NHL Trade Deadline Winners & Losers

Its one of the most fun days on the NHL calendar that isn't related to games. It's the NHL trade deadline. Teams make moves to either buy or sell as the head into playoff pushes. Some teams hit it out of the park with moves, while others totally missed the mark. Here's a look at some of the winners, and losers, coming out of the trade deadline.

Winners:
Dallas Stars
You wanna talk about having a hell of a day at the deadline, look no further than what happened in Dallas. They pulled off a double whammy. First, they acquired Mikko Rantanen in a sign and trade. Got him for picks from Carolina and then locked him up to an eight year contract extension worth $96 million. It fills a big need in the Dallas offense and keeps him in Texas for a long time afterwards. Sure it cost Logan Stankoven, but there's bigger upside with Rantanen. This coming after a trade made early in February to add Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the Sharks. Oh and they were also able to lock up Wyatt Johnson on a five year extension as well. All in all, a pretty good day in Dallas coming out of the deadline.

Florida Panthers
This was not only a last minute trade, but the biggest holy bleep trade of deadline day. The Panthers have made a habit of picking up other teams captains over the last couple of years at the deadline. First, Claude Giroux from the Flyers two years ago. Last year, Kyle Okpos from the Sabres. This year, a conditional draft pick was sent to the Boston Bruins for Brad Marchand. They also managed to pick up Seth Jones in an earlier deal as well. By adding those two guys, it makes the odds a lot better for the Panthers to try and look like a threat to go back to back again.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Lot to take in here in Tampa. A couple seasons ago, the Bolts gave up a lot of draft picks for Tanner Jeannot, a deal in which bit them right in the rear end. Now , the Lightning do something similar here, but this could pay off a lot better than that one did. The Bolts sent draft picks to Seattle (Detroit did as well), in order to land Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Seattle is keeping half of Gourde salary, while Detroit has 25% of it. Its adding major depth to a talented lightning team, one of those guys who already knows what its like to win here in Gourde. This is a huge move for Tampa.

Losers:
Carolina Hurricanes
A small part of me almost feels a little bad for the Hurricanes in this case. They had gone out of their way to try and get better a month ago. They sent quite a bit over to Colorado in order to get Rantanen. The got back four picks and Logan Stankhoven for Rantanen. Not quite the return they were hoping for and making this deal to land Mikko in the first place didn't even really pan out. Carolina is trying to get better and come over the hump in a sense and get to the third round or better. Just feels like all they did to get Rantanen and then trade him off feels like they come up short. Only time will really tell in that regards.

Winnipeg Jets
I can't totally take away from what the Jets did here. They did add solid pieces to their lineup. You made a couple of good moves adding Tanev and Schenn, but the lack of center depth could be a bit of a problem come playoff time. As of me writing this, Winnipeg still has an eight point lead for the division title over Dallas. But with the moves that both Dallas and even Colorado (adding a guy like Brock Nelson) makes me feel that the Jets had kind of a letdown in a sense with what they did at the deadline to even try and improve, or at least hold off the onrush that's about to happen.

Buffalo Sabres
Hockey in Western NY hasn't been fun the last couple of seasons, at least not come springtime. Buffalo hasn't made the playoffs since 2011, a streak that looks like it won't end this season. To make matters worse, in a four player trade with Ottawa, Buffalo gave up on Dylan Cozens for Josh Norris. A deal which makes very little sense. Norris has potential to possibly be a bigtime impact player. But for what he's worth he cannot for the life of him stay healthy and on the ice. The guy might be good but he can't seem to get out of his own way with injuries (not really his fault). Buffalo doesn't seem like they have been able to get the right mix of guys on the team at the right time to get anywhere close to finally breaking that glass celing and get into the post season.

Broadcasting Legend Passes

Hockey broadcasters. The men and wo-men who give life to the fastest, and coolest, game on Earth. Everybody has a few they remember for their calls and how they make the game what it was. One of those men was Mike Lange, the longtime voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He passed away last night at the age of 76.

IT'S A HOCKEY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH!

