The NFL: Another Non-Competitive Regular Season in 2022.

 Only 15 of the 32 teams in the NFL completed the regular season with a winning record.  The low number of teams with winning records is not new and is well within the average per season.  This year no team in the south division of the national conference finished with a winning record and one team, Tampa Bay will make the playoffs with a losing record of 8-9.  In the American conference only one team, Jacksonville finished with a winning record of 9-8 in their division.  

And once again, the NFL has many  very poor coached teams with very poor records, year in and year out.  That is nothing new either and there are too few good quarterbacks in the NFL.  In fact, many do not like to admit it, but Tom Brady is still as good as the top rated quarterbacks despite his age.  The big problem is too many teams in the NFL for the available talent and a playoff system that allows teams who win nothing during the regular season to make the playoffs, including those with losing records.  Under the present system only the teams who win their division should be allowed to make the playoffs.

A more realistic competitive system would be an NFL with 24 or less teams with two divisions where the division champions would face each other in the Super Bowl.  That probably will not take place because money drives the system for the owners and the league.  So, the non-competitive NFL will continue to exist with lousy coaching and lousy teams.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Froma Harrop's Latest Commentary Concerning Steve Scalise and The Energy Industry.

 In a commentary dated 1/13 published in the New Orleans Advocate, journalist Harrop talks about the misinformation given out by Louisiana's representative Steve Scalise concerning President Biden's alleged shut down of the energy industry.  The article comes from a national journalist who understands the facts.  The sad part is that Louisiana does not have any opinion writers for the Advocate who dare tell the truth about Scalise and the GOP's misinformation concerning the industry.

Louisiana's opinion writers enabled the GOP during the BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico with their doom and gloom predictions when President Obama declared a moratorium on offshore drilling until some answers could be found.  There was no exodus of drilling rigs from the Gulf like the GOP and Scalise predicted.  In fact the U.S. became the world's number one producer of oil on President Obama's watch.  

There are many "Politidose" commentary on the subject that spelled out how the energy industry has always done better on the democratic watch.  There are just too many Louisiana opinion writers who run with Scalise and the GOP's misinformation and never call out their lies.  Not once have they written a story how Louisiana's employment in the oil industry hit its lowest point on Trump's watch in the past 30 years up to that point.  And of course, the GOP said nothing.

And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate for December 2022.

The U.S. Labor Department reported that the economy added 223,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate came in at 3.5%, down from the 3.7% in November.  It was the 23rd straight month of positive job growth and the negative voices are still waiting for the negative numbers they have been predicting most of last year.  The pundits and so called economic experts are mystified why the economy continues to do so well.  The doom and gloom did not hit as predicted in 2020 so now, they are telling us it will occur this year.

The department also reported that December wages increased 4.6% compared to the same period last year and consumer spending continues to drive the economy.  After the Labor Department report the doom and gloom voices flooded the internet with negative comments about the coming recession, major lay offs, higher unemployment and a prolong economic slump in 2023.  And if that sounds familiar it's because they said the same thing about 2022.

In President Biden's first 23 full months in office (Feb. 2021-Dec. 2022) a total of 10.5 million jobs was added to the economy.  The numbers are the greatest by far in a 23 month period of any past administration.  And in fact, it exceeds   the total number of jobs created under Presidents Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump in the 16 years they served.

It lends itself to the conclusion that the only sane party in Washington concerning the economy is the democratic party and President Joe Biden.  The same can be said about defending democracy.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note:  The last time unemployment was lower than 3.5% was in May 1969 when it came in at 3.4%.

The New Orleans Saints Will Stay Home Another Playoff Season.

 Any time a team has to depend on another team losing to win a division or make the playoffs, you know they are in deep trouble and failed to take care of their own business.  That describes the Saint's season with one game left to play.  The larger problem for the NFL is no team in the Saint's division deserves a chance to play in the playoffs with their horrible records.  

The best Tampa Bay can finish is 9-8, a poor won-lost record and not suited to be given a second chance.  But money, not competition rule in the NFL.  As for the Saint's season, it was a wait and see season from the very beginning for reasons expressed in earlier Politidose commentary before the season even started.  New Orleans sports writers never saw it coming in their preseason predictions.  And after all the talk about the Saint's good defensive play they still lack consistent good defensive play.  

And when the regular season ends next week, the NFL will continue it's low ratio of teams with a winning record and the Saints will not be one of them.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

LSU Defeats Purdue In The Citrus Bowl 63-7.

It took place near the Magic Kingdom as LSU started the new year off on the right foot with a big win against an overwhelmed Purdue football team who did not belong on the same football field.  A win is a win but don't be carried away LSU fans, contrary to what some sports writers in Baton Rouge think.  It is not a road map to determine the outcome of the 2023 regular season and how the Tigers will perform.

