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OKC and LSU Win Championships While Tommy Fleetwood’s PGA TOUR Slump Continues

by Aaron | Jun 23, 2025 | College Baseball, Golf, NBA

The Mets might have laid an egg on Sunday night, but there was still plenty of excitement in the sports world with the NBA and college baseball naming champions and a thrilling finish on the PGA TOUR. Let’s see what everyone is buzzing about on a hot, hot summer...

Cal Raleigh Took a Break from Home Run History to Make Home Run Derby History

by Aaron | July 14, 2025 | 0 Comments

It’s Cal Raleigh’s world and we’re all just living in it. Not only did he become the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby on Monday night, but he also became the first switch hitter to win the dinger tournament, and he did so while actually switch hitting. In the first round, he slugged 10 home runs as a lefty and seven as a righty to barely edge out Brent Rooker, who also hit 17 home runs but lost the longest home run tie breaker by a fraction of a foot.

Big Dumper makes a big splash 💥 pic.twitter.com/NPerDLBqju

— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2025

Raleigh didn’t need a tiebreaker to get by Oneil Cruz in the semifinals or Junior Caminero in the finals. Hopefully his long ball binge in the Home Run Derby won’t get in the way of him chasing home run history when the regular season continues. Raleigh has 38 home runs, which is just one short of the 39 that Barry Bonds had at the All-Star break during the 2001 season when he set the all-time record with 73 home runs for the season.

Of course, may fans have put an asterisk next to that record because of Bonds’ involvement with performance-enhancing drugs, and that should make Raleigh’s pursuit of the record even more exciting. Can the Big Dumper purify the record books by matching Bonds using nothing but natural muscle and determination? I’d say the odds are against him, but Raleigh is already having a storybook season, so let’s see where the chapters take us.

I didn’t get a chance to comment on the Wimbledon men’s final yet, but that was some performance by Jannik Sinner. He lost the first set to Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, but then won the next three by the same margin. The match wasn’t nearly as thrilling as the final at Roland-Garros that Alcaraz won despite dropping the first two sets, but I think Sinner liked it that way. He broke Alcaraz’s serve when he needed to and made sure that none of the sets went to tiebreak.

It will be interesting to see what happens at the U.S. Open because Sinner would have a chance at the grand slam if not for Alcaraz’s comeback in Paris. Instead, it will be Alcaraz trying to win a second major this year to match Sinner’s victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I wonder if I’ll root for them to meet in the final or if I’ll cheer on an American instead. Taylor Fritz is getting very close to making me believe that an American man can win the big one.

Before I head out, here are two more highlights from the Home Run Derby. First, Oneil Cruz’s absurd 500-foot blast.

ONEIL CRUZ HIT ONE OUT OF THE STADIUM 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Q3sS8qMVyp

— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2025

Second, some kid tried to rob a home run from Caminero during the final round. It was ruled a home run, but should it have been? This kid could have been public enemy number one for all seven Rays fans!

Bro did NOT want Junior Caminero to win the Derby 😭 pic.twitter.com/JmBXNLaeLK

— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2025

I think the ball should have to leave the yard to be a home run in the Home Run Derby. If you don’t want the robberies, don’t let the kids shag balls!

Mets Can’t Handle Success and Fall Back into Second Place with Loss in Kansas City

by Aaron | July 13, 2025 | 0 Comments

I just knew the Mets wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of needing to win one more game in Kansas City on Sunday to stay in first place of the National League East at the All-Star break. Sure enough, even though Clay Homes and a returning-from-injury Sean Manaea combined to pitch a solid game, the Mets lost 3-2 to the Royals and fell into second place with the Phillies winning their series finale in San Diego.

Royals starter Noah Cameron did a great job getting the Mets to hit balls on the ground. The Mets got seven hits off of him in six and two thirds innings, but the only one that went for extra bases was a triple by Mark Vientos in the first inning. This game might have ended up differently if the Mets had drive Vientos in, but he was stranded at third thanks to Juan Soto’s ground ball to shortstop and Brandon Nimmo’s foul pop-up.

Nick Loftin delivers his second #walkoff of the @Royals homestand! pic.twitter.com/5JIzPbqhTu

— MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2025

Kansas City scored a pair of runs on John Rave’s two-run double off of Holmes in the second inning, but the Mets didn’t break through until the ninth with Carlos Estevez on the mound. The Mets pounding Estevez is starting to become a theme after Vientos hit his bases-clearing double against him on Friday night and Francisco Lindor took him deep for a grand slam in Game 4 of last year’s NLDS. This time around, Ronny Mauricio led off with a double and Jeff McNeil smoked a triple off the right-center field wall to bring the tying run within 90 feet of the plate. Two batters later, Jared Young did something useful for once and hit a game-tying sac fly to center field.

The late rally was all just a tease, though. In the bottom of the inning, Tyler Tolbert singled off of Manaea with one out and stole second base before being driven in by Nick Loftin’s walk-off hit. At least the Mets didn’t get shut out.

It felt like the Mets were getting shut out during tonight’s MLB Draft because New York didn’t get to choose a player until the 38th pick. That guy ended up being Mitch Voit from Michigan, who is better known as the guy who tried to smoke the third base line like it was cocaine last season.

The Mets just drafted the dude from Michigan who snorted the 3rd base line 😂😂😂 Call him up immediately! pic.twitter.com/oToll7A3W9

— KFC (@KFCBarstool) July 14, 2025

It has never felt more like 1986.

On today’s “Doge Day of Summer” CDST Show….

by Brandon Chabner | July 12, 2025 | 0 Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcYWPRnXYDo

On today’s “Doge Day of Summer” CDST Show….\

Pole vaults to another title, and Breakfast at Wimby involves a real live double bagel
Ce-dong hits another ding dong, and “that is the sound of 8 straight at Fenway”… the sights and sounds of today’s big shooooo
A very large step was just taken in Frank’s 20,000 step plan to turn the scales on their ever loving heads…
At around min 40, see a major short-tempered eruption by Johnny Mac in his Johnny Stockton short shorts, who could not curb his lack of enthusiam for the chair qualifications of the Larry David lookalike ump.

Iga Swiatek Dominates the Wimbledon Final and Conquers Grass

by Aaron | July 12, 2025 | 0 Comments

There was reason to believe on Saturday morning that Amanda Anisimova was going to upset Iga Swiatek in the ladies final at Wimbledon to become champion. Anisimova had just upset the top player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka, and she was playing as well as anyone. Plus, Swiatek wasn’t known as a strong grass player and didn’t have a Wimbledon title to her name. Although Swiatek was strongest on clay, she had just been defeated by Sabalenka at Roland-Garros less than two months ago.

When the tennis started, however, it couldn’t be more clear who the superior player was. Swiatek immediately broke Anisimova’s serve and kept on smashing the ball precisely with her backhand while Anisimova couldn’t keep anything in play. She was either hitting it long or wide or into the net even when she had a chance to deliver an easy winner.

A new Wimbledon champion is crowned 🇵🇱

Iga Swiatek defeats Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win the 2025 Ladies' Singles Trophy 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ZnznTxwO5A

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2025

Swiatek had all but wrapped up the first set when she broke Anisimova’s serve a second time to go up 3-0, but it was still surprising when the punishment continued into the second set. It was a little sad to watch Anisimova grow more frustrated as she seemingly forgot how to play the brilliant tennis that got her to this point. Fortunately, Swiatek finished the match pretty quickly, but no one wants to lose 6-0, 6-0 in a grand slam final.

Hopefully Anisimova will hold onto the good memories from Wimbledon and flush that crushing defeat to Swiaek. She’s had a tumultuous career, but she showed how much potential she has in these past two weeks, so I’m looking forward to see how she bounces back.

As for Swiatek, she’s now won a grand slam on all three surfaces and is just an Australian Open title short of the career grand slam. I know a lot of fans are wondering if she could have gotten by Sabalenka had Anisimova not gotten her out of the way. Maybe we’ll find out at the US Open in September.

Mets Complete a Doubleheader of Disappointment While Yankees Find an Improbable Victory

by Aaron | July 11, 2025 | 0 Comments

I went into Thursday’s Mets vs. Orioles doubleheader feeling optimistic that the Mets could sweep both games and keep pace with the Phillies in the National League East. Unfortunately, the offense was very disappointing against Baltimore starters Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sogano and completely useless against the Orioles bullpen. The Mets had a chance to score early on Morton in the first game when a passed ball by Jacob Stallings in the first inning allowed Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor to reach second and third base with no outs. However, Morton struck out both Juan Soto and Pete Alonso before Jesse Winker popped up to strand both runners.

The Mets scored in the fifth when Brett Baty walked and stole second base before being driven in by a rare Tyrone Taylor double, but New York still found a way to disappoint by making three outs without scoring Taylor. One more time in the sixth, the Mets had a runner on second with nobody out and couldn’t bring him around. So that was four runners in scoring position with no outs that the Mets left stranded. It almost didn’t matter because of how good David Peterson was in this game, but Ryne Stanek relieved him in the eighth and gave up a script-flipping, two-run bomb to Gunnar Henderson. As if that wasn’t enough, Stanek then walked the bases loaded and let Baltimore add a run on a sac fly to make the score 3-1. If only the Mets had scored some of those available runs from before, they might have held on to win.

Gunnar gives us the lead!! pic.twitter.com/ZnnsLvxxmP

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 10, 2025

The story was a little different in the second game, since this time both Nimmo and Lindor scored in the first inning after getting on base. Unfortunately, there was no Peterson to pitch a gem in this one. Brandon Waddell started the game and let three runs in during the second inning thanks to a double by Alex Jackson and a home run from Jordan Westburg. the Mets caught up in the fourth with a clutch RBI single by Brett Baty, but Justin Hagenman could not keep Baltimore off the board in the fifth. Colton Cowser hit an RBI single with two outs and Ramon Urias drove in another thanks to an error by Baty. The Orioles added two more runs in the sixth and ran away with a 7-3 win with the Mets offense doing very little after the fourth inning.

One of the only bright spots of the second game was Rico Garcia shutting down the Orioles for their final two and two thirds innings at the plate. In typical Mets fashion, Garcia was designated for assignment today to make room for Kodai Senga’s return to the rotation. Obviously, someone had to be bounced to make room for Senga, but there are guys like Alex Carrillo and Waddell who have options left in the back of the bullpen. Why send away Garcia when he has been effective so far?

Anyway, the Mets are in Kansas City starting tonight for the final three games before the All-Star break. Hopefully it won’t be a total disaster with Senga, Frankie Montas, and a mystery starter (should be Clay Holmes but Mindless Mendoza is probably babying him).

The Yankees still haven’t lost since the Mets let them off the hook on Sunday. This time, they beat the Mariners 6-5 despite going without a hit for the first seven innings of the game. They finally broke through against Bryan Woo with a pair of singles by Jazz Chisholm and Ben Rice to lead off the eighth. Austin Wells hit a sac fly to get the Bombers on the board and Giancarlo Stanton homered off of Matt Brash to make the score 5-3.

Wells in the clutch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nMo3AIO58N

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 11, 2025

In the ninth, the Yankees rallied against Seattle closer Andres Munoz, who was apparently tipping his pitches. Wells came up big with a two-run single and then Aaron Judge hit a walk-off sac fly in the 10th following a great job by Devin Williams to strand the ghost runner. It is a little painful watching the Yankees come to life knowing that the Mets could have killed their season a few days ago.

Over in London, Taylor Fritz blew a chance to force a fifth set with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic was swept by Jannik Sinner. The announcers were treating the aging Djokovic like a dog that needs to be put down, but he was looking pretty good in this tournament before facing the top player in the world. He can still play for a while longer if he’s okay not winning grand slam events, but not might not be the case.

Mets Rained Out, Yankees Drop a Veteran, and Big Upsets at Wimbledon

by Aaron | July 10, 2025 | 0 Comments

Ugh. The Mets were rained out on Wednesday night, so they’ll have to play twice against Baltimore today before jumping on a plane to Kansas City, where they’ll play on Friday night roughly 24 hours after the doubleheader ends. David Peterson is pitching for the Mets in the first game against Charlie Morton, who got off to a miserable start this season but has been better lately with just six runs allowed over his last four outings. The second game, which is scheduled for 5:05 PM, will allow the Mets to tee off on Tomoyuki Sugano with a mystery starter on the bump for New York. It will probably be some combination of Justin Hagenman and Austin Warren, who was just called up to be the extra man for the doubleheader.

Luisangel Acuña is back. The Mets recalled him from Triple-A today and designated Travis Jankowski for assignment.

Reliever Austin Warren is also up as the Mets' 27th man for their doubleheader.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 10, 2025

I don’t know why Acuna is back in the majors so quickly. The infield is already crowded with Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronnie Mauricio in the mix and Acuna needs to play every day. Travis Jankowski hadn’t been getting much playing time as the utility guy. Anyway, let’s check out what else happened in sports on Wednesday.

The Yankees designated DJ LeMahieu for assignment. He was extremely productive for the Bombers when they signed him as a free agent in 2019 and then he hit .364 and won the batting title in the short pandemic season. However, his play has fallen off a cliff since then and he was almost impossibly bad in 2024, hitting .204/.269/.259 in 228 plate appearances. He hasn’t been nearly that awful this season, but the Yankees felt it was time to say goodbye with Jazz Chisholm playing well at second base and infield prospect Jorbit Vivas showing posting a .409 on-base percentage at Triple-A.

There was happier news for the Yankees on the field, as they beat Seattle 9-6 for their third straight win. That’s right, it was the Mets who got the Yankees going on Sunday by letting them off the hook with sloppy play. Now it appears that the Bombers have righted their ship with Cam Schlittler striking out seven in his big league debut and picking up the win thanks to Chisholm’s two home runs.

Absolutely destroyed. pic.twitter.com/EevePIph4a

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 10, 2025

In Kansas City, Jack Caglianone hit a total monster bomb that measured 466 feet to center field. Salvador Perez also homered twice, including a solo shot that gave his team the lead in the eighth inning, and the Royals beat Pittsburgh 4-3 to finish off a series sweep.

Jesus Luzardo was splendid for the Phillies. He pitched seven shutout innings while the bats unloaded for seven runs in the eighth inning to give Philly a 13-0 victory in San Francisco.

In tennis, Ben Shelton was taken down by top seed Jannik Sinner in straight sets during their Wimbledon quarterfinal. It was a promising tournament for Shelton, but we’ll have to settle for Taylor Fritz being the only American man in the semifinals. For Sinner, it was a return to his dominant self after he was bailed out of an upset scare in the round of 16 by an injury to Grigor Dimitrov.

Meeting Sinner in the semifinals will be the arguable GOAT, Novak Djokovic. He dropped the first set to Flavio Cobolli but then one three straight to prove that he’s still got it. It seems that Djokovic has already passed the torch of greatness to Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, but now he has a chance to yank it back for one more run at a grand slam title.

On the women’s side, Belinda Bencic upset the Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in just two sets, although both went to a tiebreaker. It’s matches like those that make you wonder what would happen if the women had to win three sets in a match like the men. Would Bencic beat Andreeva in a third set with such thin margins? We’ll never know. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5 and will face Bencic later today.

"The moment of this young woman's life" 👏

Amanda Anisimova completes an extraordinary semi-final to defeat No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and book her spot in her first ever #Wimbledon final 💥

Take. A. Bow. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/WexH4VL2k2

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2025

Right before publishing time, the women’s semifinals began and Amanda Anisimova has upset the number one Aryna Sabalenka! She has looked vulnerable at Wimbledon and finally dropped a set in the quarterfinals to Laura Siegmund before bouncing back for the win. Sabalenka lost the first set and won the second again vs. Anisimova, but the American showed great resilience in the third set. Even after blowing a match point with the serve and allowing Sabalenka back on even footing, Anisimova rebounded right away and won the match with a break point. The United States has now put a woman in the final of the last four grand slam tournaments. The last two, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys, both won the title.

Mets Win a Thriller and Penn State Hockey Becomes Elite

by Aaron | July 9, 2025 | 0 Comments

Something amazing happened last night. The Mets fell behind by four runs in the seventh inning, and instead of withering like a tulip the moment autumn arrives, they battled back and won the game! Jackson Holliday appeared to put the game away with his solo shot off of the newest Mets scrap-heap pickup Alejandro Carrillo, but Baltimore’s 6-2 lead would only last a few minutes. Brandon Nimmo opened the eighth inning with a single and was driven in by Francisco Lindor’s two-run bomb to center field. That worked so well that Juan Soto and Pete Alonso decided to replicate the sequence, and all of a sudden we were tied 6-6 with just two innings to play. Shout out to Bryan Baker. He has been a solid reliever for the Orioles this season, but he looked like he was throwing batting practice on Tuesday night.

THIS GAME IS TIED! 🐻‍❄️ pic.twitter.com/ICkSyuZf0j

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 9, 2025

The game ended up going into extra innings, and Soto quickly gave New York the lead with a leadoff base hit to get the ghost runner Lindor home from second. Alonso followed with a single of his own, and the Mets had a great chance to add a second run, but Luis Torrens struck out looking with the bases loaded after a Travis Jankowski bunt and an intentional walk to Jeff McNeil. At one point during the Torrens at-bat, it looked like the Mets would score on a passed ball by backup catcher Alex Jackson, but the ball bounced off the umpire and stayed within Jackson’s reach.

Fortunately, that break for Baltimore would not end up ruining the Mets’ evening, and neither would Carlos Mendoza’s questionable managing of the bullpen. Although a well-rested Edwin Diaz only threw 10 pitches in the ninth inning, Mendoza declined to bring him out for the 10th, even though Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, and Ryan O’Hearn were due up. Instead, it was up to Huascar Brazoban to pitch to the trio that gave Baltimore the lead in the sixth inning with consecutive base hits following Clay Holmes hitting Holliday on the foot with an 0-2 pitch. Brazoban has not been consistent lately, but he was at his best when it counted in this one and set down the Orioles in order to end the game.

The top four batters in the Mets’ order did almost all of the damage in this one, but we saw encouraging signs at the bottom when Ronnie Mauricio homered in the sixth to get New York on the board and help put an end to what was becoming a dominant outing for Brandon Young. Brett Baty followed with a double and would score to give the Mets the lead on Nimmo’s double.

The Mets are back at it tonight in Baltimore with David Peterson on the mound against Tomoyuki Sugano. Sugano has been getting shelled lately with five home runs and 13 runs allowed in his last two starts. Peterson was having a rough time at the end of June, but he appeared to right the ship with just one earned run allowed in six and two thirds innings vs. Milwaukee last week.

That great Mets comeback capped off an awesome day in sports for me. After weeks of rumors, Penn State officially secured the commitment of the top NHL Draft prospect for 2026, Gavin McKenna.

The kind of player who doesn't follow history, he makes it.#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/99AhzScRNr

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) July 9, 2025

You usually don’t see elite Canadian prospects play college hockey before heading to the NHL, but the NIL money is changing all that. Penn State’s rabid fan base, financial backing, and great hockey facilities combined to convince McKenna to become a Nittany Lion for a year. Expectations for this program were already high since it was coming off of its first Frozen Four appearance, but with McKenna on board, the bar has been raised. I will be disappointed if Penn State doesn’t win the national championship.

Mets Blow a Chance to Sweep the Yankees, but First Place is Within Reach

by Aaron | July 8, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets pulled off a fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Yankees 12-6 to move 14 games over .500 and remain a half game back from Philadelphia in the National League East. The Mets jumped all over Carlos Rodon in the first inning with Starling Marte leading off with a double and Brandon Nimmo hitting his second grand slam of the week following walks by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso.

Frankie Montas helped the Mets maintain their advantage through the first five innings by pounding the strike zone and allowing a solo home run to Jazz Chisholm and another to Austin Wells. I’m fine with allowing solo shots when your offense spots you a four-run lead, and Montas made sure to make the Yankees earn their runs with zero walks on the day. The Yankees broke through with a crooked number in the sixth on Cody Bellinger’s two-run double, but by then the Mets had expanded their total to seven runs on Pete Alonso’s first home run of the day, an opposite-field smash that scored Francisco Lindor.

That ball was CRUSHED 😤 pic.twitter.com/XdBhMZnGRE

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 5, 2025

Alonso hit a three-run bomb in the seventh to put the game out of reach, but that didn’t stop Carlos Mendoz from using both Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz in a six-run game. For both relievers, it was their third appearance in four games, which made them unavailable for Sunday’s series finale. That’s a pretty big issue to begin with, but it’s even a bigger deal when your rotation has been decimated by injuries and you’re counting on guys like Chris Devenski, Zach Pop, and Brandon Waddell to keep the Yankees off the scoreboard.

Devenski pitched surprisingly well to open the game on Sunday, but Pop and Waddell combined to give up five runs, with the last two coming on a two-run blast by Aaron Judge in the fifth inning. The Mets battled back with four straight singles in the bottom of the frame that yielded two runs, but they could have scored more if Starling Marte’s drive to deep center field had resulted in a double. Jeff McNeil was trying to tag up from second base on the play, so he only advanced to third even though the ball got all the way to the wall. That meant that Hayden Senger had to stop at second from first and Marte had to stop at first. When Lindor came up next with a single up the middle, it scored McNeil and Senger when it should have scored Senger and Marte.

The Mets rallied again in the sixth with three straight singles following Brandon Nimmo getting hit by a pitch, but their output was limited by Senger hitting into a double play with the bases loaded and nobody out. You have to wonder what Carlos Mendoza was thinking in that spot letting Luis Torrens stay on the bench. Senger had just singled the inning before, but Torrens is the more reliable bat, and he ended up pinch-hitting in the ninth inning anyway.

Un-Belli-evable.

Cody with a huge catch and dart to first 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QFI85jvJjM

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 6, 2025

After the Yankees added a run in the seventh on a Judge sac fly, the Mets looked to threaten again when Lindor led off with a hit-by-pitch. Juan Soto followed with a line drive to left field that appeared to be a base hit, but Cody Bellinger made an incredible shoestring catch and threw to first to double off Lindor. If only the All-Star shortstop had slid into first, the Mets might have been able to continue the inning after Alonso’s walk and Nimmo’s ground out.

Even though the Mets had a bullpen game on Sunday against the Yankees’ ace Max Fried, it will felt like the Mets let the game get way because of all those missed opportunities between the fifth and seventh inning. The “you can’t win them all crowd” is just happy that the Mets won two of three while the Yankees fans were saved from total humiliation. I don’t think most Mets fans realize how close we were to crippling morale in the Bronx.

Now that the Subway Series is through, it’s time to focus on the National League East. The Mets are just one game back of Philadelphia and finish the first half of the season with a road trip to last-place Baltimore and middling Kansas City. Meanwhile, the Phillies have a tough west coast swing in San Francisco (where they lost on Monday) and San Diego. Time to take back first place!

Joey Chestnut Eats Hot Dogs and Jeff McNeil Does Everything Else on Exciting 4th of July

by Aaron | July 4, 2025 | 0 Comments

Happy 4th of July! Today is the day that we celebrate our independence in the United States of America with hot dogs, fireworks, and baseball. The baseball part went especially well with my Mets defeating the Yankees in a home run slugfest. 10 of the game’s 11 runs were scored on dingers, and the game’s deciding blast came off the bat of Jeff McNeil in the bottom of the seventh. He drove in two runs with one big swing to turn the Mets’ 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead.

SECOND DECK.@JeffMcNeil805 for the lead! pic.twitter.com/QE0rFuSOkw

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 4, 2025

McNeil also helped the Mets preserve the lead with his awesome defensive play in the top of the ninth that turned DJ LeMahieu’s infield blooper into a big out and prevented Aaron Judge from getting another at-bat. Judge had already homered in the first inning, and the Yankees would end up with three long balls off of Mets starter Justin Hagenman, but Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett got some redemption by keeping the Bombers off the scoreboard for the final three innings.

The Mets needed Brazoban and Garrett badly today since Edwin Diaz and Ryne Stanek had both pitched in consecutive games, making them ineligible for the July 4 contest due to the Mets’ baby rules that turn Carlos Mendoza into a Little League manager. Fortunately, the boys came through even though they have been pitching pretty poorly lately.

It’s also time to put some respect on Jeff McNeil’s name for what he is doing this season. He’s looked more like his vintage self and he’s making great plays in center field as well as at second base. McNeil’s batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage are all higher than Francisco Lindor’s in 2025.

OH, JEFF! pic.twitter.com/sbVDTrkdM3

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 4, 2025

With the Mets handling baseball and fireworks, it was up to Joey Chestnut to take care of 4th of July hot dogs, and he delivered with 70 and a half hot dogs and buns to reclaim his Mustard Belt. It was great to see Chestnut return to Coney Island for the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest after skipping the event last year due to a sponsorship dispute.

Knicks Finally Sign a Head Coach and Rangers Continue Their Rebuild

by Aaron | July 3, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets constantly getting on my nerves has distracted me from the Knicks and Rangers making some big moves recently. The Knicks have a chance to reach the NBA Finals in 2026 with two of their key rivals having star players suffer serious Achilles injuries during the 2025 Playoffs. The Pacers will probably be without Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season and the same goes for the Celtics and Jayson Tatum. That left the Knicks with the second best odds to win the East, but they were also missing an important piece since Tom Thibodeau was surprising fired following the disappointing loss in the Eastern Conference Finals.

BREAKING: The New York Knicks are expected to land on two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/LOXb74LFe4

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2025

The Knicks are a little more whole now that they’ve found a veteran head coach to lead the team in the new season. That man is Mike Brown, and while he may not have an NBA title as a head coach like my preferred candidate Mike Malone, he does have plenty of experience and a history of success. Brown burst onto the scene as a head coach in 2005, and he led LeBron James and the Cavaliers to 50 wins in his debut season. Cleveland reached the NBA Finals in Brown’s second year at the helm, but the next three years featured disappointing playoff exits against the eventual conference champs.

Brown left Cleveland when James did and joined the Lakers a year later after Phil Jackson retired. The Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the Playoffs in 2012 and Brown was fired just five games into the next season. Brown sat out for a couple seasons before joining the Warriors as an assistant under Steve Kerr for six years. He reemerged as a head coach in 2022 and led the Kings to two playoff appearances in two seasons before shockingly being let go after a slow start this past winter.

In a nutshell, the Knicks hired another coach who knows how to win a lot of regular season games and has a history of disappointing exists from the Playoffs. What is even the point?

Thank you, Key.

Best of luck in Carolina! pic.twitter.com/83gYbn1zCN

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 1, 2025

At least with the Rangers we have some idea of the purpose of their actions. They are trying to rebuild without bottoming out, which is an admirable strategy even if it might not technically be the smartest thing. Tanking isn’t fun, and it shouldn’t be a thing in a league that properly rewards winning and punishes losing, but it can be more effective in the long term than trying to win every year.

Hopefully not tanking works out well for the Rangers. They already traded away one key member of their 2024 Presidents Trophy team in Chris Kreider, and now K’Andre Miller is out the door as well. It would be cool if general manager Chris Drury didn’t send Miller to division rival Carolina, but it was cool to get back a 2026 first round draft pick, a 2026 second round pick, and young defenseman Scott Morrow. I’m a hocky casual, but that seems like a decent return for a guy who has seen his points decline for the past two campaigns, even if Miller is still only 25 years old.

What I’m still trying to figure out is why the Rangers dealt away Miller’s eight-year, $60 million and then immediately signed veteran Russian defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million deal. That is only a difference of half a million dollars on a per-year basis, and Gavrikov is four years older than Miller. Gavrikov is not a more productive offensive player, so I’m going to convince myself that he’ll improve the Rangers’ defense to help me sleep at night.

Mets Split Doubleheader with Brewers While Yankees Tease Without Pleasing

by Aaron | July 2, 2025 | 0 Comments

I thought that the Mets had a much better chance to win Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader than Game 2, so of course they ended up dropping the early game 7-2 before pulling off a surprising 7-3 win in the nightcap. New York might have even swept the pair of games from the Brewers if not for a Reed Garrett meltdown that allowed Milwaukee to come from behind in Game 1. The Mets were in control of that one after five innings with Clay Holmes having settled down after allowing a leadoff home run to Sal Frelick back in the first. There was even some competent offense on display by the home team with Luis Torrens executing a beautiful hit-and-run that put Jeff McNeil in position to score on a Brett Baty sac fly in the third. An inning later, Juan Soto stole second base following a leadoff walk and scored on Pete Alonso’s single up the middle.

JOEY ORTIZ GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/cZRQMvTVm3

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 2, 2025

All that proved to not be enough, though, since Reed Garrett allowed the first four batters he faced in the sixth inning to reach base. The streak culminated with Joey Ortiz and his sub-.600 OPS hitting a grand slam to instantly turn the game into a Brewers rout. Garrett had a great first two months of the season, but he has been unreliable lately.

Huascar Brazoban is another reliever who Mets fans have lost faith in lately, but he did a good job opening the second game of the doubleheader and pitching a scoreless inning to set the stage for Blade Tidwell. The strategy allowed Tidwell to last longer than four innings for the first time in the majors, but that seemed to be too much for him as Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio began the sixth inning with back-to-back home runs. Fortunately, the Mets had already built a nice cushion thanks to their two-out rally off of Jacob Misiorowski in the second.

First pitch grand slam for @You_Found_Nimmo! 💣 pic.twitter.com/u6z7Adt7TH

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 2, 2025

It had to be one of the most unlikely rallies of the season with Brett Baty and Ronnie Mauricio both walking before Hayden Senger reached on an infield single. Brandon Nimmo took advantage with a grand slam and Francisco Lindor pulled out of his slump with a solo shot to give the Mets a five-run frame. Lindor added two more RBI with a single in the sixth and a double in the eighth while Richard Lovelady, Ryne Stanek, and Edwin Diaz shut down Milwaukee for the final three innings.

If the Mets can defeat the Brewers again on Thursday night, they’ll win a series for the first time since their sweep of Washington in mid-June. Speaking of sweeps, the Yankees are in danger of being swept out of first place by the Blue Jays. Toronto has won three straight over their rivals to pull into a tie atop the American League East, and they play one more on Thursday night. Wednesday was nearly a triumphant victory for the Bombers, as they fell behind 8-0 in the first three innings before coming back to tie the game 9-9 in the eighth on a dramatic home run by Aaron Judge. However, the Jays regained the lead in the bottom half on a two-out wild pitch by Devin Williams and held on for the win.

The United States Men’s National Team also went ahead early and held on for a big win. Diego Luna scored twice in the first 15 minutes to give the US the edge in its Gold Cup semifinal match against Guatemala. The underdogs got on the board in the 80th minute, but it wasn’t enough to stop the US from coming away with a 2-1 win. We’ll probably play Mexico in the final unless El Tri chokes against Honduras.

Mets Rained Out on Tuesday, Will Face Brewers in Wednesday Doubleheader

by Aaron | July 1, 2025 | 0 Comments

Welp. The Mets were supposed to be back to playing baseball tonight after one day off. Instead, they are rained out and will play a split doubleheader on Wednesday. They’ll try to pull out of their tailspin that appeared to be over when they beat the Braves in two straight games last week. The Pittsburgh Pirates were supposed to be a soft landing spot, but instead the Mets played their worst ball of the year and were outscored 30-4 while being swept in the three-game set.

Up next are the Milwaukee Brewers who have quickly become a Wild Card rival of the Mets. Despite losing 13 of their last 16 games, the Mets are still on top of the National League Wild Card race, but they are only a half game in front of Milwaukee. If the Mets don’t start winning consistently soon, they could fall out of the Wild Card race altogether with teams like San Diego and San Francisco nipping on the heels of the current three Wild Card holders.

New York will send Clay Holmes to the bump in one of the games on Wednesday. He faced Atlanta in his two most recent starts and combined to allow four runs in nine and two thirds innings, but he needed 200 pitches to complete those innings thanks to a very poor ratio of seven strikeouts to 10 walks. With Mets starters struggling to get deep into games lately, the key for Holmes will be to throw strikes and generate ground balls to greatly increase his pitch efficiency.

By the way, with Holmes pushed to Wednesday, the Mets don’t have a pitcher for the series finale vs. the Yankees on Sunday. They should have at least made an effort to play on Tuesday.

The Brewers will have their ace Freddy Peralta on the mound. He has won his last three decisions, but in each of the last two he only pitched five innings while allowing three earned runs. Those two games featured three of the 12 home runs that Peralta has given up all season, so maybe the Mets can pop a few over the wall and get the offense going.

Here’s what the lineup was supposed to look like on Tuesday night.

Back home. #LGM pic.twitter.com/8WeT60Dd8M

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 1, 2025

Brett Baty has been a bit of a bright spot for the Mets’ struggling offense. He has nine hits in his last seven games, while Mark Vientos has struggled since coming off the injured list with just one hit in 13 at-bats and five strikeouts with no walks. There’s room for both guys in the lineup with Jeff McNeil playing center field, but that leaves Ronnie Mauricio on the bench, and he’s a developing player who should be in the lineup every day, no matter if that is in the majors or at Triple-A.

No player took the league by storm in June like @Jmisiorowski9 #ThisIsMyCrew x @MLBPS_US pic.twitter.com/EkzVGauxnF

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 1, 2025

The Mets better win the Holmes vs. Peralta matchup, because the other game on Wednesday will feature Jacob Misiorowski for Milwaukee and Blade Tidwell for New York. Misiorowski is one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball, and he’s lived up to the hype so far with just two runs allowed in his first three MLB starts, spanning 16 innings. While all three of Misiorowski’s outings have gone at least five frames, Tidwell has yet to complete a fourth inning in his two starts and one relief appearance for the Mets. Tidwell has looked overmatched when he faces a lineup for the second time, and he’s allowed 12 runs in 10.2 innings this season. On a day when the bullpen will already be stretched due to the doubleheader, Tidwell will likely be asked to go deeper into a major league game than he’s ever gone before. Hopefully he’ll be up for the challenge.

LeBron James Questions Direction of Lakers Immediately After Deciding to Rejoin Them

by Aaron | June 30, 2025 | 0 Comments

NBA free agency is in full swing and the moves have been coming fast with all 30 teams trying to bring themselves a little closer to where the Oklahoma City Thunder are at the top of the mountain. One of the biggest transactions of the summer came when LeBron James opted into his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers. It wasn’t a surprise that James would want to return to Los Angeles and pursue a championship alongside Luka Doncic, but then James’ agent Rich Paul made some comments that made me think maybe we should have been surprised that he opted in.

Rich Paul: “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a… https://t.co/tgyeCxRQZm

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 29, 2025

That sounds like a guy who wants to be traded from a rebuilding team to a contending team. Why not opt out then? Probably because James and Paul think that they can have their cake and eat it too. James might not get $50 million if he chose free agency, but he thinks that if he can engineer a trade from the Lakers, he can choose a new team while keeping his mega salary. He’s LeBron James, so he’ll probably get what he wants, but it’s stuff like this that makes James less likable than the guy he’s constantly compared to, Michael Jordan.

I think James is the best to ever play basketball. He may only have four championships, but his victory with Cleveland over Golden State in 2016 is an accomplishment that Jordan never had the chance to match because he didn’t go against a team that was close to as good as those Warriors. James is also going to compile more stats than Jordan and James was robbed of Finals MVP in 2015 because nobody had the stones to give it to a player on the losing team. The GOAT debate in basketball can go on forever, but one thing is for certain: Jordan is a lot cooler than James will ever be.

Jordan was almost universally admired, didn’t fire off dumb political takes, and didn’t change teams during hiss prime. James might be the better player, but Jordan wins the aura argument every time. I think that aura gap would only increase if social media was prominent in the 1990s like it is today.

Maybe I’ll change my tune on James if he helps the Knicks win a title before he retires, but that doesn’t seem likely. Someone who is helping the Knicks is Jordan Clarkson, as he’s expected to join the team on a veteran’s minimum contract after negotiating a buyout from Utah. Clarkson should give the Knicks some much-needed depth and scoring off the bench.

Over in Brooklyn, the Nets made a big move by acquiring Michael Porter Jr. from Denver in exchange for Cameron Johnson. The Nets also get an unprotected first-round draft pick from Denver in 2032. Good job by Brooklyn going seven years into the future with that request because it’s hard to imagine the Nuggets being in the lottery anytime soon. On the other hand, everyone on both teams could be fired by then, so what is even the point?

Is This Rock Bottom? Mets Crushed by Pirates for Third Straight Loss

by Aaron | June 29, 2025 | 0 Comments

It’s hard to imagine the Mets’ season getting to a lower point, but then again they are still 48-37 and just two losses behind Philadelphia in the National League East. It’s possible this gets a lot worse before it gets better, but it’s also possible that the Mets make a couple of trades to help the pitching staff and get the offense ramped up again before any hope of the Postseason melts away in the summer sun. Which fate will the Mets become? We don’t know, and that’s why we watch.

This weekend was a Frank the Tank rage tweet come to life with the Mets deciding that it wasn’t enough to lose 9-1 to the last-place Pirates on Friday night or to lose again 9-2 on Saturday. Carlos Mendoza’s squad had to let go of the rope and fall 12-1 on Sunday afternoon to maximize despair. The 30-4 aggregate score was the worst run differential that the Mets have ever suffered in a three-game series, and it happened to a “good” Mets team against the second-division Pirates. That’s baseball, Suzyn.

Frankie Montas appeared to be on his way out of the first inning when Brett Baty made a great snag on a Spencer Horwitz line drive to keep two runs off the board, but Montas let those runs in anyway when Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-out, two-RBI single. Based on Hayes’ overall stats and his stats against the Mets, I’m starting to think that he doesn’t have a hit against any other team this season. Anyway, Oneil Cruz and Tommy Pham followed Hayes’ knock with back-to-back home runs to make the score 5-0 Pittsburgh after one.

ONEIL CRUZ 💥 pic.twitter.com/diyiG6jOcD

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 29, 2025

As has been the case recently for the Mets, they couldn’t do much on offense against the opposing starting pitcher. Mike Burrows and his 4.15 ERA limited New York to just one run on a Luis Torrens solo shot in four and a third innings. Former Met Genesis Cabrera followed up with a scoreless frame and Carmen Mlodzinski kept the Mets off the scoreboard for the final three and two thirds innings.

Montas would last four innings and give up just one additional run, but more than enough damage had already been done. Richard Lovelady, who just rejoined the Mets today after the team designated him for assignment a few days ago, gave up a pair of runs in the fifth. Dedniel Nunez also let in two runs on Cruz’s second home run of the day, which led to Travis Jankowski pitching in the eighth. Gotta save the bullpen before an off day!

I’m sad that Lovelady failed to redeem himself after allowing two runs against the Braves on Tuesday as “Dicky” Lovelady, his name during his first brief stint with the Mets. Maybe the team will stick with Lovelady for longer than a day this time around instead of giving him the shaft.

Madness in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/QXc3Z3AzFH

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 30, 2025

There was some good sports news on Sunday as the United States Men’s National Team defeated Costa Rica to advance to the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals. USA appeared to be in control of the game when Diego Luna and Max Arfsten scored goals on either side of halftime to give their team a 2-1 lead. However, Costa Rica drew level on Alonso Martinez’s goal in the 71st minute after the US missed multiple opportunities to take a two-goal lead. The game went to penalty kicks after 90 minutes before the Gold Cup is a Mickey Mouse tournament, but at least it was exciting. US keeper Matthew Freese was incredible and stopped three of Costa Rica’s six kicks. That allowed the US to triumph on Damion Downs’ match-sealing strike despite missing two of our first five kicks.

Mets Players Hold a Meeting After Another Horrible Loss in Pittsburgh

by Aaron | June 28, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets followed up their 9-1 loss in Pittsburgh on Friday night with a 9-2 loss on Saturday evening. This one got off to a decent start with Francisco Lindor hitting a leadoff double and scoring on a seeing-eye single by Juan Soto. However, after the game was delayed by 90 minutes due to rain in the top of the second, Carlos Mendoza made the decision to keep Paul Blackburn on the mound in order to save the bullpen. That turned out to be disastrous as Blackburn allowed five straight singles without recording an out. Jose Butto came in to put out the fire, but Adam Frazier hit a sac fly off of him to charge a third earned run to Blackburn and give the Pirates the run they needed to win the game.

Butto, Brandon Waddell, and Reed Garrett all did a good job keeping the Mets in the game, but they only scored once more when Pete Alonso doubled with one out in the fifth and was driven in on a Brandon Nimmo single. The Mets blew a golden opportunity an inning earlier when Brett Baty led off with a double, but he was tagged out on a bizarre play when Luis Torrens hit a chopper to third that was misplayed by Ke’Bryan Hayes on the infield grass. Baty would have advanced to third easily if Hayes had fielded the ball cleanly, but instead Isiah Kiner-Falefa picked up the ball behind Hayes and tagged Baty out while he was sliding into third. Even the least superstitious person on Earth can look at that play and say, “Wow, these Mets are cursed.”

"Oh, what bad luck for the Mets" pic.twitter.com/AfSEK19Qns

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 28, 2025

Carlos Mendoza was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz in the fourth inning, but New York only mustered one hit the rest of the way following Nimmo’s RBI single in the fifth. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, would get a lot more hits because Huascar Brazoban has devolved into the worst pitcher on the planet. He walked Joey Bart and Spencer Horwitz in the bottom of the eighth to set up Ke’Bryan Hayes’ RBI single that added a key insurance run for the Pirates.

Colin Poche then came in to make his Mets debut and allowed the rally to continue for five more Pittsburgh runs. Now there was an extra embarrassing score to go with another depressing result, and it appears that the Mets players have had enough.

After their 12th loss in 15 games, Mets players are meeting right now.

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) June 29, 2025

Oh boy. Nothing like a players-only meeting to fire up the boys and end the losing streak. According to Pete Alonso, the meeting was productive.

Pete Alonso feels that the Mets' players meeting was a "productive gathering" pic.twitter.com/brrwJFMzzS

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 29, 2025

He definitely just swore a lot and yelled “LFG!” Maybe that will be enough with Frankie Montas back on the hill Sunday afternoon. He pitched five scoreless innings in his Mets debut, and the team needs more starts like that with Paul Blackburn and a mystery starter taking up a pair of rotation spots these days. Either that, or the Mets need to pay a touching tribute to Dave Parker, who passed away on Saturday, and start mashing some dingers.

Mets Suffer Most Pathetic Loss of the Season in Pittsburgh

by Aaron | June 27, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets were supposed to come to Pittsburgh to grow their winning streak that began with two big wins over the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, but instead the Pirates handed New York a 9-1 loss that is the most pathetic of the season. David Peterson has been so great for the Mets this year. He’s been a de facto ace of the no-name starting rotation that has been the strength of the team. He should have at least flirted with a complete game against Pittsburgh’s feeble lineup, but instead he allowed a four-run rally in the second inning that the Mets did not recover from. You just can’t allow guys like Ke’Bryan Hayes, Jared Triolo, and Alexander Canario to rack up consecutive base hits when the first two are below .300 in both on-base percentage and slugging while Canario was let go by the Mets in spring training.

We scored some runs 🤝 pic.twitter.com/F1VDdWvpbJ

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 28, 2025

New York’s offense wasn’t much better as Mitch Keller allowed just one run on a Juan Soto solo shot. Part of the reason why Soto hits so many home runs with the bases empty is because opposing pitchers fear him and don’t give him much to hit when there are ducks on the pond, but it’s also ridiculous how unproductive he is with runners on base. The Mets were gonna need a crooked number to catch up in this one, and Soto’s bomb did not provide it.

Blade Tidwell was also disappointing in this game and he allowed Pittsburgh to get very comfortable on Bryan Reynolds’ three-run home run in the sixth inning. Tidwell keeps proving that he doesn’t belong in the big league rotation or the bullpen, so hopefully someone else is tabbed to fill Griffin Canning’s role when his spot comes up. I am thinking that Justin Hagenman will get the first crack at the job, but you can’t rule out a bullpen game.

While I’m typing this, the Phillies are up 11-0 on Atlanta, so it looks like the Mets will be in second place in the morning. Over in the Bronx, the Yankees only got four hits, but they beat the Athletics 3-0 thanks to Jazz Chisholm’s solo shot and a shutout thrown by Will Warren combined with four relievers.

At least Penn State has shown up for me lately with Yanic Konan Niederhauser being surprisingly chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of the NBA Draft’s first round. Two nights later, the Columbus Blue Jackets chose Jackson Smith in the first round of the NHL Draft, and that meant that Penn State had a player selected in the first round of the NBA, NHL, and NFL Drafts. That is awesome for someone like me who is a PSU alum and loves watching a variety of sports. It still sucks that Konan left us after showing so much promise, but that’s just what happens when you cheer for a basketball school.

The selection of Smith led to more hype that next year’s projected top NHL pick Gavin McKenna is headed to Penn State.

The moment it was leaked that Gavin McKenna is more than likely coming to Penn State during the NHL Draft Broadcast

INSANE

Penn State is rising to the top of the college hockey world 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Nkp9NZkYm9

— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) June 28, 2025

McKenna had already been linked to Penn State, but Emily Kaplan saying that she believed the move was happening added to the hysteria. I’ll still wait to believe it until I see it. The idea of an elite hockey prospect choosing to play at PSU is exciting not just because of the growth of the program, but because it will probably lead to more games getting on television.

The Mets Return to First Place but Get Hit with Another Pitching Injury

by Aaron | June 26, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets shutout the Braves 4-0 on Thursday night and vaulted back into first place thanks to the pathetic Phillies only scoring one run during their entire three-game series in Houston. Staying in first place, however, will once again prove to be a stiff test since Griffin Canning went down with an Achilles injury in the third inning. I usually try not to speculate on injuries, but in this case I don’t think we need to wait for the Twitter doctors or the regular doctors to confirm that Canning is out for the rest of the season. The Mets already have Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill on the injured list, while Sean Manaea recently suffered a setback to his recovery from a strained oblique he suffered at the start of spring training. Thank goodness for Frankie Montas, right? But even with Montas in the rotation, the Mets need someone to step up and fill Canning’s role.

Carlos Mendoza provides an update on Griffin Canning:

"We think it's an Achilles. He's getting an MRI, we're waiting for the results, but it looks like it's an Achilles injury." pic.twitter.com/Wr1vxoxQrN

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2025

That will probably come down to Blade Tidwell or Justin Hagenman since both guys have helped out the Mets with spot starts this season. I am thinking that Hagenman is the guy since he was solid in two big league appearances this season while Tidwell failed to finish the fourth inning in both of his starts. The Mets have an off day on Monday, so they can probably drag their decision out until the Yankees come to Queens on Independence Day Weekend.

Starting rotation depth could be an issue for the Mets in the long term, but at least they thrived in the short term. A lot of credit goes to Austin Warren, who completed the third inning for Canning and then pitched two more scoreless innings after just being called up today. Dedniel Nunez looked like the guy who took New York’s bullpen by storm last year. He pitched two scoreless frames of his own and struck out the side in the seventh inning. No matter who the fifth starter ends up being, that guy will probably need a lot of bullpen help, so having Warren and Nunez step up is a big deal.

The Mets’ offense on Thursday started out very frustrating when Francisco Lindor wasted a couple of singles by Brett Baty and Ronnie Mauricio in the third inning. He struck out and failed to drive in the runner from third with less than two outs, but New York got some redemption in the fourth when Tyrone Taylor hit a sac fly to score Juan Soto. Speaking of Soto, he and Pete Alonso did a great job setting the table in the fourth as well as the seventh, when they both reached on two-out hits before Jeff McNeil plated them with a two-run single. Alonso also had a clutch RBI hit in the fifth after Soto popped up in a big RBI spot. As raging hot as Soto is, his inability to hit with runners in scoring position this season remains baffling.

The Yankees didn’t play today, but they scored a huge win by announcing a George Constanza bobblehead promotion. The Bombers host the Athletics this weekend while the Mets travel to Pittsburgh, where they will not face Paul Skenes since he just pitched on Wednesday. The Mets have done a good job getting fat on second-division teams this season, and this is another opportunity.

Celtics Respond to Jayson Tatum Injury with a Pair of Smart Trades

by Aaron | June 25, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Boston Celtics were supposed to start a dynasty when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2024 NBA Finals. Boston had a pair of young stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to build around and all of their great role players were under contract for the near future. A lot has changed in the year since then with the Celtics blowing two big leads at home to my New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That led to Boston’s early exit from the Playoffs, but perhaps more troubling for the future of the franchise was the torn Achilles tendon suffered by Tatum in Game 4.

The injury puts a serious dent in Boston’s chances to compete for the Eastern Conference title in 2026, but instead of sitting on a team that is still talented enough to make some noise in the Playoffs, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is pivoting and raising Boston’s ceiling for a future where Tatum is at full strength.

On Monday, Stevens sent Jrue Holiday and the three years remaining on his contract packing and got back an exciting playmaker in Anfernee Simons as well as two second-round draft picks. Holiday has disappointed during his two years in Boston and still has over $100 million left on his contract. Maybe he would have stepped up his game with Tatum out of the lineup, but I think the cap space that the Celtics get from sending him to Portland more than makes up for it in the long term. Boston also gets Simons from the Trail Blazers, and while he’s not the most efficient scorer, he is on an expiring deal and should help replace Tatum’s production in the upcoming campaign.

The next day, Boston sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta and got back Georges Niang. Niang won’t be as productive a scorer as Porzingis, but he can shoot 40 percent from three-point range and saves the Celtics more than $20 million in salary this year. Both Porzingis and Niang are on expiring deals, so this move doesn’t save Boston money beyond 2026. However, it’s another example of Stevens make his team more flexible while also getting an asset that can help the team compete in the upcoming season. With the Pacers and Bucks also reeling from Achilles injuries to key players, it’s smart of Stevens to not punt on 2026 even if he is taking a step back in order to bolster Boston’s future upside.

The Celtics shifting most of their focus to the future just makes it more important that the Knicks find the right coach and win the East in 2026. New York is +290 to reach the NBA Finals, but you’d think that would be a little higher if it had just held onto the coach that led them to relevancy.

The Mets Continue to be Pitiful on Offense in 3-2 Loss to Braves

by Aaron | June 24, 2025 | 0 Comments

I was all set to blame the latest Mets loss on Paul Blackburn. He got off to a slow start on Monday night against the Braves with three runs allowed in three innings, and it could have been a lot more. Jeff McNeil saved one run for Blackburn when he threw behind Ronald Acuna Jr. for a tag out at third base after the Atlanta superstar froze on Marcell Ozuna’s hard-hit ground ball. Acuna made up for the mistake by launching a home run to begin the third inning and celebrating all the way around the bases. That made the Braves’ lead 2-0 since the inning before Ozzie Albies was hit by a pitch, stole second base, and was driven in on a sac fly by Michael Harris II.

The real trouble for Blackburn started when he walked Ozuna and Austin Riley following the Acuna bomb. That loaded the bases with nobody out and it looked like Atlanta could put the game out of reach, but Blackburn got Albies to pop up and Sean Murphy had to settle for a sac fly when his line drive to left field was caught by Brandon Nimmo. Harris also hit the ball very hard, but his was snagged by Pete Alonso on the infield to end the threat with the Braves leading 3-0.

Good morning. Vote Ronald!@Delta | https://t.co/tF2BPq04Q9 pic.twitter.com/HrksjzSgto

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2025

Blackburn would settle down in the fourth and I thought he had a shot at the quality start, but Carlos Mendoza took him out in the fifth and let Jose Butto finish the frame before retiring the side in order in the sixth. The Braves wouldn’t score the rest of the way, which made the real villain of this game the Mets’ offense. It’s been putrid lately with the exception of that 11-run outburst on Saturday night in Philadelphia, but it appeared to be on the upswing when Juan Soto followed a walk by Nimmo in the sixth with a two-run blast to left-center field. If only Francisco Lindor hadn’t taken himself and Brett Baty out of the equation with a double-play ground out, the home run might have given the Mets an extra run or two.

It still felt like the Mets had the momentum they needed to get the comeback win, and the pitching certainly did its part. Unfortunately, the Mets’ feeble bottom of the order went down one-two-three in the seventh and recorded the first two outs of the eighth. With the lineup turned over, Lindor and Nimmo knocked base hits into right field to set the stage for Soto to drive in another clutch run, but after getting ahead in the count 3-1, he was struck out by Braves southpaw Dylan Lee. So anticlimactic. Lee dominated the Mets in the ninth to bring the game to a sad end.

.@DRLee45 appreciation post 👏👏👏#LocalFordDealer | #BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/3k1ltbiTzE

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2025

The Mets shouldn’t have to wait until the trade deadline to make improvements to the lineup. Sending down Luisangel Acuna and Francisco Alvarez was a nice start, but what about designated hitter? I’m sure there are several teams that have guys wasting away in Triple-A who can give the Mets more at that spot than they’re getting from Jared Young and Starling Marte. Maybe Mark Vientos can play DH when he comes off the injured list, but for that move to be effective, Brett Baty has to start hitting consistently at third base. Despite a surge last month that had many fans to declare that he had finally arrived as a productive big league player, Baty is hitting .216/.266/.404 for the season. That’s really bad, but it’s still better than what Tyrone Taylor and Luis Torrens are doing, and both of those guys are lineup regulars for the time being.

Catcher and center field could be targets for trade acquisitions, but it would also help the Mets if Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil hit like they’re capable of doing. McNeil has been very productive this year with his OPS rising above .900 less than two weeks ago, but he’s got one hit in his last 16 at-bats. We know how important Alonso has been to the Mets, but he went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in the last two games while the team scored just three combined runs. With the top of the order performing consistently, the Mets’ offense can take off if they can just get down to one or two guys who have no chance to get a base hit instead of four or five.

Around the majors

In Cincinnati, the Yankees had to call up former Braves right-hander Allan Winans to make a spot start after Ryan Yarbrough landed on the injured list. He held up for the first three innings, but then Elly De La Cruz’s RBI triple sparked a three-run Reds rally and they went on to win 6-1. Nick Lodolo needed 94 pitches to get through four and a third innings against the Yankees, but the Cincinnati bullpen allowed just two hits and a walk the rest of the way.

The Orioles shut out the Rangers 6-0 thanks to a career-high eight strong inning from former Miami lefty Trevor Rogers. Jackson Holliday powered the Baltimore offense with three hits, including a home run, and four RBI.

The White Sox also scored zero runs on Monday night in an apparent effort to make the Mets feel better. Arizona blew up Shane Smith for five runs in the first two innings on its way to a 10-0 whomping. “That’s So” Pavin Smith hit a pair of bombs while driving in four runs and Eduardo Rodriguez struck out 10 Chicago batters in six innings.

The Pirates won an exciting back-and-forth affair in Milwaukee with Isiah Kiner-Falefa driving in the winning run with a triple in the top of the sixth. Pittsburgh second baseman Nick Gonzales went off for five hits in the 5-4 win. That’s a pretty big accomplishment considering the rest of his team struck out 16 times. What a BABIP game!

In other National League Central action, the Cardinals pounded Ben Brown and the Cubs 8-2 with Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Nolan Gorman all going yard between the fourth and sixth innings. This is a big series for the division with St. Louis now four games behind Chicago in the loss column. It’s also big in the Wild Card hunt with the Cardinals creeping up on the Mets.

Cal Raleigh hit his 32nd home run of the season to cap the scoring in Seattle’s 11-2 win at Minnesota. Julio Rodriguez, Luke Raley, and Dominic Canzone also went deep for the Mariners. Big Dumper now has five home runs in his last four games and with 77 games in the books, he’s on pace to challenge the single-season home run kings in September.

The Angels scored four runs in the eighth off of Boston’s Garrett Whitlock to break a 5-5 tie and win 9-5. Before the late rally, all of the Angels’ runs came in the first with Walker Buehler forcing three of them in with a pair of walks and a hit by pitch. The Red Sox would walk 11 batters as a team in the ugly defeat.

In the other west coast game, the Nationals pounded San Diego with 15 hits in a 10-6 win that featured home runs from James Wood and Josh Bell. The top six hitters in Washington’s lineup all had multiple hits in this one.

OKC and LSU Win Championships While Tommy Fleetwood’s PGA TOUR Slump Continues

by Aaron | June 23, 2025 | 0 Comments

Thunder bring first NBA title to Oklahoma City

What a monumental upset it would have been if the Indiana Pacers had one more surprise left in them. Unfortunately for all of you sick and twisted people who were hoping for an Indiana victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder used a strong third quarter to vanquish the Cinderella Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and claim a championship for the first time since the franchise moved from Seattle. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists while earning Finals MVP honors, but what most people will remember about this game is the horrible injury that Tyrese Haliburton suffered after making three three-point shots in the first quarter. Haliburton was already playing through a calf injury, but he appeared to suffer an Achilles injury when he went down while trying to dribble past SGA.

SGA SHINES IN GAME 7, LIFTING OKC TO THE TITLE 🏆

⚡️ 29 PTS
⚡️ 12 AST
⚡️ 5 REB
⚡️ 2 BLK

Shai caps a HISTORIC season as the Thunder win their first championship in the OKC era! pic.twitter.com/eSNLbZiaid

— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025

The score was tied 16-16 at the time of Haliburton’s injury, so we’ll never know what would have happened if he had played the full time. Indiana got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Bennedict Mathurin off the bench as well as 15 points and six assists from Andrew Nembhard, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Thunder, who led by more than 20 in the fourth quarter. If the opinion of the Twitter doctors is confirmed by MRI and Haliburton has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, he’ll be the third player in these NBA Playoffs to go down with that injury. It already happened to Damian Lillard in the first round and Jayson Tatum in the Eastern Semifinals. As much as I rag on Haliburton, it sucks to see him get hurt so seriously when he is close to his dream. I wanted to see him stay healthy and go 0-for-10 from the field. It’s going to be tough for Indiana to return to the Finals if he’s out next season, but the East remains wide open.

For the Thunder, this could mean the start of the next NBA dynasty with how young the core of SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren is. On the other hand, there is more than enough competition to keep them busy in the West with Anthony Edwards continuing to mature in Minnesota and Denver still lurking with Nikola Jokic. The most serious threat to the Thunder could be in Houston with the Rockets trading for Kevin Durant on Sunday afternoon.

Reporting for ESPN NBA Countdown on how Kevin Durant landed with the Houston Rockets: pic.twitter.com/kZo0Q8pcYr

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2025

The Phoenix Suns will get Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and five second-round draft picks from Houston. Green is still a promising young scorer who led the Rockets with 21 points per game this season, but Durant’s much greater efficiency and veteran savvy make his new team a title contender. Following the acquisition of Durant, Houston’s title odds jumped from +1800 to +800 while Indiana’s fell from +1000 to +4000 after the Haliburton injury. OKC remains the favorite to repeat at +220.

LSU sweeps championship series after Coastal Carolina has two coaches ejected

The LSU Tigers have a little more experience winning championships than the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Sunday afternoon, LSU claimed its eighth College World Series title when it defeated Coastal Carolina 5-3 to polish off a two-game sweep of the championship series. With ace right-hander Jacob Morrison on the mound, the Chanticleers boosted their hopes of forcing a rubber game when Dean Mihos gave them an early lead with a solo shot in the second inning. However, the Tigers tied the game on Ethan Frey’s RBI double in the third and then rallied against Morrison for the four runs in the fourth that would end up deciding the title.

Craig Stanfield gave LSU the lead with a two-run single after his team loaded the bases on a single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Morrison got two key outs and was on his way to limiting the damage, but then Derek Curiel came through with another two-run single to put the Tigers up 5-1. Wells Sykes got two back for Coastal with a home run in the seventh, but Chase Shores dominated the final two innings on the bump to clinch the championship for LSU.

THE FINAL OUT THAT SECURED LSU AS THE MCWS CHAMPION 🏆 pic.twitter.com/K7ud0CbTJC

— ESPN (@espn) June 22, 2025

Just like with the NBA Finals, though, the great victory wasn’t the only story. Way back in the first inning, Coastal had its head coach Kevin Schnall and first base coach Matt Schilling ejected from the game by NCAA umpires. There better be a good reason for tossing two coaches from a championship game in the first inning, but it seems like the umpires let a little argument over balls and strikes get out of control.

“There’s 25,000 people there, and I vaguely hear a warning issued,” Schnall said. “As the head coach — I was an assistant for 24 years. As an assistant, you’re almost treated like a second-grade — second-level citizen. And you can’t say a word.

“As a head coach, I think it is your right to get an explanation of why we got warned. I’m 48 years old, and I shouldn’t be shooed by another grown man. When I come out to ask what the warning is, a grown man shooed me.”

Schnall went on to describe his perspective of the moment he got ejected.

“So at that point, I can now hear him say ‘it was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes,'” Schnall continued. “At that point, I said, ‘because you missed three.’ At that point, ejected.

“If that warrants ejection, I’m the first one to stand here like a man and apologize. … But if that warranted an ejection, man there’d be a lot of ejections. As an umpire, I feel like it’s your job to manage the game — the national championship game — with some poise, some calmness and a little bit of tolerance.”

Should Schnall really be chirping the umpires about calls so early? Probably not, but it is the responsibility of the umpires to have a feel for the moment and not treat the deciding game of the College World Series like a regular season game in March. You’d like an umpire would have enough self-awareness to know that ejecting a coach in a spot like that is a bad reflections on one’s self. Maybe other umpires have that awareness, but this one did not.

Tommy Fleetwood still can’t win on the PGA TOUR

Even before Keegan Bradley came from behind to defeat Tommy Fleetwood and win the Travelers Championship on Sunday, there was a lot of talk in golf circles about Bradley pulling double duty at this September’s Ryder Cup. He had already been named a captain, but would he select himself to play in the competition if he deemed himself worthy? Bradley’s victory in Connecticut indicates that the United States could use his talents at Bethpage Black in the battle against Europe, but smart golf people scoff at the idea of someone becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer led the Americans to victory in 1963.

“In my opinion there is just no way that you could be a captain nowadays of a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup and play,” said Trevor Immelman after commentating for CBS on Bradley’s latest victory.

“There are so many responsibilities at the feet of the captain. So many decisions that have to be made before the tournament and then during the week.

