lakers and Rams are currently playing (the Lakers lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers—who are currently undefeated—two days ago, while the Rams are 3-4 in the NFC West right now), probably not anytime soon!

Go Dodger Blue.

The Chiefs Are the Champions...

Congratulations to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for winning Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas tonight! I wanted the Detroit Lions (led by former L.A. Rams quarterback Jared Goff) to reach the Big Game this year, but since they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, I decided to root for Mahomes to earn his third championship ring since 2020 instead.

I hope the Rams regain their status as a serious title contender next season... It would be epic (and nerve-racking) to see them go up against the Chiefs in 2025's Super Bowl LIX! Carry on.

The Chiefs Have Reclaimed the NFL Throne...

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs for winning a very close game against the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35, in Super Bowl LVII at Arizona's State Farm Stadium tonight!

I originally didn't care about who'd win the Big Game, but then I remembered that Eric Bieniemy—who graduated from my high school alma mater (Bishop Amat Memorial) in 1987—is still the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs. Bieniemy now has two Super Bowl rings... Kudos, and Go Lancers!

Of course, I still want the Los Angeles Rams to regain their championship form and return to the Super Bowl next year. The 2024 game will be held at Allegiant Stadium...home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Carry on!


All-Pro Reels

Another SoCal Sports Team Has Won a Championship!

Los Angeles Football Club

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC, which is party owned by actor Will Ferrell, as shown in the tweets below) for winning its very first Major League Soccer championship after defeating the Philadelphia Union, 3-0, at Banc of California Stadium near downtown L.A. yesterday!

LAFC's first MLS Cup comes eight years after its rival regional team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, won its last soccer title in 2014...which is also the year that LAFC was founded. The Galaxy is currently the most successful MLS team with five championships.

This victory makes up for the Dodgers losing in the first round of the playoffs last month (even though the team won a franchise-record 111 games during the regular season), and the Houston Cheaters—err, Astros clinching their first official World Series title yesterday.

Anyways. The Lakers, Dodgers, Sparks, Rams, Angels, Ducks, Galaxy and now LAFC...

Get the f*ck out of Southern California, Clippers! You don't belong here.

(The Chargers have only been in Los Angeles for a few years... They still have an excuse.)

Waking up in a City of Champions.

GOOD MORNING, LOS ANGELES. 🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/KvRKeHWzDg

— LAFC (@LAFC) November 6, 2022

Will Ferrell drinks out of @MLS Cup 👏🤣 pic.twitter.com/yPnbsHpD5e

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 5, 2022

😁🥇@LAFC #Champions pic.twitter.com/tYcNdT2u9S

— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) November 6, 2022

Photos of the Day: A Visit to the Rams' House in Inglewood...

Just thought I'd share these images that I took of SoFi Stadium when I visited the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers in the city of Inglewood last month.

This is the second National Football League arena that I've ever visited...behind the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the Rams (after the team relocated to Southern California from St. Louis in 2016) till SoFi Stadium officially opened for the 2020 NFL season. As you can see from these photos, it is an absolutely gorgeous building.

It was awesome that I had the opportunity to check out SoFi's beautiful lounges and see what this arena had to offer for season ticket holders as well as other folks who had the cash to spend on these gameday amenities. I definitely couldn't afford to walk through these shiny corridors during an actual Rams or Chargers game!

Happy Tuesday.

Photos of the Day #3: The Rams' Super Bowl LVI Championship Parade and Rally!

After spending almost two hours looking for parking (I spent $25 when I finally found a parking spot), I walked several blocks down to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to attend the Rams' Super Bowl LVI championship parade and rally today!

The parade began at 11 AM, while the rally occurred at the Olympic Plaza near the Coliseum Peristyle at 12 PM...both times in Pacific Standard.

As shown in these photos (the majority of them taken with my Nikon D3300 DSLR camera), it was Rams linebacker Leonard Floyd who held the Vince Lombardi Trophy while the buses slowly strolled down South Figueroa Street next to the Coliseum. Quarterback Matthew Stafford, Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald were also spotted on the same bus that Floyd was on.

I didn't spot head coach Sean McVay, linebacker Von Miller or other Rams personnel till they gave their speeches at the rally afterwards. (I was too busy getting as many snapshots of the Lombardi Trophy on the bus as possible.)

It's amazing that I went to all five Lakers parades from 2000 to 2010, both Kings Stanley Cup parades in 2012 and 2014, and now a Super Bowl celebration in the City of Angels!

