Back 2 Back In South Florida

The Stanley Cup must love getting a tan from the state of Florida. First, in 2020 and 2021, the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed back to back titles. Now, their so called little brother, the Florida Panthers, have done the same thing. For the 2nd year in a row, the Florida Panthers are the Stanley Cup Champions.

Last year, the beat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. This year it only took six games to beat those exact Same Oilers. There is so much to unpack from how this series went down. The Panthers more than deserved this title. At the same time, the Oilers left a lot to be desired in this series as well.

This year was a totally different series than the one we saw a year ago. Last year, the Panthers were up 3-0 in the series, Edmonton stormed back and forced a game seven, before Florida came away with its title. This year, Florida dominated this series. The only wins for the Oilers were on a pair of overtime goals by Leon Draisaitl. Sure, Leon and Conor McDavid tied for the lead for points in the playoffs with 33 each. Leon was better in the Finals. Yes, Conor had 7 points, but just one goal over the course of the six games. The support guys kind of just disappeared. Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent Hopkins weren't ass effecting in the finals as they were playing supporting roles in the first three rounds.

Then there's the goaltending for Edmonton. I'm sorry, but a lot had been riding on the play of Stuart Skinner in the Finals and he just didn't deliver. To say he disappeared would be an understatement. There are times, yes, where he looked like he could steal the series for Edmonton. And at the same time, he looked like he couldn't stop a beachball. It has to be frustrating, if your an Oilers fan, to think that this guy could be the one to get you over the hump and get you a  title. Hell, it has to be frustrating if your McDavid. He's got nine straight 90 or more point seasons and he STILL doesn't have a title to show for it. The guy is the best player in the world, but doesn't have the supporting cast to get over that final hump and claim a Cup.

As for the Panthers, they managed to find a way to get the roster they needed to win a second straight title. Credit has to go General Manager Bill Zito for being able to re-tool his roster to get the right guys on the ice to fit the system. Paul Maurice gets the most out of his players and that was evident with capturing a second straight title. And an even bigger hats off to Matthew Tkachuk for being able to do what he did in the cup finals. He managed to play in the finals with a torn adductor muscle. And he still finished tied with Sam Reinhart for the team lead with 23 points. But both paled in comparison to the 15 goals scored by playoff MVP Sam Bennett.

And in net, Sergei Bobrovsky played every minute of the entire playoffs. Some had questioned Bob after the first year of his big contract, but boy oh boy has he been worth every penny and then some the last couple of seasons. That's what makes the Panthers so good. They are a very balanced team that can pretty much play any style that they go up against. And management is not only aware of this, but they will go out and get the players they need too plug the holes and keep this machine going.

There is one thing that needs to be at least looked at. That is the fact that Matthew Tkachuk called the Panthers a dynasty. I get it, he's excited as all getup for winning the cup for the 2nd year in a row. But a Dynasty? Come on lets not jump the gun here. I'm not taking anything away from what the Panthers have managed to do over the last three years. Three straight finals appearances, and back to back Stanley Cups is an amazing accomplishment. To be truly counted as a dynasty, at least in my mind, win another title in the next two or so years. Another trip to the finals, making it four years in a row. That's how to become a dynasty.

A great team? Yes we can say that with this Panthers club. Congratulations to the Florida Panthers, your 2025 Stanley Cup Champions!

NHL Hands Out Hardware

We have hit that time of the year. The time to honor the best of the best. Honoring the individual accomplishments in a great team sport of hockey. Earlier this week, the NHL handed out the hardware for its induvial awards for the 2024-25 regular season.

These awards were handed out based on play during the 82 game regular season.

Before diving into the individual awards, here's the All Rookie and NHL All Star teams for 2024-25.

All Rookie Team:
Goalie: Dustin Wolf (Calgary)
Defense: Lane Hutson (Montreal), Denton Mateychuk (Columbus)
Forwards: Matvei Michkov (Philadelphia), Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim), Macklin Celebrini (San Jose)

All Star Teams:
1st Team:
Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg)
Defense: Cale Makar (Colorado), Zach Werenski (Columbus)
Forwards: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), Kyle Conor (Winnipeg)

2nd Team:
Goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay)
Defense: Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver)
Forwards: Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton), David Pastrnak (Boston), Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay)

Now then, onto the actual hardware. Here's the award winners in the NHL for the 2024-25 season.

Mark Messier Leadership Award: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication): Sean Monahan, Columbus Blue Jackets

King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership and Humanitarian Contribution): Alexander Barkov, Florida Panthers

Frank J Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward): Alexander Barkov, Florida Panthers

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and Excellence); Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Ted Lindsey Award (MVP Voted by Players): Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year): Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals

This one was an easy pick. Carbery turned the Caps from a team last year that barely got into the playoffs and got swept in the first round, to this year winning the division and having the best record in the East. Only team that had a better year was Winnipeg. Impressive turn around in the nations capital and a very deserving winner of the award. 

Calder Trophy (Rookie Of The Year): Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens

Hutson becomes the 56th Canadien to take the award and the first to do it since Ken Dryden in 1972. 66 points from the Montreal Back End is a pretty good first year. His 60 assists lead the team and his 66 points were third on the club. The assists and points led all rookies in scoring this year and helped power Montreal to the final playoff spot in the eastern Conference.

Norris Trophy (Leagues Best Defenseman): Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

For the 2nd time in his career, Makar walked away as the best defenseman in the entire league. Makar lead all defenseman in scoring with 92 points. He also became the first blue liner to score 30 or more goals in a season since Mike Green did it in 2009. Oh and those 92 points mark back to back 90 point seasons, the fifth time in league history that's ever happened. He has a solid all around game and winning this trophy for the 2nd time proves that.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie): Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Its the second year in a row and third time in his career that Hellebuyck has walked away with a Vezina. And why not with the year he had. Led the league wins with 47 (only goalie to win more than 40 games this year), ,925 save % (2nd in the league), 2.00 GAA (led league), 8 shutouts (led league). His play between the pipes led the Jets to the best record in the entire league. Most nights, he was on his game and the numbers reflect that. He was better than any other netminder this year.