“You want your players to be single-minded, focused on themselves. To be focused on the high pressure situation they are in.

“But now you’ve got a guy in Keegan Bradley, who absolutely should be playing.”

If the US loses the Ryder Cup at home, it will either be because Bradley chose himself or didn’t choose himself. You can make sure of that. Meanwhile, this drama could have possibly been kicked down the road if not for Fleetwood making bogey on two of the last three holes to cost himself the tournament. The English golfer has won seven times on the DP World Tour and finished in the top five at every major, but still hasn’t won a PGA TOUR Event. That fact might not be as fascinating as Rory McIlroy’s chase for the career grand slam that he completed in April, but it’s still pretty wild for a player as accomplished as Fleetwood to be lacking a single win.

The Mets are back to awful

It was nice to get a break from the Mets’ losing streak when they hammered Philly with seven home runs and won 11-4 on Saturday night, but then Sunday came and the Mets returned to lifelessness with a 7-1 loss. David Peterson got off to a good start, but then he gave up a solo shot to Kyle Schwarber in the fourth inning and a three-run oppo taco by Edmundo Sosa soon followed.

430 feet‼️ pic.twitter.com/qUzONVTkvY

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 23, 2025

That was pretty much the game since New York only reached base four times in six and two thirds innings against Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo. It’s a good thing that Mark Vientos is on his way back from the injured list, because the Mets need something to change in the lineup. Ronnie Mauricio went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts to lower his batting average to .180, and he’s the obvious candidate for demotion. Luisangel Acuna is also not hitting and there isn’t a reason to leave Jeff McNeil out of the lineup going forward, especially considering he can play both infield and outfield.

The Mets are back home to face Atlanta tonight with Paul Blackburn on the hill against Spencer Schwellenbach. That is a pretty big pitching mismatch, so it’s time to get back to hitting dingers.

The Mets Get Back to Winning and Drop Seven Bombs on Philly

by Aaron | June 22, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets finally busted their seven-game losing streak on Saturday night with a triumphant 11-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. With President Trump announcing a military strike in the middle of the game, it reminded me of the Mets playing in Philadelphia on May 1, 2011 when Osama Bin Laden was killed. The Mets won that night as well, but they didn’t hit seven home runs like they did in the present day. Brandon Nimmo led the charge with a solo shot in the first, and he added another two innings later as part of back-to-back-to-back home runs with Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. The third-inning barrage was supplemented by Soto adding his second home run in the fifth inning, and the massive blast allowed the Mets to keep the lead for the rest of the night.

Griffin Canning got off to a slow start by allowing three hits in the first inning, including an RBI double by Nick Castellanos, that led to two runs. The Phillies added another run in the second inning when Otto Kemp doubled and came around to score on Brandon Marsh’s soft ground ball and a wild pitch that Francisco Alvarez failed to get his body in front of. That gave Philly a 3-1 lead, but the Mets answered with three straight home runs as well as Soto’s second bomb to go ahead 5-3 in the fifth. Canning failed the shutdown inning after Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo nearly collided on a fly ball hit by Trea Turner. He would score on Alec Bohm’s RBI single to bring the Phillies within one, but Lindor answered with a two-out RBI double in the sixth that Castellanos overran badly in the right field corner.

Lindor adds on!

Make him an All-Star! 🗳️👉 https://t.co/pvcqpJqQb7 pic.twitter.com/veAmQcxzCI

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 22, 2025

That sixth inning may have been more impressive than the three home runs in the third because in the sixth, the Mets got singles from both Francisco Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio to set the table. That seems like a very rare feat based on how those guys are playing. As for McNeil, it’s nice having him play center field because he gives the Mets some offense at the position, but it is asking so much for him to communicate with Nimmo properly? They’ve only played together for six years!

That Lindor double was very important because of how shaky New York’s bullpen has been lately, but it turns out that Huascar Brazoban would pitch two scoreless innings before Ryne Stanek and Chris Devenski shut the door in the eight and the ninth, respectively. The solid relief work didn’t stop the Mets from adding on, though. Jared Young joined the home run part to make the score 8-4 and Juan Soto followed with a two-RBI single to blow the game open. Alvarez crushed a solo shot in the ninth to cap the scoring.

I have an issue with people saying that the Mets’ seven-game skid was inevitable because even good teams lose games. There are plenty of good teams that go through a season without losing seven games in a row. Instead of moping about how “you can’t win ’em all,” the Mets had to start smashing opponents’ pitching, and that finally happened on Saturday.

In college ball, LSU defeated Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the College World Series Championship with a 1-0 score thanks to Kade Anderson’s complete game shutout. With 10 strikeouts and five walks, it took Anderson 130 pitches to finish the job. That made me think if a major league starter would ever be allowed to throw 130 pitches, even in a World Series game. I think the babying of pitchers has less to do about avoiding injuries and more to do about pro coaches and front office people not wanting to lose their jobs in case a pitcher does get injured.

We should be in for a thrilling sports Sunday with LSU trying to clinch a national title at 2:30 PM and the NBA Finals wrapping up with Game 7 at 8:00 PM. There’s also the Mets trying to regain first place and the USMNT looking to go undefeated in Gold Cup group play at 7:00 PM.

Bullpen Blowup in Seventh Inning Costs Mets in Seventh Straight Loss

by Aaron | June 21, 2025 | 0 Comments

It wasn’t surprising that the Mets extending their losing streak to seven games last night with Blade Tidwell starting at pitcher against Zack Wheeler. What was so disappointing about the 10-2 defeat in Philadelphia was that the Mets got past the starting pitching portion of the game and quickly tied the score 2-2 on back-to-back home runs by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil. They were the first two batters faced by Taijuan Walker when he relieved Wheeler in the top of the sixth. The Mets seemed to have momentum on their side with Wheeler gone and Jose Butto shutting the Phillies down the fifth and the sixth, but the game turned in the seventh because Reed Garrett could not get anyone out.

That's the two for one special pic.twitter.com/TWOhnXzaI9

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 21, 2025

Brandon Marsh, who had previously given the Phillies a 2-0 lead with an RBI single off of Jose Castillo, led off the frame with a double, and he was quickly doubled home by Trea Turner to give Philadelphia the lead. Garrett then walked Kyle Schwarber and allowed an RBI single to Alec Bohm before being replaced by Justin Garza without recording an out. Garza has been solid for the Mets so far, but he couldn’t stop Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott from blowing the game open with big RBI hits.

The Mets had a chance to get to Wheeler early after Brandon Nimmo singled in the first inning and moved to third on walks by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. However, Wheeler got Jeff McNeil to ground into a double play to end the inning and the Mets would not get a better chance to put a dent in Wheeler’s ERA. It’s tough to say that a play or two might have swung the game when the Mets lost by eight runs, but I think the Mets lost a chance at a rally in the top of the seventh when Brandon Nimmo hit a sharp one-hopper to Trea Turner. The throw to first was a little high and wide, forcing Otto Kemp to stretch at first base. Nimmo was called out, but the replay made it seem like Kemp was off the base by an inch when he received the throw. The Mets let the play slide without a review and Juan Soto ground out to Kemp on the next play to end the inning.

If that play was overturned, Kemp is probably holding Nimmo on first during the next play and Soto’s ball could have gotten by him to start a Mets rally. Instead, New York went down in order and the Phillies scored six runs in the bottom of the inning. These huge rallies for opponents are becoming an issue for the Mets during this losing streak as their pitching regresses.

Speaking of pitching, Blade Tidwell went three scoreless innings before allowing the bases to be loaded in the fourth on two singles and a walk. He might have gotten out of that jam if Kemp’s ground ball had been a little faster, but he busted the Mets’ double play attempt by beating the throw to first and Marsh followed with his RBI hit off of Castillo. Even if Tidwell didn’t allow a run, though, he probably still doesn’t get through Philly’s lineup a second time and that brings into question his future as a starting pitcher. He’s probably more of a reliever, especially on a Mets team that can afford to pay more proven rotation guys instead of bringing Tidwell along slowly. The Mets should have the pitching depth to avoid using Tidwell in an important game, but Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill couldn’t stay healthy with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas already on the shelf.

The Mets should have a better shot at the Phillies with Griffin Canning on the mound tonight against rookie right-hander Mick Abel.

Pacers Force Game 7 and Mets Get Swept Again

by Aaron | June 20, 2025 | 0 Comments

I really thought that the Thunder were going to take care of business in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Everything was going according to plan when Oklahoma City jumped out to a 10-2, but after those first four minutes, the Indiana Pacers dominated the game like they have not dominated before in these NBA Finals. Pascal Siakam and company led by three at the end of the first quarter and then outscored OKC by 19 in the second. At halftime I was hoping for a Thunder comeback so I could mock Tyrese Haliburton with the choke sign, but OKC never got close and Mark Daigneault pulled his starters at the start of the fourth quarter with the deficit at 30. The Pacers went on to win 108-91.

The Thunder ended up shooting 8-for-30 from beyond the arc, but most of the makes were from bench guys in the final period. I think OKC only made a single three-point shot while the game was competitive while Indiana got long-range accuracy from Obi Toppin (4-for-7) and Andrew Nimrod (3-for-5). Those guys combined for 37 points on the night and were Indiana top two scorers. That goes to show you how deep of a team the Pacers are and also what an overrated bum Haliburton is. He was probably the fifth-best player on his own team in Game 6. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Indiana would be better off having Haliburton back up T.J. McConnell and not the other way around. McConnell was at it again on Thursday night with 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals in just 24 minutes. He is more than just a pest; he is a difference-maker.

The Thunder has to get its act together in Game 7 and win at home like it did in Game 2 and Game 5. I can’t deal with watching the Pacers win an NBA title after beating the Knicks because of the luckiest shot in league history. I’m having a hard enough time watching the Mets play worse and worse every night while blowing their five-game lead in the National League East in a week’s time.

Thursday night was another horror show in Atlanta with the Mets unable to do anything on offense after the third inning and Clay Holmes losing the strike zone in the fourth and the fifth. Holmes walked Matt Olson to begin the fourth inning and saw him score after singles by Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies. In the fifth Holmes started with a walk of Ronald Acuna Jr. and later walked Olson again to load the bases before walking Drake Baldwin to force in the go-ahead run. Huascar Brazoban relieved Holmes, but he was no better. Brazoban walked Albies to give Atlanta a 3-1 lead and then allowed Olson to hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth to blow the game open. The Braves won 7-1 to sweep the Mets and hand them a sixth straight loss.

Bases clear courtesy of Matty O!

🌟 https://t.co/tF2BPq04Q9 🌟 pic.twitter.com/eQFQQDFdQW

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 20, 2025

The Mets’ offense has been putrid lately with zero or one runs scored in three of the last four games, but it’s also disturbing how their pitching has fallen off since the injuries to Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill. Holmes, Griffin Canning, and Paul Blackburn have disappointed lately, and now the Mets have called up Blade Tidwell to make a spot start in the crucial series opener at Philadelphia. In Tidwell’s lone major league appearance, he allowed six runs in three and two-thirds innings at St. Louis on May 4. Zack Wheeler is on the hill for the Phillies, so they are pretty big favorites with the division lead on the line. Wheeler has been excellent as usual lately with six innings pitched and one earned run allowed in each of his last two starts.

GOOOAAAL FOR THE @USMNT! 🇺🇸

Chris Richards scores off the set piece! 👏 pic.twitter.com/tvQbB6DBkq

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2025

The USMNT may be playing against inferior competition, but at least it has won two straight matches and punched a ticket to the Gold Cup quarterfinals. Chris Richards broke through in the 63rd minute last night against Saudi Arabia on a brilliant feed from Sebastian Berhalter and the Yanks won 1-0. Over at ESPN, Ryan O’Hanlon wrote an interesting story about why the USMNT is such a mess right now. It has a lot to do with many of the players having full-time soccer jobs overseas and playing in dozens of matches each year before even considering the national team.

There’s a vision of a unified American soccer model… The players add up to something greater than the sum of the parts, and everything makes sense every time they take the field.

This will never happen. How do I know this? Because it hasn’t happened anywhere else. You can’t achieve this when all of your players are spending 75% of their time doing the same job for someone else. Although the situation arose by accident, the current constraints on the international game force it into dysfunction.

O’Hanlon writes about how in the past the national team matches were the most important events for all of the players because they weren’t playing in the Champions League or other important club tournaments. Now that the US has a bunch of talent in Europe, many players have to balance their priorities, and there is not much continuity on the roster. The hope is that all of the best American players come together and form a somewhat cohesive unit at the World Cup next year.

Will the Mets End Their Losing Streak Against Spencer Strider and the Braves?

by Aaron | June 19, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets face the Braves tonight in the final game of a three-game series in Atlanta. New York is looking to avoid a sweep after blowing a 4-1 lead in the eighth inning of the opener and getting completely shut down by Chris Sale last night. Even if the Mets win tonight, they will be on very little sleep for the series opener in Philadelphia on Friday night because the plane probably won’t even take off until close to midnight. Why don’t the Mets get an afternoon start on getaway day?! The June Swoon continues getting worse.

The Mets will have Clay Holmes on the bump against Spencer Strider tonight. After striking out 281 batters during his sophomore season of 2023, Strider missed almost all of 2024 to a surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. Plus, he has already spent two stint on the injured list this season. Strider hasn’t looked much like a dominant strikeout pitcher this season, but he was more like his old self during his last start against the Rockies. In that one, he pitched six shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and one walk. No doubt Braves fans will be talking themselves into the old Strider being back, in which case he could destroy the Mets like Sale did.

Holmes has been as steady as they come for the Mets. He hasn’t dominated the opposition, but he keeps the Mets in every game. During his last start, he held the Rays to one run in five innings, but then Carlos Mendoza took him out of the game with just 79 pitches thrown because he was apparently tired from pitching in the thin Denver air six days prior. That’s right, not only did Mendoza take out a guy early who had grown accustomed to throwing more than 90 pitches with regularity, but he did so while that pitcher was on FIVE DAYS OF REST. Because of one start in Denver. It’s unbelievable how soft the Mets are. Anyway, of course Paul Blackburn and Max Krannick combined to blow the Mets’ 5-1 lead as soon as Holmes was removed. That was the loss that started this five-game skid.

Series finale. #LGM pic.twitter.com/WI6wTbubBB

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 19, 2025

Francisco Alvarez is back in the lineup after Luis Torrens had a horrible game last night. Ronny Mauricio is still in there hitting below the Mendoza line at third base because of Brett Baty’s injured groin that the Mets still don’t know what to do with. The good news is that Starling Marte has been useful lately with seven hits in his last four games. This lineup goes six deep, but those last three are totally feeble.

We also have the NBA Finals possibly concluding tonight with the Thunder holding a 3-2 series lead over the Pacers. Indiana finally looks like it has met its match after suffering consecutive defeats for the first time in these Playoffs. Plus, Tyrese Haliburton made zero field goals in Game 5. It will be interesting to see how the Pacers respond at home.

Plus, the United States is taking on Saudi Arabia in Gold Cup action. The Yanks are heavily favored after they crushed Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 to end a four-game losing streak. I need the US to keep winning so that the World Cup next year isn’t totally depressing.

Panthers Claim the Stanley Cup Again While New York Baseball is Futile

by Aaron | June 18, 2025 | 0 Comments

How about those Florida Panthers? They crushed the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to claim the Cup for the second straight year. They’re the first back-to-back champs since the Tampa Bay Lightning won in 2020 and 2021. Okay, that wasn’t so long ago, but the more important stat is that a Canadian team hasn’t held the Cup since 1993. Shoutout to my Rangers for starting the streak of American victories by defeating the Canucks in the 1994 Final. I don’t feel so bad about losing the 4 Nations Face-Off anymore.

THE MOMENT THE @FLAPANTHERS BECAME BACK-TO-BACK #STANLEYCUP CHAMPIONS! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oYlia49VYJ

— NHL (@NHL) June 18, 2025

Sam Reinhart scored four goals in the clinching game (with the last two coming with an empty net) and Sergei Bobrovsky didn’t allow a goal until the championship was in hand with five minutes to play. Still, it was Sam Bennett who won the Conn Smythe Trophy with 15 goals and seven assists in the Playoffs.

The Panthers’ victory opens up two big story lines for next season. First, can Florida become the first NHL three-peat since the Oilers dynasty in the 1980s? And second, will Connor McDavid ever win the Stanley Cup? McDavid is the best player in the game today, but after falling short of immortality for the second year in a row, every hockey fan will be focused on his quest for glory going forward.

On the diamond, the Mets and Yankees continued to struggle. The Yankees finally broke a ridiculous 30-inning scoreless streak when Jazz Chisholm homered off of Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz in the second inning. The Bombers even took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Cody Bellinger hit a solo shot of his own. However, an inexplicable error by Anthony Volpe in the eighth turned an inning-ending double play into a game-winning RBI for Jo Adell.

ok so we have the lead 😅 pic.twitter.com/7Dg8Y5I73I

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 19, 2025

The Mets also played boneheaded defense in their 5-0 loss at Atlanta. One night after Francisco Alvarez cost the Mets a chance to escape the 10th inning when he threw to the wrong base with Luke Williams stuck in a pickle, New York’s other catcher Luis Torrens fielded a foul ball with his mask (that’s illegal) to score one run for Atlanta and set up another to score on Marcell Ozuna’s sac fly. The only silver lining is that the Mets didn’t cross the plate for the second time in three games, so Torrens’ error didn’t matter very much.

I don’t think anyone is cursing their defense more than Arkansas fans, though. The Hogs led 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth thanks to Justin Thomas Jr.’s two-RBI single in the top of the frame. LSU put two runners on in their half before Steven Milam hit a hard ground ball to shortstop. It looked like Wehiwa Aloy had a chance to start a game-ending double play, but he chose to get the force out at third instead even though the tying run was coming from first base. The next batter Luis Hernandez hit a line drive to left field that Charles Davalan was in position to catch before he slipped and fell, allowing both runners to score. To cap it off, the walk-off single hit by Jared Jones bounced off the glove of Cam Kozeal, the Arkansas second baseman who grew up in Omaha dreaming of playing in the College World Series. Pour one out for the Razorbacks because that is a heartbreaking way to lose a ballgame.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! 😱#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @LSUbaseball pic.twitter.com/BFKdJ08FkM

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 19, 2025

LSU’s comeback win means it is headed to the CWS championship series vs. Coastal Carolina while Arkansas is eliminated. The Chanticleers punched their ticket with an 11-3 stomping of Louisville on Wednesday afternoon.

Tyrese Haliburton Proves He is Overrated in Loss to Thunder

by Aaron | June 17, 2025 | 0 Comments

Oh boy, what a great day it is to not be a fan of the Indiana Pacers. Not only did they lose 120-109 at Oklahoma City to suffer consecutive defeats for the first time in these NBA Playoffs, but Tyrese Haliburton proved the haters right by missing all six of his field goal attempts! Is this the same guy with the chip on his shoulder who was proving everyone who said he was overrated wrong? There’s no way that guy would have more fouls plus turnovers (six) than points (four) in a pivotal NBA Finals game. What a treat this is.

Meanwhile, the real MVP of the Pacers Pascal Siakam scored 28 points with five assists and three steals to try to keep his team in the game. Indiana trailed for almost the entire game, but it got within two points of Oklahoma City when Siakam hit a three-point shot with 8:30 to go in the fourth quarter. The Thunder weren’t rattled, though. Jalen Williams hit a three of his own and then Andrew Nimrod threw the ball away to get Cason Wallace a breakaway dunk. Suddenly, Oklahoma City was back up by seven and it would not be one-possession game again. Williams had himself a night with 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to settle for 31 points and 10 assists. Just like in Game 1, the Thunder forced over 20 turnovers, but this time they didn’t let Indiana of the hook. With one more win, Oklahoma City will claim its first NBA title since the franchise moved from Seattle.

All 19 Ks from Wood. Unreal. #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @RazorbackBSB pic.twitter.com/hOukHeayWi

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 16, 2025

There was also big news at the College World Series as Murray State’s Cinderella story came to an end. The poor Racers were no-hit by Arkansas pitcher Gage Wood, who might have had a perfect game if he didn’t hit a batter with a pitch to start the eighth inning. Wood not only threw the first no-hitter at the CWS since 1960, but he may have had one of the best games ever for a pitcher in a big spot. He struck out 19 batters with no walks while going the distance on 119 pitches. Thank goodness no-hitters still mean something to someone. If this was a big league game, Wood would have been pulled due to a high pitch count while he still had a chance at perfection. The Razorbacks’ 3-0 victory means they’ll face UCLA tonight in another elimination game. The winner of that one will have to defeat LSU twice in a row to get to the championship series.

You know who didn’t throw a no-hitter on Monday? Shohei Ohtani, who pitched in an MLB game for the first time since 2023. He allowed a run on two singles and a sac fly, but then he stepped in the batter’s box and racked up a couple of RBI hits to lead the Dodgers to a 6-3 win over San Diego.

Released today! The all-new 2025 MLB All-Star Game caps and jerseys, separate designs revealed for both the game itself and the Home Run Derby 🌟⚾🧢

Pics, details, and more in my post here: https://t.co/HKl48czClp pic.twitter.com/jzikRsYCEn

— SportsLogos.Net (@sportslogosnet) June 16, 2025

Also in baseball, MLB unveiled the All-Star uniforms and we are finally returning to the players wearing home white and road greys during the Midsummer Classic. There are still special All-Star Game jerseys, but they will be worn during the Home Run Derby instead of the main event. The bad news is that Seattle and Tampa Bay don’t have grey road uniforms, so their players are going to stand out a lot. Even when Rob Manfred gets something right, it’s not totally right.

https://t.co/au4xbTyT0u pic.twitter.com/UMFqpYl05B

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) June 16, 2025

Finally, Joey Chestnut has decided to stop being a veggie dog wuss and return to the National’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest this year. What a win for America.

The Red Sox and Grizzlies Make Stunning Trades on Father’s Day

by Aaron | June 16, 2025 | 0 Comments

It’s not often that trades between sports teams catch us completely off guard. Usually there are weeks of rumors ahead of the deal because we know that a player is on the trade block or just know that it makes sense for a losing team to trade away its star player who has just a few months left on his contract. That trend might be reversing, though. Not only did we get blindsided by the insane Luka Doncic trade over the winter, but on Sunday the Red Sox shocked the baseball world by trading Rafael Devers to the Giants.

Full trade: The San Francisco Giants are acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs and Jose Bello, according to sources familiar with the deal.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) June 15, 2025

It had been known that Devers and the Red Sox weren’t on great terms after the team asked him to move to designated hitter upon acquiring Alex Bregman. After the season started, Boston had to ask Devers to change positions again since its regular first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury. Devers never ended up playing first base for Boston, but no one thought the team would go so far as to trade him away. The Red Sox might have been disappointing compared to preseason expectations, but they were still in the thick of a Postseason race and Devers was hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI. The star slugger was also in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract. Surely this little argument about what position to play was just a bump in the road.

Nope. Boston sent Devers to San Francisco on Sunday night. The Giants will take care of the entire contract and send southpaw starter Kyle Harrison to Boston along with flamethrowing swingman Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and Rookie League pitcher Jose Bello. Harrison has a lot of potential, but in 24 starts last year he had a 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, so he’s far from a finished product. Hicks has been in the majors for six years now, and he’s always been intriguing because he throws harder than almost anyone, but he still doesn’t prevent runs at a high level. I like Tibbs a lot because he was just drafted last season and is already showing a promising strikeout-to-walk ratio in the minors to go with 12 home runs this season. Bello is only 20 years old, but he has 28 strikeouts and just three walks in 18 innings pitched this year.

It’s an underwhelming prospect package, but the Red Sox were clearly eager to get out of the Devers business. They did not want to be stuck with a player for nine years who they clearly saw as being selfish. This is a guy that the Red Sox were building their franchise around, so if he wasn’t going to be a good leader, it was time to get out, no matter where the team was in the standings. The Giants are a big winner if they can get along with their new star player. With Matt Chapman recently going in the injured list, San Francisco was trying to keep pace with the Dodgers while relying on Willy Adames and his .624 OPS in the middle of the lineup. Devers will provide a huge boost to the offense.

Earlier in the day, the Memphis Grizzlies agreed to send Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round draft picks, and a first-round picks swap. The internet’s first reaction seemed to be, “The Magic gave up HOW many first-round picks for Desmond Bane?!” I was thinking that as well, but it’s pretty comparable to what the Knicks gave up for Mikal Bridges, and Bane was better last year than Bridges was in his final year with Brooklyn. He’s not a household name, but Bane is an efficient scorer who can do a little bit of everything. He averaged 19 points, five assists, and six rebounds per game last season while shooting 48 percent from the field, 39 percent from beyond the arc, and 89 percent from the stripe. The Magic were the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA this season, so that skill in particular is a key factor in the Bane acquisition.

Brian Windhorst explains that getting out of KCP’s contract is another benefit for Orlando, while the Grizzlies are looking to push back their window of contention after getting swept by Oklahoma City in the first round of the Playoffs.

"The next question is: What about Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.?"@WindhorstESPN breaks down Desmond Bane being traded to the Magic ✍️ pic.twitter.com/IewXKxwjEj

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 15, 2025

Windhorst suggests that the Bane trade could be the start of a major rebuild in Memphis, but Tim Bontemps believes that the team is still interested in getting extensions done for Jaren Jackson and Ja Morant.

Sources told ESPN that the Grizzlies are not looking to deal either of their two remaining franchise cornerstones. The team has spent the past several months clearing salary cap space to complete a renegotiation and extension of Jackson’s contract this offseason, preventing him from hitting free agency in 2026. The belief is that an extension will get done, sources said. But the Bane trade gives Memphis an avenue to give Jackson even more on that deal and lock him in long term.

Bontemps also says that the Magic sees itself as a major threat to win the East with Jayson Tatum presumably out for the season. Even with Tatum on the court for most of the Eastern Semifinals this year, the conference proved to be more wide open than many people previously thought. It’s not hard to imagine Orlando being next year’s Indiana with Bane joining the young and energetic core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs.

I hate giving up so many picks for a guy who isn’t a superstar, but it’s clear that the Magic already has some young pieces in place and thinks it can challenge for the East title right away. The move definitely makes me worry about my Knicks’ ability to return to the East Finals.

J.J. Spaun Wins the U.S. Open in Style

by Aaron | June 15, 2025 | 0 Comments

After four grueling days of golf at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, the U.S. Open named a new champion on Sunday evening, and his name is J.J. Spaun. That’s the same guy who had his heart broken at THE PLAYERS Championship earlier this year when he lost to Rory McIlroy in a Monday playoff. It’s also the same guy who had just one PGA TOUR win to his name before Sunday and the same guy who appeared doomed when he made bogey on five of the first six holes to star the final round.

Oakmont demands grit, though, and Spaun proved that he had it after shooting 40 on the front nine. A birdie on the par-five 12th hole sparked a life-changing rally from Spaun that brought him from two strokes over par to one stroke under and made him a major champion. While Spaun rose to the occasion, Sam Burns and Adam Scott melted down on the back nine with Burns making double bogey on the 11th and 15th to go eight strokes over par for the day and four over for the tournament. Scott was a miserable six strokes over on the back nine with just one birdie on the day, tumbling from second place after three rounds to a 12th place finish.

WHAT A PUTT!!!!

J.J. SPAUN WINS THE U.S. OPEN!!!! pic.twitter.com/EWdYQeDAzF

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 16, 2025

The struggles of his peers makes Spaun’s finish all the more impressive, and he clinched the title in style with a 65-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole when he only needed par to win. That brilliant shot made him the only man in the U.S. Open field to shoot under par for the tournament. Even the great Scottie Scheffler finished the U.S. Open four strokes over par after shooting an even-par 70 on Sunday.

There weren’t any NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Final games on Sunday night because Adam Silver is incompetent, but there was still plenty of sports action during the day. Arizona was eliminated from the College World Series despite leading Louisville 3-2 after seven innings. The Cardinals blasted their way past Arizona after trailing all day by scoring six runs in the 8th inning.

Louisville LEADS 😤#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @LouisvilleBSB pic.twitter.com/xaLsptXaRn

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 15, 2025

Zion Rose had the critical hit with an opposite-field single with the bases loaded that gave Louisville the lead. It’s safe to say we don’t need to worry about any anti-Zionist sentiment on the Louisville campus these days. In the nightcap, Coastal Carolina jumped out to any early lead like Arizona did, but the Chanticleers held onto it and won 6-2 thanks to a dominant outing from Jacob Morrison. He set down 16 Oregon State batters in a row after he allowed a solo shot to Easton Talt in the third inning. Morrison ended up allowing just five hits and the one run in seven and two-thirds innings.

Just doing his thing#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @CoastalBaseball pic.twitter.com/qIHKbRQlZv

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 16, 2025

Coastal is now in the driver’s seat of one double elimination bracket with a 2-0 record. Action will heat up in the other bracket on Monday with Arkansas trying to eliminate super Cinderella Murray State in the day game before LSU clashes with UCLA at night. In the pro game, both the Mets and Yankees were shut out on Sunday. The Mets were unable to take advantage of seven walks offered by Tampa Bay pitching while the Rays pounded Griffin Canning for six runs in just four and a third frames. The Yankees’ 2-0 loss in Boston featured a great start by Brayan Bello and a third straight three-strikeout game from Aaron Judge. It’s time to start asking if Judge is happy in the Yankees organization. Just like the Mets, the Yankees were coming off a sweep before getting swept this weekend.

It was another boring day for the Club World Cup with Palmeiras and FC Porto playing to a scoreless draw at MetLife Stadium. The other three matches all appeared to be blowouts with Paris Saint-Germain beating Atletico Madrid 4-0 and Bayern Munich clobbering Auckland City 10-0. However, Seattle Sounders just got on the board against Brazilian side Botafogo to make that score 2-1.

Sounders will hope to represent American better than the USMNT, but even that sorry group couldn’t mess up a game against Trinidad and Tobago in the Gold Cup. The Yanks won their opening match 5-0 after four straight losses split between friendlies and Concacaf Nations League. Maybe the easy win will propel the USMNT to a tournament win and it can start building momentum for next year’s World Cup.

The Thunder Have Struck Twice and the NBA Finals are Even

by Aaron | June 14, 2025 | 0 Comments

For a minute there, it looked like I might have to be a Thunder in Seven guy. The Pacers led Game 4 of the NBA Finals by 10 points late in the third quarter and it looked like we might be subject to more “ACTUALLY, Tyrese Haliburton is underrated” talk. Thankfully, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City on a 12-1 run in the final three minutes that lifted the team to a 111-104 victory despite the Thunder shooting 3-for-16 from beyond the arc. When you win with those shooting numbers, you know you played with grit, gumption, and heart. OKC only had 11 assists on 37 field goals in this game, with zero coming from SGA for the first time this season. That’s another area where the Thunder can improve in Game 5, but they’re unlikely to get more from Alex Caruso, who poured in 20 points and five steals from the bench. On Indiana’s bench, T.J. McConnell was limited to eight points and zero steals after his stronger performance in Game 3 and Bennedict Mathurin scored eight points while missing some key free throws down the stretch. Maybe these games really are decided by the role players. That would be good news for Indiana since Haliburton is not going to outplay SGA very often, but it’s good to know that OKC can get some scoring help beyond its big three playmakers.

So what else happened in the sports world on Friday and Saturday?

The Panthers are one win away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions. They tried to repeat their bold strategy of going up three goals. It didn’t work in Game 4, but it sure did in Game 5! The big difference was Florida not adding the third goal until early in the third period, when Brad Marchand scored his second of the night by going through Calvin Pickard’s legs on a breakaway that was sparked by Eetu Luostarinen. Edmonton ended up scoring twice before the game ended, but the Panthers kept adding on with a wrist shot from Sam Reinhart and an empty-netter from Luostarinen to win 5-2.

Opening games are done at the College World Series. Coastal Carolina scored three runs in the eighth inning to defeat underdog Arizona 7-4. Also on Friday, Oregon State bounced back from a 9th inning meltdown to walk off Louisville and win 4-3 on Gavin Turley’s RBI double. On Saturday, Kade Anderson pitched seven innings of one-run ball and LSU’s three-run rally in the second inning stood up as the Tigers defeated Arkansas 4-1. Super Cinderella Murray State scored four answered runs after falling behind UCLA 6-0, but the Racers were shut down by Bruins closer Easton Hawk in the 9th.

The Mets lost twice to Tampa Bay. New York was in great shape through five innings on Friday night, but then Carlos Mendoza pulled Clay Holmes from the game even though he had only thrown 79 pitches. Paul Blackburn and Max Krannick combined to allow six runs in the 6th inning and Juan Soto’s game-tying home run bid in the 8th died on the warning track, allowing Tampa Bay to hold on for a 7-5 win. The Rays exploded for another big inning on Saturday evening, this time scoring five times in the 4th off of Tylor Megill. Three of those runs came with two outs following Megill’s botched attempted to field a bunt. The Mets fell behind 6-2 in that frame and only scored two more runs in the ballgame, losing 8-4.

Two international soccer tournaments got underway. Both the FIFA Club World Cup and Concacaf Gold Cup are being played in the United States at the same time. The Club World Cup got off to a very boring start with Messi and Inter Miami playing to a scoreless draw with Egyptian side Al Ahly. There were some pretty gnarly saves in this game, but nobody likes a 0-0 result. The Gold Cup has been a bit more fun so far with Mexico holding a 3-2 edge over the Dominican Republic in the 80th minute.

This Stanley Cup Final is Shaping Up to be One of the Greatest Ever

by Aaron | June 13, 2025 | 0 Comments

Just like Thunder in Five before it, Panthers in Five went down in flames on Thursday night with Florida blowing a 3-0 lead and falling to the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in overtime. The good news is that we are now guaranteed at least two more games in this series and just got to see one of the most thrilling games in the history of the Stanley Cup Final. It started with a dominant first period by Florida with Matthew Tkachuk scoring a pair of power play goals and Anton Lundell adding an even-strength score in the final minute when Edmonton turned over the puck behind its own net.

The second period saw three Edmonton goals with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse flipping the puck over Sergei Bobrovsky’s shoulder and Vasily Podkolzin netting the equalizer on a backhand shot that was set up by Nurse’s wraparound try. Just as important as all the scoring, though, was backup goalie Calvin Pickard stonewalling the Panthers and keeping their total at three while the Oilers caught up. Florida stayed aggressive throughout the game, with one of its best chances coming midway through the second period when Lundell intercepted a pass on the forecheck and skated into the slot with no one but Pickard in front of him. Pickard came up with a monumental stop to keep the score 3-1, and Nurse scored the Oilers’ second goal of the night a minute later.

VASILY PODKOLZIN! TIE GAME! 😱 #StanleyCup

THIS. IS. WILD.

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/2uqU8kA6gX

— NHL (@NHL) June 13, 2025

After Edmonton had tied the game, the Panthers controlled the action and looked to be on the way to scoring the game’s seventh goal, but they were denied over and over. Even with Pickard leaving the net wide open thanks to a brilliant pass from Carter Verhaeghe to Tkachuk, defenseman Mattias Ekholm stepped up and acted as a second goalie to keep the go-ahead goal off the board. Instead, it was the Oilers who broke the tie with Jake Walman slamming home a massive slap shot from the right circle after a Florida own-zone turnover caused by Edmonton’s Mattias Janmark.

It was setting up to be a supremely frustrating night for Florida, but after 40 scoreless minutes, it finally broke through when Sam Reinhart scored with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Reinhart tried to feed Tkachuk in the slot, but the puck trickled back to him on the left side of the net, where he slid the puck past Pickard’s pad for the cathartic equalizer. Reinhart’s score was the second latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history with the latest coming just days ago when Corey Perry tied Game 2 with just 18 seconds on the clock. This series is going down in the books one or way or the other.

LEON DOES IT AGAIN!!!! 🤩

HIS @ENERGIZER OVERTIME WINNER EVENS THE SERIES AT 2-2! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/ZtXXQzYge3

— NHL (@NHL) June 13, 2025

Just like how Edmonton lost after Perry’s dramatic goal in Game 2, Florida would fall in this one when Leon Draisaitl attempted a one-handed backhand pass to Corey Perry on the edge of the crease. Instead of finding Perry, though, the puck deflected off of Florida’s sliding Niko Mikkola and got by Bobrovksy, who could not close the five hole in time. It was Draisaitl’s fourth overtime winner of these Playoffs and his second of the series. He is mega clutch, but so was Pickard, who made another incredible save minutes earlier when Mikkola fed Sam Bennett for a one-timer from the right circle. Pickard got just enough of the puck with his glove to deflect it off of the crossbar and keep Edmonton alive. That is just torture for Florida fans.

THIS! GAME! 😱🔥 pic.twitter.com/Xc19vXLPHh

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 13, 2025

Just like that, we are set up for an incredible weekend of sports with Oklahoma City trying to even the NBA Finals against Indiana on Friday night before the Stanley Cup Final shifts to Edmonton for Game 5 on Saturday night. Plus, we’ve got the U.S. Open during the day, and Oakmont is already making fools of all of the players out there.

Rough start for Rory on Friday.

It's an opening double bogey. He's now +6 for the championship. pic.twitter.com/WJWKSrr7Nm

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025

As a New York Rangers fan, I’m often left feeling like a fool, but on Thursday the franchise did the responsible thing and traded Chris Kreider to Anaheim in order to create some cap space for a veteran squad that missed the Playoffs this season. Kreider has been an amazing player for the Rangers during his 13-year career and he is the team’s all-time leader in postseason goals with 48, but he is also 34 years old and carries a cap hit of $6.5 million for each of the next two seasons. New York didn’t get back much in mediocre prospect Carey Terrance and a pick swap that exchanges the Ducks’ third-rounder for the Rangers’ fourth-rounder this year. This is all about dumping salary and getting younger to speed up the rebuild process. Soooooo exciting.

I may have lost with Florida and lost a franchise player with Kreider, but at least the Mets won. They beat Washington 4-3 to complete a second straight series sweep, but Kodai Senga injured his hamstring and Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz nearly blew a four-run lead in the ninth, so it was pretty maddening as far as wins go. This is why the phrase “I’ll take it” was invented. My day could have been a lot worse had Diaz not recovered in time to get a pair of ground outs after the Nationals put the go-ahead run in scoring position.

Watching the Pacers Win is Frustrating for Knicks Fans

by Aaron | June 12, 2025 | 0 Comments

I just knew the Pacers were going to make the NBA Finals as painful as possible. I just knew it and I couldn’t bring myself to accept it. Everyone basketball mind I talked to said that the Pacers would not be dominated by Oklahoma City like the sportsbooks expected. Indiana was going to continue to defy the odds, and that is what has happened. I thought this series would be different because of how well the Thunder bounced back from their Game 1 loss, but Indiana took back control in Game 3 with a 116-107 victory despite trailing by four early in the fourth quarter.

Tyrese Haliburton came one rebound short of a triple-double with 22 points and 11 assists, but the real heroes for Indiana were Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell. While Oklahoma City only got 18 points from its entire bench, Mathurin scored 27 himself on 9-for-12 shooting while McConnell was a pest who looked like he wanted this game more than anyone else in the arena. He scored 10 points in just 15 minutes with five assists and five steals. Three times McConnell caught the Thunder napping and turned a typical inbounds play after an Indiana bucket into additional points for the Pacers. Those types of steals should not happen once in a game that means everything, let alone three times.

"It's hard not to root for a guy like that."

Tyrese Haliburton on T.J. McConnell 👏 https://t.co/NO7ZbuZuIG pic.twitter.com/UNcz2d3DNH

— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2025

Listen to Haliburton talk about how scrappy and gritty McConnell is. This is a guy who should be happy to have a couple of minutes in garbage time, and yet he is having a major impact off the bench.

It’s frustrating enough to watch Indiana continuing to have success after the Knicks came so close to beating them, but what’s also frustrating is how this team is winning. The Pacers didn’t make a big move in the offseason to try and move up in the Eastern Conference pecking order. For the most part, they stuck with their guys from last year’s run to the Conference Finals and hung out in the middle of the standings all season. The front office didn’t panic after a slow start and when the Playoffs rolled around, the Pacers were a cohesive unit on which everyone knew their roles and was willing to sacrifice for the team. That makes me think that the Knicks would have been better off sticking with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo instead of trading them for the flashy Karl-Anthony Towns. There are not many things more frustrating than thinking you were better off just doing nothing.

Then, after the season the Knicks doubled down on change and fired Tom Thibodeau without having a plan for a new head coach. While the Pacers embraced continuity and toughness following their win over the Knicks in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks have twice swung for the fences with big moves. The first one just resulted in another heartbreaking loss to Indiana, and it’s hard to imagine the second one landing the Knicks a coach who was better suited to the franchise than Thibodeau.

The only thing to do now if hope that the Knicks come to their senses and hire Mike Malone while rooting for the Thunder to win the Finals in six games. Neither of those things will get the Knicks closer to a championship, but it’s what we have. We also have a Stanley Cup Final game tonight with the Panthers trying to take a 3-1 lead over Edmonton. I have been going pretty hard for Florida in this series, so hopefully it works out better than the basketball has so far.

In other good news, the College World Series starts on Friday and that means one thing: Jell-O Shots!

Not every school can say they made the CWS on their fourth postseason appearance but @RacersBaseball is coming to Omaha! Fun fact: Omaha's CBA team mascot was the Racers so some old heads probably already have gear! #roadtoroccos #cws2025 pic.twitter.com/R83QP4VxhM

— CWS Jello Shot Challenge (@CWSShotBoard) June 10, 2025

Imagine Penn State getting its name written on this board one day? If Murray State can do it, anyone can!

Knicks Have No Plan at Head Coach

by Aaron | June 11, 2025 | 0 Comments

I really thought that the Knicks had a plan when they fired Tom Thibodeau after their loss to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals. Mike Malone had been let go by the Nuggets in April, and he was someone who knew how to win a championship with a versatile big man. However, in the past few days, it has become apparent that the Knicks have no idea who their next head coach will be. They’ve reportedly been shut down from interviewing a bunch of guys who already hold NBA jobs.

On Wednesday morning, the Mavs firmly rejected the Knicks’ request to speak with Jason Kidd, sources told ESPN.

Kidd joins Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch as those whose teams have denied permission to interview with New York, sources confirmed.

Since the Knicks brought Thibodeau aboard in 2020, they’ve made the Playoffs in four out of five seasons and won 50 games in each of the last two seasons. This year, the Knicks defeated the defending champion Celtics to reach their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. But Thibodeau wasn’t good enough because of the Knicks’ collapse in Game 1 against the Pacers that featured Aaron Nesmith becoming automatic from three-point range and OG Anunoby fumbling away an open layup that could have put the game away.

I wasn’t totally shocked when the Knicks dismissed Thibodeau because I’ve become desensitized to bizarre NBA firings. It would be nice if the Knicks were different, though. Now instead of just having to tweak a roster that was a couple of games away from a Finals berth, the Knicks must replace a head coach who was a perfect fit for New York with his defense-first mindset and his experience as an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy.

It’s easy to see the Knicks spiraling from here if they don’t hire the right coach, don’t improve their defense, and see themselves passed by Indiana and Detroit in the Eastern Conference pecking order. Maybe the front office will settle on Malone after Jay Wright and Dan Hurley say no.

The good news is that my baseball team is thriving. The Mets just won their fifth straight game and got a complete game shutout from David Peterson. I think that’s just as impressive as a no-hitter these days considering that most of those feature multiple pitchers without one guy having to go the distance. I love to criticize Carlos Mendoza for treating his pitchers with kid gloves, but he did a great job letting Peterson pitch through some trouble in the seventh and eighth innings before having him finish the job in the ninth.

First career complete game shutout for @_David_Peterson! 👏 #LGM pic.twitter.com/Km3ZN3Slid

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 12, 2025

Peterson and the leap he’s taken this year have been very important to the Mets’ surprisingly effective starting rotation. It doesn’t feel so much like a fluke when guys like Kodai Senga and Peterson are delivering strong outings every fifth or sixth day.

Mets Continue Home Magic with Comeback Over Nationals

by Aaron | June 10, 2025 | 0 Comments

I really thought tonight would be the night where the Mets fell back to the pack a little bit and stopped being unbeatable at home. That night might come, but it is not this night! On this night the Mets overcame a 4-2 deficit in the eighth inning and came back to defeat the Washington Nationals in the bottom of the 10th on Jeff McNeil’s RBI single!

.@JeffMcNeil805 FTW!!! pic.twitter.com/W4Bl4HATpf

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 11, 2025

The Mets looked pretty dead in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and nobody on base, but Starling Marte sparked them with a walk and Washington’s no-doubles defense (that never works) allowed Juan Soto’s line drive to right field to land in for an RBI double. Pete Alonso followed up with a clutch double of his own to tie the game. Then all it took was Edwin Diaz and “Great News” Reed Garrett shutting down Washington in the ninth and 10th innings, respectively, to set up McNeil’s game-winner.

What really impressed me about the Mets’ rally was how it came out of nowhere. New York had just one hit following Juan Soto’s solo shot in the third that cut Washington’s lead to 3-2. The offense had gone to sleep before being woken up by Marte’s walk and Soto’s big hit. Just as important as the hit, though, was Soto hustling home on Alonso’s double. With Alonso being thrown out at second base on the play, the Mets don’t get the tying run in if Soto doesn’t reach the plate before the tag. It was a good job by Soto to show some awareness and bust his butt to the plate.

Pete comes THROUGH!

Make the Polar Bear an All-Star! 🗳️👉 https://t.co/pvcqpJro0F pic.twitter.com/Wn7V3tSptG

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 11, 2025

Griffin Canning might not have had the finest game, but Soto and McNeil following up their strong performances in Denver with two hits and two RBI each is a great sign for the Mets going forward. Plus, the newest member of the bullpen Justin Garza got a couple of huge strikeouts to keep Washington from adding on in the top of the eighth.

With no NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night, the USMNT had a chance to steal the spotlight, but it got blown out by Switzerland 4-0. It would be embarrassing enough to get crushed by a legit European power, but Switzerland? That is inexcusable and there is less than zero excitement for the US with one year to go until the 2026 World Cup. Oh well, maybe the Mets will be defending a World Series championship by then… still a long way to go.

Murray State Makes History and Panthers Dominate the Ice

by Aaron | June 9, 2025 | 0 Comments

The College World Series field of eight is set, and the best story was saved for last with Murray State defeating Duke 5-4 to advance to its first ever CWS. It was miraculous enough that the Racers beat Ole Miss in two of three games to advance from the Oxford Regional, but they followed it up with wins in Game 2 and Game 3 of the Durham Super Regional to reach Omaha. The NCAA Baseball Tournament doesn’t get nearly as much attention as the basketball version, but that doesn’t make Murray State’s Cinderella run any less fun. It appeared to be over for the Racers when they lost to Duke in Game 1 on Saturday, but they bounced back with 19 runs in Sunday’s win before defeating the Blue Devils for a second straight time tonight. Duke took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning on a solo shot by Jake Berger, but Murray State equalized in the seventh on Jonathan Hogart’s second home run of the night before going ahead in the eighth on a Luke Mistone’s solo job.

MURRAY STATE TAKES THE LEAD!! 😤#RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPN / @RacersBaseball pic.twitter.com/LI9TzBIHyr

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 10, 2025

With Murray State ahead 5-4 in the ninth, the umpires tried to end the game early by calling Duke for double play interference on the cleanest takeout slide I have ever seen. Fortunately the call was overturned, and the Racers were able to regroup and get the final out despite celebrating prematurely before the replay review. The College World Series will start on Friday with Coastal Carolina taking on Arizona. Murray State plays its first game on Saturday against UCLA. After last year’s CWS field was split between four SEC teams and four ACC teams, this year there is more diversity with only two SEC teams and one from the ACC. The Pac-12 would have led with three programs in Omaha if it had never broken up, but UCLA, Oregon State, and Arizona now all represent different conferences.

Down in South Florida, the Panthers took control of the Stanley Cup Final with 6-1 pounding of Edmonton. The last two times we had a repeat Stanley Cup Final, the titles were split between each team. Sydney Crosby and the Penguins lost to Detroit in 2008 before winning the Cup in 2009. Likewise, Wayne Gretzky’s Oilers fell to the Islanders in 1983 before defeating them in 1984. So history is on Edmonton’s side, but momentum is certainly not. The Oilers appeared to be setting us up for another classic game when Corey Perry slammed in a rebound on the power play to start the second period and make the score 2-1 Florida, but the Panthers struck back with a Sam Reinhart goal that took advantage of an Edmonton turnover deep in its own end. Sam Bennett followed up by undressing Stuart Skinner on a breakaway to put the Panthers up 4-1 and they ran away from there.

In baseball, we saw the best home run robbery in a long time when Denzel Clarke went way over the wall to take a big fly away from Nolan Schanuel. Poor guy only has 17 career home runs.

DENZEL CLARKE OMG! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2QJBAkmZqN

— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2025

The Mets and USA Soccer return on Tuesday, but the NBA Finals aren’t back until Wednesday. Remember, it’s Thunder in five.

Thunder Snap Back to Reality and Crush Pacers in Game 2 of NBA Finals

by Aaron | June 8, 2025 | 0 Comments

That’s more like it, Thunder! It would be nice if Oklahoma City had defeated Indiana in Game 1 so we wouldn’t have to endure three days of talk about how the Pacers just have the “it” factor and how Tyrese Haliburton is underrated and how those plucky underdog Pacers just never give up. Still, I’ll take a standard issue thrashing in which the Thunder pulled away in the second quarter, led by 18 at halftime, and never let Indiana get close in the second half. The Pacers still have home court advantage thanks to their Game 1 comeback, but it’s nice to see them not go ahead 2-0 like they did in their first three series of these NBA Playoffs.

AARON WIGGINS OVER HALIBURTON 🔥

Richard Jefferson with some poetry on the call 😂 pic.twitter.com/QDGFFvNZ9j

— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2025

Finally, someone had a response in Game 2 of a seven-game series. The Pacers were balanced as usual with seven players scoring in double figures and five players handing out four or more assists, but they were no match for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 34 points and eight dimes. Oklahoma City also got great bench performances from Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins during its 123-107 win. We have to wait until Wednesday for Game 3 because Adam Silver is too busy worrying about the center court logo to deal with the NBA’s real problems, but I’m confident that the Thunder will keep rolling and wrap up the title in five games.

Elsewhere in sports, the Red Sox won their rubber game against the Yankees 11-7 with both teams combining for eight home runs. Aaron Judge got a pair of dingers, but Boston made up for those and more with Trevor Story and Kristian Campbell going deep despite both slugging under .400 this year. The Red Sox are still a disappointment this season, but it’s nice to see Tampa Bay and Toronto come alive lately to make the Yankees sweat a little.

I’m actually sweating a little less these days, and it’s not just because of the weather in New Jersey refusing to acknowledge that it is almost summer. The Mets expanded their lead over the Phillies to four games in the loss column thanks to two sweeps going in opposite directions. New York won three straight at Colorado while Philly dropped three at Pittsburgh. It was nice to see the Mets’ offense finally play like it should at Coors Field over the last two days following a pitiful display against Antonio Senzatela on Friday night. Francisco Lindor helped New York escape with a win in that one, but the next two games were way more fun thanks to Jeff McNeil showing some surprising power. He homered once in the Mets’ 8-1 Saturday win and twice more during the 13-5 Sunday victory. McNeil’s batting average still isn’t where it was during his prime, but he was quietly having a vintage season even before this weekend’s explosion of offense.

One for the history books ✨#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/vdTYmMS3CR

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2025

The most exciting event of the day was the men’s final at Roland-Garros. Jannik Sinner won the first two sets against Carlos Alcaraz, but the Spaniard stormed back to win the final three sets with the last two coming down to the tiebreaker. Alcaraz appeared to be cooked in the fourth set, but he survived three straight match points to take control of the match. In the fifth set, it was Sinner’s turn to come back, and he won a crucial game to make the score 5-5 when Alcaraz was serving for the championship. Sinner appeared to have regained momentum heading into the final tiebreak, but Alcaraz won the first seven points to put the match out of reach. The epic battle between the world’s top two players went five and a half hours and was the longest men’s final in Roland-Garros history. I’m thinking it will be a while until an American man has a chance to win a major tournament with Alcaraz and Sinner operating at a different level than everyone else.

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final Featured Beautiful Goals and a Stunning Finish

by Aaron | June 7, 2025 | 0 Comments

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was pretty darn exciting with the Edmonton Oilers coming back from two goals down and winning on a Leon Draisaitl power play goal with 31 seconds left to go in overtime. However, Game 2 blew it out of the water with five first-period goals, a last-minute equalizer, and a breakaway winner in double overtime. My favorite part of the game was the Panthers and Oilers exchanging gorgeous goals midway through the first period. It started with Edmonton holding a 2-1 lead and Euto Luostarinen threading the needle to Seth Jones, who shot the puck into a net so wide open that I could have scored it.

Some pretty passing from the @FlaPanthers! 😱 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF

Team Players presented by @Budweiser pic.twitter.com/BVqp3DnzY5

— NHL (@NHL) June 7, 2025

That was nothing compared to Edmonton’s response, though. Connor McDavid put all of his world-class moves on display in one play and found Draisaitl to put his team back on top.

MCDAVID IS NOT FROM THIS PLANET 🔥🤯 pic.twitter.com/uvYbxLJPgH

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) June 7, 2025

The greatest player in the world right now completely undressed one defender, then hit the toe drag on the next before finding Draisaitl for the easy finish. Not all assists are created equal. We need a separate category for that work of art. Maybe that goal should have been worth two, because it would be a while until Edmonton scored again. Florida lit the lamp twice in the second period to take the lead, including Brad Marchand’s first breakaway goal of the evening. The score remained 4-3 until the final minute of regulation, when Corey Perry made history by scoring the latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history.

COREY PERRY TIES IT WITH 17 SECONDS LEFT 🪱 pic.twitter.com/sKhNQORt2l

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 7, 2025

That is how you send a Canadian city into a frenzy. I don’t know how Perry pulled that off while he was wrapped about a Florida player, but it made for some spectacular drama. That excitement would continue for another period and a half until Marchand scored on a breakaway again, this time finishing with a backhand finish through Stuart Skinner’s legs.

BRAD MARCHAND WINS GAME 2 IN @ENERGIZER DOUBLE OVERTIME 🙌 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/gJPpH215U4

— NHL (@NHL) June 7, 2025

It’s still unclear if Marchand touched the puck with the backhand, but I don’t know how it gets by Skinner without coming off of Marchand’s stick. Just like that, the Final was even at one game a piece. Since the NBA pushed its Game 2 to Sunday night, we have to wait until Monday for more puck action. Well, they could have done a matinee on Sunday, but that would be way too much fun.

While the first four periods of hockey were going on, the Mets somehow pulled out a 4-2 win in Colorado despite the Rockies loading the bases against Ryne Stanek with the scored tied in the eighth inning and no outs. Ryan McMahon hit a line drive that could have won the game for Colorado, but instead Brett Baty snagged it and fell on third base for a double play that the Mets desperately needed. Francisco Lindor followed up with his best Willis Reed impression, pinch-hitting with a broken toe and hitting a two-RBI double in the ninth to give New York the decisive runs.

Finally, we got some crazy news on Saturday with Penn State being expected to sign the top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft. I might have to buy a B1G+ subscription package if that happens.

How do the Indiana Pacers Keep Doing This?

by Aaron | June 6, 2025 | 0 Comments

I really can’t stand Tyrese Haliburton. On Thursday night in Oklahoma City he came up with ANOTHER super clutch, last-second bucket to steal ANOTHER playoff game in which Indiana trailed in the final minute. This time, it happened to be Game 1 of the NBA Finals. I thought the Thunder were better than this, but they fell victim to Haliburton’s heroics, just like all the Eastern Conference teams before them. At least Oklahoma City only led by three points in the last minute of the fourth quarter before falling to the Pacers 111-110. In the three rounds prior, the Bucks, Cavaliers, and Knicks all blew games against Indiana in which they were lead by seven or more with less than 60 seconds to play.

Still, Oklahoma City led by 15 with less than 10 minutes to go, so this is still a big time collapse by a squad that had dominated the NBA all season and appeared ready to be coronated as champions. Some hot three-point shooting by Obi Toppin and Myles Turner helped Indiana get the deficit down to single digits, but NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept the Pacers at bay and pushed the lead back to nine points with three minutes left. However, consecutive three-point makes by Aaron Nesmith and Andrew “Nimrod” Nembhard made it a one-possession game at the two-minute mark. After Pascal Siakam scored by luckily rebounding an air ball chucked up by Nimrod, SGA had a chance to make it a three-point game with an open 15-footer, but he missed the jumper to set up Haliburton’s 20-foot winner over Cason Wallace.

New stage… same result.

ANOTHER game-winner for Tyrese Haliburton in his Finals debut 🤯🤯🤯pic.twitter.com/22QbhQNqyf

— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2025

What really bothers me about Haliburton is that he thinks he’s proving the doubters wrong by hitting these clutch shots, but he’s really proving them right by not consistently performing like the hero he thinks he is. The man had 12 points before his last-second jumper in Game 1. “But he’s so unstoppable, he can pull up from anywhere!” Then maybe he should do so before his team falls into a big hole. Some more impulsive shots would have helped the Pacers avoid a few of their 24 turnovers.

I guess it’s cool that the Pacers are finding a way to win big without being a major market or tanking. That takes some serious coaching, management, and heart. Still, Indiana winning the Finals would be way more painful to take as a Knicks fan than if the Thunder come back and stomp them in five games. The Knicks could have and should have been in this spot if not for Haliburton’s jumper from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals that bounces higher off the rim every time I imagine it. I think it went through the roof of Madison Square Garden and into outer space last time. If the Pacers win the NBA title, I’ll just think that the Knicks would have won if that ball had just fallen anywhere else but straight back down through the bucket.

The NBA’s ridiculous schedule means we have to wait until Sunday night for Game 2. The Pacers have gone up 2-0 in every series during this run, so it will be interesting to see if they can do it one more time. If OKC responds well, it might be a sign that this series can be different. While we are waiting for the NBA to return, the Edmonton Oilers have a chance to take a 2-0 lead over the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final on Friday night. As you might have heard, a Canadian club has not hoisted the Cup since 1993 and Edmonton is in Alberta, which is a province of Canada. The Panthers looked to be on their way to smashing Edmonton’s Stanley Cup dreams when Sam Bennett scored his second goal of the game to put his team up 3-1 early in the second period, but the Oilers answered a minute later to make it a one-goal game and found the equalizer off of Mattias Ekholm’s stick early in the third.

Edmonton controlled the action and had the best scoring chances throughout the third and deep into the overtime, but they were turned away by Sergei Bobrovsky until Leon Draisaitl buried a Connor McDavid pass into the net with 31 seconds to play. The game-winning goal sent Edmonton into a frenzy and brought McDavid one step closer to claiming the Cup for the first time in his career. We’ll find out tonight if the Oilers can build on the momentum or if the reigning champs will strike back!

Mets Create Good Vibes and Then Destroy Them in Los Angeles

by Aaron | June 5, 2025 | 0 Comments

You have to give me a lot of credit for continuing to pay attention to the Mets on the day that the Nintendo Switch 2 launches. We got the first new Nintendo console in eight years and the first new Mario Kart game in 11 years, and they were both released on the same day! It is a pretty exciting time to be a Nintendo fan, but the Mets are pretty exciting as well, especially when Pete Alonso is smashing the ball out of the park like he was on Wednesday night. His two-run home run in the first inning put the Mets ahead 3-0, and after Griffin Canning finished up one of his best starts of the season, Polar Bear put the game away with a three-run blast in the eighth. The Mets ended up with a dominant 6-1 win over the defending World Series champs thanks to Alonso’s powerful offense and Canning’s masterful six innings.

The victory clinched the season series for the Mets over the Dodgers, and that could come into play down the line since these teams are two of the National League’s top World Series contenders. The Mets could have done one better by winning on Thursday to take three of four in Los Angeles, but they decided to kill the good vibes instead. New York jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to solo shots off of Landon Knack by Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Starling Marte, but the Dodgers answered back with three runs in the bottom of the third. Right there it felt like the Mets would lose this game, but as usual they hooked us back in to believing in a possible victory. David Peterson settled down and ended up lasting seven innings without giving up another run. The former first-round draft pick is finally pitching a lot of innings this season and appears to be on his way to a career year. The amount of pleasant surprises on this New York pitching staff is really something.

Anyway, the Mets had several chances to add to their lead while Peterson was mowing down Dodgers, but they failed all of them until Alonso came up with a two-out RBI single in the eighth to make the score 5-3. Just when it looked like the Mets had found separation, though, Reed Garrett showed up with some not-so-great news. He threw six straight balls to Mookie Betts and Will Smith, and the next pitch was ripped into left field by Smith for an RBI double. After Smith reached third on Teoscar Hernandez’s fly out, Andy Pages hit a ground ball that gave the Mets a golden opportunity to throw Smith out at home. Smith even made it easy on the Mets by stopping between third and home even though it was too late to head back. However, instead of getting an easy out, Brett Baty double clutched and spiked the throw to the plate, allowing Smith to sneak in with the tying run. All that was left was for Michael Conforto to break an 0-for-30 RISP slump and drive in the go-ahead run.

Michael for the lead! pic.twitter.com/fzobYeUkGl

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 5, 2025

Unbelievable. The Mets blew late leads in both of their losses at Chavez Ravine, but at least Juan Soto is happily flipping water bottles in the dugout. Of course he was the only one in the top four of the Mets’ lineup that didn’t have a hit today. Maybe Soto is so happy because he remembered that he doesn’t have to do anything to collect money.

The Mets now head to Colorado to take on the Rockies, who are suddenly red hot from sweeping the Marlins. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if the Mets can pull off another sweep like they did last weekend.