LSU's national championship team in 2019 should have taught that lesson after the tragic two seasons of 2020 and 2021 which ended in the firing of the national championship coach.  Moving the goal post has also become a favorite of sports writers who credit teams with a 10 win season when they win their 10th game in a bowl game.  Records are actually based on the regular season of 12 games.  That is how playoff teams are selected and conference championships are matched up.  The hype gives sports writers something to write about but does not change the regular season's record.  

And for the record book, LSU ended it's regular season with a 9-3 record.  That is progress and something to build on in 2023.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

Another Huge First For "Politidose" Commentary As State and National Opinion Writers Play Catch Up.

 Staff writer Tyler Bridges in a New Orleans Advocate column of 12/25 titled, "One Lap To Go" tells his readers how well the State of Louisiana has done on the watch of Governor John B. Edwards, especially on the state's fiscal matters.  And national AP congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro on page 6A of the same issue explains how the democratic controlled congress accomplished so much since January 6, 2021.

And if it all sounded familiar, it's because you read it here first in "Politidose" commentary in 2015 and 2016 before Edwards took office and in December of 2020 and January of 2021 before President Biden took office.  The success of Edwards and Biden's administrations could be predicted beforehand because of precedent by past democratic administrations.

The past and present record is clear how democratic administrations are better at governing and especially concerning fiscal matters and it has all been explained in past "Politidose" commentaries for the past 10 years.  There is no such thing as a conservative GOP party on fiscal matters and their past  record is proof.  But opinion writers continue to enable them on the issue.  

So, my fellow Americans, reject all the hype of the GOP and their enablers and stay tuned to "Politidose" commentary for your daily dose of political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

What Will The New Year Bring: Past, Present and Future.

The present year of 2022 comes to an end in just a few more days.  It will mark 23 full months of the Biden administration and the democratic controlled congress. (Feb. 2021-Dec. 2022).  The year closes out on a positive note with legislation that avoids a national Railroad strike, the Respect for Marriage Act, a long term spending bill that prevents a government shutdown and finances the government thru the fiscal year that ends 9/30/23, lower inflation for November year to year, the consumer confidence index up for December and a third quarter GDP of 3.2%, up from the 2.9% reported earlier. And a record number of jobs added to the economy in the first 23 months.

Those 23 months also produced positive legislation for the country and its people, lower unemployment at historical levels, an economy where consumers continue to spend despite inflation because they have jobs and are making progress with rising wages.  Deficit spending decreased 50% to $1.4 Trillion compared to $2.7 trillion in Trump's last fiscal year.  Total federal spending also decreased 8% at $6.2 trillion compared to $6.8 trillion in Trump's last fiscal year.  Following the information given by Scientists, COVID was brought under control.  

The negative voices and their enablers who preached doom and gloom thru out 2022 and were predicting an economic recession in the third quarter were wrong on everything concerning the economy and job creation.  Politidose commentary in December 2020 and January 2021 predicted how the Biden administration would turn the economy around when the Trump/GOP failed so dramatically.  

So, what can we project and or look for in the new year 2023 and beyond?  The President will have a divided congress, the negative voices are still predicting an economic recession sometime in 2023 and supports the FEDS raising interest rates high and fast which could harm the economy, create loss jobs and higher unemployment in order to cool off a economy that is working beyond their belief.  They are willing to do that because they want to harm the President's policies that are working.  And so far, the FEDS. agree with them by their own actions.  The GOP who takes control of the U.S. Houe in January has already stated how they will oppose the President's future plans.

Those are the two greatest threats to the well being of the economy in 2023 along with the GOP's threat  to oppose climate change and the President's economic policies.  But precedent tells us that democratic administrations are better at governing during hard times as well as good times so this writer believes President Biden and his administration is the best answer to the problems the new year will bring.  They were the only sane voices on the economy for the past 23 months and will continue the tradition that democratic policies are not based on the belief the economy has to be weakened and accept higher unemployment and the loss of jobs to control inflation.  That is a corrupt ideology dogma proven to be wrong, unacceptable and dangerous.

It was progressive policies that put the economy where it is today and it will be progressive policies that will continue to move the country and its people in the right direction in the future.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Final CFP Rankings Are Released.

And the final rankings are:  Georgia #1, Michigan #2, TCU #3 and Ohio State #4.  That is the way it should be because those 4 teams have the best won-loss record in the rankings.  The CFP ranking committee made the right judgement because it is so elementary.  Unfortunately, in this writer's opinion, they erred in the #5 ranking with Alabama and the #6 ranking with Tennessee.