Hart Trophy (League MVP): Conor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

For the 4th time ever, and first time since 2015, a goalie walked away with the MVP award. Hellebuyck beat out Leon Draisaitl for the award. Nothing against the years Leon or Nikita Kucherov of the Lightning had, but Hellebuyck was playing at an altogether different level this season. One that was head a shoulders above others on the ice this year.

Polar Bear Climbs Ladder

I'm sure we will be doing another one of these before the end of this season.

Pete Alonso continues to climb the offensive record books for the New York Mets. Sunday, Alonso hit a pair of Home Runs, giving him 243 for his career. That now puts him passed David Wright for the 2nd most in team history. Only one he has to catch is Daryl Strawberry, at 252. Something he should be able to do this season.

He's only in his 7th year in the Majors and by the time all is said and done, he's got a good chance to be able to totally re-write a lot of the Mets offensive records that Wright currently holds. He still got a long way to go to be able to break a lot of those. Hopefully he can stay healthy enough as well to be able to, and play in Queens long enough, in order to break Wright's records.

He ten away from passing Daryl on the home run list, something he should be done hopefully by Labor Day

Changes In New York

Fans in New York, no matter the sport, can be very demanding. They want to win. The New York Knicks are no different in this case. They haven't reached the NBA Finals since 1999. They haven't won a title since 1973. They got within two wins of that goal this year, but came up just short. Coming up just short cost Tom Thibodeau his job. The Knicks fired their head coach earlier this afternoon.

Five years as head coach of the Knicks. Made the playoffs in four of the five seasons. Got to the second round the two years after missing the playoffs, and the conference finals this year. 226 wins during the regular season, fourth most in team history. Won 40 or more games in four of the five seasons.

The Knicks seem like they were right there under coach Thibodeau. They were heading in the right direction. Then word comes down that they letting him go. Leon Rose was the one who made the call, but lets be real here. Rose pulled the trigger but the decision, I'm sure, had come down from James Dolan the owner.

I get it that the ownership may want a new voice in the locker room. But look what this man has done with this team. He was, and still is, the right man for the job to help get this team going to the next level. Its playing basketball in the Worlds Most Famous Arena. They will be playing their 80th season as an NBA franchise next year. A title is long overdue.

Getting rid of the mad who's lead this team to within two wins of reaching the finals may not have been the best idea. Whoever comes in next is going to have some pretty big shoes to fill.

2025 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

And then there were two. We started this journey back in October with 32 teams all fighting for the right to be crowned champions of the hockey world. And now we are down to two left. And in two weeks, one of them will be kings of the world. Its the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals!

This is a rematch of last years finals, one in which the Panthers won in seven games. Its going to happen again this year, going the distance. This year will be no different.

Its going to be a very close battle between the two teams. The Oilers look like they are going to try and learn from the mistakes they made a season ago. McDavid and Draisaitl look more determined then they did last year. They are joined by a roster that's half full of guys who are tasting the finals for the first time ever. The advantage they have this season is that Edmonton goes into the series with home ice advantage. So game seven will be in Edmonton (should it even really get that far). One thing that has me worried is the play in net. Stuart Skinner is a fantastic netminder. However there are times in this playoffs he's looked shaky and unsure of himself.

Florida is just as good as they were last year. They even added to the mix by having Brad Marchand come on board. They had one series go over five games this playoffs, that was the seven game win in round two against Toronto. Can they stand up to a prolong physical series? They had better, because Edmonton will bring some more of that physical play with them in this round. As the old saying goes, To Be The Man.....You Gotta Beat The Man. And right now the Florida Panthers are still the man.

That is, until the end of this series!

Pick: Oilers in Seven!

Stanley Cup Conference Finals Preview

And then there were four! That's what we have left in the 2024-25 NHL season. Four teams are now left standing. In two weeks time, give or take, we will figure out who's going to play for the greatest prize in all of professional hockey. 

Edmonton is trying to end two droughts in one shot. A Canadian team hasn't lifted the Cup since 1993, and the Oilers haven't won since 1990. Dallas hasn't won a title since 1999, and haven't been in the finals since 2020. Carolina hasn't been to the finals since their lone Cup win in 2006. And the Panthers are the defending Champs who are looking to retain their title.

Who's going to be the last two left standing? Here's how we see it playing out.

Eastern Conference Finals: (M2) Carolina Hurricanes vs (A3) Florida Panthers
This will be the 2nd ever meeting in the playoffs between the two, with the Panthers sweeping the Canes back in the 2023 Conference finals. This is the 5th ever conference final appearance for the Canes, and the third straight for Florida. This is going to be a hard fought series. Andersen has been good in the nets for Carolina, but so has Bobrovsky for Florida. That'll be an even fight. Carolina has just two losses in these playoffs, but this will be a way different test then what they have gone through. Florida knows what it takes to get the job done, they just did it in a tough series against the Leafs. Oh and they are also the two time defending Eastern Conference champions. Give credit where it's do, the Hurricanes are a solid defensive team. What's going to be the difference maker in this series is the offensive depth. Edge there goes to the Panthers.

Pick: Panthers in 6!

Western Conference Finals: (C2) Dallas Stars vs (P3) Edmonton Oilers
This will be the second consecutive season, and tenth time overall, that these two teams have hooked up in the playoffs. This is the third year in a row and tenth overall conference finals appearance for the Stars. Edmonton is in the conference finals for the second year in a row and twelfth time overall. This is the more evenly matched of the two conference finals. Edmonton has the two best players on the planet right now. Dallas is just as hot offensively. This series is going to come down to goaltending. In no way is this taking away anything from how good Stuart Skinner has been in the Oilers net. But Jake Ottinger has been taking his claim to possible playoff MVP with how well he's been going in this years playoofs.

Pick: Stars in 7!

NFL Schedule Released

Well, the time has arrived. We have taken one step closer to the start of the 2025 NFL Season. We now know who's going to be playing who, and when, this year. Don't worry, we will drop the schedules for the Jets, Giants and Bucs shortly. Before we do that, here's some of the other marquee games on the NFL Schedule this season.