Mets Tease Their Fans with a Good Time, but Let Them Down Late at Night in Los Angeles

by Aaron | June 4, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets love to tease and Wednesday night was no exception. They could have just gone down quietly after Tylor Megill allowed four runs in the bottom of the first inning, with the last two coming home on a Max Muncy monster bomb to right field. Instead, Megill not only saved the bullpen from disaster by lasting six innings, but he kept the Mets alive for the win by keeping Los Angeles off the scoreboard for the remainder of his time on the mound.

The Mets rallied while Megill settled in. Juan Soto took Clayton Kershaw deep in the third with a two-run shot that drew the Mets to within a run. In the fifth, Pete Alonso tied the game by lacing a two-out RBI double to center field and Brandon Nimmo followed up by beating Kershaw to first base for an RBI infield single that gave New York the lead.

Now that we had our hopes up that the Mets had a chance to take two straight from the Dodgers, it was time for the offense to go to bed while the bullpen imploded. However, the bullpen took its time with the implosion part. Brandon Waddell followed up Megill’s effort with a scoreless seventh before Reed Garrett took us on a ride in the eighth. The Dodgers were poised to take the lead when Shohei Ohtani led off with a walk, Mookie Betts followed up with a single, and both runners advanced on a passed ball by Francisco Alvarez. But as he has to often this season, Garrett came through with some GREAT NEWS and struck out Freddie Freeman before Teoscar Hernandez hit a ground ball to third that Ronnie Mauricio used to cut down Ohtani at the plate. All it took after that was a strikeout of Will Smith to complete Garrett’s escape.

It would have been cool for the Mets to take advantage of Garrett’s magic act and add on a run or two, but Luis Torrens’ bid for a two-out RBI double in the ninth was run down by Andy Pages in center field. Now it was up to Huascar Brazoban to save the game with Edwin Diaz unavailable.

I thought Brazoban would unavailable as well since he threw over 30 pitches the night before, but Carlos Mendoza works in mysterious ways. Brazoban would reward his manager’s faith by striking out the side… but only after Muncy led off the frame with his second home run of the night to tie the game 5-5.

FREDDIE! FREDDIE! FREDDIE! pic.twitter.com/nVC0ZFNbTr

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 4, 2025

The Mets went down feebly against Tanner Scott in the 10th without even advancing the ghost runner to third base. That left Jose Butto to deal with the top of the order with the winning run already in scoring position. Freeman made up for his failure in the eighth by launching a fly ball deep to left field. If the usually reliable Brandon Nimmo caught that ball we might have had a happier ending, but he turned and twisted and lost the ball so badly in the night that he was surprised when it landed a foot away from him on the warning track. Game over.

It would be great if tonight’s game against the Dodgers only went nine innings or maybe ended before 1:00 AM. We’ve got some quality entertainment in the earlier evening with the Stanley Cup Final beginning and the Women’s College World Series starting its championship series that I thought started last night. With Matthew Tkachuk and Connor McDavid playing for the Cup, there could be some rivalry juice left over from the 4 Nations Face-Off that captivated North America for a minute this winter. I know I’m rooting for Canada’s Cup drought to continue after the DISRESPECT its fans showed the good ole USA in February.

Mets Grind Out a Win in Los Angeles Opener

by Aaron | June 3, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets picked up one of their biggest wins of the season on Monday night when they beat the Dodgers 4-3 in the opener of a four-game series at Chavez Ravine. Francisco Lindor set the pace with his sixth leadoff home run of the year and later came up big with a game-winning RBI single in the 10th, but the real star of the night was Paul Blackburn. In his first start for the Mets since last August, the 2024 Trade Deadline acquisition shut down the Dodgers for five innings while striking out Shohei Ohtani twice and allowing just one runner to reach scoring position. Blackburn certainly could have gone deeper into the game since he only threw 77 pitches compared to more than 80 in his last minor league rehab start, but Carlos Mendoza once again decided to treat his players like babies, and it almost cost the Mets.

We knew the bullpen was thin because Chris Devenski was sent to the minors to make room for Blackburn while both Garrett Reed and Edwin Diaz had worked in two of the three games against Colorado. That made Mendoza’s decision to pull Blackburn early all the more puzzling. It looked like the Mets were headed for a meltdown when Huascar Brazoban walked both Max Muncy and Michael Conforto to load the bases in the sixth, but he came up with a huge strikeout of Tommy Edman to escape the jam. Max Kranick allowed a monster home run to Ohtani an inning later, but fortunately it came with two outs and the bases empty, allowing the Mets to enter the ninth with a 2-1 edge.

Nimmo adds on! 🙌@You_Found_Nimmo | #LGM pic.twitter.com/QAVPUpIMya

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 3, 2025

The lead could have been bigger, but the Mets’ rally in the fifth inning yielded only one run despite Brandon Nimmo hitting a two-out double with both Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez on base. Nimmo’s blast to the gap bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, allowing just one run to score when a garden-variety double would have surely scored both runners. Not only that, but one batter earlier Lindor appeared to have an extra-base hit to the opposite field, only to have Conforto run it down in left field.

Those two plays combined to make it seem very unlucky that the Mets had only two runs in the ninth, and the Dodgers took advantage when Edman hit a leadoff single off of Diaz. I have to give credit to Mendoza for breaking the “in case of emergency” glass on Diaz even though he usually doesn’t use a reliever in three out of four games. Unfortunately, Mendoza probably won’t do it again because Edman stole second base and scored on an Ohtani sac fly to blow the save. Diaz might have been dominant lately, but his inability to control the run game continues to be a major problem that will haunt the Mets if they make it to the Postseason.

It won’t haunt the Mets today, though. New York showed great resilience in the 10th when Alvarez led off with an opposite-field double that scored the ghost runner and set Alvarez himself up to score on Lindor’s clutch single. The bottom of the frame got ugly with Jose Castillo trying to pick up his first career save. He immediately walked Freddie Freeman to set the stage for heartbreak, but Castillo buckled down and struck out Max Muncy following a single by Andy Pages. Dave Roberts then lifted Conforto for the right-handed Will Smith, so Mendoza countered with Jose Butto out of the pen, and he responded by retiring both Smith and Edman to close out the game.

Elsewhere in baseball, the Rockies finally got their 10th win of the season thanks to two home run by catcher Hunter Goodman in Miami. In Boston, the Angels defeated the Red Sox 7-6 on the strength of three first-inning home runs, including one by Mike Trout that traveled more than 450 feet. No visiting team at Fenway Park had ever hit three home runs in the top of the first, which is pretty amazing considering how long Fenway has been around. Out west, the Padres beat the Giants 1-0 despite eight shutout innings from Logan Webb. The winning run was driven in on a sac fly from none other than our old friend Candelita in the top of the 10th.

The college ball continued to be wild with Murray State upsetting Ole Miss to head to its first ever super regional. The Racers led 12-3 in the middle of the seventh, but Ole Miss stormed back with five runs in the bottom of the inning and three more in the eighth to make it a one-run game in the ninth. It looked like Murray State was destined to let the opportunity slip away, but Graham Kelham set the Rebels down in order to end the game. Little Rock appeared headed for a similar upset win, but it failed to hold onto its early 5-1 lead over LSU. The Tigers locked in and only allowed one more run for the rest of the game while scoring in each of the final four innings to vanquish Cinderella.

The super regionals don’t start until Friday, but we do have the championship series of the Women’s College World Series starting tonight with Texas Tech taking on Texas. It has been fun to watch Red Raiders pitcher NiJaree Canady dominate the competition and take Tech farther than anyone thought they would go.

The Mets’ Stars Finally Align and There’s a Lot on the Line in College Baseball

by Aaron | June 2, 2025 | 0 Comments

Before the 2025 MLB season started and Mets fans were blessed by the surprising success of their pitching staff, the strength of the team was supposed to be the top of the order. Juan Soto was billed as a top-three hitter in the game, Francisco Lindor was coming off his best campaign as a Met, and Pete Alonso had just rejoined New York following his iconic season-saving home run in Milwaukee. Overall, the three stars have combined for great production, but they haven’t all clicked at the same time very often. Soto went through a super slump in the middle of May and Alonso’s production slipped with a big home run drought after he started the season on fire.

On Sunday, though, all three guys hits home runs in the same game for the first time in 2025. It was a good thing, too, because no one else on offense did much of anything. Colorado starter Carson Palmquist appeared on pace for a stellar performance before walking Starling Marte to lead off the fourth inning. He then hit Soto with a pitch and Alonso took advantage to a massive oppo taco to give New York a 3-1 lead. You have to give the horrible Rockies some credit, though. They might be on pace for a historically inept season, but they showed some fight in the fifth after Alonso ruined Palmquist’s day. Tyler Freeman hasn’t hit for much of anything in his big league career, but he took advantage of Clay Holmes hitting Keston Hiura with a pitch and slammed a breaking ball over the right-center field wall for a game-tying home run.

Oppo shot for the Polar Bear! 🐻‍❄️ pic.twitter.com/yXI8tfknfI

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 1, 2025

Suddenly it seemed like the Mets might blow a crucial game to Colorado at home, but Lindor clutch gene returned at the right time and he answered Freeman’s blast with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame. Holmes then settled down with six straight outs before Reed Garrett and Edwin Diaz locked down the win for the Mets while Juan Soto added his own solo shot to create some separation. The Mets won 5-3 to complete the sweep and head into Los Angeles with some momentum. However, momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher, and that one is a big unknown for the Mets since Paul Blackburn will be making his 2025 debut. He has missed the first two months of the season with right knee inflammation, but he pitched decently last year between being acquired at the trade deadline and hitting the injured list with a right hand contusion.

Hopefully the top of the order will keep hitting and give Blackburn some support. The Dodgers will be starting Dustin May, and he’s allowed a home run in each of his last five starts after allowing just one home run in five April starts. The Mets could use some length out of Blackburn since Garrett and Diaz have both been used in two of the last three days. Carlos Mendoza won’t use a reliever in three out of four days because he believes all pitchers are babies, so it could be up to Huascar Brazoban and Ryne Stanek to lead the relief effort tonight. The good news is that Garrett and Diaz are forming a solid tandem at the back of the bullpen that will serve the Mets well if they can continue pitching as efficiently as they have been.

Reed. 😤 pic.twitter.com/KRbXu2dFu1

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 1, 2025

Before the National League clash, though, there is plenty of exciting baseball on the slate. Not only will the Padres and Giants be facing off in an important division and Wild Card battle, but there are six super regional bids on the line in college baseball. It all starts this afternoon with North Carolina trying to win its rubber game against Oklahoma. However, action will really heat up at night with super Cinderella teams Murray State and Little Rock trying to get by SEC powerhouses Ole Miss and LSU. You don’t have to know much about college ball to realize that the Racers or Trojans reaching a super regional would be a tremendous story and also a total nightmare for either of the favorites whose fan bases are looking forward to slurping down massive amounts of Jell-O shots in Omaha later this month. Think of all the Jell-O lives that will be saved if Little Rock upsets the Tigers tonight. There is a lot at stake.

We Need College Baseball Brackets and We Need Them Now

by Aaron | June 1, 2025 | 0 Comments

Imagine if there was another sport for which we could recreate the magic of March Madness. That sport is already out there, but it is played in the spring and uses a ball that is not as bouncy. It’s college baseball, baby! And the only thing holding it back from captivating America is millions of fans filling out brackets while acting like they know more ball than they actually do. Why don’t we have college baseball brackets? ESPN has the right for the whole tournament including the College World Series, but it won’t offer a bracket on its website that we can print out and gamble on. This is a company that offers women’s fantasy basketball for crying out loud!

Maybe in years past you could say that the NCAA Baseball Tournament was too predictable to be an entertaining gambling product, but that is not the case this year. While upsets were hard to come by during March Madness, baseball has been a different story with Vanderbilt failing to advance to the super regionals as the overall number one seed. The Commodores didn’t even reach their regional final played on their home field because they lost to Louisville 3-2 on Saturday and then to Wright State of the Horizon League 5-4 on Sunday. Wright State’s Cinderella run might be ending before the super regionals as the Raiders trail Louisville right now, but they are not the only plucky underdog that is making this tournament very exciting.

Just look at UTSA beating Texas for the second time in two days on Sunday to send the overall number two seed home early. After clobbering Kansas State 10-2 in its opening game, UTSA rallied from a 6-1 deficit to stun the Longhorns on Saturday and clinch a spot in the regional final. Texas bounced back by eliminating Kansas State on Sunday and earned a rematch with the Roadrunners, but this time UTSA jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held on for a 7-4 victory.

It’s already very exciting that Vanderbilt and Texas were upset in the regionals, but think about how much cooler it would be if you could laugh at someone who picked one of those teams to win the championship. That’s why we need college baseball brackets! I need to feel like my life is ruined while watching those sad players walk off the field for a final time with their College World Series dreams unrealized.

Murray State was another great Cinderella story, as it won its first two games of the tournament as the fourth seed in the Oxford Region. However, the host Ole Miss is getting some revenge right now, and that could force a third and decisive game between the Rebels and Racers on Monday. Little Rock is another team to watch, as it came in with one of the worst records in the field at 26-33. The Trojans seemed destined for an early exit after being shut out by LSU 7-0 in the opener, but since then they sent Rhode Island home with a 22-10 win and bounced Dallas Baptist with an 8-6 victory. Currently, Little Rock is leading LSU 6-4 in the 6th inning. If the Trojans hold on, they have a rematch with LSU on Monday with a trip to the super regionals on the line. It’s hard enough for a powerhouse program to make supers after losing its opener in the regional, but for Little Rock? That would take a miracle.

With five regional hosts already eliminated and the chance to lose more on Monday, you can’t say that the NCAA Baseball Tournament has been too predictable. Instead, it’s been a wild ride that more casual fans need to get involved in. The emotions are too high, the action is too hot, and the bats make too sweet of a sound for college baseball to not be more popular. We just need someone to push a bracket on the masses since ESPN has started to hate money.

Joker’s wild ride in Game 1 of Round 2 …

by Brandon Chabner | May 5, 2025 | 0 Comments

Much like Steph Curry, The Joker always is a threat to get that last laugh, and OKc found that out the hard way tonight. At times tonight, he looked off, distracted and a bit out of sorts. The Thunder induced their share of turnovers, frustration fouls and scowls, but even as he played the tired villain you could sense the amazing determination, perserverance and fierce fortitude. He was the coach, the superstar on the court and the engine that would not let the Nuggets knuckle under. And in the end, spindly Chet couldn’t get those last two charity stripe offerings to drop, followed by Commissioner Gordon’s definitive three, and it was a back breaker of a road win for Denver.
Denver knows it can win this… but I’m not sure the same thing can be said about the #1 seeds.

Turn on this week’s big shooooo… you’ll definitely be in the mood for our latest and greatest offering, better known as “CDST’s 2nd Coming for Clutch City?”…

by Brandon Chabner | May 2, 2025 | 0 Comments

Turn on this week’s big shooooo… you’ll definitely be in the mood for our latest and greatest offering, better known as “CDST’s 2nd Coming for Clutch City?”… ChabDog couldn’t be happier as Ime and his crew of young guns, including the whirling Turkish dervish Sengun went into San Fran and wiped the floor of The Chase with Curry’s dangling moist mouthpiece. Ouch! Then the shock and awe in LA, when Antman and sidekick Randle handled the favored Fakers with ease, if you please. We’ll cover the NBA all the way into the 2nd round, do the same with hockey, and in the time left, go back to when beer commercials were larger than life… with Turturro and Platt from Bronx is Burning…. “it’s less filling, George”. And then there’s the saga of the aftermatch of the NFL draft, and those famous false words “Hello, Shaddeur, this is the Saints….”

Plus, we’ll get buzzed on Ruth Buzzi clips… man could she weild that purse. Good night nurse, give the Beaver some Candy. Yes, this week on ChabDog Sports Talk, we do a helluva lot more than talk about the chalk.

Be a part of the action … listen in to the CDST “This moment in playoff time” … la la la la la… la la la la la…

by Brandon Chabner | April 26, 2025 | 0 Comments

Be a part of the action … listen in to the CDST “This moment in playoff time” … la la la la la… la la la la la… more than a ripple, less than a splash… who’s the air apparent to long line of glory? Whatever you think would or should happen, don’t count on it.

Favored Lakers lately seeing a nightmare of blue and greens in Minnesota. Splash brother Steph having a bit of a problem in Houston, Game 2, and Joker hearing some heavy hoof beats in the Intuit. Plus, a whiff of the draft, and why teams are shuddering at the prospect of Shedeur. And in the NHL, most of the underdogs have lately risen up to make the icing pretty tasty….you did the hard part and got over the hump… you’re at the weekend… so kick back and let ChabDog and Friends do the rest of the heavy lifting. With help from the all-star cash of Executive Suite, the zest of Mae West, life on a forbidden planet, and back when Kimmel used to man up on the Man Show.

Save some time for ChabDog Sports Talk’s “Save the Blind Tigers” Show…

by Brandon Chabner | April 4, 2025 | 0 Comments

Let the Final Four Festivities commence! Time to eat, or be eaten… and beaten. Save some time for ChabDog Sports Talk’s “Save the Blind Tigers” Show. Is Auburn headed for some unfortunate chomp and circumstance against the Gators? Will high and mighty Duke and its Flagg-bearer famously high flying get taken out by Samson’s sadistic wrecking crew and their terrible defensive tool box, incluidng a big blow torch and more than a few defensive pliers.
When we’re done with basketball, it’s time to lay out the welcome mat for MLB, where the Dodgers rule with an iron hand, its all hands on deck for the Yankees and their magic bat, and the Braves need a lot more than a helping hand.
And then there’s our killer Kilmer clips… love steet, Dodge City Doc…and real geniuses in college… plus Billy and the Over-the-hill-gang and John Malkovich, burying a hatchet in Burn After Reading.

Mets’ Opening Day Rally Falls Short and Hogs are Heartbroken in Sweet 16

by Aaron | March 28, 2025 | 0 Comments

Opening Day was a sad one for Mets fans. Not only did they lose 3-1 in Houston to suffer their first back-to-back Opening Day defeats since 1999 and 2000, but they were let down by two key players that they signed as free agents during the offseason. Both Clay Holmes and Juan Soto played for the Yankees last year, and both failed to make a strong first impression with their new team. I don’t even know if Holmes is a starting pitcher, let alone a starting pitcher worthy of Opening Day. Before Thursday, he hadn’t started a game since 2018, so I don’t know what made the Mets think he can be a mainstay in their rotation. Holmes looked great in spring training, but in the opener he fell one out short of five innings pitched while allowing five hits and four walks. That is a lot of action on the basepaths, but to Holmes’ credit, he only let in two earned runs. The third Houston run came home on a throwing error by Luisangel Acuna that negated what could have been an inning-ending double play. This Mets pitching staff is very thin with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas on the injured list. If guys like Holmes can’t make it through five innings, the bullpen is going to be overworked.

At least Juan Soto reached base three times on a single and two walks, but he also struck out to end the game after Houston closer Josh Hader fell behind 3-0 in the count and grooved a pitch for his first strike that it looked like Soto could have hit to the moon. It was a disappointing ending to the game, especially since Soto came so close to a heroic moment. It was nice to see the Mets rally in the 8th and the 9th after looking totally feeble against Framber Valdez, though. Acuna did a great job climbing out of an 0-2 hole and working a walk and Francisco Lindor hit a long sac fly to break up the shutout, but the Mets could not find the one big hit to bring them back. Hopefully the offense will be more consistent against Hunter Brown tonight. If it is not, the Mets will need a great effort from Tylor Megill to avoid another loss.

Elsewhere in the National League East, Mackenzie Gore totally dominated the Phillies for six innings with 13 strikeouts and just one hit allowed. Gore left the game with a 1-0 lead, but the Phillies hopped on top with solo shots by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber off of Lucas Sims and Jose Ferrer of the Washington pen. The Nats rallied to tie the game at 3-3 in the 8th against Jordan Romano, but the Phillies got a two-run double from Alec Bohm and another from J.T. Realmuto to put the game away in the 10th.

The Braves scored four runs in the first four innings at San Diego, but their offense went quiet the rest of the way while the Padres rallied back with four runs in the 7th against Hector Neris and Aaron Bummer. Gavin Sheets hit a solo shot to start the frame and tie the score, Luis Arraez gave the Padres the lead with a sac fly, and Manny Machado added on with an RBI double before Jackson Merrill capped the scoring with a sac fly of his down for his fourth RBI of the day.

As Opening Day turned into night, college hoops took, and we got to see a lot of offense on display in the Sweet 16. Florida only led Maryland by two at the half, but the Gators chomped away for 47 second-half points and moved on with an 87-71 victory. Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. only scored 13 points, but Florida had six players score in double figures. This is a team that can erupt no matter who the defense tries to clamp down on. It was a different story in Newark, where Mark Sears and Aden Holloway led a three-point barrage for Alabama in its 113-88 win over BYU. The Cougars could not keep pace as Alabama poured in 25 shots from beyond the arc on a wild 51 attempts to bury the Mormons. Sears was nigh unstoppable with 34 points and eight assists.

The night games were more competitive, and Caleb Love would not let Duke pull away from Arizona. He scored 35 points for the Wildcats, but Duke got a combined 50 from Cooper Flagg and Kon Knuppel to keep its opponents from completing the upset bid. Jon Scheyer’s team won 100-93 and is set to face the Crimson Tide on Saturday night in what could be a scoring bonanza for the ages.

Despite all the scoring from Alabama and Duke, the most electric game of the evening took place in San Francisco with Darrion Williams and Texas Tech overcoming a 13-point deficit with less than five minutes to play and stunning Arkansas 85-83 in overtime. Williams was only 8-for-26 from the field in this one, but he came up big when it mattered with a three-point shot to tie the score at 72-72 with nine seconds remaining in the second half. In overtime, Williams hit a layup after a spin move in the post to give Texas Tech the winning margin. D.J. Wagner missed shots at the end of regulation and overtime for Arkansas. The Hogs might have been playing with house money as a 10-seed, but this loss has to be heartbreaking nevertheless with how close they were to the Elite Eight. It’s hard to call Arkansas “Cinderella” when you have a great coach in John Calipari and an tremendous prospect with Wagner, but Calipari being on the edge of the Final Four in his first year with his new program would have been a heck of a story.

Pool Update After Day 3:

by Brandon Chabner | March 27, 2025 | 0 Comments

As we wander into Day 2 of Sweet 16, who knew it would be Harrison Montague sitting all alone at the top, followed by Bixxkrieg Blixx (sitting pretty with Duke) and relentless, not-so-young and restless Well-read (supported by Samson’s Cougs). .

Next are the fabulous Gator Boys HOV and ChabDog, in that order, followed by fallen-from-grace A-ron, who is searching for his Bruce Pearl of Wisdom pick in a very big hay bale, and previously too cool Matty Ice (watch oot above because her choices could turn out to be pretty nice).

After that, everyone still has their winners alive and kicking, other than Disney’s Dead Man Walking Miranda.

Pool Update as we are on the cusp of the 16 Candles round…

by Brandon Chabner | March 23, 2025 | 0 Comments

Update about the state of the ChabDog Pool (on the cusp of the 16 Candles round):

–Aaron’s glory has proven to be a wee bit fleeting, as he must now share top honors with 2 others, including Well-read and HOV (High Occuplancy?). High falutent Harrison (hot air) Montague is in third, 10 points back.
— Meanwhilte ChabDog lurks at just 30 points back, tied with the master of the six pack, Blixx
— Abe is in 7th, mortally wounded as Iowa State bit the proverbial big one.
— Behind him, hope abounds as everyone else’s winner remains alive.
Everyone in this pool has done a great job (even you Abe!) and deserve a Pat Kinght (or is it a Pat Summit?) on the back for a job well-done.

You survived the mayhem of Round 1, and it’s time for the “Bunker down and defend your bracket amid all the racket” CDST show…

by Brandon Chabner | March 22, 2025 | 0 Comments

Despite all the fears of March mayhem, looks like when the dust cleared from round 1, the [ChabDog.com](http://chabdog.com/…) group pickers are mostly in tact and by no means done… leading us to that do or die, make or break round of 32.. and time for the “Bunker down and defend your bracket amid all the racket” CDST show. We’ll break down where things stand as things heat up in the Tournament … with most of the big boys (and their big coaches) still hanging around.
After possibly a few more Karaoke interjections, ChabDog explains why a cozy wing chair is such important territory to protect when you’re trying to make projections, plus A-ron’s reflections on how he actually went 27-5. Well-read’s recovered from his bout with yellow fever, and is now an eager beaver basketball prognosticator, and Abe Go Fish Pagoda splains why he cast his line with the Cyclones.
In the background we’ve got a priceless roster of famous clips and quips from All in the Family, and a tribute to grillmaster Foreman (including Cosell’s famous call of “Down Goes Frazier”, plus what happens when Mr. Rodger’s neighborhood once again becomes PIttsburgh and the recipe for an Ice cold finger roll.
Don’t miss this week’s shoooooo on a divine second day of Spring!

On the CDST “Fantastic Finishes by the Finn… all in the vicinity of the Walsh County Fair” Show:

by Brandon Chabner | March 17, 2025 | 0 Comments

Watch the Steelers fiddle and diddle about the new field general…. bring back Slash… or Bubby Brister?

DJ’s no calf… he’s a bull…

It was black and white day in the studio, but that can’t stop the gleam of Abe’s green

Join our ChabDog Challenge Group and rack your bracket… “don’t cost nothing”

One of us has lots of zest for the Big West

Giants who were Jets, and vice-versa

Affirmed over Alydar in the 1978 Belmont… confirmed as an instant classic

(listen to Chic Anderson tell us how it happened.

Then in 1998, Victory Gallop literally noses out Real Quiet in a very photogenic photo finish

All about the legendary Lassie Viren– proof positive you can fall down and still prevail

Watch Chester Marcol make his mark against Da Bears defense.

ChabDog gives due props to Chester A. Arthur.

A stirring excerpt from Without Limits, as Steve Prefontaine broke from his routine in the Olympic 5000 final, showed hesitation and went from first to last in the last 100 yards

Version 1.0.0

Twisting your arm and attention to CDST’s “Fantastic, intergalactic, inter-gender, mind bender championship wraslin show”

by Brandon Chabner | March 7, 2025 | 0 Comments

March Madness is still a few weeks away, but crazy competition still abounds, hence the need for CDST’s “Fantastic, intergalactic, inter-gender, mind bender championship wraslin show”. Let’s see someone try and regulate this. Andy Kaufman shows us how it’s done, until Jerry Lawler takes the law into his own hands. Booger uses a very picky approach to turning the tables on a very forceful female arm wrestler. Then there’s the time John Candy earned his stripes in the mud wrestling ring. From the excitement you won’t get a reprieve with The Lady Eve, and things turn eveb more serious when we hit The Children’s Hour.

And before we’re done, there will be time to review twists and turns of another week that’s run… with the G-man joining Pete under the Raider dome, and say it ain’t so, Boston’s much loved (and reviled) Rat getting snatched by the Florida Swamp cats. Plus, a preview of the Sat. Night Special in Beantown, with Phat Luka invading the North End.

Will 2025 Make the Mets Great?

by Aaron | March 6, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets won another offseason title in 2024 when they signed Juan Soto to the largest contract in the history of professional sports. That is an awesome move and the Mets may become World Series contenders for years to come, but it won’t be only because of Soto. We’ve seen megastars struggle to qualify for the Postseason in baseball (most notably with Abe Miranda’s Anaheim Angels) and we’ve seen hyped Mets signings like Justin Verlander fail to convert offseason banners into real ones. What makes Soto different? Well, he might be a more talented slugger than the Mets have ever signed before with an on-base percentage above .400 in each one of his seven big league seasons. Most importantly, though, is the fact that Soto is joining a team that won a couple of Postseason series in 2024. He doesn’t have to be a savior, but I also can’t help but think that the Mets needed to do more over the winter to secure a bid in October.

If the Mets fall short this season, it will probably be because of the starting rotation. Two years ago, Kodai Senga and his Ghost Fork emerged as a star, but in 2024 he got hurt and missed 99 percent of the season. Fortunately, Sean Manaea put together a career year at age 32 and provided stability to the rotation alongside Luis Severino and Jose Quintana. Over the winter, the Mets brought back Manaea on a three-year deal, but they let Severino and Quintana walk while adding Frankie Montas, Griffin Canning, and Clay Holmes to replace them. Holmes was the Yankees’ closer last year, but he was demoted in October and hasn’t made a major league start since 2018.

Even with everyone healthy, I thought the 2025 rotation looked shaky with Senga seemingly made of glass and the Mets counting on Manaea to repeat his best year ever. Fast forward to the present, and Manaea is set to start the regular season on the injured list due to an oblique injury. Montas is also on the shelf with a strained lat, and I don’t feel good about the rotation at all. Senga needs to be the ace he was in 2023, David Peterson needs to build on his 2024 in which he posted a career-best 2.90 ERA despite a strikeout rate that shrunk to 7.51 per nine innings, and Clay Holmes needs to prove that he can be a mid-rotation starter after years of exclusively pitching out of the bullpen. That is a lot of question marks for the top three guys in the Mets’ rotation. Paul Blackburn should provide consistency at the back end, and Canning is fine for a fifth guy, but I think fans will miss having a horse like Jacob deGrom to turn to every fifth day.

.@_David_Peterson lookin' sharp 👀 pic.twitter.com/eWxzhMe7OG

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 4, 2025

The batting order figures to be the strength of the team with Francisco Lindor finally hitting like a superstar last year and Juan Soto hitting behind him. It took the Mets long enough, but they finally got a deal done with Pete Alonso, and he has shown he can be a feared power hitter even in a down season. If the Polar Bear can get back to hitting 40 home runs with a .260 average, he will look like a steal. I also think Brandon Nimmo will get on base more after a strange 2024 campaign in which he posted a BABIP below .300 for just the second time in his career. If some hits fall in for him, his walk rate is still good enough to get him to a .360 OBP, which will be useful wherever the Mets want to put him in the lineup. Mark Vientos should round out the top five of the order, but he could struggle if he doesn’t get his strikeouts under control. It will only be a matter of time before opposing pitchers spam outside breaking stuff against him. He needs to lay off the junk more and demand strikes.

The bottom of the order could get boosted from a Jeff McNeil resurgence or Francisco Alvarez refining his approach. The former top prospect has been exciting but wildly inconsistent over the past two seasons, while McNeil needs to rediscover his 2022 form after posting a career-high strikeout rate and career-low BABIP in 2024.

It will be tough for the Mets to top the magical Postseason run of 2024, especially with baseball’s final boss, the Los Angeles Dodgers, still standing in their way. For now, we’ll focus on getting ready for the regular season and winning a division title for the first time in a decade.

We’ll help you climb out of this groundhog day hole with the “CDST Superstar Superbowl Afterparty Show”…

by Brandon Chabner | February 21, 2025 | 0 Comments

2SGBR85 Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams, left, stops a pass by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Feeling a bit let down, as cold February lingers and throws downers in your face like the NBA All-star game and the 4 Nations’ competition to nowhere. We’ll help you climb out of this groundhog day hole with the “CDST Superstar Superbowl Afterparty Show”. You’ll be seeing hhhhhelicopters, artifically enhanced lucky Lukas, delicious visions and vapors of a once-in-a-lifetime KC barbe-que, sacked, roasted and ready for brotherly love consumption, a 7 ft, 360 pound center from St. John’s Fisher who’s on a see food diet that commands attention, and, in honor of recently concluded National Hippo Day, it’s baby Charlie, who thinks he just one of the Rhinos. Plus, a look at two potential giant killer’s for this year’s touney… 10 and oh my in the Ivies, YALE… and the hot hot hot Tigers of Mizzou, who seek to undo the ghosts of Tyus Edney. Really, now, what could indeed by Feiner?!

Tune in Saturdays, or whenever, for ChabDog Sports Talk….

by Brandon Chabner | February 11, 2025 | 0 Comments

AND PARDON THE INSURRECTION…

Soaring Eagles get haangry and take the plunge…

by Brandon Chabner | February 9, 2025 | 0 Comments

… and with that, there’s wasn’t anything that anyone could do to stop the Chiefy-3-peat from being rudely expunged.

This team looked great in all phases of the game, from just after their nadir against Atlanta, which wrecked mine and many

other survivor pools. But these guys stayed sharp essentially thereafter, and tonight they were sharks, devouring that usually

productive KC short game, and turned Kermit into a troubled French quarter bullfrog, looking longingly for a lily pad to hide under.

And it didn’t hurt the underdogs, that their coach showed a burning motivation, to stick one to his former employers, along with a

fan base that probably spent most of the game with their collective mouths agape. This was indeed a beat down from start to finish.

The truth Hurts!

In this week’s “Guaranteed Happy Ending… for the NFL” CDST Show….

by Brandon Chabner | February 1, 2025 | 0 Comments

Ready for a damn good week of Super Bowl hype? We’ll do our best to raise expectations and take on all comers, in this week’s “Guaranteed Happy Ending… for the NFL” CDST Show.

Time to debunk those distracting rumors. No sirree, ChabDog’s here to set the record straight. All world kicker Justin Tucker is not pulling out of B-more and heading to Brown town. Meanwhile, back on the big game, we’ll do a quick post-mortem on the latest disaster for Buffalo. I think I hear Red Cashion saying FIRST DOWN!!!! And a look back seven years ago, when Brandon Graham grabbed the headlines by stripping Brady, and Jason held court in the victory parade … do the Eagles have the mojo to take down another Goliath. Hell Yeah!

A look at… basketball? What’s that? The Rockets reaching new heights in the Western Conference, and the Cavs? The Cavs? Do they really have what it takes. Then we’ll do what we sometimes do with time to spare… take things a little too far with funky film noir… City of Fear and Tension… just what is needed… with over a week left until, climax.

Conference Champions are crowned, more humiliating pie for Buffalo is downed, and Commanders are paddled with threats of a deemed touchdown.

by Brandon Chabner | January 26, 2025 | 0 Comments

As ChabDognoticated, it’s KC by 1.5 against the fierce Eagles.
Just ask Washington… the truth hurts… No. 1 and his friends are definitely No. 1 in the NFC. Let’s see who is the prey and who is the predator in two weeks. As ChabDognoticated, it’s KC by 1.5 against the fierce Eagles.
Dalton’s drop makes much of America sicker than the sickest man in America. .. as did the blown call on 4th and inches, but then again you know you have only yourself to blame when you need the ball back, and the game’s Patrick’s to cinch.

Getting hungry for more ChabDog Sports Talk?…..

by Brandon Chabner | January 24, 2025 | 0 Comments

Getting hungry for more ChabDog Sports Talk?
We know you are, so we’re obliging with the sinfully delicious “2nd Annual, Sinner, Sinner, Pollo Parm Dinner” Show.
Yeah, we’ll cover the potentialities presented by Sunday’s Conference Championships…
Sure, it looks like we could have the usual red and yellow representatives as the “Refs’ Prefs” host
hard luck Buffalo at home. But weirder things have happened, and the Bills look as qualified as ever to move on
to their god-given destination. And speaking of red and yellow, what about those cardiac Commanders, who recently fed
the Lions to the lions, and know are in prime position to mount and stuff the favored Eagles. Is the 5 and then something spread
really justified, or is that proposition purely for the birds.

But our show goes much farther than a down and dirty playdate in the pigskin mosh pit. There’s also the first tennis major to be decided,
as an overgrown Carrot Top, with unusually big sneaks and a bit of a bowlegged gait, looks to repeat as Men’s winner… time to throw another title on the barbie mate?
For the Women, a first Major title for US’s favorite daughter Madison Keys, please?

Tune in tomorrow, with ChabDog, Well-read, Abe, A-ron and any comedic clips we can borrow (I think we’ve got some film noir and “W” from Oliver Stone on tap).

Buckeye Nation Hits the Bullseye in the BCS …

by Brandon Chabner | January 20, 2025 | 0 Comments

Nobody stated their case better than Ohio St., and now there’s nothing anyone can say to ruin Ryan’s day.

Plant your flag somewhere else, Michigan!

Listen in for the “CDST: Uekeranian Eulogy, Thunder Down Under” Show….

by Brandon Chabner | January 17, 2025 | 0 Comments

It’s been a tumultuous week at the AO, with Gael force winds putting Fritz on the fritz, and we hear the storm building on this weeks “CDST: Uekeranian Eulogy, Thunder Down Under” Show. Yeah we’ll discuss this week’s playoffs game, the weak prospects for the Texans standing tall, wherther the Eagles stay out of harm’s way against McStan’s Macvay, when Big Dan can eclipse Dan Quinn, and the Ravens-Bills thrillshow. But we’ll make sure you cast your ears on the sweet sound of Dan-yell Collins. And if we have some time left over, we may ponder the possibilities: Jeff Feagles as an Eagle (not a Giant), Haven Moses as a Raven, not a Bills. Bill Belichick as a Bill and not a Heel.

Sizing up Wild Card Sunday and set up Saturday:

by Brandon Chabner | January 12, 2025 | 0 Comments

After an unfortunate trip to the M&T doctor’s office, it’s clear what the Steelers need … A TOMLIN-ECTOMY!
If Harbaugh wasn’t seen limping out of Houston sans a broken clipboard, he should have been. Maybe it’s about time we say the Anger Mis-management side of jovial Jim.
Jayden Daniels was simply relentless, and the Commanders just had too much staying power for the physically and emotionally exhausted Bucs. In another almost unbelievable twist of fate, this game took a couple of fateful turns for the worse for the home team when stone-hands Mayfield mishandled a couple of routine snaps. With that, the wildly erratic season for Tampa finally… abated.
Eagles manufacture a thorough, if not brutally blunt, undressing of the Packers in cold Philly. Yeah, this result was no doubt painful due to the weather, but it was time through cold water on a season that really seemed to go fatally south a few weeks earlier in Minnesota.
Major home improvement this week for the Bills, as Josh Allen takes the Broncos very figuratively by the horns and pins them to the turf, without mercy. Ravens beware….

Make your violent playoff Saturday complete with the “The Other Cleat Just Spiked Your Meat” CDST Show…

by Brandon Chabner | January 10, 2025 | 0 Comments

In a few hours, it’s gonna be the start of Wild Card Weekend, and things’ll be getting hot and heavy in the NFL Playoffs. Who’s about to become extinct and who’s putting their feet down with maximum authority…. we’ll banter the subject, and plenty more, on the “The Other Cleat Just Spiked Your Meat” CDST Show. Is Mike Tomlin about to take that Steeler 4-wheeler carreening down Lookout Mountain for another sadistic spill? Can Sam Darnold get the hawk tuah girl off his mind, long enough for the Vikings to stage a real fun desert funeral for the sacrificial Rams. We ponder this and other questions that have been left curiously unanswered for far too long…. like how our own Abe Miranda conquered Barb-fire in the spread pool, and why Karen “Big Mouth” Bass had so little to say at her recent press conference. And time permitting, there’s the college football BS (sorry BCS) finale to consider; ChabDog hasn’t checked, but perhaps making Notre Dame a 5 point dog (is that right?) is just what the joint doctor ordered in South Bend.

Notre Dame squeezes the life outta Penn St. in a peach of an Orange Bowl…

by Brandon Chabner | January 9, 2025 | 0 Comments

Thanks to a thrilling turn of events in the 2nd half, we’ll be hearing more from the Notre Dame Victory March in January! Terrific win for the never-say-die Fighting Irish, who kept on fighting and out-slugged a very game squad from Penn St. Ara is certaining looking down from Heaven and smiling as the Freeman era has officially begun.

Congrats are definitely in order….

by Brandon Chabner | January 7, 2025 | 0 Comments

HE’S LARGER THAN LIFE. HE’S THE KARMAC OF THE LAUGH TRACK.

HE’S HONESTLY OUT THERE FOR YOU, FINDING THE WEAK LINK IN EVERY SPREAD.

HE’S THE CHABDOG SPORTS TALK NFL SPREAD SETTING CHAMPION FOR 2024,

COMING IN AT AROUND 60%+ AND ABLE LEAP FROG THE MIGHTY DOROTHY D

IN A SINGLE BOUND.

HE’S POUND FOR POUND THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT OF ALL LINE LAYERS.

HE’S ABE PAGODA MIRANDA, AND HE’S OUR NO. 1 FOR THE 2ND TIME IN FOUR YEARS.

NFL Against The Spread 2024 Results – 272 Game Regular Season

by Well Read | January 6, 2025 | 0 Comments

272 games (271 picked & one tied the spread) over 18 weeks… we witnessed a lot of change of fortune like the Bears were 4 and 2 and Aaron Rodgers was a twat. Abe skillfully navigated the shifting sands of team fortune and won an impressive 159 games!

Congrats to….I don’t know who…

by Brandon Chabner | January 5, 2025 | 0 Comments

One of these two (or maybe both) won the 2024 CDST Spread-besting competition. You both beat the stuffing outta me, so I am not worthy, …. can only seek to follow humbly in your footsteps…. stay tuned for our corporate secretary Well-read’s breakdown of how it ultimately played out. All I know if I achieved my objective of beating last year’s performance in terms of the numbies and staying outta the dreaded whine cellar.

ChabDog’s Takeaways from Week 18:

by Brandon Chabner | January 5, 2025 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Takeaways from Week 18:
— Bryce Young is getting older, and that could be a scary development next year based on what we saw today.
— Steelers still have no clue about how to unglue their stuck-in-the-mud offense; Arthur Treacher Smith needs a teacher.
— What goes around, comes around Green Bay, … you played with fire today against Chicago, got burned, and now and you’re in no shape right now to take down filthy good Philadelphia.
— Rocky Mountain redemption today for Denver today against KC’s 3rd stringers (exactly who were those slim jims on the Chiefs’ d-line?); enjoy it now, because you are gonna get your doors blown off in blustery Buffalo.
— Speaking of The Doors, the Chargers are plugged in and playing power surge football like few others (my bad for douting they could cover today against the frayed Raiders); throw a radio in the Houston whirlpool, because the Texans are in for a big beat down at home next Saturday. Harbaugh’s soft driven and slow mad like some new language!
— Watching Baker shake ‘n bake and scramble for those hearty, heartfelt first downs was beautiful. This team has been through the MASH ward and has come out the other side… stronger. Gotta say the Commanders SHOULD NOT be favored when they make their foray into Tampa Bay.
— Samsonite travels well, but sorry Minnesota but the same can’t be said for Sam, who’ll be a sacrificial norseman come gametime against the Rams.
— Kudos to the Bungles for a good try, but you can never fully repent in Cin City for starting out 4-8. Where’s the beef? It’s not with Joe Cool and his cadre of nifty, shifty flankers; no it’s with the flimsy foundation you guys sport in the trenches.

Well Read’s Week 18

by Well Read | January 5, 2025 | 0 Comments

Week 18: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | January 4, 2025 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to NFL Week 18 where I try to beat the spread every week, make a little money, or brag to my work besties that I simply pick winners cause our state doesn’t allow sports betting yet (fuck you California). At the moment, I’m leading everyone at ChabDog Sports Talk & hope to claim victory for my second time with Chabdog. However, this time I’m neck and neck with Dorothy Dawn who’s always leading the pack here since she, her friends, her fiance, and her bookie are all fanatical sports fans who eat, live, breathe, and shit sports all day. I want to go to one of her parties with all her sports friends and know that I’ve beaten my co-host at least once which means that I should be able to keep up with everyone else at the party if they come at me with anything sports related…lol. Regardless of who wins, I at least know I have a 58% + ability to pick winning football games against the spread, which in itself is an accomplishment. So take a look below…let me know in the comments section if I fucked this up or on any of my social media handles….let’s fucking gooooooooo.

@chabdogsports Only one week left! https://t.co/VSwI1vfXgB

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) December 31, 2024

𝚆𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝟷𝟾 #NFL – – – – – – – – – – – – 𝚁𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚜 -𝟷𝟽.𝟻 𝙱𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚊𝚕𝚜 -𝟸.𝟻 https://t.co/IwUxhK8vyB pic.twitter.com/GAnbLL2619

— Abe Miranda (@gawdbrudder) January 4, 2025

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 18 NFL Picks

by Aaron | January 3, 2025 | 0 Comments

Here we are at Week 18 and there is no more time for me to improve my dreadful picks record for this season. Mathematically, it is still possible to get back to .500, but that will require an incredible heater, and heaters are difficult when a lot of teams aren’t trying to win this week. Not only that, but the motivations for these teams are fluid and the NFL is too stupid to play all these games at the same time like a proper league would. For example, the five seed in the AFC is valuable because that team gets to travel to feeble Houston in the Wild Card Round instead of Baltimore or Buffalo. If Pittsburgh wins on Saturday, it takes the Chargers out of the running for that spot and they could lay down for the suddenly surging Raiders.

I’ll be taking the Steelers since they are home underdogs (even though that didn’t work last week) and the Chargers with the hope that they are motivated to stomp Las Vegas. The Ravens are now favored by an unheard of 20 points vs. Cleveland because they are playing for the AFC North title, so I’ll get out of their way and lay those points. Washington has clinched a Playoff spot, but there is plenty of reason to win at Dallas because a loss might force the Commies play at Philadelphia in the Wild Card Round instead of at Los Angeles against a Rams offense that has been held under 20 points in three straight games. That same motivation is in play for the Packers, who need a win and a Washington loss to avoid Philly. Speaking the Eagles, they have chosen against embarrassing the Giants by having Saquon Barkley rest instead of shattering the single-season rushing record against them. That gives me hope that Big Blue can end the season with a second straight win. Hopefully there will still be someone talented to select when our first round draft pick finally comes around.

Buffalo is also laying points while resting starters, but I trust Mitch Trubisky enough to give it the nod against New England. Denver is a massive favorite over Kansas City in a must-win game for the Broncos. I think they get the job done, but Carson Wentz playing spoiler would be hilarious, so give me the points in that one. In the great Sunday Night Football game, I like the Lions despite their defensive issues. They might be scarier on offense with Jahmyr Gibbs taking on a heavier workload due to David Montgomery’s injury.

NFL Week 18 Against The Spread

by Well Read | January 3, 2025 | 0 Comments

ChabDog/BSC’s State of Play on New Year’s Day–BCS

by Brandon Chabner | January 1, 2025 | 0 Comments

Someone served up a ton of chewy charred duck at today’s Rose Bowl, … and it wasn’t during the tailgate portion. Sorry Phil, but there’s no more O left in the loss column for OU.
The many twists and turns of this playoff game made it a real peach. Texas got too passive with a lead that wasn’t massive, but in the end shows it was long on character, when it refused to be scared off by the incredibly resilient Skattebo. Who knew there would be this much fight in ASU. But in the end, the big dog that was the Longhorns of course had to eat, sending the Sun Devils to defeat.

NFL Results To The End Of Week 17

by Well Read | December 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week 17: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | December 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to NFL Week 17 where I try to beat the spread every week, make a little money, or brag to my work besties that I simply pick winners cause our state doesn’t allow sports betting yet (fuck you California). So take a look below…let me know in the comments section if I fucked this up or on any of my social media handles….let’s fucking gooooooooo.

| | @gawdbrudder

Well Read Week 17 picks

by Well Read | December 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

Aaron’s Week 17 NFL Picks

by Aaron | December 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

Merry Christmas! Roger Goodell gave his haters a special gift this year by figuring out how to play NFL football on a Wednesday while lining the owners’ pockets with Netflix money. That’s great news for those of us who thought we would have to watch the NBA on Christmas. The only thing that can make the deal better is if I can get a couple of picks correct. The Steelers are down bad after two straight double-digit losses to Super Bowl contenders, but now they are home underdogs against the Chiefs, and I love their chances to win outright even though Kansas City has finally started covering spreads. In its only other road dog spot this season, Pittsburgh defeated the Ravens outright. In the late game, Baltimore looks to cover as a road favorite for the third time in a row. I’m happy to lay those points with how Lamar Jackson and the offense have played all year.

For the Boxing Day special, I am doing the square thing and taking Seattle. It has been a long time coming, but I finally have confidence in the Seahawks again, even if it is only because they are playing a Chicago team that has lost nine in a row, with the last three coming by at least two scores.

The Chargers coming east on a short week is a little scary, but they play an east coast style of ball, so I will bank on them bludgeoning New England. The Bengals are finally hitting their stride, but I don’t think they hold off Bo Nix and the bucking Broncos. Arizona is in a tailspin, which means that it is time to Ram It. Sean McVay’s team is coming off ATS wins against two other tailspin teams in the 49ers and Jets.

Sunday will feel strange with just nine games on the slate, but Green Bay at Minnesota should be a great game. The spread being fewer than three points is a little disrespectful to the Vikings, so I will roll with them. In the late afternoon, almost everyone will be watching the Cowboys and Eagles. Let’s go with Dallas and the huge number since Dem Boyz have won four of five and have figured out how to run the ball lately. In prime time, I like how Michael Penix Jr. looked in his first start enough to take Atlanta in Washington’s letdown spot. Laying points with the Lions is the squarest pick of the week for me, but they came through as a big road favorite last week, so it must be done.

NFL Week 17 Against The Spread

by Well Read | December 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

And in tonight’s Monday Nite Food Fight…..

by Brandon Chabner | December 23, 2024 | 0 Comments

To the surprise of practically nobody in the viewing public, Green Bay finds taking the ball away from Spencer The Dispenser Rattler’s offense was about as easy as taking a rattle away from a baby.

What we learned today in the NFL (Sunday, Week 16) —

by Brandon Chabner | December 23, 2024 | 0 Comments

What we learned today in the NFL —
— Dallas does have some pride after all
— Tampa Bay is jinxed
— New England is both pesky and pitiful at the same time
— Cincy is on a mission… possibly to nowhere
— Cleveland is DOA with DTR
— Miami still looks like one of the best of those who get a rest after Week 18.
— The Rams have a great coach, a great QB, some great receivers, a money RB and a scrappy defense …. which might be all they need to win the NFC
— The Eagles can’t get a Super Bowl ticket with Pickett
— Detroit should not consider Chicago a tune up for anything,… including the Vikings
— Atlanta seems to be rising like a Phoenix, with Penix

Week 16: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | December 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to NFL Week 16 where I try to beat the spread every week, make a little money, or brag to our work besties that we simply pick winners cause our state doesn’t allow sports betting yet (fuck you California). So take a look below…let me know in the comments section if I fucked this up or on any of my social media handles (note my Week 15 picks were 87.5% on the money). Let’s fucking gooooooooo.

| | @gawdbrudder

DD’s Dec 21 Picks

by Dorothy Dawn | December 20, 2024 | 0 Comments

Aaron’s Week 16 NFL Picks

by Aaron | December 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

I went 9-7 last week and clawed to within 15 games of .500 at 104-119-1 with three weeks to play. That ground is not impossible to make up, but it is going to take foresight, discipline, and some hefty road favorites covering this week. Just look at that Detroit line at Chicago. It’s over a touchdown even though the Lions were shredded on defense last week and nearly allowed a miracle comeback by Caleb Williams on Thanksgiving. So why are we backing Detroit? Because this season, laying the big number with Detroit has paid off. The Lions are 3-1 against the spread when being favored by seven or more, and I expect them to pound the struggling Bears.

I am also taking the Rams, Eagles, Vikings, and Buccaneers as road favorites. They probably won’t all work out, but maybe they will go 3-1 since all four are surging right now while playing inferior competition. I actually like the Giants pick this week since they were able to move the ball a little against Baltimore and Michael Penix Jr. is making his first start for Atlanta. Maybe a rookie mistake or two will help the Giants intercept the ball for the third time this season.

I might not even watch the NFL on Saturday because of the College Football Playoff and a decent college hoops slate, but I expect Kansas City and Pittsburgh to come through for me. The Chiefs have transformed into favorites with the news that Patrick Mahomes is practicing fully this week, so getting two and a half points makes this one the easiest pick on the board. For the Steelers, they failed me as underdogs in Philadelphia, but I’m rolling with them again since they own Lamar Jackson.

Back to Sunday, I am becoming the Carolina whisperer as I smartly jumped off the bandwagon last week when Sir Purr and company became favorites against Dallas. However, now the Cats are back to being dogs and facing a floundering Cardinals team at home. Sign me back up!

NFL Week 16 Against The Spread

by Well Read | December 18, 2024 | 0 Comments

Our Wk 15 Picks

by Well Read | December 15, 2024 | 0 Comments

Rams @ SF – Rams Plez. Per JPizzle

by Dorothy Dawn | December 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

Rams Plez. Per JP

Aaron’s Week 15 NFL Picks

by Aaron | December 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

Bad news for the haters: None of my fantasy teams made the playoffs, so I have more attention to devote to picks! We are running out of time to make a comeback, but at least I don’t have to worry about how much FAAB money to drop on the waiver wire every week. What I do need to worry about is whether or not the 49ers are back. They burned my strategy of continuing to fade them with their destruction of the Bears, but I think they come back to Earth in a tough divisional game. I am going to Ram It for the first time in a while.

In the next three games, I have big home dogs. The Chiefs never cover, so Cleveland is an easy pick. Cincinnati’s cover in the Simpsons game was a total fluke and Lisa Simpson won’t bail them out this time. Tennessee was terrible against Jacksonville, but I’m sure Will Levis will bounce back now that I’m not relying on him to save my fantasy team. New Orleans is getting way too many points against a Washington team that hasn’t impressed lately.

That brings us to the return of Tommy DeVito to MetLife Stadium. I am actually happy to see him again because Drew Lock was beyond miserable last week, but that doesn’t mean the Giants have a snowball’s chance to beat Baltimore. I think the Ravens win by at least 20 as Derrick Henry attempts a single game rushing record.

The Giants will not be fun to watch, but Dallas at Carolina should be a pretty interesting game considering how bad the record are. The Panthers have been money against the spread as a dog, but I’m not feeling them as a favorite. I think the Cowboys win outright. The Jets are another team I don’t feel great about as a favorite, but I feel better about them than the Jaguars. Plus, Aaron Rodgers is coming off one of his best games a Jet.

Dolphins vs. Texans is close to a toss-up, but I’ll take Houston because of how consistently it runs the ball with Joe Mixon. I feel a lot better about Denver as a home favorite because of how well it has played lately with three straight wins by more than a touchdown. The Lions are still an auto pick because they never lose, and the Steelers get the nod in the underdog spot as usual.

I have to fade the Cardinals, as they have hit the skids with three straight losses. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has won three straight, but the Chargers are a big step up in competition and should handle the Buccaneers at home. I am going to feel like a fool if I lose against the Seahawks again, but the Packers are playing too well, so we’ll try fading Seattle one more time.

Both home teams look good in the Monday night slate. Sam Darnold has played some of the best football of his career lately for Minnesota, and the Falcons have not played well enough lately for me to trust them against my plucky Raiders.

NFL Week 15 ATS

by Well Read | December 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

And on Monday Night… Dallas couldn’t Leon Lett good enough alone…

by Brandon Chabner | December 9, 2024 | 0 Comments

Dallas can’t leave well enough alone at home, plays with fire on a blocked punt, and suffers its latest Leon Lett moment. All we needed to make this scene complete was a scampering Don Bebe. Score a much needed win for Mr. Blonde ambition Dallas and its red-headed stepchild.

Our Week 14 Picks

by Well Read | December 8, 2024 | 0 Comments

Detroit DD’s Week 14 Piks – Was the GB @ Lions game not the best?

by Dorothy Dawn | December 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

Tune in tomorrow to CDST’s “Rolling with the Dice … and some oversized spreads” NFL Week 14 Show.

by Brandon Chabner | December 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

Tune in tomorrow to CDST’s “Rolling with the Dice … and some oversized spreads” NFL Week 14 Show.

Not sure you like the motion of this Sunday’s treacherous ocean, and trying to get comfy living so large with the most favored football nations…. namely, Philly plus an astounding 12.5, Miami and PIttsburgh plus 6.5 and Tampa teed up by 7.5 against the perpetually spayed Raiders. And what to make of terrible Tennessee giving 5.5 to weak sisters of the blind J-ville. Join the club as we try to psych ourselves up to take the plunge.

A-ron’s all pumped up and ready to discuss, coming off a forceful 9-7 showing, while ChabDog’s somehow looking fresh and clean with a new photo shoot to boot and resolved to get back on his feet after another merciless drubbing, and we wonder whether Well-read’s recent success with the “system” may prove all too fleeting? Dorothy’s got her crystal ball ready and seems steady in the lead, unlike Abe who’s of course on the move and droning on from the land of renegade drones and a visit with Jersey Boy Frank the Tank.

Some college b-ball (blue evening for No. 1 Kansas in the land of the Creighton Blue Jays), and look who’s got a shot at going far in colllege football… the Blue Broncos who make all that noice and play on the weird blue turf in Biose.

Week 14: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | December 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to NFL Week 14 where we try to beat the spread, make a little money, or brag to our besties that we simply just pick winners cause our state doesn’t allow sports betting (fuck you California). Today I find myself on a flight to Newark, NJ from LA to visit some family on the East Coast and celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday while we pig out on some hotdogs and pizza on an all-guys extended weekend. A far departure from the Caribbean cruise I was on during Week 13 where the weather was a nice 80 something degrees and the drinks were cold and coming. Had a little time on today’s flight to put together my picks since I have no clue where I will be on Saturday and want to make sure we’re all covered here. So take a look…let me know in the comments section if I fucked this up here or on any of my social media handles. Let’s fucking gooooooooo.

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 14 NFL Picks

by Aaron | December 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

I like big dogs and I cannot lie! I am taking the point in nine of the 13 games this week, and I am feeling good about it after going 9-7 in Week 13. It should have been 10-6, but Jameis Winston just could not stop throwing pick sixes. And even when Jameis stopped throwing pick sixes, he tossed a regular old interception in the end zone to ruin the backdoor cover. I am mad at him! But I am still going back to the Browns because we just saw them beat Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago. I am gobbling up those six and a half points! I also can’t resist Chicago since its opponent the 49ers have gone 0-2 against the spread since they inexplicably lost to Seattle and I began fading them. The Raiders and Panthers have also been very plucky lately and continue to attract big spreads. Just look at what AOC did for the Las Vegas offense! I am even loving my Giants this week with Drew Lock under center for the second week in a row. Maybe he finally got some time with the first string offense. If he did, the Giants could have an upset in store for a New Orleans team playing outside of its cozy dome. As for a great favorite to back? The Bills are a juggernaut and have won five of their last six by more than a touchdown.

NFL Week 14 Against The Spread

by Well Read | December 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

A Monday Night To Remember…

by Brandon Chabner | December 2, 2024 | 0 Comments

Famous Jameis was having such a swell time out there, he forgot what his mama told him when he left home to be a pro QB …. never look a gift-horse … in this case a Bronco db … in the mouth … or bad things can happen. Particularly on the short ones, he was play acting the million dollar a year telegraph operator, and that’s a job opening with a pretty short half-life. Browns give themselves wonderful nightmares, a week before they face the music against the Steelers, while Denver can relax for a 2-week coffee break.

Yo Antonio…

by Brandon Chabner | November 29, 2024 | 0 Comments

Yo Antonio… ever heard of calling a time out … so your disorganized rabble can get organizized? When you come into Arrowhead, you need your @#$@# wired tight. Not usually the case with a notably novice QB…. What was looking like a perfectly orchestrated Silver and Black Friday turns dark and ugly for the Vegas vagabonds, who blow themselves up at the 11th hour with an unforgivable hiccup hike fumble. More smoke and mirrors for the Thiefs~ Ughhhhh

Happy Thanksgiving from ChabDog Sports…

by Brandon Chabner | November 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

There so much to say about this photo and so little time. I love the comment from Deshaun about ankle massages, and who’s that guy with Jordy at the kids’ table…. and who’s the white guy asking for more dark meat… and why is Patrick Mahomes dressed in Britney’s outfit….and I didn’t know Justin Herbert was so funny…and where was Daniel Jones traded to?

ChabDog’s Turkey Day Potpourri —

by Brandon Chabner | November 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

– For the first course — it’s Bear-meat jerky … really leaves a bad taste in your mouth when served Chicago style
I guess if you’re the Bears, TIME REALLY FLIES WHEN YOU’RE NOT HAVING FUN. Melodrama’s so much fun, in black and white for everyone to see. Coach E’s time management flaws make Coach Tomlin look like a flippin genius. Nero may have watched Rome burn, but at least he didn’t watch a timeout burn a hole in his pocket, like this.
— For dinner — a delicious Dallas Turducken
Jr. jockstrap G-men leave Big D once again quite embarrassed, as Overshown shows them up by PICing the Locke.
— For dessert — It’s Tua Creampuffs sandwiched around the sheen of sherbert colored Aqua Marine.
Same old story … it gets a little uncomfy and the Miami pound machine goes into auto-snooze mode… here with a juicy second down at the environs of the Green Bay 1 … McDaniels chooses to go cute, rather than trying to Ram it home on the ground, and disaster ensues. This team just isn’t tough enough to win against the foot-brawlers like the powers of the NFC Norris, among others.

Well Read’s Wk 13 picks

by Well Read | November 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week 13: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious Turkey Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | November 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I am currently writing this from a cruise ship currently approaching Dominica in the West Indies. An amazing way to spend Thanksgiving away from the stress of absolutely everything. I’m sure my entire family hates me right now for being here and not them. I have a port excursion today to do a million awesome things but we do have good great TV here on the ship and hope to catch a few games. With that…LFG.

TURKEY DAY

LIONS -10.5 – Sounds like a huge spread until the Lions beat the Bears by at least 2 touchdowns.

COWBOYS -3.5 – Honestly both teams should lose here.

PACKERS -3.5 – Nothing screams Greenbay like 25 degrees and some cheese! I’m from LA…so fuck that!

FRIDAY

CHIEFS -13.5 – The Raiders are simply fucked. Does anyone even know who their QB is for this game since Gardner Minshew is out for the rest of the season???? Yes, it’s Aidan O’Connell who is coming back from a broken thumb! GO HIDE IN A CASINO VEGAS CAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE A CATASTROPHE!