That was one of Mike's catchphrases that he used to open up every single Penguins broadcast. He used so many during his career, too many to list here. That was part of Mike charm it made every broadcast must listen. Mike became the king of the catchphrase around the sport, and quite a few others have followed his lead.

Mike helped put the Penguins on the map with his style and energy night in and night out. He was the voice of the team for 46 years, starting in 1976 and retiring in 2021. From 1976 to 2006 he was the TV voice of the team and never missed a broadcast. At the end of the 2006 season, the Pens moved in a different direction and moved Mike from TV to radio. Still he kept right on going along, bringing the same style and energy over to the radio side of things.

It's been hard to imagine to imagine a Penguins broadcast without Mike on the call. Even as an Islanders fan, he made me want to tune into Penguins broadcasts just to hear what he was going to say next. He was a big reason why I wanted to get into the business of being a hockey broadcaster. Thanks for everything Mike.

Ladies and Gentleman, Elvis has just left the building!

A Change To The System?

 

Spring Training has gotten underway. With that going, Rob Manfred took to the Mic to talk about a few things going on around the league. One thing being talked about is the payroll disparity among teams, this coming with CBA talks coming up. A lot of the concerns over this were sparked because of the Los Angeles Dodgers spending over the winter months.

Combined over the last two offseason, the Dodgers have signed Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Will Smith and Tyler Glasnow to nine figure contracts. Couple that with Juan Soto's big contract this winter, it leads to a lot of discussions about the system in the game. It came to light on Tuesday. Speaking during a spring training media event, Manfred reiterated prior comments while saying the Dodgers have "gone out and done everything possible, always within the rules that currently exist, to put the best possible team on the field, and I think that's great for the game."

Oh, the numbers get even more eye popping. According to ESPN, offseason spending has reached roughly $3.3 billion. Out of that, the Dodgers and Mets have accounted for more than 40% of that total. Nine teams, meanwhile, spent less than $20 million on free agents this winter.

That right there is a huge problem. Now, within the rules and parameters of free agency in Major League Baseball, the Mets and Dodgers have done nothing wrong this winter. They wanted players and went out and spent the money to go and get said players. I cant fault them for that, they want to go out and win. The Dodgers are the defending World Champions, while the Mets came within two wins of beating said Dodgers. And what the dodgers are doing now remind a lot of people of what the Yankees did at the turn of the century.

This finally got people talking about the disparity around MLB. You look at teams like the Rays, who can't go out and pull off getting guys like Soto or Othani. Part of that has to do with ownership issues, but that's another debate for another time. Teams like the Rays, White Sox, Natioanls ect. can't pony up the money like the Mets, Yankees or Dodgers can.

Maybe baseball should follow the leads of the other sports and actually have a salary cap. Have a floor that teams have to spend that much to start and can't exceed a limit. Sure there are going to be other issues at hand when the MLBPA and owners get together to talk, but competitive balance should be a bigger talking point when the two get to the table for CBA talks. There needs to be something done to get the balance back in order for baseball. It's starting to get out of hand. Will it actually change finally? Only time will tell.

4 Nations Set For Battle

The best of the best are gathered for battle. The 4 Nations tournament is finally here. For the next two weeks, the NHL is taking a pause so that the best players from the top four hockey nations can hook up. USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland are gathering over the next two weeks in Montreal and Boston for the first international best on best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. And its sure to be one hell of a tournament.

This is really simple. Four teams play a round robin style opener. Three games each. Two teams with the best point total face off in a final game. NHL rules will be used. OT during round robin is ten minutes. If still tied, we go to a shootout. Final game is played under the same overtime rules as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we go till we have a winner. Simple as that.

Rosters are fully loaded with the best talent the four nations have to offer.

Goaltending is going to be a bigtime factor over the next two weeks , and the advantage has to go to the Americans in that department. The other three nations have fine goalies, all of them, but the US is top heavy in that department. On the blueline, Sweden and Canada have the best mix of stay at home and offensive threats. They can find the back of the net and shut down the opposition just as well. 