Here's hoping that the Major League Baseball lockout ends as soon as possible; the Dodgers need to win again and earn the parade they were denied two years ago. And the onus is now on the Chargers to bring another Super Bowl title to Los Angeles as well...

Screw the Clippers. Happy Wednesday!

LINK: Additional photos I took at the Los Angeles Rams' 2022 championship parade and rally

Photo of the Day #2: Gettin' My Championship Gear Ready for the Rams' Parade...

Earlier today, I bought this Los Angeles Rams baseball cap from a local Kohl's department store. This purchase was unplanned—as I went to Kohl's just to walk around and burn off calories from the hamburger combo I bought for lunch at a nearby In-N-Out food joint about half an hour earlier.

Seeing as how I'm not supposed to get my official Super Bowl championship cap (which I ordered online shortly after the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals two days ago) in the mail till March 1, I figured that I'd buy this alternate cap...which celebrates the Rams' National Football Conference championship victory against the San Francisco 49ers last month.

Can't wait to wear this cap at the Rams' parade and rally—which will be held near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum tomorrow! The parade will start near the Shrine Auditorium a few blocks away at 11 AM, and end at the Coliseum shortly before 12 noon.

The championship rally will then begin near Olympic Plaza next to the Coliseum Peristyle at noon and last till 1 PM... All times in Pacific Standard, of course.

Can't wait!

Photos of the Day: My SoCal Sports Wall of Fame, Updated!

Just thought I'd share this image of my updated SoCal Sports Wall of Fame...which now bears the Los Angeles Times' front page section featuring a triumphant photo of the L.A. Rams' Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday.

As you can see, my wall now holds L.A. Times newspapers that celebrate the championships of teams in three different sports leagues: The Lakers and Dodgers in 2020, and now the Rams. I'd also include newspapers that covered the Stanley Cup wins by the L.A. Kings in 2012 and 2014, respectively, but I figured I only have space on this part of my wall to mark the victories of professional Southern California sports teams in this decade.

(Even though 2020 was the end of last decade, but you get the idea.)

Will the L.A. Chargers win the Super Bowl next year? Or maybe this season's NBA championship will belong to the Clippers... Pfft, yea right. Even if the Lakers' obnoxious little brothers somehow make it to the NBA Finals this June, I have no intention of immortalizing them on a load-bearing wall at home.

Happy Valentine's Day.

THANK YOU, RAMS... Los Angeles is the City of Champions for the Third Time in Three Years!

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams for besting the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, during an intense game in Super Bowl LVI! This comes less than two years after the Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers won an NBA championship and World Series title, respectively.

Despite a knee injury to their star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.—who had to sit out the rest of the game after sustaining a torn ACL in the second quarter—the Rams were able to regroup and play tough defense till the very end of the second half...preventing the Bengals from either making a game-winning touchdown or at least bringing the game to overtime.

This is the second consecutive year where the home team won the NFL championship on their home field (Tom Brady and the Buccaneers won a title at Tampa Bay's Raymond James Stadium in 2021), and the first time the Super Bowl was played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were able to win their first NBA championship at STAPLES Center in the first year the Los Angeles arena opened (back in 1999), while the Rams accomplished this feat in the second year that SoFi took its place as the largest NFL stadium in the country. Well done!

It remains to be seen if there will be a victory parade this week...and if there is, I'll definitely be there! Donning an N95 mask, of course.

One last thing: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg reminded us why they're still the GOATs of hip-hop during tonight's Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. That is all!

Link of the Day: Help an Amazing Woman Become a Beauty Queen in Her Hometown of Jeddah!

Happy Super Bowl Eve, folks! And a Very Happy Birthday to Majdolene 'MJ' Abualfaraj—my very-talented actress from my short film The Broken Table!

MJ is a Finalist for Binibining Turismo Filipinas KSA 2022...a beauty pageant that will be held in her hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this spring.

MJ mentioned to me last December that I was the first person outside of her family whom she confided to about applying to this pageant, so it only makes sense to validate her confidence in me by doing whatever I can to show her support for this competition.

So click on this link to vote for MJ!

If you upgrade to premium (at the price of $2.99 USD for 30 days), you can vote up to 5 times a day and truly help MJ achieve one of her biggest goals for this year: Becoming a well-deserved beauty queen at her local pageant.

Even as a Finalist, I'm already extremely proud of MJ for this amazing achievement! Vote everyday for her till the March 24 deadline:

https://pageantvote.asia/pageants/1062/contestants/6243

Yes, this is the same link as the one I mentioned earlier. That's how much I want MJ to win.

Go Majdolene! And Go Rams!