SUNDAY

CHARGERS -1.5

STEELERS +2.5

VIKINGS -3.5

PATRIOTS +2.5

SEAHAWKS -1.5

COMMANDERS -5.5

TEXANS -5.5

RAMS -2.5

BUCCANEERS -6.5

EAGLES +2.5

BILLS -6.5

MONDAY

BROWNS +5.5

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 13 NFL Picks

by Aaron | November 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

Yay! It’s Thanksgiving! I don’t have a lot of time to dive into the picks, but I am picking against the Giants because I cannot stand them anymore. They are becoming as big of a circus as the Jets. Maybe Drew Lock can make the game respectable, but I’m not so sure. He led a game-winning drive for Seattle against the Eagles last year, but he must be really bad in practice to make Brian Daboll want to play Tommy DeVito.

The Lions are turning into an automatic play until they prove otherwise. The Raiders missed the backdoor cover by half a freaking yard last Sunday, so I am backing them again because the Chiefs cannot cover against a paper bag. On Sunday, I really like the Buffalo pick because there is snow in the forecast and the 49ers are in a tailspin even if they get Brock Purdy back. In the final game of the week, backing Jameis Winston in another prime time underdog spot feels mandatory.

NFL WEEK 13 THANKSGIVING GAMES

by Well Read | November 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

On Thanksgiving Week MNF, the Ravens were vultures, not turkeys….

by Brandon Chabner | November 25, 2024 | 0 Comments

Ravens wear down the Chargers with a second half push, including some impressive fourth down fist pumping; going for it from inside his own 20 was one of the best decisions big brother ever made, and little bro should definitely go to school on that… once he has the running backs to make it happen. If the Ravens play mistake free football, with a minimum of penalties and zero turnovers, they can beat the vast number of teams in this league, anytime and anywhere.

Diary of a Mad Man — What we learned from Week 11:

by Brandon Chabner | November 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

What we learned today —
— Bears can do amazing things when properly motivated, and they are always interested in ripping my heart out with a few last second garbage scores or defensive meltdowns
— The Commanders aren’t ready to command my attention for anything.
— The Eagles have the enough firepower to beat anyone… including the Lions
— Giants are just what the doctor ordered… for nearly everyone.
— The Chiefs continue their ripoff tour…. another cheesy road win in Scarolina… and I got sucked into thinking they’d cover, once more
— Thank you god for not letting the Raiders put that last, utterly meaningless TD on the board and getting rid of the Ridder threat
— I promise never to pick the Patriots again for … anything
— I told you CJ Stroud ain’t all that, but I forgot to listen to myself
— The Niners are done, even if nobody wants to admit it.

Week 12: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | November 23, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone & welcome back to my kick-ass blog where I make 58% accurate picks Against The Spread (ATS) for free while proving that I’m a better choice than literally flipping a quarter (also tied for first amongst everyone at ChabDog Sports Talk)! Below is my SZN breakdown:

WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) WEEK 3: 8/16 (50%) WEEK 4: 9/16 (56%) WEEK 5: 7/14 (50%) WEEK 6: 10/14 (71%) WEEK 7: 9/15 (60%) WEEK 8: 10/16 (63%) WEEK 9: 9/15 (60%) WEEK 10: 7/14 (50%) WEEK 11: 9/14 SEASON RECORD (ATS): 96/165 + 1 Push (58%)

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

I texted our producer and told him I was “taking the chalk” (favored team) and going with the Steelers (-3.5) against the Browns. Of course, Mother Nature had to dump an ass-ton of snow and prove to everyone that snow + using multiple QBs was the Steelers’ kryptonite. Proof once again…that football isn’t always predictable no matter how favored you think a team is. The good news is that it only happens to me 42% of the time! With that being said, let’s take a look at the rest of my Week 12 picks for your entertainment.

| | @gawdbrudder

Finally Dorothy Posts – Week 12

by Dorothy Dawn | November 22, 2024 | 0 Comments

Aaron’s Week 12 NFL Picks

by Aaron | November 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

I feel lost. Another subpar performance in Week 11 has me questioning all my gambling instincts. Should I stick with my guns, or just fade myself? At 11 games under .500 for the season, I am going to trust myself and keep hacking away at this deficit!

The Steelers were an easy call as a home underdog last week. As a road favorite? Not so much. Give me Famous Jameis and the Browns.

Caleb Williams and the Bears couldn’t take advantage of the dead cat bounce that they got from firing an offensive coordinator. They played well but failed against Green Bay, and now they will be smothered by Minnesota’s defense.

They can’t make a spread high enough for Detroit. It would be great for my fantasy team if Jonathan Taylor could control the clock and keep the Colts in the game, but Indianapolis’ run game has been mediocre lately.

The Pats have been a rare bright spot against the spread for me since they got blown out by Jacksonville. New England barely failed to cover against the Rams, but I am sticking with Drake Maye and company with a touchdown and the hook in Miami.

Giants only getting three and a half with Tommy DeVito under center? This pick is as sharp as they come.

Make that two straight blowout losses for the Cowboys with Cooper Rush under center. We will keep fading. Kansas City should also win big after Buffalo ruined its perfect season. Look for Xavier Worthy to get more involved, as he gave the Bills problems last week.

The Texans seemed to get back on track with that win over Dallas, but I still think they are fraudulent. Why is no one talking about C.J. Stroud’s sophomore slump? I guess the wide receiver injuries are an excuse, but he should still be playing better.

I have labeled the Raiders as a frisky team since they upset Baltimore in Week 2, but they haven’t been all that frisky lately. That number is suspiciously low, though.

Green Bay is my favorite pick of the week. The 49ers are dead to me after losing to a Seattle team that the Giants beat while giving up a 101-yard fumble return touchdown.

Wait, I think Arizona is my real favorite pick of the week. The Cardinals have been a good team for a month now and Seattle still stinks.

I really want to Ram It, but the Eagles are too good. It really makes me sad how good the Eagles are. I have to lay the number with them and hope they lose to Detroit in the Playoffs.

The Chargers showed a lot of heart by not blowing that game to Cincinnati after they lost all the momentum. It helped that Evan McPherson was feeble, but I have no issue Bolting Up with Los Angeles as a home underdog.

NFL Week 12 Spreads

by Well Read | November 20, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Super-appreciation and Super-ass awards for Week 11 (or this week’s results, from bottom to top) :

by Brandon Chabner | November 17, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Super-appreciation and Super-ass awards for Week 11 (or this week’s results, from bottom to top) :
1) Super-appreciation — McConkey (for his megatron catch) and Dobbins (for his jumping jack vault into the end zone} to cinch the Chargers’ winning drive), Boswell (who still knows how to kick well), Allen (who took the Buffalo by the horns) and finally drove the stake into Chief Dracula’s heart (thank you god!), the entire New Orleans offense (which finally came out of that ridiculous coma), and Nix (who didn’t wallow but told his teammates to follow)
2) Super-ass — Jumpy Justin and a very fearful McPherson (the latest well-adjusted kickers to just go psycho), ChabDog (for actually believing that the Slackers who do more than Bearly win), the guy coaching the Ti-tans (for still loving “leave those points on the table Levis”, and ChabDog (worst of all — for actually believing the Jets would not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory)

Week 11: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | November 16, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone & welcome back to my kick-ass blog where I make 50% + accurate picks Against The Spread (ATS)! Rolling into Week 11 with a 58% SZN winning percentage (ATS) and tied for first place among my co-hosts at ChabDog Sports (see below)!

Results to the end of Week 10: gameswins to playedweek 10% ChabDog 151 82 54% Well Read 151 78 52% Abe 151 87 58% Dorothy D 151 87…

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) November 12, 2024

You damn right I have to brag about this every week! These are hardcore football people and it’s an absolute honor to be able to keep up with them…especially Dorothy Dawn who lives, eats, and shits football all day along with every single person she hangs out with in her life..including her dad, “Packers Bob”, who’s been on our show multiple times and attended the Ice Bowl at Lambeau Field in 1967. So being tied with Dorothy and her army is incredible since all my time is focused on my full-time job, my social media content game, and clearing out my bedroom to make room for a gaming studio for future Twitch streams. So yeah, fuck all of you I’m winning and taking names…LMAO!!! Anyways…..before considering my Week 11 Scrumdidilyumptious ATS Picks, here is my SZN resume for your review.

Resume:

OK, now that we’re all caught up and you’re still willing to read my scumbag-ass picks, let’s fucking go NFL Week 11 (thank you for acknowledging I’m one of theeeeee best at ChabDog Sports to do it this SZN)!

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

I texted our producer and told him I was taking the chalk (favored team) and going with the Eagles (-3.5). My Thursday Night Football chalk picks have been extremely shitty the last couple of weeks so this made me a little hesitant to pick the Eagles. Still, you got to look at every game as a new situation and felt that the Eagles had enough offensive weapons to beat the Commanders and I wasn’t wrong since the Eagles beat them by 8 points. So I’m already 1/1 for Week 11 along with our producer who also picked them.

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 11 NFL Picks

by Aaron | November 14, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week 11 was looking not so terrible for me, but then I was burned by Detroit and the Rams in prime time. The Lions did not show up for the first half and I still only lost on the hook, while the Rams were unable to ram the ball into the end zone against Miami’s defense. My overall mark is now 72-79-1. That is not good, but it is still close enough to .500 that I can talk myself into getting there by chipping away for the rest of the season.

I actually hate the Washington pick, but I need Jayden Daniels to cook in order to save my fantasy season instead of handing the ball off near the goal line like he did in the loss at Pittsburgh. The Eagles are rolling and could give the Commanders a harsh dose of reality, but I’m usually wrong, so I might as well go with my heart here.

It’s impossible to pick Chicago until Caleb Williams shows improvement. Will a new offensive coordinator do the trick? Probably not, but even if it does, Green Bay can score a lot of points.

Speaking of scoring, the Lions figure to smoke Jacksonville and backup quarterback Mac Jones as long as Jared Goff refrains from throwing five interceptions. The Vikings barely got out of Jacksonville with a win last week, so I’ll grab Tennessee and the points. Sam Darnold has thrown five picks in his last two games.

The Dolphins were spunky as an underdog in Los Angeles, but I’ll fade them as a favorite. Miami will be dramatic and win by a field goal.

I’ll attempt to Ram It again since Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp both played well in the loss on Monday. If Matthew Stafford or Kyren Williams can ram the ball into the end zone a few times, Los Angeles should cover.

Are the Saints back? I’m not so sure. I will go with a Jameis Winston revenge spot instead. Pittsburgh getting points at home is an auto pick, Anthony Richardson is a bigger disaster than even the Jets, and Denver still does not get credit.

The 49ers are reloaded with McCaffrey and Pearsall and they won in Tampa despite missing three field goals. They should crush Seattle.

The Chiefs will finally run out of luck against Buffalo, the Bengals are desperate, and the Cowboys have faced a brutal schedule. This Houston game is their easiest in several weeks and they will find a way to cover.

Week XI NFL Spreads

by Well Read | November 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

Tired of getting hosed by the spread….ChabDog focuses his Ace Rothstein bi-focals on the Sports Rock Pick’m pool:

by Brandon Chabner | November 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

Big No. 2 ChabDog picks himself up from the dead, after enduring another utterly pointless beating from the Week 10 spread, and comes through with his totally random picks for the more rational Sports Rock pick ’em pool for Week 11. Just hope I don’t step in No. 2 in the process.
1) TNF- COMMANDERS @ EAGLES– The Commanders have lost some command and control. GOING EAGLES, AND IT’S TOTALLY LEGAL!
SUN NOV. 17:
2) AM- RAVENS @ STEELERS — So sorry to burst the bubble of all my Maryland friends (I think I still have a few) BUT THE STEELERS TOTALLY OWN THE DEPRAVED RAVENS…. GOING ALL IN FOR THE STEELERS!
3) AM – PACKERS @ BEARS — If the Bears can’t hanlde the Patiots, they certain can’t handle the PACKERS… going to stay with my instincts and staying with GREEN BAY
4) AM- COLTS @ JETS — Jets are in total yo yo mode… up one week and down another… this is an up week… and Joe Flacco is just killing time, not to mention Indy’s hopes and dreams… GOING WITH THE JETS BABY!!!!
5) PM- FALCONS @ BRONCOS — Broncos will certainly come into this game sleepless and grouchy but a bad attidue only gets you so far…. however, the Falcones never win big games on the road… and yet I think Koo Koo with the magic shoe makes another appearance… GOING WITH FALCONES!!!
6) PM- CHIEFS @ BILLS — Please for the love of freaking god, dear God, I implore you to send fire and brimstone raining down on the infernal Chiefs and give Buffalo this victory they so dearly deserve. Fact is the Bills are a better team… except for their wrestling coach…. omg I just cannot bring myself to pick the Chiefs. GOING BILLS OR i’M GONNA SHAVE MY HEAD AND LEAVE THE FREAKING COUNTRY LMAO…
7) SNF- BENGALS @ CHARGERS
MON NOV. 18: — Mack is going to have a Big Mac attack chomping down on Mr. Blonde Ambition…. this has Charger 3 piont victory written all over it
😎 MNF- TEXANS @ COWBOYS — I still don’t think the Texans are that good… but as for the Cowboys, they’ve got nothing going on but a very mushy Cooper Rush slush fund… time for another telethon Jerry! GOING WITH THE TEXANS… and please CJ get that eye of the tiger back…. lately you’ve been resembling a llama.

Week 10: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | November 9, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone & welcome back to the start of the 3rd Quarter of the regular NFL SZN! Rolling into this bitch with a 58% winning percentage (ATS) and tied for first place among my co-hosts at ChabDog Sports!

@chabdogsports Results to week 9: Player games pl tot wns % ChabDog 137 77 56% Well Read 137 69 50% Abe 137 80 58% Dorothy D 137 80 58%…

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) November 5, 2024

You damn right I have to brag about this! These are hardcore football people and it’s an absolute honor to be able to keep up with them…especially Dorothy who lives, eats, and shits football all day along with every single person she hangs out with in her life..including her dad, “Packers Bob”. So being tied with Dorothy and her army is incredible since all my time is focused on my full-time job, my social media content game, and figuring out my gaming studio cave situation. So yeah, fuck all of you I’m winning…LMAO!!! Anyway…..before considering my Week 10 Scrumdidilyumptious ATS Picks, here is my SZN resume for your review.

Resume:

OK, now that we’re all caught up and you’re still willing to read my scumbag-ass picks, let’s fucking go NFL Week 10 (thank you for acknowledging I’m one of theeeeee best at ChabDog Sports to do it this season)!

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

I looked at the spread & decided to take “the chalk” (Baltimore -6.5) only to eat shit again. Of course, the Ravens had to play some weird AF football but were able to win by a single point instead of 6.5 points. The Bengals kept it interesting but dropped the ball when it mattered the most…a tough loss for Bengals fans.

| | @gawdbrudder

ChabDog’s Tenuous Attempt To Tackle the Week 10 Spreads:

by Brandon Chabner | November 8, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hold onto to that rope, or let go if you want, …. maybe the freedom from the shackles of common sense will set you free…

After Baltimore’s Thursday night betrayal I really don’t know what to think, other than sometimes my instincts on the marginal advantage one team has really doesn’t stink…. that being said, in the immortal words of Maggie from Caddyshack, “Tanks for nothin, ChabDog” —

— Going G-men over Carolina (giving four and half to the Panthers) — Yes, the Giants should win this game…. I don’t care where it is being played, and it’s time they started living large… at the expense of the Stink Panthers, as part of the NFL’s endless foreign exchange program.

— I like the Bears in this game…. but I don’t like them by 6.5… the Patriots should hang in there and make this interesting

— Here we go again,…. taking issue with the Dolts’ duller than dull offfense… who cares where they are playing, they still totally suck in terms of scoring aptitude… look for the Bills to regain their attitude iwth a big win

— Denver’s offense looks dead once again, and the Chiefs continue to swindle me whenver I think of them as their former high octane selves…..but c’mon KC is a simple 10 point victory at home too much to ask… like last week, I’m taking the bait for the Chiefs, because I can’t countenace drawing any kind of line with Diggs

— I’m feelin it for the Falcons, who have a good coach, a good QB (I can’t believe I’m saying that), some tasty Rijon at running back, some fairly good receivers, and a decent-to-better than avg defense… and that’s a lot more than the “Aints have going for them

— Kudos to the SF Niners, who may have found some of their lost swagger, and was last week’s loss by the Bucs a total dagger? Yes and no to those two question, but I think the defending NFC champs have too many weapons … give TB the 6.5 and take your chances.

— Steelers had two weeks to recharge those batteries, and the battery of Wison Pickets will be rocking and rolling at the 10 am pacific hour. The Commies will lose, and Vegas will rue the day they made them the favs.

— Yes, Minny covered last week, but their offense production has been nothing less than spotty. The Jags, meanwhile, continue to score in decent quantities, and at home, I think 4.5 is just a little too rich for my blood. Going Jags, even if it means I should have my head examined.

— Like Stella, the Chargers are really starting to find their grrove backM Though the Ti-tans showed me something last week, I think the bots can turn the screws on TN to the tune of at least an 8-point victory.

— , More home humliation for the Cowboys? Eagles should win but I’m going out on a bit of limb in saying that Micah Parson comes limping in and gives that beaten to hell defense a bit of a lift. Boys to beat that insulting Philly spread of +6.5.

— I’m officially on the AZ bandwagon, and personally buying the car seat for fun-sized Kyler, who no kidding, is filling some pretty big shoes these days.It should be a pretty entertaining game with the Jets, but the Cards should slip by in the late Arizona afternoon … by at least 2.

— Don’t care who is coming back for the Texans…. they’ll feel beseiged and bereft of alternatives or viable options when the Lions come to down. Detroit giving only 3.5…. are you kidding?

— Rams slam the door shut on the Dolphins, who came to Sofi looking for a break, and get swallowed up in an eqrthquake of a statement game for Stafford.

Thursday Night Featuring the Bangles Rears Its Frightful Head… just to spite me

by Brandon Chabner | November 7, 2024 | 0 Comments

3 yards too far for Ja’Marr, Joe and the snake-bitten Bangles…. who were angling for a huge upset victory in Ballmer but end up just another team that stepped in No. 2 when it took the greedy option and went for 2.
Give the Ravens credit for coming out of that extended coma just in time for another ridiculous run-up of instant gratification TDs, and thank you very little for playing with the notion of covering that 6.5, only to give nearly all of it away in a final 90 seconds or so that played like “Here to Eternity”….heaven help me for changing my pick in favor of the Purple Rush ruffians covering that plush spread.

Aaron’s Week 10 NFL Picks

by Aaron | November 7, 2024 | 0 Comments

Giants are favored?! Send it! Caleb Williams stinks again, Buffalo and Kansas City are wagons, Saints are beyond terrible, 49ers are back, Steelers will slow down Cinderella Commies, Jaguars keep it close against Minnesota, Bolts destroy Titans, Eagles will screw me again by allowing dumb backdoor cover, Cardinals keep getting disrespected, Lions are a juggernaut, RAM IT.

NFL Week 10 Lines

by Well Read | November 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

Well Read’s Picks

by Well Read | November 3, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week 9: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | November 2, 2024 | 0 Comments

HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON…LFGOOOOO NFL WEEK 9! As always, have to celly double-digit Ws last week going 10/16 (63%) which is always great when the goal is to have a SZN record greater than .500! Before considering my Week 9 Scrumdidilyumptious ATS Picks, here is my season resume for your review.

Resume:

OK, now that we’re all caught up and you’re still willing to read my scummy bag picks, lets fucking go NFL Week 9 (thank you for acknowledging you still have a better shot with my picks below than LITERALLY flipping a quarter)!

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

I looked at the spread & decided to take “the chalk” (Texans -.5). CLEARLY this was a bad pick because WTF Texans! To be fair, I don’t think anyone realistically had the Jets beating the Texans by more than a touchdown on their BINGO card, but here we are.

| | @gawdbrudder

Turbulent times require desperate measures, so better pull out all the stops en route to CDST’s “Garbage out, garbage back in” Weak 9 NFL Prediction Show.

by Brandon Chabner | November 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

We’re throwing everything we got up on the walls of our Hermosa Beach studio, just to see what’ll stick. But unlike for your friendly local compactor, once it’s out there, there’s a no return policy, so sbsorb it at your own risk. Lots to talk about, including Dallas trying to burn its way out of the GA dome, the Aints painted into a corner as prohibitve favorite in Scarolina, the Packers now pressured to pick up their lethargic offense against Detroi at Lambeau, and the Bangles trying to make hay against the Raiders. Plus, Dodger rooters are replaced by Dodger looters as the World Series celebration pre-party runs amok, turning an LA Metrobus into a sizzling pile of floating Kingford. Commentary on the Ravens’ plush, purple rush helmets from hell, what the hell they were they thinking when they flubbed up the mascot for the “Utah Hockey Club”, clips galore, and so much more.

Gerrit Cole Fails to Cover First Base on a Play that Changed History

by Aaron | October 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

As much fun as it would have been to watch the Yankees fans who took the ball away from Mookie Betts become more and more famous, I have to say that I am happy about the New York Yankees being eliminated last night. With Steve Cohen at the helm, the Mets have a chance to battle for New York baseball supremacy, and that battle would be going downhill if it started with a Yankees World Series championship. Now we’ll see if Cohen will bid against the Yankees for one of their superstars. He was absent when it was Aaron Judge in free agency, but now is another great opportunity to get Juan Soto to Queens with the Mets coming off a successful season and searching for sustainability. No matter what the optimistic Mets fans tell you, there’s no guarantee that the future is bright or that the Mets return to the Postseason in 2025. Too much has to go right, especially with the makeshift pitching rotation. Bringing in Soto to pair with Lindor at the top of the order would solidify the Mets’ foundation, at least on offense.

Soto has only raised his free agency stock with a dominant October. He hit .327/.469/.633 after coming off an incredible regular season in which he set a career high in home runs and WAR. On Wednesday night, he walked three times to set the table for Aaron Judge, who finally came through with a home run in the first inning and made it look like the Yankees were on their way back to Los Angeles. Heading into the fifth inning, Gerrit Cole was rolling, Judge was back, and Yankees fans were thinking that a shocking comeback was close to reality.

Oh wow…

Another mistake from the Yankees defense as nobody covers 1st and the Dodgers are on the board! pic.twitter.com/BACmr6IKkM

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 31, 2024

Then the Yankees got sloppy with Judge inexplicably dropping a soft liner hit right to him and Anthony Volpe bouncing a throw to third base on a ball hit to his right. The back-to-back (and belly-to-belly) errors loaded the bases for Los Angeles, but Cole appeared to right the ship with strikeouts of Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani. Yankee Stadium was ready to erupt when Mookie Betts followed with a routine ground ball to first base, but Cole for no reason at all refused to cover the base, allowing Betts to reach on a “single” by beating Anthony Rizzo in a foot race.

Yankees fans and baseball fans in general will be talking about that play for a long time. What if Cole remembers his PFP and closes out that inning with no runs allowed? Certainly, the Yankees go on to win Game 5, but what happens after that? Would they continue the miracle comeback in Los Angeles? We’ll never know because the floodgates opened for the Dodgers. Freddie Freeman lined a base hit up the middle and Teoscar Hernandez doubled over Judge’s head in center field. Those hits drove in two runs apiece and Los Angeles came out of the frame with a 5-5 tie. Although the Yankees, again sparked by a Soto walk, regained the lead in the 6th on a Giancarlo Stanton sac fly, the Dodgers struck back in the eighth with a pair of sac flies following a Tommy Kahnle meltdown that loaded the bases with no outs.

Blake Treinen and Walker Buhler shut down New York in the final two frames, and the celebration was on for the Dodgers. The massive investments that the front office made in Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto paid dividends right away, and the franchise had its first full-season title since 1988. Meanwhile, the Yankees are left continuing their hunt for a 28th World Series title and I get a few months of not having to worry about getting left out of a New York City ticker-tape parade.

Maybe that next parade won’t come from a baseball team, though. The Knicks delivered a big road win in what I called a must-win game in Miami! Trailing by as many as 13 early in the third quarter, the Knicks stormed back and won the game 116-107 thanks to an elite performance from Karl-Anthony Towns. Hopefully it is the first of many, as Big Meow scored 44 points on 17-for-25 shooting. Now that is the kind of player that it is worth giving up Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for. Towns scored from inside and outside and pulled down 13 rebounds as well. He wasn’t consistent in the NBA Playoffs last season, but the upside that Towns shows when he is great is why I believed in the trade when the Knicks made it. This is a guy who can help the Knicks compete with the best of the best in the NBA. New York is off on Halloween and visits Detroit on Friday.

Aaron Week 9 NFL Picks

by Aaron | October 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

Welcome to spoooooooky season! Wait, it’s been spooky season for a while? I haven’t noticed because my betting record has been spookier than even the creepiest ghouls, goblins, and Jets fans. But last week I went 10-6! Finally, winning has returned to this column. The climb back to .500 continues into November!

Houston -0.5 at NY Jets

Fading the Jets has been a key point in my turnaround, so we are not stopping now, even though the line is BEGGING me to take Jets. I refuse despite the injuries to Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs for Houston. The Texans proved two weeks ago at Green Bay that they could cover the spread without much of passing game. In that one, they lost to the Packers in the final seconds with just 86 passing yards from C.J. Stroud.

Dallas +2.5 at Atlanta

A Cowboys loss would drop them to 3-5, and they have been way too consistent over the past few years to have that kind of record. If the Dallas offense performs the way it did during its wild comeback attempt at San Francisco, they could win by a couple of scores. If not, I like the points in a game that could come down to the wire.

Miami +6.5 at Buffalo

It has been unseasonably warm in the Northeast lately, so the Dolphins shouldn’t be too chilly in Buffalo. Tua Tagovailoa’s first game back from his concussion was a disaster, but not because of the offense. Miami should score enough to cover.

Las Vegas +7.5 at Cincinnati

We will keep the road dog train going (the Houston line has shifted) with the Raiders. They have covered big lines for me against Baltimore and Kansas City this season.

LA Chargers -2.5 at Cleveland

Jameis Winston and Cedric Tillman have formed a connection that gave the Cleveland offense a huge lift in their upset win over the Ravens last week. It is tempting to ride that momentum, but I think the Browns come back to Earth for a week, even if the quarterback change is good for the long run.

New England +3.5 at Tennessee

Speaking of quarterback changes, the New England offense has been decent since Drake Maye took over. He is now in concussion protocol, but I like the Patriots even if he’s out. They have shown more life than Tennessee lately.

Denver at Baltimore -8.5

Denver is has won five of six and Baltimore is coming off of a brutal loss. The Broncos’ schedule has been super soft, though. Ravens get back on track with a dominant win.

Washington at NY Giants +3.5

Apart from the Philadelphia disaster, the Giants have played up to their competition and have made their games competitive. They also should have beaten Washington in Week 2 if not for their kicker situation. Jayden Daniels is electric, but he didn’t find the end zone last week until the Hail Mary, and he didn’t find it at all in these teams’ first meeting.

New Orleans at Carolina +6.5

This is like Trump supporters vs. the island of Puerto Rico. Just take the points.

Jacksonville at Philadelphia -7.5

I have to admit that the Eagles are a wagon. It really sucks, but I will not let it cost me any more picks.

Chicago at Arizona -1.5

These feisty Cardinals are just finding ways to win! Kyler Murray has exciting young weapons to throw to, and the schedule is manageable. Arizona could end up as a division champ.

Detroit at Green Bay +4.5

Jordan Love is trending towards playing, and this could be an amazing shootout that comes down to the final drive. Four points is very generous even though the Lions are a juggernaut.

LA Rams +1.5 at Seattle

The Atlanta win looks like a blip on the radar for the Hawks, as they have not been able to slow down anybody else. The Rams should score plenty with Matthew Stafford coming off a four-touchdown performance.

Indianapolis +6.5 at Minnesota

Joe Flacco is back in command, and that means that the Indianapolis offense is great again. Colts should be able to at least cover in Minnesota.

Tampa Bay at Kansas City -8.5

I was finally right in fading the Chiefs last week, so now I can start riding them. That spread looks very big, but I take it as a challenge.

Yankees Try to Continue Comeback While Knicks Must Beat Heat

by Aaron | October 30, 2024 | 0 Comments

It has been a rough week for New York sports. At least Yankees fans got to see their team bounce back and show some life in an 11-4 spanking of the Dodgers. Now those Yankees fans get to pretend that they had their team’s back the whole way when in reality they were all saying that the World Series was over after Game 3. Don’t they know what happens to the Dodgers in a bullpen game? Dave Roberts should know, but he keeps using the dumb strategy anyway.

I was rooting for the Yankees to get embarrassed, so I am stuck with trying to get joy out of the Knicks and Rangers. That shouldn’t be too hard given that the Rangers are a wagon and the Knicks are expected to compete for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Knicks are off to a 1-2 start and the Rangers just lost to the Capitals in a game that saw seven goals scored in the first 25 minutes of play. I turned the game on midway through the second period with the Caps leading 4-3. I figured that the Blueshirts were due for a comeback since they score around five goals per game, but instead neither team put the puck in the net until Washington got an empty-net goal in the final minute.

What an effort from Pro here pic.twitter.com/gvQwcccJym

— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 30, 2024

Many fans don’t even want the Rangers to win during the regular season because of the “curse” on the Presidents’ Trophy, but I am greedy and want the Rangers to be the team to break the curse. Gotta beat the Caps to do that, and you can’t beat the Caps when you’re beating outshot 46-19. Rangers need to rebound against Ottawa at home on Friday.

As for the Knicks, they looked like they were in control for much of the night against Cleveland, but then Darius Garland decided to stop missing field goals. He scored 15 of the his 34 points in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland outscored New York by 10 in the period to win 110-104.

Darius Garland is HOT in the 4Q 👀

13 PTS in the quarter… 32 for the game!

Cavs lead the Knicks by 3 with under 2 to play on NBA League Pass ⤵️ https://t.co/CDp6cvpg0Y pic.twitter.com/qsCOEhOeTw

— NBA (@NBA) October 29, 2024

The Knicks seem to have all the tools to make a run at the NBA Finals following the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. Him and Jalen Brunson should form an inside-outside combo that is impossible to guard while Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby lock down the perimeter on defense. That is the theory, but it is not playing out on the court so far because KAT is so passive and loves settling for 25-foot jumpers. He scored just 13 points in 32 minutes in Monday night’s loss while Brunson shot 8-for-24. The Knicks need more from those guys when Garland is shooting lights out. New York hits the road tonight with a game in Miami, and it is as must-win as it gets in October.

Speaking of tonight, the Yankees will try to continue their World Series comeback with Gerrit Cole on the mound against Jack Flaherty and the Dodgers. Last night, a lot of fans got bent out of shape when a Yankees fan ripped a foul ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove.

"Well, A for effort."

Fan interference was called on this play where a Yankee fan tried to take the ball out of Mookie Betts' glove after an out. pic.twitter.com/iZ6taImncd

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024

Who says there’s no home field advantage in baseball?! Sure, it’s a bit of a security issue that fans are manhandling one of the top players in the game. MLB should kick those goons out of Yankee Stadium for the rest of the World Series and let them watch at Billy’s, where they can bathe in adoration and fame. If I was a Yankees fan, I would love that these guys are making the Dodgers a little uncomfortable after the Bombers rolled over for them three games in a row.

Instead of giving the Yankees fans credit for taking matters into their own hands, some Mets fans in my Twitter feed decided that their behavior was an example of society’s downfall.

https://twitter.com/PetitePhD/status/1851632261554446739

Yeah, it’s definitely the times we live in that are the big difference between Bartman and the Yankees fans. It’s certainly not that Bartman accidentally took an out away from his own team at a critical juncture in the game. I’m very confident that if Bartman had taken an out away from the Marlins and allowed the Cubs to rally and win the pennant, he would be remembered a LITTLE differently. Likewise, if the Yankees fans had taken the ball out of Juan Soto’s glove? I’m not sure they make it out of the Stadium alive.

I’m still rooting for the Dodgers because I cannot stand Yankees fans and I cannot stand being a second-class citizen Mets fan. At least if the Yankees pull this off, it will drive some of the haters and losers insane along with me.

NFL Week 9 Spreads

by Well Read | October 30, 2024 | 0 Comments

Chabdog Chooses Against the Chalk on TNF (Week 9):

by Brandon Chabner | October 29, 2024 | 0 Comments

https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401671809/texans-jets

What the hell? Jets favored by 2 over the Texans? Like the ridiculous line from a couple weeks back at the Steelers, this is preposterous…. a gift from god. After all, who’s still afraid of Aaron Rodgers. I dunno, because he still looks good throwing a pass. Nonetheless, this appears to give me a near perfect excuse to go with Houston, especially on Halloween, when the ghost an old grizzled QB from seasons past can be quite scary.

Thank you God, for letting me see this memorable manifestation of Steeler MNF magic….

by Brandon Chabner | October 29, 2024 | 0 Comments

Thank you God, for letting me see this memorable manifestation of Steeler MNF magic. We had a frenzied crowd, a 100+ plus grind out game from nails Najee, George Pickens picking those catches out of the air without a care (but get that other foot down next time, it will win you more points for style than you know), a calm, cool and reflective Russ, who spread the ball around and kept our minds at ease with the flicks he had up his sleeve, Calvin Austin III with two dazzling TDs, and of course the mostly smothering defense, led by our edge rusher wrecking balls. Give the Giants credit for hanging in there, but that ridiculous perversion of a two-point conversion try was just a hopeless harbinger of bad things to come.

ChabDog’s Post-mortem for Bloody Sunday, October 27, 2024

by Brandon Chabner | October 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

It could have been the one of the greatest Sundays in recent memory — instead here’s how the carnage unfolded:
–Philly pounded the Bungles repeatedly and without mercy in the second half, after things had started rather favorably for Cincy. Hurts was on target and the tush push, not to mention the rest of the Eagle rushing attack, showed up. And I don’t know what happened to the revitalized Bungle d-line. No, there was no vitality. My bad.
— The irresponsible Ravens fiddled and diddled there way to a loss, one that they truly deserved. Famous Jameis is again famous, and they’re doing the crab leg walk in the dog pound. Again, my bad.
— The Lions did show up in a big way. Dorothy Dawn, your bad. Yes, they were more than interested. Pat myself on the freaking back for that ballsy call… lol
— My Cardinals (no… Gidget’s Cardinals) made me proud by defying the big crowd that came to the return of Tua. You go Fun-sized Kyler. My good.
— The Jets walked me down the primrose path, taking a pretty commanding lead on the Patsies, only to wilt a drooping venus fly trap in the face of a furious fourth quarter dead cat bounce by New England. My bad for thinking this game would go like the encounter earlier this year at Metlife.
— Atlanta, almost unexpectedly, held on for dear life, and covered in the always up close and personal meeting with the fagged out Bucs. The Bucs did give it 110%, but now find themself in the bowels of the AFC South, save the very bottom flour inhabited by Scarolina. My good.
— The Packers had the spread handled, or at least technically in hand, until they fells asleep in the 4th, woke up with the usual 3 point win. Ditto for the Texans-Cots. My double bad.
— The Bills oil spilled the Wee-hawks. Is that a defense I’m seeing that could actually stand up to KC. My good for relying on old reliable.
— Chargers manipulate the Aints into a very predictable 18 point loss, which must have been as exciting as standing in a bank line. My good for knowing Rattler would be rattled and Harbaugh would recover his pants, lost in Arizona last week.
— Carolina continues to look not very nice with Bryce, while it increasingly appears Bo knows football again.
— Chiefs did what they often do, dominate a game but do just enough to screw me when I give them my whole hearted support. Or maybe its the Raiders screwing with me?
— Commanders really rip my heart out with that amazing hail Jaden; nearly crashed my bike on my ride home when that result flashed on my phone. Thanks Bears, and my double bad… as I changed my initial pick thinking Daniels wouldn’t be playing.
— Boyz took their eyes off of the ball, lose a lead and then nearly win (and cover); but it was all for nothing, as the final margin for the Niners was 6, not 5.5. Let’s face it,…. post-op Dak just doesn’t want to run for it, and that really limits his team’s down-the-field potentials. My bad.

Week 8: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | October 26, 2024 | 0 Comments

Welcome back everyone to NFL WEEK 8! I would love to celebrate 11 picks right last week (Week 7) if it wasn’t me losing two by half a point. Like Vegas, we’ll have to settle with cashing in only 9/15 (60%) of my bets. Before you consider my Week 8 Scrumdidilyumptious ATS Picks here is my season resume for your review.

Resume:

WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) WEEK 3: 8/16 (50%) WEEK 4: 9/16 (56%) WEEK 5: 7/14 (50%) WEEK 6: 10/14 (71%) WEEK 7: 9/15 (60%) SEASON RECORD (ATS): 61/106 + 1 Push (58%)

OK, now that we’re all caught up and you’re still willing to read my scumbag picks, lets fucking go NFL Week 8 (thank you for knowing that you still have a better shot with my picks below than LITERALLY flipping a quarter)!

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

OK…I messed up royally and expected much more from the Vikings. Of course, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua come back from the IR for the Rams like rock stars and blow the Vikings out of the water. It is what it is. Unlike the past two Thursdays, I didn’t take the chalk…but consciously picked the Vikings to do better even though they are the chalk…no bueno….one pick already in the gutter.

VIKINGS -3.5 @NewportBest_ https://t.co/rNRlpYkKm0 pic.twitter.com/hHCqyqv13o

— Abe Miranda (@gawdbrudder) October 25, 2024

| | @gawdbrudder

Well Read’s Week 8 Pix

by Well Read | October 26, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog Covers the spreads for Week 8:

by Brandon Chabner | October 25, 2024 | 0 Comments

Baltimore by at least 10… why not. Going Baltimore in Brown town.
Detroit by over 10 against the Titans. Why not. Going Detroit.
Arizona gets it close against Miami. Arizona.
Jets by at least 7 against New England. Why not. Jets.
Atlanta getting 2.5 against the beaten up Bucs. I’ll make some bucks on that one. Atlanta
Going with the Bears Sunday unless Jaden Daniels’ prognosis changes. Bears to win.
Jville is on a roll and will beat the 4.5 spread. Green Bay didn’t cover last week and they won’t this week with the Jags.
Houston will demolish Indy. Going Houston.
Chargers will get well against the Saints, even though they have no running game. Saints have no “game”. Taking Chargers giving with the ridiculous 7.5
Bufffalo giving 2.5 against the Sea-men… Yes going Buffalo
Cincy gets by Phlly by 3. Taking Cincy.
Denver by more than a TD against Scarolina. As with Elway’s two Super seasons, the winning here will be back to back.
Vegas has mailed it in. Going with the Chiefs giving 10.5
Dallas will come back strong against SF, which is depleted. Taking Cowboys getting 5.5.
5.5 is usually a ton of points for the Steelers, but look who they’re playing. Going Steelers.

Aaron’s Week 8 NFL Picks

by Aaron | October 25, 2024 | 0 Comments

I was doing very well last week up until Monday Night Football. The Pittsburgh lock worked out well thanks to the Jets’ continued incompetence and Washington predictably destroyed Carolina despite the injury to Jayden Daniels that will torpedo my fantasy football season. My card was looking really good when Tampa Bay jumped out to an early lead on Baltimore, but then Lamar Jackson ruined all the fun and Baker Mayfield threw a pair of mind-numbing interceptions to help him out. In the ESPN+ game that no one watched, the Chargers failed to reach the end zone and lost to the Cardinals while Cameron Dicker scored more fantasy points than Kyler Murray to hand me a fantasy loss in a match that I had in the bag. Talk about the worst of both worlds.

So that is how I ended up 7-8 and below .500 for a third straight week. The overall record is 49-57-1. Let’s turn it around!

Minnesota at LA Rams +3.5

The Vikings finally suffered a loss last Sunday against Detroit in a game that I correctly predicted. The Rams just beat Las Vegas to keep their season from totally imploding, and an upset over the Vikings could be a big part of Los Angeles’ turnaround. The return of Cooper Kupp and the Rams’ 2-1 record at home this season will give them the edge. Ram it!

Baltimore -9.5 at Cleveland

The Ravens are a juggernaut and I cannot bet against them again until they slow down. Maybe it will be this week against Cleveland’s tough defense and some Jameis Winston magic. I will take my chances with that.

Tennessee at Detroit -10.5

Jared Goff just doesn’t throw incomplete passes anymore and the Titans have even less of a passing offense than before because they traded DeAndre Hopkins.

Arizona +3.5 at Miami

Tua Tagovailoa is coming back to rescue the Dolphins even though the Twitter doctors haven’t cleared him yet. I don’t know how that is legal. I will give Tua a week to shake the rust off and go with the frisky Cardinals.

NY Jets at New England +6.5

Another Jets line that makes no sense. The New England offense has been revived by Drake Maye and the Jets’ defense collapsed in Russell Wilson’s Pittsburgh debut. The Jets are desperate, but maybe not in a good way.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay -2.5

The Falcons’ momentum was suddenly stopped with a surprise ass kicking at the hands of the Seahawks. Tampa Bay also got beat down horribly, but at least that was against a dominant team. The Buccaneers will be looking for revenge after their thrilling overtime loss in Atlanta three weeks ago. That revenge should be served if the defense just shows up a little bit.

Chicago at Washington +0.5

Here is the dirty little secret that no one is talking about: Washington’s offense didn’t slow down much when Marcus Mariota was under center last Sunday. The Commies can win this with our without Jayden Daniels.

Green Bay -4.5 at Jacksonville

The Packers have won five of six with four of the five wins coming by more than four points. Plus, I just traded Jordan Love away in fantasy and he is guaranteed to go off. The Jaguars got a much-needed win last week, but that doesn’t mean they are back to fulfilling expectations.

Indianapolis +5.5 at Houston

Anthony Richardson has been very disappointing this season, but against Houston in Week 1 he had his best game of the season. Plus, Jonathan Taylor looks like he is ready to return to action. That should allow the Colts to pound the ball and keep it away from C.J. Stroud.

New Orleans +7.5 at LA Chargers

Why do I keep dooming my picks with the Saints? They have gone from unstoppable juggernaut to one of the worst teams in the league. I am picking them again because the number is way too high against the feeble Chargers offense.

Buffalo -2.5 at Seattle

The Seahawks got a nice road win last week, but their defense has been dreadful lately, even at home. Buffalo should be able to run up the score.

Philadelphia at Cincinnati -2.5

Are the Bengals back? Their three wins have come against the Panthers, Giants, and Browns. However, Philadelphia hasn’t beaten anyone decent since Week 1. I am making an anti-Philly pick that is amplified by my fantasy match against Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.

Carolina at Denver -7.5

The Panthers stink and Bryce Young is back under center. Plus, Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen are missing the game due to injury. The line has risen to 10.5, so let’s take advantage.

Kansas City at Las Vegas +10.5

You’re welcome, Kansas City! I keep picking against the Chiefs, and they keep winning despite their wide receiver injuries. Can DeAndre Hopkins give them some relief? He might be washed up, but he’s also getting a huge quarterback upgrade. Remember that Antonio Pierce led Las Vegas to a shocking upset at Arrowhead last year.

Dallas at San Francisco -5.5

Wow, I really thought the Cowboys had their act together after that gritty win in Pittsburgh, but then they got embarrassed by Detroit in Jerry World. Imagine if Russ had been ready to cook just a little earlier? These Cowboys could be 2-4! The 49ers have also been disappointing, but I think they will take their frustration out on Dallas.

NY Giants +5.5 at Pittsburgh

The Steelers’ offense was rejuvenated with Russell Wilson under center and they impressively routed the Jets last week while the Giants were totally feeble against Philadelphia. The Giants should get crushed here, but that’s what I thought before the Seattle game, so I am sticking with Big Blue this time.

Taking a look at 5 HoF-worthy inductees for this year’s class:

by Brandon Chabner | October 23, 2024 | 0 Comments

In my opinion, these 5 are all worthy of enshrinment. A. Clay Matthews was brute force as linebacker, cracking heads and taking no prisoners for 19 years, as integral member of a few Browns teams during the Schottenheimer Era. He was responsible for a mind numbing 1600 or so tackles and about 83 sacks, and in the process instilled fear and trepidation in countless jittery running backs and slick stepping receivers who dared to come across the middle. B. Joe Jacoby, the monster-sized boss hog, who was so large (six foot 7, 305) he seemed to cover about 1/2 of the o-line all by himself. Jacoby played his entire career for the Redskins, won 3 Super Bowls and made 2 All Pros. C. Sterling Sharpe was extremely sharp during a very productive 7 year career, in which he caught nearly 600 passes, and helped Brett Favre make history. 3 All pro teams, 65 TDs and lots of dazzling runs after catches. D. Chuck Foreman, who shaked and baked his way to glory … but no Super Bowl titles… in the 1970s. Chuck was synonomous with the great Viking teams of the 1970s and ran with an almost acrobatic, physical style that those who witnessed will sure remember. Nearly 6,000 years in 7 seasons, along with over 350 pass receptions… he was elusive and powerful, and a serious competitor. E. Jim “Wrong Way” Marshall is more famous for his big blunder — running the wrong way and into his own end zone after recovering a fumble — than anything else. But this was a guy who was tough, reliable and showed up for work for an incredible 270 consecutive games, a record that would stand until Brett Favre went for 297. He recovered 30 fumbles over a 20 year career, and ruined plays for countess QBs, as part of the devastating Purple People Eater pass rush, alongside Hall of Famer Alan Page and Karl Eller. It’s time to put Jim in!

NFL Week 8 Spreads

by Well Read | October 23, 2024 | 1 Comment

It’s time for ChabDog’s Happy Idiot Week 8 Sports Rock Pool Predictions:

by Brandon Chabner | October 22, 2024 | 0 Comments

It’s time for ChabDog’s Happy Idiot Week 8 Sports Rock Pool Predictions:
Thank you Brian Keller for the kind words of intro (I am not Worthy, but I’m always willing to try and come up with my best for the big game): That being said, week 8 is a time to say a prayer for the pretenders, and for those who are running empty, to fill up or get the hell off the road, so here goes (WINNING TEAM IN ALL CAPS, AND NO I AM NOT PICKING TENNESSEE TO BEAT ANYONE LOL):
1) TNF — Get serious… the VIKES will atone for last week’s weakness and sacrifice the Rams at the alter.
2) I probably shot myself in the football foot for picking a game with the ffing Falcons, but jeez Louise, they are healthy and Bucs are beaten and broken. FALCONS crest by TB on the strength of Koo’s shoe.
3) The bend in the round is the BENGALS turning the corner and moving to .500; I am not buying into the myth that the Eagles are flying straight. Go with Cincy.
4) My new commandment is that the COMMANDERS command my respect. Sorry Bears.
5) BILLS continue to look super duper with Amari Cooper; sorry Sea-men.
6) A true cupcake game for the CHIEFS…
7) Two teams going in the same, wrong direction… but the 49ERS almost never lose 2 in a row at home and the Dallas fraydsters were flat out ruined last week by the Motown marauders.
9. Please… STEELERS kick the G-men to the curb on Monday Night without giving Daniel Jones curb feelers. Look for both Fields and Mr. Wilson to have big games. YEAH!!!!!

Yankees vs. Dodgers Once Again… and what gives?

by Brandon Chabner | October 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1963, 1977, 1978, 1981… and 2024
Yanks dominated early on, but Dodgers have held their own lately, with the teams splitting the last six…
What gives? Dodgers have the intangibles and better relief pitching… .
Dodgers in 7, and this thing goes into November?

LOS ANGELES, CA – CIRCA 1970: Manager Walter Alston #24 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during batting practice prior to the start of an Major League Baseball game circa 1970 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Alston managed the Dodgers from 1954-76. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Dodger left fielder Sandy Amoros reaches out to glove bid for extra base hit by Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra, in 6th inning of last game of 1955 World Series at Yankee Stadium, NY, Oct. 4, 1955. After racing into the left field corner for the catch the 2 Yankees on base. Sandy threw to 1st baseman, Hodges, to double off Gil McDougald. Dodgers won 2-0, to take the series 4 games to 3.

ChabDog’s Week 7 Picks Against the Spread —

by Brandon Chabner | October 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

Jville, Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincy, Green Bay, Indy, Detroit, Giants, Rams, Commanders, San Fran, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Chargers —

J-ville is the jv, but New England…. New England can’t get out of Pop Warner. I’ll give the 4.5 to New England without a worry.

Atlanta giving 2.5 at home against cratering Seattle sounds like a good deal.

Buffalo giving 8.5 to anyone these days is dicey… but they will probably bound back impressively at home.

Cincy tends to play down to Cleveland’s level; however, I think they figured out something in last week’s game, and their d-line looks better to me. Taking Cincy to cover 4.5.

Green Bay will cover against the Texans, who will struggle against a real team this week.

Tired of getting burned by the Dolts, who have enough firepower with Flacco to light up the Dullphins.

Minnesota is really good enough to beat the Lions? I’m not so sure, so we’re going with the Lions.

Eggles won last week, but I’m not convinced. Going G-men, who are getting over a field goal at home.

Rams had a week off to get healthier, and the Raiders are a train wreck. Going with the Rams.

Commies get back on track against screwed up Scarolina…. in a way bigger than 7.5.

Frisco has been waiting for redemption at home; time for the Chiefs to go down.

Steelers will get to Rodgers, so Adams’ addition won’t really add up to much. Going Steelers by more than a 1.

Might be the best game of the day, but nobody seems to make a living these days betting against Baltimore. Take the Ravens by at least 5.

Chargers over the Cards in a real snooze-fest…and they’ll have blankets and be able to cover the iddy biddy 2.5.

Week 7: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | October 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

WALKING INTO WEEK 7 HAVING GOTTEN TEN PICKS RIGHT AGAINST THE SPREAD LAST WEEK! Ok, CAPS may have been too much but anytime you can get double-digit wins against the spread I think there’s nothing wrong with celebrating that! So lets look at my current picks record….please see Exibit a:

Exibit a.

WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) WEEK 3: 8/16 (50%) WEEK 4: 9/16 (56%) WEEK 5: 7/14 (50%) WEEK 6: 10/14 (71%) SEASON RECORD (ATS): 52/91 + 1 Push (57%)

OK, now that we’re all caught up and you’re still willing to read my scumbag picks, lets fucking go NFL Week 7 (thank you for knowing that you still have a better shot with my picks below than LITERALLY flipping a quarter)!

THURSDAY NIGHTS GAME – TOOK THE CHALK

Need to explain that I was super slammed at work and simply didn’t make my pick before kickoff. However, here at Chabdog Sports, if you don’t make a pick, you take the “chalk” (favored to win). Somehow, our official “chalk” was the New Orlean Saints….WHY???…I STILL DONT KNOW! Feel free to entertain yourself with my Twitter/X exchange with our producer, Well Read.

Really wish I had tweeted this out earlier @NewportBest_ considering the chalk were the Saints (how???) since my pick would’ve been Denver 🥴 https://t.co/2v8rIVhBnP pic.twitter.com/3C04aR20V9

— Abe Miranda (@gawdbrudder) October 18, 2024

| | @gawdbrudder

Join us for the Week 7 Alfred E. Neuman Sunday Brunch Selection Show…

by Brandon Chabner | October 18, 2024 | 0 Comments

Beautiful losers never take it all…and they just don’t need it all… but not so at ChabDog Sports Talk, where we’re engaged and ready for the fray. Join us for the Alfred E. Neuman Sunday Brunch Selection Show… Yes, our star studded cast of characters will indeed appear, and have no fear, ChabDog’s resolved to solve the riddle of Dorothy’s dazzling dominance, the mad rush of one Abe Miranda, and the desperate machinations of Well-read and A-ron to appear in the rear view mirror.
We’ll consider whether the Mets are indeed beautiful losers, if the fat and happy Chiefs are walkling into a buzzsaw at The Levi, can Jared keep the eye of the Detroit tiger against the Purple Pillagers, and does Davante joining the Jets’ family make the Steelers so unsure at Acrisure.
Just remember your Corinthians…. when we are weak,… we are strong. And if the show goes a bit long, we’re just mad about having a few minutes more with Mayor Bloomberg, Chuckie Schumie, Krafty Kraft and a few other grandstanders who dared to stop by.

Aaron’s Week 7 NFL Picks

by Aaron | October 18, 2024 | 0 Comments

It is Week 7 already and I am stuck in a midseason rut. I have been under .500 for two straight weeks, and now all I want to do is pick chalk. It is probably because favorites did so well in Week 6. Let’s see if the trend continues!

Denver at New Orleans -1.5

This one is already dead. It’s probably because Denver was favored at kickoff. I just have to come to terms with the Broncos being a decent team. The Saints have now lost five straight since their scintillating start and Spencer Rattler is probably a career backup.

New England +4.5 vs. Jacksonville

Back to London for the Jaguars, who were crushed by the Bears over there last Sunday. Should Jacksonville be favored by more than a field goal against anybody? Maybe the Patriots, because they haven’t covered since their narrow defeat vs. Seattle in Week 2. Still, I am going with New England and its new rookie quarterback.

Seattle at Atlanta -2.5

The Seahawks have been dreadful defensively while losing three in a row. The Falcons are on a roll with three straight wins over NFC South rivals. I am picking Atlanta and hoping that gambling really is this easy.

Tennessee at Buffalo -8.5

Will Levis threw for 95 yards in Tennessee’s loss to Indianapolis last week. That is not going to be enough to keep up with Buffalo and new addition Amari Cooper!

Cincinnati -4.5 at Cleveland

The Browns covered last week while losing to Philadelphia. Mazel Tov! I think the Bengals will crush Cleveland even though Joe Burrow never plays well there.

Houston at Green Bay -2.5

Both of these teams and their young quarterbacks are living up to the hype! I am giving the edge to the Packers because Jordan Love spreads the ball around so well that the defense never knows where to focus its efforts. Plus, C.J. Stroud is still without his top target Nico Collins.

Miami at Indianapolis -3.5

The Colts have been dramatic lately with their last three games being decided by three points. That doesn’t bode well for the chalk, but the Dolphins have been dreadful since the Tua Tagovailoa injury. On the other hand, I am worried that Anthony Richardson returning to action could slow down Indianapolis.

Detroit +1.5 at Minnesota

The Vikings will be fresh from the bye week, but the Lions have looked like a juggernaut lately. Detroit’s unstoppable offense will hand Minnesota its first defeat.

Philadelphia at NY Giants +3.5

After a surprising performance in Seattle, the Giants’ offense went back on the struggle bus against Cincinnati. Fortunately, Malik Nabers has cleared concussion protocol and will begin tormenting the Eagles this week. This Giants defense is underrated and will slow down Philly enough to make for a very close game.

Las Vegas +5.5 at LA Rams

The Rams are one shocking comeback vs. San Francisco away from being winless. They should not be laying this many points against anyone. I will test my luck with Las Vegas even though Cooper Kupp may return for Los Angeles.

Carolina at Washington -7.5

The Panthers have allowed over 30 points in three straight games. I am going with the Commies to cover and hoping Jayden Daniels can save my fantasy football season.

Kansas City at San Francisco -1.5

Super Bowl rematch! The 49ers have had a weird season with horrible fourth-quarter collapses against the Rams and Cardinals. The Chiefs always find a way to win, but I am banking on San Francisco getting its act together at home.

NY Jets at Pittsburgh -1.5

This is my favorite pick of the slate. The Steelers laying less than a field goal against the desperate Jets? Sign me up! The Davante Adams trade and the Robert Saleh firing have distracted from the real problem with New York: Aaron Rodgers is washed!

Baltimore at Tampa Bay +4.5

Baltimore has put its 0-2 start in the rearview mirror with some big wins over quality opponents, but this is too many points to lay on the road. The Buccaneers are no slouch and have shown they can compete with anyone (expect that no-show game against Denver).

LA Chargers -2.5 at Arizona

Arizona’s comeback win over San Francisco is looking like a total fluke, while the Chargers have shown they can manhandle lousy teams. Bolts should win by a touchdown.

NFL Week 7 Spreads

by Well Read | October 16, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Week 7 Sports Rock Pool winners…. It’s risky business but somebody’s gotta do it…. inspired by last year’s champion and this year’s beautiful loser, Phil Kissfan…. picks with a Bob Seger twis

by Brandon Chabner | October 15, 2024 | 0 Comments

SAINTS give the erratic Bronco offense the Silver Bullett treatment
JAGUARS win at Wembley because the ex-Patriots are still the same…. they totally suck
Like a rock through scissors, the LIONS bust up the Purple Pillagers in their own village
Queen City has her strutt back, as BEN-GALS fortified d-line and swarming pass defense completly clamps down on the Browns.
McVay’s RAMS have their way in this Hollywood fight with the depleted and defeated Raiders
Despite Davante, it’s the STEELERS who have the night moves Sunday pm
Buccs are living inside the hearts of their city, but the RAVENS are just too good… CHARGERS’ travelling men kick the stuffing out of the Cardinals

Well Read’s Picks Week 6

by Well Read | October 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

Dorothy’s Week 6 Piks

by Dorothy Dawn | October 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Yom Kicker Weekend Picks (Sanctioned by a “Higher Authority”):

by Brandon Chabner | October 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

J’ville feels right at home against Da Bears, who don’t really like swimming across the pond. Chicago -1.5 is not a winner.
True to form, AZ follows a good week with a bad one, and GB is happy to be coming home (they cover 4.5)
TN is like a Hebrew National juicy dog… they are on a roll. Take the Ti-tans (-.5)
Houston brings its flimsy running game into Gillette (is that what they call it?) to face the New England Nebbishes. Can’t bring myself to throw in my lot with the ultimate have nots. Houston covers.
Tampa finds there is life after getting violated in the GA Dome. They will gladly and successfully take the 2.5 in the Big Queasy.
God almighty I hate taking Philly to cover a big bad 8.5 spread; but I hate counting on Beaver Cleveland even more. Going with the Eagles on this one, … somehow. Plus, a little birdie told me DJ Brown (not Hollywood) was back in town.
Baltimore couldn’t be more unreliable here, giving a jive 6.5. I’m still jaded from watching “Jayden” do his thang…. taking the Commies.
Chargers are suddenly a 2.5 fav. and the darlings of the odds makers. I guess this means Justin’s rib is tender no more. No matter, cuz I’m fixing to put my money on the team led by Nix… Broncs buck the stupid spread… and win at home.
Pittsburgh should be able to beat a messed up Raiders team by a measly field goal…. so pencil me in for the low octane Steelers in an ugly ugly game.
Detroit at Dallas should be the game of the day. Is 3.5 just a little too rich for Dapper Dan’s dynamos? Nah! Going with the Lions to cover that by a whisker.
Hot-lanta keeps it going in Carolina, and now all the Georgians will be kissing the feet of Cousins. Take the effing Falcons and the effing Five point Five.
Just when the Jr. G-men thought they were back on track, Cincy stings them with the gridiron version of Blonde Ambition. This will be another Joey Burrow special, and I am taking the Bungles giving 3.5.
Can’t see Home Improvement Allen not improving on last week’s doggie style performance at the junkyard Jets. Bills by at least 3.

Week 6: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | October 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

Before I get into all the excitement of Week 6, let’s talk about Week 5. So yeah, like my gawdbrudder Frank Fleming from Barstool Sports, I was locked out of chabdog.com as technology told me to go fuck myself last week. However, if you’re following me on social media, you probably came across my Week 5 picks in the form of a tweet. So here they are for transparency as we take great pride in our weekly/season records here at Chabdog Sports.

Can’t post my Week 5 #NFL ATS Picks online cause I’m currently locked out of https://t.co/kpuA1yoCcA because technology hates me & I’m fk’n cursed. Fortunately, I went to school in the 80s & 90s and know how to fill out a scantron using a #2 pencil pic.twitter.com/WxZFJ7KXr4

— Abe Miranda (@gawdbrudder) October 6, 2024

Therefore, with my Week 5 picks in, here are my current weekly/season stats before you decide if I’m worth reading any further down the page:

WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) WEEK 3: 8/16 (50%) WEEK 4: 9/16 (56%) WEEK 5: 7/14 (50%) SEASON RECORD (ATS): 42/77 + 1 Push (54%)

OK, now that we’re all caught up and you’re still willing to read some rando’s internet scumbag picks, lets fucking go NFL Week 6 (thank you for knowing that you still have a better shot with my picks below than LITERALLY flipping a quarter)!

For Thursday’s Night Game, I was slammed at work and took the chalk which was 100% the right call.

❤️ @chabdogsports cause they have a policy that if you can’t make a pick before kickoff u automatically get da “chalk” (49s -3.5). Very accommodating policy for days like today when I was simply way too swamped at work to pick the Seahawks +3.5 💀 CHALK PLEASE ☝️ https://t.co/TWdb2rDjLv

— Abe Miranda (@gawdbrudder) October 11, 2024

| | @gawdbrudder

NFL Results to Week 5

by Well Read | October 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

CHABDOG’S TAKING A HIGH DIVE INTO THE PERILOUS WATERS OF GAME FIVE:

by Brandon Chabner | October 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

CHABDOG’S TAKING A HIGH DIVE INTO THE PERILOUS WATERS OF GAME FIVE:
— DODGERS ARE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE AGAINST THE UPS BOYS FROM SAN DIEGO (SORRY, BUT THEY HAVE TOO MUCH DAMN TALENT)
— CLEVELAND PUTS AN END TO THE CINDERFELLA STORY IN DETROIT; THEIR NASTY PITCHING IS THE DIFFERENCE.

Aaron’s Week 6 NFL Picks

by Aaron | October 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

Last week stunk for me. I had just crawled back to .500 and instead of keeping the momentum going, I fell into another hole with a 5-9 week. That’s what I get for picking against my Giants, and that’s one mistake I won’t make again this week. There are other mistakes that I am very willing to repeat, though.

San Francisco -3.5 at Seattle

Fading San Francisco worked out well in Week 5, as it blew another fourth quarter lead to a division rival. This is becoming a disturbing trend for Kyle Shanahan’s team. However, I can’t go with Seattle again after they returned a fumble 102 yards against my Giants and STILL lost by nine.