A small part of me feels bad for Finland going into this tournament. While yes, the do posses a good roster and a solid hockey team, on paper, they're the weakest of the four teams. Sweden has some punching upside up front, but its the defense and in net that's going to keep them hanging around. But really, its going to come down to the US and Canada, the two most balanced and loaded teams in this whole thing. When you have Crosby and McDavid leading your team, you always have a great chance in any tournament. I only hold some level of hesitation putting Canada over the top here because of what's in net. Nothing against Aiden Hill, Jordan Binnington or Sam Montembeault, but nobody knows how well these three guys can really hold up well on an international stage such as this one.

All four teams are good, not taking anything away from anybody. Having said that, based on the talent that's assembled, edge has to go to the Americans here.

Standings: 1) USA 2) Sweden 3) Canada 4) Finland

Final: USA 5 Sweden 3

Fly, Eagles, Fly

Two trips to the Super Bowl in three years for the Eagles. Last time didn't go as they had planned. This time, there was no mistake. Philadelphia dominated Kansas City to one of the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history, a 40-22 win.

The stats tell only cold facts. The eye test reveals a lot more. And boy did that reveal a lot on Sunday.

We talked about how big the running game was going to play a factor in this game going in.  As a team, the Eagles rushed for 135 yards, only 57 of which we're gained by Saquan Barkley. Jalen Hurts had more rushing yards than Barkley did. Hurts managed to be able to spread the ball around to his other weapons in a balanced offensive attack. It was a master class on both sides of the football. The offense spread the ball around evenly and did a nice job between run and pass.

The big story to come out of the game was from the other side. Kansas City looked nothing like themselves. Mahomes hadn't been pressured like this since the 202 loss to the Buccaneers. The Eagles defense, lead by coordinator Vic Fangio, put more pressure  Mahomes had no amasser for the Eagles defense all day long. He didn't look like himself for all but three plays on the day. Mahomes threw a couple of picks on the day, one of which Cooper DeJean for a touchdown. Sure, Xaviery Worthy had a monster day with 157 receiving yards, but by the time he got the bulk of those yards, the game was already out of reach for KC. For most of the day, Mahomes looked really uncomfortable, which is something that wasn't seen most of the last couple of seasons.

This should be something that other teams around the league need to take notice of. If teams want to stop Kansas Coty, take note of what the Eagles defense was able to do to slow down this team.

Of course, what happened lead to the talk of Mahomes and his level of greatness and where Kansas City falls as a dynasty. Mahomes would have come a lot closer to GOAT status if he had been able to pull off the three peat. It would have been huge for his status as a legend. Now, as for the Chiefs being a dynasty, that would have been locked up with a win. They have made three straight Super Bowls and five of the last six games. IF they can make it again next year and possibly win again, then it would propel them right into the mix. There's no denying that they have been a very good football team the last half decade. If they build off it next season, then a year from now those talks of dynasty could be ramped up even further.

All in All, it was a solid Super Bowl. Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles on their vicotyr!

Super Bowl 59 Preview

The time has finally arrived. The big day is here. Super Bowl 59 is upon us. We started this journey back in September with 32 teams all having a chance to play on this final Sunday. Now we are down to two left. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kansas City got here by going 15-2 during the regular season, winning the AFC west and getting a first round bye. They got by the Houston Texas in the division round and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Title game to reach the Super Bowl. Kansas City is playing in its seventh Super Bowl, going 4-2 in its previous appearances. They are the two time defending Super Bowl Champions.

The Eagles got here by going 14-3 during the regular season, winning the NFC East. They marched through the playoffs by beating the Packers in the wild card round, then the Rams in the divisional round, and finally the Commanders in the NFC title game. This marks the Eagles 5th ever Super Bowl appearance, going 1-3 in previous four games.

This marks a rematch of the game two years ago.

So how are things going to play out on Sunday?

Well, from a Kansas City point of view, there's quite a bit more pressure on the Chiefs. They are looking to become the first team in NFL history to ever three-peat as champions. Only thing causing slight hesitation in this prediction is the KC offense. Yes, Kansas City has a solid offense. By its own standards it's having a down year this year. Sill, there's enough firepower on this offense to be able to put points on the board.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia has weapons across the board on offense. The biggest one being Saquan Barkley, who's coming off an out of this world rushing year. Philadelphia also brings in a hard hitting defense that will bring a ton of pressure onto the Chiefs offensive line.

