Big Bear Nolan's Blog

Blue Jays performance in 2025 MLB Postseason is a testament of patience

October 30, 2025

Courtesy of Pexels, View of the Rogers Centre. Home of the Toronto Blue Jays

After watching game five of the 2025 World Series last night, we witnessed the Blue Jays beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 at Dodger Stadium and bringing the series back to Toronto with a 3-2 lead. I knew that Toronto wouldn’t be a pushover because they are good but I am shocked because I thought that the Dodgers roster with what they showed in the NLCS would do more of the same in the World Series. The moral of the story is so far, this series has been ALL Toronto.

First off, the Dodgers have played anything BUT how they played against the No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. The offense has been shut down, and the defense has been making a lot of mistakes. Most notably as Im watching game five, Toronto won game five because it just played fundamentally better.

However, we should not be shocked at this type of run that the Blue Jays have been on. This is the Blue Jays we thought we would see in 2022 and 2023. Toronto was good both of those seasons, but for the level of talent they had, it was very underwhelming as the Jays went into the Postseason’s those years as the No.4 and No. 6 seeded teams. Then in 2024, the Blue Jays just had an underwhelming season, partly due to injuries but a thing happened in that season that actually was good. Their loaded farm system got experience in the majors and for some of the players, it has been paying off in 2025.

Blue Jays this year weren’t projected to do as well as they have this year. But with the talent that they already had in players like Vlad Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, and Daulton Varsho. They added in players from their farm like Addison Barger and throughout the off-season and through the season got players like Shane Bieber from the Guardians. We also saw players like Trey Yesavage take a big step up to the pitching rotation, on cue with his dominating performance from last night.

Toronto had a slow start to the season as on May 7th, the Blue Jays were sitting with a 16-20 record. However, the Blue Jays just quietly started stacking up wins and in late June, it was evident that the team was here due to a nine game winning streak that put them at a 54-38 record. From June on, Toronto was consistently one of the best teams in the league. The team might have not had the flashiest of wins but they found ways to win games. Evident in the 2025 ALCS, when the team fell down 2-0 in the series to the Seattle Mariners. Toronto not only lost home field advantage but needed to take two of three at Seattle just to keep its season alive! Not only did Toronto did that, they took two of three in dominating fashion. Then when they brought the series back to Toronto, flipped to where they are now in the World Series, Toronto was down 3-2 and this time used its home field to its advantage. The Blue Jays dominated game 6, and in game 7 down 3-1, a big 3-run home run from George Springer lifted the Jays to the American League crown. In the World Series after Toronto took 2 of 3 in LA, all the Jays need is one more win and they’re World Champions. It would be the cap to a great season for Toronto, but if the Dodgers came back, I don’t think Blue Jays fans should feel ashamed at anything about this season because I think the Blue Jays will be here for a while now.
Notable games of 2025 College football week 9

October 25, 2025

Credit: Wikimedia CC
FirstBank stadium, home of the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy is currently No. 10 and beat its third ranked team this season

8 Ole Miss at 13 Oklahoma

A week after the tough loss at Georgia, Lane Kiffin’s squad rebounded. It was a much needed win on the road at Oklahoma34-26 . The Win for the Rebels now strengthens its resume as it now has two wins over top 25 teams (then No. 4 LSU).

18 South Florida at Memphis

A tough upset at UAB for Memphis might have taken some of the shine off this game. Regardless, the matchup that could most definitely be for the GO5 Playoff spot was as advertised. The Tigers upset the Bulls 34-31. Memphis scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull off the win.