Week 2: Eagles @ Chiefs (Super Bowl Rematch)
Week 6: Bears @ Commanders (rematch of last year Hail Mary game)
Week 7: Patriots @ Titans (Mike Vrabel coaches against old team)
Week 9: Chiefs @ Bills (AFC Title rematch)
Week 11: Lions @ Eagles (NFC title game rematch)
Thanksgiving Games: Packers @ Lions, Chiefs @ Cowboys, Bengals @ Ravens
Christmas Day Games: Cowboys @ Commanders, Lions @ Vikings, Broncos @ Chiefs

Now, here's the schedules for the teams we cover!

September 7th vs Pittsburgh 1PM (CBS)
September 14th vs. Buffalo 1PM (CBS)
September 21st @ Tampa Bay 1PM (Fox)
September 29th @ Miami 7:15PM (ESPN)
October 5th vs Dallas 1PM (Fox)
October 12th vs Denver 9:15AM (London Fox)
October 19th vs Carolina 1PM (Fox)
October 26th @ Cincinnati 1PM (CBS)
BYE WEEK
November 9th vs Cleveland 1PM (CBS)
November 13th @ New England 8:15 PM (Prime)
November 23rd @ Baltimore 1PM (CBS)
November 30th vs Atlanta 1PM (Fox)
December 7th vs Miami 1PM (CBS)
December 14th @ Jacksonville 1PM (CBS)
December 21st @ New Orleans 1PM (CBS)
December 28th vs New England 1PM (CBS)
Flex game @ Buffalo TBD (TBD)

September 7th @ Washington 1PM (Fox)
September 14th @ Dallas 1PM (Fox)
September 21st vs Kansas City 8:20PM (NBC)
September 28th vs LA Chargers 1PM (CBS)
October 5th @ New Orleans 1PM (CBS)
October 9th vs Philadelphia 8:15PM (Prime)
October 19th @ Denver 4:05PM (CBS)
October 26th @ Philadelphia 1PM (Fox)
November 2nd vs San Francisco 1PM (CBS)
November 9th @ Chicago 1PM (Fox)
November 16th vs Green Bay 1PM (Fox)
November 23rd @ Detroit 1PM (Fox)
December 1st @ New England 8:15PM (ESPN)
BYE WEEK
December 14th vs Washington 1PM (Fox)
December 21st vs Minnesota 1PM (Fox)
Flex Game @ Las Vegas TBD (TBD)
Flex Game vs Dallas TBD (TBD)

September 7th @ Atlanta 1PM (Fox)
September 15th @ Houston 7:15PM (ABC/ESPN)
September 21st vs NY Jets 1PM (Fox)
September 28th vs Philadelphia 1PM (Fox)
October 5th @ Seattle 4:05PM (CBS)
October 12th vs San Francisco 1PM (CBS)
October 20th @ Detroit &PM (ABC/ESPN)
October 26th @ New Orleans 4:05PM (Fox)
BYE WEEK
November 9th vs New England 1PM (CBS)
November 16th @ Buffalo 1PM (CBS)
November 23rd @ LA Rams 8:20PM (NBC)
November 30th vs Arizona 1PM (Fox)
December 7th vs New Orleans 1PM (CBS)
December 11th vs Atlanta 8:15PM (Prime)
December 21st @ Carolina 1PM (Fox)
December 28th @ Miami 1PM (Fox)
Flex vs Carolina TBD (TBD)

Big News For Baseball Hall

Major League Baseball, and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum have finally made a change. Commissioner Rob Manfried made a major announcement this afternoon. His ruling now allows players that are on the banned list to be removed from it and become eligible for Hall of Fame inductions posthumously.

Here's the decision from the Commissioner this afternoon (per ESPN): "Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game," Manfred wrote in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose's removal from the list Jan. 8. "Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list."

Here is the full list of names that are now OFF the banned list, per MLB: Joe Jackson (1919 Black Sox scandal), Buck Weaver (Black Sox), Eddie Cicotte (Black Sox), Lefty Williams (Black Sox), Happy Felsch (Black Sox), Fred McMullin (Black Sox), Swede Risberg (Black Sox), Chick Gandil (Black Sox), Joe Gedeon (Had "guilty knowledge" of gambling activity in 1919), Gene Paulette (Banned in 1920 for associating with gamblers in 1919), Benny Kauff (Banned in 1921 despite his acquittal on auto theft charge. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis deemed him "no longer a fit companion for other ballplayers."), Lee Magee (Banned in 1921 over his disputed back salary elicited evidence of his gambling involvement), Shufflin' Phil Douglas (New York Giants player banned after threatening his manager), Jimmy O'Connell (Giants player banned in 1924 after offering a bribe to another player), Cozy Dolan (Giants coach involved in the O'Connell incident), William Cox (Phillies' owner, banned and forced to sell the team in 1943 for betting on baseball), Pete Rose (Bet on baseball).

It will be a couple of years before any of the players listed become eligible. The earliest possible that anybody on this list can get into the hall of fame could be 2028. Now for the biggest question. Of those listed above, who has the best chance of getting into the Hall?

The two most obvious ones would be Joe Jackson and Pete Rose. Jackson was the hitting star of the deadball era, a lifetime .356 hitter. That was and still is good for the 4th highest in the history of the sport. He only had 1,772 hits by the time his career ended at age 32. But that only ended because of the ban, it could have been so much more had he been able to continue his career.

The most obvious one on this list would be Pete Rose. Won an MVP in 1973, was a 17 time all star, three time batting champion, two time gold glove winner, three time world series champion. Oh yeah and he's the all time leader in games played at 3,562 and the MLB hit king with 4,256. The story with what was behind his ban has been well documented, but it had nothing to do with his playing career.

Will they get in? We will find out in three years time.

Longo Gets His Due

The Tampa Bay Rays have been around since 1998. When you ask somebody to mention a Rays player, usually the first name that comes to mind is Evan Longoria. He's considered by many, and rightfully so, to be the greatest player in Rays history. This summer, he's getting his just due. He's signing a one day contract, so he can retire formally as a Ray.

