FanView: 3/25/2026

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

My first wire-to-wire baseball season was in 1974.

Because, to that point, I had only played baseball in the street, at school, or in the park…I thought the guy who always caught the ball at first base was the greatest player ever.

Fifty-plus years later, the world has changed.

When I was a young man, sneaking into Chavez Ravine–with friends I won’t name–I remember the Dodgers’ biggest problems were finding a replacement for Greg Brock, who turned out not to be the replacement for Steve Garvey…The perpetual search for a left-hander in the pen to replace Steve Howe…Kenny Landreaux’s poor play in center—which I didn’t think was as bad as the KBM made it out to be…The endless wait for Dave Anderson to break through…and if Mike Marshall’s next ailment would top his “general soreness” claim.

Heading into 2026, the Dodgers’ biggest dilemma is whether or not to keep 23-year-old postseason hero Roki Sasaki in the rotation…Talk about a First-World problem?

I don’t want the Dodgers to win a third straight World Series, but I do like an evil empire…And if it upsets the whiners—I’m all for it. They know how to spend their money and make it at The Ravine. I can’t fault them for that.

Until then, Go Mets!

As we’ve seen this past week, if you go through enough intersections, you can accuse anyone of anything, and it will stick.

At this point, I’m not buying the accusations made against Rams WR Puka Nacua. What will convince me absolutely of his innocence is if he and his law team thoroughly destroy this individual publicly.

In my field—the day job—I’ve made it clear you can forgive a person for an accusation, but when it’s your reputation, there can’t be a settlement if the accusation is false. You have to go after that person in every way possible. You must destroy their character/reputation.

With that said, someone would do well to remind Nacua that bad company corrupts good character…And his immaturity has caught up with him.

The question going forward is whether he will listen and put childish things behind him.

The NCAA Tourney always bubbles up two of my biggest angsts.

One, the 5-foul rule in the NCAA is archaic. Make it six, or better still, eliminate it. Add a foul shot for everything over six and give two for ten or more.

When a bad whistle—and we’ve seen plenty of bad whistles—can take a star out of an elimination game, everybody suffers. It’s a joke.

Two, I’m also against giving “five” or a hand-slap after a missed free throw. If you clank one from the line, you shouldn’t expect any love.

As sure as California gas taxes will increase, everyone knew Hubert Davis was getting canned at North Carolina. The mystery is who will be the next Tar Heel family member they hire?

Whatever happened to Mike O’Koren?

#14—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth.

Welcome back, my friends, to the backup quarterback who never ends… Cincy’s brought Joe Flacco back inside, back inside…

Fog City let Brian Robinson walk to Atlanta. Either the 49ers have extreme confidence in a 30-year-old running back with 9 years of NFL wear on his tires and 450 touches in 2025, or they’re broke.

The Dude abides…
1,256
Mark 1:29-34
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

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FanView: 3/24/2026

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

Who is hated more than Jerry Tarkanian by the corrupt NCAA?

It is a dude that deserves a statue.

According to reports, the top four NIL earners in college athletics as of March 2026 were: Arch Manning (Texas, football), 5.4-Rocks…A.J. Dybantsa (BYU, basketball), 4.2-Rocks…Jeremiah Smith (Ohio St., football), 4.2-Rocks…Sam Leavitt (LSU, football), 4-Rocks…

None of this happens without Ed O’Bannon. The leader of the 1995 UCLA Bruins championship team. This was after a catastrophic knee injury as a freshman, O’Bannon came all the way back.

He ended up the ninth overall pick of the Nets, but athletically, he couldn’t compete at the NBA level—likely because of that knee injury.

O’Bannon played overseas. I interviewed him several times while he played in the ABA reboot. He was a total character guy.

His 2009 class action against the NCAA isn’t the sole reason, but it opened the door for the players today to make the money they are making now at the collegiate level…He is referenced as the “Father of NIL,” and he not only deserves a statue but probably a percentage in tribute to what he helped bring about.

So I’ve been asked how I produce a column every day…My answer? I practice positive self-talk.

Every morning when my eyes open, I say to myself: “Get your BLANK out of bed!”

As a nefarious, but very successful person once said, “Eighty percent of life is about showing up. You show up 80% of the time, and good things will happen.”

Yes, Detroit did not have Cade Cunningham, but the Lakers could have rolled over and died last night, but—again!—they kept grinding and were leading 109-108 with 29-ticks left on the clock.

If a loss can ever be classified as a good loss—at the end of a long road trip—this was a good loss.

I may not like it, but I understand people will go to other platforms to watch the NFL. Will they do that with baseball?

MLB opens its 2026 season tomorrow with the Yankees and Giants on Netflix. I don’t know if you’ve ever sat through an Apple TV game, but it is excruciating.

Let me qualify that… It’s excruciating if you want to watch baseball…but Apple TV, likely Netflix, and many of these other banners always feel the need to pass through intersections and entertain at the same time.

I don’t need to be entertained, I need baseball…and long for an announcer who will only talk to me.

Where have you gone, Vin Scully? Our baseball nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams will be 38 this September. In 2026 he will make 32-Rocks…his cap hit will be 46.3-Rocks…Fog City wants a restructure, but Williams isn’t budging, and he sat out the entire 2019 season with the Washington Redskins–so it tis in his nature.

How marvelous.

#13—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth.

The Dude abides…
1,255
1 John 4:1
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

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RamView: 3/23/2026 (LA Rams Football)

RamView: 3/23/2026 (LA Rams Football)
Rams 2026: Smith-Njigba vs. Nacua
Around The NFL & Other Places
Remembering Keith Lyle, Bucky Pope & Bobby Evans. Continue reading →

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FanView: 3/23/2026

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

The Florida players left the court on Sunday, and their fans asked them, “Was it hell? “… “No,” they said. “It was Iowa.”

The last time Virginia looked as bad at the end of a contest was on the third day at Gettysburg…(Yeah, I could have said Chaminade, but it would have been too easy.) Continue reading →

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RamView: 3/20/2026 (LA Rams Football)

RamView: 3/20/2026 (LA Rams Football)
Rams 2026: What they shouldn’t do
Around The NFL & Other Places
Mock Drafts

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