Jacksonville at Chicago -1.5

The Jaguars have resurrected themselves somewhat with two straight covers (1-1 straight up) after being humiliated by Buffalo on Monday Night Football. I am still fading them, though. That’s because the Bears are HOT HOT HOT with two straight wins that covered the spread. Plus, Caleb Williams is coming off the best game of his young career.

Arizona +4.5 at Green Bay

It is tough to figure this Cardinals team out, but I have picked their games correctly for two weeks in a row. Green Bay should win this game because its only two losses are close ones against Minnesota and Philly, but I like Arizona’s offense too much. I will hope for a field goal game.

Indianapolis +0.5 at Tennessee

Joe Flacco has been awesome for the Colts, while Tennessee’s only win is against the feeble Dolphins.

Houston at New England +7.5

The Drake Maye bump! Houston only beat Buffalo by three last week despite Josh Allen completing nine of 30 passes. That seems manageable for the young Tar Heel making his debut!

Tampa Bay at New Orleans -2.5

Is this a misprint on Well Read’s sheet? It looks like the Buccaneers are currently favored by a field goal in this game. When the spread makes no sense, go with the sharp side! Give me the Saints as favorites or underdogs. They have dropped three straight, but the schedule has been tough.

Cleveland at Philadelphia -8.5

The Browns are awful and the Eagles are coming off a bye. Give me more Fanta rants!

Washington +6.5 at Baltimore

Commies are an auto pick at this point. If Jayden Daniels outshines Lamar Jackson, the young LSU alum could vault himself into the MVP discussion.

LA Chargers at Denver +2.5

Denver has won and covered three in a row. Please keep making them underdogs.

Pittsburgh -2.5 at Las Vegas

The bloom is off the Steelers after two straight losses, but Las Vegas has not impressed since its Week 2 upset of Baltimore. Pittsburgh will get right here.

Detroit -3.5 at Dallas

The Cowboys passed the fraud test at Pittsburgh, but I am still picking against them. The problem is that Detroit is good and Dallas hasn’t won at home yet this season.

Atlanta at Carolina +5.5

This is dumb. Carolina has failed to cover twice in a row since its upset win at Las Vegas. However, the Falcons have only covered at all due to miracle comebacks against Philly and Tampa Bay. It is very hard to believe in Atlanta as a favorite, so I am going back to the Red Rifle.

Cincinnati at NY Giants +3.5

Auto pick after last week’s shocking and triumphant victory. The Bengals are great on offense, but their defense is so soft.

Buffalo -2.5 at NY Jets

Jets are desperate and just fired their coach. Bills need a win after laying an egg for two weeks in a row. I will go with Buffalo because the Jets fired the wrong guy! Nathaniel Hackett is still there and he is letting Rodgers sling it like it’s 2014.

Week 6 NFL Spreads

by Well Read | October 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

Aaron’s Week 5 NFL Picks

by Aaron | October 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

Thanks to last week’s brilliant 10-6 performance, I am 31-32-1, and that is a .500 record if you include the Atlanta win already in the books for this week. It took a while, but we finally climbed out of that Week 1 hole. Next stop, profitability?!

Tampa Bay at Atlanta -2.5

I booked it with Well Read before the game on Thursday, so it is going down as a win! Thanks go out to Captain Kirko and my fantasy darling Drake London!

NY Jets vs. Minnesota -2.5

Finally, the Vikings are favored, but this game isn’t in Minnesota; it is in London. The Jets looked legit when they stomped New England, but then they went right back into pretender mode with an ugly home loss to Denver. I will keep riding these Vikings!

Carolina +4.5 at Chicago

The Panthers came back down to Earth last week with a loss vs. Cincinnati, but the Carolina offense continued to look legit with Andy Dalton under center. That will help the Panthers defeat Chicago outright on Sunday!

Baltimore at Cincinnati +2.5

Speaking of offense, the Bengals have scored 72 points over their last two games. They might only need one or two stops on defense to beat Baltimore.

Miami at New England +1.5

I can’t bet on Miami again after the Tennessee debacle last week.

Cleveland at Washington -3.5

The Commies are red hot. They should be favored by at least a touchdown in this game. Lock it up.

Indianapolis +2.5 at Jacksonville

Jonathan Taylor is likely out for the Colts, but they are still much better than Jacksonville. I lost betting against the Jaguars when they were underdogs last week, but I feel much better about fading them as a favorite!

Buffalo +1.5 at Houston

The Bills completely flopped last week at Baltimore. Many people will say they are overrated because they beat up on Arizona, Miami, and Jacksonville, but I think the Bills get back on track and win the Stefon Diggs revenge game.

Las Vegas at Denver -2.5

It is time to start believing in Denver, and Davante Adams is out for Las Vegas.

Arizona +7.5 at San Francisco

The 49ers got back on track last week while Arizona was blown out. This gambling business would be too easy if San Francisco won big again.

Green Bay at LA Rams +3.5

The Rams look decent one week and horrible the next. One thing they have done well the last two weeks is get the running game on track with Kyren Williams. He will help this banged-up team get a win that it desperately needs.

NY Giants at Seattle -6.5

Malik Nabers is out, so I don’t know how the Giants are going to generate offense. Devin Singletary is out too, so maybe rookie tailback Tyrone Tracy Jr. breaks out, but this one should be ugly.

Dallas at Pittsburgh -2.5

Dallas’ two wins are against Cleveland and the Giants. I am considering it a fraud team until proven otherwise.

New Orleans +5.5 at Kansas City

With Rashee Rice injured, the Chiefs do not have enough weapons to cover this spread. They will still find a way to grind out a win because they are the Chiefs, but I’ll take the points.

ChabDog’s Jive Picks for Week 5:

by Brandon Chabner | October 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

— The skinny on Minny is it’ll winny… by more than 2.5

–Chicago sits on the Panthers, and makes them cry …. by more than 4.5

— Baltimore runs over the B-gals by at least a field goal

— New England turns over a new leaf and wins by 2 or more

— Washington leaves Cleveland in the dust by four or more

— Jax finally finds a playmate it can dominate … by at least 3

— Buffalo stampedes in Texas by at least a couple.

— Denver’s defense has it made in the shade against the Raiders. They win by at least 3.

— SF celebrates a little with the return of Kittle and wins by at least 8.

— Green Bay gets back to its old ways against the broken down Rams…. 4 point win or more.

— Seattle shatters the Giants’ shinebox by at least a TD.

— Bostwell’s foot pushes the Steelers past the Cowboys.

— KC can’t help from painting the Saints into a corner by more than a score.

Well Read’s wk 5 picks

by Well Read | October 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week 5 picks

Week 5 NFL Spreads

by Well Read | October 3, 2024 | 1 Comment

Where Are Our Spreads 4 Tonight?

by Dorothy Dawn | October 3, 2024 | 0 Comments

Text me when they’re up everyone!

A Convoy of Bucs Will Be Trucking to the Endzone Come Thursday…

by Brandon Chabner | October 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

RIP Kris Kristofferson, who recently passed.

As for passing, Baker will be cooking up some more good stuff for his NFC Southern Buds this Thursday Night in Atlanta.

Here I go again picking against the Falcons. Why? Well, why not,given the Bucs’ tough run defense, and gotta go with

their QB with the hot hand…. yes, he will keep the endzone convoy going this week against a Falcon defense that just isn’t

that tough. Bucs beaet that skinny little spread, and actually win the game. All the way with Tampa on Thursday.

NFL Week 4 Results

by Well Read | October 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

Had a great time Sunday at SoFi watching a lackluster game. Wonderful stadium and a great tailgate party.

In first place we have a tie of 10 wins each between ChabDog and Aaron. In second with 9 was Abe. Dorothy had 6 and I got crushed with only 4. At least it was a great tailgate.

Well Read

Getting to know the “Bagel Twins”…

by Brandon Chabner | September 29, 2024 | 0 Comments

As we near the onset of the High Holy Days and the beginning of the Jewish New Year/Rosh Hashannah, it seems appropriate to highlight the eerily parallel careers of the “Bagel Twins”… Harold Solomon and Fast “Eddie” Dibbs.
Solomon was a bit of a tennis legend in the area where I grew up, attending Springbrook High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, achieving All-American status at Rice University, and gaining much fame in pro tennis as purveyor of the “moonball”, an often deep, highly arched shot with lots of savory topspin that could wreak much havoc on a clay court. He hit his backhand a bit like a player trying to sky one out to centerfield, and it was quite interesting to watch. Harold made it to the finals of the French Open in 1976 (losing to Panatta) and also got to the quarters twice and the semis twice in Paris. He also made the semis at the US Open in 1980, when he achieved his highest ranking of No. 5 in the world. He won 22 singles titles and was runner up 16 times. His other claim to fame being named one of the world’s 10 sexiest men by Playgirl Magazine … apparently, his resemblance to Warren Beatty did not go unnoticed.
His doubles partner was Eddie Dibbs, and Eddie’s career played out much the same way. Eddie also won 22 singles titles, and was runner up 20 times. Unlike Harold, Eddie never made a Grand Slam final, but he made two semis at the French (losing to Vilas in 1975 and, like Solomon, to Panatta in 1976), and like Solomon, was a clay court specialist who dominated the Top 10 rankings in the mid to late 70s, achieved his highest ranking at No. 5, and was Jewish. In fact, Eddie was arguably the greatest of all American clay courters in the Open era, garnering the most victories and 7th most all time. Eddie never made the Playgirl list, but he did seem to have a bit of Dudley Moore in him.
With so much in common and given their shared cultural and religious heritage, what else could they be called than the Bagel Twins.

ChabDog subjects the Week 4 spreads to psychoanalysis:

by Brandon Chabner | September 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

— Could anything be more unstable than Carr’s ego? Yes, the Falcons’ grip on anything better than mediocrity. Going with NO.

— Gifting the Bears with 3 point favorite status seems completely delusional. I learned my lesson and am taking the Rams.

— Love is in the air in Green Bay, and that spells trouble for the Purple People Defeaters. Going Green Bay.

— Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The Steelers tend to do great every time they play the Colts (27-7 alltime). This will be no different.

— Denver hasn’t fully resolved its low T (as in low talent) and pre-mature, rookie QB issues; Aaron and the Jets make them pay by more than 7.

— Tampa suffers a convenient case of amnesia, but still remembers from last year’s playoffs how to mount and stuff the Eagles.

— Red Rocket’s in flight… afternoon delight for home team. Tiny Panthers figure out how to hold it close against the wimpy Bengals.

— J-ville will feel better about itself after this game, even though leave as losers … the 6.5 points is just a little too rich.

— Really tired of believing in the desert do dos. Commanders have lately shown a lot more command of their offense; they keep their poise in a close game with the Cards.

— If the Niners can’t bully the Patriots into an 11 point loss, they really aren’t who we thought they were. They can do it.

— This definitely could be the week that “good” Cleveland shows up; however, I just can’t bring myself to buy in to that horrid Browns’ offense. Please don’t commit me for going with the Raiders.

— Chargers tend to play the Chiefs tough, and with Herbie coming back there should be a positive attitude that keeps hope alive until the very end. I’ll take the 7.5.

— Just can’t stomach getting on the Bills’ bandwagon for this one. I know Balitmore has been totally erratic and unreliable, but my prediction is Jackson keeps up with Allen, and Tucker overcomes his jitters to hit a game winner.

— Don’t know how they’re going to do it, but Miami has got to win this game… let’s just say they win this for Mercury Morris, and by more than 1, against a TN team that is gearing up for the league worst boobie prize.

— Will be a feel good Monday Night in Motown for the partying Lions. They’ll win by more than, or at least, 4.

Week 4 – Roars in Detroit MNF

by Dorothy Dawn | September 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

Well Read’s Picks

by Well Read | September 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week Four Winning Picks EXCEPT Dallas lol
Week 4 picks

Week 4: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | September 26, 2024 | 0 Comments

NO NEED TO FEAR…WEEK 4 IS HERE, and boy have we seen an ass ton of upsets and injuries already go down in just 3 short weeks ! Like me, I assume everyone elses fantasy team is in a world of shit right now. Especially since I have Puka Nacua (WR-Rams) and Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC Chiefs) on the fucking IR. As always, here are my scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today. As for week 3, I got 50% (8/16) of my picks right and still questioning why the hell I picked the Bengals -7.5 knowing how unreliable they’ve been so far….I’m ashamed….bad Abe…bad (why I’m picking the Panthers +5.5)! With that being said, you still have a better shot with my picks below than literally flipping a quarter. So if you’re stuck on a particular game to pick, just know you got better odds right fucking here!!! So let’s get smashed and have ourselves a weekend

WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) WEEK 3: 8/16 (50%) SEASON RECORD (ATS): 26/47 + 1 Push (55%)

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 4 NFL Picks

by Aaron | September 26, 2024 | 0 Comments

Wow! It’s already Week 4! We should have all of these NFL teams figured out by now, right? I agree that I should have them figured out, but I have not yet obtained the level of sharpness to do just that. It has bee nice to hover around .500 for the last two weeks after a disastrous Week 1, but that still means we’re down overall. Time to start the comeback!

Dallas at NY Giants +6.5

Picking the Giants finally paid off against Cleveland, so why should I stop now? The Cowboys can’t run the ball, and that will allow the Big Blue pass rush to beat down Dak Prescott. It is a little sad how excited I am to see Daniel Jones’ face on the “Just checking in to see if y’all still dem Boys” meme.

Saints at Falcons -2.5

Atlanta might have had the toughest starting schedule in the entire NFL, so even though 1-2 isn’t great, the Falcons still have plenty of chances to improve their record. That starts against the rival Saints, who were finally slowed down by the Eagles last week.

LA Rams +3.0 at Bears

Did the Rams’ comeback against the 49ers just not happen? Sure, they still have a lot of injuries, but Caleb Williams is still very prone to mistakes with two interceptions in each of his last two games. This should at least be a pick ’em. It feels like we are stepping into a trap, but I will take my chances with the advantage at head coach and quarterback.

Minnesota +2.5 at Green Bay

Just keep riding the Vikings. That is the directive here. Yes, Green Bay has been very impressive with a close loss to Philadelphia followed by two wins with Malik Willis under center. I’m just going to keep riding this Viking ship as long as it is an underdog.

Steelers -1.5 at Colts

The Colts beat the Bears last week, but I am off of them until Anthony Richardson shows improvement. He is completing less than half of his passes on the season and not rushing enough to make up for it. The Steelers’ defense will eat him for lunch.

Denver +7.5 at NY Jets

I’m not taking Denver’s big win at Tampa Bay super seriously just yet, but both of the Broncos’ losses came by a touchdown, so I’ll ride with them here.

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay +2.5

I am hoping the Bucs bounce back after their bizarre loss to Denver at home. They did blow out Philly in the Playoffs last season.

Cincinnati -5.5 at Carolina

It’s the Andy Dalton revenge game! But Joe Burrow and the Bengals need it much more and their offense was pretty great in the loss to Washington. They should score enough to cover this as long as the Red Rifle doesn’t play like an MVP again.

Jacksonville at Houston -6.5

Both of these teams were embarrassed last week. At least the Texans have played good football at some point this season.

Washington +3.5 at Arizona

I keep going back and forth on whether Arizona is good or not. Jayden Daniels is showing great poise for a rookie, though. He should keep this game close even if Washington’s horrible defense keeps bleeding points.

New England at San Francisco -10.5

The 49ers need to destroy someone to reestablish dominance. Last week was a disaster for them, and they can’t even use injuries as an excuse since Jauan Jennings was so good.

Cleveland at Las Vegas -2.0

This is so gross. The Browns are horrible, and the Raiders just laid an egg at home to Carolina. I don’t think Cleveland can score on anyone, though.

Kansas City at LA Chargers +7.5

I don’t know why this line is so high. I am sticking with Jim Harbaugh after the setback last week. He knows how to pound the ball and keep possession away from Patrick Mahomes, but it might not even matter with how mid he has been the last two weeks.

Buffalo +2.5 at Baltimore

The Buffalo offense is better without Stefon Diggs. It has scored over 30 points in all three games and we will keep riding it and circling the wagons.

Tennessee at Miami -1.5

Miami needs to win this one after being shocked by the Titans last year in a game that cost the Dolphins a division title. Plus, Miami has a chance to stay relevant in the hunt for the Playoffs with upcoming games at New England and Indianapolis. I’m hoping Mike McDaniel can figure out how to win one without Tua Tagovailoa.

Seattle at Detroit -3.5

The Seahawks are 3-0, but they have played feeble competition. I’ll lay the points with the Lions.

NFL Week 4 Spreads

by Well Read | September 25, 2024 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 3 Results – DD is back on top!

by Well Read | September 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

Dorothy Detroit wins the week with 10 correct followed by a 3-way tie for second with 8 between Well Read, Abe, and Aaron. ChabDog the Greek faded Dorothy with 6 wins lol

Last Place DD’s Pics – Week 3

by Dorothy Dawn | September 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Week 3 Deep Thoughts Against the Spread —

by Brandon Chabner | September 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Week 3 Deep Thoughts Against the Spread —
— Wildly irresponsible but I haven’t missed yet doubting the Jr. G-men…. Cleveland sacks the Gians by more than one score
— No way I’m going to be a dolt and go with the Colts. Da Bears get it done even though they’re only getting a half and 1
— I’ve had my quota of doubting Minnesota (go ahead and give Daring Darnold 4.5…. the no-run game Texans won’t get outta there alive)
— The Falcons made the Eggles look like Schmucks… just imagine what Norleans’ll do to them in the Big Quesy… no luck for the human Donald Jalen Duck and Frat Boy Siriano.,,, the 2.5 they’re getting is a slap in the face that just won’t hold up in the Saints place.
— The TJ Watt show continues in what should be a war of attrition.. And as for keeping the top QB job, I’m thinking Fields has plenty of ambition. Steelers scrap and claw for a three point victory, and my guess is Herbie isn’t feeling the love bug in Acrisure… ouch
— Tampa gives away 6.5 and still wins by a reading that’s way off the Richter Scale. Why? Because there’s not much to do in Denver when you’ve got a rookie QB and your offense is legally dead.
— Malik Dopey Gillis beats his former teammates? Nopey… I just can’t see it… two in a row, oh no… but terrible TN getting 2.5…. yeah maybe it’s time for them to get it done… but I don’t feel terribly good about saying it
— i confess,… I’ve jumped on the Gardner Gunsligher bandwagon… he just looks like he belongs in a Raider uni playing alongside Mad Maxx; yeah, I think the Raiders disconnect Scarolina and its Red Rocket by 6.5 and then some
— Things really break bad for the Dollyfins now that they’ve got to go with the guy named Skylar; Seattle candy crushes their opponents in the Emerald City.
— When’s the last time Zona was in the zone for two straight games? But then again, when’s the last time Detroit really look like it’s fire was lit. Goff has that deer lost in the headlights look again, and I think it continues for another week. Not deserting the Cards in the desert by 3.5
— They’re clearly predicting the end of the world for the Rams.. getting 7.5 at home against the humbled NIners; gotta believe the visitors have just enough to cover this, even if they only have a little (or no) Kittle.
— No I’m not gonna dignify the Chiefs giving 4.5 to the rehatched Falcones… that o-line is nasty and will require another Houdini escape by Walk this Way Mahomes.
— Buff stuffs the rag tag Jags … the pick here is for a Bills bludgeoning by at least six
— Cincy by more than a regular TD against anyone is asking a lot. But this is Washington, and they have a reason to want it more… yeah why not… (at least until I reverse my pick on the show)
—
— Dallas won’t come up lame against Larmar… gimme the Boys and the skinny line … they’ll be just fine

Well Read Week 3 Picks Yabba Dabba Doo!

by Well Read | September 20, 2024 | 0 Comments

Let’s forget about last week’s 6 wins and the Patriots loosing +6.5 last night.

News Flash! The Giants really do suck and Jones is a bust. Browns D will win it. Take Cleveland -6.5

The Bears will find a way to loose and Indy won’t start 0-3. Take the Colts -1.5

Houston is better than the Vikings all around. Take the Texans -4.5

Are the Saints for real? I think so. Philly is phading. Take the Saints +2.5

Chargers are questionable at QB. Pitts defense is solid, Take the Steelers -2.5

Denver is a dumpster fire. Tampa is great. Take the Buccs -6.5

How are the Titans favored? Not a Willis fan but GB plays like a team. Take the Pack +2.5

Minshew is the next Jim Plunkett. Carolina benched Brice Young. Take the Raiders -6.5

Miami has no QB. Seattle has a great D. Take Seattle in the rain -5.5

Last week was a fluke for Arizona and Detroit. Take the Lions -3.5

Dallas sucks! Take Baltimore -1.5

The Rams got embarrassed last week and risk going 0-3. SF won’t win. Take the Rams +7.5

Atlanta showed its for real on MNF. KC is hanging on by a thread. Take the Falcuns +4.5

Jax is weak but something tells me the Bills won’t cover. Take Jax +5.5

Cincinnati won’t go 0-3 but neither will they cover. Take the Commies +7.5

fred flintstone

Week 3: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | September 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone, it’s week 3 and off to the NFL races we go with the Patriots vs the Jets tonight (ATS: Patriots ML: Jets )! As always, here are my scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today. As for week 2, I got 53% (8/15) of my picks right with my 16th pick being a “push” (8 – 7 – 1). Overall, you still have a better shot with my picks below than literally flipping a quarter. So if you’re stuck on a particular game to pick, just know you got better odds right fucking here!!! LFGoooooo!

WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) SEASON RECORD (ATS): 18/31 + 1 Push (58%)

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 3 NFL Picks

by Aaron | September 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

It’s always difficult to pick games in Week 1, but I had a nice bounce-back performance in Week 2. Now it is time for the rubber match. Do I know ball or not? I am banking on some surprising teams continuing to surprise and I will be betting on those teams until the oddsmakers catch up or until they turn into pumpkins. Whichever happens first.

New England +6.5 at NY Jets

New England is the first of the surprise teams I am talking about. They have covered the spread twice in a row and have beaten Cincinnati outright. The Jets need this game badly, but they will have to grind it out because Aaron Rodgers has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game for them.

NY Giants +6.5 at Cleveland

Congrats to Cleveland for bouncing back from that Week 1 disaster and beating Jacksonville. The Browns should still have to score 20 points in a game before they are favored to beat anyone by a touchdown. Remember, my Giants were not abysmal last week. Malik Nabers is the real deal, and now we have a kicker who can help us cover this spread! I bet we can even win if we keep the opponent out of the end zone again (sigh).

Chicago at Indianapolis -1.5

The Colts laid an egg last week, but they should still be laying at least a field goal against the Bears. Chicago’s defense won the game against Tennessee and kept the game in Houston close, but I think it is asking a lot for this team to win outright on the road.

Houston at Minnesota +4.5

The oddsmakers still don’t believe in Minnesota! I do, especially after Houston failed to put away Chicago last week until the final minute.

Philadelphia at New Orleans +2.5

The oddsmakers also don’t believe in New Orleans! What else do the Saints have to do? Beat someone by 100? Maybe they’ll do that on Sunday!

LA Chargers +2.5 at Pittsburgh

Normally this would be a Pittsburgh spot with the soft west coast team coming into the Steel City, but Jim Harbaugh has turned the Chargers into men, and they will continue to prove their manliness with a big road win!

Denver at Tampa Bay -6.5

Bo Nix has four interceptions and zero touchdowns so far. That is not a great ratio! If Denver continues to turn it over, Tampa Bay will score more than enough to cover this spread.

Green Bay +2.5 at Tennessee

Matt LaFleur showed that he can win with Malik Willis under center. I didn’t need to see much else. Give me Packers and the points against feeble Tennessee.

Carolina +6.5 at Las Vegas

Andy Dalton will give this Carolina team a bump and the Raiders are in a letdown spot.

Miami at Seattle -5.5

I’ll lay anything less than a touchdown against Miami until it gets a competent quarterback in there. Jaxon Smith-Njigba finally broke out for Seattle in Week 2, and that is bad news for opposing defenses.

Detroit at Arizona +3.5

That Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr. connection looks sharp! Arizona is playing good ball so far with a close loss at Buffalo and a blowout win over the Rams. Could this be a letdown season for the Lions?

Baltimore at Dallas +1.5

I’m not convinced that Baltimore is bad after two close losses, but the Ravens aren’t good enough to be laying points in Jerry World.

San Francisco -7.5 at LA Rams

This is probably an overreaction to the Rams getting killed by Arizona, but I expect the 49ers to reassert dominance in this spot.

Kansas City at Atlanta +4.5

The Falcons should be 0-2, and I would like them even more if that was the case! The Chiefs just don’t like covering spreads. They would be 0-2 ATS if not for Isaiah Likely being one inch out of bounds on opening night.

Jacksonville at Buffalo -5.5

The Jaguars have a brutal September schedule, and that could bury them if Trevor Lawrence doesn’t step up his game. I don’t think he will because he is only a little better than Daniel Jones.

Washington +7.5 at Cincinnati

The Commies would be 0-2 if my Giants had a damn kicker, but their offense has been surprisingly decent. Jayden Daniels has been accurate and efficient. If he can finally throw his first NFL touchdown pass, Washington should be able to stay in the game with Cincinnati.

NFL Week Three Spreads

by Well Read | September 18, 2024 | 0 Comments

NFL Week Two Pick Results

by Well Read | September 17, 2024 | 0 Comments

It was a massacre of the favorites! 11 dogs came home. How the heck did the Raiders do that? Why do the Cowboys suck again? How on earth did the Vikings beat the 49ers? The Rams? WTF! Fitting that the Falcons upset Phiily last night.

Leading the group Abe and Aaron are tied at 8-7-1. In second with 6 wins was Chabdog and Well Read, and poor Dorothy D had 4.

Yuk

ChabDog’s Habs and Have-nots against the Week 2 spreads:

by Brandon Chabner | September 15, 2024 | 0 Comments

— Baltimore can give away more than 8.5
— Chargers cover the 6 against sscary bad Scarolina
— Dallas does Derek real bad and blows them out by more than six
— Tampa hangs around the Lions lair, and kkeps this closer than a stupid 6.5
— Indy beats GB by more than 3 (that’s what I’m talkin bout Willis)
— J-ville makes Cleveland like like the JV/wins by 3 at least
— No more Green Acres for Sam Darnold; San Fran wins by a TD or better
— Seattle looks sleep deprived in New England… and surprise surprise NE is two for two
— Mr. Rodgers wins one away from his neighborhood, and it shows he’s still pretty good. Go with the JETS to cover.
— Comical Commies over jr. G-men, and it’s by more than 1
ChabDog’s Habs and Have-nots for the Weekend Spreads:
–Rams have no problemo raising their game against Arizona by a minimum of 3.
— Another huckleberry for Tomlin; Steelers slug their way past Denver and the margin is north of 2.5.
— Cincy is in the wrong place at the wrong time… and it’s not called Burrowhead. KC wins by 4.5 and then some.
— Bears learn there’s a big difference between Texans and Titans; Chicago’s sloppy play from last week catches up with them in what is a two-score margin
— Quite a bulge for the Eggles in Monday Nite’s Battle of the Birds. Go with Philly.

Well Read Week 2 Picks

by Well Read | September 14, 2024 | 0 Comments

Dorothy’s First Week 2024 NFL Using Her Magic

by Dorothy Dawn | September 14, 2024 | 0 Comments

Miami – lost

Baltimore

Chargers

Dallas

Detroit

Not Packers – Indiana

Jacksonville

San Fran

Seattle

NY Jets

Washington

Rams

Pitts

Houston

Eagles

Week 2: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | September 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone, it’s week 2 and so happy to hauk tuah all over this NFL thang once again!!!!! As always, here are my scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today. As for week 1, I got 62.5% (10/16) of my picks right which means you have a better shot with my picks below than literally flipping a quarter. So if you’re stuck on a particular game to pick, just know you got better odds right fucking here!!! LFGoooooo!

WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%)

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 2 NFL Picks

by Aaron | September 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week 1 of the NFL is finally in the books and the veil of the unknown has been lifted, but now we have a new conundrum. Of what we saw unfold last week, what is real and what is a mirage? What is a fluke and what is a season-long trend? Hey, this is almost as hard to predict as Week 1. At least I won’t be quite as disappointed with the Giants when they play like garbage.

Buffalo at Miami -2.5

Both of these teams had a little more trouble with their first opponents than I thought they would. At least I had Arizona covering against Buffalo, but I thought it would be more of a backdoor cover than a legitimately close game. Miami, meanwhile, was a yard away from falling behind Jacksonville 24-7 before it was saved by a Travis Etienne goal-line fumble and an 80-yard touchdown strike from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill. Now many fans are wondering why the Dolphins are favored in a night game when the South Florida humidity won’t have as much of an effect. I’ll tell you why. This team is much better than it looked in Week 1! Miami gets a big win tonight!

Las Vegas +8.5 at Baltimore

Neither of these teams were impressive last week, but the Ravens came an inch away from almost beating the Chiefs when Isaiah Likely caught a last-second touchdown only to be ruled out of bounds by replay. It’s easy to remember that late surge by Baltimore and a little less easy to remember that it looked like the inferior team for much of the evening. Inferior to the Chiefs is nothing to panic about, but I think this number is a little too big against what I expect to be a spunky Raiders squad. Antonio Pierce’s super conservative 4th down decisions were a detriment last week, but they might help cover in a game like this one.

LA Chargers -6.0 at Carolina

Jim Harbaugh took care of business for me against the aforementioned Raiders last week, so let’s keep rolling with him. I sure as heck am not backing the Panthers for the second week in a row, so if they bounce back and play respectable football, I will tip my cap.

New Orleans +6.5 at Dallas

Both of these teams looked great in Week 1, but the competition was suspect. Okay, maybe Dallas was a little more impressive since they won big as a road dog, but I thought the Cowboys would be good and I thought the Saints would have a little trouble with Carolina. So maybe New Orleans was a little more impressive for me. You have to be pretty good to make the opponent look THAT bad, right? I’ll just take the points because Cowboys fans getting too big for their britches is something that no one wants to deal with.

Tampa Bay at Detroit -6.5

I whiffed on both of these teams last week, but Detroit kind of screwed me by covering in overtime. The Rams were the right side! In Tampa, Baker Mayfield was amazing against Washington, but he’ll face a much stiffer test up north. I’m suspicious of how high this spread is given that the Buccaneers won a Playoff game last season and impressed in Week 1. That makes me like the Lions, who beat Tampa Bay 31-23 in January’s Divisional Round.

Indianapolis +3.0 at Green Bay

This line has shifted to Colts -2.5 because Malik Willis stinks. Maybe if the Packers kept Sean Clifford, I could talk myself into rolling with them. Too bad.

Cleveland at Jacksonville -2.5

This is such a chalky pick. We get the Jaguars coming off a game in which they should have beaten the Dolphins and the Browns coming off a tire fire vs. Dallas. I am choosing to step into the trap here because I was never much of a Deshaun Watson believer. Him continuing to be awful will amuse me.

San Francisco at Minnesota +6.0

Maybe the Vikings are a little bit good?! No, it can’t be. The Giants are just that bad, but I am buying the hype about Minnesota’s rebuilt defense under the leadership of Brian Flores. He might not coddle his quarterback enough to be a great head coach, but he knows how to run a defense! I doubt the 49ers will be able to run the ball the way they did against those Jets. San Francisco will win, but by fewer points than the experts think.

Seattle at New England +3.5

Boy, how crazy would the AFC East race be if the Patriots are legit? We could find out very quickly with New England hosting a Seattle team that beat up on Denver at home last week. Coming all the way across the country to face a fired-up Patriots squad is a different story! I am predicting another ugly New England win to follow up the shocking upset in Cincinnati.

NY Jets -3.5 at Tennessee

We are already in must-win mode for the Jets because of the great expectations placed on them in the preseason. Some fans even deluded themselves into thinking that they could beat San Francisco on the road. Not this guy! The good news for New York is that it already played the toughest game on its schedule. It’s all downhill from here, and it starts with a Titans team that gave away the game to Chicago last week.

NY Giants +1.5 at Washington

Another week, and another “winnable” game for the Giants to disappoint me in. According to what I said last week, the season is already over, but it’s easy to forget that Washington was just as miserable in Week 1 before Jayden Daniels racked up some garbage-time fantasy points at the end. I can see Daniel Jones having a bounce-back game to save his job and muddy the quarterback situation for the next few weeks.

LA Rams -2.5 at Arizona

No, I don’t think that Arizona is suddenly scary because it played a close game in Buffalo despite not getting much from Maserati Marv. The Rams, on the other hand, showed some serious fight after falling behind by two scores in Detroit while Cooper Kupp showed that he is still elite. If the Rams are back to being an NFC contender, they’ll take care of business here.

Pittsburgh -2.5 at Denver

Another overreaction road favorite pick? Maybe. Last Sunday made me a believer in Pittsburgh’s defense, and it could feast against the n00b Bo Nix.

Cincinnati at Kansas City -4.5

Jacksonville is no longer my chalkiest pick on the card. Chiefs at home by less than a touchdown against a Bengals team that just lost to New England? I want to buy a bounce back from the Bengals, but I just can’t with Joe Burrow looking like a member of *NSYNC. Give me the champs in a rout.

Chicago at Houston -6.0

If the Jaguars, Chiefs, and Texans all cover, I am officially declaring gambling to be too easy. The Bears needed some seriously fluky things to bounce their way in order to defeat Tennessee on Sunday. Now they need to go on the road in prime time against a Houston team that just showed how real the hype was when it won a big AFC South clash in Week 1. You can’t predict football, though.

Atlanta +6.5 at Philadelphia

I can’t pick the hot home favorite for the third time in a row. The difference here is that I believed in Atlanta a lot heading into the season (I also can’t stand the Eagles). Week 1 went very badly for Kirk Cousins and the Falcons, but the Eagles showed last week that they can give up the big play. Atlanta has plenty of playmakers capable of making one and keeping this game close.

ChabDog’s Pre-visioned pick for this week’s Thursday Night Football Fight:

by Brandon Chabner | September 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

2.5 is too little for the counterfeit Bills. ChabDog’s going with Coach Mikey, Tua and the Aqua Marine scoring machine. Look for lots of shock and awe in South Beach, as the Miami pound machine spits out too many points for an exposed Buffalo defense, that just last week got largely violated by the mighty Cardinals..

NFL Week Two – Join us! Beat ChabDog! Get your picks in before kickoff or get the chalk!

by Well Read | September 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

week 2 nfl betting spread 2024

On Mike Tomlin’s big decision….

by Brandon Chabner | September 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

One guy was ready to answer the bell, did so, and helped lead his team to VICTORY.

The other guy wasn’t ready to step up … injury or otherwise… and hasn’t really shown much to indicate he’s anywhere near the guy he used to be in terms of leader. There’s just no decision to make. It has to be Fields.

NFL Week One Picks Results

by Well Read | September 9, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog wins Week One with 15 wins! Only got the Bills wrong after switching to Philly and Chicago. Well Read and Dorothy D are tied for second with 12. Abe has 10 and Aaron has 5 … see it all at chabdog.com

go to chabdog.com

Picks by Well Read

by Well Read | September 7, 2024 | 0 Comments

Finally we can stop obsessing on societal issues and watch football! Bread and circuses my friends while America is engulfed in a five-alarm fire. Whatever is going to go down is going down whether we agree with it or not. But the circus is good.

Week One Picks

Deliberately took the chalk on KC and Philly and was rewarded with a 2 – 0 start. Chiefs look better than last year. Eagles are back but GB looked good.

Mike Tomlin is an exceptional coach but the Steelers QB’s suck! For that reason alone take the Falcons -2.5 even though Atlanta is all smoke and mirrors with a new coach and new offence.

7.5 is a lot to give the Bills against an enigmatic Cardinals team. It’s a trap. Take Cardinals +7.5

Tennessee just seems like a dirty, worn out team. Chicago as a 5.5 point favorite is dangerous. But Tennessee smells like garbage and Bears are attracted to garbage. Take Chicago -5.5

Patriots are odds on favorite to play in this season’s BlooperBowl. The donkey in the natti is healthy so take the Bengals -7.5

Everybody loves Houston but the Colts are a division rival and are good at rocking illusions fans have. Take the Colts +1.5

I wish I could say something good about Jacksonville. Take Miami -3.5

Until we see this season’s Carolina and New Orleans play a regulation game and comment regarding their respective abilities would not be factual. Therefore, take the Saints -4.5 as they are the home favorite

Minnesota is weak but the Giants are weaker still. Take Minnesota -0.5

The Raiders should be ashamed of themselves. Garnder Mincschew? That’s all you got? Take the Chargers -2.5

Not a lot of delta for the Denver vs. Seattle game either other than Seattle still has a top ranked D and Bronco’s are starting a rookie. Take Seahawks -4.5

Unless and until Deshaun Watson plays like a champion the Browns are going no where. Take Dallas -1.5

Washington is a smouldering dumpster fire and I don’t mean the Capitol. Take Tampa -4.5

Lions are just a better team than the Rams. Take Lions -3.5

The Jets are a paper tiger. Great individual player talent. Poor team skills. Take San Fran -6.5

Week 1: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | September 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

THANK FUCKING GAWD FOOTBALL IS BACK! And with that, I will continue my annual 18-week tradition of giving you all my scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today. Fortunately for me, this is Week 1 and I’m already starting the season at 100%…so I can only go down from here! However, TO BE FAIR, I did get 50% of my Against-The-Spread picks right last season (see below) which isn’t too bad considering our highest Chabdog Sports expert got 54.51%. Lastly, regardless of who you cheer for, I hope you have a great season & are just as excited as I am to have football back! LETS FUCKING GO….

| | @gawdbrudder

Aaron’s Week 1 NFL Picks

by Aaron | September 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

Football is back! So what if it’s already been back for more than a week thanks to college football? It’s REALLY back tonight with the start of the NFL, tiny point spreads, and fantasy! I am a New York Giants fan, so I am predicting a season full of pain and suffering, but maybe some of you out there can get some joy out of the next five months. There’s always fantasy football, right? Nope, just more frustration and torture. But how about the ChabDog picks contest? Now, there is something that I have a chance to win.

Baltimore +2.5 at Kansas City

Everyone is going to love the Chiefs at less than a field goal. They just won the freaking Super Bowl and are at home in front of a raucous crowd. Plus, ChiefsAholic just got sentenced to federal prison, so you know the boys will be extra fired up to get the job done for him. HOWEVER, the Chiefs aren’t the elite offensive team they used to be. Last winter, they barely got by Baltimore in the Playoffs thanks to a great defensive effort. Patrick Mahomes is still looking for a go-to wide receiver and Travis Kelce might be over the hill. The defense is still good, but it’s tougher to repeat a great defensive season than a great offensive season. Give me the hungry Ravens with their new-look and more intimidating running game for the upset!

Green Bay +1.5 vs. Philadelphia

It is a sham that this game is even happening with the crime activity in Sao Paulo being so high that players are leaving their families behind. Player safety is a priority for the NFL until the owners can make a few extra bucks by putting a game in South America! Plus, it is a Peacock exclusive game, so even fans in America will feel like they are getting robbed. Anyway, this is an easy one for me. The Eagles were in full meltdown mode at the end of last season. Now, many fans are convinced that Saquon Barkley and a couple of new coordinators will solve all their issues. I’m not so sure. I’ll take the rising Packers after their exciting run in last season’s Playoffs.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta -2.5

This spread should be more than three points. Maybe not everyone realizes how much better the Atlanta offense is now that the team has a veteran quarterback under center. Kirk Cousins is coming back from a major Achilles tendon injury, but he won’t need to move around much when Bijan Robinson and Drake London are entering their primes. This offense is just as talented as the one that Cousins left behind in Minnesota. It will be tough for the Steelers and their new quarterback to keep pace, even with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s familiarity with Atlanta.

Arizona +7.5 at Buffalo

Arizona’s offense is on the rise due to the selections of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey Benson in the NFL Draft. Plus, Trey McBride emerged as a star tight end last season, and Kyler Murray is expected to have his best season yet after missing half of 2023 due to recovery from knee surgery. Does that mean that the Cardinals will stun Buffalo in Week 1? There’s a chance with Josh Allen breaking in a new-look receiving group. I still think Buffalo prevails, but I wouldn’t pick the Bills in survivor. Taking the points is the move here.

Tennessee +5.5 at Chicago

The hype around the Bears is deserved with the massive changes they have made across the offense. Should they be favored by so much in Caleb Williams’ first NFL start, though? I’m not so sure. Tennessee was spunky at the end of last season with a shocking win at Miami and overtime losses to Houston and Indianapolis. The Titans have a chance to spoil Chicago’s party.

New England at Cincinnati -7.5

This is a very chalky pick, but the Patriots stink. They have very little juice on offense and fans will have to wait a little longer to see what Drake Maye brings to the table. I respect Jared Mayo for making the unpopular decision of going with Jacoby Brissett as the starter, but there is a reason why it is an unpopular decision. Brissett isn’t capable of rejuvenating the offense the way the franchise hopes that Maye will.

Houston at Indianapolis +1.5

This is a repeat of the 2023 regular season finale in which the Texans beat the Colts 23-19 to win the AFC South. This time around should be different just because Anthony Richardson is fully healthy again after his rookie campaign was cut short due to a shoulder injury. There’s a lot of hype in Houston after the team traded for Stefon Diggs to give C.J. Stroud another stud receiver to throw to in his sophomore season. Sunday gives the Texans a great chance to prove that the hype is real, but the dynamic backfield of Richardson and Jonathan Taylor will allow the Colts to control the clock and earn a crucial early-season win.

Jacksonville at Miami -3.5

The Dolphins were electric on offense in 2023, and they will be playing the hits once again in 2024. Laying points with them is fun because they can score so quickly, and that is what I plan on doing with the Jaguars in town. Trevor Lawrence just signed a massive contract, but just like with Daniel Jones, the deal doesn’t make the man.

Carolina +4.5 at New Orleans

I am hoping that new Panthers head coach Dave Canales can work some magic with this team. New Orleans finished 2023 strong and made a run for the NFC South title while finishing 9-8. Carolina, meanwhile, got shut out in its final two games to give Chicago the top NFL Draft pick. The Panthers can’t be that horrible again, right?

Minnesota at NY Giants +0.5

The Giants not being favored in this game is depressing. Sam Darnold is starting for Minnesota. It should be time for optimism in New Jersey, but instead it feels like we’re waiting for Daniel Jones to get hurt or force Brian Daboll to bench him. I need the Giants to win this so I can enjoy being delusional for another week. If New York loses, the season is over already.

Las Vegas at LA Chargers -2.5

This is probably a trap, but I love what Jim Harbaugh brings to the table and he doesn’t have to slowly build up the Chargers since they already have plenty of talent. Los Angeles lost a lot of receiving talent, but Harbaugh just wants to pound the rock and let Herbert hit a couple of big play-action passes. If the Bolts get ahead early, they should be able to grind this one out.

Denver at Seattle -4.5

Seattle is my survivor pick for this week. I expect the Hawks to cruise against Denver and rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Seattle is a tough place to make a debut, and Geno Smith has a chance to light up the scoreboard with the weapons he has at wide receiver.

Dallas -1.5 at Cleveland

The Browns’ supposedly great defense was blasted by Houston in the Wild Card last season, and I could see Dallas doing something similar. The Cowboys are the only NFC East team I’m really high on. They might fall apart in the Playoffs again, but an appearance there seems likely with Dak Prescott out to prove that Jerry Jones is making a mistake by not giving in to his contract demands. The connection between Prescott and CeeDee Lamb could be nearly unstoppable.

Washington +4.5 at Tampa Bay

I’ve been picking against rookie quarterbacks, but that stops here because of how much I love Jayden Daniels. I thinks he’s a better bet for a breakout campaign than Caleb Williams due to his great rushing ability. Daniels is no stranger to having to carry a team after the load he carried at LSU last year. He’ll make enough wild escapes to keep the Commies from getting crushed in Tampa.

LA Rams +3.5 at Detroit

This game was very close in the Playoffs last season, and it should be again. Both teams are loaded on offense, so it’s tough to imagine anyone pulling away and winning by a touchdown. Detroit probably prevails because I like their backfield and pass rush a little better, but victory might come in the final seconds.

NY Jets at San Francisco -6.5

I’m buying into the Jets hype. The defense is great, Breece Hall is dynamic, and they have one great wide receiver, but there is a lot of faith being put in Aaron Rodgers being much better than Zach Wilson when he’s very old and coming off a major injury. Remember, Rodgers failed to make the Playoffs in his final season with Green Bay. If he has success with the Jets, he’ll be carried by the rest of the team like Peyton Manning with the 2015 Broncos.

And to add to the relatively short, but undeniably flashy list of Italian stallions for tennis,…

by Brandon Chabner | September 2, 2024 | 0 Comments

And to add to the relatively short, but undeniably flashy list of Italian stallions for tennis, in the tradition of the always fabulous Fabio Fognini (he could saunter like leisurely Mussolini), Adriano Panata — who not only did the improbable by winning botht the French and the Italian Opens in 1969, but did the impossible by beating Borg twice on clay– and “Making Waves” Matteo Berrettini, we now have Jannick Sinner, an amazing carrot top, whose only prop is reach that is simply inhuman. We have not seen such a mixture of raw power, defensive prowess, great reflexes and mental tenacity since Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, and Bjorn Borg morphed into one. Impressive win tonight over crowd favorite Tommy Paul.

NFL Week One – Join us! Beat ChabDog! Get your picks in before kickoff or get the chalk!

by Well Read | September 2, 2024 | 1 Comment

ChabDog’s Slam Dunk Week 1 Choices vs. the dreaded spread:

by Brandon Chabner | September 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

KC
Philly
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Tennesee
New England
Houston
Jacksonville
New Orleans
Minny
Chargers
Seattle
Dallas
Tampa Bay
Detroit
San Francisco

“Fight, Fight, Fight for Washington State… the Chock Full of CFAA” CDST Show….

by Brandon Chabner | August 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

The Crimson and Gray will be A Ok this Saturday…. even if they’ve only got 1 comrade in the very sad PAC 2… LOL… and ChabDog Sports will report on it all in this Sunday’s “Fight, Fight, Fight for Washington State… the Chock Full of CFAA” CDST Show….

Games that are food for thought in week 1 of CFAA:
— Dabo clashes with Kirby
— Penn St. meanders into Morgantown
— The Golden Domers meet the 12th man who lives at College Station
— Cowpokes tangle with Phoenix’s Pitchforkers
— Tommy Trojan travels to Death Valley
— Spurned, passed over Cougars try to win one for Tom Tuttle by taking their frustrations out on Portland St.
— and the rest of the games are Cupcake City, baby!

Then there will certainly be time for more musings about Week 1 of NFL and the early games, including a replay of last years AFC Championship,(does anyone really expect Lamar to get very far at Arrowhead) and a possible preview of the NFC Championship (with A-rodg trying to dodge old age in Philly)..

Clips, quips and Dorothy Dawn’s men’s health spot; including athletic housewives from the Police Academy, showering more moral disgust on George Constanza and a hot haul in the Sahara for Humphrey.

Games to watch — week 1 of CFAA:

by Brandon Chabner | August 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

Games to watch — week 1 of CFAA:
— Dabo clashes with Kirby
— Penn St. meanders into Morgantown
— The Golden Domers meet the 12th man who lives at College Station
— Cowpokes tangle with Phoenix’s Pitchforkers
— Tommy Trojan travels to Death Valley
— Hurrycanes attempt to dredge the Swamp
— and the rest of the games are Cupcake City, baby!

NFL WEEK ONE ATS – CAN YOU BEAT CHABDOG? SEND US YOUR PICKS!

by Well Read | August 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

nfl week 1 2024 picks ats courtesy betmgm

It’s the “Going loco at the O.Co.” CDST Show….

by Brandon Chabner | August 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

Not to belabor the point, but heading into Labor Day we take occasion to showcase the legendary bromance that is Tank and Abe. It’s the “Going loco at the O.Co.” CDST Show. Yes, there’s a golf cart burning some serious rubber on the basepaths at the largely vacant warehouse that is the Bay area mausoleum, and our boys are winning hearts and taking names in this swan song season for the green and gold in Oakland.
Lots of other baseball to discuss, including ChabDog’s take on the hokey, homespun creations of batting stance guy… gotta see his
renditions of the 1979 Pirates, 1986 Red Sox and the 1977 Yanks… and a fitting tribute to jovial Joey Votto (MLB’s answer to cheery Cherry).
There’s also NFL water cooler talk, including the latest juggernaught that is the 2024 BBBBBears, why 1+1 may equal 0 in Pittsburgh
and whether there will be legitimate Aaron Rodgers sighting in Week 1.
Plus, how to Currie favor when you’re up Schitt’s Creek and Bette Davis’ Dead Ringers.
We’re on call for you tomorrow and catch it all at chabdog.com and on the ChabDog Sports you tube channel.

A’s Owner Charlie Finley with his manager Dick Williams in 1972. photo Ron Riesterer/Oakland Tribune

Time to bid adieu to power hitting first sacker Pal Joey Votto.

by Brandon Chabner | August 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

Time to bid adieu to power hitting first sacker Pal Joey Votto.
Quite a career, all with the Reds, including 253 million plus of salary, 356 homers, 450 plus doubles, 1144 ribbies, .294 avg, 2 gold gloves, 6 All-stars, and an MVP.
I’d say the Reds got their money’s worth, even if he only had 22 triples. Yes sir, you could certainly say they won a prize in the lotto, when they got Mr. Votto in the 2nd round of the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft from Richview Collegiate Institute (Toronto, ON).

ChabDog is back for the “Tidy Tim, Ahoy Palloi” show!….

by Brandon Chabner | August 16, 2024 | 0 Comments

If our clip from Goodfellas “May 11, 1980” doesn’t make your toes tingle or curl with excitement, nothing will… featured this weekend on CDST, when ChabDog is back for the “Tidy Tim, Ahoy Palloi” show! Don’t be lost at sea,, dazed and confused and floudering with so much to do and so little time before Week 1 of College Football and Opening Weekend for NFL. We’ll help you navigate the turblent waters of SEC vs. Big Tent, and ACC and Big 12 on the outside, desperately looking in. Plus, who’s well positioned for a quick start outta the gate in the NF:L, and who’s coming on strong in the jockeying for pennant races and wild card spaces. No time to be sitting around passive and all, even if we are stuck in the middle of office. There’s guns to be dropped off, gotta pick up my brother from the hospital, drop him off at the house, pick up Karen and deliver the stuff to the guys from Pittsburgh…. then there’s meatballs to be made, cutlets to be fried, sauce to be stirred, and oh yeah, gotta drive Lois back to her house to retrieve the lucky hat.

And oh yeah, has anyone ever seen jughead Jud Heathcote and Tidy Tim Walz in the same room together?

UNITED STATES – AUGUST 6: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic nominee for president, speaks during a rally to kick off their campaign at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Kirby Smart (16)

In this year’s Olympics… apparently all it takes is a passport…

by Brandon Chabner | August 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

Paris Olympics: IOC doubles down on its decision to permit 2 boxers who failed unspecified gender eligibility tests to compete – Yahoo Sports

Does that look like a level playing field…. under any conception of fair competition.

Bidding goodbye to July with a very fond farewell for a fabulous friend of ChabDog Sports…my favorite Martin…

by Brandon Chabner | August 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

RIP Martin Smith… you were a one-of-a-kind sports enthusiast and always an inspiration for ChabDog Sports.

We’ll miss your enthusiasm and joy for life, including all things Arizona athletics, and perhaps in fitting tribute thee

D-back now refuse to lose.

No.1 in this picture and No.1 on my hit parade in terms of the my desire to connect with people through the written word.

Go for the competitive throats, you D-backs, Cards, Suns, and yes Coyotes!

California’s 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 conservative sports talk show

by Well Read | July 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

California’s 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 conservative sports talk show

Unfiltered & unapologetic Gen X’ers

Just Push Play

Another banner year for the Celtics, as another one is earned for Logan….

by Brandon Chabner | June 17, 2024 | 0 Comments

C’s seize the moment in the first quarter, and never really look back. The energy, the dedication to defense, the advantage on the boards, and flashes of shooting all returned and the Mavs never really threatened with a run of their own. What a year, what a credit to the entire organization.

Top 5 Reasons He’s Fat, not Phat, Luka: ….

by Brandon Chabner | June 8, 2024 | 0 Comments

Top 5 Reasons He’s Fat, not Phat, Luka:
1) Great at seeking nourishment in the key.
2) Likes getting it on with those pre-game bon bons
3) Real Maverick who doesn’t get sick from too much pizza
4) Brando-sized butt as big as the state of Texas makes for prime rib positioning
5) Enhances the chances for rescue by the refs on those love tap fouls

NBA Finals: Game 1 “One heck of a D-Day for the C’s”…

by Brandon Chabner | June 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

Celtics played Kristaps, and the band played taps for the Mavericks.
On the anniversary of history’s Longest Day, it was quite a long night
for the Western Conference Champions. Boston shot the lights out of the TD Garden
in a wild first quarter, then never really looked back. Porzingis was busy sinking line
drive jumpers, blocking shots and grabbing boards, Brown was dominating on both ends,
and D. White was doing a little of everything else. As for Dallas, aside from Luka getting his usual
thirty, assists and participation from the rest of the horses was few and far between, and sidekick
Kyrie was nowhere to be found. Key stats were the Celts’ huge advantage in assists (23 to 9) and
blocks (9 to 1). Yes, for the odds-on favorites, this was D-Day Domination.

… those Pirates starters are starting to startle the critics. RAISE IT!!!!

by Brandon Chabner | June 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

PIRATES BLANK DOYYERS 1 TO NOTHING…

Jack jacks one out, and Jared makes no bones about it… those Pirates starters are starting to startle the critics. RAISE IT!!!!

About 50 years ago in the NCAA Tournament….

by Brandon Chabner | June 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

NC State upends UCLA in Double OT in the 1973-74 National Semi-final game, en route to the National Championship:

This is why they play the games…. you never know what will happen until they actually suit up and go at it. UCLA came into this National semi-final game as the favorite, ranking No. 1 and with a 38-game tournament winning streak, along with an astounding 7 straight championships. They had the player… three-time player of the year Bill Walton, playing out his final year, and the Dean of all coaches… in the words of the immortal Curt Gowdy… “Johnny Wooden”… sitting there overseeing his troops… nervous and uptight as hell, and punishing his rolled up program with a clenched fist. But NC State had the intangibles — they had the big man, 7 foot plus Burleson, little Monte Towe, and the incredible skywalker, David Thompson… along with the home crowd at Greensboro, North Carolina.

Things looked pretty good for the Bruins, when they went up by 11 points midway through the 2nd half. The Alpha wolf, Thompson, with that amazing 44 inch vertical, was missing consistently, and Walton and Co. were generally finding their pre-ordaiined spots on the court and having their way. But Norm Sloane never looked too nervous, sitting there rather relaxed and cozy in his red, plaid blazer, and that seemed to reassure his guys, allowing them to stay calm, giving them a belief that if they had faith, all would be fine in the end… and it was.

NC State fought its way back, slowly but surely, tying things up with about 4 minutes left, then took the air out of the ball by going “four corners”, and it was hello to overtime.

The first OT was merely a warm-up for things to come. Hardly anything happened, and then things got really interesting. In the second extra session, we saw UCLA’s weaknesses, lack of a true point guard, combined with shoddy ball handling and loose passing, came back to bite it badly. Wooden watched in apparent horror as passes were thrown away, foul shots were missed, and 7 point lead in double OT evaporated. Thompson, Burleson and Towe all stepped up, and with less than two minutes left, the Bruins were only up by one. However, it still didn’t look that good for NC State when Burleson missed a foul shot that would have tied things up, followed by Tim Stoddard’s fouling out, which put the Bruins’ “Spider” Dave Meyers on the line.

But when Meyers unexpectedly bricked his own freebie, Thompson skied for the rebound over Walton and proceeded to hammer home a tough bank shot at the other end, which gave NC State the lead it would never relinquish. Then, Keith “Silk” Wilkes committed an offensive foul fighting for a rebound after a miss from Greg Lee (why did Walton pass up the winning shot), and DT, the youngest of 11 children, made his shots from the line, and it was over.

Yes, in sports, nothing lasts forever, and in this case, the basketball gods had seemed to decide that it was time for UCLA’s hegemony to take a back seat to a more inspirational winner. While UCLA would come back to win one more in 1975, the Wooden era of total dominance was officially over.

Boston completes its run through the Eastern Conference, like a knife through butter…

by Brandon Chabner | May 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

D. White goes helter skelter on the Pacers…. sticking in the dagger trey and sealing the deal for finals’ bound Boston. Another frantic comeback ends in success, and the Celtics complete one of the most dominant runs through the Eastern Conference in recent memory. Better get some rest in advance of what should be sterner test from the best of the West.

…. what better time for the “Long Riders From Dallas Wreaking Havoc Just Above the Low T-Wolves’ Line” CDST Show.

by Brandon Chabner | May 25, 2024 | 0 Comments

With the NBA’s Western Conf. Finals raging full bore, what better time for the “Long Riders From Dallas Wreaking Havoc Just Above the Low T-Wolves’ Line” CDST Show. We’ll bear witness to the wreckage strewn from the Mavs’ recent trip to Minneapolis, a tad more successful than the James Gang’s foray at the Northfield bank. And in an ironic twist, there’s the sad opening to the NHL’s Western finals, where the former North Stars had apparent ADD manifest at the beginning of the 2nd OT, falling to cover a wide open McDavid and getting their series soiled by the Oilers. Plus, the Celtics trying for a 4 zip walkover the anxious Pacers and the Rangers with their storybook season in danger against the seasoned Panthers.
Adding to the Memorial Day festivities we’ll have the Keach and Carradine brothers trying to stay out of reach from the long arm of the law, famous last words from Howard Cosell and Rick Barry, an NBA jingle that will make your spine tingle, hygiene advice from Redd Foxx, a dose of Bullett Fever, and Jim McKay narrating the best finish at Indy you ever saw.

Super Tuesday — May 21, 2024

by Brandon Chabner | May 22, 2024 | 0 Comments

Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz attends Game 6 of the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, Friday, May 27, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

ONE DAY I WAS UNUSUALLY HAPPY TO BE ALIVE:

— CELTICS COME BACK FROM THE BRINK TO WIN GAME 1 OF THE ECF

— BUCCOS MAKE THE JUNIOR G-MEN WALK THE PLANK WITH 4 IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

— AND OH, THE RED SOX ALSO SPAYED THE RAYS!

Skenes is a strikeout machine, ….

by Brandon Chabner | May 18, 2024 | 0 Comments

…and the Pirates conduct operation “Wransack Wrigley” on Friday the 17. Raise it!

We’ll discuss the Game 7 drama of Minnesota-Denver on Sunday’s “Ball-barians at the Gate” CDST Show, along with what to expect in the Eastern Conference, no matter who is there to repel the Celts…

by Brandon Chabner | May 18, 2024 | 0 Comments

How about some new blood in the NBA Finals? The T-Wolves are chomping at the bit for a final chance to scale the wall at The Ball and deal a mortal blow to the defending champs. We’ll discuss the Game 7 drama of Minnesota-Denver on Sunday’s “Ball-barians at the Gate” CDST Show, along with what to expect in the Eastern Conference, no matter who is there to repel the Celts. And the NHL ‘s march toward crowning a new champ…. with the Presidential Rangers facing down eFFFFFen Florida, and the silky smooth Stars sitting pretty and preparing to welcome over-achieving Vancouver, who are on the verge of making roadkill outta McD’s Oilers.

Plus, a dangerous driver at the PGA, and we’re not taking about a golf club, a strikeout machine named Skenes in P-burgh, some pleasurable WNBA profiling that is refreshingly free of CC, clips galore… and more (as Abe shows us something new from the Etsy store.

Check it out at chabdog.com

Better listen to the CDST “Taking care of business, Round 2 Playoff Show”…

by Brandon Chabner | May 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

Don’t say Brandon didn’t tell you so…. wanna know who’s gonna keep doing what’s necessary and who keeps forgetting to brick up that proverbial back door … better listen to the CDST “Taking care of business, Round 2 Playoff Show”. The sexy second seasons for NBA and NHL have lots of dangerous curves, and ChabDog and his co-hosts with the most are here to help you circumnavigate the globe of possibilities. Be there, or be impaired. Catch it all tomorrow 9-10 am or thereabouts, tomorrow at chabdog.com.

Starry night, Rangers’ delight — ChabDog’s NHL Update

by Brandon Chabner | May 9, 2024 | 0 Comments

Stars make a 4 goal lead stand up using the Benn and break your opponent’s will approach; well, the Avs didn’t exactly get pushed around after Jamie took down Toews, but with that savage, but legal hit, an important message was sent up the flagpole and in Big D a lot of people were saluting it.
47 shots later, May is still not Hurricane season.

On the brink at the rinks: Round 2 takes a new turn …

by Brandon Chabner | May 8, 2024 | 0 Comments

There had better be hell to pay for this out-of-control beating. It was only Wednesday, but the Bruins were beat 6 to 1 ways from Sunday. That last goal was a total disgrace, and if Boston has any semblance of self-respect, they’ll be putting a whole bunch of Barkov in the doghouse come Game 3. Where’s Terry O’Reilly when you need him?
Oilers try to, but can’t, make the Canucks look like schmucks in the Van. Talk about quick strike.

ChabDog’s Monday Nitro Basketball-Hockey Playoff Update for the day after the day after “May the Fourth Be With You”….

by Brandon Chabner | May 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Monday Nitro Basketball-Hockey Playoff Update for the day after the day after “May the Fourth Be With You”:
— Anthony Edwards and his long armed-nerdy friends gang up on Murray and really slaughter him.
— Yvonee de’s Brandon pitches in for good measure, and the Panthers make the mistake of daring to go 1 up on the Bruins. The result is an execution at Sunrise.

