Another Ho-Hum NFL Sunday. RIP 2021 Steelers. Michigan Slays Dragon. Mets Spending To The 'Max'. Suns Scorching. Zags Zig. Brooks Bests Bryson
As you polish off your Thanksgiving leftovers, I'll serve up plenty of dessert to satisfy your sports tooth as Episode #226 is primed and ready to go. On deck:
(5:39) It was another ho-hum weekend for the NFL after an underwhelming Thanksgiving holiday schedule as the season continues to drag along. I'll highlight the winners (Buffalo & San Francisco) and losers (an early epitaph for my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers) and other key takeaways (The officiating throughout the league. The end of Cam Newton. New England's success. I'm still not sold. I explain why. A look at the Week 13 slate. The first ballot nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and more.)
(35:37) The college football season has superseded the NFL, in my opinion, as Jim Harbaugh FINALLY slayed the Ohio State Buckeye dragon as they upend their rivals and their playoff chances in the process. Is it time to celebrate in Ann Arbor? Why this win isn't the end all, be all for the Wolverines? I'll discuss the chances for Alabama as they'll face the #1 team in the country in Georgia. Do they have a shot? Also, will some potential fresh blood in the Final Four bring morePlus, all of the other possibilities for teams to sneak into the top four (i.e. Notre Dame, Oklahoma St. and Baylor) as Conference Championship Week is on the horizon.
(49:57) MLB has surprised yours truly as there has been plenty of activity on the transaction front, with the Mets being at the forefront of the free agent party, which delivered four players including three time Cy Young Award winner, Max Scherzer (NOTE: This was made official after recording, but I do share some thoughts on it.) Are the Mets done with improving their team? What other reinforcements do they need to compete? Will the top shortstops (i.e. Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Corey Seager, Javier Baez) among others, get signed before the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at midnight on December 1st? I'll have a hot take on that, as well as, how shrewd were the Tampa Bay Rays were in signing budding superstar, Wander Franco to a long term deal? (Although it comes with a caveat) And I know the Yankees and Brian Cashman are laying in the weeds as I'm sure a blockbuster trade and/or free agent signing is forthcoming.
(1:09:17) The NBA season is at the quarter mark. Besides the Warriors being a top story to date, the Suns have been scorching out West nipping at the heels of Golden State. The East has been a log jam early on as 13 teams are separated by six games. There was no fallout from the Pistons and Lakers second go round, where Isaiah Stewart and LeBron James were suspended last week, but will there be any carryover in Miami as Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris re-acquaint themselves after their run-in a few weeks back in Denver?
(1:13:52) College basketball talk before December? You better believe it as I'll get into Gonzaga's busy week where they destroy #2 UCLA (which was a far cry from the Final Four game back in April) but then lose a tight one against #5 Duke. Even #4 Kansas was upset by Dayton as the sport is looking to take a page out of what the college football season has exhibited to this point.
(1:17:40) The Islanders season has now taken a turn for the worse as they've played more home games than they've won AND scored goals combined! (Four home games, three goals scored, zero games won) Now, with a COVID outbreak throughout the team that's postponed a few games from their schedule, it begs the question. Is this break a blessing or a curse? The Canadiens front office has cleaned house as GM Marc Bergevin has been fired where assistant GM, Scott Mellanby, stepped down abruptly. Is there something going on in Montreal that we don't know about? And where will former Sharks forward, Evander Kane end up, now that he's a free agent?
(1:25:01) I'll touch on the charity golf event between Brooks Koepka vs. Bryson Dechambeau in where the post match interviews between the two were more entertaining than what took place on the course as Koepka dominates Dechambeau over the 12 hole contest.
(1:27:00) Lastly, I'll have my Hero and Zero of the Week.
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Intro/outro music by Cyklonus.