Philadelphia well put KC to the test more than the Bills did last week. hell Philly will be a tougher test even that the 49ers were in last years game. Kansas City is going to be able to overcome the running of Barkely and, by the skin of their teeth, be able to pull out a victory.

Prediction: Kansas City 34 Philadelphia 31

NFL Honors

Earlier this week, the NFL honored the best of the best from the 2024 regular season with NFL Honors. This year, we saw four names get announced for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, taking place in August. Along with that, the guys who stood head and shoulders above the rest during the regular season were honored for their achievements. Here's a look at who walked away with what for this season.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
-Sterling Sharpe
-Antonio Gates
-Eric Allen
-Jared Allen

Now for the big awards. Here's who walked away with hardware from NFL Honors

Assistant Coach of the Year: Ben Johnson (Lions Offensive Coordinator)

Coach of the Year: Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings)

Comeback Player of The Year: Joe Burrow (Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals)

Defensive Rookie of The Year: Jared Verse (Outside Linebacker, Los Angeles Rams)

Offensive Rookie of The Year: Jayden Daniels (Quarterback, Washington Commanders)

Defensive Player of The Year: Patrick Surtain II (Cornerback Denver Broncos)

Offensive Player of The Year: Saquan Barkley (Running Back Philadelphia Eagles)

Most Valuable Player: Josh Allen (Quarterback Buffalo Bills)

Solid work done by the writers in handing out the hardware for this year. The only award, or voting for an award I should say, is MVP. The fact that Saquan Barkley got NO first places votes at all for MVP is surprising. Nothing against the two guys who did get the first place votes in Lamar Jackson and winner Josh Allen. But it shows how hard it is to win MVP if your aren't a QB. Last non QB to win was Adrian Peterson in 2012. Saquan had a HUGE impact on the Eagles and what they were able to do this season. Rushing for over 2,000 yards should have meant more in my mind. I know its Most Valuable and the Eagles had quite a few stars. But you can't deny the performance of what Barkley did and how important to the Eagles he was.

So what do you think? did the NFL get it right with the awards this season?

Championship Weekend Preview

And then there were four. Championship weekend in the NFL has finally arrived. We got one team on the verge of a three peat. One team that's looking to get its first title in eight years and second overall. We got one team looking to win a title for the first time in thirty years. And the last team is looking to win it's first ever Super Bowl.

But in order to do that, they have to win this weekend. Championship weekend is here and here's how we see it going down.

Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles 3PM
We got ourselves an NFC East battle for the right to go to the big one. Safe to say that Washington is heading into this game playing with house money. With a rookie QB under center in what was considered a rebuild year, nobody expected Washington to be still standing here at this point in the season. Its going to be a tight game. Daniels has been playing like a man possessed and has played solid football during the playoffs. Daniels play is going to be a factor here, because his counterpart in Jalen Hurts got his knee banged up against the Rams last week. When you have a dual threat under center, and somebody who's been so key for that potent run game, along with Barkley, it going to be a real test for the Philadelphia offense.

Somehow, the Philadelphia experience is going to win out at the end of the game. no doubt in my mind Washington has made a believer out of a lot people with this playoff run they've been on. At the end of the day, the clock is going to strike midnight on the season for the Commanders. It going to be a pretty close day, but at the end of it all the Eagles find a way.

Eagles 27, Commanders 17

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs 6:30PM
The big one on the weekend, the one everybody is going to want to watch. Mahomes and Allen again. For Josh Allen, he got a lot riding on this game. Buffalo hasn't been to a Superbowl in 30 years, let alone win one. He's got an entire city believing in him and he has the skills to be able to change that fortune around for Buffalo. And what gives Buffalo the advantage in this game is the ability to be able to limit and create turnovers. They had 35 takeaways this season, as compared to just 8 total turnovers. They control the ball very very well.

