Brad Pye’s National Sports Beat (10/26-11/1/17)

The Ram’s Aaron Donald wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL. He had a sack, three QB hits in the 27-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Donald makes $8.4 million in the fifth and final year of his contract. Donald is earning $1.8 in the fourth year of his contract. Nobody will have to have any rent parties for him. And the beat continues!

Where was Anthony Davis Saturday when the USC Trojans needed him? Notre Dame blew the Trojans out of town, 49-14. The Irish made the Trojans look helpless. When it came to big games this season USC hasn’t been at its best. Notre Dame had its way vs. USC in a 49-14 victory over the Trojans.

Ex-Clipper Chris Paul will be out of the Houston Rockets with a bruised knee for four or five weeks,

There is no doubt the Dodgers’ 11-1 clincher earned them the National League title and they moved on to their first World Series in 29-years. The Dodgers ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw was at his best and posted a victory as the Dodgers won the series 4-1. For the record this is the Dodgers and Lakers town and USA TODAY Sportswriter Bob Nightengale says: “It’s a desperate time. The city needs it. This is a Lakers and Dodgers town, but with the Lakers rebuilding, we need to do it for everyone in L,A.”

Just some notes of interest; Dusty Baker will not return as Manager of the Washington Nationals as two years National East titles.

And Cody Bellinger’s grand slam was another big moment for Dodger fans. Enrique Hernandez blasted three homers as the Dodgers won four games to one and celebrations are still going on. Yasiel Puig was a cause for happiness too as he celebrated too, with some fine play at the plate, in the rooting section and on the field. Check This! In the fifth inning of the opener with the Cubs, Puig delivered a solid double that scored the Dodgers’ first run which helped the locals to a 5-2 win. Puig batted .414 in eight playoff contests. It wasn’t a sweep, but any kind of a win will cause Dodger fans to shout Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And the beat continues!

South Carolina women’s basketball coach and former Olympic Games star Dawn Staley is not invited to the White House by President Donald Trump. This is the first time since 1983 this happened. Of the snub, Coach Staley had this response: “My team won the NCAA women’s title in April, has not been invited to the White House. What I am most looking forward to is getting an invitation to the NCAA tournament in 2018. That’s more important,” Now take that Mr. President!

Dodger Manager Dave Roberts on eve of the start of the World Series had this to say: “I think I just love the game. I love to teach, I love the players. Age of the youth kind of start thinking about it, and your wife ask how long you want to do this, and is this going to be it, and on Saturday they say yes, then things change.”

How lucky can the Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott be? Elliott’s legal battle for assault and other charges when a Federal court ruled last Friday 2-1 in favor of the NFL Commissioner‘s Paul Goodell’s lawsuit and NFL Players Association’s appeal was granted. Elliott was able to play vs. the San Francisco ‘49ers, earning 26 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns. George Moore looks like a great temporary sub for Ezekiel Elliott if he is suspended for six games.

The L.A. Clippers are prepared to move on up the ladder with Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordon and Coach Doc Rivers’ son, Austin Rivers says the world of the games should be watching them too, And the beat continues!

The defending NBA Champions Golden State Warriors, winner of four titles in five years believe they still of some great ones in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson et al to repeat. And the beat continues!

Lewis Hamilton, the only black driver in the Formula One Championship supports the demonstration that began as a protest of police brutality, raw treatment of minorities around the world. And the beat continues!

Former UCLA freshman star Lonzo Ball is the No. 1 player the Lakers will count on this season, but they are also looking for Brook Lopez and his 18.6 career points per game to repeat this kind of play for them.

Another first! Former Georgia basketball star Carla Williams is the new Athletic Director at Virginia. She is the first female African American AD at a Power Five level. She succeeds Craig Littlepage.

O.J. Simpson is still going to move to Florida, according to his friend Tom Scotto. Scotto says it will be a few months and they plan to buy a home at the Golden Gate Estates a community made up of homes on large, private lots. And the beat continues!

Just get use to calling Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, “The Big 3”for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The L.A. Chargers didn’t just win or sit on their laurels for their three straight wins, including last Sunday’s 21-0 victory over Denver. The L.A. Rams rolled over Arizona Cardinals, 33-0 in London. It pays for the L.A. Chargers to join others in saluting you as one of the heroes of the Las Vegas fire. The Chargers rolled out the red carpet for Jonathan Smith, his family and relatives, Chargers owner Dean Spanos. Smith told the media: “I honestly feel like I won the Super Bowl. You know how they say ‘I’m going to Disney World’ No I’m going to the Chargers game.” And the beat continues! For the record both the Rams and Chargers are 5-2 and 3-4 respectively on the season. (Robert Torrence/L.A. Sentinel)

The QBs of both UCLA and USC are out of the Heisman Trophy race. The leading candidates are Penn State’s Saquon Barkley, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny, Oklahoma’s Mason Rudolph, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and USC’s Sam Darnold.

With Marc Gasol scoring 44 points the Memphis Grizzles upset the world champions Golden State Warriors. Memphis beat the champs, 111-101. Stephen Curry paced the Warriors with 37-points.

There are a number of teams in the NFL, NBA,NCAA, and MLB are coached by men of color, Included are the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, New York Jets’ Todd Bowles, L.A. Chargers’ Anthony Lynn, Dodgers’ Dave Roberts, Penn State’s James Franklin, Oregon’s Willie Taggart, Stanford’s David Shaw, L.A. Clippers’ Doc Rivers, Cleveland Cavs’ Tyronn Lue, Cleveland Browns’ Hue Jackson, Bernie Biggerstaff, Denver Broncos; Vance Joseph, Notre Dame’s Brandon Wimbush, New Orleans Pelicans Alvin Gentry eta.

Teddy Bridgewater was injured during practice in 2016 and he has yet to play. It isn’t known when he will return to action.

One of Justin Turner’s at bat run walk-off homer came on the 29th anniversary of Kirk Gibson’s historic home run in 1988.

Check Signals: UCLA has a tough row to hoe vs. the 6-1 Washington Huskies at the Rose Bowl. UCLA’s wide receiver Darren Andrew’s 151-yards moved him into sixth place on the school’s all-time record list.

Penn State made its record 5-1 on the season.

For the record, the meeting between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros is the first meeting between two 100 winning teams in 47-years. The Dodgers have 104 wins and the Houston Astros have 101.

However, LeBron James and some new hands at the Cleveland Cavaliers thinks it’s their turn this time around. LeBron James and Stephen Curry have the things they want too.

Of the few games played thus far the Golden State Warriors are going to be tougher to beat this season than they were last season. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant appear to be unstoppable. And the beat continues! Big high paid stars huge fines too. If you don’t blame me, just ask Stephen Curry of the world NBA champions Golden State Warriors. Curry was slapped with a $50,000 fine for throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of an official during the final 43.1seconds of the game with Memphis. Curry replied: “My pockets will be a lot lighter for sure. No excuse for that! I gotta remember who I’m playing for.”