Tomorrow morn😍ing spawns the “Mayday Mayday, View to Spill” CDST show….

by Brandon Chabner | May 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hope you’re hungry for some compelling playoff commentary…. because tomorrow morn

ing spawns the “Mayday Mayday, View to Spill” CDST show. ChabDog’s all pumped up to talk about how the Bruins served up some delicious Pasta last night, as the fans danced around a huge bonfire of burning leafs… game 7 redemption finally.

Plus, those visitors from Minny were indeed hungry like the Wolves they are, as they Duran Duran all over a shocked and appalled dumbfounded Denver. Can this persist? We examine the uncanny resemblance that the Ant Man has to Air Jordan… sans a gambling hobby… and can Dallas dare to plan for both a hockey and b-ball champion (nah!). But the Celtics look like a cinch for the Eastern Conf. Crown… don’t they?

Baseball too, as the Pirates finally score a run, the Indians and Twins look temporarily like winners, what about the heavyweight disappointment Doyyers, and would somebody please wash those stanky White Sox.

Trouble and controversy in KC, and sticking up for students who just want to celebrate graduations on college campuses… let alone be let into the library.

See you tomorrow!

A Prayer for Road Warriors at home in Game 7:

by Brandon Chabner | May 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

Recent history for the Boston Bruins at home in Game 7 has not been kind. 2019’s going out like mice to the tireless Blues, and the mega collapse to Florida in last year’s opening round.

The Solution: Be Boston strong and imagine you’re on the road, not at home, kicking another Canadian team’s arse (like you did in Vancouver in 2011)…..and carry that Don Cherry attitude to the competition…. GO B’S!!!!!!!

NBA Playoffs Round 1 Update: OKC Moves On, Boston Drops the Hammer and Denver Piles More Mistery on the Lakers…

by Brandon Chabner | April 30, 2024 | 0 Comments

Murray slaughters the Lakers with a fantastic finish, and it’s love boat time for LeBron. Don’t fault LA for rolling over in a tough situation… no they acquitted themselves well in terms of showing tons of spunk and making the champs work for this win, but in the end they didn’t get the job done on the boards and the lack of a shut down, skilled defensive guard really hurt. Offense gets you the headlines but defense wins championships.
Too bad for the underdog Pelicans that only the favorites could wear Thunder shirts… oh well… it’s “What a pro wants, what a pro needs” and in this series, OKC was definitely not singing flat.
It was a total White-out in Miami, as Derrick struck oil at South Beach….. gushing for 38 points, blocking shots and generally shredding the Heat’s lame attempt at zone defense. Good riddance to the Heat.

CDST is back with this week’s “Hello darkness my old friend, it’s playoff time again” show,…

by Brandon Chabner | April 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

CDST is back with this week’s “Hello darkness my old friend, it’s playoff time again” show, and just in
time to weigh in on the remaining fun in Round 1. You never know what you’re made of until you stare into
that abyss, so gather that confidence, take aim, and try not to miss. We’ll discuss who’ll be the graduates
to the conference semis, and who’ll just be goin fishin. Plus some MLB, a racing update if we’re lucky, and
we’ll raise your spirits with some classic stuff from Aldo Ray, pushing Canada Dry and raising a Battle Cry.

ChabDog’s random Round 1 update for NBA fandom…

by Brandon Chabner | April 26, 2024 | 0 Comments

Timber!!!! That’s the sound of the elderly Suns falling with a big thud in Round 1.
The Wolves are hangry and appear to be locked, loaded and on a mission.
Good luck to anyone standing in their way, and that includes the No. 2 Nuggets.
These guys have the best D in the league and some very choice options in the halfcourt, including a leaner, meaner KAT and the overpowering and overwhelming talent of Anthony Edwards.
When you go to war, it helps to have a leader.
Tonight in Dallas, the Clippers had none to speak of, including a
gimpy, listless Kawhi, a coach who was awol and left for dead on the sidelines, and a grand total of three has-been ex-all-Stars, who were all more bark and bluster than bang for their bucks.
Meanwhile, Doncic and Irving showed a generally underrated cast the way forward.
Tyrese wasn’t satisfied with a tie, which mucks things up for the big toe-less Bucks.

From Sid Luckman’s right arm to all the arm chair Jewish quarterbacks out there, …

by Brandon Chabner | April 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

Sid Luckman, backfield coach for the Chicago Bears, who quarterbacked that team to four NFL championships in the 1940s, holds a modern football helmet in Chicago, Dec. 10, 1969, as he discusses its advantages for the wearer. It is one of Sid’s theories that the protection of face guards has hade players braver and more daring. (AP Photo/Edward Kitch)

ChabDog Sports wishes you a very, very Happy Passover. The most important holiday in our religion, because this is the reminder and celebration of our freedom.

Day 2 of Plug and Play-In… NBA Style:

by Brandon Chabner | April 17, 2024 | 0 Comments

White was out of sight all night, as seen through the ruby red frames of Coach Snyder, whose options were quite limited given the Bulls’ superior size, strength, speed and agility. Celtics had better take notice.
Nick “Temple of Doom” Batum drops more than a few big ones on the Heat.
Vroom vroom vroom, Joel Sebby Bach is back, and the Sixers think they still have a
chance. Go figure….

ChabDog’s MLB All-Animal team (these guys were truly beasts at their respective positions):

by Brandon Chabner | April 14, 2024 | 0 Comments

As discussed on tomorrow’s ChabDog Sports Talk Show…. The MLB All-Animal team (these guys were truly beasts at their respective positions):
Manager — Whitey Herzog — The White Rat
“Hippo” Vaughn — starting pitcher 178-137 ERA 2.49 (ERA Title, Pitching Triple Crown)
Harvey Haddix (The Kitten) — starting pitcher 136-113 ERA 3.63 (threw a no-hitter and lost)
Jim Kaat — starting pitcher 283-237 ERA 3.45 (Hall of Fame) (3x all star) 16 gold gloves
Old Hoss Radbourne — starting pitcher 310-194 (Hall of Fame) ERA Title 2.68 ERA
Goose Gossage — relief pitcher 124-107 301 saves (Hall of Fame) (9x all star)
Catcher — Yogi Berra (Hall of Fame) (3x MVP) (numerous world series titles and 18 all star appearances) (over 300 homers and over 2k hits)
Designated Hitter — Jimmy Foxx– aka The Beast (Hall of Fame, 3x MVP) (over 500 homers, lifetime avg of .325) Triple Crown
First Base — Lou Gehrig — aka The Iron Horse (Hall of Fame) (2 MVP) (.340 lifetime avg) 493 homers
Second Base — Nellie Fox — Hall of Fame, MVP (over 2600 hits, .288 avg) (3 gold gloves) 15x allstar
Shortstop — Rabbit Maranville – Hall of Fame (over 2600 hits, .258 avg) 291 stolen bases
Third Base — Bill “Mad Dog” Madlock — Four batting titles, over 2000 hits and lifetime .310 avg. (205 homers and lifetime avg of .305) 3x all star
Left Field — Ducky Medwick — Hall of Fame, MVP, Triple Crown winner, 10x all star
Right Field — Dave Parker — The Cobra — MVP, 7x allstar, 2 batting titles, 3 gold gloves, 2713 hits, .290 avg, 339 homers and nearly 1500 rbis, 2 world series titles
Center Field — Clyde Milan– Deerfoot — nearly 500 stolen bases, 2100 hits, .285 lifetime avg
Bench —
Johnny Mize (The Big Cat) — Hall of Fame, over 2000 hits, lifetime avg. 312, 349 homers, 10x allstar
Fred McGriff (Crime Dog) — Hall of Fame, 493 homers, lifetime avg. .284, nearly 2500 hits, 5x allstar
Ralph Garr (the Road Runner, Gator) — 1500 hits, .306 lifetime avg., 170 stolen bases
Dave Kingman (Kong) — 3x allstar, 442 homers
Omar Moreno — The Antelope — nearly 500 stolen bases
Ron Cey — Penguin — 6x all star, World Series MVP, 300 plus homers, over 1800 hits and over 1100 rbis
Walt Dropo — Moose — 1s allstar, Rookie of the Year, 152 homers

Take blue pill (don’t click) | Take red pill (click)

by Abe Miranda | April 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hungry like …. the Wolfpack…

by Brandon Chabner | April 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

Like Sloan and Jimmy V before him, Keatts is dressed to the nines and primed to lead his team to compete. I’ll take the Pack to beat that bloated 9 point spread, and when it’s over end up ahead. It’s a case of Duran Duran destiny. They’re hungry like wolves, and ready to take the Boilermakers.

Happy Easter from ChabDog Sports

by Brandon Chabner | March 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

Every day is a glorious fresh start. Happy Easter from ChabDog Sports!

ChabDog’s Elite Eight Evaluation–Day 2

by Brandon Chabner | March 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

DEVILS BURNED ON EASTER IN A FIERY, PLUS-SIZED WAY WHEN NC STATE BRINGS THE MOST TO THE POST WITH DANCING DJ…. OH YEAH!!!!
Tennessee more or less kept it close, but its painful-to-watch offense never really got going, and when it came to Edey that freight train was anything but slowing. Boilers advance to the promised land in the desert, while it’s hard knocks for the Knoxvillers.

ChabDog’s Elite Eight Evaluation — Day 1

by Brandon Chabner | March 30, 2024 | 0 Comments

In Tuscaloosa they’re wearing the Crimson letter “A” with tons of pride, after another awe-inspiring about face mid-way through the first half had the Tide erase a double-digit deficit en route to a first ever trip to the Final Four. Senior guard and peerless leader turned Crypto.com into his personal Sears showroom with 7 threes and a steely resolve that rebuffed the Tigers at every turn.
Tons of credit goes out to Freshman Stevenson, who dropped in a handful of long bombs himself, not to mention the points, boards and defense chipped in by Pringle, Nelson’s continued tenacity and enthusiasm and the very important contributions of Griffen and Estrada.
Clemson was tough as nails, and kudos to them for fighting the good fight, but when the dust cleared the Hall monitor fouled
out of school and the Chef was just out of recipes.
Can they stand up to the Huskies… you bet they can… because they’ve earned their stripes in battling through this adversity,
and have their big toe… Coach Oats watching their back and directing the attack. Go for it guys!!!
Enterprising Illini came to the regional final with some great expectations, but when the second half reared its ugly head they had no answers for larger than life CT and its Clingan empire

ChabDog’s Sweet 16 Summary (Day 1):

by Brandon Chabner | March 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Sweet 16 Summary (Day 1):
–I wasn’t dreaming of Jeannie tonight… I was dreaming of Major Nelson, and what a beautiful reality
show it was. The 3’s, the reverse lay ups, the blocks, and the free throws…. what a show from a guy
who really came of age tonight in a big way. And what a boost for Coach Oats and the entire Crimson Tide
program…. showing the Tar Heels what’s what in the biggest basketball win in school history.
ROLL TIDE, ROLL!
— The first half was relatively tame, with SD State clinging to U Conn’s coattails, but after halftime, there
was no more static cling, as Clingan, Caraban and the rest of the crew cruised.
— Arizona got most of the style points tonight, but when it came to substance,
that was all Clemson. The Tigers did all the little things better, and when the game was
on the line and the heat was on in the kitchen, who came through but the Hall Monitor and the Chef.
–The Illini were bricklayers from the line, but the ‘Clones couldn’t
throw it in the ocean from anywhere else. In a rather ugly encounter,
No. 3 survives No. 2, and now faces likely execution at the hands of No. 1.
We shall see, but this was sloppy all the way around.

Don’t you dare miss the CDST “Is Your NCAA Bracket Supposed To Be This Soft” show…

by Brandon Chabner | March 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

Don’t you dare miss the CDST “Is Your NCAA Bracket Supposed To Be This Soft” show. We’ll help you get firmed up for Sweet Sixteen Selection Sunday, with special guest, king of the sub-stacks, Jelly Dean Chadwin… live somewhere from the tournament. And hear from ChabDog, one guy with a scorecard that’s definitely beyond reproach, including his slating of Creighton and U Conn, on a collision course for the final. He’ll have some pretty stiff objections to A-ron’s persistent pimping of Purdue…. not when Utah St. has all those big bodies and “The Great One”. Well-read will try and change the subject (to what we’re not sure), and Dorothy D reveals exactly which well busted entry she had in this year’s competition.

No Darth Vaber, but maybe he’ll post a video on his favorite app just under the banning wire.

Day 1 cliffnotes from the ChabDog Group ESPN Bracket Racket (now this is what I call adulterated bracketeering):

by Brandon Chabner | March 22, 2024 | 0 Comments

Day 1 cliffnotes from the ChabDog Group ESPN Bracket Racket (now this is what I call adulterated bracketeering):

— Jenna goes 14 up 2 down, while ChabDog keeps pace with the same, but takes a bigger hit when Kentucky chokes against Oakland… say what?
— Meanwile IG JackCart looks pretty smart at 89%, followed by a slew of 70 percenters, including Well-read and Yolk (who persists in picking Perdone)
— Abe and Blixx take a day 1 dive at 45, along with someone not quite coming up smelling like a rose
— And it’s Dunker in the bunker, pulling up the rear with Queen Momsie and EFS Grand Slam….

Join us this Sunday, for CDST’s “Is Purdue finally due?” NCAA Tournament Preview Show….

by Brandon Chabner | March 15, 2024 | 0 Comments

when we consider whether the Big 10 Champs are really ready to cook up something special for the Big Dance… or are they just chicken. Will Edey be the gourmet delivering the magic elixir that has eluded the Boilermakers for so long, since the days of Wooden, through the trials and tribulations of Combover Keady, and the pre-mature promise of Painter’s past pretenders. Lots more to consider, from the battle on the bubble to who’s most likely slated for Humpty Dumpty treatment.
And for your further consumption, we got Abe’s etsy swagger, Well-read’s soundboard back on track, Dorothy’s nutritional knowledge, and some choice prime clips chucked out there by ChabDog.
Take it in at chabdog.com….

SO SAYETH THE ORACLE OF OMAHA … MAKE WAY FOR CREIGHTON…

by Brandon Chabner | March 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

Listen to the tide slowly turning
Wash all our heartaches away
We’re part of the fire that is burning
And from the ashes we can build another day
MAKE WAY FOR CREIGHTON.

interest rates are going down, this year’s gonna end with a positive bang, and when April flowers bloom,

the Moody Blue Jays will be jubilant.

So sayeth the Oracle of Omaha…

The Big Ten Tournament is here with two teams trying to battle their way into the Big Dance

by Aaron | March 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket is here, and as usual, it is glorious. What’s even better is that the beautiful pinwheel logo has returned to prominence after one-year hiatus that is among the worst decisions in college basketball tournament logo history. Penn State has almost zero chance of winning this thing, which is its only available path to the NCAA Tournament, but I can dream of a run to the semifinals thanks to a favorable draw that avoids Purdue and Illinois through the first three rounds.

The #B1GMBBT bracket is set. 🏀 pic.twitter.com/26VaSJB5cc

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 11, 2024

Sure, Penn State has to play on the first evening of the tournament, which is a Peacock exclusive event, but if it had been seeded a little higher in slots 10 through seven, the matchup in the quarterfinals would feature Purdue or Illinois instead of the less intimidating Nebraska. I’m getting way ahead of myself, though, since just reaching the quarterfinals means defeating a red hot Indiana team that is desperate to play its way onto the NCAA bubble. Penn State might have a psychological edge from defeating the Hoosiers twice this season, but Indiana has looked like a different team on its current four-game winning streak. Plus, just to get to that date with Indiana, the Nittany Lions must get past Michigan tonight. The Wolverines have lost eight straight, but Penn State has a loss to Bucknell on its resume, so nothing is impossible.

Purdue established Big Ten supremacy last week with a thrilling victory at Illinois before wrapping up its regular season with a home win over Wisconsin. The slumping Badgers have not been a great team since February started, as they finished Big Ten play 3-8 after starting 8-1, but I’ll give them credit for the way they battled the Boilers despite having another rough game from beyond the arc. Wisconsin shot 5-for-24 from three-point range, but John Blackwell and Tyler Wahl both went 7-for-10 from the field to keep Purdue from running away with the game.

Blackwell in particular is a guy to look out for with 35 points over his last two games. He’s a freshman who has gotten better throughout the season, and he’ll have to be a major factor if the Badgers are going to make a run in Minneapolis. For Purdue, the Big Ten Tournament is a precursor to the Big Dance, where Matt Painter’s team must redeem itself for last year’s embarrassing loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round. If the Boilers fail to reach the Sweet 16 again, they will be laughed at for years to come, and I think most college hoops fans will even consider the season a failure they fall short of the Final Four. There is going to be a lot at stake in every NCAA Tournament game for Purdue as it tries to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1980. It will be interesting to see how the Boilers handle the Big Ten Tournament since their status as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is locked in. Winning a Big Ten Tournament title in addition to the regular season title is an amazing accomplishment, but no one will care if Purdue doesn’t follow it up with a Final Four appearance.

Without all that pressure of recent history, Illinois figures to be looser and more motivated in the Big Ten Tournament. If it takes care of business, a third game against Purdue in the championship on Sunday is very possible. And unlike Purdue, Illinois can improve its seeding in the NCAA Tournament with a Big Ten Tournament title. The Illini may have lost to Purdue last week, but they are still playing their best basketball of the season over the past month with the way their offense has blown up. They bounced back from the Purdue loss with an impressive win against Iowa in a game that Iowa needed to have with its NCAA Tournament hopes on the line. Illinois held the Hawkeyes to 61 points in a 73-61 win and Iowa’s Tony Perkins had one of his worst games of the season with two points on 2-for-10 shooting.

That can happen when you’re locked in a matchup with Terrence Shannon Jr. like Perkins was. It’s easy to forget sometimes that Shannon is such a good defender because of how good he is on the other end, but this guy is the complete package. There aren’t a lot of players who can attack the rim as ferociously as Shannon does while also shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc, and all of his skills were on display in Iowa City. Shannon scored 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting while going 3-for-8 from beyond the arc. The man can take over a game whenever he wants.

To have any chance at the NCAA Tournament, Iowa will need to defeat Ohio State on Thursday and win its rematch with Illinois on Friday. Tony Perkins obviously must play better, even if that means deferring to teammates instead of looking for his own shot. I would suggest passing more to big men like Owen Freeman and Ben Krikke. They combined for just 10 points on Sunday despite Illinois’ lack of size on the post.

Indiana is another team that is desperate for a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament. I’m not sure if an at-large bid is even possible for the Hoosiers, but they have looked fantastic lately, and they kept their hopes of dancing alive with a 65-64 home win over Michigan State on Sunday. Indiana jumped out to a 17-point lead midway through the first half, only to watch it disappear in about 10 minutes. Michigan State led by as many as seven in the second half, but the Hoosiers went on an 8-0 to take the lead back on Xavier Johnson’s three-point shot with eight minutes to play. The two teams battled down the stretch, with Kel’el Ware putting Indiana up by two on a five-foot hook shot with two minutes left. Tyson Walker answered with a driving layup, and after an empty trip for each team, Ware was fouled by Malik Hall with 17 seconds left, which resulted in the game-winning free throw.

With Trey Galloway banged up and limited to seven minutes of play, Indiana didn’t get much from its backcourt, but Ware continued his dominance with 28 points and 12 rebounds while Malik Reneau handed out five assists in addition to his 16 points. Michigan State got 30 points from Walker, but Malik Hall and Jaden Akins combined for just 17 points on 7-for-24 shooting.

The battle in Bloomington was by far the most exciting game of the Big Ten’s regular season finale. Elsewhere on Sunday, Ohio State held Rutgers to 27 percent shooting and outscored the Knights by 20 in the second half on the way to a 73-51 win in Piscataway. In another road blowout, Nebraska hammered Michigan 85-70 behind 30 points from Keisei Tominaga. And even my Nittany Lions got a convincing win! They won 85-69 at home against Maryland, but with Julian Reese nursing an injured ankle and no hope of an NCAA Tournament appearance, I’m not sure Maryland was very motivated. Jahmir Young only played 30 minutes, Donta Scott only played 20, and seldom-used bench guys like Caelum Swanton-Rodger got meaningful playing time. Whatever; a win is a win.

Who do YOU have winning the Big Ten Tournament? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/IKN2fVb783

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) March 13, 2024

We should be in for a great Big Ten Tournament with two elite teams in Purdue and Illinois, two feisty overachievers who are looking to prove themselves in Nebraska and Northwestern, and two teams who are clinging to hope of an NCAA Tournament bid with Iowa and Indiana. Story lines galore! My pick to win it is Illinois because it is an extremely deep and talented team and will be more motivated than Purdue. As for the best gambling value, that goes to Northwestern at +1600. If Boo Buie and that offense gets hot, watch out.

Purdue wins the regular season title and Indiana is still alive for the big dance

by Aaron | March 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

I said on the Chabdog Sports podcast last Sunday that Purdue would be listed as champion when I fill out my NCAA Tournament bracket in a couple of weeks. On Tuesday night, the Boilers showed why I think they will complete their redemption arc when they beat Illinois 77-71 in Champaign. The combination of opponent and venue made the game Purdue’s stiffest test since December, and it passed thanks to a clutch three-point shot in the final seconds by Braden Smith. The shot came at the tail end of a broken possession by the Boilers that was saved once by Zach Edey, who slapped the ball away from Illinois and into the hands of his teammates Fletcher Loyer following Lance Jones’ wild layup attempt. Smith saved it again when he casually pulled up from five feet beyond the arc and drained his jumper over Terrence Shannon Jr.

If Smith had not clutched up, Illinois would likely the ball back down by three points with 18 seconds to play. Instead, the lead was six, and the game was over when Shannon’s answer bounced off the rim. Smith’s effort was just one of several big three-point shots for Purdue in the second half. Edey dominated the first 20 minutes with 18 points, but Illinois held him to 10 after the break, forcing the Boilers to look to their role players for help. They answered, starting with Mason Gillis’ three-point shot in transition that gave Purdue its first lead at 56-54 with 10 minutes to play. Gillis drained another one to put the Boilers ahead 64-58 with seven minutes left, but Illinois tied the game with a dunk by Coleman Hawkins two straight driving layups by Marcus Domask, the last of which he floated in over Edey.

Braden Smith! Onions! He bailed out Matt Painter, who for some reason did not call a time out during this broken possession. Purdue’s biggest win of the year. pic.twitter.com/bivOs9D3uN

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) March 6, 2024

Illinois would retake the lead on a pair of free throws by Shannon, but Loyer put Purdue back up by three with a three-point shot and a runner in the paint on consecutive possessions. Lance Jones hit a monster triple from the corner to expand the advantage to six with less than a minute on the clock, but Domask struck back with another layup plus the foul to set the stage for Smith’s heroics.

With Edey doing his thing like he always does, Purdue is not going to be beat when it shoots the three as accurately as it did against Illinois (9-for-16). Matt Painter’s team doesn’t excel at creating its own shot from the perimeter, but it showed that it can break down the opposing defense and find the open man with 20 assists on 29 field goals during the win. Illinois did an excellent job slowing down Edey in the second half, but it could not keep up with Purdue’s three-point shooting. Illinois was just 4-for-16 beyond the arc, and most of that came from Quincy Guerrier catching fire in the first half. Domask was the one guy who came up huge down the stretch, and Shannon needs to step up if the Illini are going to win a rematch with Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament or NCAA Tournament. He went 3-for-13 from the field with just 11 points.

Purdue and Illinois are locked into the top two seeds of the Big Ten Tournament with the Boilers clinching their second straight outright conference title with their victory. That means that the next time these two could meet is on Sunday in the final game of the tournament. There’s a decent chance for that since both squads have proven to be in a tier of their own above the rest of the Big Ten, but one team that could derail destiny is the Indiana Hoosiers.

I left Indiana for dead after it lost to my Nittany Lions two weeks ago to complete a four-game losing streak, but these Hoosiers are finally showing some resiliency that they have lacked for most of the campaign. They bounced back with three straight wins, with the last two coming on the road against Maryland and Minnesota.

Two of the biggest factors in Indiana’s revival were on display during their 70-58 victory in The Barn on Wednesday night. The first is Kel’el Ware emerging as a consistently dominant center. Ware has had some monster games this season, but two of his best have happened during Indiana’s winning streak. He scored 27 points on 11-for-12 shooting with 11 rebounds and five blocks against Wisconsin before feasting in similar fashion at Minnesota. In that game, he scored 26 points with 11 rebounds and three blocks, but he also showed off his guard skills some more with a pair of three-point field goals on three attempts and three assists as well. Ware is shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc this season (16-for-36), so I’m looking for him to expand that part of his game as we head into tournament play.

FG: 12-16
PTS: 26
REB: 11
AST: 3
BLK: 3

Kel'el Ware put all his skills on display tonight. 💯@KelelWare x @IndianaMBB pic.twitter.com/dBtmmfLKAT

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 7, 2024

The second revival factor is Trey Galloway embracing the point guard role. We know that Indiana’s backcourt production has been an issue all season with Xavier Johnson going in and out of the lineup. It doesn’t help that Galloway is only hitting 25 percent of his threes this season or that Gabe Cupps barely shoots at all. If you’re a guard who doesn’t shoot well, you better be able to break down a defense, and Galloway has proven much better at that lately. He averages 4.8 assists per game, but all three of his double-digit assist games have come in the past six games for Indiana. That includes Galloway’s 11 dimes against the Gophers that he dished out despite Johnson playing 22 minutes off the bench. Galloway led a passing effort that saw the Hoosiers assist on a crazy 28 of 30 field goals. Indiana was beat up on the glass by Pharrel Payne and Dawson Garcia, but it still ran away from Minnesota in the second half thanks to that incredibly efficient offensive performance.

In the early game on Wednesday, Michigan State got a win it desperately needed by beating Northwestern 53-49 in a good, old fashioned East Lansing rock fight. The Spartans have mostly been a flashy, guard-led team this season that loves to run the floor and score in transition. In their effort to snap a three-game losing skid, though, they showed a ton of grit against the Wildcats. Michigan State only shot 32 percent from the field, but it grabbed 19 offensive rebounds on 41 missed field goals to generate enough opportunities to pull out a win. Malik Hall was responsible for seven of those offensive boards and a whopping 17 overall to go with his 15 points, and Tre Holloman scored a clutch 12 points off the bench for Michigan State.

Malik Hall (@iammalikhall) absolutely cleaned the glass last night. ✨

Sports Science Stat x @ifs pic.twitter.com/5iFEtO5s3Y

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 7, 2024

With the game on the line, though, of course it was Tyson Walker who showed up to put the game in the W column. Michigan State was clinging to a one-point lead with less than three minutes to play in a game where a field goal had not been made in more than four minutes. Walker proceeded to score layups on two straight possessions to give the Spartans a commanding five-point lead. They still had to sweat, though. Ryan Langborg was making his return to the Northwestern lineup, and was having a pretty miserable game, but he came up huge with a three-point shot that cut Michigan State’s lead to two with a minute to play. After Northwestern got a stop, Langborg had a clean look for three and the lead with 10 seconds left, but the shot clanked off the back rim and Holloman drew a loose-ball foul when he hustled after the rebound. The reserve guard hit his two free throws to wrap up the victory and give the Spartans a little momentum as they head into a huge game at Indiana on the final day of the regular season.

Northwestern bounced back nicely with a 90-66 blowout win against Minnesota on Saturday night in Evanston. Garcia scored 30 points with nine rebounds and three blocks for the Gophers, and Elijah Hawkins had 14 points with 10 assists, but the Northwestern offense was overwhelming on this night. The Cats shot 10-for-18 from deep and 59 percent overall while committing just one turnover. That is ridiculous. They were well balanced as well, with four players handing out at least four assists and four scoring at least 14 points. Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer led the way with 23 points each, and Northwestern looked like that team that you don’t want to face at this time of year. The emergence of Nick Martinelli late in the season has taken the offense to a new level.

The only other Big Ten game this week that I haven’t mentioned yet featured Wisconsin taking care of business at home against Rutgers 78-66. The Scarlet Knights led by seven early in the second half, and they shut down Tyler Wahl and Max Klesmit, but Kamari McGee was a hero off the bench for the Badgers. The seldom-used junior showed off his quickness and scored 11 points in 10 minutes, with nine of them coming during the 19-2 run that let Wisconsin take control of the game. John Blackwell also starred in a backup role with 17 points and eight rebounds, while starting center Steven Crowl was a beast on the boards with six offensive rebounds, 11 total rebounds, and 17 points of his own. AJ Storr led everyone with 19 points.

On the Rutgers side, freshman Gavin Griffiths had one of his best shooting nights of the season by going 4-for-9 from beyond the arc and scoring 14 points, which are the most he’s had since blowing up for 25 against Boston University back in November. As a team, the Knights shot 45 percent from the field, which is pretty damn good for them, especially on the road. The problem was that they turned the ball over 18 times against a team that doesn’t do much to force them. Yuck.

Holy cow, there is just one game left of Big Ten basketball before the Big Ten Tournament and the glorious return of the beautiful pinwheel logo. Northwestern and Minnesota are in the clubhouse, but everyone else has one last game to play on Sunday. The Wildcats look like a good bet for a top four seed and a double bye in the bracket since they just need Wisconsin to lose at Purdue. Nebraska would then be able to join Northwestern with a 12-8 record and a double bye if it wins at Michigan, which is the first game of the day. If the Huskers slip up, it’s possible for there to be a four-way tie for fourth place with Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State. For that to happen, Iowa and Michigan State would have to defeat Illinois and Indiana, respectively. Those are going to be tough games, so we’ll wait for the results before we attempt to figure out how to break the hypothetical tie.

There is also a potential traffic jam when it comes to the 11th seed, which is the highest ranked team that has to play on the first day of the Big Ten Tournament. Penn State occupies the spot now, but it can move to 9-11 with a win at home over Maryland, while Indiana could possibly fall back to 9-11 with a loss to Michigan State. If Ohio State (at Rutgers) and Penn State win while Indiana loses, that would create a four-way tie for seeds eight through 11, so we might have to sort through that as well. I cannot wait for the bracket to come out on Sunday night!

Red Alert — for the re-named CDST “Show with no theme, but a great Abe meme”…

by Brandon Chabner | March 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

After two days in the desert sun, my skin was turning red, in the desert you can remember your name cuz there ain’t one for it to give you no pain… but for this show, if I can’t remember the poinit, it won’t disappoint…. this is the re-named CDST “Show with no theme, but a great Abe meme”.

How bout them apples… and nothing rotten about our clips and tournament preview. Just delicious food for thought. Catch it all at chabdog.com.

Purdue vs. Illinois will be an epic Big Ten clash tonight, but it’s only on Peacock

by Aaron | March 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

The Peacock strikes again! We heard outrage from across the sports universe when the NFL made its Dolphins vs. Chiefs Playoff game exclusively available on NBC’s streaming service. Now, something similar is happening in Big Ten Basketball, and the conference should be embarrassed that the top game on its regular season schedule won’t be in front of as many viewers as possible. Before the Big Ten’s new media rights deal that went into affect this fall, Purdue vs. Illinois on Tuesday night would be on ESPN where every fan knows how to find it, and it would have been promoted all day long on ESPN’s many programs. The new deal might work for football because the Big Ten doesn’t need ESPN when it has games on three major networks all day, but with basketball NBC has made Peacock part of the deal, and that is a nightmare for ratings.

The worst part is that we are over a month away from WrestleMania, so a fan would need to subscribe for two months in order to get Purdue vs. Illinois as well as the Showcase of the Immortals. At least with the NFL sham, the Royal Rumble was included in the price of the football game. As a wrestling and Big Ten fanatic, I’ve been watching on Peacock all season, but for fans who are just getting into college basketball now, the stream exclusive is going to be a major turnoff. They’ll likely just stick with ESPN for Alabama vs. Florida and Kansas State vs. Kansas.

Those who do invest in Peacock should get a great game. Purdue and Illinois met earlier in the season on January 5, and the Boilermakers led comfortably for much of the game on the way to a 83-78 win. However, not only was that game at Mackey Arena where Purdue never loses, but Illinois’ star guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended due to sexual assault allegations. The Illini held Zach Edey to 10 points, but they were burned by Trey Kaufman-Renn, who erupted for 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting. It will be interesting to see if Illinois head coach Brad Underwood employs a similar strategy tonight since Kaufman-Renn hasn’t approached that kind of scoring output in the last two months and hasn’t even scored 10 points in his last six games.

With the game shifting to Champaign’s State Farm Center and Shannon playing some of his best basketball, the Illini are favored by two and a half. It will be the first time Purdue is an underdog in Big Ten play this season and the first time it is an underdog at all since its clash with Arizona back in December. Both teams are riding three-game winning streaks, but Illinois’ schedule has been a little tougher lately with a game at Wisconsin and another against a hot Iowa team at home. Plus, the Illini have scored at least 85 points in their last six games. With Shannon finding his three-point shot and Marcus Domask being a master technician in the paint, this is a team that can come at you from everywhere, and I didn’t even mention Coleman Hawkins’ range at center or the rebounding ability of Quincy Guerrier and Ty Rodgers.

In other words, Illinois won’t be the only defense with its hands full tonight. On the other end, Zach Edey has been unstoppable lately. In Purdue’s last game against Michigan State on Saturday night, Spartan big man Mady Sissoko accumulated four personal fouls in just six minutes. Michigan State threw a bunch of bodies at Edey, but he still scored 32 points on 9-for-15 field goal shooting and 14-for-20 free throw shooting. Edey is too big to keep him from getting into scoring range, but he can be forced into turnovers if he has to put the ball on the floor. Turning a few Edey turnovers into fast-break scoring opportunities will be key for Illinois tonight. Scoring in transition helped the Illini put away Wisconsin on Saturday when Justin Harmon blocked Chucky Hepburn’s shot in the paint in the final two minutes. That led to a fast break and a layup for Shannon to give Illinois a 10-point lead.

Here’s what else happened in the Big Ten over the weekend.

Penn State collapsed against Minnesota for the second time this season

As if one collapse against Minnesota was not enough, Penn State went up by a whopping 23 points in the first half in Minneapolis only to lose 75-70. Hot three-point shooting by Puff Johnson and Ace Baldwin Jr. helped the Lions gain the early edge, but the Gophers whittled the lead down by 12 by halftime and overtook Penn State thanks to some big shots by Cam Christie (19 points) and a key steal by Elijah Hawkins (18 points, 8 assists) down the stretch.

Iowa got another huge win at Northwestern

The Hawkeyes are binging on Quad 1 wins lately, and they might have won five games in a row if not for the awesome offensive performance by Illinois two Saturdays ago. Northwestern is still without Ryan Langborg, but it still shot 54 percent from the field and 10-for-20 from beyond the arc thanks to Boo Buie’s 27 points and 6-for-7 three-point performance. Buie hit some monster shots to keep the Wildcats in the game throughout the second half, but Iowa was just a little better the whole way. The Hawkeyes won 87-80 with 25 assists on 33 made baskets. Tony Perkins had 14 of those assists, while Josh Dix remains as hot as liquid magma with 24 points on 4-for-5 three-point shooting. Payton Sandfort had another well-rounded game with 23 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Iowa is still projected to miss the NCAA Tournament, but it can change that with a win in its final regular season game against Illinois on Sunday.

Indiana might be back after a big second half comeback at Maryland

If Iowa is the potential seventh Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament, could Indiana be the eighth? Probably not, but its insane fans are starting to talk themselves into it now that Mike Woodson’s team has won two straight over Wisconsin and Maryland. The Terps got a rare balanced performance on offense with four players in double figures and 48-percent field goal shooting. They led by 10 at halftime and by as many as 16 in the second half, but the Hoosiers stormed past them and won 83-78 thanks to some solid point guard play by Xavier Johnson off the bench (13 points, six assists), and Mackenzie Mgbako exploding for 24 points on 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

With Johnson healthy, Mgbako playing like a seasoned veteran, and Ware and Reneau dominating the paint, it’s not crazy to think that Indiana could win its final two regular season games against Minnesota and Michigan State. If it does that, the Hoosiers will be a hot pick to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament next week.

Nebraska completes perfect Big Ten home slate and Ohio State gets revenge on Michigan

It was not surprising to see Ohio State blow out Michigan 84-61 on Sunday since the teams are headed in opposite directions. The Buckeyes might have to consider making Jake Diebler the full-time head coach with the way he has led this program after Chris Holtmann was fired, but I’m guessing Ohio State has bigger fish in mind. Meanwhile, the Wolverines have to figure out if Juwan Howard is the man to turn their mess around after a very disappointing campaign.

In the final game of the weekend, Nebraska took care of business against Rutgers 67-56. The Huskers are 10-0 at home in Big Ten play and 1-8 on the road. They have a great chance to get a second conference road win a trip to Ann Arbor this Sunday, but it will still be very interesting to see which Nebraska team we get when the Big Ten Tournament tips off in neutral site Minneapolis. The Huskers have lots of scoring and shooting depth, so if they can bottle up the Pinnacle Bank Arena vibes, they are another dark horse to watch this month.

Ohio State did it again and Iowa’s missed opportunity

by Aaron | February 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

I really thought Ohio State was done with the upsets after it stunned Purdue two weekends ago in interim head coach Jake Diebler’s debut, but on Sunday, the Buckeyes pulled off yet another shocker. They went into East Lansing as 10-point underdogs and beat Michigan State 60-57 with the margin of victory coming on a last-second three-point heave by Dale Bonner. Just moments earlier, Tyson Walker had a chance to put Michigan State ahead with a fair of free throws, but he somehow wedged his first attempt in between the backboard and the rim. Walker had to settle for a tie with his second free throw, but Bonner’s clutch bomb ensured that it didn’t matter.

Ohio State is now 2-1 since Chris Holtmann was fired, and I feel a little bad for him even though he is technically on a paid vacation right now. These kinds of wins are what Ohio State was building towards with its young lineup, and against Michigan State, it was even younger than usually due to Jamison Battle missing the game with an ankle injury. Freshman Scotty Middleton replaced Battle to give Ohio State all underclassman in the starting five. The Buckeyes certainly missed Battle’s three-point prowess, as they went 3-for-17 from beyond the arc in the low-scoring affair, but the Spartans had their own shooting issues and shot just 4-for-16 from that range, including 1-for-9 from Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins.

OHIO STATE STUNS MICHIGAN STATE AT THE BUZZER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/SaIQY2jT0m

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 25, 2024

Still, Michigan State appeared to have the game under control with a 12-point lead and 11 minutes on the clock, but Devin Royal came off the bench for Ohio State and proved to be an unlikely hero alongside Felix Okpara. The pair of big men led the Buckeyes on the comeback trail and closed to within one point at 52-51 with six minutes left, setting the stage for the exciting conclusion. Royal, another freshman, showed off his post moves and mid-range game while scoring 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in just 18 minutes. Okpara added 10 points and six rebounds, with four coming on offense.

No matter who is the head coach for Ohio State next year, the team has a bright future with all the young talent that has emerged this season. If the roster doesn’t fall apart, it should be a very desirable job since whoever gets it will be in line for massive improvement without having to do much. Michigan State, meanwhile, looked like it was a lock for the NCAA Tournament a week ago, but back-to-back home losses over teams with worse records have put the Spartans’ postseason status in doubt. It doesn’t help that their next game is on Saturday at Purdue.

Speaking of the Boilermakers, they took care of business on Sunday with a 84-76 victory at Michigan. The Wolverines as usual showed some life in the first half, but Purdue broke away with an 18-6 run leading into halftime and kept Michigan at arm’s length for the rest of the game. Juwan Howard made the odd decision to not double team Zach Edey, and he took full advantage with 35 points on 14-for-18 shooting. Purdue had a poor shooting day from beyond the arc, going 7-for-24, but Edey and company grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to mitigate the damage. Without all those second chances, it would have been a much more interesting game, as Michigan got a balanced effort on offense led by Dug McDaniel’s 19 points and six assists. The Wolverines shot 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range even with Olivier Nkamhoua out for the rest of the season due to wrist surgery.

The most exciting game of the Big Ten weekend was Illinois’ 95-85 win over Iowa in Champaign. It was also a great example of why gambling should be done responsibly. Iowa was in the game the whole way through and even led by seven with just over 12 minutes left, but Illinois pulled away late with much thanks to a steal and breakaway dunk by Coleman Hawkins that helped it cover the nine-point spread. Hawkins was a major factor all day as he bounced back tremendously from his snafus at the end of the Illini’s loss at Penn State. The long and versatile big man scored 30 points on a scorching 9-for-11 from the field and also dished out five assists and added five steals. Illinois is so tough to play against when Hawkins plays up to his potential because of the nightmare he poses for opposing defenses. He can step back and hit the three against traditional big men and also score in the paint against smaller players. We know what Terrence Shannon Jr. is capable of, but he only needed to score 12 points in this one and Illinois nearly scored 100 points.

FG: 9-11
PTS: 30
AST: 5
STL: 5

Here's every basket from Coleman Hawkins' career-high 30-point afternoon. ⤵️@colehawk23 x @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/RUsHZlqRb1

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 24, 2024

Illinois has all the tools it needs to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, and Brad Underwood showed off the depth of his team early in the second half against Iowa when he made a full line change. The Illini played with five bench players on the floor for about four minutes, and the unit held its own. Italian freshman point guard Niccolo Moretti even stuck around and played in crunch time, hitting a pair of huge three-point shots in the process. I’ve talked before about Illinois lacking a traditional point guard in its starting lineup, and while Underwood has found a way to fill the void, Moretti is certainly someone to watch as a potential impact player in March.

For Iowa, it was a disappointing loss even though the team came in as a big underdog. The Hawkeyes were right there for most of the afternoon, but they missed out on a third straight Quad 1 win. As a result, they are still likely out of the NCAA Tournament field if it was decided today. There are still plenty of chances for Iowa to improve its resume with Northwestern and a rematch with Illinois left on the schedule, but first it must defeat Penn State at home on Tuesday night. Josh Dix led the Hawkeyes in scoring in Champaign, and he is becoming a bigger and bigger factor with his mid-range shooting accuracy.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Penn State impressed me with a win over the reeling Hoosiers. I knew that Indiana was down bad and I knew that the Lions were supposed to win, but I was still dreading the game. Fortunately, Indiana continued to be one of the worst shooting teams in the country by going 2-for-15 from three-point range and 14-for-25 at the free throw line. It’s preposterous that an Indiana team is so bad at the great equalizing factor of basketball, and it has been a major factor in the program having a horrific campaign. The Hoosiers still shot 51 percent from the field with Malik Reneau (27 points) and Kel’el Ware (16 points) dominating in the paint, but Ware’s impact was minimized by foul trouble and Penn State pulled away from Indiana with a 26-for-30 performance from the charity stripe and sharp three-point shooting led by Zach Hicks going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc with 17 points.

THE FOUR POINT PLAY! 👏@zhicks1231 x @PennStateMBB pic.twitter.com/H9xkXsnFWn

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 24, 2024

These days, it’s hard to have a Penn State win without Ace Baldwin Jr. playing well, and he was pretty great on Saturday with 23 points, 7-for-12 shooting, nine assists, and four steals. He also played all 40 minutes and scored eight straight points to give the Lions a little cushion at halftime following a tightly contested first half. The Lions will need Baldwin to keep playing like a stud if they’re going to do anything in the postseason. The NIT is still up for grabs, but to get there, Penn State probably needs to win one of its remaining two road games at Iowa and at Minnesota.

Maryland and Minnesota are two other contenders for the NIT, and they went in opposite directions on Sunday. The Terps picked up a big road win at Rutgers, and it was the first home loss for Rutgers since Penn State went into Piscataway and won 61-46 on the last day of January. Maryland also held the Scarlet Knights under 50 points with a 63-46 victory that was never close after the Terps went on a 10-0 run at the end of the first half that featured three-point shots by Jordan Geronimo, Jahmir Young, and Donta Scott.

We know that Rutgers’ offense has been rotten all year, but it was particularly bad against Maryland’s tough defense. The Knights shot 37 percent from the field, went 2-for-11 from three-point range, and did not have a starter score in double figures. That is ugly. For Maryland, Julian Reese was dominant with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, Young handed out nine assists, and Geronimo played one of his best games of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Minnesota is a team we’ve talked about as a dark horse for the NCAA Tournament here and there, but it has a weak non-conference resume and has fallen short in key spots during Big Ten season. Two weeks ago, the Gophers had a chance to pick up a key road win at Iowa, but Dawson Garcia got hurt and they blew a 19-point second half lead. This latest game at Nebraska was another opportunity for Minnesota. I knew Nebraska had not lost a home game in 2024, but I figured it would be hotly contested because of how well Minnesota was playing lately. Well, it was hotly contested for the first 11 minutes. Then the Huskers pulled away on a 14-2 run and continued to increase their lead in the second half.

Keisei Tominaga and Rienk Mast struggled for Nebraska, but Juwan Gary picked up the slack with a game-high 22 points, 7-for-13, shooting, and eight rebounds. Brice Williams pitched in with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three steals while Nebraska’s defense held Minnesota to 31 percent shooting and forced 13 turnovers. The Gophers have not been very good outside of the Barn this season, but they will need to figure out a way to win on the road at Illinois on Wednesday if they want to keep their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Penn State’s thrilling win in Rec Hall and Indiana gets cooked

by Aaron | February 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

We’ve been saying for years that Penn State Basketball would be a more impressive television product if the home arena wasn’t the Bryce Jordan Center. The giant arena is way too big for a program that strives to be in the middle of the Big Ten standings in a good year. When Penn State plays in the Palestra or at Rec Hall, it looks like a proper basketball program, and sometimes it even plays like one. Wednesday night was one of those nights with Illinois in town. However, for most of the night, it looked like a typical 2024 Penn State loss. The Lions got off to a hot start on offense, but then fizzled and struggled to keep pace with the talented Illini because of their failure to grab a rebound on defense. Illinois often doesn’t need second chances, especially with Terrence Shannon Jr. playing like he did, but it got 19 of them, with the Swiss Army Knife Ty Rodgers grabbing five offensive boards. That helped make up for 18 Illinois turnovers that Penn State needed just to keep the game respectable while Shannon was going off for a career-high 35 points on 10-for-18 shooting.

Another reason why Penn State only trailed by 10 points with two and a half minutes left was Nick Kern Jr. He has shown some upside with his athleticism this season, but again Illinois he got to the basket at will. At one point in the second half, Kern scored 13 straight Penn State points, and he finished with a season-high 22. Now that Kanye Clary is out of the picture, I’m hoping that Kern can stick around for one or two more seasons and develop into a star, but to do that he needs to expand his range past 10 feet from the basket.

IT'S STORMING IN STATE COLLEGE ‼️@PennStateMBB takes down No. 12 Illinois. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/zq0GMzJNVk

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 22, 2024

Anyway, Zach Hicks hit a mid-range shot to cut the deficit to eight points, and then the Illinois collapse began. Shannon drove into the paint and kicked the ball to the corner to set up Luke Goode with a wide-open dagger three. With the way Goode shoots the ball, that should be a layup for him, but he missed, and Hicks answered with a triple for Penn State to cut the lead to five. However, Illinois was still in great shape after two free throws from Marcus Domask and a missed three by Ace Baldwin Jr. Now the Illini were up by seven points with less than a minute left. Shannon tried a runner in the paint, but it bounced out and Jameel Brown took advantage by crushing a three-point shot in transition. Brown’s next play was even bigger, though, because Penn State needed a turnover to make it a one-possession game. Brown came through by stripping Shannon of the ball, which led to an easy layup for Puff Johnson. All of a sudden, the Lions trailed by just two with 30 seconds left.

The pressure was building on Illinois to put the game away, and Coleman Hawkins had a chance to do that when he was fouled by Johnson on the next play even though it looked like Hawkins traveled. It ended up not mattering as Hawkins missed both free throws despite being an 80-percent shooter from the charity stripe this season. Penn State appeared to botch the ensuing possession when Baldwin got stuck in the backcourt and Hicks fired off a prayer of a shot from well beyond the arc, but Hawkins incredibly fouled Hicks in his rush to defend the low-percentage attempt. Hicks calmly sunk all three free throws to give Penn State 90-89 lead and it was a big bail-out moment for Mike Rhoades. He got caught sitting on a timeout during that horrible final possession, but the dumb foul by Hawkins changed everything.

Illinois had no time outs and three seconds left to respond, and it came surprisingly close to winning thanks to a long inbounds pass to Justin Harmon that led to a five-foot runner at the buzzer. The shot fell out, and it was time to party in Happy Valley. The upset win was a great morale booster following the departure of Clary, but it probably won’t change the postseason fate of these Lions. The bubble is too competitive and the team has too many weaknesses. It’s not like Penn State outplayed Illinois for more than one wild final minute.

🗣️ @TheAndyKatz LOVES the idea of future @PennStateMBB games at Rec Hall: pic.twitter.com/2fXrRx2aq2

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) February 23, 2024

I think the best parts to come out of the win were the national media attention that the awesome Rec Hall atmosphere got and the play of Kern. We now have big college hoops personalities like Andy Katz advocating for more games inside Rec Hall, and that’s great for the future of Penn State Basketball. Plus, I’m going to put my hopes and dreams into Kern developing a jump shot and becoming a versatile scorer down the stretch of this season. After all, the NIT is still a longshot.

I’m now afraid that Penn State will suffer a letdown on Saturday against an Indiana team that appears to be cooked following home losses against Northwestern and Nebraska. The Hoosiers had a great opportunity to get into the bubble conversation with wins over the two teams that have struggled on the road all season long. Indiana was indeed favored in both games, but you would not know from the results. After being beaten soundly by Northwestern on soundly, Mike Woodson’s team was crushed by Nebraska 85-70 on Wednesday. The Hoosiers never had the lead and were bombarded by Nebraska’s three-point shooting. The Huskers took more than half their shots (33 out of 63) from beyond the arc and shot 42 percent from there with Jamarques Lawrence coming off the bench with 19 points on 5-for-5 three-point accuracy. Keisei Tominaga was “only” 4-for-9 from deep and he led Nebraska with 20 points. Indiana got a second straight 20-point performance from Mackenzie Mgbako, but its 4-for-21 shooting from three-point range was not enough to keep pace with Nebraska.

Keisei capped off a huge first half with this 3. 👌@KeiseiTominaga x @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/aRNyP5EBe7

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 22, 2024

Mike Woodson has got to be on the hot seat with Indiana continuing to disappoint its fans week after week, but the emergence of the freshman Mgbako and the recent good health of Kel’el Ware at least offer hope for the future. Indiana’s backcourt is still a mess with Xavier Johnson out due to injury and Gabe Cupps coming along slowly (he was shut out in two of his last three games), but these Hoosiers are still plenty talented enough to take out Penn State in the BJC. I’m hoping my Lions take care of business and bury the woeful Hoosiers, but despite our win in Bloomington weeks ago, it’s difficult to trust Penn State with its inconsistent play.

We also got three results on Thursday from the Big Ten, but none of them were very surprising. Purdue bounced back from its upset loss to Ohio State by blowing out Rutgers at Mackey Arena. The Boilers shot 59 percent against Rutgers’ normally stout defense, with freshman Camden Heide going 7-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Having another shooting option to compliment Zach Edey is not what opponents need to see from Purdue right now.

At the Barn, Minnesota pulled away from Ohio State in the second half and won 88-79 despite great games from Bruce Thornton (25 points, 10-for-14 field goals, 6 assists) and Jamison Battle (21 points, 5-for-10 from deep). The Buckeyes shot 51 percent, but the Gophers were even more effective on offense with Elijah Hawkins calling his own number for 24 points in addition to seven assists. Minnesota has now won two straight and five of seven, but an NCAA Tournament bid is still unlikely because of a poor non-conference resume.

With Ohio State and Penn State picking up big wins recently, Michigan is clearly at the bottom of the Big Ten. It stayed that way with a 76-62 loss at Northwestern in which the Wolverines briefly led in the second half before the Wildcats pulled away. Michigan shot the ball better than Northwestern with Nimari Burnett leading the way with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting, but Nick Martinelli continued to be a beast on the offensive glass for Northwestern like he was in the win over Indiana. The Cats won the offensive rebounding battle 14-5 and the turnover battle 11-5 and ended up taking 20 more shots than Michigan. Boo Buie established himself as the Northwestern GOAT by taking over the all-time scoring lead, but Ryan Langborg has been just as key to their chances lately. He led the team with 20 points, knocked down five of his nine three-point attempts, and now has 46 points in his last two games.

It runs in the family 🤞 pic.twitter.com/SSYOa8TYZm

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) February 23, 2024

It’s a light Saturday slate for the Big Ten with Penn State taking on Indiana and then Iowa visiting Illinois. The second game is way more interesting because the Hawkeyes have won two straight over Wisconsin and Michigan State while playing their best basketball of the season. A third straight Quad 1 win could force Iowa into some NCAA Tournament projections but it is not going to be easy in Champaign.

Ain’t a good idea to miss CDST’s “Ain’t That a Wonderment” Show….

by Brandon Chabner | February 22, 2024 | 0 Comments

Take some time, after the Super Bowl and before the Tournament, to go back in your mind to the days when you woke pampered, protected and primed for creating you own play-by-play. Abe the Babe, ChabDog and his Uncle Abie, Well-read, DD and Get the Sensation Yorke invite you the “Ain’t That a Wonderment?” CDST Show. Taking stock of some hockey, as all those teams really start to jockey, the NBA finally gets off the pine built during the force-fed All-Star Break, and of course, it’s time to teach ourselves some college basketball….

Purdue upset by Ohio State and Penn State loses Kanye Clary

by Aaron | February 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

I almost feel bad for Purdue fans even though they have a tremendous basketball team that will probably make the Final Four. No matter what the Boilers do in the regular season, there is nothing they can do to change their reputation as a team that collapses in the big moment. The only way to do that is to win in the NCAA Tournament. Whenever Purdue slips up this season, the doubters and haters (Indiana fans) come out of the woodwork to say “this is what will happen in March.”

I have said since November when Purdue won the Maui Invitational that this team reminds me of the 2019 Virginia team that bounced back and won the national championship after losing to a 16 seed the year before. Maybe Purdue will fulfill that prophecy, or maybe it will hilariously disappoint its rabid fans once again. On Sunday in Columbus, Matt Painter’s team gave us a preview of March or a blip on the radar, depending on your perspective. Despite shooting 20-for-20 from the free throw line and dominating the offensive glass like they always do, the Boilers lost 73-69 to an Ohio State team that was playing its first game since head coach Chris Holtmann was fired.

It didn’t help that Purdue turned the ball over 14 times, most notably when Zed Key poked the ball away from Zach Edey with less than a minute to play and the Boilers needing two points to tie the score. Purdue ended up fouling Jamison Battle, who helped put the game away at the charity stripe.

We're still thinking about Zed Key's impact in Ohio State's upset over then-No. 2 Purdue.

The F had a career-high 5️⃣ steals, to go along with nine points.@iamzedkey x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/XZBdxfJWt1

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 20, 2024

Just moments before, Purdue rallied to overcome a seven-point deficit and tied the game 65-65 on Lance Jones’ clutch three-point jumper, but Battle answered with a 15-foot jumper to ensure that Ohio State would not fall behind. The Buckeyes were boosted by Battle’s 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting as well as 26 points from a bench effort led by Key and Dale Bonner. Purdue, meanwhile, got its usual great effort from Edey (22 points, 7-for-11 shooting, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks) but only four points from the bench. I still have no clue how Ethan Morton gets more than 10 minutes a game on team as talented as Purdue.

Ohio State interim head coach Jake Diebler made a great impression and he’ll have a case to keep the job full time with a few more wins down the stretch. I will feel very smart for talking about the potential of Ohio State’s young core if the team can upset Minnesota or Michigan State on the road.

Indiana blew a chance to join the bubble

Speaking of upsets, only one other Big Ten underdog won outright over the weekend. That was Northwestern defeating Indiana, but we can probably have a long argument over whether or not the Wildcats should have been considered the underdog in Bloomington. While they have been way more successful than Indiana this year and are projected to make the NCAA Tournament, Northwestern hasn’t impressed on the road. That’s why I saw this game as a great opportunity for Indiana to get a quality win and get into the bubble conversation. I should have known that the Hoosiers would waste it since they have shown so little heart and fight this season.

Indiana found a way to lose 76-72 while shooting 16 percent better than Northwestern (51 percent to 35 percent). It’s just another facepalm moment for Hoosiers fans who have suffered through a brutal campaign filled with disappointment after disappointment. Indiana lost the turnover battle 11-3 and the offensive rebounding battle 14-6 to the more disciplined and tougher Wildcats. Indiana shouldn’t be getting crushed on the glass like that in any game that Kel’el Ware plays 36 minutes in, but to Ware’s credit he collected 16 boards (four on offense) to go with his 22 points and four blocks. I guess no other Hoosiers wanted to rebound, so Nick Martinelli and Matthew Nicholson combined to create 10 second chances for Northwestern and they each had a double-double in this game.

The big star of the game for Northwestern, however, was Ryan Langborg. With Brooks Barnhizer and Boo Buie struggling for most of the game until Buie finally got going with eight straight points to put Indiana away, Langborg scored 26 points with six assists and zero turnovers while playing all 40 minutes. That’s the kind of effort the Wildcats need from the Princeton transfer down the stretch with Ty Berry missing the rest of the season due to injury.

Iowa makes its case for March Madness

While Indiana squandered its opportunity, the leading candidate for a seventh Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament is now Iowa. The Hawkeyes picked up two huge wins over the last four days when they beat Wisconsin 88-86 in overtime on Saturday and followed that up with a big 78-71 road upset over Michigan State on Tuesday night. Just a week ago, Iowa had zero Quad 1 wins on its resume and now it has two. I’m still catching up with what a Quad 1 win is because I was just starting to figure out RPI when they got rid of that, but going from zero to two sounds like a big deal.

Even more impressive than Iowa’s recent results is that Fran McCaffery’s team got contributions from different players. In the home game against Wisconsin, it was all about Owen Freeman, Tony Perkins, and Josh Dix. Freeman was a force down low with 20 points scored on just six field goal attempts as well as 12 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks. It was the most complete game of the season for the likely Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Dix was unstoppable from the mid-range with 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting while Perkins came up clutch down the stretch with 16 of his 18 points coming in the second half and overtime. He tied the score 78-78 with a driving left-handed layup at the end of regulation and then won it with one second left in overtime on another drive where he powered through a steal attempt by Chucky Hepburn.

It's a 🔟-0️⃣ @IowaHoops run. 💥

💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/Hu31h8Nswg

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 21, 2024

The script was very different in East Lansing with Freeman only playing eight minutes due to foul trouble. Ben Krikke took over as the go-to guy down low and provided 18 points with 14 rebounds. Payton Sandfort only connected on two of his seven three-point attempts, but he did a great job getting to the basket and pacing Iowa’s transition offense with 22 points and six rebounds. During Iowa’s huge run at the end of the first half, Sandfort stole the ball and hit Patrick McCaffery for a breakaway dunk. The coach’s son would score 14 points off the bench and Iowa overcame a strong three-point shooting night by Michigan State with 51 percent overall shooting.

Iowa has a chance to pull off a third straight Quad 1 win when it visits Illinois on Saturday, and that promises to be another high-scoring affair played at a fast pace. A big game to watch this weekend!

Maryland is falling out of the at-large race

It looked like Maryland had the upper hand on Iowa to secure an NCAA Tournament bid when it came from behind to defeat the Hawkeyes last week, but since then the two programs’ fortunes have reversed. The Terps also had two chances at Quad 1 wins on Saturday and Tuesday, but they dropped both of them to Illinois and Wisconsin. Maryland’s hopes at an at-large bid are now dismal.

It’s not the Terps didn’t put up a fight. They were playing with heavy hearts against Illinois on Saturday following the death of legendary Maryland head coach Lefty Driesell, and while Kevin Willard’s bunch hung with the superior Illini throughout the second half, Illinois never surrendered the lead. Jahmir Young came awfully close, though, with around three minutes to play. Maryland was down by one and Coleman Hawkins tried to save his own rebound under the basket and blindly chuck the ball out to midcourt. Young was there to corral the wild pass, but his fast-break layup was thwarted by Marcus Domask’s defense. Justin Harmon picked the ball up and found Hawkins wide open on the other end of the court, where he dunked the ball and was fouled. Instead of Maryland taking a one-point lead, the Illini lead expanded to two possessions. That’s quite the swing in a game that was tight throughout, and the Terps didn’t get a better chance to pull even in the 85-80 defeat.

A HUGE sequence ended with a CLUTCH and-one Coleman Hawkins 👏@colehawk23 x @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/dLEVBB2a7w

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 18, 2024

It was a tough loss for Maryland, not just because it needed the game, but because the Terps are usually in great shape when they get solid production from Young, Julian Reese, and Donta Scott in the same game. All three guys did their thing on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Illinois’ deep offense led by the amazing Terrence Shannon Jr. who scored 27 points and went 14-for-16 at the free throw line.

Illinois as a team went 32-for-36 at the stripe, and Maryland ran into a similar problem when it traveled to Madison for Tuesday’s tilt with the Badgers. Wisconsin closed the first half with a 37-29 lead thanks to a three-point shot by Chucky Hepburn and led by two or more possessions for most of the second half. Once again, the Terps could not keep their opponent off the free throw line, and Wisconsin shot 28-for-31 from there with Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl, and John Blackwell doing most of the damage. The foul shot barrage made it impossible for Maryland to make a solid dent in Wisconsin’s second half advantage, even with Young, Reese, and Scott combining for 50 points. Tyler Wahl and his 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting held keep the Terps at bay before Klesmit put them away with a three-point shot in the final minute. Badgers won 74-70, but I’m still not convinced they have pulled out of their February slump. I need to see them win their next two at Indiana and vs. Illinois at home before I can say they are ready for March.