At the same time, you going against one of the very best to ever do it in Patrick Mahomes. He can pretty much find a way, in some ways nobody even imagined, to pull a game off. What worries me is how well this defense is going to be able to contain Allen. Not just on Allen's skillset, but lets be real here. This isn't as good a defense we've seen in Kansas City as we have seen the last two years. Don't get it twisted, they're good. But the quality level isn't quite the same. This is going to be a physical game and a nail biter. Its going to come down to whoever gets the ball last.

Chiefs 30, Bills 27

Baseball Hall Makes Call

This July, the Baseball Hall of Fame will grow by three. The 2025 hall of fame was announced its three newest members in Ichiro Suzuki, C.C Sabathia and Billy Wagner. They join Classic Baseball Era Committee electees Dave Parker and the late Dick Allen in enshrinement.

Ichiro got 99.7%  C.C got 86.8%. Wagner got 82.5%.

Ichiro had a great second career after a solid career to start in Japan. He played 19 years in the Majors, 14 years in Seattle, three with the Yankees and three in Miami. He played 2,653 games, collecting  3,089 hits, 117 home runs, 780 RBI, scored 1,420 runs and stole 509 bases, finishing as a .311 hitter. He won AL Rookie of the year and AL MVP in the same season in 2001. He was a ten time all star, won ten gold gloves and a pair of batting titles. Ichiro could do it all. He had a little bit of power, but lets face it, the guy was one of the best pure hitters that the game has ever seen. Oh yeah and lets not forget his defense in right. Outstanding glove and just as good of a throwing arm.

Then we have CC Sabathia, who also spent 19 years in the big leagues, 11 with the Yankees, 8 in Cleveland and a half a season in Milwaukee. In 560 career starts, CC picked up 251 wins, 38 complete games and 12 shutouts. He had 3,093 strikeouts in 3,577 innings pitched and a 3.74 lifetime ERA. He got a 2009 World Series title with the Yankees, won the Cy Young in 2007 with Cleveland and a six time all star. If you needed a big pitching performance, Sabathia could come up when he needed to. Look what he did in half a season in Milwaukee.

Then there was Billy Wagner. Wagner spent 16 years in the majors, nine years in Houston, four with the Mets, two in Philadelphia, one in Boston and one in Atlanta. He appeared in 853 games, earned a 47-40 record and 422 saves. He had a career ERA  of 2.31 and 1,196 strike outs. Nine times he had 30 or more saves in a season, two of which were 40 or more save seasons. His 225 saves in Houston are the most in the history of that franchise. He won Rolaids relief man of the year in 1999 and was a seven time all star. What makes Wagner induction more impressive is that he did all of this with 903 innings pitched are the fewest innings pitched among any of the relief pitchers in the hall of fame. Which speaks to how solid of a relief pitcher Wagner really was.

What do you think? Did the hall snub anybody for getting in this year?

NFL Divisional Round

Then there were eight. Divisional weekend has arrived in the NFL and we got our elite eight left standing. Three more wins to claim football's ultimate prize. Two teams in this mix are looking to make the big game for the first time ever. One is looking to become the first three peat. One is looking to finally get over that magical hump when it matters. All those questions will be one step closer to being answered by the time all is said and done this weekend.

Here's how we see the Divisional Round going down in the NFL

Chiefs over Texans 27-17
Houston is one of the teams looking to finally get to the big game. They have made great strides in getting closer to it, but this year won't be their year. Kansas City is just too darn good. Is Kansas City as good or dominating as they have been the last couple of seasons? Not really no. But they are still a force in the AFC and with the attack that they have it might be too much for Houston to handle.

Lions over Commanders 38-20
Lets give credit where it's due, nobody really expected to be talking about the Washington Commanders to be still playing football by the time this weekend rolled around. But here we are. And they are heading into a really tough place to play in Detroit. There's no denying that Jaylen Daniels is going to have himself a solid day. But with the balanced offensive attack that the Lions have, it will be tough for Daniels to really be able to control the clock. Detroit walks away with the victory.

