Hey, CBS! ‘Nip it in the bud!’

And why Chiefs will win Super Bowl

Good morning, all. I hope your week is off to a great start.

So I am watching the fourth round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on CBS, when the great Jim Nance implored the TV audience to watch this new technology the network was about to unveil. The technology would predict where the golf shot would land. As it turned out, the tech was pretty much on the money, forecasting within inches where the ball landed on the green.

But has it come to this? Normally I am a big fan of all the technology at the networks’ disposal. It usually makes for more interesting telecasts. The question becomes when is it enough? Part of the fun of watching a live event is its unpredictability. I mean, how much fun would it be, if techology predicted where the ball was going to be hit or thrown or the direction of the puck? Can’t you just see it? Soon legal bets will be taken on the accuracy of the ball’s landing spot.

Please, CBS and other networks, do not use this technology. Keep some of the mystery that surrounds watching a live event. We have enough canned TV. A live telecast still means something. In the words of that famous law enforcement official Barney Fife: “Nip it in the bud.”

Why Chiefs will win

I am picking the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57 on Sunday. There is no big scientific analysis here. I think the Chiefs will win because of their defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. This defensive genius designed a perfect scheme to stymie QB Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals offense in the AFC championship game. What surprised me was how little credit he seemed to receive for his blueprint.

The Chiefs had lost three straight to Cincinnati. Spagnuolo was not about to make it four. Something tells me with Spagnuolo calling the shots on defense, with Andy Reid, the winningest coach in Eagles history - including a Super Bowl appearance - now coaching against his ex-team in the big game, and QB Patrick Mahomes three weeks removed from his high ankle sprain, the stars are aligned for another Kansas City Super Bowl victory. As of this writing, by the way, the Eagles are a 1 1/2 point favorite. Enjoy the game.

San Diego loves its Padres

Here in the east, we read and hear so much about how fans love their baseball teams. We also are reminded that fans out west, especially in southern California, are laid back compared to those easterners. Don’t tell that to the San Diego Padres fanbase. On Saturday the Padres, who knocked off the favored Mets and Dodgers to advance to last season’s NLCS, held their fanfest. The fans turned out by the thousands. With Xander Bogaerts added to an already imposing Padres lineup, this could very well be the year the Padres make it back to the World Series.

When you witness the enthusiasm of the Padres fans, it seems hard to believe that this franchise almost moved to Washington, D.C. in 1974. That episode is but a footnote now, as the franchise embarks on its 55th season.

That is going to do it for this week’s newsletter. As always, thank you for your support, have a terrific week and watch out for any balloons.

SPORTSCASTER DAN