15 Missouri at 10 Vanderbilt

The honeymoon for Vanderbilt football continued as Vandy beat the 15th ranked Tigers 17-10. The day started off with College Gameday hosting its show at Vanderbilt. The Commodores, led by HC Clark Lea and QB Diego Pavia, got their third ranked win this season. (No. 13 South Carolina and No. 10 LSU)

3 Texas A&M at 20 LSU

LSU’s collapse continued as it fell 49-25 to the Texas A&M aggies. The Aggies win improved its record to 8-0. They are a top three team in the nation. This win adds to their resume. A&M led by QB Marcel Reed and HC Mike Elko is having one of its best seasons in a while

23 Illinois at Washington

Jedd Fisch’s Washington Huskies finally got its big win it needed this season. The Huskies welcomed No. 23 Illinois to Husky Stadium and finally took care of a good opponent, beating the Illini 42-25. The offense was high-scoring, led by QB Demond Williams Jr. The efforts of RB Jonah Coleman and WR Denzel Boston were impressive. It finally played as advertised against a top team too. If Washington can get more games like this, look out.
Why the Badgers game at Oregon should be the signal of whether its truly the beginning or end for Luke Fickell

October 25, 2025
Wisconsin Badgers during an NCAA college football game against the South Dakota Coyotes, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (Photo by David Stluka/Wisconsin Athletic Communications)

Heading into the Wisconsin Badgers game at No. 6 Oregon, I wanted to examine the results of the Badgers’ big games. I also wanted to discuss their most notable results. Additionally, I will talk about why Luke Fickell should coach as if his career at Wisconsin is on the line. Wisconsin has not only been blown out in every loss this season. The last two Badgers games at home against Iowa and No.1 Ohio State resulted in 37-0 and 34-0 respective losses.

Notable Badgers scores under Fickell since 2023
- 2023
  
  L 31-22 at Washington State
  
  L 15-6 vs Iowa
  
  L 24-10 vs No. 3 Ohio State
  
  W 24-17 vs Nebraska
  
  W 28-14 at Minnesota
  
  L 35-31 vs No. 13 LSU (Bowl Game)
- 2024
  
  L 45-10 vs No. 4 Alabama
  
  L 38-21 at 13 USC
  
  W 42-7 at Rutgers
  
  L 28-13 vs No. 3 Penn State
  
  L 42-10 at Iowa
  
  L 16-13 vs No. 1 Oregon
  
  L 44-25 at Nebraska
  
  L 24-7 vs Minnesota
- 2025
  
  L 38-14 at No. 19 Alabama
  
  L 27-10 vs Maryland
  
  L 24-10 at No. 20 Michigan
  
  L 37-0 vs Iowa
  
  L 34-0 vs No. 1 Ohio state
Overall, the Badgers are 14-18 under Luke Fickell entering the Oregon game. But looking at the results above, there are a couple things that should be alarming. This is true besides the results from this year alone. Luke Fickell joined this campus for a reason. He was brought in so the Badgers could compete with the big boys from the Big Ten and the country. Not only is Fickell 0-8 against top 25 teams as the coach of the Badgers. He is 2-4 against the Badgers rivals who they should be equal with in Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. Wisconsin had two losses to Power four teams in its last 10 games. Both losses were by less than two scores and date back to last year. Oddly enough, those two games were to Penn State and Oregon. Either way, Wisconsin just hasn’t been competitive and have gotten worse throughout Fickell’s tenure. The Badgers are also on its way to missing consecutive bowl bids for the first time in the 2000’s. Yes the team has had bad luck with injuries and other troubles. But look at what Curt Cignetti has been doing with Indiana, or Clark Lea with Vanderbilt. There is no reason why the Badgers should be regressing. Tonight’s game must be competitive for Wisconsin. Otherwise, it could really signal dark times ahead if the past batch of games hasn’t.
Indiana’s win over UCLA proves that they are for real

October 25, 2025

Indiana faces Michigan In a game in 2019 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington Indiana Credit: Wikimedia CC

The No. 2 nationally ranked Indiana Hoosiers continued its undefeated campaign in 2025 with a 56-6 win over the UCLA Bruins. The upstart Hoosiers had an incredible 2024 with the new coach, Curt Cignetti. They once again proved they are here and for real with the win over UCLA. You could say that last season Indiana got lucky with an easy schedule but this season you cannot say that.

Already in 2025, Indiana smoked No. 9 Illinois in a 63-10 win at Bloomington earlier this season. Two weeks later, the Hoosiers went to Autzen Stadium to face the No. 3 Oregon Ducks and its great QB in Dante Moore. Indiana proceeded to beat the Ducks 30-20 on the road to jump up to a top three ranking in FBS.