Longo was drafted 3rd overall in 2006 by the Rays. He made his debut at the start of the 2008 season. He stayed in Tampa for 10 years, playing through 2017. From 2018 to 2022, Longo moved to San Francisco to play with the Giants. He finished his final season in 2023 in Arizona with the Diamondbacks. His best years and prime years were with Tampa and he did it all for the Rays.

On June 7th against the Miami Marlins, the Rays will hold a special pre game ceremony for Longoria. He will sign his one day contract and retire as a member of the Rays.

He won Rookie of the Year in 2008, was a three time all star, a three time gold glover and a silver slugger in Tampa. In those years in Tampa, he set the Rays records for games played (1,435), runs scored (780), RIB's (892), walks (569), doubles (338), home runs (261), extra base hits (618) and he's second in hits at 1,471 (trailed only Carl Crawfored at 1,480).

The biggest swing of his career was in 162. The game and home run that propelled the Rays to the AL Wild Card in 2011. At some point in time, Longoria will have his #3 retired by the team and be inducted into the Rays Hall of Fame. Hopefully both happen sooner rather than later. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that when Evan Longoria gets mentioned, its with his time in Tampa. He could pretty much do it all for this team and became the best player to ever way a Rays uniform. And yes that includes some of the great pitchers that this team has had as well.

When it comes to hitters, the Rays have had some good ones. Crawford, Carlos Pena, Fred McGriff, Aubrey Huff, Ben Zobrist, B.J. Upton. Longo is not only up there, but he's at the top of that list. Congratulations Longo on getting to go out your way!

NFL QB Hangs It Up

There's now one less weapon in the NFC South that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to worry about next season. Announced earlier this morning, Saints quarterback Derek Carr has announced his retirement from the NFL, after eleven seasons in the league.

According to the reports, as first reported by ESPN, New Orleans said that Carr had a labral tear and degenerative rotator cuff damage to his throwing shoulder that was discovered in late March. This was found after he had ramped up throwing to prepare for the season. Carr had not thrown significantly since he fractured his non-throwing hand during a game against the New York Giants in December, the team said.

This was the statement that Carr made in regards to retirement: "Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with [wife] Heather, I've decided to retire from the National Football League. For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. It's difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us."

Carr began his career as a second round pick, 36th overall, by the Raiders in 2014. He played with the team in Oakland and Las Vegas from 2014 through 2022. Then he spent the last two years in New Orlans with the Saints. He twice guided the Raiders to the playoffs, going 12-3 in 2016 before getting hurt, and then again going 1`0-7 in 2021. Both were quick playoff exits. Carr still had two years left on a four year deal with $150 Million that he signed with New Orleans in 2023. In his two seasons with the Saints, Carr threw for 6,023 yards, 40 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 27 games. During his time with the Raiders, Carr had solid numbers. He threw for 35,222 yards, 257 TDs and 112 INTs, while being named to four Pro Bowls and finishing third in MVP voting during the 2016 season. He threw for over 4,000 yards four times during his NFL career, reaching a career-high of 4,804 in 2021, and finished just under the 4,000-yard mark two additional times.

It does suck to see Carr career end the way that it did, but health is more important than anything.

Now I know what you're thinking. How does this affect the Bucs? Well it means that there's one less threatening weapon to deal with out of the NFC South. Heading into camp this summer, the only QB's listed on the Saints depth charts are Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler. Sure, the Saints do still have weapons at the skill positions, but if they don't have a capable QB under center to get those weapons the ball, then what is it going to matter. Sure the Saints could be decent, but they will be down near Carolina at the bottom of the NFC this year. Atlanta still remans a major threat to the Bucs for the NFC south crown.

Stanley Cup Round Two

Round two has arrived in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We are now down to eight clubs left fighting for the Cup! We got all divisional matchups in the 2nd round. Can Toronto or Carolina get over the hump? Can Florida go back to the Conference final for the 3rd year in a row? Can Winnipeg go any further? Can Edmonton make it back for the 2nd year in a row? We will find all this out in the next two weeks.

Here's how we see round two going down.

Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes
Teams split the four meetings during the regular season, so this is going to be a very tight series. This will be the most even of the two matchups in the East. Washington had as easy a trip to get to the 2nd round, and so too did Carolina. Goaltending for both teams looked a tad shaky at times during the season. I trust the Hurricanes with the depth they have in net just a little more. Logan Thompson got hurt in game three, and Charlie Lindgren had to finish the series. He did a fine job, but this is a totally different animal facing the Canes. The depth are about even here, which is why this series is a little tough to pick.

Pick: Hurricanes in 7!

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers
This is going to be a very telling series. Toronto hasn't gotten out of the 2nd round of the playoffs since 2002. There's always going to be that hanging over the Leafs head. They haven't won a cup or played in the finals since 1967. That's not going to change this year. Too many holes in the top heavy team to overcome. And still hold questions in net. Florida is a deeper and better overall hockey team. Not saying its going to be easy, the Leafs will be a giant pest all series.

Pick: Panthers in 6!

Winnipeg Jets vs Dallas Stars
Both these teams are coming off very hard fought series in the last round. Sure, Winnipeg won three of the four meetings during the regular season, this is a totally different animal. And lets be fair, Conor Hellybuck found his groove at the end of game seven. Problem is, he's going up against Jake Ottinger, who's been the better of the two goalies in the playoffs. Both teams can score, but with how well Dallas played in that last series against Colorado, I have a little more faith in the Stars offense.

Pick: Stars in 6!

Vegas Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers
We all know that the Oilers have the two best players in the game. And its going to be a much tougher test for the Oilers to get back to the finals again this year. This may be the weakest series in terms of goaltending. Edmonton had trouble with their nets in the past, but last year they got it together and got within one win of the finals. Not this year. They look weaker than they did a year ago. Vegas has an edge with a more balanced roster here than the Oilers do

Pick: Golden Knights in 6!