Eagles over Rams 20-10
Last time these two teams hooked up, Sequan Barkley ran wild. He rushed for 255 yards in the Philadelphia win that day. It's not going to be quite the same on this afternoon as it was back in week twelve, but the Eagles run game will control the Rams potent pass attack. That's not to say that the Eagles don't have a good pass game, because they do. That will also have itself a solid showing against the Rams. Nothing against what the Rams did in knocking off Minnesota last week, but this is something totally different going up against the Eagles.

Bills over Ravens 30-27
This will be the closest ballgame of the entire weekend. And probably the closest game I have to getting wrong all weekend long. This is going to be a fight between two of the best quarterbacks in the entire sport. It going to come down to ball control and that's where Buffalo gets the advantage and comes away with another trip to the AFC title game

NFL Wild Card Weekend

The time has arrived. The seven best teams in each conference in the NFL are left standing. Wild card weekend is here. When all is said and done a month from now the NFL will have its Champion. We got some pretty intriguing matchups to kick off the post season. So lets not waste anymore time, here's how we see the opening round going down!

Texans over Chargers 27-23
Pretty good chance I misread the room on picking this game. Houston did win three of the final five, including the last day of the season. Sure, the offense has underperformed a little since Diggs went down in week seven, but they still have a solid run game. That's going to be a key this time of the year. Chargers make it a strong game, but Houston going to pull it out on the final drive of the afternoon.

Ravens over Steelers 30-27
Maybe off on the score prediction, but not on the end result. Facts are two fold here. Lamar Jackson has been operating at close to, if not already at, MVP level again this season. Over 4,100 yards passing and almost a thousand yards rushing. Hell Derek Henry had a monster year running the ball, with 1,921 yards in his own right. This is a running team that has the ability to almost match it through the air as well. And they come in riding a four game win streak. Pittsburgh is trending the other way, losing the final four of the season to let the division slip away,. Pittsburgh may make it close, but the Ravens are just playing too good of football right now to be stopped by the Steelers.

Bills over Broncos 28-17
Not expecting this one to really be close. Denver stumbled a little down the stretch, and the only reason they closed out the way they did last week was because KC had rested pretty much everybody. That's not to take anything away from the Broncos, who are a solid team. But they playing a really good Buffalo team. Buffalo, Much like Baltimore, is a run happy team. They going to be doing that quite a bit against Denver. Oh and Josh Allen can make plays with his arm too. Buffalo should have this game on lock.

Eagles over Packers 34-21
The only knock you can have against Green Bay this season is they happened to get stuck in the division with Detroit and Minnesota. And both those teams went off this year. Green Bay is a solid club, but they going up against another really good team in the Eagles. Philly has the best runner in the game this year in Barkley, they got the best overall defense in the entire league. Green Bay going to keep it somewhat close, but the Philly run game helps them advance to the next round.

Buccaneers over Commanders 31-27
Tampa, much like they did last year, got hot at the right time. As the season went along, despite all the injuries, they showed they were more of a second half team. They got an underrated run game, which if they want to go on a deep run this year, need that to be a factor in this game. And it will. Give credit where its due to Jaylen Daniels in his first year in Washington, putting up the year he had. At the end of the day its not going to be enough as the Bucs come away with the win.

Vikings over Rams 34-14
The Rams almost shot themselves in the foot last week by losing to Seattle. Because now they have to face the 2nd best team in the conference in Minnesota. Not to take away anything from that Rams offense, but the way Minnesota has played most of the year, this one should be one of the easier games of the entire weekend to pick.

The Captain Gets His Due

For fourteen years, David Wright was the New York Mets. He was the face of the franchise and the team's best overall player for almost as long. Nobody showed more pried in a Mets uniform during that time then the Captain. This summer, Wright is getting his just due. On July 19th, when the Mets play host to the Cincinnati Reds, Wright is getting a double celebration. That afternoon, not only will the Mets retire Wright's #5 but he will also be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.

A double honor well deserved for one of the best players the franchise has ever had.

His career numbers speak for themselves, like seven All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards. He is in the top ten in every single offensive category in the history of the franchise. It was a given after his final game was played in 2018 that he was going to get both his number retired and induction into the Mets Hall. It was a matter of when, not if.