Now today, (Oct. 25) the Hoosiers hosted a UCLA team that had a 3-4 record after winning its first three games with its interim head coach. UCLA’s offense also has been playing on fire led by transfer QB from Tennessee, Nico Lamaleava. When the Bruins traveled to Bloomington, Indiana absolutely proved why they were ranked No. 2 in the nation by beating the Bruins 56-6.

Indiana got another great performance from transfer QB Fernando Mendoza in the win. Mendoza went 15-22 for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns. Saturday was another case of Mendoza’s Heisman campaign in 2025. Mendoza has completed a total of 133 out of 181 passes this season. He has thrown for 1,755 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Junior also has a 73.5 completion percentage for an average of 9.7 yards per completion.

After this game, Indiana has road games at Maryland, Penn State and Purdue with a home game against Wisconsin remaining. The Terps hold the best record of the Hoosiers remaining four opponents with a 4-3 record. If Indiana can succeed during this stretch which it should, they will make the 2025 Big Ten Championship. Right now, they could be facing the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes who ended the Hoosiers undefeated season in 2024. Indiana is here. There is no reason to doubt that this team can make back to back College Football Playoff appearances in 2025.
Some thoughts I have had that I want to get off my chest following Twins Fire sale as a Twins fan.

August 4, 2025

Last Wednesday-Thursday, the Twins who were only 5.5 games below the 6th seed in the AL Wild Card chase began a historic firesale. Trading away 10 players on their current roster who most were pitchers bullpen pitchers. Although some of what they got back were promising minor league players. The moves just seem like a cap to a saga. The Twins front office and ownership blew up every bit of good relations with the fans. This occurred following the 2023 Postseason. As a 21-year-old, I dealt with the tough 2011-2018 rebuild during my childhood. I have had some thoughts that I want to get off my chest.

Blowing up the bullpen seemed like a move that was almost caused by panic.

Going into the 2025 season, the Twins had a Bullpen that was dubbed to be one of if not the best in MLB. When the deadline rolled around, there were talks that the Twins might trade Griffin Jax. There was also speculation about trading closer Jhoan Duran. They traded both Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. They also traded all their other high leverage guys: Louis Varland, Brock Stewart, and Danny Coulombe. If they just traded one of Stewart or Coulombe, I wouldn’t be that mad. Trading maybe Jax too wouldn’t be that bad either. But the Duran and Varland trades really tore me. The Twins developed Duran into one of the best closers in the league. He has an awesome entrance theme. This theme makes the experience awesome at Target Field. I do like the return for him which I will get into later but It will hurt watching him run out with his entrance song at Philadelphia. The Varland trade also hurts a lot for multiple reasons. Varland is a home grown kid from Saint Paul, Minnesota and developed into a top reliever of the Twins bullpen. He represented his hometown team while he was here. Contract wise, he was cheap. It just made no sense to let him go.

It should be tough for GM Derek Falvey and Manager Rocco Baldelli to survive this.

If you’re a Twins fan, you know how controversial Baldelli can be. Personally I think Baldelli is smarter than some people give him credit for especially with the accolades he has. However, I have noticed that it feels like this team has overall regressed in these last two seasons. Yes, Baldelli is not the only one to blame. But as the manager, is this season a reflection how he coaches? I don’t know the exact answer but I do think his seat should be hot. Falvey on the other hand, I think it’s a no brainer that his seat should be hot. Yes he brought multiple division titles and the playoff series win since 2002 to the Twins. However, he oversaw a big collapse in September of 2022. The collapse led the Twins to finish 78-84. Additionally, there was the historic collapse last year with a Twins team that was 18 games over .500 in mid August finish 82-80 and miss the postseason. Those two seasons weren’t all his fault as there were key injuries that hampered both seasons. But as the man that put both of those rosters together, Falvey has had a part in this.

Under the right system, this has the ability to work out in the end.

