Spring is officially arriving tomorrow, but right now is the latest podcast detailing ALL that’s happening in the sports universe. On deck:
(4:16) We can finally usher out the Sports Dead Zone, Part 1 (at least until summer) and begin a huge stretch of sports talk over the next few months. Jump starting that is the Madness of March. The NCAA Tournament tips off tomorrow night with the First Four, and in earnest, on Thursday with the first of two days of college basketball from 12 noon to 1:00am. I’ll discuss the top three storylines of the selection process (Mountain West over Big East), UCONN’s tough bracket to defend their title. And Purdue’s cakewalk to a Final Four, considering how their bracket unfolded. I’ll get into the whole bracket on Thursday’s pod, so this is the appetizer to set you up for the main course later in the week. I’ll take a peek at how I was disappointed of the selection committee on the women’s side, where they have Iowa and LSU in the same bracket and not different brackets.
(24:36) What has gone on in Pittsburgh this offseason? It’s almost as if the Steelers have had an identity shift. I say that because just the past few days alone, they traded their former #1 pick Kenny Pickett to the Eagles. Then surprised me in acquiring Justin Fields of the Bears for what? A sixth round pick? I’ll unpack all of what GM Omar Khan has done to date and assess how this was a change from the front office that even their biggest fans didn’t expect? I’ll discuss what the Vikings did by picking up another first round pick (via Houston) Some other key signings/trades that transpired. And the retirement of Rams DT Aaron Donald, who called it a career on Friday after ten years in STL & LA.
(41:43) As much as we’re looking forward for the baseball season to start next Thursday, it actually starts on Wednesday. That’s right! The Dodgers-Padres will kick off 2024 in Korea for two games. Am I cool with MLB throwing out the first pitch outside of American soil? The Yankees dodged a potential catastrophe to their starting rotation regarding the health to Cy Young ace Gerrit Cole, but do they still look for reinforcements since the aforementioned will be out for at least a month? Then Mets owner, Steve Cohen, addressed the media to announce that 1B Pete Alonso will likely not be signed before Opening Day. YOU KNOW that I have something to say about that with the season starting in ten days.
(52:27) The Association is rather low key, despite a wild and inexplicable final two minutes of the Warriors-Lakers game because of game clock and shot clock malfunctions as the Dubs won in LA. Speaking of LA, the Clippers have hit the skids, losing 4 of 5 and not having an identity, as stated by Paul George. What’s going on there? I’ll see where we’re at throughout the league with the latest in the standings as we’re about a month away from the conclusion of the NBA season.
(59:30) Besides my Islanders going through a bad stretch of late, falling out of the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference (albeit a point in the standings as of this moment), the NHL is status quo as I’ll take a trip around the ice as they head into the homestretch.
(1:03:23) With The Masters teeing up three weeks from this coming Thursday, the TPC at Sawgrass took place over the weekend. Scottie Scheffler is the first player ever to win back to back as he shot -20 and a 64 in the final round as he’s primed for another run as the top golfer on the tour. NOTE: I mentioned that Scheffler won the Masters last year. It was in 2022. Jon Rahm won last year. My apologies for the error.
(1:04:57) Although it’s not a Grand Slam in the world of tennis, the winners at Indian Wells were Iga Swiatek on the women’s side and Carlos Alcaraz (who stopped Jannik Sinner’s 19 match consecutive streak) captured the men’s title as both winners look to build on their victories with the French Open two months away.
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Intro/outro music by Cyklonus.