NFL Legend Passes

Da Bears! When you hear that, a lot of images and players come to mind. One of the biggest ones is the 1985 Bears. They are considered one of the greatest NFL teams ever assembled. One of the members of that feared team was Steven McMichael, aka Mongo. He was a famed member of that 46 defense the Bears employed. Mongo passed away at the age of 67 after a battle with ALS.

From 1984 to 1991, Mongo played in 207 games, including 191 straight. His first year was in New England, followed by 13 with Chicago, and one final year in Green Bay. When all was said and done, Mongo finished with 849 tackles, 95 sacks, 3 safeties, 16 forced fumbles and three interceptions. According to former Bears coach Mike Ditka, Mongo was the toughest player that he ever coached.

Mongo was inducted into the football hall of fame in 2024.

When his playing career ended, Mongo had a second run in the spotlight, this time in the world of pro wrestling. He wrestled from 1995 to 1999, most of that time spent in WCW.

During his career Mongo left a legacy that few can match. One of the best lines ever said about Mongo came from Jim Porter, who was the president and CEO of the football hall of fame.

"Everyone who played with or against Steve shares the same opinion: No one battled longer or harder from the snap until the whistle than Steve the player. ... And the love his teammates showed him throughout this difficult journey says everything about Steve the man."

Stanley Cup Round One

The time has finally come. We started this journey back in October with 32 teams all vying for the same thing. A shot at the Stanley Cup, the richest prize in all of hockey. Now here we are, with 16 teams left standing.

There's some big questions coming into the playoffs this year. Can the Panthers repeat? Will somebody emerge from the East that doesn't play in the state of Florida? Will a Canadian team finally break the country's cup drought? All this and more will be answered in the coming weeks.

For now, the first round is here and here's how we see it going down.

Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens
Washington has been the best team in the East most of the year, which comes as a huge surprise to some around the league. The Caps have had a lethal offense most of the year. The Caps cruised to 51 wins and having Alex Ovechkin break the goal scoring record. Oh and he did it while missing five weeks due to injury. As for Montreal, they weren't expected to be here. They were and are in a rebuilding youth movement. They shocked a few people by getting here, but that's where it ends. They are a young team, with a goal differential that's going to kill them. Youth maybe good and throw in a surprise in this round. At the end of the day the Caps skill and experience will win out.

Pick: Capitals in 5!

Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils
I had more faith in the Devils at the outset of the season, because they were good and got off to a good start. Then injuries and poor play crept in and they have slipped. Facts are losing Jack Hughes to injury for the rest of the year is starting to show how much its hurting the Devils. To be fair, Carolina doesn't have all that much depth either in the scoring department. Goaltending hasn't been sparkling from either netminder in Carolina either. Expect this to be a sloppy, low scoring series. End of the day, Carolina has a little more depth to it than Jersey does. It'll be enough to get them on to the next round.

Pick: Hurricanes in 6!

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators
Bragging rights in the Battle of Ontario! Plenty of star power on both sides of the ledger here in this series. One of the biggest factors here is going to come down to experience. Ottawa is behind the eight ball here in that regards. Most of the Sens roster hasn't suited up yet for this time of year, and we all know playoff hockey is a way different animal than what happens during the regular season.

Pick: Leafs in 5!

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers
This series has us with the Battle of Florida! It a matchup of the last five Eastern Conference Champions and what will be a highly entertaining and very even series. Two outstanding netminders square off again in this series with Vasilevskiy taking on Bobrovsky. Scoring depth there is evident on both teams, at least out of their top six forwards. Here's one thing that concerns me for the Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk been out hurt since the four nations tournament. Aaron Ekblad is coming off a suspension that's almost over. Nothing against the defending champions, but this isn't going to help their odds at repeating. The Bolts have the top scorer in the league in Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning have depth a little more than the Panthers do and that's going to be a difference in this series.

Pick: Lightning in 6!

Winnipeg Jets vs St Louis Blues
Can the Jets do something that hasn't been done since 2013? That was the last time the President's Trophy winners went on to win the Cup. This would be a good stepping stone to be able to do that. They got the best goalie in the league this year in Connor Hellybuck. They have a well balanced and formidable offensive attack. Here's where it gets tricky, as they are playing one of the hottest teams on the planet. The Blues won 13 of their last 16 games to make the playoffs. At this time of year, you not only have to be good, it helps to be hot too. We've seen teams get hot at the right time and go on deep, unexpected playoff runs. I just have this feeling going into this series that its going to be the overall game that wins out here.

Pick: Jets in 6!

Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars
This could be the most even matchup of the entire first round of the playoffs. Dallas went all in going after Mikko Rantanen, adding him to one of the deepest teams in the NHL. But here's where I give the Avalanche the advantage. They already had a good team. Now they go out and get Brock Nelson at the deadline. Oh and they get Gabe Landeskog back for the first time in two years. This is going to be an all out war of a series but at the end of the day, Colorado has a bit more depth to it.

Pick: Avalanche in 7!

Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild
There was some excitement coming out of Minnesota, considering how good a start the Wild got off to. Problem is, they haven't looked anywhere near that kind of team since then. That's not to take away from anything that the Wild have done this year, they still a very good team. But they going up against a Vegas team who very much looks like a cup contender this year.. Look at the year that Jack Eichel has had. He's kept his hot play up from last years postseason. Sure, one could argue that there could be a question in the Vegas nets. At least in this round they can get by with it. Hopefully the opening round will help the netminders get their game in order for what's to come going forward in the playoffs.

Pick: Golden Knights in 5!

Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers
For the fourth straight year, we get to do this again with Los Angeles and Edmonton. It has gone the way of the Oilers each of the last three seasons. Conor and Leon are two of the very best in the world and they both had seasons to back that up again this year. Even though Connor did miss some time with injuries. That's going to play a factor in this season. There's more faith in the health and depth of the Kings this year going into this series. This is going to be a battle all series and will go the distance, but the dragon will finally get slayed.

Pick: Kings in 7!