I noted it earlier with the Duran trade, what the Twins got back in most of these trades aren’t bad. Especially in the Duran trade, the Twins received Starting Pitcher Mick Abel. They also acquired a 19-year-old catcher, Eduardo Tait, both were highly ranked in the Phillies system. Then in the Jax trade with Tampa Bay, Minnesota received starting pitcher Taj Bradley who has great stuff. The trade where the Twins sent Carlos Correa back to Houston was shocking. Minnesota didn’t get anything big back. However, it does clear the way for other prospects, especially Brooks Lee who took over the role of shortstop. Minnesota has several top prospects in the arsenal. These players should be getting the call up in the next year or two. This includes 2023 first round pick OF Walker Jenkins and last year’s first round pick SS Kalen Culpepper. The current staff with the Twins needs some retooling. I think this is necessary for these guys to be successful. Despite a very successful rookie season in 2023, 3B Royce Lewis had a strong start. However, he has encountered some challenges in his tenure with the Twins dating back to 2024. The same has happened for other young players, example Lee and the outfield duo of Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach. While the talent is there, a lot of the Twins players have been widely inconsistent. Maybe with fresh voices, the young players can flourish.

Final thoughts

I don’t think the Twins are completely dead as some made it sound. There’s still a lot of young talent here and they got a core to build around. However, as a 21-year-old Twins fan, I witnessed a long rebuild from 2011-2018. The 18-game postseason winless streak dating back to 2004 also happened during most of my life. A postseason like 2023 happened for the first time in my life. It was the same for most people I know. The Twins were a true contender. It felt awesome to dawn the the Twins colors, especially going to a college out of state. It was a real buzzkill when Joe Pohlad that off-season. Immediately announced that the payroll was getting cut, especially with what followed after. With the fallout of this trade deadline, I hope everything sorts itself out with the Twins organization. I hope they are back to playing true championship contending baseball very soon. I don’t know if I have the patience to deal with another multi-year rebuild. Especially with how the 2023 Postseason brought us Twins fans ecstasy. And how the Twins failed to build off of that.
Biggest winners and losers from the week of July 7-10 in MLB

July 10, 2025
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski begins a pitch in a past game Wikipedia Creative Commons

As the Major League Baseball season is about to reach the All-Star break. There is still plenty of baseball left. However, some big series took place over the past week. These series can potentially shake up the Postseason picture. Here are the biggest winners and losers over the week of July 7-10 in MLB.

Biggest winners
- Milwaukee Brewers
  
  A relatively young team that is already gaining back some experienced veterans and more young talent on both sides. The Brewers faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three game series over the week. Milwaukee swept the Dodgers for the first time ever in the history of American Family Field. They outscored the Dodgers 15-4 in the three games. The Brewers also had help from the neighbors to the west. The Minnesota Twins took two out of three against the NL central leading Chicago Cubs. Which means the Brewers are now only 2 back. Milwaukee has the chance to completely erase that gap. They host the Washington Nationals this weekend. Meanwhile, the Cubs go to Yankee Stadium.
- Minnesota Twins
  
  For a team that desperately needs wins, not only did the Twins get them. They also have done it by beating some really good teams. The Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. They are also coming off of a big series win over the first place Cubs. Now only 3.5 games behind the last available Wild Card spot and only 3 below .500. The Twins get a series against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Things could possibly be looking up again in Twins Territory.
- Boston Red Sox
  
  A few weeks ago, it seemed the Red Sox were doomed. This was after the news that Rafael Devers was traded away. Now, after the Sox took advantage of the historically bad Colorado Rockies, they are on a six game winning streak. Boston is currently tied with Seattle for the last spot in the Wild Card. Boston will face their division rival Tampa Bay Rays for four games at home this weekend. It is important to note that the Rays are only 1.5 game ahead in the Wild Card standings of the Red Sox.
- Philadelphia Phillies
  
  Despite losing twice at San Francisco. The NL East leading Phillies sit only 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for the top seed in the National League. Philadelphia has a tough stretch ahead from now through the start of the second half. Good news is it won’t get any less easier for the teams they are fighting with either.
- San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres
  
  While both are fighting each other for the final NL Wild Card spot. The Giants and Padres have begun to close in the gap to the slumping Dodgers. This week, the gap can close even more for at least the Giants. They host the Dodgers at Oracle Park this weekend.
Biggest Losers
- Los Angeles Dodgers
  