The Penn State disaster

I’m trying to cover the entire Big Ten, but I’m also a huge Penn State fan, so I don’t even know if Kanye Clary being removed from the Nittany Lion program is news that resonates beyond me. He was just a sophomore and Penn State’s best player. He was a foundational piece that Mike Rhoades could have built a program around. Now he is gone and we don’t know why. Yes, you can always find a patch in the transfer portal, but Clary was shaping up to be the type of player that you don’t just find a patch for. The good news is that Ace Baldwin Jr. is doing a good job as the floor general, and he might come back as a graduate student for one more season. The bad news is that Baldwin has not shot the ball well during Penn State’s three-game losing streak and the most recent game at Nebraska was not close for the second half.

Kanye Clary is no longer with the Penn State basketball program. This is awful for the future of the team since Clary had so much potential as a foundation piece. Maybe Ace Baldwin Jr. will return. Penn State needs him. #WeAre pic.twitter.com/H8ahHSMAzU

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) February 19, 2024

There’s not much to say about Nebraska from the 68-49 result. The Huskers took care of business at home like they always do and Keisei Tominaga hit a disgusting step-back three over Puff Johnson while leading Nebraska with 17 points. I guess it’s encouraging for Nebraska that it won handily while only shooting 4-for-21 from beyond the arc, but Penn State’s offense was so putrid that Zach Hicks led the team in scoring despite going 1-for-7 on his own three-point shots. I will be interested to see if Nebraska can finally win a conference road game tonight against the no-heart Hoosiers. Indiana is favored by one and a half as of this writing!

Penn State has Illinois at home and instead of the cavernous Bryce Jordan Center, the game will be played at Rec Hall, which will feel like an old-school basketball gym. The environment should give the Lions a better home-court advantage, but that probably still won’t be enough to make up for a big talent gap. The Illini are favored by seven and a half.

Best of the rest

Minnesota beat Rutgers 81-70 on Sunday, which ended a four-game winning streak for the Scarlet Knights. If Rutgers had come out on top, I might have to start considering them as a very dark horse to make a run on the bubble, but the Gophers helped me kick that can down the road with a fantastic offensive performance against one of the best defenses in the country. You just don’t see many teams shoot 51 percent against Rutgers, even in their own buildings. Minnesota turned the ball over 15 times, which helped Rutgers keep the game close in the first half, but the second half was all Gophers.

The Knights got 19 points each from Derek Simpson and Clifford Omoruyi, but Pharrel Payne had his best game of the season for Minnesota. Even with the Gophers shooting so well, Payne still found seven offensive rebounds and 11 total while scoring 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting with zero turnovers. If he can play like this more often, the frontcourt combo of Payne and Dawson Garcia will be a very tough one to deal with. Elijah Hawkins did a great job at point guard as well. He scored 16 points with six rebounds and seven assists. Minnesota as a team had 20 assists on 25 made baskets. Make Ben Johnson the Coach of the Year.

Finally, Michigan State handled Michigan 73-63 on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. The Spartans were dealing with a major upset scare, but the Wolverines failed to score for the final seven minutes while turning the ball over five times in a span of six possessions. That spurt of futility helped Michigan State close the game on a 10-0 and cover the spread in a game that looked like a disaster midway through the second half. With Sparty going on to lose at home against Iowa, we can now say this game said more about Michigan than Michigan State, and it said that Michigan is a tire fire.

How about that Blue Jay named Kalk…

by Brandon Chabner | February 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

He really gums things up inside the paint… he can walk the walk, talk the talk, and block block block.

Rest in Peace Coach Driesell…

by Brandon Chabner | February 17, 2024 | 0 Comments

Maryland Men’s Basketball just lost its standard-bearer and godfather today, with the passing of Coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell.
That man sold me on MD basketball the first time I saw him clap…. the way only Lefty could clap, and when
he assured us “Baby, I can coach”. No, the Terps never won it all under his reign, but his guys
did have plenty of powerful moments, and everybody … even Duke and the Heels learned to fear the turtle.
Lefty’s 1973 squad was a prime example… loaded with talent,
with plenty of heart, but just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Driesell had a way with words, and he could certainly sell, but at his core he
was much more…. a born leader.

Ohio State fires Chris Holtmann and Maryland wins a bubble battle

by Aaron | February 16, 2024 | 0 Comments

Wisconsin finally broke its four-game losing streak in very Wisconsin-like fashion on Tuesday night. It used solid defense and three-point shooting by Max Klesmit to close the first half on a 16-3 run that turned an 18-18 tie into a 34-21 advantage. Ohio State got within five points in the second half, but Chucky Hepburn answered with a three-point shot followed by a steal and a breakaway layup while the Buckeyes failed to score for seven straight minutes. When Bruce Thornton finally got his team back on the scoreboard with 1:36 to play, Hepburn responded with another triple to put the game away. Perhaps the most thrilling part of the game was Jamison Battle not scoring all game until he hit a three with 16 seconds left to cover the 9.5-point spread for Ohio State. Klesmit had a chance to expand the lead back to 10 points, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Badgers settled for a 62-54 victory.

Chucky Hepburn creates so much offense with his defense. 💥@ChuckyHepburn x @BadgerMBB

💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/Pdu8gNTINj

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 14, 2024

It wasn’t the most impressive win for Wisconsin since it came at home against Ohio State, but Greg Gard’s team will take what it can get after dropping games to Rutgers and Michigan on the road. The real excitement came on Wednesday when reports came out about Ohio State firing Chris Holtmann after six and a half seasons with the program. Holtmann made the NCAA Tournament four times (would have been five if not for the pandemic) in a row since taking over for Thad Matta in 2017. However, he never made the Sweet 16 and his highest seeded NCAA Tournament team was upset by Oral Roberts in the first round in 2021. 2023 was a disaster for Holtmann, as his team lost 14 of 15 games in the middle of conference play and finished 16-19 overall. It looked like everything would change this season, as Ohio State beat Alabama in November and improved to 12-2 when it defeated Rutgers on January 3. The Buckeyes have won just two games since, though, and athletic director Gene Smith has had enough of the losing.

I don’t blame Ohio State for expecting to make the NCAA Tournament every year. but I’m surprised Holtmann got fired when he has such a young and intriguing group of sophomores at the core of his team. Keeping a group of starters together for more than one season in today’s college basketball environment is rare, but I think Holtmann had something with Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Felix Okpara, and Evan Mahaffey. They have not been winning much lately, but they are also playing in a league that’s full of fourth- and fifth-year players in the starting lineup. With the way they are all improving together as first-year starters, I wouldn’t be surprised if the group returned next season as juniors and finished in the top third of the Big Ten. With Holtmann gone, it’s more likely that the program will be reset under a new head coach who wants to bring in his own players.

In the other Big Ten game on Tuesday, Illinois destroyed Michigan 97-68 to bounce back from the loss it suffered at Michigan State on Saturday. It was a complete offensive performance by the Illini, and they shot 56 percent from the field as well as 48 percent from beyond the arc. Terrence Shannon Jr. played his best game since returning from suspension with 31 points on 11-for-15 shooting. Shannon is going to be impossible to stop when he’s knocking down three-point shots like he was against Michigan. There’s no way to close out on him without giving him a chance to explode to the rim.

Beautiful ball movement ➡️ TSJ 3-pointer

No. 14 @IlliniMBB is on fire. 🔥

💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/obpalLW6BP

— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) February 14, 2024

With Holtmann out at Ohio State, there will now be more attention paid to Juwan Howard’s seat and how warm it’s getting in Ann Arbor. Howard got off to a hot start in his tenure with a run to the Elite Eight in 2021 with a team led by Hunter Dickinson and Franz Wagner, but the next season he barely made the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed before saving face with a surprise Sweet 16 appearance. However, Howard is now about to go two straight seasons without a tourney appearance that became routine under John Beilein. No one is going to say anything right away because Howard is a Michigan legend from the Fab Five and he just had open heart surgery in September, but this season has been an embarrassment for Wolverine fans, and Beilein is just sitting there on Big Ten Network… awkward.

Kevin Willard was another coach that I thought was in trouble this season. He’s only in his second season at Maryland, but expectations were high and his team has been pitiful on offense for most of the season. Still, the Terps could easily be trending towards the NCAA Tournament right now if they had just defeated Rutgers at home and Ohio State on the road. They blew both of those winnable games, but got back on track with a 78-66 comeback win over Iowa on Wednesday. I was all set to finally write Maryland off for good when it fell behind by 10 points with 12 minutes left on a dunk by Owen Freeman, but Willard rallied the troops and they went on a 21-6 run over the next seven minutes. Jahmir Young and Julian Reese did most of the damage, and when the dust had cleared, Maryland was rolling away with a win that it desperately needed. The Terps shot 57 percent while outscoring Iowa 47-29 in the second half.

Willard has had major issues finding offensive production from the two spots in his lineup not filled by Young, Reese, and Donta Scott, but it looks like Deshawn Harris-Smith might finally be breaking out. He played a major role in the win over Iowa with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting in 32 minutes off the bench. That would be a huge lift to Maryland’s offense if it could get that output more often from the freshman.

What a nifty move from @TerrapinHoops' DeShawn Harris-Smith. 🌀 pic.twitter.com/NHdWBshmuz

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 15, 2024

From the Iowa perspective, this was a game that could have gone a long way towards its own tourney hopes. The Hawkeyes did not shoot well after the break, and Tony Perkins had a poor night against Maryland’s tough defense. You can usually count on the senior point guard for 15 to 20 points, but he scored just nine in College Park on 3-for-13 shooting. Also, Ben Krikke can apparently only score against my Nittany Lions. In the two games since he exploded for 22 points in Happy Valley, Krikke has combined for just 17 points. He looked like Iowa’s best player back in November, but he’s been very quiet in some of these Big Ten games. With the next three games against Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Illinois, Iowa’s NCAA Tournament hopes are looking bleak.

Also on Wednesday night, Penn State lost at home to Michigan State 80-72. The game wasn’t really that close, as the Spartans led by double digits for almost all of the second half. They first started to pull away in the first half when Penn State turnovers led to some easy transition buckets for Michigan State. With four wins in its last five games, Tom Izzo’s team is rounding into form, and this win was especially encouraging because Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard combined for just 10 points. Michigan State still shot 51 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range thanks to Malik Hall posting his best game of the season and Jaden Akins pouring on 20 points. Hall is such an important player for the Spartans because he’s their only consistent post threat on a team that plays three guards for most of the time. Hall’s talents were on full display against my Nittany Lions as he showed off his scoring in the post and his ability to stretch out the defense and shoot from mid-range and beyond. A brand like Michigan State doesn’t sneak up on anyone, but this team seems to be peaking at the right time and it could end up with a deceptively low seed in March.

Malik Hall has been hot for @MSU_Basketball in the second half. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eId47Q2k4P

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 15, 2024

For Penn State, it sucks to lose that badly when you have good shooting nights like we got from Zach Hicks (5-for-6 from deep) and Nick Kern (2-for-2 from deep, 6-for-7 overall), but getting stops was a major issue and 15 turnovers was too much when Michigan State was looking to run off of every change in possession. Ace Baldwin Jr. and D’Marco Dunn both played poorly, and that won’t lead to wins while Kanye Clary is still on the mend. Clary at least looked a little healthier against Sparty with eight points and five assists in 23 minutes. Maybe this weekend he can return to the starting lineup.

This weekend promises to be another exciting one in the Big Ten with all 14 teams in action, but Thursday wasn’t so bad either. The night started with Northwestern visiting Rutgers and we got to see just how far Boo Buie can carry a team. Not only did we learn before the game that Ty Berry would miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus, but Ryan Langborg was ejected on a Flagrant 2 foul in the first half when he elbowed Jamichael Davis in the ball sack. Chris Collins already ran a pretty shallow rotation, so now he had to dust off freshman guard Jordan Clayton and Justin Mullins, a sophomore wing who transferred from Denver.

Absolutely nuts that Ryan Langborg got ejected for this.

Northwestern got shafted. pic.twitter.com/wA45500Vld

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) February 16, 2024

Northwestern fans have apparently been clamoring for Collins to play Mullins more all season. He showed off some skill and athleticism with eight points and four blocked shots while Boo Buie proved that it really is possible to shoot well inside Jersey Mike’s Arena. He led the Wildcats to a 34-27 halftime lead and finished with 27 points on 6-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, Buie only had one assist because no one else on his team could hit a shot. With Berry and Langborg out, Northwestern needed Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli to step up, but they combined to shoot 6-for-24 and score 17 points.

Despite the offensive struggles, Northwestern held off Rutgers for much of the second half. It looked like the Scarlet Knights were taking control when Clifford Omoruyi took a Derek Simpson pass and slammed the ball home while being fouled by Martinelli. The subsequent free throw tied the score at 44-44, but Northwestern countered with seven straight points. However, the Wildcats ended up being stuck on 51 points for more than six minutes while Rutgers rallied past them and took the lead on Simpson’s pull-up jumper with five minutes to play. The Knights would lead by as many as five, but Northwestern fought back and tied the game when Barnhizer knocked down a wide open three thanks to a defensive collapse by Rutgers. The Wildcats could not build on it, though. Aundre Hyatt answered with a triple of his own to send the fans home happy with a 63-60 Rutgers victory.

The Knights have now won four straight games since Jeremiah Williams made his season debut on February 3. Williams does a little bit of everything and his steady hand at point guard allows Simpson to work off the ball more. Against Northwestern, Williams led the Knights with 15 points and five assists while adding five rebounds and three blocks.

Our last Big Ten game before the weekend featured Minnesota and Purdue. I thought I would be able to turn it off early based on how dominant the Boilers have been at Mackey Arena, but the Gophers nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the conference slate. This game was wild with both teams leading by 10 points at different times. Purdue jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the first five minutes on a Lance Jones three-point shot, but Minnesota got hot from beyond the arc and stormed back to take an eight-point lead at halftime. The Boilers fell behind by 10 on the first possession of the second half thanks to Pharrel Payne’s layup, but they would never trail by more than that. Minnesota’s three-point shooting cooled off and Mason Gillis came up big off the bench for Purdue with four three-point field goals and three assists throughout the game.

The effort from Edey. 💪@zach_edey x @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/XRlH7YYdcU

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 16, 2024

Dawson Garcia got hurt in the brutal collapse against Iowa, but he looked perfectly healthy in this one and scored 24 points while refusing to let the Gophers fade away. They closed within two points with four minutes to play, but Edey and Gillis countered with clutch buckets to finally close the door on Minnesota and keep Purdue undefeated at home this season.

Weekend of hoops

Has Wisconsin truly righted the ship after defeating the lowly Buckeyes? We’ll find out when the Badgers visit Iowa on Saturday to face a Hawkeyes team that cannot afford to lose. Like Iowa, Maryland is another squad that has a chance to defeat a ranked opponent at home and boost its NCAA Tournament chances. The Terps get a stiff test with Illinois in town.

On Sunday, Minnesota looks to bounce back from two tough road losses with a home game against Rutgers, but can the Scarlet Knights be cooled off? We’ll also get to see if Indiana can stick in the NCAA Tournament conversation. The Hoosiers can give their resume a boost by beating Northwestern, and the Wildcats have proven to be vulnerable on the road even with Ty Berry in the lineup.

Whether you loved or hated last week’s result, this week’s “Helter-Skelce” CDST Show may well be just the cathartic cleanse the Dr. ordered…

by Brandon Chabner | February 15, 2024 | 0 Comments

Whether you loved or hated last week’s result, this week’s “Helter-Skelce” CDST Show may well be just the cathartic cleanse the Dr. ordered. This week we welcome Abe Miranda to the Hermosa Beach studios, along with Kansas City Chiefs superfan cousin Wayne, the Pickle Ball king of Lee’s Summit, who’s sitting on top of the world after this year’s title run. We’ll break down last week’s game, along with college b-ball and the NBA. Plus a little more Travis than you may have bargained for.

Michigan State gets a big win and Bruce Thornton rescues Ohio State in double overtime

by Aaron | February 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

I thought Michigan State had a chance to be a home underdog against Illinois on Saturday afternoon. The Illini might be ranked 10th in the AP Poll, but Michigan State is not far behind in terms of talent and it was playing at home. I was ready to jump all over the Spartans if the line was close to zero. It’s hard to fool the books, though. Michigan State was favored by three and a half when I checked in on Saturday morning. I said “screw it” and took Sparty anyway. Tom Izzo’s team was rounding into form and needed this win for its NCAA Tournament resume.

Laying the points didn’t look like a great decision for much of the afternoon, especially when Marcus Domask knocked down a three-point shot to put Illinois ahead 72-64 with less than eight minutes to play. The Spartans owned the rest of the game, though. A.J. Hoggard stepped up with a three of his own in transition and then scored three the old fashioned way with a great head fake on Coleman Hawkins in the paint. The “and one” free throw tied the score at 72-72, but Michigan State wasn’t done. Malik Hall hit a big driving layup plus the foul to put Sparty ahead, and Tyson Walker stole the ball and put in a breakaway layup to help his team pull away and win 88-80. Great teams cover.

A.J. HOGGARD TIES IT UP AT 72 😤 pic.twitter.com/T1HYktWnb9

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 10, 2024

It was a rare performance by Michigan State that saw the Big Three of Walker, Hoggard, and Hall all play like a Big Three at the same time. Hoggard and Hall combined for 45 points with Hall going 7-for-9 from the field and Hoggard adding five assists. That meant that Walker didn’t have to break his back carrying the offense. The effort by Sparty was enough to overcome a 28-point, 7-rebound effort from Terrence Shannon Jr. Illinois might have been a little too perimeter-oriented in this one with half of its field goal attempts coming from three-point range. While the Illini shot 11-for-30 from beyond the arc, Michigan State got work done in the paint while going 5-for-8 from downtown. Efficiency!

The only other exciting game on Saturday came from a surprising place: Columbus, Ohio! Maryland had a chance to pick up an impressive road win against an Ohio State squad that is every bubble team’s dream. That’s because the Buckeyes are a lousy team that for some reason has a strong NET rating. Beating them will look good to the nerds on the NCAA Tournament selection committee even though it’s not that hard to do so. Even my Nittany Lions beat Ohio State (although we also lost to them on the road). Sounds like a great opportunity for the Terps, right! That is correct, but Maryland blew it anyway even though Ohio State only led for five minutes during the game that ended up going into double overtime.

It was a duel between shoot-first point guards as Jahmir Young and Bruce Thornton posted nearly identical stat lines. Young scored 26 points points with seven rebounds and four assists while Thornton had 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while shooting a better percentage. It was Thornton who was the most clutch performer, as well. He tied the game at 61-61 on a three-point shot with one minute left in regulation and also tied the score at 71-71 with a layup near the end of the first overtime. On both occasions, Maryland had a chance following Thornton’s equalizer to take the lead with free throws, but both times the Terps failed miserably. Donta Scott, who otherwise had a solid game with 19 points on 5-for-9 shooting, missed a pair at the end of the second half and Julian Reese clanked both of his at the end of the first overtime.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Maryland had a chance to send the game to triple overtime after Thornton came up big again and gave the Buckeyes a 77-75 lead, but Scott’s layup attempt was blocked by Zed Key. That led to a breakaway for Ohio State and a thunderous dunk by Roddy Gayle Jr. that put the game away. Brutal, brutal loss for the Terrapins.

Blowouts galore

The rest of the Saturday slate was filled with three blowouts, but at least one of them was somewhat surprising. I thought Wisconsin had a decent chance to end its three-game losing streak at Rutgers, but the beatings will continue for the Badgers as they fell 78-56 thanks to a surprisingly hot shooting day from the Scarlet Knights. They went 10-for-17 from beyond the arc with half the makes coming from Noah Fernandes, who has been very inconsistent this season. On Saturday, he was as consistent as you can possibly be, going 6-for-6 from the field for 17 points off the bench. Wisconsin fell behind 9-0 right from the jump and appeared rattled by the arena formerly known as the RAC. The Badgers had 11 of their 12 turnovers come in the first half and fell behind 37-28 at the break.

The second half didn’t go any better for Wisconsin thanks to Clifford Omoruyi blocking eight shots and grabbing 13 rebounds. That defense helped limit Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl to seven points each, and we just blogged last week about how Wisconsin needs to get more out of Wahl to snap this skid. While the Badgers are scuffling, the Knights are surging with three straight wins since my Lions crushed them by 15 points. A big reason why is the return of Jeremiah Williams, who missed all of last season with an Achilles injury at Iowa State and 20 games of this season due to a gambling suspension. Rutgers is still glad they called that guy, because he has scored in double figures in all three of his appearances, which have coincided with the winning streak. Against Wisconsin, Williams led Rutgers with 18 points and seven assists.

Purdue is beating Indiana so badly that Zach Edey hit his first career three-pointer to impress NBA scouts… hope he called bank. pic.twitter.com/NXouqWMM2W

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) February 11, 2024

The other two blowouts weren’t of the upset variety. Purdue and Nebraska both destroyed their feeble opponents by the score of 79-59, and both games weren’t really that close. Purdue beat Indiana so badly that Zach Edey fired off a three-point shot in the second half, and it went in off the backboard for his first career three-point field goal. The Hoosiers got a boost before the game when Kel’el Ware was healthy enough to play, and his dunk made the score 20-18 Purdue midway through the first half, but the Boilers went to break on a 15-1 run and exploded out of halftime with 10 more consecutive points to end the competitive portion of the contest. It was the first time since 1993-94 that Purdue has defeated Indiana twice in a season by 20 or more points. As ugly that is for Indiana, it can reenter the NCAA Tournament discussion if it wins its next two games against Northwestern and Nebraska. Both games are at Assembly Hall, and both opponents have struggled mightily on the road this season.

I supposed that brings us to Nebraska’s win over Michigan. The Huskers ended any sort of confidence boost the Wolverines might have gotten from their upset of Wisconsin and continued home dominance in Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska went up by double digits in the first seven minutes and led by 30 within 15 minutes. It was never close. Keisei Tominaga led everyone with 19 points and shot 8-for-14 from the field while Michigan as a team shot 32 percent. Olivier Nkamhoua had just three points on 1-for-10 shooting.

Not so fun Sunday

Sunday proved me right when it came to not entertaining any NCAA Tournament talk for Penn State. We lost 68-63 at Northwestern despite holding the Wildcats to 32 percent shooting. Remember, that’s what Michigan shot when it lost to Nebraska by a million. The rebounding monster reared its ugly head again for the Nittany Lions. Northwestern grabbed 13 of its missed compared to just three offensive boards for Penn State. Ty Berry was out of action for the Wildcats, but Kanye Clary is still clearly bothered by whatever injury he has because he went 0-for-3 with 0 points in just 14 minutes off the bench. Ace Baldwin Jr. continued to carry the load at point guard, but his shooting cooled off. He went 4-for-13 from the field and did not make a three until it was too late for the Lions to come back.

The silver lining for Penn State was Nick Kern Jr.’s great performance. He has shown the ability to get to the rim all season, but he really flashed it on Sunday with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting to go with seven rebounds and three assists. With four minutes to play, Baldwin stole the ball and set up Kern with a breakaway layup to bring Penn State to within a point at 54-53, but Northwestern got its act together following a timeout. First, Ryan Langborg got wide open for a three-point shot that turned a one-score game into a two-score game. Then, Baldwin through the ball away. The Wildcats got it back and Matthew Nicholson got a free path for a dunk when Qudus Wahab was too aggressive defending what he thought was a hand-off to Boo Buie.

Even the best teams have trouble in Welsh-Ryan Arena this season, but it is still a stinging loss for Penn State because the game was close late and you have to take advantage of a rare poor shooting game from Buie and company.

1⃣3⃣-0⃣ run 💥@IowaHoops has come all the way back to take its first lead since it was 2-0. pic.twitter.com/qkZhiE21Ej

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 11, 2024

At least Penn State’s loss was not as bad as Minnesota’s loss at Iowa later in the afternoon. The Gophers went up 62-42 on a Mike Mitchell Jr. three-point shot with 16 minutes left, but then Dawson Garcia left the game due to injury and everything fell apart for the road team. Garcia was having a ridiculous game with 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. That is beyond dominant in just 25 minutes of game, but a 20-point lead is a 20-point lead and Minnesota still blew it. Payton Sandfort and Patrick McCaffery were the two biggest factors in Iowa’s wild comeback with Sandfort giving the Hawkeyes a 78-77 lead on a driving layup with four and a half minutes left. He followed that up with a three-point shot to cap a 16-0 Iowa run and the Gophers did not recover. Iowa won 90-85 with Minnesota only covering the 7.5-point spread because Mitchell hit a “meaningless” three-point shot in the final seconds. I don’t even know if that’s a bad beat for Iowa backers or a narrowly-avoided bad beat for Minnesota backers. Going from being up 20 in the second half to not covering a three-possession spread would be upsetting to say the least.

The week of ball

The Big Ten is back in action on Tuesday night with Michigan visiting Illinois and Ohio State heading to Wisconsin. The Illini are expected to hammer Michigan while the Badgers are still looking to break that losing streak. Ohio State is as good a team as there is for that to happen, but Wisconsin has had trouble with attacking guards like Kanye Clary and Dug McDaniel, and Bruce Thornton is a similar type of player. On the other hand, three of the four Wisconsin losses in this streak have come on the road, with only Purdue defeating the Badgers in Madison. Wisconsin has to take care of business tonight.

Wednesday features Michigan State at Penn State and Iowa at Maryland. The Lions have been tough at home, but it feels like Sparty is gearing up for March, so I think Tom Izzo’s team wins a close one. Iowa and Maryland are two teams that are running out of chances to make a run at the NCAA Tournament, and whoever loses this one will be heartbroken. I will go with Maryland’s defense and home court over Iowa’s offense.

On Thursday Northwestern looks to prove itself on the road against Rutgers and if the Knights win, we might have to pay some serious attention to them. On the other hand, their non-conference resume is almost as weak as Penn State’s, so I will probably have to pump the brakes on them as well. Keep watching Jeremiah Williams because he is a major factor in Rutgers’ turnaround. In the other Thursday game, Minnesota should get destroyed by Purdue, especially if Dawson Garcia is ruled out. If it gets out of hand, I will look for Edey to try another three and prop up his NBA Draft stock.

Chiefs Chase Down Super Bowl Title No. 4 in 2024 …

by Brandon Chabner | February 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Kansas City Chiefs won 25-22 against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP Photo/John Locher)

SF didn’t close the barn door, and look what crept through… talk about getting shot by the foot, or on the foot… a title vanishes for the 0 for 3 in the 21st Century Niners, when the offense goes to sleep for just a little too long. And it was the little things, like kicking and special teams, along with having the best player on your side, that made all the difference. KC may well have made that touchdown on the final drive of regulation… we’ll never know. All we know is that missed extra point meant the Chiefs got into overtime, and that was all they needed. And yes, 3 in 4 years does make a dynasty.

Abe’s Super Bowl LVIII Pick

by Abe Miranda | February 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

FUCK YOU JACKSON MAHOMES, FUCK YOU TRAVIS KELCE & FUCK YOU TAYLOR SWIFT YOU FUCKING SCUMBAGS

SAN FRANCISCO -2 & HERE’S MY BETTING SLIP

(Courtesy of BetMGM Sports)

| | @darthvaber99

Tune in to ChabDog Sports Talk’s “Black Sunday Segue” Show.

by Brandon Chabner | February 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

Tune in to ChabDog Sports Talk’s “Black Sunday Segue” Show. Your mind, it’ll blow. And before you go whole hog in with the Niners, fully consider the sidewinding destruction to be wrought by the sidearm slings of Sideshow bobbing and lobbing Phat Pat. Plus prop bets that will shock and appall you.
Plus A-ron’s on when it comes to Big 10 hoops, Abe previews a new tight fitting shirt themed circa 1990s, Well-read has a new doo, and Dorothy Dawn teaches us more about nutrition.

Penn State might be a wagon and Wisconsin stumbles at Michigan

by Aaron | February 9, 2024 | 0 Comments

I’m still not entertaining any NCAA Tournament talk with regards to my Penn State Nittany Lions. Too much damage has been done to the resume from inexplicably losing a buy game to Bucknell to going winless in Disney World to dropping overtime games against Maryland and Georgia Tech. It’s going to take way more than a Big Ten record that is one or two games above .500, even though that would be an impressive accomplishment for Mike Rhoades in his first season as head coach.

That said, the three-game winning streak that Penn State is on has been an awesome ride, and it was a lot of fun to watch it continue as the Lions pulled away from Iowa during the final four minutes on Thursday night. Ace Baldwin Jr. took over the game with 13 points and a pair of huge steals during the stretch and Penn State outscored Iowa 18-8 to finish with an 89-79 victory. I don’t expect seniors like Baldwin to take massive leaps with their game, but Baldwin looks like a different player than he was at the start of the season. He’s in control of the offense and red hot from three-point range. What’s crazy is that Baldwin was 0-for-13 from beyond the arc from the win against Rider on December 29 to the blowout loss at Purdue on January 13. Since then, he’s gone 16-for-26 in six games. It makes a big difference when opponents have to respect a point guard’s three-point shot. Opportunities for other players have opened up, and Baldwin has no problem sharing the rock when he needs to.

Ace Baldwin dishing dimes out like he’s a bank teller pic.twitter.com/uoVEWV4dw2

— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) February 9, 2024

One of those players with more opportunities has been Qudus Wahab. He’s averaging 13 points per game over his last four games after a three-game stretch in which he scored exactly four points in each one. With Zach Hicks living on the perimeter and Nick Kern operating with the dribble drive, Wahab is the only Penn State big man who is a post threat, but he’s been an excellent one lately with 13 of his 16 field goals going in. Thanks to Baldwin finding some range and Wahab executing down low, the Lions have a pretty deep and versatile offense that will hopefully continue giving opponents problems down the stretch.

The defense is a different story, though. I was pleasantly surprised by Penn State’s rebounding against Iowa, but the Hawkeyes still shot 56 percent from the field with Ben Krikke going 10-for-18 on his way to 22 points. Iowa might have won if not for Payton Sandfort getting banged up and going 2-for-7 from deep. Iowa as a team only shot 27 percent from three-point range compared to 52 percent for Penn State, and it’s safe to say that was a difference maker. We saw from the Indiana game that defending big centers is an issue for Penn State that probably won’t be going away, but the Lions have shot the three so well lately that it hasn’t mattered. It also helps when you win the turnover battle as often as Penn State has this season.

While Penn State has won three straight, the mighty Wisconsin Badgers have lost three in a row. It wasn’t alarming when they dropped an overtime game at Nebraska. Sure, the Badgers blew a 16-point halftime lead, but no one wins at Pinnacle Bank Arena. It also wasn’t alarming when Wisconsin lost at home to Purdue because it was a close game and the Boilers are considered by some to be the best team in the land. What was alarming was when Wisconsin went into Ann Arbor on Wednesday night and lost 72-68 to a Michigan team that was on a five-game losing streak and couldn’t hold a halftime lead against anyone.

The Wolverines went ahead by nine in the first half because Wisconsin couldn’t stop Dug McDaniel from getting to the rim, but the Badgers narrowed the deficit to four before the break. It looked like a typical Michigan loss when AJ Storr made a layup to put Wisconsin ahead 48-44 with 13:47 to play, but Michigan showed some heart and regained the lead on a sweep Olivier Nkamhoua fade-away less than two minutes later. Juwan Howard’s team would hold the lead for the rest of the game thanks to a pair of big three-point shots from bench star Will Tschetter. Part of the reason for Wisconsin’s slump has been poor three-point shooting, and it showed in this one. The Badgers shot 26 percent from deep with only seven assists on 25 made baskets, so it wasn’t surprising when Chucky Hepburn missed his game-tying attempt from the top of the key with 27 seconds remaining.

A bright stop for Wisconsin has been Tyler Wahl, who was a beast with a career-high 20 points in the losing effort against Purdue. He was also very effective at Michigan with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting, but that just makes me think he wasn’t involved enough. Either Wahl has to get the ball more often when he’s scoring that effectively, or he has to use his presence to find buckets for teammates. Against Purdue, Wahl got his points and also dished out five assists, but at Michigan, he only had two assists.

The Kohl Center is HYPED after this Tyler Wahl shot⚡ pic.twitter.com/smWzTHcV0G

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 4, 2024

It will be very interesting to see what Wisconsin looks like when it visits Rutgers on Saturday. The venue formerly known as the RAC is someplace you really don’t want to be when you’re not shooting the ball well. Pretty much no one hits shots in that arena, including the home team. However, Rutgers is coming off two straight road wins, so the fans should be more jacked up for an upset than usual. They will smell blood if Wisconsin gets off to a slow start.

Meanwhile, Michigan will try to build off its win, but good luck with that in Lincoln. There is a lot of pressure on Nebraska to keep winning at home since the team fails to win on the road time and time again. Now would be a very bad time for the Huskers to start losing at Pinnacle Bank Arena since they are coming off consecutive road defeats at Illinois and Northwestern.

While the loss in Champaign was a little encouraging because Nebraska was such a big underdog and it battled to force overtime, the loss in Evanston was not so much. Nebraska trailed for the entire game against Northwestern and the deficit was at least 10 points for the entire second half while playmakers Rienk Mast and Keisei Tominaga wilted under the bright lights of Welsh-Ryan Arena. When I took Nebraska +5.5, I expected much more from those two who were such key factors in the Huskers forcing overtime against the Illini. Instead, the dynamic pair combined for just 19 points and Juwan Gary and Brice Williams were forced to carry the load for Nebraska. It wasn’t enough with the Wildcats shooting 44 percent from three-point range and Northwestern won comfortably 80-68.

Weekend hoops

Beside Wisconsin at Rutgers and Michigan at Nebraska, there are five other Big Ten games on this weekend, with the two biggest being Illinois at Michigan State and Indiana at Purdue. For the latter, the Boilers will be heavily favored to crush the Hoosiers like they did when the two rivals met in Bloomington last month. Indiana is desperate for a win, though, and it showed some mettle in a comeback victory over Ohio State on Tuesday. A lot rides on the health of Kel’el Ware, though. If he’s healthy, Indiana has a snowball’s chance.

Illinois at Michigan State promises to be a much tighter game since the first meeting was also tight. The Illini won that exciting back-and-forth contest 71-68, but they were without the services of Terrence Shannon Jr. Is Shannon worth more than the Spartans’ home court, though? Michigan State has been money in the Breslin Center since the start of the new year. If the bookmakers make Sparty an underdog, that would be a gambling opportunity.

Purdue asserts Big Ten dominance and Nebraska teases road competence

by Aaron | February 7, 2024 | 0 Comments

How is Purdue going to blow it this year? That question is getting tougher and tougher to figure out as the Boilermakers keep winning big games in the Big Ten. Their latest triumph came on Sunday with a 75-69 victory over second-place Wisconsin in Madison. Turns out it is really dumb to bet against the projected number one overall NCAA Tournament seed when it is getting points, even in a tough road environment. Purdue had its chances to wilt in this one, but Lance Jones came up big whenever the Badgers got close, and the Boilers were able to hold onto the lead for the entire second half. If Purdue makes the Final Four like it should, we’ll point to Jones as the key difference between this year’s team and last year’s team that flopped in the first round. Jones hit a huge three-point shot to double Purdue’s lead when Wisconsin got within 52-49 with 9:20 to play.

The Badgers got within two at the 4:50 mark when Tyler Wahl grabbed his own rebound and turned it into a layup. It looked like Wisconsin might stage a late rally when Zach Edey missed a free throw, but Mason Gillis picked up the rebound and kicked the ball out to Jones, who drove to the bucket for a layup that put Purdue up by multiple scores for the rest of the game. Wahl almost turned it into a one-score game with a minute to play, but after grabbing yet another offensive rebound (he had six in the game), he got trapped under the basket and his pass was intercepted by Jones, who put the game away with a breakaway layup.

Lance Jones is strong. 😤@LanceBUckets x @BoilerBall

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/YXrH5RbjEK

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 4, 2024

Not only did Jones lead the Boilers with 20 points, but his defense was important to locking down the Wisconsin backcourt. AJ Storr shot just 4-for-15 from the field and Chucky Hepburn was 1-for-6. Wahl might have been more impressive than Jones with all those offensive rebounds to go with 20 points, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. This guy went straight at Edey for much of the afternoon and still shot 10-for-16 from the field. It’s too bad for the Badgers that none of their other players stepped up in a big way, while Jones had plenty of help from Edey (18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Braden Smith (19 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals).

The win moves Purdue to one game above Wisconsin and Illinois in the loss column with eight games left on the Boilers’ Big Ten slate. They’re in great position to win a second straight regular season title, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them end February at 15-2 with a relatively light schedule ahead.

Nebraska comes oh so close to a big road win

Nebraska would already be a lock for the NCAA Tournament if only it could pull out one of these road games. Alas, the Huskers stand at 6-6 in the conference with six wins at home and six losses on the road. Champaign usually isn’t a great place to go for road wins, but Nebraska stormed back from a 10-point deficit in the final three and a half minutes to take the lead on a Rienk Mast hook shot with nine seconds left. Marcus Domask drew a foul on the other end for Illinois, and he split the foul shots to send the game to overtime.

This is a Ty Rodgers appreciation post. 🙌@Ty_rodgers20 x @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/6WBMjQcfIE

— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) February 5, 2024

The extra period got off to a good start for the Illini, as Coleman Hawkins found Quincy Guerrier on the wing for a three-point shot that put them up 79-75 with 3:40 on the clock. Keisei Tominaga struck back with perhaps his most beautiful three-point jumper of the night, and there were a lot of them. The Japanese sharpshooter has been dormant lately with just 14 combined points in his last three games, but against Illinois he erupted for 31 points on 5-for-7 shooting from deep. Tominaga’s heroics led the Huskers having a 43 percent to 27 percent advantage in three-point shooting, but Illinois made up for it by winning the offensive rebounding battle 17-5. The biggest factor in that category was Ty Rodgers, who grabbed five offensive rebounds and 14 overall to go with eight points, three assists, and three steals. Rodgers is a weird guard-forward hybrid who is the only member of Illinois’ starting five who can’t shoot the three, but he’s also a great defensive player and classic glue guy who does what his team needs to achieve victory.

Anyway, after Tominaga’s big shot, the Illini lead bounced back and forth between three and one until Terrence Shannon Jr. stole the ball from Rienk Mast in the final seconds. Shannon dribbled around until just over one second was remaining, and it’s a good thing he did, because he ended up missing both foul shots once the Huskers caught up with him. The two misses allowed Tominaga one last chance from beyond halfcourt, but he didn’t even get the shot away in time and Illinois escaped with an 87-84 win.

Michigan has its most impressive collapse yet

We’ve seen Michigan blow a second half lead before. In fact, this 69-59 loss to Rutgers that it suffered on Saturday was the 11th straight game in which it was outscored after the half. Still, there is something to be said for blowing a 15-point lead to the worst offense in the conference. The Wolverines ended the first half in style with an Olivier Nkamhoua buzzer-beating dunk following a steal by Terrance Williams II. The momentum continued in the second half, and Michigan took a 47-32 lead after Dug McDaniel hit a step-back three and Nkamhoua took a backdoor pass from Tarris Reed Jr. and turned it into a reverse layup plus the foul.

Rutgers’ usually dreadful offense got a lift from Derek Simpson, who scored 19 points in the game to double his scoring average with 14 of them coming in the second half. Simpson hit a big three with seven minutes left that narrowed the deficit to three points and started an 18-2 run that the Scarlet Knights ended the game with. During that span, Simpson came through again with an 18-foot jumper that he crushed while getting fouled for an old fashioned three-point play.

Even with Simpson playing some solid ball, Rutgers still only went 2-for-13 from beyond the arc and 40 percent overall. However, the Knights forced 19 turnovers and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, with five of them coming as part of Clifford Omoruyi’s 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Penn State might have ended Indiana’s hopes

It has been a rough season for Indiana, but Mike Woodson’s squad appeared to be getting back on track following three straight losses to the top three teams in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers took care of business at home against Iowa, and got off to a good start against Penn State. I thought my Nittany Lions were done for when Malik Reneau and Kel’el Ware scored three-point plays on consecutive possessions to put Indiana up 10 points with five minutes left in the first half. However, Penn State hung in the game thanks to some great point guard play by Ace Baldwin Jr. and some surprising accurate three-point shooting led by Jameel Brown going 4-for-5 from deep off the bench.

Even though Penn State only trailed by four at the break, it still felt like Indiana had a big advantage because of how unstoppable Ware was in the first half. That thought changed when Penn State came out like gangbusters and outscored the Hoosiers 25-10 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Lions held Ware to eight points in the second after he dominated for 17 in the first, and they were never threatened after D’Marco Dunn and Brown hit back-to-back threes to go up by 11 with 12 minutes left.

“Ok boys line up”..
First .. everyone bring your check book…all NIL money returned
Second.. we’re gonna practice until half of you quit…
Third..move your shit out of “Cook Hall”.. into the horseshit football facility
If your gonna play like that sorry ass program that’s where…

— Dan Dakich (@dandakich) February 3, 2024

The 85-71 win was Penn State’s first at Assembly Hall in 10 years, and Indiana fans did not take it well. This game was supposed to be a launching pad for the Hoosiers to get rolling and play their way onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. Instead, they still have a lot of work to do with a trip to Purdue coming up on Saturday. If Indiana doesn’t turn this around and make the big dance, Mike Woodson will be feeling the heat.

Woodson’s chair cooled down a little on Tuesday night when the Hoosiers overcome a 13-point halftime deficit and earned a huge 76-73 road win plus a season sweep over Ohio State. Malik Reneau (26 points, 14 rebounds) and Trey Galloway (25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) carried the Indiana offense for most of the second half, but it was hometown hero Anthony Leal who dealt the decisive blow with a tide-turning three-point shot from the corner after the Ohio State defense collapsed on Galloway. Leal’s clutch shot gave Indiana a one-point lead, and it held on for the desperately needed victory after Jamison Battle lost the ball off his foot on Ohio State’s penultimate possession.

Following Battle’s turnover, Galloway threw the ball ahead to Ware for an apparent breakaway layup, but he hurt his leg during his finger roll attempt and it fell off the rim. The good news is that Leal tracked down the ball to avoid Ohio State getting a chance to win the game. The bad news is that if Ware is injured again, that’s not great for Indiana’s chances against Purdue and beyond.

Minnesota is back to being frisky

Back in early January when the Gophers had rolled off seven straight wins and jumped out to a 3-1 start in Big Ten play, it looked like they had a chance at an NCAA Tournament run. Four straight losses did a lot to change that, especially since Minnesota has zero impressive wins outside of league play. The tide is starting to turn again, though. Minnesota picked up a comeback road win at Penn State to close out January, and on Saturday it defeated Northwestern 75-66 at home.

Ryan Langborg put Northwestern up by eight with less than six minutes to play by drilling two three-point shots in a row, but that wasn’t enough to kill Ben Johnson’s team. It battled back to take the lead on a Cam Christie three with 44 seconds left before Boo Buie sent the game to overtime with a pair of free throws. Buie had a typical 20 points and seven assists in The Barn, but Minnesota’s Elijah Hawkins provided his own solid point guard play with 13 points and 10 assists. However, it was Dawson Garcia who carried the Gophers to victory in overtime with seven straight points while the entire Northwestern team scored just five.

Garcia was back at it with 10 points in another Minnesota come-from-behind win on Tuesday against Michigan State, but it was Cam Christie who made the biggest difference. He scored 19 points and shot 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and helped the Gophers climb out of a 45-36 hole with 13 minutes to play. Garcia hit a three-point shot of his own to put Minnesota ahead 55-52 with 1:27 on the clock, but A.J. Hoggard was fouled while shooting a three to give Sparty an opportunity to tie the game. Hoggard hit the first two shots but missed the third, and the Gophers picked up a 59-56 win that is their strongest of the season.

Michigan State cooled off Maryland with a late rally

Maryland had a great chance to extend its two-game winning streak into February as it refused to go away in East Lansing. Jahmir Young poured in 31 points and led the Terps on a second half run that allowed them to briefly take the lead, but the Spartans struck back and pulled away in the final seven minutes. Tyson Walker and Malik Hall each scored 19 points for Michigan State while A.J. Hoggard handed out eight assists. Julian Reese is usually a major factor on the inside for Maryland with his scoring and rebounding ability, but he was limited to two points in just 14 minutes due to foul trouble.

Losing a tough road game at Michigan State wouldn’t be a big deal for Maryland, but it followed that up with a home defeat to Rutgers on Tuesday that is more damaging to the Terps’ NCAA Tournament chances. Reese was terrific in this one with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting with 12 rebounds, but Jahmir Young shot just 3-for-17 from the field and Maryland was 17-for-54 overall against the excellent Rutgers defense. The Scarlet Knights’ offense wasn’t anything special, but it was enough to get the job done, and it got a boost from Jeremiah Williams, a transfer from Temple who just played his first game for Rutgers on Saturday due to an Achilles injury. Williams scored 14 points at Maryland and 10 at Michigan.

Rutgers took a 52-43 lead with three minutes left on a clutch Derek Simpson jumper, but it almost let the game get away after Simpson was hit with a ridiculous technical foul for shushing the crowd. The Terps pulled to within a point and trailed by three in the final seconds, but Donta Scott’s equalizing attempts was off the mark and the Knights held on 56-53.

Wednesday night slate

Tonight in the Big Ten, Wisconsin tries to avoid slipping up in Ann Arbor and creating a losing streak while Nebraska continues the search for a road win in a huge bubble battle at Northwestern. I like Wisconsin -5.5 and Nebraska +5.5 for my picks.

“Uh, hello, is Clark Hunt there?

by Brandon Chabner | February 5, 2024 | 0 Comments

Purdue and Nebraska pull off dramatic wins at home and Penn State wins ugly

by Aaron | February 3, 2024 | 0 Comments

It does not get any more exciting than this in the Big Ten! On Wednesday night and again on Thursday night, we watched epic overtime battles play out between teams at the top of the conference and teams that are battling to earn NCAA Tournament bids. On Wednesday, Purdue narrowly avoided being swept by Northwestern thanks to some overtime heroics by the unstoppable Zach Edey. On Thursday, Nebraska engineered a massive comeback to defeat Wisconsin in overtime for the second season in a row. Winning in Lincoln these days is a seemingly impossible task for road teams.

Let’s start with the game in West Lafayette, though. Boo Buie was on a massive heater and it did not look like he was going to let Northwestern leave Mackey Arena without a win. He went 7-for-11 from beyond the arc and is playing like one of the top guards in the country. Buie also handed out eight assists to go with his 25 points and five rebounds. However, Buie was not the only one scorching the nets, as Lance Jones went 5-for-7 from distance and was responsible for answering Buie’s bombs with three huge triples in the final seven minutes. As well as Buie played, he fell one shot short of winning the game for Northwestern, as his buzzer-beating runner fell short, resulting in overtime.

And overtime is where Edey took over. College basketball’s top player scored the first 10 Purdue points of the extra period with Matthew Nicholson and Luke Hunger having already fouled out for Northwestern. The seldomly used forward Blake Preston did not have much of a chance on defense. With 30 or more points in four of his last six games, Edey is overwhelming for most opponents. Between his post game, the pick-and-roll with Braden Smith, and his ridiculous offensive rebound ability, there is just too much of Edey to deal with.

Braden Smith is really good. Broke down the whole defense to set up wide open Loyer. 16 assists for Smith in this game. pic.twitter.com/SRYebTDugv

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) February 1, 2024

Speaking of Smith, he made a couple of huge plays down the stretch of overtime to keep the Wildcats at bay. First, Smith made a driving layup when Edey got tired of dominating. Then, with Purdue clinging to a three-point lead in the final minute, Smith drove under the basket and drew the entire Northwestern defense to him before kicking the ball out to Fletcher Loyer, who crushed a wide-open three and put the Boilers up 96-90. They hung on to win 105-96 and added to their number one overall resume. Northwestern is still looking like a solid bet for the NCAA Tournament, but a second victory over Purdue could have made the Wildcats close to a lock.

Nebraska is also in good shape for an NCAA Tournament bid, and it just improved its chances considerably by overcoming a 16-point halftime deficit to “upset” Wisconsin in overtime. That’s right, it was technically not an upset since the betting line closed at Nebraska minus half a point. Don’t let those pesky Associated Press rankings fool you, this game was a toss up from the tip-off! Of course, it felt more like an upset when the Huskers fell behind by 19 points in the first half with the Phenomenal AJ Storr scoring at will and Chucky Hepburn scoring on back-to-back breakaway layups. The vibes in Pinnacle Bank Arena didn’t take long to flip in the second half. C.J. Wilcher caught fire, the Badgers committed some uncharacteristic turnovers, and before you knew it, Wilcher was hitting a baseline jumper to tie the score at 52-52 with 8:44 still left on the clock.

Wisconsin wouldn’t wilt so easily, though. Max Klesmit has made a habit of coming up big in the biggest moments, and he came out of nowhere to hit two three-point shots in a row and score 11 points over the course of four minutes. That burst temporarily reestablished Badger supremacy with a seven-point advantage, but meanwhile Rienk Mast was getting going for Nebraska. The big man from Finland revisited the superstar form that he showed against Ohio State and knocked down a pair of clutch three-point shots to ensure that Wisconsin would not escape Lincoln with victory. The second clutch three was a step-back beauty to tie the score at 65-65 with one minute to play. After Storr missed a three-point shot, Brice Williams gave Nebraska the lead with two free throws following an offensive rebound, but Storr sent us to overtime with a driving layup over Mast.

AND-1 ‼️@takflight24 x @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/L50I1RxZlh

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 2, 2024

Mast continued to shine in overtime with a pair of hook shots and a slick backdoor pass to set up a three-point play by Juwan Gary, who had missed the last three games due to an injury suffered at Rutgers. Nebraska’s solid play in the extra period gave security plenty of time to prepare for the court storming. As a court-storming gatekeeper, I’m not happy about it happening with the Huskers favored to win, but I’ll allow it because of the big comeback and because it’s a huge victory for the team’s NCAA Tournament chances. Wisconsin has now blown huge leads in Lincoln for two years in a row. Last February, the Badgers lost at Nebraska in overtime despite leading by 17 early in the second half.

Penn State wins a road game

The Huskers may be feeling themselves right now, but here’s something they haven’t done: win a Big Ten game on the road. I can now say that Penn State has accomplished that with a 61-46 win over Rutgers. The game was incredibly ugly and a hilarious contrast to the barnburner between Northwestern and Purdue that was played right before. Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, though, and I say there is no such thing as an ugly road win in this conference! I don’t care if Rutgers turned the ball over 20 times and shot 1-for-17 from beyond the arc. Penn State tried to match the Scarlet Knights with 16 turnovers and 5-for-23 three-point shooting. In the end, Rutgers was just a little more feeble.

Before the game I said that Penn State didn’t need to force so many turnovers since Rutgers is so bad at shooting. As long as the Lions rebounded the ball, they would be okay. Well, they impressed me by forcing turnovers AND rebounding the ball. They held Clifford Omoruyi to eight points and one offensive rebound, and he’s someone I thought would kill us. Instead, the best players on the floor were Penn State’s guard duo of Ace Baldwin Jr. and D’Marco Dunn. Baldwin did his usual thing with 15 points, seven assists, and five steals, while Dunn did a great job filling in for the injured Kanye Clary with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting with seven rebounds. Also, shout out to Qudus Wahab who grinded away for nine points and 11 rebounds to best Omoruyi in both categories. Penn State Basketball is not pretty, but the team showed a lot of grit in defeating a team that is usually the most gritty one on the floor.

Chalk wins in trio of Tuesday games

I thought I was asking for trouble when I bet all three favorites to cover on Tuesday’s Big Ten slate. It turned out I was just asking for money since Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan State all took care of business. Sometimes chalk is the answer. Let’s start with Indiana’s big win over Iowa that it needed to stay alive in the bubble chase. The Hoosiers overcame an early injury to Mailk Reneau and took a 17-point lead in the first half, only to see it evaporate by the time we were midway through the second half. Payton Sandfort had been slumping in January, but he turned in his second straight 26-point outing while going 5-for-12 from beyond the arc to fuel Iowa’s comeback. Tony Perkins also helped a ton with his fourth straight 20-point game. He scored 22 on 9-for-18 shooting and has been Iowa’s MVP as of late.

With Reneau out, Indiana needed Kel’el Ware to have a big game to hang on, and he was enormous both literally and figuratively. Ware had missed the last two games due to injury, and he was limping around in this one, but he still scored 23 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks while shooting 8-for-10 from the field. Ware doesn’t get the attention of Edey since Edey is on a better team in the same state, but Ware has a chance to make a massive impact on the Hoosiers and their NCAA Tournament hopes. He’s a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball, as Iowa big men Owen Freeman and Ben Krikke combined for just six points.

Even with Ware’s dominant play, Indiana might not pull out the win if not for benchwarmer and townie Anthony Leal coming off the pine and knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. Leal is a Bloomington native and former Mr. Indiana Basketball, so this was a storybook performance from him. Before this 13-point outburst, Leal played very sparingly and had a career high of nine points that he set as a freshman. In addition to the Reneau injury, Xavier Johnson hurt himself attempting a dunk in the final minutes, so there should be more minutes for Leal in the near future.

In the other two Tuesday games, Illinois won comfortably in Columbus and Michigan State used a strong second half to blow out Michigan in East Lansing. There is no such thing as an easy road win in the Big Ten, but Ohio State stinks right now, so taking the Illini and laying just two and a half was an easy decision. Brad Underwood’s team made it pay off by holding onto a multiple-possession lead for the entire second half. Terrence Shannon Jr. looks like he is rounding into form with 23 points and 3-for-7 three-point shooting. Roddy Gayle Jr. and Jamison Battle shot the ball well enough to keep Illinois from pulling away, but the Illini held Bruce Thornton to just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.

Terrence Shannon Jr. leads Illinois to an 87-75 over Ohio State. 💪 pic.twitter.com/4xmGUSv2uL

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 31, 2024

During this stretch where the Buckeyes have lost seven of eight games, their biggest weaknesses have been defending the three-point line and forcing turnovers. In almost every game they are allowing opponents to shoot 40 percent or more from beyond the arc while getting fewer than 10 takeaways. That puts a lot of pressure on the offense, and it hasn’t been good enough to keep pace. Sure enough, Illinois shot 41 percent from three-point range and only turned the ball over six times in the win over Ohio State.

I’ll give the Buckeyes a little credit. On Friday night against Iowa, I bet against them again and they held the Hawkeyes to 3-for-10 shooting from distance and forced nine turnovers. That was good enough for Ohio State to cover the 5.5-point spread, but it still allowed Iowa to shoot 55-percent from the field, and the result was a 79-77 Iowa win. The end of this game was painful to watch with Fran McCaffery taking fouling up three to the extreme by doing so starting with 13 seconds left and executing the strategy three times in a row. I can’t blame McCaffery too much since the plan worked out, but that game was one of the biggest advocates for the Elam Ending I’ve ever seen.

Weekend hoops

None of the big ranked vs. ranked games on Saturday are between Big Ten teams, but Maryland vs. Michigan State should be interesting. The Terps have improved, but they don’t have an NCAA Tournament resume yet. A win in East Lansing would go a long way towards getting into the field. The Spartans have been dominant at home in the new year and they just beat Maryland on the road two weeks ago. I like Michigan State minus the six and a half.

There is no line for Purdue vs. Wisconsin yet, but the Sunday clash of Big Ten titans will be must-see television. Zach Edey has looked unstoppable lately, but Purdue has been vulnerable on the road. Wisconsin has shown that with AJ Storr and Max Klesmit in the backcourt, it doesn’t need to rely on its big men for scoring. That’s important when going up against Edey. I’m leaning Wisconsin, especially if I don’t have to lay a point.

Blixx, what sayeth you? Who will win the Big Game?

by Brandon Chabner | February 2, 2024 | 0 Comments

…. and the winner is?

This Sunday at 9 am pst, it’s CDST’s “Time for giving short thrift to Taylor Swift” show.

by Brandon Chabner | February 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

On the weekend before we see a repeat of Super Sunday 2020, ChabDog sees fit to focus more on College Basketball and maybe even the all-star skills competitions (nah!), and less on who’s going to be loaded with lipstick in Clark’s billion-dollar box, in CDST’s “Time for giving short thrift to one Taylor Swift” show. But not to worry, there will still be plenty of Super Bowl hype to go aground.

Indiana gets its act together and Illinois’ offense goes nuclear

by Aaron | February 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

Congrats, Indiana! You finally did it. The Hoosiers finally won a home game that they were favored in after dropping their last three Assembly Hall games to Penn State, Northwestern, and Nebraska. If Indiana had just taken care of business, we’d be talking about its status on the NCAA Tournament bubble right now, but instead all we can say is that the 74-70 win over Wisconsin is too little and too late for Mike Woodson’s team. After the Hoosiers led for almost 30 minutes, it looked like they were going to blow the game when John Blackwell hit a driving layup for Wisconsin to tie the score at 54-54 midway through the second half, but someone or something (or perhaps divine intervention) pull a fire alarm at Assembly Hall, causing the action to halt for 25 minutes.

When play finally resumed, Tyler Wahl posted up and scored on a reverse layup to give Wisconsin its first lead, but Indiana punched back with Malik Reneau hitting a putback layup. The two red teams battled back and forth with neither leading for more than three points until the Hoosiers finally took control in the final minute. Reneau powered through Wahl for a layup and made the score 72-70 Indiana with 55 seconds left, and then the Hoosiers got a key stop when AJ Storr missed a three-point shot. Mackenzie Mgbako drew a foul and knocked down both free throws to finally put the home squad ahead by two possessions and end a four-game losing streak.

Kel'el Ware is on fire. 🔥@KelelWare x @IndianaMBB

💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/zC8c7Jsc5h

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 28, 2024

As usual, Indiana didn’t get much scoring from its backcourt, but Trey Galloway handed out 12 assists to help feed Kel’el Ware, who is turning into the Hoosiers’ own version of Zach Edey. Ware scored 27 points and went 11-for-12 from the field with 11 rebounds, five blocks, and just one turnover. That is unstoppable as it gets against a Wisconsin team that has plenty of big men to throw his way on defense. We’ve talked plenty about how disappointing this season has been for Indiana, but there is major bounce-back potential this fall if Ware decides to stick around alongside Reneau and the quickly improving Mgbako.

That brings our attention to the Badgers, who have lost six of eight since completing a sweep of Michigan State on January 26. Five of those six losses have come on the road, but at Rutgers and at Michigan are games that we expect good basketball teams to take care of. Wisconsin hasn’t shot the three or defended as well as we got used to seeing them do under Greg Gard. Three-point defense has been a big problem, and it’s a bad sign when brick-laying teams like Indiana and Rutgers are finding the range against Wisconsin. We’ll see if the Badgers can get right when they return to the Kohl Center for two games against Illinois and Rutgers coming up, but the Illini have proven to be tough to beat no matter where they play.

Illinois has been almost impossible to slow down lately with at least 85 points scored in its last five games. And it would have swept all five if not for an embarrassing collapse in State College. The Illini posted their best offensive performance of the season in their last game against Minnesota. They won 105-97 in an NBA-style game that was hotly contested until Minnesota faded in the last few minutes. Both teams scorched the nets with Minnesota shooting 60 percent and Illinois shooting 61 percent while the Illini went over the century mark in regulation time for the first time in a Big Ten game since 1994. The Gophers were en fuego from three-point range with Cam Christie and Mike Mitchell leading them on a 14-for-20 performance that would have been enough to beat nearly any other opponent.

IT'S DAINJA TIME ‼️ @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/GWbt5p8KS5

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 29, 2024

Illinois is so balanced and deep, though, and it can beat you in many different ways. Terrence Shannon Jr. (29 points) got hot from beyond the arc while Marcus Domask (22 points) got work done in the paint. With Minnesota trying to hang in there, Domask powered through contact and scored while being fouled to put Illinois ahead 90-79 with five and a half minutes left. That ensured that the Illini would not have to sweat down the stretch. Illinois also got key bench buckets from Dain Dainja and Justin Harmon. They combined for 17 points while Minnesota got just three from its own bench. We saw Brad Underwood flex his team’s bench depth last Saturday against Iowa, and that depth will make Illinois tough to outlast in the Big Ten Tournament when everyone is playing for multiple days in a row.

Back-to-back road losses to Nebraska and Illinois probably means that Minnesota will have to win that Big Ten Tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Ben Johnson’s team must win the rest of its regular season games against Penn State (home), Indiana (home), and Northwestern (away) just to give itself a chance at an at-large invitation.

Ohio State is another team that has made a lot of noise lately but probably won’t reach the big dance. On Thursday, the Buckeyes defeated Nebraska 78-69 in Columbus to win their third game in four tries with interim head coach Jake Diebler at the helm. This one was particularly impressive because team MVP Bruce Thornton sat out due to a migraine headache. With Thornton out, Jamison Battle, who missed the win at Michigan State due to injury, stepped up and scored 32 points on 9-for-18 field goals and 10-for-10 free throws. The charity stripe was key for the Buckeyes, as they went 24-for-28 from there compared to just 7-for-8 for Nebraska.

While Battle is a fifth-year senior, we know this Ohio State team is a young group, and it got big contributions from freshmen Devin Royal and Scotty Middleton. Royal was someone who emerged in the Michigan State game, and he followed up that 14-point performance with 13 points and five rebounds against Nebraska in 21 minutes. Middleton has come along more slowly that Buckeye fans would have liked, but he helped fill in for Thornton nicely with nine points on 3-for-5 three-point shooting.

Nebraska also got some nice bench contributions with Jamarques Lawrence scoring 14 points with five assists and C.J. Wilcher pitching in with eight points, but the starters left a lot to be desired. Juwan Gary and Keisei Tominaga were smothered by Ohio State’s defense and combined to shoot 6-for-24 with 17 points. Rienk Mast was the only Husker starter in double figures with 14 points to go with 12 rebounds.