Best Of The Showcase Of The Immortals

The weekend has arrived for us wrestling fans. The biggest weekend in fact. The Showcase of the Immortals is here. Wrestlemania 41 has arrived. We had to do a little digging for this list but here it is.

What caused a match to get put on this list? A couple factors went into it. Quality of the match, of course. There's also some level of historical significance in the grand scheme of the business. Or the match itself was just a fun watch.

So with that being factored in, here's the 41 greatest matches in Mania history.

41. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (Mania 1)
40. AJ Styles vs Undertaker in a Boneyard Match (Mania 36)
39. Goldut vs Rowdy Roddy Piper Hollywood Backlot Brawl (Mania 12)
38. Money in The Bank Ladder Match (Mania 24)
37. Macho Man Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior (Mania 8)
36. Cody Rhodes vs Roman Regins (Mania 40)
35. Bianca Belair vs Sasha Banks (Mania 37)
34. Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels (Mania 23)
33. John Cena vs Shawn Michaels (Mania 23)
32. Batista vs Triple H (Mania 21)
31. Undertaker vs Kane (Mania 14)
30. Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels (Mania 12)
29.  Dudleys vs Hardys vs Edge and Christian (Mania 2000)
28. Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan (Mania 35)
27. Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins (Mania 31)
26. The Rock vs John Cena (Mania 28)
25. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs The Usos (Mania 39)
24. Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior (Mania 6)
23. Edge vs Mick Foley (Mania 22)
22. Rhonda Rousey vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair (Mania 35)
21. Undertaker vs CM Punk (Mania 29)
20. The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (Mania 17)
19. Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair (Mania 39)
18. Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (Mania 19)
17. Money in The Bank Ladder Match (Mania 21)
16. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels (Mania 14)
15. Kurt Angle vs Eddie Gurerrero (Mania 20)
14. Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho (Mania 18)
13. Bret Hart vs Rowdy Roddy Pieper (Mania 8)
12. GUNTHER vs Drew McIntyre vs Sheamus (Mania 38)
11. Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit (Mania 20)
10. Daniel Bryan vs Batista vs Randy Orton (Mania 30)
9. Bret Hart vs Owen Hart (Mania 10)
8. The Rock vs Hulk Hogan (Mania 18)
7. Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz vs Edge and Christian (Mania 17)
6. Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (Mania 10)
5. Kurt Angel vs Shawn Michaels (Mania 21)
4. Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat (Mania 3)
3. Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (Mania 13)
2. Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (Mania 26)
1. Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (Mania 25)

The Greatest Of Them All

The National Hockey League has had a number of great goal scorers in history. Gretzky, Lemieux, Hull, Howe, Jagr, and so many more. But now, there's one name that stands alone on the top of that list.

Alexander Ovechkin!

Against the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon, Alex Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky with his 895 career goal, the most in the history of the game.

The man they call the Great Eight joined the Capitals the age of 20 in 2005 and has stayed in DC ever since. And he has done it all in this game. Ovie has scored 30 or more goals in every season he has been in the league, except for the covid short year of 2021 where he scored 24 goals.

He's had eight season of 50 or more goals, one of which was a 60 goal season. He won the goal scoring title seven times, one league scoring title, a Calder, a Hart, and a Stanley Cup. There's just more to it than that with Ovechkin. Oh yeah, and Ovechkin has more power play goals (324) and game winning goals (136) than anybody else in history. And those numbers will continue to grow the more he plays.

Ovechkin doesn't look like he's slowing down. That man has a nose for the net that few men in the history of this game have. He has a rocket of a shot, and has the bull in a China shop mentality. He will run you over to get to a puck and then get to the net. Not in the same way as like a Cam Neely or a Wendall Clark, but he has no problem throwing his weight around. He's a goal scorer more than a power forward.

Ovie also has so many different ways to beat you. Wrist shot, backhand, slapper, deke, he can do it all to beat a goaltender. Hell he'd shoot it right through a goalie if he could in order to be able to put the pick in the back of the net. He can do it so many different ways and raise the game of those playing around him.

Congratulations to Alex Ovechkin, the new goal scoring king in the National Hockey League!

2025 MLB Season Preview

The time has finally arrived. WE are now set to start a six month regular season journey that covers 162 games. At the end of the tunnel is fall ball. A World Series title is the prize waiting at the end of the journey. Everybody has the same goal, but some are better equipped for it than others.

There's going to be questions going into the season that came up and in a big way this winter. Can Soto be worth the contract the Mets gave him? Can the Dodgers and Yankees repeat from last season? Will new teams emerge from the Central divisions in both leagues to challenge the top dogs? Can anybody wrestle the NL West away from the Dodgers? We will have all the answers to those questions and more as the spring and summer roll along.

Here's how we see the 2025 MLB season playing out.

American League:
AL East:
1. Baltimore Orioles (92-70)*
2. New York Yankees (87-75) (WC)*
3. Toronto Blue Jays (85-77) (WC)*
4. Boston Red Sox (83-79)
5. Tampa Bay Rays (82-80)

Things looked a little different from where I was originally going to go here with picking this division. Facts are that the two best teams in the AL East reside in the Bronx and Baltimore. Reason that the Orioles get the nod is due to health. Henderson might miss opening day but will be healthy most of the year, as is the expectation for Adley Rutschman. The O's have probably the most balanced pitching staff in not only the East, I'll go so far as to say the entire AL at this point. i would have put the Yankees right up there with them, but there's one problem. Injuries. They lost two of their main starters, Lucas Gil and Garret Cole, for a big chunk of time this season (Cole's out for the year). Still there's enough talent in the lineup in the Bronx to be able to get into the post season. For the Blue Jays, I'm sure the Vlad Guerrero contract is going to be weighing on their minds as the summer rolls along. Even with that, there's expectations for Vladdy to have a huge year and power this team once again. Right behind them are going to be the Red Sox, who got much better by adding Alex Bregman late in the offseason. There's plenty of offensive upside to keep Boston in the mix, but what has them holding back a little is going to be pitching. Which is going to be a reversal of fortune of sorts for the Rays this summer. Tampa has the arms to be able to keep them in a lot of games this year, but the bats are what scares me. If the biggest offseason acquisition is Danny Jensen behind the plate (which is a good pickup) is the biggest punch added, that's gonna lead to a last place finish in Tampa.