  Every team goes through slumps but something looks and feels wrong with the Dodgers. The team has been riddled with injuries this year especially to its starting rotation. But the Dodgers have been swept at home to Houston over the weekend and got swept at Milwaukee this week. Now only 6 games ahead in their division. The struggling Dodgers get to travel to San Francisco this weekend. LA needs a turnaround fast or else it could get very ugly soon.
- Chicago Cubs
  
  In the beginning of the season, it looked like the Cubs were easily the best team in the NL Central. Now that the Brewers have expediently picked up the pace recently. The Cubs are starting to feel the pressure. The Brewers made history with their first-ever sweep against LA at home. While the Cubs lost 2 of 3 games at Minnesota. They are now heading into the last series of the first half. The Cubs travel to New York City to play against the Yankees. Meanwhile, the Brewers are at home hosting the Nationals. Cubs need a series win at New York. Alternatively, they need the Nationals to upset the Brewers. This will help them keep the division lead heading into the All-Star break.
- Seattle Mariners
  
  The Mariners began the season with the lead in the AL West for the third straight season. Just like those three years, they are now struggling to hang on in the Wild Card standings. Seattle did take all three against Pittsburgh over the weekend. However, they dropped their series this week against the Yankees at New York. Now tied with the last spot in the AL Wild Card. Seattle travels to Detroit to close out the first half against the League leading Tigers.
- Tampa Bay Rays
  
  The month of July has not been kind to the Rays. It started off with a series loss at home to the Athletics. Then over the past week, Tampa lost twice at Minnesota. They held a 3-1 lead in one game and a 4-1 lead in the other. Followed by a series loss at Detroit. Now Tampa is limping into the All-Star break with a 1.5 game lead on the cutoff. They get to play at the red hot Boston Red Sox for four games this weekend starting tonight (July 10).
While the season is beginning to see the finish line. There is still a ton of baseball left to be played. The Detroit Tigers who were multiple games below .500 this time last year proved that as a red hot second half propelled Detroit to a Postseason spot. The trade deadline is coming up soon. Around that time, you start to see who is serious and who is not.
Who’s sitting pretty at halfway in 2025 MLB season

July 7, 2025
As Major League Baseball entered the halfway point in the 2025 season. It has delivered some great moments and surprises. While the season is halfway over, for a lot of teams there is still plenty to play for. There are teams that I have seen that are entering the second half at a great spot.

WHO IS SITTING PRETTY
- Detroit Tigers (57-34, 1st AL Central. 1st in American League)
  
  This one is simple, ever since the end of last season where the Tigers made a late surge to the Postseason. Detroit has been one of the best teams in the 2025 season. In fact the Tigers have held the best record in the league for the most of the year.
  
  The Tigers staff is led by Cy-Young contender, Tarik Skubal. He now has the third best ERA in the league at 2.02. This has been a big reason why the Tigers have been 10+ games above in the AL central.
  
  Riley Greene has highlighted the Tigers offense in 2025. The first round pick from 2019 has slugged a .286 batting average while recording 98 hits and 22 home runs in his 343 ab’s. Earning him a nod in the 2025 All-Star game.
- Houston Astros (55-35, 1st AL West. 2nd in American League)
  
  You can never count them out. Last season, they experienced their first pre ALCS exit since 2015. They also lost key veterans in 3B Alex Bregman and RF Kyle Tucker. Houston has not only found its way back to the top of the American League West but is in a much better spot than where they were last season.
  
  Despite a rocky start to the season, the Astros have been one of the best teams in MLB recently. Since the beginning of June, Houston has recorded the second best team batting average in the AL at .285. (Tampa Bay leads at .290) The Astros have been carried by longtime veteran Jose Altuve and 4th year shortstop Jeremy Pena. Pena leads the team with a .322 batting average along with a .378 OBP, he also is the team leader in hits with 102 recorded. Altuve has slashed .272/.332/.457 in the season, Altuve has the second most hits on the team behind Pena with 91.
  
