Week 40 Power Rankings

This was the week the Angels visited Boston, the Ducks returned from London, and the Angels suffered the more severe strain of culture shock . . .

1. New England: As some Chargers fans were saying to some Angels and Lakers fans the other day, this New England over SoCal stuff must be stopped. But what, within reason and rational time constraints, can be done? All right, Boston, hear this! A new football challenge! USC versus Boston College! At the L.A. Coliseum! Pick any Sunday you want! The Coliseum is always available on Sundays!

2. Colorado: The Buffaloes upset Oklahoma. The Rockies are 15-1 since stepping onto Coors Field for the first game of that Sept. 18 doubleheader against the Dodgers. . . . About this Rockies-Phillies playoff series -- I, for one, am suspicious. My theory: The Phillies never make the playoffs anymore, so by habit they all went home on Oct. 1 to fish and golf. Philadelphia management suddenly realized, “Hey! We have three more games to play! We need some players!” So a call was placed to Ned Colletti, who agreed to send the Dodgers to Philly as emergency temporary help.

3. Arizona: Almost everybody in the state -- from the D-backs to the Sun Devils to, good grief, even the Cardinals -- is winning. Although this quarterback shuttle thing the Cardinals are trying is beginning to get on Matt Leinart's nerves. Every time they cross paths on the field, Kurt Warner keeps flashing his Super Bowl ring at Leinart.

4. Cleveland: Upcoming passage from “The New History of Cleveland Sports,” to be published in October 2017: “And in 2007, the city had an unexpectedly glorious six-month run! The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals! The Browns finally found a quarterback! The Indians swept the Yankees in the first two games of the ALDS! And then LeBron James went and ruined everything for the next decade by wearing a Yankees cap to an Indians playoff game and announcing to the world he was rooting for the Yankees.”

5. Anaheim: The Angels and the Ducks can’t wait to get back to the place. You won’t get Arte Moreno and his lawyers to ever admit it, but for Moreno's band of bedraggled baseball players, the 714 is home sweet home.

6. Indiana: Tumultuous football times in this state. The Colts have never been better. The Fighting Irish have never been worse. At least you can always count on the high schools.

7. San Diego: The Chargers are in Denver on Sunday, trying to make amends for what the Rockies did to the Padres. Quite frankly, nobody in San Diego is very excited about it.

8. L.A.: Kobe’s back in camp, but everybody knows he wants out. The Dodgers got so confused this season they thought they were playing the old 154-game schedule. Things have gotten so bad that even our greatest modern-era female athlete, Marion Jones, has confessed to steroids use. So, we are down to this: Go Trojans! Go Bruins!

9. New York, New York: Question today for Mets and Yankees fans: Is it better to have made the playoffs and lost than to have tanked down the stretch in so grotesque a fashion that everybody’s forgotten the ’64 Phillies, the ’78 Red Sox and the ’95 Angels?

10. Chicago: Question today for Bears and Cubs fans: What happened to the pitching?

christine.daniels@latimes.com

Comments

[jerry]

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...BE VERY CAREFUL!

NOTRE DAME GOT SO FED UP LOSING EVERY YEAR TO BOSTON COLLEGE, THEY CANCELLED THE SERIES AFTER THE 2004 BEATING. THEY COULDN`T HAVE PICKED A WORSE YEAR THAN 2007 TO RESUME THE PUMMELING.

YOU`RE NEXT, TROJANS.

[Jerry]

YOU MEAN THE TEAM THAT COULDN`T WIN A HOME GAME AGAINST STANFORD?

NO PROBLEM, WE`LL BE THERE. IT`LL BE A PLEASURE TO ONCE AGAIN SEE THE GUY {PETE CARROLL} WHO COACHED THE NE PATS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE BELICHICK GAVE US OUR FOOTBALL DYNASTY!

NOTRE DAME GOT SO FED UP WITH LOSING TO BOSTON COLLEGE NEARLY EVERY YEAR, THEY TEMPORARILY CANCELLED THE SERIES AFTER THE 2004 BEATING. IN 2007, THEY COULDN`T HAVE PICKED A WORSE YEAR TO RESUME THE PUMMELING, WHICH WILL HAPPEN IN A FEW WEEKS.

YOU`RE NEXT, TROJANS!