Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes, certain athletes contribute to their team’s shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads.
Green Bay Packers - Running Back Josh Jacobs
Last season, Packers running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns in 15 games, and it looked as though he was ready for another great season, until offseason legal issues came up.
Jacobs was arrested initially on five charges, including felony strangulation, on May 26. On Aug. 27, Jacobs was charged by the Brown County District Attorney’s Office with criminal damage to property and battery, misdemeanors which each carry a maximum fine of $10,000 and maximum sentence of nine months in prison or both, according to ESPN.
Then on Aug. 30, Jacobs was formally placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, meaning he cannot play or practice with the team, potentially signalling a huge suspension on the horizon for the Packers’ star running back.
Los Angeles Clippers - Front Office & Ownership
Over the NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers agreed to trade their superstar player Kawhi Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors after a six-season stint in LA. Afterwards, questions arose about if the Clippers were compensating Leonard with money from other sources to circumvent the NBA salary cap.
After a lengthy investigation by the NBA, it was found that multiple executives in the Clippers organization knew of the efforts to ensure Leonard would be a Clipper. The punishment for the Clippers included the loss of five first round picks (2029-2033) and a one-year suspension for team owner Steve Ballmer, along with a fine of $30 million. Leonard was also fined $700,000 dollars.
Safe to say the Clippers put themselves in a lot of trouble.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox have had a decent season so far, sitting at 78-65, but over the past couple of weeks they have started to wobble at the worst possible time. With the playoffs less than a month away, Boston is still in the Wild Card spot, but recent losses have made the road to October look less assured.
The Red Sox were embarrassed by their rival, the New York Yankees, in the final game of their most recent series, with New York dominating Boston 16–1 on Aug. 30.
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What makes the loss even worse is who it came against. The Yankees are competing with Tampa Bay for the top postseason spot in the AL East, while Boston is trying to stay in their playoff position. Boston also lost the season-series tiebreaker to New York, giving the Yankees another advantage if the two teams finish with the same record. Boston is not a team that suddenly became terrible; The Red Sox have spent most of this season as competitors, but with September underway, they are beginning to look less like a team charging toward October and more like one trying to hang on. Boston has now lost six of their last nine games, and September is not the time for a team fighting for the playoffs to start falling apart.
Getting blown out 16–1 by a division rival while the regular season winds down is exactly the kind of performance that earns the Boston Red Sox a “Bobblehead”.
Eric Lauer and the Los Angeles Dodgers
This season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been a solid team, to no one’s surprise, given that the last two pennant races have resulted in major league titles for L.A. Despite some ups and downs throughout the year, the Dodgers have continued to hold onto first place in one of the most contested divisions in baseball, the National League West, with the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks right behind them.
The Dodgers faced the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and got smacked by a team sitting at 68–70 at the time. The Cardinals hit five home runs in their 13–8 win, while Dodgers starting pitcher Eric Lauer gave up seven runs in just three innings.
After losing 13–8 on Tuesday, the Dodgers looked to bounce back Wednesday, Sept. 2, only to blow multiple leads and ultimately lose 8–6 in 10 innings. The bigger problem was the Dodgers’ inability to capitalize when they had opportunities, going just 1 for 18 with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers were left high and dry against the Cardinals for two straight nights earning the Dodgers a Bobblehead this week.
Jacob Kagan is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo
Austin Bishop is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @austinrbishop23