There isn't anything more that can be said that hasn't already said about David Wright during the course of his career. He's done everything that you can do for this team. The only thing Wright wasn't able to do was win a World Series, even though they came close with a series appearance in 2015.

Now this leads to another debate or two. Who gets the next number to be retired? Who else gets into the Mets Hall of Fame?

For number retirement, there's only two I can think of off the top of my head that MIGHT deserve to get such an honor. Maybe #7 for Jose Reyes and maybe #15 for Carlos Beltran. That's a stretch for both. Both guys put up outstanding numbers with the team, but neither were lifers with the club. Reyes left and came back. Beltran had a good career both before and after he left the Mets. But never the less both guys did put up fantastic career in blue and orange. There's been a few out there that have floated around retiring #8 for Gary Carter. For me, Carter never played long enough in Queens to really deserve the honor, and that's no knock on what Carter did by any means.

As for the team hall of fame, two guys mentioned earlier, Reyes and Beltran, both deserve to be inducted for what they did for this team during their time in Queens.

Let's Take This Outside

The time has finally happened. The NHL is taking it outside in the Sunshine State.

2026 NHL Winter Classic and Stadium Series are coming to the state of Florida. The 2026 Winter Classic will take place on January 2nd at Loan Depot Park in Miami between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. Following that up will be the Stadium Series. February 2nd 2026 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa the Tampa Bay Lightning will play host to the Boston Bruins.

The NHL has had outdoor games in all kinds of venues and markets, but this is the first time they are venturing to the state of Florida for outdoor games. And it's about time. The last five Eastern Conference Champions, and three of the last five Stanley Cup Champions have resided in the Sunshine State. This has turned into very much a hockey state.

The NHL is finally expanding the hockey market to the south with these outdoor games. These two venues should have no problem drawing the crowds that the NHL is looking for. Hockey has grown leaps and bounds in the state of Florida since teams have joined down here in 1993. This will not be the first time the NHL has attracted huge crowds for stadium games in the state of Florida. The Lightning played at the ThunderDome, the domed stadium now known as Tropicana Field, from 1993-96. They drew 28,183 for their 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on April 23, 1996. That was the NHL record until the League began playing outdoor games in 2003.

The opponents for these two games are pretty good choices. The Rangers are a huge draw playing in Miami. As for who Tampa, it's fitting they facing one of their biggest rivals in the Boston Bruins.

Both Florida teams have been a draw and it's going to get even better with these outdoor games coming up

NFL Clinching Scenarios Week 18

We have hit the final weekend of the NFL Season. Sixteen games over the next two games and a lot to digest for clinching the final playoff spots for the 2024 season. Lets not waste any more time and dive right into it. Here's how teams can lock up playoff spots on the final weekend of the year.

AFC:
Clinched: Kansas City Chiefs (#1 Seed, AFC West), Buffalo Bills (AFC East), Houston Texans (AFC South), Baltimore Ravens (Playoff Birth), Los Angeles Chargers (Playoff Birth), Pittsburgh Steelers (Playoff Birth)

Baltimore Ravens
-Baltimore can clinch the AFC North and the 3rd seed with a win OR a Pittsburgh loss

Pittsburgh Steelers
-Pittsburgh can clinch the AFC North and the 3rd seed with a win AND a Baltimore loss

Cincinnati Bengals
-Cincinnati can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND losses by Denver and Miami

Denver Broncos
-Denver can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR losses by Miami and Cincinnati

Miami Dolphins
-Miami can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a Denver loss

NFC:
Clinched: Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East 2nd Seed), Los Angeles Rams (NFC West), Detroit Lions (Playoff Birth), Green Bay Packers (Playoff Birth), Minnesota Vikings (Playoff Birth), Washington Commanders (Playoff Birth)

Detroit Lions
-Detroit can clinch the NFC North and top seed with a win

Minnesota Vikings
-Minnesota can clinch with the NFC North and the top seed with a win

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-Tampa Bay can clinch the NFC South with a win OR an Atlanta loss

Atlanta Falcons
-Atlanta can clinch the NFC South with a win AND a Tampa Bay loss

2025 Pro Bowl Rosters

The Pro Bowl. The one week of the year where the best of the best from the NFL regular season get together for the annual All Star Game. The weekend before the Super Bowl, the NFL best gather in Orlando to see who really is the best of the bunch. Games will be played to find out who has the best from each conference. 