IT'S OFFICIAL: Tom Brady Is Finally Ending a Mediocre NFL Career Where He Only Collected 7 Championship Rings...

Gotta hand it to the Los Angeles Rams for making this underachieving quarterback finally call it quits after 22 years of stinkin' up the joint in the NFL... One of the biggest disappointments in the history of football!

Also:

The Rams Are Returning to the Super Bowl!

Three years after falling short to Tom Brady and the New England Cheatriots in Super Bowl LIII, the Los Angeles Rams have a chance to redeem themselves when they utilize their home field advantage at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI...scheduled for February 13!

Replacing Jared Goff as Los Angeles' quarterback is Matthew Stafford—who'll hopefully shine under pressure in the Big Game the same way the Rams' defense did (but Goff didn't) back in 2019. In a season where the L.A. Dodgers were dethroned by the Atlanta Braves as World Series champions last autumn, and the Lakers suck so friggin' hard this year due to the incompetence of Russell Westbrook and the constant injuries of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the City of Angels definitely needs a badly-needed victory as the world approaches a full two years of the COVID-19 pandemic this March.

I don't wanna jinx matters by talking about a championship parade, but yea, I'll be sure to wear a brand-new N95 mask if Inglewood hosts a celebration should Rams Nation prevail at SoFi Stadium the day before Valentine's Day... That is all.

The Cheatriots Prevail Again...

Two straight World Series losses by the Dodgers and now the Super Bowl (and the Lakers potentially missing the playoffs due to LeBron James' groin injury)... Keep tauntin' Los Angeles and kissin' Boston's ass, sports gods.

If there's a silver lining to tonight's disappointing loss, it's that the Rams are one of three teams to have faced the New England Cheatriots (yes, I know that isn't their real name) twice in the Big Game since 2001...which is the year Tom Brady won his first NFL title, against the St. Louis Rams. (The other two teams being the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.) The Rams can do it a third time in Super Bowl LIV next year—assuming, of course, Jared Goff improves his game dramatically or the Rams actually get a new quarterback. We'll see what happens.

PS: Screw you, Cheatriots.

The Rams Are Going to the Super Bowl!!!

Referees, schmeferees— It's not like L.A. running back Todd Gurley had the football deflated or something... Anyways, congrats to the Los Angeles Rams for defeating the New Orleans Saints, 26-23, in the National Football Conference championship game today! Now bring on the Kansas City Chiefs or the New England Cheatriots (in case you're wondering why I made that 'deflated football' comment) on February 3rd...

Here's hoping that unlike a certain Los Angeles baseball team who could've brought home the trophy two years in a row, the Rams will actually win the championship in Super Bowl LIII instead of merely being happy playing for it. Carry on!

EDIT (7:29 PM, PST): F**k the Cheatriots!

Dodgers, Dodgers, Dodgers (Part 2)...

Major League Baseball

So this is the second year in a row that the opposing team celebrated on your home field, Dodgers. You're good enough to reach the World Series but clearly not smart enough to win a championship. But hey— I'm sure you'll return to the Fall Classic next year... Go Doyers!

On a less sarcastic note, the L.A. Rams are still undefeated (at 8-0)! Word.

The Los Doyers Are Goin' Back to the World Series...

Getty Images

29 years after winning their last championship at the expense of the Oakland A's, the Los Angeles Dodgers are headed back to the Fall Classic after laying a smackdown on the Chicago Cubs, 11-1, in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field tonight. Game 1 of the World Series takes place at Dodger Stadium next Tuesday, October 24, against the winner of the American League Championship Series. So by either tomorrow night or Saturday evening, the Los Doyers will be prepping to play the Houston Astros or the New York Yankees in the final round. Chances are, the head honchos at Major League Baseball's main office are hoping it's the latter. Gotta make that dough and the high TV ratings, ya know...

I'm an Angels fan, but being a proud California native who's attended every Lakers parade since 2000 and both parades for the L.A. Kings in 2012 and 2014, respectively, I'll root for any team that continues to make SoCal—and Los Angeles in general—the championship capital of this nation. Keep in mind that the Los Angeles Sparks were so close to winning a WNBA title against the Minnesota Lynx a little over two weeks ago (the Lynx clinched the championship in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals...which took place on my birthday, October 4).

Assuming that the Dodgers win it all by November 1st (which is when a Game 7 would be played—in Los Angeles), the Clippers will be the only team in the City of Angels to not win a championship since the start of this century (the Rams and the Chargers are excluded...for now). I'll wait till the outcome of the World Series to pour haterade on the only title-less team to currently play inside STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles. That is all.


Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times