  Those two aren’t the only ones that have been key to the Astros success. Pitchers Framer Valdez and Hunter Brown have been huge for the Astros. Valdez has a 10-4 record over his 18 starts with a 2.90 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15, Valdez also 115 strikeouts while allowing 91 hits and 37 earned runs. Brown holds a 9-3 record while leading the team with a 1.82 ERA and with 126 strikeouts, Brown has an 0.90 WHIP on the season and has allowed 65 hits with 21 earned runs.
- Los Angeles Dodgers (56-35, 1st NL West. 1st National League)
  
  The Astros swept the Dodgers over the past weekend on July 4-6. During these games, the Dodgers were outscored 29-6. The Dodgers are still hold the best record in the National League while still having almost all of roster from the 2024 World Series championship season.
  
  The Dodgers have the best offense in all of MLB. To no surprise, the LAD offense is led by Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani leads the team in hits (97) home runs (30) and OBP (.380). Los Angeles are once again also getting contributions from its other members of its big three in SS Mookie Betts and 1B Freddie Freeman. Freeman leads the team in batting average with a .307 average on the season.
  
  One of the biggest surprises to the season is the contributions of Andy Pages. The center fielder is slugging .290/.329./.497 on the season with the second most hits on the team (95) and 17 home runs.
- Chicago Cubs (54-36, 1st NL central)
  
  Carried by the 3rd best offense in all of MLB. The Cubs now hold the top spot in the NL Central and are two behind for the top spot in the National League
  
  The most notable thing about this Cubs team is the season that Pete Crow-Armstrong is having. The young center fielder is slugging .272/.309/.550 on the season and is in the running for the NL MVP. PCA is tied with Kyle Tucker for the team lead in hits on the season with 95.
  
  PCA’s campaign can’t undermine the season that Seiya Suzuki is putting together. Suzuki has slashed .263/.319./.561 on the season while leading the team in home runs (25) and RBI’s (77).
- Milwaukee Brewers (50-40, 2nd NL Central)
  
  A surprising pick for some, even with their record I believe the Brewers are in a good spot for the second half of the season. Despite a rough start to the season where Milwaukee once had a 21-25 season. The Brewers have come back to make it a race in the NL central and have gotten contributions from a wide range of players.
  
  The Brewers resurgence has been led by Christian Yelich. The 2018 MVP has slashed a line of .260/.335/.452 while leading the team in home runs (17) and RBI’s (61). The young players in Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Brice Turang, and Joey Ortiz have picked it up as the season has gone along. Milwaukee has also had contributions from rookies, Isaac Collins and Caleb Durbin.
  
  The Brewers pitching staff which was hammered with injuries to start the year has not only got healthy again but got better. The Ace of the staff in Freddy Peralta has led the team with a 2.91 ERA along with 104 strikeouts and a 1.09 WHIP. Milwaukee has gotten great production from an off-season signing in veteran Jose Quintana. They have also received good outings from Quinn Preister and Chad Patrick.
  
  The Brewers have recently seen the rise of a very promising rookie. His name is Jacob Misiorowski. They brought him up in mid June. Misiorowski, who is known to be a fast throwing right handed pitcher started his career with allowing only 2 ER on one hit in his first two starts. The first hit he allowed came in the seventh inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins on June 20. Byron Buxton spoiled a perfect game with a walk right before Matt Wallner spoiled a no-hitter with a two-run home run.
While there are plenty of teams that are in a good spot to start the second half of the 2025 season. These five are the ones I believe that are in the best spot right now. Let me know your thoughts below.
Hi, welcome to my site about sports!

June 9, 2025

Me with TC Bear and Mudonna, the mascots for the Minnesota Twins and the Saint Paul Saints

My name is Nolan Andler and I am a 21 year old from Crystal Minnesota . I am a college student at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh that is majoring in Journalism. I am a co-sports editor for UWO’s award winning student paper, “The Advance-Titan”. This website is something that will allow me to practice and fulfill my dream of being a sports journalist and it is something that I have always wanted to do.

I will talk about sports on this page, mainly my favorites which are Football, Baseball, Basketball and Auto Racing. I will talk about big news in the sports world, talk about big games that are happening and share my thoughts on what I see in the sports world.

I hope you enjoy my perspective of sports and find it entertaining and unique! Thank you for visiting!

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