Here's a look at this year's Pro Bowl Selections.

AFC:
Offense:
Quarterback: Josh Allen (Buffalo), Joe Burrow (Cincinnati), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore)
Running Back: Derrick Henry (Baltimore), Joe Mixon (Houston), Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis)
Fullback: Patrick Ricard (Baltimore)
Wide Receiver: Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati), Jerry Jeudy (Cleveland), Nico Collins (Houston), Zay Flowers (Baltimore)
Tight End: Brock Bowers (Las Vegas), Travis Kelce (Kansas City)
Offensive Tackle: Dion Dawkins (Buffalo), Laremy Tunsil (Houston), Rashawn Slater (LA Chargers)
Offensive Guard: Quenton Nelson (Indianapolis), Joe Thuney (Kansas City), Trey Smith (Kansas City)
Center: Creed Humphrey (Kansas City), Tyler Linderbaum (Baltimore)

Defense:
Defensive End: Myles Garrett (Cleveland), Trey Hendrickson (Cincinnati), Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas)
Defensive Tackle: Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh), Chris Jones (Kansas City), Nnamdi Madubuike (Baltimore)
Outside Linebacker: Nik Bonitto (Denver), T. J. Watt (Pittsburgh), Khalil Mack (LA Chargers)
Inside/Middle linebacker: Roquan Smith (Baltimore), Zaire Franklin (Indianapolis)
Cornerback: Derek Stingley Jr. (Houston), Patrick Surtain II (Denver), Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore), Denzel Ward (Cleveland)
Free Safety: Minkah Fitzpatrick (Pittsburgh)
Strong Safety: Kyle Hamilton (Baltimore), Derwin James (LA Chargers)

Special Teams:
Long Snapper: Ross Matiscik (Jacksonville)
Punter: Logan Cooke (Jacksonville)
Placekicker: Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh)
 Return Specialist: Marvin Mims (Denver)
Special Teamer: Brenden Schooler (New England)

NFC:
Offense:
Quarterback: Jared Goff (Detroit), Sam Darnold (Minnesota), Jayden Daniels (Washington)
Running Back: Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia), Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit), Josh Jacobs (Green Bay)
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk (San Francisco)
Wide Receiver: Justin Jefferson (Minnesota), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit), CeeDee Lamb (Dallas), Terry McLaurin (Washington)
Tight End: George Kittle (San Francisco), Trey McBride (Arizona)
Offensive Tackle: Penei Sewell (Detroit), Lane Johnson (Philadelphia), Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay)
Offensive Guard: Landon Dickerson (Philadelphia), Tyler Smith (Dallas), Chris Lindstrom (Atlanta)
Center: Frank Ragnow (Detroit) Cam Jurgens (Philadelphia)

Defense:
Defensive End: Nick Bosa (San Francisco), Micah Parsons (Dallas), Rashan Gary (Green Bay)
Defensive Tackle: Dexter Lawrence (NY Giants), Jalen Carter (Philadelphia), Vita Vea (Tampa Bay)
Outside Linebacker: Jonathan Greenard (Minnesota), Andrew Van Ginkel (Minnesota), Jared Verse (LA Rams)
Inside/Middle Linebacker: Fred Warner (San Francisco), Zack Baun (Philadelphia)
Cornerback: Jaylon Johnson (Chicago), Byron Murphy Jr. (Minnesota), Jaycee Horn (Carolina), Devon Witherspoon (Seattle)
Free Safety: Xavier McKinney (Green Bay)
Strong Safety: Budda Baker (Arizona), Brian Branch (Detroit)

Special Teams:
Long Snapper: Andrew DePaola (Minnesota)
Punter: Jack Fox (Detroit)
Placekicker: Brandon Aubrey (Dallas)
Return Specialist: KaVonte Turpin (Dallas)
Special Teamer: KhaDarel Hodge (Atlanta)

See you in Orlando in early February!