AL Central:
1. Detroit Tigers (86-76)*
2. Kansas City Royals (84-78)
3. Cleveland Guardians (82-80)
4. Minnesota Twins (80-82)
5. Chicago White Sox (52-110)

You got a solid top three pitching staff for the Tigers, with Tank Skubal set up to have another big season. He's got solid help behind him in Flaherty and Olsen. Detroit has some offensive punch to it, with Greene and Carpenter heading the charge in the heart of the order. The biggest threat to what's going on in the motor city is going to be in the shape of the Royals. Kansas City has the starting staff, which is topped off by Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. They will be able to compete with the top teams in not only this division, but in the entire AL. To go along with said pitching, the Royals offense is deep and balanced, lead by Salvatore Perez. They have the talent here to not only challenge for the division title, but keep pace in the wild card race in this league. Right behind them are the Guardians, who have won the division twice in the last three season. This year, Cleveland takes a slight step backwards. They still have a good, top heavy lineup. But its the depth in that batting order that may cause Cleveland to start taking a step backwards this season, even if it is a slight one. Now for the Twins, you finished just above .500 last year. This year the same result might not happen. Sure, they still have Correa and Buxton, but not much real protection for the two of them in their lineup. The pitching is average at best in Minnesota. You can't get any worse than what the White Sox did a season ago. They still a very bad team in Chicago, even with adding Austin Slater. They may miss Andrew Benintendi for a little at the start of the year, but him and Slater are expected to be the face of this bad team.

AL West:
1. Texas Rangers (87-75)*
2. Houston Astros (85-78) (WC)*
3. Seattle Mariners (84-79)
4. Athletics (78-84)
5. Los Angeles Angels (70-92)

For the first time in ten years, the Rangers will lay claim to the best team in the West. A year after finishing under .500, Texas is going to surprise quite a few people and walk away with the crown. Why? They got Jacob deGrom at the top of the rotation along with Nathan Evoldi, they got a hell of a one two at the top of the rotation. With Simian and Seager as the table setters, and Garcia and Jung there to knock them in, it going to be tough to beat. The team that's going to be hot on their heels is going to be the Astros. You can make all the arguments you want on Houston, but the facts are, they are still a very good team. Pitching might keep them a step or two behind the Rangers in this division as its not as deep. But my goodness can this team hit. They got Altuve, Parades and Alverez at the top and a solid lineup behind them. Those guys are going to be tough to try and get out. And not to take anything away from the other really solid team in this division, the Mariners. Seattle is going to get a full season of Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena tag teaming in that outfield. But will they have enough offense to be able to keep pace with a solid pitching staff? This one is still weird to say that they area just the Athletics for the next couple of seasons. While they are getting ready to move to the park in a few years, the A's are trying to get a competitive team on the field and they got a decent team here now. Brent Rooker is healthy and expected to carry the offense. Pitching is the big story here. By adding Louis Sevirino, it shows the A's are going to make steps. The same thing, at least it looks that way, are trying to be made with the Angels as well. Offense on Anaheim is still built around Mike Trout if he can actually play a full season. He's done that only once in the last five years, so they need him to stay on the field and produce if they want to have a chance to stay reverent here.

National League:
NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies (91-71)*
2. New York Mets (90-72 (WC)*
3. Atlanta Braves (89-73) (WC)*
4. Washington Nationals (73-89)
5. Miami Marlins (63-99)

For the second year in a row, the NL East crown will reside with the Phillies. They have a solid lineup all the way through it, with Bryce Harper still at the heart of it. Trying to decide who's going to hit leadoff is a mystery, but one thing is for sure. Kyle Schwarber needs to cut down on his strikeouts. What's going to keep Philadelphia at the top of this division is the pitching staff. They got a solid five man rotation that compete with most in the NL. Right behind them are the Mets, who are looking to build off last seasons success. To try and improve things, Alonso was brought back and the biggest one of all is signing of Juan Soto. For what he's been paid, he had better deliver. The only thing holding New York back is not having Jeff McNeil or Brett Baty at the start of the year cause of injury. But still there's decent enough bats to keep them in the mix again this season. Only thing holding the team back from passing the Phillies would be pitching. Just don't feel that starters are gonna hang as well as they could. Right behind them are going to be the Braves, who are coming off an injury plagued season last year. With Ozuna, Olsen and Albes in the middle of that lineup, Atlanta has the potential to be good again this year. They could get Spencer Strider back late in April, but Max Freid isn't there anymore and that's what holds Atlanta back from finishing higher. Last season, nobody in the NL hit fewer home runs than the Nationals. So they brought in Josh Bell and Nathanial Lowe to help improve those numbers. With CJ Abrams still at the top of the lineup, Washington has a few pieces that might be worth building around. The pitching staff seems alright, but it won't be enough to be able to really compete with the three teams ahead of them this season. Closing out this division this year will be the Marlins. Having Sandy Alacantra at the hope of the rotation in Miami gives the team hope for its future with pitching. They just need to really be able to build around him. Xavier Edwards shows some promise at the top of the batting order, but lets be real here. With the talent on the other clubs in this division, the Marlins are going to be in the basement of the East again.

