The World Series won by the Dodgers was an early Christmas present to America (apologies to Canada). After a Game 7 that not even MLB’s hype machine could have dreamed up, this genuine Fall Classic served as a reminder that on the biggest stages no sport delivers drama quite like baseball.
Big spenders: The Dodgers haven’t finished throwing around their money. The team will pay a record $169 million luxury tax bill that exceeds the payrolls of 12 MLB franchises.
Quick hit: A few NFL teams — the Commanders included — may run out of quarterbacks before running out their lousy seasons.
Comeback kids: Some well-timed karma has factored into the Chicago Bears’ surprising success. They are the first team in NFL history to win six games in which they trailed in the final two minutes.
Wondering: Who will play Taylor Swift’s role in this year’s NFL playoffs?
Equal scrutiny: Critics of the College Football Playoff’s first-round blowouts of James Madison and Tulane should have to acknowledge the many lopsided games in the opening round of every NCAA basketball tournament.
Oops: When the NFL put together its Christmas Day tripleheader, it didn’t expect four of the teams to already be out of playoff contention.
Struggles: The Ravens’ six home losses and their penchant for blowing second-half leads make John Harbaugh an easy target. Then again, Lamar Jackson has missed three games with hamstring issues and played through others at less than full speed. If, as reported, friction exists between coach and quarterback, there’s a better chance Jackson will be shopped than Harbaugh fired.
Language alert: Coal in the stocking of any football announcer who’s been saying “line to gain.” It sounds weird and awkward. For 100 years, we knew it as the first-down line. Or marker. That was good and clear enough for any listener.
Old bones: He hasn’t led the Colts to victory yet, but by playing two games after getting off the couch at 44, Philip Rivers is living out a Hollywood movie script.
Payday: After his stellar fill-in work for the Packers during the final year of a four-year contract, former Liberty star Malik Willis is expected to sign a big new deal with somebody. With so much riding on quarterback play, proven backups are more valuable than ever.
Loose cannon: The Steelers’ DK Metcalf is one more wide receiver with the temperament of a toddler.
Standing out: The Jaguars have won six in a row to reach the playoffs. If they keep this up, America may discover that Jacksonville has a football team.
Some plan: Aaron Glenn, coach of the 3-12 Jets, who will finish the season ranked in the bottom 10 in scoring and yards for the 10th year in a row and who have been outscored in their past three games by a combined 111-36, picked a funny time to say this week, “We know exactly what we’re doing.”
In closing: The Giants and Raiders will meet Sunday, with the loser moving closer to getting the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. Let’s call it the Mel Kiper Jr. Bowl.
Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.