EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – The weekend is here and I am back with this brilliant piece I banged out in a couple of hours while at my day job. As usual, I won’t mess with what gets me those high view numbers and clicks; my great formula of a Song of the Week, followed by Sports Stuff… On today’s sports menu: Underrated Lonzo Ball, All-Star Games & NFL Mock Drafts.
Song of the Week: Searching for a Song of the Week, I had to dig deep. After hearing about the Clippers vs Rockets showdown in the locker room, I laughed. Then I saw a tweet that referenced the Rockets standing outside the locker room like it was a scene from “The Warriors.” This led me to pick a song from the movie that I like, and people will hate. So the Song of the Week is “In The City” by The Eagles! Please take a listen.
Underrated Lonzo Ball: For a lot of people it is fun to hate the Balls. Dad, Lavar, is too loud and brash for some people and his attitude can rub people the wrong way. 
That the “love to hate” thing can spread when it comes to thoughts of the much quieter Ball, his son Lonzo, is sad . Anway, I overheard an argument and an insane stat about young Lonzo’s rookie year. According to the stats, despite having injuries that have hurt him all season, he is vital to the team. Always a fan of controversial opinions, talking head Colin Cowherd pointed out the following:
“His last 13 games, 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, 40 percent on threes and a positive plus/minus. The kid’s a stud! And the Lakers’ record is 7-6. In fact, if you take Ben Simmons’ last 13 games, Lonzo’s the better player... Right now Lonzo’s better, and I would say better playing with less talent. Here’s all I know – the year Shaq left and Kobe was in his prime, the Lakers’ record is better now when Lonzo plays. I watched them last night, they’re completely dysfunctional without Lonzo.”
Big Baller Lonzo Ball. Never Lost!
All-Star Games: It is All-Star Game time and I can’t tell you how bored I am by these things. I don’t even watch any of them. In a couple of weeks we will have the NFL Pro Bowl, which is a joke. Might as well go watch a scrimmage, if we are being honest. Then we have the NBA All-Star game, which has also gone down the drain in terms of being worthwhile. We also have the NHL All-Stars, which is a little better but is still just an exhibition game. The players don’t play hard and no one is trying to really win. Believe it or not, I think the answer may be in the MLS model. Their All-Star team is one side playing an exhibition game against one of the major clubs in the world. It is tough to do for the NFL, but maybe the worst team in the league or one of the Championship game losers versus a shortened all-star team. In basketball, baseball or hockey, they could bring over the European Champions as the Challengers. It is worth a shot if you want people to watch.
NFL Mock Drafts: This is DJ Eberle territory but I am already hearing about the mock drafts and who goes where. I don’t really get the point of the mock drafts because it is so far away and we have yet to have the players get their mandatory drug charge, sexual assault or inappropriate behavior made public. We know it happens and it will effect draft position… Over to you, DJ!!
Leave your thoughts below and come back tomorrow for another gem of a column by Cheesy Bruin. You can also find us on Twitter – @JunoirBlaber, @MeetTheMatts & @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram – @MeetTheMatts – and Facebook – Meet The Matts.