NL Central:
1. Milwaukee Brewers (86-76)*
2. Chicago Cubs (83-79)
3. Cincinnati Reds (81-81)
4. St Louis Cardinals (76-86)
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (74-88)

There had been some debate as to who might come out of this division. At the end of the day its only one team, and that's going to be the Brewers. They have a solid lineup, lead by Yellich and Hoskins right in the middle of things. They can hit and field really well in Milwaukee. What leaves a little to be desired for me is that pitching staff. Can it hold up not only over a long season but going into as the playoffs as well. The only team that is really a contender to them this year is going to be the Cubs. On paper, the boys from Chicago have the offensive ability to be able to hang with Milwaukee for the division title. With Happ, Tucker and Suzuki setting the table, Chicago might be able to push enough runs across. Chicago has a decent one two punch at the top of its rotation in Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon, but behind them makes me a little nervous. Right behind them are the Reds, who are a very interesting case. They have one of the most dynamic young players in the sport in Elly De La Cruz, who's no doubt going to be built around in Cincinnati. Him and Austin Hayes right in the middle of the lineup will provide plenty of excitement. They have them there, now just be able to really build around them. Pitching is decent but not enough to get them above .500. As for the Cardinals, the team seems to be continuing a slide down in the standings. For the time being, St Louis still has Nolan Arenado in the middle of things. Will he be there still by the end of the season is up in the air. There's really no plan in place it looks like, to get a new face of the team to start building around. It feels like its been forever that the rebuild started for the Pirates, yet here we still are. Pittsburgh has two major pieces on their pitching staff to really build around in Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. O'Neil Cruz has shown some potential to be a very good everyday player that they can build around, but they not close to being ready yet.

NL West:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (100-62)*
2. San Diego Padres (87-75) (WC)*
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (86-76)
4. San Francisco Giants (82-80)
5. Colorado Rockies (61-101)

Another year, another division title for the Dodgers in the West. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that the defending world champions are going to go on another deep run. The pitching staff got better by adding Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. The Los Angeles offense is the most loaded in all of the game of baseball. It will end with a 4th straight division title. As for the other playoff team to come out of the West, that distinction will go to the Padres. San Diego finished in a playoff spot a season ago, and there isn't anything that's going to stop that again this year. They have the best overall hitter in the game in Luis Arraez,. And with the talent hitting behind in Tatis Jr, Machado, Merrill, and Bogaerts, this team is going to be really good. San Diego has the offense that might be able to hang with LA this year. Only thing that could hold it back is the pitching staff. King and Cease are really good, and Pivetta has some upside. After that, they fall behind LA. Now you look at at team like the Diamondbacks, they have a team that could make a lot of noise in the wild card picture. The top of the Arizona rotation, which is Gallen, Burns and Kelly are going to be solid to go up against. There's plenty of flexability in that offensive lineup where Torey Lovullo can change it up any night and it can still be very productive. Just finishing above .500 this season are going to be the Giants. Pitching in San Francisco could be decent with Webb and Ray at the top and Verlander providing a decent third starter. What's going to really tell the tail on the Bay this season is Willy Adames. He got a massive payday from the Giants and they are expecting big things from him. Can they really have the right mix around him to stay in the hunt. Finally, the Rockies are going to be bringing up the rear again this season. Look, Freeland is a solid ace at the top of the rotation, you can't deny that. The depth behind him you can. Tovar and Bryant in the middle of the lineup is good, but there's nothing else behind them. Looks like its gearing up to be yet another long season of baseball in Colorado.

Boxing Great Passes

When the discussion of Boxing comes up, everybody has an opinion of who the greatest fighters are in the history of the sport. Who's at the top of the list is different for everybody. One thing is for sure. The name George Foreman is usually in discussion for a top five fighter ever. The big guy was not only a great fighter, but made a name for himself outside of the ring as well. He was one of the greatest ever, and the world lost a good on. Earlier this week, at the age of 76, Big George Foreman passed away.

Cause of his death has yet to come out.

There's a lot that can be talked about with what he did in the ring. A career that started in the ring in 1969 and went all the way to his last pro fight in 1997, George had done it all. He had a 76-5 lifetime fight record, including winning the world title twice. The more famous battles were against the likes of Ken Norton, Joe Frasier and of course Mohammad Ali. The list of his in ring accomplishments are too numerous to really list here. Plus if your a sports fan in general, you already know what that name carries for his exploits in the ring. They really are the stuff of legend.

It's also what Big George was able to do away from the ring that makes him great. The biggest thing is the lean, mean, fat reducing, grilling machine that bears his name. According to some reports, George made more money off the endorsing of the grill than he ever did during his boxing career. He was also known for his work in the church. George turned to religion after a health scare following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977. That is partially what lead to his first retirement that year. His charity work as well away from the ring left a big impact on the community in which he lived and served.

George was married five times and had 12 children.

It's March, It's Pure Madness

It's Time! March Madness has arrived. 64 of the best teams in College Basketball all fighting for the same goal, a national championship. All this is going to lead to a crazy month of upsets and more in a fantastic stretch of basketball. So Here's some of what you need to know going into the tournament.

If your a fan of SEC basketball, then this is your year, as the conference is sending FOURTEEN teams. That broke the Big East record of 11 set in 2011. So that has the best odds of a conference winning a title. But they aren't the only conference with multiple schools in the dance. Big Ten sent eight schools, Big 12 sent seven schools,  Big East sent five, the ACC and Mountain West sent four schools and the West Coast sent two schools. Every other conference sent one school for the dance.

If you got a #1 seed, getting to the elite eight isn't a lock. All four #1 seeds have made the elite eight just once in the last fourteen years. So if your Duke, Florida, Auburn and Houston, you got your work cut out for you this tournament. There's only one time in the history of this tournament that an elite eight has not had a #1 seed, that was back in 2023. For the final four, 2008 was the ONLY year, which is really hard to believe, that all four of the top seeds made it that far.

How confident are you in who going into this dance. Well, out of the top seeds, the one I have the MOST confidence in going into this is Duke making it to at least the final four. There's nobody in that East region with Duke that, at least on paper, scares me as being the team to knock them off. Alabama maybe the closest team to challenge them out of there, but even that might be pushing it,

Of the other three top seeds, Houston is the one I have the least faith in to come out of their region. Why? Because both Tennessee, Kentucky and maybe Clemson seem like they have the best odds to knock off Houston to come out of the Midwest. The other two schools I could really see throwing a monkey wrench in the top seeds plans, would be St Johns in the West and maybe Michigan State in the South.

These are just some thoughts to look at as we get ready for the dance. Final four from where I set are as follows: Duke, St Johns, Auburn and Tennessee. National Championship game will be Duke taking down St Johns.

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?