Tennessee should have been ranked higher than Alabama because they defeated Bama during the regular season and played 3 of the top 4 teams in the SEC.  They beat two, LSU and Alabama and lost to Georgia.  Alabama played two of the top 4 teams losing both games to LSU and Tennessee.  Both Alabama and Tennessee had an overall winning record of 10-2.  LSU and Alabama finished tied in the SEC west with a 6-2 record but LSU won the West because they beat Alabama during the regular season.  The SEC understands how important that factor plays out, but the CFP ranking committee does not.

Tulane finished ranked 16th and LSU 17th.  Tulane will go to the Cotton Bowl and LSU will go to the Citrus Bowl.  The final rankings will not please everyone and the committee's criteria for ranking is still flawed, but this writer thinks the rankings of the top 4 teams speaks loud and clear.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Georgia Defeats LSU 50-30, Wins SEC Championship.

 The Bulldogs from Georgia kept their undefeated record intact Saturday night with a resounding win over the Tigers of LSU.  The game featured a Georgia offense move the ball on LSU's defense at will much like the Aggies from Texas did the week before.  In doing so put more points on the board than any LSU opponent this season.  The final CFP rankings should keep Georgia in the #1 rated position and the Tigers will finish somewhere in the bottom ten positions.

It is this writers opinion LSU finished the last 4 games in a regressive position, just the opposite from its first 9 games.  LSU beat Arkansas 13-10, beat UAB, lost to Texas A&M and Georgia.  Their offense regressed in 3 of those games and their offense averaged 26.7 points per game compared to their regular games that averaged 32.5 points per game.  

LSU lost something in that 4 game stretch, probably due in part to the quality of coaching from Arkansas, Texas A&M and Georgia.  Arkansas's defense did the best job controling LSU's offense and quarterback Daniels.  A&M and Georgia simply dominated LSU's defense.  The Tigers will now play in the Fiesta Bowl if the reports are accurate and will have another opportunity to win another game.  

When all is said and done, the first season under a new coaching staff will have passed and the only thing it tells us at this stage is that LSU's season made progress over the last two seasons.  Every thing else is speculation.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The BCS College Football Playoff System Has To Be Changed.

The nature of sports is winning and therefore a team's won-loss record is the defining factor.  That all changed some years ago when conferences split into divisions.  The team with the best record in the conference may not win the conference championship.  That's because the leaders of each division have to play each other for the championship even though one team may have a poor record.  In other words, even though all teams play the same number of games and therefore have the same chance, a team with a poor record is given a second chance.  That in itself goes against competition.  

The CFP committee makes the selection even worse by their own process of how to rank the teams by using a number of criteria they impose on teams who have the same won-loss record.  The problem is once you get away from a won-loss record, the criteria used is flawed and worthless.  For instance, lets look at what Baton Rouge sports writer Scott Rabalais reported in a Times Picayune New Orleans Advocate article 11/25, the day before LSU played Texas A&M as follows:  COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN BOB CORRIGAN SAID LSU's STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE AND BETTER LOOKING DEFENCE ESPECIALLY IN THE WAKE OF USC's SHOOTOUT WIN AGAINST UCLA ON SATURDAY WERE THE DIFFERENCE IN LSU's FAVOR.  I THINK SOME OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WANTED TO SEE A LITTLE MORE FROM USC's DEFENSE, AND THE OVERALL STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE FOR LSU DROVE THE DAY.

The commissioner's comment and criteria used about LSU's defense was destroyed the very next day when Texas A&M destroyed LSU's defense and the Aggies had only won one SEC game at that time and had an overall losing record.  Plus a so called shootout in the USC-UCLA game has no value.  Saying the overall strength of LSU's schedule was a factor is a fairy tale criteria.  

When choosing playoff teams rankings and getting away from the win-loss record you have to make up faulty criteria for judging what team to put ahead of another team.  This writer believes that playoff teams should be teams that won something and with the best won-loss record.  Losers have no right to a second chance because all teams have the opportunity to win during the regular season and play the same number of games.  If they don't win they go home and try again next year.  The same thing can be said about rematches.  The loser does not deserve another try, that is not competition.  If the loser wins the rematch it proves nothing because they will have played two games and each would have won one.    

The BCS and college football playoff committee are talking about a greater expansion to the playoffs.  It will get worse because there will be more teams and losers rewarded with a playoff berth and the criteria will become more of a fairy tale than it is now.  This writer believes the teams that have the best won-loss record should be the only ones in the playoffs and every year it is usually only 5 or 6 teams that have the best won-loss record.  It will be interesting to see how the committee handles and rates the teams in its final poll coming out this week.  Any surprises will not be surprises.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio