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  • Thoughts on the 2026 Daytona 500

    Tyler Reddick on pit road in a past race, Reddick won the 2026 Daytona 500 on the final lap CC: Wikimedia Commons

    The 68th running of the Daytona 500 has come and gone and for a longtime Nascar fan who is a Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott fan. I definitely have mixed emotions about the event. So I want to spew my thoughts out below.

    1. The finish continued a streak of fluky finishes

    To win the Daytona 500, you need a little but of luck on your side. That has been proven true in every single running of the 68 Daytona 500’s. But since 2020, the winner either evaded a last lap crash to win or caught a lucky caution at the time right before he got passed. Today was no difference, Carson Hocevar was wrecked from the lead, allowing Reddick and a few others to skirt on by. Reddick then got a push in 3rd from teammate Riley Herbst to blow past Zane Smith and leader Chase Elliott to come to the line first. Reddick also got aided by a bad block from Herbst taking out Elliott and Brad Keselowski who was coming with a full head of steam to make it to the line first. The finish just added to a streak where it was all about getting all the breaks as the seas part.

    2. Fuel Mileage was fun (To a point)

    Strategy is a part of racing, especially in this race. An example of this race is the 2017 race where fuel mileage came to play and burned multiple drivers. But today took it to the extreme and in my opinion ruined part of the finish. Pit stops started around 30-20 laps ish to go and for about that whole sequence, the Toyotas led by Bubba Wallace, Christopher bell, and Corey Heim led the pack and slowed the pace down causing a 3 by 3 traffic jam, which as a fan was hard to watch. When pit stops finally started, the teams in my opinion gave themselves almost no time to be able to re stack the field and get competitive. Because once they did, there was about 10 to go and immediate urgency set in. It doesn’t make sense to watch when you knew that they were just wasting those laps.

    3. I did like the mix of names that led this race

    Part of the magic of restrictor plate racing is the fact that we see drivers who usually on a week by week basis that aren’t contenders contend. Today was no different, a lot of unfamiliar faces were up at the front today. Cody Ware in the Rick Ware Racing #51 got up there and led some laps today and before a bad block took him out of the race, Justin Allgaier in the JR Motorsports #40 was leading and had himself in contention. Zane Smith in the Front Row Racing #38 won the first stage and almost won the race being in second on the final lap. I hope that nascar fixes the package itself, but I never want that magic of drivers who might not be a true competitor on a week to week basis be up there.

    4. Nascar made the right call to move the race up early

    The race was moved up by an hour due to a threat of storms late in the day for Daytona Beach. It ended up being the right call as after the race ended, it started to storm over Daytona International Speedway. Albeit it was a little bit after the race ended along with the post race media session’s but Nascar’s call might have saved the Daytona 500 from continuing a streak of rain delayed races. Many fans on social media which are also feelings from myself also noted how the aura difference of the finish felt like the past 500’s when almost every 500 would finish in the daytime/sunset hours. Compared to the last few years dating back to 2017 when it ended under the lights.

    5. Overall, was a solid 500 just wish some things were different

    This 500 was a fun race for most of it, the mix of names leading and the unpredictability was fun. At the very least as a fan, Tyler Reddick being the one to take it from Chase is at least keeping me happy still awfully heartbroken for the 9 team but ecstatic for the 45 team. This is also a huge win for 23XI as both of their main drivers now have Crown Jewel wins (Bubba Wallace, 2025 Brickyard 400). The fuel situation and the predictability of another crash filled ending was a buzzkill. Gone are the days of being able to control the race on the final lap like Jimmie Johnson did in 2013 or Dale Jr the next year. Elliott literally got penalized for being first place coming off of turn four, it was always going to come down to the 45 and 35. But give credit to Tyler, he never gave up and kept his foot in the gas and got redemption from being so close last year.

  • UW Oshkosh Volleyball sweeps WIAC and NCAA regional

    Volleyball’s NCAA tournament run

    The UW Oshkosh Volleyball team clinched its third straight  Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season Title with a win over UW-Eau Claire in the regular season finale for both teams on Nov. 7, the Titans beat the Blugolds 3-1 and finished the season with a 31-3 regular season record with a 7-0 conference record . The Titans went into the 2025 WIAC tournament with the one seed for the third straight year where UWO took care of the No. 4 seed UW-Whitewater Warhawks with a 3 to nothing sweep in the semifinal round. Then, in a rematch from the regular season finale against Eau Claire. The Titans had to come back from a two to zero deficit to defeat the Blugolds in the championship and claim its first conference tournament title since 2008 after its third straight try to do so.  The tournament championship not only clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the Titans, but allowed the team to host a regional for the second time in the past three years at Kolf Sports Center.

    Similar to the last time when UWO hosted in 2023. The Titans opened up with Greenville University from Illinois, also like 2023, UWO swept Greenville in the opening round. But this year it wasn’t without a fight, the Titans survived the first set winning 25-23 over the Panthers after Grace Juergens got the winning kill. Following the first frame, UWO settled in winning sets 2 and 3 handedly with scores of 25-12 and 25-18 to advance to its third straight appearance in the second round. Sami Perlberg led the way in the win over the Panthers with 12 kills and 13 aces. Borrowman recorded four aces on the night, Izzy Coon led with 22 kills and Callie Panasuk led the team in digs with 16. 

    The Titans faced the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties from Minnesota in the round. UWO beat the Gusties 3-0 behind 12 kills from Perlberg. Like the Greenville match, set one was the closest set of the day for the Titans as UWO won it 25-20 after the set was closed out by two kills from Juergens on a 3-0 run. A 9-3 lead in set two allowed the Titans to cruise to a 25-17 set two win that was completed behind two kills from Perlberg and a kill from Lauren Grier. The third and final set was close for the beginning until a 7-2 run by the Titans turned a 10-10 tie into a 17-12 UWO lead. From there UWO cruised to another 25-17 set win to close out another sweep to advance to the Sweet 16 round in a rematch of the Sept. 5 meeting against Wash U of St. Louis. Perlberg once again led with a high of 12 kills and 1 ace. Coon and Jaclyn Dutkiewicz each had the team high in assists with 15 respective kills and Panasuk once again had the lead with 21 digs.UWO held down the top defense and top scoring offense in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in Gustavus down. “Our gameplan is to just do us and do what we need to do,” Juergens said when talking about the gameplan against the Gusties. 

    In the rematch against Wash U. UWO swept the Bears 3-0 with set scores of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-20. To win its third straight regional and advance to the Elite Eight round for the third straight year. A 15 kill performance from Juergens got her the team high on the night. Borrowman led with three aces, Grier and Hannah Moe each tied for the team lead in blocks with four respectively. Coon led the team on the night with 20 assists and Panasuk once again led with 18 digs. 

    Coach Jon Ellmann credits the team’s ability to stick together on how they were able to improve and get better throughout the regional. “We are this diverse group of 25 women and our coaching staff, there are so many mini microstories that help us find success,” Ellmann said. 

    The Sweet 16 win was another check to a season where UWO swept both the WIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships. Although the Tournament championship being added onto a third straight WIAC regular season and NCAA Regional Championship is something that Coach Ellmann realizes is hard to do. Ellmann realizes that this time in the Elite Eight, there is more to be accomplished this time.

    “(In 2023) when we ended the season with a Regional Trophy and a Conference Regular season championship trophy, we realized as a staff the next year that is hard to do,” Ellmann said. “To have the same two trophies sitting in our locker room, there is an awareness that we did this special thing twice in a row but there is a severe hunger to do more.” 

    The Titans are hoping to avenge losses in the elite eight in 2023 and 2024 Titans will play against Calvin University from Michigan at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois. You can catch the Titans game against Calvin on Wed. Dec 2 at 2 pm. The game will be streamed on ESPN +.

  • Why you should watch all three NFL Thanksgiving games today

    Lions run against the packers in the 2007 Thanksgiving game Wiki Commons

    This Thanksgiving Thursday in 2025, the three NFL games that will happen on thanksgiving is a loaded slate. There are reasons why you should settle in your living room with your friends and family and enjoy football all day with your Turkey, Mac and Cheese and whatever else you like.

    Packers (7-3-1) at Lions (7-4), 12 pm CT FOX

    For the second time in the last 3 years, the Packers will be the Lions opponent on Thanksgiving day (2023). Green Bay also looks to earn its second straight win on Thanksgiving at Detroit when they beat the Lions 29-22 in ’23. Unlike that 2023 matchup when the Packers were simply trying to start a run to the postseason, this matchup is potentially for the NFC North. Can the Lions get a big win to pass the Packers in the standings, or can Green Bay get its first sweep over the Lions since 2020 and set up a massive matchup against Chicago next week.

    Chiefs (6-5) at Cowboys (5-5-1), 3:30 pm CT CBS

    After the big comeback win from down 21-0 against the rival Philadelphia Eagles. The Dallas Cowboys welcome in Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for a massive game that has Playoff implications on the line. As of now, KC sits one game below the playoffs and Dallas is 2 below. Two of the biggest teams in the league are currently out and desperately need this one to simply stay alive in the playoffs.

    Bengals (3-8) at Ravens (6-5), 7:20 pm CT NBC

    This one might not have as big of playoff implications as the first two games had but this one is definitely interesting. The upstart Ravens that are surging since QB Lamar Jackson returned now hosts the 3-8 Cincinnati Bengals. However this is one they cannot look past, QB Joe Burrow has been activated off the injured list for the Bengals and will start tonight. Expect some juice to come from the Cincinnati sideline and don’t be shocked if the Bengals make the Ravens sweat.

  • Sunday’s tilt between Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers is one that both teams need for not only playoff hopes but future morale

    View of US Bank Stadium in 2023 during the Packers 33-10 win against Minnesota that season. Nolan Andler

    This Sunday, the first part of the 2025 series between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers will take place at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Of course like usual between these two teams, this game will have major playoff implications as Minnesota is 4-6 and in the hunt and Green Bay is 6-3-1 and currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff and in a tight battle between the Bears and Lions for the NFC North. However, this Sundays game is two teams, two front offices, and two fanbases that are battered and need a spark.

    The Green Bay Packers are 6-3-1 and as stated in a tight battle for the NFC North. But since the 2-0 start when the Packers demolished both the Lions and Commanders, Green Bay has been 4-3-1 since the great start. Green Bay has three wins against the Bengals (currently 3-7), Cardinals ( currently 3-7), and last week against the Giants ( currently 2-9) where the team struggled to beat those games. In Green Bay’s three losses, they were games that you could argue that Green Bay beat themselves. The packers first loss came in ugly fashion via a 13-10 loss at the 2-8 Cleveland Browns in week 3 along with a 16-13 loss at home to the 6-5 Panthers where the Packers had a lot of chances to blow out Carolina all game but blew a lot of redzone chances. Green Bay most recent loss came in a 10-7 loss at home to the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, the Packers defense led by Micah Parsons held the Philly offense and RB Saquon Barkley down all game but the Packer offense couldn’t score on the Eagles as the team’s only score came late in the fourth. Green Bay’s tie came in a 40-40 game in Parson’s homecoming in Dallas on Sept. 28 when the Packers held a 13-0 lead but on their second touchdown a blocked extra point returned for a safety for Dallas ignited the Cowboys and from there neither team could stop each other.

    Green Bay’s struggle has been mostly blamed on the offense and special teams. Especially Head Coach Matt Lafleur who is the offensive play caller and Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. In the Packers three losses, Green Bay lost by 3 points in each game. In the Browns game, Cleveland scored the game winning field goal after the Browns blocked Green Bay’s opportunity and the game winning field goal earlier. Then in the Panthers game, Carolina marched down the field on the final drive to end it with a walkoff field goal. Green Bay had chances to score against the Eagles, but in that game Philly never relinquished the lead. There has been added pressure on QB Jordan Love to also perform better because he is at the helm of this offense and is trying to continue Green Bay’s run of Hall Of Fame Quarterback play.

    The Vikings however have dropped off after their 14-3 season last year. Minnesota saw its 2024 first round draft pick in QB J.J. McCarthy finally be ready to play after missing last season with an injury. Although there were expected growing pains, this season has not gone as smooth as the Vikings might have thought with McCarthy. Minnesota opened up the season with the 27-24 comeback win on week 1 over the Chicago Bears, but immediately followed it up with an ugly 22-6 loss at home the following week to the Atlanta Falcons. McCarthy got hurt again and for the immediate five weeks, the Vikings sent out Carson Wentz to be the QB. Minnesota had a great 48-10 win over Cincinnati in Wentz’s first game along with a 21-17 win in London over the Cleveland Browns. But the three losses were not good under Wentz. The Vikings fell 24-21 against Pittsburgh in the game at Ireland along with a 37-10 blowout loss at the Chargers, Wentz and the Vikings did play the Philadelphia Eagles tough as Philly escaped U.S. Bank Stadium with a 28-22 win but the Vikings and Wentz blew a lot of chances with missed wide open receivers and untimely drops and sacks.

    When McCarthy returned for the game at Detroit on Nov. 2, he led the Vikings to a 27-24 upset win over the Lions at Ford Field for the Vikings first win in Detroit since 2020. But then the last two games against Baltimore and Chicago, McCarthy struggled in both of them as he threw a combined four interceptions in both en route to 27-19 and 19-17 respective losses. Head Coach, Kevin O’Connell who earned a lot of praise for his season last year with Sam Darnold has been taking a lot of heat for struggling with J.J. this season by fans and the media.

    This Sunday’s game between the two teams is one that both need for morale or else it could get really ugly. Vikings desperately need this one to not fall to 4-7 and fall more behind the cutoff for the NFC playoff picture, and while the Packers aren’t necessarily in danger of being eliminated, Green Bay needs this win to keep up for the NFC North and also are trying to break a two game winless streak against the Vikings at Lambeau.

    Minnesota Vikings (4-6) at Green Bay Packers (6-3-1): Nov. 23, 12 pm C.T. FOX

    Game location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay Wisconsin

  • Intriguing College football games: 2025 Week 12

    The 2025 FBS season is in its final stretch of the season, lets look at some of the intriguing games for week 12.

    Minnesota at No. 8 Oregon, 8 pm CT FOX (Friday Night)

    Oregon is coming off of an emotional 18-16 win at Iowa and will now have a short week hosting the Minnesota Golden Gophers coming off of a bye week. All three of Minnesota’s losses have came on the road and now play at another tough place in Autzen Stadium. This is intresting cause the timing for both could be an upset alert game, but Minnesota needs to be competitive on the road which it hasn’t done this season to simply have a shot.

    No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 22 Pitt, 11 am CT abc

    College Gameday will be making a stop at Pat Mcafee’s home, the Pittsburgh Panthers. Notre Dame has rebounded nicely since its 0-2 start to the season and now the Irish get the ACC leading Panthers. This game is definitely Pitt’s toughest test this season so we will see if the Panthers are CFP worthy but we also will see if Notre Dame can pass a road test.

    No. 18 Michigan at Northwestern, 11 am CT FOX

    A very unique game will take place between the Wolverines and Wildcats. Northwestern is always known to be a trap game. But this game will take place at Wrigley Field, Michigan has not been great on the road this year and need to be ready for this one or else the Wildcats can trip them up.

    No. 24 South Florida at Navy, 11 am CT ESPN2

    Navy got crushed last week at Notre Dame. But that doesn’t lower the expectations any bit for this game. American Athletic Conference Championship implications are on the line here along with College Football Playoff implications and the GO5 team.

    No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 4 Alabama, 2:30 pm CT abc

    Oklahoma with its nice road win at Tennessee gets another road test at Alabama after the Sooners just came off a bye. The Tide however have been on a roll like usual, winning eight in a row with four wins over top 25 teams. Alabama gets another try at a top 25 team with the Sooners.

    No. 10 Texas at No. 5 Georgia, 6:30 pm CT abc

    This is one that is real interesting, Georgia obviously swept the Longhorns last season with the dominating win in Austin followed by the OT win in the SEC championship. But the Longhorns behind wins over then No. 6 OU and No. 9 Vandy got itself back in the SEC and CFP race. Texas led by Arch Manning will look to get revenge over the Bulldogs and get a massive win.

  • NFL games to look out for: 2025 week 11

    NFL logo

    In week 11 of the 2025 NFL Season, there are plenty of good games that could shape the Playoff race for both NFC and AFC. Lets take a look at some of this weeks intriguing games.

    Packers (5-3-1) at Giants (2-8), 12 pm CT. FOX

    The Packers once again had another inconsistent game on Monday night’s loss to Philiadelphia. The Green Bay defense had another great performance where the offense had another abysmal performance in a 10-7 loss. This week Green Bay travels to MetLife Stadium to take on a 2-8 Giants team that not only has lost a lot of tough games, but just fired its head coach in Brian Daboll. So, take the Packers easily right? No, Green Bay has struggled this year especially against teams In the Giants shoes. With New York being the home team, with the thought of the players playing hard after the news of Daboll’s firing and Green Bay having a gauntlet coming up after this. Expect New York to make Green Bay sweat and maybe pull off the upset.

    Bears (6-3) at Vikings (4-5), 12 pm CT. FOX

    After a tough 0-2 start which included the heartbreaking week one loss at home to the Vikings. Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the Chicago bears have finally found its grove going 6-1 since that start. Although the Bears have had to escape a lot of those games. In its 6 wins, the lowest that Chicago has scored was 24 points. That is about what you expect for a Ben Johnson offense. Now, the Bears get their second crack at the Vikings. This time to a battered Vikings team that you don’t really know its identity on offense yet. After the big win at Detroit, the Vikings kind of fell down to earth with a 27-19 loss to Baltimore at home. Bears need this win to keep up with the Lions and Packers in the division and the Vikings just simply need to keep playoff hopes alive at this point. A lot to play for with both teams.

    Buccaneers (6-3) at Bills (6-3), 12 pm CT. CBS

    The Buccaneers fell at home to the Drake Maye led New England Patriots, falling to 6-3. Now as a bonus, Tampa Bay gets to travel up to Buffalo to take on the Josh Allen led Bills. Buffalo who is currently a game and a half behind New England needs to keep up with the Bills while the Bucs can’t continue to fall and let its division back in it.

    Chiefs (5-4) at Broncos (8-2), 3:25 pm CT. CBS

    A Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs team is currently below the playoffs? Yes as weird as that sounds, that is true. The Chiefs are currently a game behind the No. 7 seed in Jacksonville. Kansas City who is trying to get back into the Playoffs and also trying to come back in the AFC West travels to Denver to take on the division leader in Denver led by QB Bo Nix. A win for Denver could really put the Chiefs in trouble as KC would then be 5-5 with a loss, it would also keep Denver at least a game ahead of the Chargers in the AFC West.

    Seahawks (7-2) at Rams (7-2), 3:25 pm CT. FOX

    The Two teams in the NFC West that absolutely demolished its west counterparts in San Francisco and Arizona get to face each other. The Seahawks and Rams are not only for the Division lead but there are No. 1 seed implications on the line here as both are tied with Philly for the one seed. With both of these offenses, expect a lot of points in this one.

    Lions (6-3) at Eagles (7-2), 7:20 pm CT. NBC

    Sunday Night Football holds the biggest game of the week. After the tough win over Green Bay, Philadelphia gets to play another top NFC North team in the Lions. Detroit rebounded from the upset to Minnesota with demolishing the Commanders in a 44-22 win. Expect this one to be a very tough low scoring game. Two teams with very similar styles are going against each other. There are No. 1 seed implications on the line for the NFC with this one. Detroit looks to not lose ground in the tight NFC North where Philadelphia looks to continue a stranglehold on the NFC East.

    Cowboys (3-5-1) at Raiders (2-7), 7:15 pm CT. ABC and ESPN (Monday Night)

    Dallas desperately needs this one, the Cowboys who currently are 2.5 below the No. 7 seed play the lowly Raiders on Monday Night before entering a gauntlet. If Dallas cannot beat Las Vegas, then the Cowboys are in trouble with its upcoming schedule.

  • Intriguing College football games today: 2025 week 11

    Indiana now ranked No. 2 in the CFP poll competes against Michigan in 2019

    Similar to NFL, the 2025 College football season has been up and down and shown a lot of parity. So much that the two preseason top two teams are now nowhere near the top 5. Week 11 today has a couple interesting games so I want to look at them

    No. 2 Indiana at Penn State, 11 am CT FOX

    FOX’s big noon features the current No. 2 team at the preseason No. 2. Indiana who has been having a great season can knock off a boogieman in getting a win at Penn State. PSU on the other hand who has been absolutely struggling since the heartbreaker vs Oregon is now sitting at 3-5. PSU gets to welcome in No. 2 Indiana and Fernando Mendoza, the Nittany Lions need the home crowd to come in to pull the upset or it can get even more ugly at Happy Valley for a team that was supposed to be in the mix for the National Championship.

    No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 22 Missouri, 2:30 pm CT abc

    A&M having its best season in a while gets another road test at Missouri. It will not be tough as the Tigers led by QB Beau Pribula is sitting at 6-2 on the season. Mizzou’s two losses however are to Alabama and Vanderbilt who are both ranked so Missouri needs a win against A&M to get in the win column vs top 25 teams.

    No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech, 11 am CT abc

    Easily the biggest game of the day. College Gameday is currently doing their show at Lubbock and this game could be a Big 12 Championship preview. Kalani Sitake has his BYU Cougars sitting at 8-0 but they have their biggest road test of the year at Lubbock the Red Raiders. TTU coach Joey McGuire has his Red Raiders being home to one of the best offenses in the nation. Tech’s offense averages 4,431 yards per game. This is one of the biggest games in Texas Tech since the late 2000’s early 2010’s.

    No. 9 Oregon at No. 20 Iowa, 2:30 pm CT CBS

    An Oregon team that has kinda been floundering a bit with a lack of a resume in wins due to PSU struggling gets a test at a road teams worst nightmare. Kinnick Stadium, Iowa’s offense led by Mark Gronowski has been silently a great offense. In Iowa’s last three games, the Hawkeyes have scored 37,25, and 41 points. The Iowa offense will be tested this afternoon against the Ducks defense but this game being in Iowa City will be advantage Hawkeyes.

    No. 23 Washington at Wisconsin, 3:30 pm CT BTN

    I don’t know why but this one seems like a trap for Washington. Wisconsin found a little bit of defense in a 21-7 loss at Oregon two weeks ago. Now it gets to welcome in the Huskies offense led by QB Demond Williams Jr, RB Jonah Coleman, and WR Denzel Boston. Against the two best defenses it has faced, Washington has struggled. Now, Wisconsin is 2-6 and has been in a lot of turmoil but the Badgers are coming off a bye week and should be playing with energy knowing it cannot afford a loss. If this game is close or Wisconsin pulls off the upset, do not be shocked.

    LSU at 4 Alabama, 6:30 pm CT abc

    With how the LSU Tigers are playing right now, this game should be a blowout. Especially with it being at Tuscaloosa. However, this rivalry has shown that you need to expect anything. This will be the Tigers first game without head coach Brian Kelley after his firing. Expect the Tigers to come out with fire this game. LSU has also been tested on the road this season so this one could be close. At least for a little bit.

  • NFL games to look out for: 2025 week 10

    In the tenth week of the 2025 NFL season. There is a plethora of games that could be a difference in the 2025-26 playoff picture. Let’s look at some of them.

    Ravens (3-5) at Vikings (4-4), 12 pm CT FOX

    Two teams that were playoff teams in 2024 got off to rough starts in 2025. But now both have seen their respective QB’s in Lamar Jackson and J.J. McCarthy return. So the future for the rest of the season is once again looking positive for both Baltimore and Minnesota. This Sunday, the matchup between the two is a must win for both as both desperately need wins to get out of the bottom and get back up to the top of the NFL.

    Browns (2-6) at Jets (1-7), 12 pm CT CBS

    This game isn’t big in the playoff picture. But in terms of who will be the no. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, this game is as big as it can get. Two teams that have absolutely struggled when they should be at the top era of their respective franchises need a win. (Or do they)

    Jaguars (5-3) at Texans (3-5), 12 pm CT CBS

    For the AFC south, this game one of the biggest of the year. Houston needs this win to get back into the race with Jacksonville and Indianapolis. Where Liam Cohen’s Jaguars cannot lose ground to the Indianapolis Colts. This one will be an underrated game.

    Patriots (7-2) at Buccaneers (6-2), 12 pm CT CBS

    The two teams that Tom Brady called home are also two of the best in the NFL this season. Both Drake Maye and Baker Mayfield have been looking like Brady himself this year too. This game could easily be the best this season.

    Rams (6-2) at 49ers (6-3), 3:25 pm CT FOX

    The Rams 49ers rivalry is once again between two of the best in the NFC West. FOX America’s game of the week will be a dandy as this one is between two very equal teams. In fact it’s so equal that ESPN is only giving the Rams a .2% higher chance of winning.

    Eagles (6-2) at Packers (5-2-1), 7:15 pm CT ABC and ESPN (Monday night)

    Monday night football will be the biggest game of the week as the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles make their first trip to Lambeau Field since 2020. Green Bay will look to wash the stench from the upset to the Panthers by trying to take care of the Eagles. This matchup is between two teams that are Super Bowl contenders and could arguably be for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

  • The Dodgers 2025 World Series title was due to a team that was built for fundamentals and their run proves it

    WASHINGTON, D.C., APRIL 24, 2024 — Washington Nationals faced the Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park. (Joe Glorioso/All-Pro Reels for Washington Times Sports)

    Last night, game 7 of the MLB World Series took place between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays took place. For 90% of the game it looked like the Jays were going to take home their first Championship since 1993, but in the 9th inning, a game tying home run from Miguel Rojas and incredible defensive plays from Rojas and center fielder Andy Pages got the winner take all game to extras tied at 4-4. The Dodgers ended up taking it in the 11th inning after a go-ahead home run from Will Smith and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk to ground into a game ending double play to win the game and the World Series. This was not an easy series for LA as the Dodgers had to come back from a 3-2 deficit and win the final two games on the road at a hostile environment in the Rogers Centre.

    Many MLB fans were disregarding the Dodgers for how they have been able to get all these superstars. Yes, they found a loophole in the deferred contracts. But I do not think fans should be that mad at the Dodgers. This whole Postseason and World Series, in fact the whole season was anything BUT the Dodgers cruising. In the middle of the season, the Dodgers were dealing with injuries and a really rough bullpen. The Dodgers summer involved it getting a season sweep from its neighbors in the Los Angeles Angels. Heck the rough summer only allowed the Dodgers to get the No. 3 seed in the National League Playoffs despite still coming through and winning the NL West.

    The Dodgers run to get here even with the loaded roster was nothing short of impressive. Los Angeles opened up the Postseason with the Wildcard round against the red hot No. 6 seed Cincinnati Reds. LA did not fool around as they crushed the reds 10-5, and 8-4 to sweep the series and advance.

    In the NLDS, Los Angeles met with No. 2 seeded Philadelphia, it was a series that most dubbed the unofficial NLCS. Philadelphia had home field advantage as the Phillies started the series at Citizens Bank Park. Dodgers did all of its offense actually in the two games at CBP. LA won both games 5-3 and 4-3, the Dodgers caused the Philadelphia fans to actually boo Jhoan Duran’s flaming walkout intro. After Philly won game 3 8-2, Dodgers grinded out a long 11 inning game 4 where with the bases loaded, Pages put a grounder in play and forced Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering to make a throwing error towards home and the Dodgers won the series.

    Dodgers advanced to its second straight NLCS and it faced the NL and MLB No. 1 seed Milwaukee Brewers. Not only was this the first NLCS between the two since 2018 where the Dodgers won in 7, it was also the first time both met up since Milwaukee won all 6 regular season games between the two. This time around, the script completely flipped as the Dodgers led by the four headed dragon of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani crushed the Brewers. The only game Milwaukee really could’ve won was game one as the Brewers left the bases loaded down by one to end the game. Otherwise, the Dodgers played fundamentally better in all phases of the game on the way to a 4-0 sweep

    LA wrapped up the Postseason run with the teams second straight appearance in the World Series with a match against the Toronto Blue Jays. Similar to last year, the Dodgers faced the AL East champion and the AL No. 1 seed. After getting dominated in game one, LA won game two 5-1 behind a complete game from Yamamoto and the Dodgers came out with the win in the 18 inning marathon in game three behind another walkoff home run from Freddie Freeman.

    Toronto dominated the next two games in all phases of the game and as the series shifted back to Toronto with the Jays holding a 3-2 lead it looked to be all but over. However, similar to the 2024 NLDS where the Dodgers came back from a 2-1 deficit to the rival Padres, Los Angeles did not quit. Behind another big outing from Yamamoto, the Dodgers used a 3-run third inning to carry themselves to the win. LA also needed a big fly out double play from LF Kike Hernandez and Rojas to secure the win.

    Game seven to wrap it up was nothing short of incredible, despite the Blue Jays holding the lead for 90% of that game behind the Bo Bichette 3-run home run. It looked like Toronto was going to get the World Series, that was until in the 9th with one out down 3-4, Rojas came up with the biggest home run of his life as he tied the game in the final frame of regulation. The bottom of the inning after Snell put two Jays on base with one out and Yamamoto came in for relief and hit his first batter. The bases were loaded, again Rojas came up in a big spot but this time was with his glove as he scooped up a fast grounder and was able to get the throw home just in time to get the speedy Isiah Kiner-Falefa out at home by a foot. Then when it looked like Ernie Clement was about to get the winning run in with a drive to the outfield, Pages crashed into his teammate Kike Hernandez and the wall to make a game saving catch and send the game to extras.

    After a scoreless 10th, Dodgers catcher Will Smith broke the tie with a go-ahead home run to left field to make it 5-4 in the 11th. With Yamamoto still on the mound, Vladimir Guerrero Jr led off the bottom of the inning with a double and then got to third with a sacrifice bunt from IKF. The Dodgers ended up walking Addison Barger to put runners on the corners with a double play canidate in Kirk coming up. They got the double play from Kirk and the Dodgers officially did what was last done by the late 1998-99 Yankees team did, win back to back World Series’.

    As I typed all of this if you notice something, this post was not filled with “home run from Ohtani, home run from Freeman, home run from Betts” while Ohtani did have a legendary game 4 in the NLCS. The Dodgers didn’t just win with their superstars, it was a full team effort. This run was far from perfect especially for Dodgers standards but they just kept themselves in games and found ways to win. It is what they did all year, for that reason I don’t think they should be looked upon bad just cause of their roster. Their roster is an example of what a well constructed roster can do, even with big flaws.

  • NFL games to look out for: 2025 week 9

    NFL logo IMAGE COURTESY OF: STOCKVAULT

    This week is the ninth week of the National Football Leagues 18 week schedule for the 2025 season. In a year that has already produced parody in the sport, this week’s slate has games that can add on to it.

    Vikings (3-4) at Lions (5-2), 12 PM CT FOX

    When the Lions and Vikings last played each other at Ford Field. It was the big week 18 game last season that was not only the North division title between two 14-2 teams. It was also for the one seed in the NFC playoffs. This season, the Vikings with an uncertain QB future along with a ton of injuries are 3-4 heading into a tough road game at Detroit. The Lions since the week one blowout at Lambeau Field have rebounded nicely going 4-1 since. Despite the disparity in records, expect this one to be close at least for a little bit.

    Colts (7-1) at Steelers (4-3), 12 PM CT CBS

    Did the Steelers have a tough night last Sunday as Aaron Rodgers former team in Green Bay put it on them? Yes they did, not so great news for the Steelers. They get to welcome in the 7-1 Colts who currently have the best record in the NFL right now. Indianapolis, who has been led by running back Jonathan Taylor and unexpectedly by QB Daniel Jones looks to continue to show why they are the best team as they get a road test at Pittsburgh.

    Panthers (4-4) at Packers (5-1-1), 12 PM CT FOX

    After looking sluggish in the week 3 upset at Cleveland and a tie the next week at Jerry’s World against Dallas. The Packers have begun to found their groove that they had in weeks one and two. Led by QB Jordan Love and the running back/tight end duo of Josh Jacobs and Tucker Kraft. The Packers offense has been on a roll, helping Green Bay to a 5-1-1 record, Green Bay has only scored below 27 points this season once. Now in their 1923 throwbacks, the Packers welcome the Panthers to Lambeau Field on Sunday. Carolina began to found its groove a little bit, going on a three game winning streak vs Dallas, Miami and New York (A) before falling 40-9 to Buffalo last week. I think Packers should win this one but Carolina could maybe make this a little interesting if the Packers are caught sleeping to begin the game.

    Chiefs (5-3) at Bills (5-2), 3:25 PM CT CBS

    Of course Kansas City wasn’t going to go down. After a sluggish 0-2 start to 2025, the Chiefs have found its groove going 5-1 in its last six games. KC beat teams like Detroit and last week against Washington on the way to rebounding. Now once again Patrick Mahomes meets up with Josh Allen’s Bills. Buffalo has won the last three regular season games over the Chiefs, but most importantly Kansas City is still on a winning streak over the bills when it matters most in the Postseason. Obviously Josh Allen and the Bills would love to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs when it matters most but Buffalo needs to take care of this game first. Because if the two meet again in the Playoffs, the winner of this game could dictate wether the Playoff game is in Orchard Park or Arrowhead Stadium.

    Seahawks (5-2) at Commanders (3-5), 7:20 PM CT NBC

    Coming off the cinderella run of last years Playoffs, the Commanders haven’t been hot to start 2025. They do have an impressive 27-10 road win at the Los Angeles Chargers but besides that they haven’t been impressive. The Commanders last three games have been a 25-24 loss against Chicago, 44-22 loss at Dallas, and a 28-7 loss last week at Kansas City. Now the Commanders get Sam Darnold’s Seahawks for Sunday Night Football. Washington desperately needs this win or they are in trouble. Seattle however could use this win to boost its chances at a wide open NFC West.