Road To The Final Four With Predictions As Madness Begins. Two Tragedies Rock NHL. Ohtani Gambling Controversy With Interpreter? NFL Signings. College Expands Playoff To 14
There’s plenty of sports Madness to unpack and then some, as the latest episode comes your way. On deck:
(3:45) The Madness has arrived that is the NCAA Tournament. I’ll break down the four brackets. Who has it rough? (UCONN) Who does not? (Purdue) What bracket is wide open? (South) Which teams could be sleepers? (Grand Canyon & James Madison, anyone?) But in the end, who do I think will be part of the Final Four in Phoenix two weeks from Saturday. I’ll share a brief thought on the women’s tournament as I would think that ESPN would want to see an LSU-South Carolina championship game, with LSU & Iowa (and Caitlin Clark) to play in the regional final.
(26:43) As for the pros, it’s been a low key week, despite the Celtics hanging on to beat the Bucks without Giannis last night. I’ll look at what the schedule has over the next few days as the NBA will get swallowed by college basketball over the next couple of weeks.
(29:40) Sadly, there were two tragedies in the NHL this week. Konstantin Koltsov, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the mid 2000’s and was dating #2 women’s tennis player in the world Aryna Sabalenka, died on Monday at the age of 42. Then there was Chris Simon, who won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996 and one of the toughest players in the history of the league, died later shortly after Koltsov at the age of 52. Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is not only gunning for an MVP, but also a 70 goal season as he netted two vs. Washington last night and currently has 56. In the same game, Alexander Ovechkin scored a pair and needs just 50 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky as the all time leader in goals scored throughout a career. There’s a big matchup on Saturday night as the Florida Panthers will visit the NY Rangers as both teams jockey for positioning in the Eastern Conference.
(44:25) Don’t look now, but the MLB season has begun. Not here in the States, but in Korea as you had the Dodgers-Padres play a two game series. The bigger story is the firing of star Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, based on gambling debts that he owes and Ohtani having money stolen from his account to pay those wagers. Was Ohtani involved? Did he have a clue that his interpreter was gambling and that money was transferred out of his account? This will generate more buzz as the Dodgers arrive back to US soil. I’ll suggest what Ohtani and the Dodgers should do to avoid a complete firestorm with the media which will surely inquire as to how much Ohtani was involved in this situation.
(52:21) There are a couple of NFL signings to unwrap (WR Mike Williams to the Jets. Chase Young to the Saints) And another retirement to report as Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch had to step down because his body wouldn’t cooperate as he was dealing with a serious neck injury.
(55:43) Before you can experience a 12 team playoff in college football, all nine conferences have agreed to approve a 14 team playoff starting in 2026. ESPN just inked a seven year deal until 2031-32 season for $7.8 billion dollars, so we know what this all boils down to! The GREEN!
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