Jamison Battle is unstoppable. 😱@battletime510 x @OhioStateHoops

📺: FS1/@CBBonFOX pic.twitter.com/hSm3Aob9sf

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 1, 2024

I am a Chris Holtmann guy, so I can going to say that this recent surge by Ohio State is proof that he had the young team headed in the right direction, but I can’t say for certain that the Buckeyes win three of four if he is still the head coach. That’s why we need a time machine to explore every timeline and settle all the hypothetical arguments. Without one, we’re left to say that this Ohio State team has a bright future if the key sophomores and freshmen stay with the new regime.

The Buckeyes have a great chance to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak since their next two are vs. Michigan and at Rutgers, but Iowa remains the Big Ten team that is mostly likely to be the conference’s seventh entry in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes dropped a big game at Illinois last weekend, but bounced back nicely with a 90-81 win over my Nittany Lions. Plus, Iowa still has a game at Northwestern and a rematch at home with Illinois on the schedule and those are both Quad 1 opportunities. If Iowa wins one or both, it could get on the good side of the bubble before Championship Week begins.

If Iowa makes a run in March, it will probably be because of Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix. While Sandfort has been Iowa’s top player all season, Dix has emerged as a lethal mid-range shooter lately, and that continued against Penn State. Dix scored 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting with much of that coming in the first half. Those Dix buckets were how Payton Sandfort racked up a lot of his assists en route to the first triple-double in Iowa Men’s Basketball history. And make sure you say “Men’s Basketball” or else endure the wrath of Caitlin Clark fans, also known as the Swifties of college hoops. Yes, Clark is amazing. Yes, she is one of the best women to ever play. No, we don’t need a picture-in-picture stalking her every move on the court. I don’t know if I should route against her in the NCAA Tournament or root for her to turn heel. Maybe both.

Anyway, Sandfort got his triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He didn’t get the final rebound until Ace Baldwin Jr. missed a free throw in garbage time even though Baldwin is a great free throw shooter. Sandfort shot just 3-for-11 from the field, but he was also 18-for-19 from the free throw line, but I’ll have you know that six of those free throws came in the game’s final minute and three more came on a dumb foul by Penn State when Sandfort was shooting from beyond the arc. So only about half the free throws were earned.

He knew he needed one more rebound.

He got it. He celebrated. And he talked about it.

Relive Payton Sandfort's historic triple-double. ⤵️@payton_20_ x @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/0q3zooRCUs

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 28, 2024

Penn State fell behind early in this one despite a great first half by Qudus Wahab in which he scored 12 of his 18 points. Almost everyone else on Penn State underperformed on offense, with Baldwin shooting 5-for-15 despite a burst at the beginning of the second half that saw him score eight points in three minutes and bring Penn State within two points at 51-49. The Lions would get no closer, though, since Baldwin was hit with a technical foul for chirping at the referee. Sandfort hit the two penalty free throws (unearned again!) before Tony Perkins hit a runner in the paint to put Iowa back up by six. A Leo O’Boyle appearance led to the redhead hitting two threes and letting Penn State hang around, but Iowa had too much firepower for the Lions to withstand. Rayquawndis Mitchell randomly got going for 16 points, but Zach Hicks and Jameel Brown showed how inconsistent they are and combined to shoot 0-for-9 from deep.

Iowa’s win over Penn State sets up a showdown at Northwestern on Saturday that is a chance for the Hawkeyes to boost their resume. The Wildcats have won three in a row and five of six, but the schedule has been light and the team is banged up with Ty Berry out for the rest of the season. Plus, Ryan Langborg just sat out Northwestern’s last game against Maryland due to an ankle injury. You probably thought that the Cats needed a superhuman effort from Boo Buie in order to beat the Terps on the road with Langborg out, but nope! It was sophomore small forward Nick Martinelli who stepped up with a career-high 27 points with seven rebounds.

You have to hand it to Chris Collins. His Northwestern team is showing a lot of resiliency. It lost Berry and Langborg became a 20-point scorer. Then it lost Langborg and Martinelli has the best game of his career. Not only that, but he went 9-for-14 from the field, including two key buckets that held off Maryland when it drew within one possession in the second half. We don’t know yet if Langborg will play on Saturday, but either way, the Hawkeyes have a tough task in front of them.

The only other game that happened during the week was Rutgers shellacking Michigan 82-52. The good news for Michigan was that Dug McDaniel finally played in a road game for the first time in 2024 thanks to his academic suspension being lifted. He led the Wolverines with 13 points and four assists while shooting 5-for-9, but Michigan was crushed by a surprisingly efficient offensive performance by Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights shot 52 percent from the field while Clifford Omoruyi and Jeremiah Williams scored 19 points each. Rutgers didn’t score for the final five minutes of the first half, but Michigan still didn’t make it a close game. Michigan just looks like a doormat with Olivier Nkamhoua out of the lineup for the rest of the season.

Is this goanna be the guy who helps the Steeler offense do more than just get by?

by Brandon Chabner | January 31, 2024 | 0 Comments

Is this goanna be the guy who helps the Steeler offense do more than just get by?

Not sure I’ve seen enough to be totally sold, but this looks like a step in the right direction.

Purdue finally wins at Rutgers and Michigan enters the abyss

by Aaron | January 30, 2024 | 0 Comments

Purdue vs. Rutgers was a great game to put on television before the football on Sunday. I figured it would be physical, intense, and have a final score that reminded me of a football score. That is just how Rutgers games at the arena formerly known as the RAC have been this season. The Scarlet Knights have one of the worst offenses and best defenses in Division I, and when they play at home, they tend to drag opponents down to their level. I knew that Rutgers +10.5 was a lock, but I couldn’t make money off of it because New Jersey is a fascist state that doesn’t allow citizens to bet on colleges within the state.

This law needs to be changed immediately @NJGov https://t.co/Zvu60AguhD

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 28, 2024

It also didn’t hurt that Purdue had lost three in a row at Rutgers and that Jersey Mike’s Arena was the only Big Ten venue in which Zach Edey had never won a game. Sure enough, even though Rutgers fell behind by 13 points at halftime, it clawed back to within two points thanks to some key buckets by freshmen Gavin Griffiths and Jamichael Davis. The Boilers had the answer each time and never surrendered the lead with Braden Smith scoring 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to support Zach Edey’s 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Knights as usual did not shoot the ball very well, but they grabbed 15 offensive rebounds (Purdue only had six even though Edey had five himself) and might have pulled off the upset if not for a terrific defensive effort from Lance Jones. He only scored four points on 1-for-10 shooting, but he gave Rutgers’ guards fits and his five steals accounted for half of Rutgers’ 10 turnovers.

Purdue held on to win 68-60 with Rutgers covering the spread just like I foresaw. Please change the law, New Jersey.

Michigan keeps sinking

Now let’s talk about all the things I was wrong about this weekend. I really thought the Wolverines would get a home win over Iowa since they already won in Iowa City this season. Well, the game was close throughout, but Payton Sandfort picked a great time to pull out of his scoring slump and he helped the Hawkeyes pull away in the final 10 minutes. Sandfort was red hot from beyond the arc, and he finished with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Iowa needs more games like that from him if it is going to make an NCAA Tournament push. Tony Perkins is upholding his end of the bargain with a third straight 20-point game. Michigan got balanced scoring with four starters in double figures, but its suspect defense let it down again. This is a nightmare season for Michigan and the schedule is not getting any easier up ahead.

Iowa, on the other hand, has a great chance to make a run with its next four games against Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota. Those might be the four worst teams in the league besides Michigan right now. If Iowa can get Sandfort and Ben Krikke going on offense alongside Perkins, Fran McCaffery’s team has a big chance to rack up some dubs.

Penn State and Ohio State are also trash

I was perplexed at the line of the Ohio State vs. Northwestern game with the Wildcats only being favored by three and a half. Northwestern was playing good ball, particularly at home, while Ohio State’s only wins this month were against Penn State and Rutgers in Columbus. The Buckeyes hadn’t won a road game all season and they still haven’t won a road game all season since Northwestern boat-raced them and cashed the easiest bet of the year. The game was never in question as the Wildcats clicked on offense with Boo Buie going for his typical 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists while Nick Martinelli and Luke Hunger combined for 23 points off the bench. Marcus Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. were fine for Ohio State, but this team is not very scary when Jamison Battle isn’t knocking down triples, and he has hit a dry spell recently. Battle has fewer than two three-point shots made in three of his last four games after hitting at least four of them in five straight games. I don’t think Ohio State is as hopeless as Michigan, but the Buckeyes obviously have to start winning game soon to get in the bubble conversation. Tonight against Illinois would be a great start.

Speaking of hopeless, Penn State lost to Minnesota in State College after leading by 14 at halftime. It did not even take the Gophers long to get back into the game, as they opened the second half on a 25-7 run that lasted seven minutes. Penn State’s defense has been horrible all season long, and it is very hard for this team to get stops when the opponent takes care of the ball. Minnesota had lost four straight coming in, but Dawson Garcia decided it was time for the steak to end and Penn State could do anything about it. Garcia had one of his best shooting nights of the season and scored 22 points in the 83-74 Minnesota win. A great first half should have been the start of a fun evening, but Penn State came out flat after the break and I am left wondering how many wins are left on the schedule.

Maryland finally gets some bench scoring

All season we’ve talked about how Maryland stinks because it has no shooting and no depth. Against Nebraska on Saturday, the Terps got both of those things and came away with a big blowout win. Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Jahari Long combined for 25 points and 7-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc with most of it coming in Maryland’s explosive 44-point first half. The Terps led by 17 points at the break despite falling behind 12-2 in the first four minutes. Yeah, my Nebraska +5.5 pick was looking pretty good until Maryland completely ran away with the game with a 16-2 run in the last seven minutes of the first half. The Cornhuskers still haven’t won a Big Ten road game and they aren’t going to get one if their entire starting lineup is held under 10 points like it was in College Park.

Indiana falls short of a major upset

You have to hand it to Indiana. It looked like Illinois was going to pull away when it rallied to take an eight-point lead on Coleman Hawkins’ layup in the final minute of the first half. Even without Kel’el Ware, who was out with an ankle injury, the Hoosiers battled the heavily favored Illini all the way through. It looked like Indiana might get out of Champaign with a win when Mackenzie Mgbako knocked down a 17-foot jumper to tie the score at 62-62 with 1:29 to play, but Illinois closed out the game with six Terrence Shannon Jr. free throws and a clutch runner by Justin Harmon to win 70-62.

Indiana got a nice 14-point performance from the inconsistent Xavier Johnson and Malik Reneau was nearly unstoppable in the post with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Hoosiers probably would have won this game if not for their 0-for-9 three-point shooting and dreadful 12-for-22 free throw showing. If this season wasn’t already frustrating enough for Indiana fans, this game probably sent them over the edge. Indiana isn’t the worst team in the Big Ten, but it is for sure the most disappointing. Maybe if Ware gets healthy, Mike Woodson’s team can turn the season around, but it has got to start with a win over Iowa at home.

ChabDog’s Conference Final Commiseratiions:

by Brandon Chabner | January 28, 2024 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Conference Final Commiseratiions:

— Maybe Big Dan just didn’t have the red badge of courage for Badgley, but it’s not always good to make your kicker feel like the Maytag repairman.

— Brock Purdy and the San Francisco machine is alive and well, raising the prospect that this team has the kind of overwhelming physical force to breakdown anyone, including the Chiefs.

–Who told the Baltimore OC he could just take the day off? What happened to the NFL’s most potent running attack? Today, it was largely impotent, due to … total indifference. Whatever the game plan, the Chiefs’ defense generally had things under control. Nothing new here, just a more talented than usual Ravens’ team, done in by the familiar bugaboos of mindless penalties, arguably brain dead play calling (how many rushes and non-wide receiver targets were there) and unforgivable turnovers. Give the defense lots of credit for not giving up, but I lay this loss directly at the feet of Mr. MVP and the offense.

FEED THE WARRIORS TO THE LAKERS!

by Brandon Chabner | January 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

WARRIORS CAME OUT TO PLAY, BUT LA PLAYED JUST A LITTLE HARDER AND LONGER.

KING WINS 145-144.

Roll into Conf. Championship Sunday with the “Will the road dogs really roll over” CDST NFL Preview Show…

by Brandon Chabner | January 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

Roll into Conf. Championship Sunday with the “Will the road dogs really roll over” CDST NFL Preview Show…

If you’re wondering whether the No. 1 seed Niners and Ravens will just waltz into the upcoming Super Bowl, tune in to our big shooooow tomorrow as we try to eliminate any lingering uncertainties. We welcome Lion lover Ian to the Hermosa Beach studios, and he’ll no doubt make lay out the case for a silver and blue, not gold, rush to glory. And on a mid-afternoon that could be dreary, with the visiting Chiefs come rapping on the M&T with another Mahoming-pigeon toed nightmare… as we know Lamar is just well not real enthused about this quite concerning confrontation.

Plus, ChabDog will break down the action in this year’s first major tennis of the year, between one helluva Sinner and Russia’s sinewy spider, the czar of court coverage, Medvedev. And of course, clips galore and much more.

Northwestern has the best home court advantage in the Big Ten

by Aaron | January 27, 2024 | 0 Comments

Purdue, Michigan State, and now Illinois have all lost to Northwestern inside of Welsh-Ryan Arena. The home of the Wildcats is looking like the top home court advantage in the Big Ten. It might even be considered among the best in the country if not for Northwestern’s loss to Chicago State in December. That inexplicable defeat is a serious stain on Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament resume, but the good news is that the Wildcats are safely in the field thanks to their most recent triumph over the rival Illini.

A week ago, Northwestern failed to secure a road win at Nebraska because Boo Buie turned into Mr. Clank, but that wasn’t an issue at home against Illinois. The superstar point guard was in his bag as the kids say. He led everyone with 29 points and seven assists while leading Northwestern to the 96-91 overtime victory. The game might not have made it to overtime, but Buie answered Justin Harmon’s go-ahead runner with a drive past Terrence Shannon Jr. and a layup off a shot fake to tie the score at 76-76.

Who else but Boo Buie to tie it up. 👀 @NUMensBball pic.twitter.com/PDvBlLy5pB

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 25, 2024

Illinois had a chance to win in regulation, and Marcus Domask had a good look at being the hero, but his 15-foot jumper banged off the back of the rim. That turned out to be the Illini’s best shot at victory because Northwestern scored the first nine points of overtime thanks to a three by Buie and another one by Brooks Barnhizer that turned into a four-point play with Quincy Guerrier fouling on the shot.

Before taking that big lead in overtime, Northwestern’s largest lead in the entire game was just four points. Even though the Cats shot 55 percent from the field and 11-for-18 from beyond the arc, Illinois kept pace with 21 offensive rebounds on 45 missed shots. The biggest second chance provider was Coleman Hawkins, who continued his streak of great play with 22 points and 13 rebounds with seven coming on offense. The effort by Illinois will be enough to win most games, and the team can be even better once Shannon Jr. rounds into form. Northwestern’s hot shooting was just too much to overcome on Wednesday night.

The Illinois vs. Northwestern game was quite riveting, but we had already been warmed up by an exciting game in Iowa. Maryland picked up a key road win in its quest to build an NCAA Tournament resume around its upset victory at Illinois 10 days ago. Iowa appeared to be in control of the game when Tony Perkins hit a pair of free throws to put his team ahead 63-57 with just under five minutes to play. From that point, the Terps would close the game on a 12-4 run that included three monster buckets by Jahmir Young. Maryland’s most valuable player (by far) knocked down a step-back three with 1:24 on the clock to go ahead 64-63. After Iowa regained the lead, Young hit another triple, this one set up by a Julian Reese screen, to take the lead 67-65. Perkins responded with two free throws to tie the game, but with 28 seconds left Young just dribbled down the clock and blew past the Iowa defense to seal the game with a left-handed layup.

Jahmir Young FOR THE WIN pic.twitter.com/5asJokH8FA

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 25, 2024

The man could not be stopped with the game on the line, and that’s why Maryland still has a great chance to make the NCAA Tournament. The Terps have a formula. Just play great defense and let Young cook. It also helped that Maryland made almost half its three-point shots in this one while Reese did the dirty work and picked up five offensive rebounds, blocked five shots, and also scored 17 points. That kind of effort from Reese is just what Maryland needs to give it a paint presence and support Young’s scoring.

This game was right there for Iowa to finish off, but getting only nine points from Ben Krikke is not going to cut it, even with Perkins (20 points) and Owen Freeman (14 points, nine rebounds) playing as well as they are. It also doesn’t help that Payton Sandfort is slumping with fewer than 10 points in two of Iowa’s last three games, including his 0-for-4 night from beyond the arc against Maryland.

Wisconsin continues to dominate the Big Ten

The Badgers have now won three in a row since my Nittany Lions handed them their only loss of conference play. On Fright night, Greg Gard’s team finished off a sweep of Michigan State with a convincing 81-66 victory in Madison. Earlier this week on the B1G Spotlight podcast, I spoke about how the game between Michigan State and Wisconsin would be a battle between Sparty’s ability to force turnovers and score in transition and the Badgers’ low-tempo and low-turnover style. Michigan State needed to force Wisconsin into some uncharacteristic mistakes to win this one, and that did not happen. Wisconsin only turned it over six times while shooting 51 percent from the field and grabbing 12 offensive rebounds. The outcome is not very surprising given those numbers.

Wisconsin guard AJ Storr dropped 28 in a win over Michigan State tonight.

Storr is averaging 20 ppg over the last four games and Wisconsin sits atop the Big 10 👀 pic.twitter.com/EcODcGhI5v

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) January 27, 2024

What is a little surprising is how the Phenomenal AJ Storr has developed from a complimentary scorer into the main attraction of the Wisconsin offense. He scored 28 points in this one, and he’s just as comfortable shooting the three as driving to the basket. It’s not good for the rest of the Big Ten that Wisconsin can win so comfortably while Max Klesmit, Chucky Hepburn, and Tyler Wahl combine for just 16 points. In addition, to Storr, the Badgers’ bench with Connor Essegian and Nolan Winter each knocking down a pair of three-point shots. Illinois looks like the deepest team in the conference with Shannon Jr. back in the lineup, but Wisconsin isn’t far behind with the young talent it has in reserve.

Michigan State could have used some support from its own bench, but Tre Holloman, who has played so well lately, scored zero points in 17 minutes. Among the starters, A.J. Hoggard played one of his best games of the season with 19 points and four assists, but that was balanced out by Tyson Walker being limited to 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting with five assists. That can happen when he’s forced to operate in crowded halfcourt sets like he was in Madison.

Busy Big Ten Saturday

I love Northwestern today at home vs. Ohio State.

Sure, it's a letdown spot, but the Buckeyes stink and they have dropped all four of their away games this season, including at Penn State, at Indiana, and at Michigan. pic.twitter.com/xlx9Ii5AFP

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 27, 2024

Wow! There are five games on today and they are all staggered nicely so that you can watch them if you don’t have a three-year-old’s birthday party in the middle of the day like I do.

Nebraska always wins at home but loses on the road. Maryland has been solid lately, but five points is a lot to cover for a team that is in one-possession games all the time. Nebraska should be able to cover after going to overtime at Rutgers in its last road challenge.
Las Vegas disrespects Indiana even more than I do. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hoosiers get blown out by Illinois, but it’s impossible to make a pick with Kel’el Ware’s status still up in the air. I would wait until close to tip-off when we might know more. Indiana has a good chance to cover if Ware plays.
It’s a home game for Michigan, which means Dug McDaniel will be in the lineup. The Wolverines won in Iowa City back in December, and I like their chances today even though they have won one game since Christmas.
Minnesota has lost four in a row, but Penn State is a step down in competition. Still, my Lions have quietly been very good in the Bryce Jordan Center this season. I think we can win by five.
Northwestern is my favorite pick of the day. Ohio State has not won an away game and we just talked about how good Northwestern has been in Evanston.

Finally, a changing of the guard down under…

by Brandon Chabner | January 25, 2024 | 0 Comments

No more Novak. Sinner took care of that task, keeping him from a record 25th Men’s Grand Salami.

The Italian ran through the Serb like a knife through butter in Sets 1 and 2…

let Novak back in with a disappoingting tie breack ito close the 3rd, but slammed the door shut with a money 4th.

Never saw Novak look so disinterested…. and at times, disoriented. Somewhat disturbing, but utlmately beautiful.

Could be a harbinger of things to come this Sunday in terms of the real underdog prevailing.

Terrence Shannon Jr. is back and so is Michigan State

by Aaron | January 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

Illinois fans got surprisingly good news last week when Terrence Shannon Jr. had his suspension overturned by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless. It turns out that Illinois suspending Shannon Jr. based on the rape and sexual battery charges against him violates his civil rights.

“Plaintiff’s participation in sports is vital to the development of his career as well as his current and future economic opportunities considering plaintiff’s intention to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft,” Lawless wrote in the order issued Friday. “Prior to his suspension, plaintiff was projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA. His participation in future games impact his prospects in the draft and his earning potential.”

Usually “innocent until proven guilty” only applies to the justice system and not to sports leagues (or in this case, schools) who suspend players in order to protect their precious family-friendly images. It was a pleasant surprise to see Shannon Jr. reinstated when we don’t know if he’s guilty of anything. The accusations against him are bad and disturbing, but there’s also very little evidence. I’m glad he gets to continue his final season of college basketball with the hope of impressing NBA scouts.

Terrence Shannon Jr. gets the steal and the big jam.@Sn1per_T x @IlliniMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/vNTUjvl2sL

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 21, 2024

Illinois probably didn’t need Shannon Jr. to defeat Rutgers on Sunday, but he still scored 16 points with four assists in 28 minutes off the bench in his first game back. Rutgers got a great effort from Cliff Omoruyi, and he helped the Scarlet Knights claw to within four points at 55-51 with 10 minutes left, but the Illini pulled away and won 86-63. Guys like Marcus Domask and Quincy Guerrier were able to spread their wings a little with Shannon Jr. out of action, so you can make the argument that Illinois is better off now than they were before the suspension. Many people won’t be happy that a player allegedly sexually assaulting a woman resulted in increased team chemistry, but it is going to be tough to pick against Illinois going forward.

Another team with high preseason expectations that is round into form is Michigan State. The Spartans are on a three-game winning streak with the most recent victory coming on Sunday at Maryland. The Terps erased a 12-point halftime deficit with a 21-6 run that led to them taking a 53-50 lead on Jahmir Young’s three-point shot with 13 minutes to play. However, Sparty bounced back and escaped with the 61-59 win thanks to three big field goals by A.J. Hoggard in the final eight minutes as well as a clutch step-back three from Tyson Walker to put Michigan State up 61-57 in the final minute. Young appeared to answer with a step-back three of his own seconds later, but his foot was on the line. Maryland got one more chance to tie or win following a defensive stop, but Tre Holloman stripped Young of the ball to keep the Spartans in the win column.

Michigan State has found a formula for success lately: forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. In its last two wins, the Spartans won the turnover battle 19-5 vs. Minnesota and 18-8 at Maryland. When you combine that with Walker’s ability to navigate the open floor and get to the bucket or find his teammates, Michigan State gets a nice boost on offense. It also helps when Malik Hall is stepping up and scoring in the post. He has scored in double digits during his last four games since he laid a goose egg in a loss at Northwestern. Plus, Tre Holloman has provided some offense off the bench with 29 points in his last three games.

Northwestern and Nebraska battle on the bubble

The two “NU” schools are the two in the most precarious stop in the NCAA Tournament projections. According to ESPN, Northwestern is a 10 seed right now and Nebraska is a nine seed. Those could be reversed if Northwestern had found a way to win in Lincoln on Saturday, but the Cornhuskers stayed undefeated in home conference games thanks to a big three-point shot by Keisei Tominaga that extended Nebraska’s lead to two possession with 25 seconds left.

Northwestern overcame an 11-point deficit and tied the score at 65-65 with four minutes to play, but could not finish the job. Nebraska gave the Wildcats many chances to win with 18 turnovers, but Northwestern is not going to win many games when Boo Buie and Ty Berry combine to shoot 4-for-25 from the field. Nebraska followed up the 75-69 win over Northwestern with a 83-69 shellacking of the slumping Buckeyes on Tuesday night. Rienk Mast went nuclear with an incredible 34 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on 13-for-17 shooting, including 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. Mast has been a nice pickup for Nebraska in the transfer portal this season, but this kind of output was not foreseen by anyone. On the season, Mast is a 35-percent three-point shooter with a little more than one make per game. If this shooting performance wasn’t a total fluke, the Cornhuskers will be even more difficult to guard.

It was Rienk Mast's night. 🤩

The Dutchman scored a career-high 34 points., and grabbed 10 rebounds, in @HuskerMBB's win over Ohio State.

Watch the scoring barrage. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/My9fiMa2Bl

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2024

Meanwhile, Ohio State has lost four of five, with the one win coming on Saturday at home against my Nittany Lions. Penn State did not look ready to play coming out of the gate, as it fell behind 16-0 in the first seven minutes. That was not what I was hoping for following Penn State’s big win over Wisconsin. I knew that winning on the road in the Big Ten is a different story than winning at home, but there is no excuse for the pathetic offensive performance to start that game in Columbus. I would say that the Lions were reading their press clippings, but there have not been press clippings about Penn State Basketball in a long time. Maybe from the student newspaper, but that’s it.

Anyway, Penn State played Ohio State pretty even the rest of the way and shot 46 percent from three-point range to avoid being completely humiliated, but the game was never very close. Ohio State won 79-67.

Purdue is still a juggernaut and Indiana is a tire fire

Not much to report on the Purdue front. It snapped Iowa’s three-game winning streak on Saturday with a decisive 84-70 win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Zach Edey furthered his Player of the Year case with 30 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks. It was part of a Purdue performance that saw the Boilermakers grab 19 offensive rebounds on 37 missed field goals. It is nearly impossible to lose when you shoot 45 percent from the field and still pick up 19 offensive boards. On Tuesday, the Boilers returned home and smashed Michigan 99-67. This time, Edey only scored 16 points with 10 rebounds, as Purdue buried the Wolverines with 14-for-21 shooting from beyond the arc. Lance Jones went 5-for-9 from deep with 24 points to lead the way. Michigan was overwhelmed from the jump and none of the Purdue starters had to play 30 minutes.

That brings us to Indiana. After the Hoosiers were blown out by Purdue a week ago, they traveled to Madison and lost their 20th straight game in the Kohl Center. With Kel’el Ware out due to injury, Indiana had to throw multiple guys at Wisconsin center Steven Crowl. That opened up other opportunities for the Badgers, and Crowl finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists while Max Klesmit continued his hot streak and scored 26 points on just 11 field goal attempts. Malik Reneau carried Indiana on offense with 28 points and eight rebounds, but the Hoosiers could not keep pace with Wisconsin’s hot shooting. Midway through the second half, CJ Gunn was ejected for elbowing Klesmit in the face. It marked the third flagrant foul and second ejection for the Hoosiers in their last four games. You have to wonder if Mike Woodson has lost control of the locker room, as this is turning into a nightmare season for Indiana. It doesn’t get easier with a trip to Champaign looming on Saturday.

Wisconsin has bounced back nicely from its shocking defeat in State College last week. Not only did it crush Indiana, but it won a tough game in Minneapolis on Tuesday even though the Gophers played tough defense and overcame a Badger lead that peaked at 15 points in the first half. Minnesota took the lead late thanks to a pair of clutch buckets by Dawson Garcia. The Gophers had a two-point lead and the ball with two minutes left, but a huge steal by Klesmit and subsequent fast break dunk by A.J. Storr flipped the game in Wisconsin’s favor. Mike Mitchell Jr. had one last chance to send the game to overtime when he perfectly missed a free throw and grabbed his own rebound, but the put-back fell out, allowing Wisconsin to hold on with a 61-59 road win.

Amazing play by Mitchell Jr. Look at him run right to where the rebound is going. Just missed the easy part. pic.twitter.com/3YR274RBlZ

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 24, 2024

Wednesday is another big night in the Big Ten with Maryland and Iowa battling to stay relevant in the NCAA Tournament conversation when they play each other in Iowa City. After that, Northwestern looks to solidify its Tournament resume with an upset win at home over rival Illinois.

Time for action, Jackson…

by Brandon Chabner | January 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

You got what you always wanted. The chance to beat the best, in front of the whole world. Time for action, Jackson.

As for the Niners giving the Lions a 7-pt headstart out of the goodness of their hearts …

by Brandon Chabner | January 22, 2024 | 0 Comments

Detroit is getting no respect… and look at how much of a weakling SF has lately been against the spread.

Determined Dan will definitely have something to say about that.

And on Expectant Eight Sunday:

by Brandon Chabner | January 21, 2024 | 0 Comments

And on Expectant Eight Sunday:
–Nothing that special or unusual here, just more magic from Mahomes and a classic flub by Buffalo… 30 plus later, it’s still a wild, but apparently uncorrectible, wide right.
–Goff makes the recalitrant Buccs walk the plank, and Baker’s late game interception send Tampa into the bay… or should we say into the Detroit River. Kudos to the visitors for making it a pretty good game, but the homies just had too much talent, and the very serious faith of deterimned Dan.
— We all can unforutnately remember when we were as frustrated as Josh Allen.

Sunday Morning at 9 is high time for our “Tampa Bay of pigs, for the Lions?” CDST Show…

by Brandon Chabner | January 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

Sunday Morning at 9 is high time for our “Tampa Bay of pigs, for the Lions?” CDST Show. Could it be, that Dorothy D’s Champions of the North, will have their energy Sapped by Baker Baker touchdown maker and the fabulous Bolwes-legged blitzers. Does Goff have a plan — other than that deer in the headlights look — when the pressure comes at him quick and frenzied, and the run option has been sufficiently snuffed out. And all that before we look at the rematch that has seemed way longer than 2 years in the making. It’s now or never for Josh Allen, and a classic opportunity for Mahomes to cement his legacy. Plus, maybe some tennis, a little basketball and god knows what else, including my ChabDog cousin, clumsy Clem.

Penn State might be that team you don’t want to play in the Big Ten

by Aaron | January 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

I try to stay a little optimistic about this Penn State basketball team. Even after they killed their chances of sniffing the NCAA Tournament, they still pulled out comeback wins over Ohio State and Michigan. Chances of meaningful postseason basketball are zero, but chances of ruining someone else’s season have been pretty good. Still, I did not think that Penn State had a chance to upset Wisconsin on Tuesday night. Even after Penn State jumped out to a 12-2 lead and used pressure on defense to throw off the usually patient Badgers, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It looked like it did drop when Wisconsin chipped away and chipped away and finally took the lead on a Max Klesmit three-point shot with five minutes to play. However, my Lions kept attacking the basket for layups and free throws while Qudus Wahab had a couple of huge blocks that led to a pair of rare stops.

Alma Mater hits different after a court storm. pic.twitter.com/aPauqclAbR

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 17, 2024

When Penn State held on for the 87-83 win, it was time for the students to rush the court. And we got a surprisingly good court storming for a game that started at 9:00 p.m. on a weeknight after a snowstorm. This was a win that Mike Rhoades can build on, and when Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr. are both scoring as efficiently as they did against Wisconsin, Penn State is going to be tough to beat.

Purdue established dominance over Indiana

I thought that Indiana had a great chance to cover the 9.5 points because Purdue had been shaky outside of West Lafayette. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The Boilermakers absolutely crushed their rivals 87-66 to ensure that they would not be swept by Indiana for the second straight season. Zach Edey really wanted to win in Bloomington before his ridiculous college career is over, and he showed it with 33 points and 14 rebounds while making more free throws than Indiana attempted as a team.

You don't see 7-4 dudes doing this very often. 😲@zach_edey x @BoilerBall

💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/1smPMIScyH

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 17, 2024

Purdue held Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau to 13 points combined, but they weren’t nearly as bad as Xavier Johnson. He has been a walking nightmare since coming back from a foot injury apart from a great game against Ohio State in which he scored 18 points to lead the Hoosiers to a much-needed win. In his other four games of 2024, Johnson has a total of four points and two flagrant fouls. Not a great ratio. In this one, Johnson went 0-for-5 from the field while scoring no points. May G-d have mercy on his soul.

Nebraska still can’t win on the road

When it comes to home vs. road performance, Nebraska might be the most bipolar team in the country. In conference play, the Cornhuskers are 3-0 in Lincoln with wins over Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue. Away from Pinnacle Bank Arena, has been a different story. Nebraska has yet to record a Big Ten road win, and it blew a big opportunity to get one when it fell to Rutgers 87-82 in overtime on Wednesday night. The Cornhuskers were head by double digits in both the first half and the second half, but both times Rutgers came back and tied the score. Nebraska might have held on if it could get a damn rebound on defense, but in a performance that reminded me of my Nittany Lions, it allowed the Scarlet Knights to grab 25 rebounds on 48 missed field goals.

That is just disgusting, but you have to give some credit to Cliff Omoruyi and his freakishly long arms for battling and keeping Rutgers in the game despite its horrible shooting. Omoruyi grabbed 15 rebounds with six coming on offense and also blocked four shots to ensure that Nebraska shot the ball just as poorly as the Knights. The major rebounding advantage should have made it possible for the Knights to win this game in regulation, but they instead tortured their fans with missed free throws that kept Nebraska alive for five extra minutes. We were also treated to back-to-back turnovers in the final three seconds of regulation with a lengthy replay review added for good measure.

I don’t think this is what Fred Hoiberg had in mind drawing up Nebraska’s final play in regulation… pic.twitter.com/rOpaymobM1

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) January 18, 2024

It looked like Nebraska would get a chance to win with the score tied, but Rienk Mast tried to grab a ball on the sideline that clearly went off of Omoruyi’s shoe. If Mast had just let the ball go, the Huskers would have maintained possession, but replay showed that he touched the ball just before it went out of bounds. Rutgers then had a chance, but Nebraska trapped Derek Simpson as soon as he caught the inbounds pass, and he ended up traveling with almost no time coming off the clock. Given another chance, Fred Hoiberg in his infinite wisdom drew up a lob to C.J. Wilcher (a 6’5″ guard) instead of trying to get the ball to Keisei Tominaga, one of the best three-point shooters in the country. The play failed miserably, and Rutgers won in overtime.

Jahmir Young has no help

Maryland had a chance to build off its awesome win at Illinois with a win at Northwestern on Wednesday night, but stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Jahmir Young did not get any help and nearly broke his back trying to carry the Maryland offense. The super senior scored 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting with five assists, but thanks to zero points from the bench and subpar outings from Julian Reese and Donta Scott, the Terps fell to Northwestern, 72-69. Young even hit a clutch three-point shot to put Maryland ahead by one with 30 seconds left, but Boo Buie answered with a driving layup that would end up being the winning bucket.

BOO BUIE TAKES IT TO THE HOOP TO GO UP ONE! 😤 @NUMensBball x @booboo_buie pic.twitter.com/fyoZFfWXXc

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 18, 2024

Buie finished with 20 points and seven assists for a more balanced Northwestern team. While the Terrapin reserves were doing nothing, Matthew Nicholson came off the bench for the Wildcats and scored 10 points with five offensive rebounds.

Thursday’s results

Michigan State beat Minnesota in East Lansing and Illinois beat Michigan in Ann Arbor on Thursday night. Neither result was particularly surprising, but the Gophers impressed on the road by hanging with the Spartans for the first 35 minutes of the game. Michigan State finally pulled away (and nearly covered the 11.5-point spread) thanks to some strong transition offense led by Tyson Walker. When Sparty has success this season, it’s been because the team forces turnovers and scores quickly off of them. Minnesota would have had a chance to score a major upset if not for the 19-5 turnover disparity.

This is only January @JonRothstein pic.twitter.com/dj4YSYnxpp

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 19, 2024

In the late game, I thought that Illinois -2.5 looked like a trap, but I took it anyway because Illinois is a much better team than Michigan. The Illini came through and pulled away in the second half for a solid road win with much thanks to peak Coleman Hawkins. If Illinois can get this version of Hawkins in March, it can go far in the NCAA Tournament. The versatile center had 21 points, 10 rebounds (three on offense), four assists, and six steals while leading the Illini in all of those categories except for rebounds since Quincy Guerrier had 14. Hawkins also knocked down three shots from beyond the arc. There is not much this guy can’t do when he is at the top of his game.

ChabDog’s full metal jacket full monty Sports Rock picks for the 2023 Divisional Playoff Round —

by Brandon Chabner | January 17, 2024 | 0 Comments

Bills have loved the idea, for a long time, of having Mahomes come into their home for a playoff game. I think we know happens next.
Does Goff have a plan for the two-headed monster that is the TB run defense and blitz machine. Not sure the Rams game is a preview of things to come here. Going big on the fab Baker-boy Buccs.
Packers are the taste of the day, but they’re about to be given the Rice a Roni treatment … a real San Francisco treat when all is said and done.
Lamar to come out weak and worthless after a little R and R. No way, jose. Just enough beaked havoc in Ravens haven for a tight win.

Iowa and Maryland make pushes to get on the NCAA Tournament bubble

by Aaron | January 16, 2024 | 0 Comments

The Big Ten never rests. Just when you think you can write a team like Maryland off because it can’t put the ball in the hoop, the Terps go on the road and beat Illinois for their first quality win of the season. That might be the best road win that any Big Ten team gets this season based on how Purdue and Wisconsin are playing at home. Maryland has had to rely on its defense because of how putrid its offense has been, but on Sunday in Champaign, Jahmir Young and Julian Reese played in tandem and looked like a dynamic duo as they set up each other for good looks at the hoop. Young missed all four of his three-point shots, but he finished 11-for-24 with 28 points and eight assists because of how great he was a driving to the bucket and using his teammates as screens. When the game came down to the wire, Reese bullied the Illini in the paint and picked up enough points to hold off Marcus Domask and company while forcing Coleman Hawkins to foul out. Maryland has a long way to go because of how bare its resume is, but now Kevin Willard’s team has a signature win and a formula to build around. Young and Reese scoring in the paint plus hounding defense that leads to transition points.

Geronimo!! Seals the win for the Terps!! 🙌 @TerrapinHoops pic.twitter.com/iyiuuDOFYg

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 14, 2024

By the way, Domask was a dawg in this one with some tough shots down the stretch to keep Illinois in the game while the rest of his team was shooting 12-for-45 (26 percent). Justin Harmon has been a key player for Illinois with Terrence Shannon Jr. suspended, but he was a big let down in this one, going 0-for-7 from the field. It will be interesting to see if the Terps can keep the good times rolling at Northwestern on Wednesday while Illinois looks to rebound on Thursday at Michigan, where the Wolverines finally broke their losing streak.

Yes, the Maize and Blue found another way to own their rivals with a win over Ohio State, this time on the basketball court. Dug McDaniel was back in action after serving one game of his bizarre road-only suspension, and he showed some of his old tricks by shooting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc on the way to 15 points and four assists. Terrance Williams II continued his senior-year breakout season with five three-point shots made on five attempts, including the dagger with about 30 seconds left. I will give Michigan credit. It did the thing where again where it blows a second-half lead, but it showed some mettle and bounced back to pick up the win. It looked like curtains for the Wolverines when Ohio State went on a 16-0 run to turn a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead with Bruce Thornton heating up.

Congrats to Michigan for finally holding a 2nd half lead! Only took a 40-percent disparity in three-point shooting 😬

Terrace Williams II hit all five of his shots from deep. Ohio State went 3-for-25. pic.twitter.com/DobEAY5aRb

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 15, 2024

Juwan Howard being back in the head coach’s chair following offseason heart surgery might have made the difference. Either that or it was the Fab Five being in the house. Maybe it was just Ohio State shooting 12 percent from three-point range thanks to a rare dud from Jamison Battle. No matter what, it was a much-needed win for Michigan.

Iowa is creeping into NCAA Tournament contention

Depending on who you ask, the Big Ten has six or seven schools in the NCAA Tournament field as of this moment. There are some schools with potential to move up, though. Indiana is 4-2 in league play and has a few big resume-building opportunities coming up. Iowa is another team that is building a case thanks to three straight wins over Rutgers, Nebraska, and Minnesota with more than 85 points scored in all of those games. Ben Krikke was carrying Iowa’s offense earlier in the season, but freshman Owen Freeman and sophomore Josh Dix have made major contributions lately to gas up the attack. Freeman is turning into a double-double machine who seems to win the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award almost every time. He was nigh unstoppable against a Nebraska team that was coming off a huge win over Purdue. Freeman turned into a miniature Zach Edey against them with 22 points on 11-for-13 shooting and 10 rebounds.

Josh Dix was COOKING! 🔥 @J0shDix x @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/QSZ4JrEKHZ

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 16, 2024

Meanwhile, Dix has seen his role grow in a big way over the past two games thanks to some spicy three-point shooting. Against Nebraska on Friday, he came off the bench and sunk five triples to score a season-high 16 points. He topped that against Minnesota when he stepped into the starting five with Patrick McCaffrey dealing with an injury. Inside The Barn, Dix scored 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting with five assists. Iowa hasn’t gotten a ton of three-point shooting beyond Payton Sandfort this season, so Dix emerging should help spread out opposing defenses while giving Krikke and Freeman more room to operate in the paint. Don’t sleep on the Hawkeyes at home against Purdue this Saturday!

And on a somewhat manic MLK Day Monday:

by Brandon Chabner | January 15, 2024 | 0 Comments

The real moment of truth in this 4th quarter laugher was, most ironically,
the breakdown of the one thing that the Eagles had heretofore been
able to execute. The soft comfortable old reliable tush push. But not tonight.
Not from a mere one yard, with the defense only preventing 1 point.
No not tonight. Tonight was the perfect storm for the reveling Buccs.
Tonight, the very solid run defense was a beast, combined with tried and true blitzing bonanza from Bowles.
And the poor Eagles could not really come back with anything, except the heroics of D. Smith.
Jalen was a sitting, quacking with fear, duck, and for Baker, this was like shooting birds in a barrel.
Shakir shakes himself free at the 15 and bounds home
with the dagger TD, sealing Pittsburgh’s fate in a game
where the visitors took way too long to get aclamated to
the charming surroundings.

Sunday’s Wild Card Ride:

by Brandon Chabner | January 14, 2024 | 0 Comments

Lions and Goff hold off late charging Rams.
Another great job by McVay, other than punting
back to Detroit from around mid-field, and never
seeing the ball again.
This was like the hyenas decimating an unlucky Wildebeast.
Thank you very little Dallas for conning me once again.
You couldn’t even begin to get the ABCEEDEEs right for
defending your home turf. America’s Team thoroughly
dominated by LOVE LOVE LOVE… AMERICAN STYLE.

Something happening in Dallas

by Well Read | January 14, 2024 | 0 Comments

It’s the “Say Goodbye To Free Playoff Peacock” CDST Show, …

by Brandon Chabner | January 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

Check out tomorrow’s show, at chabdog.com. It’s the “Say Goodbye To Free Playoff Peacock” CDST Show, and it don’t cost nuttin.
You’ll get our slanted, sometimes warped, but always adverturous take of Saturday’s action, plus what’s in store for us on holy Sunday and on now-manic MLK Monday. Plus, ChabDog’s tips on how to increase business connectivity.

To review Day 1–‘s results:

Browns started like champs on offense, but the defense played like clowns from out of town; say it ain’t so, Joe.
To win, the finished Fins needed to have either a great team with a good leader, or a good team with a great leader; today at the Geha, they had neitha.

Hey NFL it’s our God Given Right to access NFL games on broadcast TV for no more that the cost of embedded advertising

by Well Read | January 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

Fuck you NFL for selling them the rights and fuck you Peacock for putting this game behind a paywall

And on “Peacock Saturday” … remember when that bird meant antaenna TV NBC …

by Brandon Chabner | January 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hard knocks takes a hard fall on fridged bed of Arrowhead
Bully ball in Houston, as the Browns barrell on in an extended tush push engineered by highly prepared Preration H Joe.

Wisconsin is the only undefeated basketball team in the Big Ten

by Aaron | January 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

The other day I wondered if Wisconsin could build on its two impressive home wins that it opened the January portion of Big Ten play with. If the Badgers could beat Ohio State on the road, it would prove they have what it takes to compete for the Big Ten title. Well, what do you know? Greg Gard’s team came through for me and made me look like I know ball. I would later find out on Thursday night that I don’t really know ball, but I’ll take my wins where I can get them. Wisconsin and Ohio State went back and forth throughout the evening, but the Badgers pulled ahead at the end thanks to the unlikely heroics of Max Klesmit! He erupted for 18 points, all in the second half, and he helped Wisconsin close the game on a 19-4 run.

Wisconsin had gone seven minutes without a FG… all of a sudden Max Klesmit goes three, driving layup, three to put @BadgerMBB up six! pic.twitter.com/zcUdLfjrUf

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 11, 2024

This is what happens when you have a team as deep and talented as Wisconsin’s. Your top players don’t need to be at their best all the time if you’re going to win. Just look at Maryland. If Jahmir Young doesn’t score 30 points every night, the Terps are going to lose (unless Donta Scott goes nuts like he did to kill my Michigan spread bet). With the Badgers, they don’t need Chucky Hepburn or Tyler Wahl to carry the load all the time. It’s okay that Steven Crowl is banged up with a knee contusion. Someone like Klesmit or Connor Essegian can take over for a while and lift the team to victory. By the way, shout out to Jamison Battle of Ohio State, who continues to be the hottest shooter in the conference. He went 4-for-5 from deep for 18 points in a losing effort.

Penn State is back to frustrating me

If Penn State is not overcoming double-digit second half deficits in the Big Ten, it is giving up double-digit second half leads. That is what it seems like these days. Both of our conference wins featured big comebacks, while the Maryland loss was painful because of how many chances Penn State had to put the Terps away. Now we get to the Northwestern loss. It was a game that Penn State needed to have if I was going to entertain the notion of a winning conference campaign. With Purdue coming up, the Lions are likely to be below .500 the rest of the way because they blew a 10-point lead in the second half. The Wildcats went on a 19-2 run that was mostly due to two themes.

Here comes @NUMensBball. 😤 pic.twitter.com/cx0PbSGc6i

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 11, 2024

First, Penn State could not hit a three-point shot all night. The team shot 3-for-17 from beyond the arc with two of the makes coming from D’Marco Dunn, who still does not play enough. He played 23 minutes, while Zach Hicks went 0-for-6 from deep in his 25 minutes. Those guys don’t play the same position, but Penn State should just go small since its defense stinks anyway. That brings us to the second reason for Northwestern’s run. Penn State cannot get a stop without a turnover. The Lions did a good job forcing 18 of them in this game, but they couldn’t stop the Wildcats from hitting 61 percent of their field goals. Boo Buie got wherever he wanted on the court, and when he was cut off, he found Ty Berry for a three-point shot or Brooks Barnhizer for a layup. The one good thing Penn State did was rebound the ball with 21 on defense compared to just two on offense for Northwestern. But it didn’t matter much when so many Northwestern shots were going in the bucket.

My Thursday night bets were a disaster

Michigan +6.5 was a catastrophe. Wolverines are the worst team in the Big Ten. No defense, no heart, and now no Dug McDaniel for a few games.

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 12, 2024

Michigan +6.5 and Illinois -3.5 each missed by half a point. And Michigan was leading for a good portion of the game while covering for the entire game until Maryland’s free throws in the final seconds. I found out before the game that Dug McDaniel had been suspended for the next six road games, but I still thought that the Wolverines would come through. It sure looked that way when Olivier Nkamhoua cut Michigan’s deficit to one with two and a half minutes left, but those were the last points his team would score and the Terps iced the game at the charity stripe.

I talk all the time about how Jahmir Young doesn’t get any help. Well, someone else finally stepped up while Young scored just 12 points on 3-for-11 shooting. Donta Scott scored 22 points with 20 of them coming the second half while Maryland outscored Michigan 43-24 to erase the 12-point lead that the Wolverines held at halftime. That is now two straight games in which Michigan has lost to one of the worst teams in the conference after leading by double digits at the half. It is a good thing that Michigan won that football title or its fans would be teetering on the edge of insanity. I am going to go out on a limb and say that McDaniel could have made a difference in this one since backup point guard Jaelin Llewellyn went 3-for-11 from the field with nine points while his backcourt mate Nimari Burnett was 2-for-9 with seven points.

The Michigan State vs. Illinois game was at least more entertaining. I was not counting on Michigan State playing so well on the road after it dropped its last two away games to Nebraska and Northwestern. Sparty still came up short in this one, but it looked more like an NCAA Tournament team this time around as it played with heart and fire throughout. A.J. Hoggard missed a three-point shot that could have tied the game in the final seconds, and then Jaden Akins grabbed the rebound and threw up a meaningless two-point shot so that Michigan State couldn’t foul one more time.

Illinois holds off the Spartans! pic.twitter.com/dfeqzRTk2K

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 12, 2024

Oh, and right before Hoggard’s game-tying attempt, Illinois’ Luke Goode missed the front end of a one-and-one that would have covered the spread. Betting is fun. Also, it turns out that Michigan State is pretty good when Tyson Walker gets some support and doesn’t have to be Superman. Malik Hall in particular made some plays for the Spartans and finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and three assists after being a total no-show against Northwestern. Michigan State didn’t shoot the three well (5-for-19), and that turned out to be the difference in a game that went back and forth in the second half.

Illinois, meanwhile, got another Swiss Army Knife performance from Coleman Hawkins. He went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked four shots. Hawkins is one of the most versatile players in the college game, and he’ll be at least a useful player in the NBA due to his wide variety of skills. I was also impressed by Ty Rodgers, who is perpetually invisible on offense. However, in this game he found his way into the paint and scored 15 points while carrying Illinois’ offense in the early going. This Illini squad is a force to be reckoned with and if Terrence Shannon Jr. ever has his suspension lifted, it could make a run for the national title.

Bill Belichick moves on… but not to Cincinnati…

by Brandon Chabner | January 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

All fans in New England owe the master puppeteer a debt of gratitude, for a whopping 6 rings and two plus decades of total excellence. He’ll just have to set the record for all time wins with another team. And press conferences will never be the same.

Purdue’s top competition and the Big Ten’s most electric player

by Aaron | January 10, 2024 | 0 Comments

The Big Ten is a grind and almost every team will have its ups and downs. Just look and what happened in the Big Ten over the weekend. Purdue got a big win over Illinois, one of its top competitors for the conference title. Based on how the Boilers responded to that loss at Northwestern in January, I thought it was fair to wonder if Matt Painter’s team would lose another game this season. That was stupid. Purdue got hammered by Nebraska on Tuesday, and just a couple of days earlier, the Huskers were humbled by Wisconsin. I should really start to take into account that even the best teams are vulnerable on the road and even the worst teams (not Nebraska, who is looking like an NCAA Tournament team; I’m talking about someone else…) can topple giants at home. The same was apparent in the other Tuesday game with Indiana fresh off a big win over Ohio State in Bloomington and Rutgers reeling from getting crushed by Iowa. So what happened? With the game in Piscataway, Rutgers easily handled Indiana. Here is what else we learned about the Big Ten since last Friday, besides the fact that home court is important.

Austin Williams will be an important factor for Rutgers going forward

Offense is a major issue for Rutgers. Steve Pikiell has relied on stifling defense to win games since arriving in New Jersey seven years ago, but this season getting stops is especially important because the Scarlet Knights are one of the worst shooting teams in the country. Even in the win over Indiana on Tuesday night, Rutgers only shot 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from three-point range. You can play elite defense and still lose by a dozen if you shoot the ball like that. It turned out that the Hoosiers were even more incompetent with 18 turnovers and an unbelievable performance from the free throw line that saw them go 4-for-15. That is so bad that a random fan from the stands could have easily done better.

Anyway, Williams is an experienced guard who played two seasons at Marist and two at Hartford before this year. He has played sparingly for Rutgers, but over the last two games, he has been featured more and has given the team a lift by shooting 11-for-17 with 24 points. He’s not a superstar by any means, but someone needs to score consistently for the Knights, and fans have to be sick of seeing Noah Fernandes disappear in every other game while Derek Simpson chucks up shots that go “clank.”

Wisconsin looks like Purdue’s top competitor with Connor Essegian back in the fold

I might as well talk about Wisconsin now since I just talked about how the Big Ten makes teams look so different depending on whether they are playing at home and on the road. Well, the Badgers have won four straight with all those coming in the Kohl Center. Plus, the last time they played on the road, they were spanked by Arizona 98-73 on December 9. Wisconsin also was crushed at Providence back in November. However, Wisconsin did win its one Big Ten road game at Michigan State, so maybe there is hope that this team can give Purdue a run for its money. It helps that the Badgers are 3-0 in the league after stomping Nebraska over the weekend.

A confident and healthy Connor Essegian is a dangerous man
pic.twitter.com/wAmLyHIJhF

— Mark Titus Show (@MarkTitusShow) January 6, 2024

Another boost that Wisconsin gets is Connor Essegian, who was a big weapon last season when he scored 11.7 points per game as a freshman. This season, Essegian has barely played because of a back injury, but during the win over Nebraska, he finally looked like his old self with 12 points off the bench in just 12 minutes. The Badgers were doing fine with Essegian thanks to their usual efficient offense and stingy defense that doesn’t give away offensive rebounds. Plus, head coach Greg Gard brought back a ton of talent from a team that just missed the NCAA Tournament in 2023. With Essegian healthy again, Wisconsin can compete for the Big Ten Championship. Now please don’t lose to Ohio State tonight and make me look like an idiot.

Xavier Johnson coming back from injury is huge for Indiana

This Indiana team is way too talented to be on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but that’s where it is right now. That horrendous performance at Rutgers isn’t going to help matters, but the Hoosiers got a nice win at home against Ohio State on Saturday night, and there are plenty of opportunities to rack up wins. I think the return of Xavier Johnson from a foot injury will help a lot. He is a sixth-year super senior who Indiana does not have a legitimate replacement for at point guard. When Johnson missed all of December with the injury, Indiana was blown out by Auburn in Atlanta and dropped a close home game to Kansas that could have really boosted the IU resume. To Indiana’s credit, it won its two Big Ten games without Johnson, but those were against Michigan and Maryland, and we are about to talk about how much they suck.

Johnson looked very rusty in his return to action at Nebraska in a game that the Hoosiers lost, but against Ohio State, he was a major factor with 18 points while knocking down both of his three-point attempts and going 8-for-11 from the free throw line. That is the kind of production that Indiana needs from Johnson and if he plays like that, IU could jump into the upper tier of the league. Unfortunately, during the Rutgers game, Johnson had five turnovers compared to just two points and he got ejected for grabbing an opponent’s ball sack. Indiana fans would like to see more of the good Johnson during crucial upcoming home games against Minnesota and Purdue.

Michigan and Maryland will battle for who is the biggest disappointment in the Big Ten

Oh boy do these guys stink. I really thought Michigan was going to get hot in January with a favorable schedule, but instead it lost to Minnesota at home and to my Nittany Lions in Philadelphia. Michigan’s offense is very good thanks to Olivier Nkamhoua (“Cum-Hwah”) and his ability to stretch out the defense while scoring from multiple spots. Point guard Dug McDaniel has looked like a star at times, but he has not shot the ball well lately and has totaled just 20 points in Michigan’s last two games. The Wolverines also need to stop turning the ball over. They did so 19 times against Penn State and that helped them blow a 10-point halftime lead to a team they are more talented than. Michigan also turned the ball over 15 times in a surprising home loss to McNeese State while only forcing the Cowboys into four turnovers. Losing the turnover battle by 10 or more makes it hard to win games. It’s science.

If Michigan can get its head out of its ass, maybe it can earn a much-needed road win against Maryland this Thursday night. The Terps have a better record than Michigan, but at least Michigan can say it beat somebody. All of Maryland’s nine wins come against teams outside of the KenPom top 100, and only Penn State and UCLA are inside the top 200. Back in December, the road win over UCLA looked pretty decent, but the Bruins are playing like garbage with seven losses in their last eight.

Maryland’ defense has been good this year, and it held Purdue and Minnesota under 70 points, but the Terps have been shooting like Rutgers, and that should not happen when you have someone like Julian Reese who can score close to the basket. When Reese isn’t scoring his points in the post, way too much falls on the shoulders of Jahmir Young. That was apparent in the Purdue game, when Young scored 26 points, but that turned out to be just under half of Maryland’s total because Reese got shut out. The Terps had a chance to get right against Minnesota, and they led 29-22 at halftime, but 17 turnovers and a poor shooting night from Young (5-for-17) wasted solid effort from Reese and Donta Scott, who both scored 14 points. The Gophers won 65-62.

Keisei Tominaga is the Big Ten’s most electric player

Speaking of Minnesota, and before I get to Tominaga, let’s give a shout out to Elijah Hawkins, who has come out of nowhere to be one of the top point guards in the Big Ten. And by “come out of nowhere,” I mean he transferred from Howard, so that is almost literally accurate. You’d think that Hawkins would take some time to adjust to the higher level of play, but he has looked like a Big Ten veteran by the way he sees the court and knows when to call his own number. Hawkins is second in the country with 7.8 assists per game, and he totaled 16 assists in recent wins over Michigan and Maryland. Plus, he’s connecting on 39 percent of his three-point shots, so opponents cannot just stand back and cover the passing lanes. Minnesota’s non-conference schedule was super soft, but with Hawkins and Dawson Garcia, this team has the talent to make a run towards the NCAA Tournament.

OMG KEISEI TOMINAGA!!!! 💥 😱 He can't be stopped!@KeiseiTominaga x @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/5y7KBCIHTo

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 10, 2024

Now it is time to acknowledge the real king of the Big Ten. Keisei Tominaga has unlimited range and he showed on Tuesday night against Purdue that it doesn’t matter if you get a hand in his face. The man is just a walking and talking bucket who you have to base your whole defense around. In three Big Ten games since the calendar turned, Tominaga has totaled 64 points while shooting 12-for-25 from beyond the arc. Nebraska did not do much during non-conference play to build a resume, but it already has wins over Michigan State and Purdue at home, and that is enough to put it in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Now we get to see if Tominaga can hit daggers with opposing fans screaming at him because his next two games are at Iowa and at Rutgers. I would love to see the guy become a massive heel by celebrating in road arenas like he did against Purdue in Lincoln.

ChabDog’s Homemade lines for Round 1 of the Playoffs:

by Brandon Chabner | January 9, 2024 | 0 Comments

THE LINES AS SEEN BY ACE CHAB-STEIN:

CLEVELAND -3.5 @ HOUSTON (sorry, but the Browns are well-rested, and the Texans are looking vulnerable on both sides of the line)
MIAMI +4.5 @ KC) (have fun Fins in what will be frigid conditions at the home of Mahomes)
PITTSBURGH +3 @ BUFFALO (go ahead and make us 3 pt dogs on the road… we love it and know how to handle oh my Gosh Josh…. keep him in front of you and watch him try to do too much)
GB +3 @ DALLAS (Dallas will jump out to nice lead courtesy of that Big D line, and then will hold on for dear life)
LAR +2 @ DETROIT (Has Goff ever won a really big game? Stafford has and still can… and that’s why this spread is moving in the wrong direction for the Lions)
PHILLY -4 @ TB (the very sick Eagles are so grateful to be treated to this case of TB in Round 1, but will they still feel that way when they put their masks on)

NFL WINS ATS FINAL 2023

by Well Read | January 7, 2024 | 0 Comments

On the Final Violent Saturday of the 2023 Regular Season:

by Brandon Chabner | January 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

How sweep it its. Steelers didn’t steal this one…. no they grabbed it in full view, as Mason closes the deal in the 2nd half with a Bradshaw-like rocket down the middle, Najee has his best game as a pro, and the defense goes on a successful hunt for Huntley.
Colts cut things a little too close as time dwindles, which leaves no room for error for their spark from the trailer park.

Team ChabDog’s Picks

by Well Read | January 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

LAST WEEK

by Dorothy Dawn | January 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

Week 18: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | January 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome to another Chabdog Sports Blog of me making scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4 Week 12: 9 Week 13: 7 Week 14: 7 Week 15: 3 Week 16: 9 Week 17: 8

SATURDAY PICKS

STEELERS -3 | RAVENS

TEXANS -1 | COLTS

SUNDAE PICKS

BUCCANEERS -4.5 | PANTHERS

BROWNS | BENGALS -7

VIKINGS | LIONS -3.5

JETS | PATRIOTS -1.5

FALCONS | SAINTS -2.5

JAGUARS -3.5 | TITANS

SEAHAWKS -3.5 | CARDINALS

BEARS | PACKERS -2.5

CHIEFS +3.5 | CHARGERS

BRONCOS | RAIDERS -2.5

EAGLES -4.5 | GIANTS

RAMS | 49ERS +4

COWBOYS | COMMANDERS +12.5

BILLS -2.5 | DOLPHINS

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 01/05/2024

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

Minnesota might be for real and Penn State definitely stinks

by Aaron | January 6, 2024 | 0 Comments

I really thought that Michigan would take advantage of its three-game stretch against Minnesota, Penn State, and Maryland. It had a chance to start 2024 with three straight wins and build some momentum after a disappointing non-conference slate that saw it lose to Long Beach State and McNeese State, as well as four major conference teams. Instead, the Wolverines fell at home to a Minnesota team that has zero quality wins outside of Big Ten play. However, the Gophers clearly have talent and the win in Ann Arbor makes them a dark horse NCAA Tournament contender.

Minnesota 73, Minnesota 71

I hadn’t seen much of Minnesota before Thursday night because of their very low-profile schedule, and because of that schedule, it has a lot of work to do in Big Ten play to get the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s attention. Still, this win over Michigan wasn’t a fluke, and it was impressive how the Gophers limited Dug McDaniel and got balanced scoring to make up for superstar forward Dawson Garcia shooting 5-for-17 from the field. Mike Mitchell Jr. and Elijah Hawkins combined to shoot 8-for-14 from beyond the arc, and the defense was boosted by Pharrel Payne coming off the bench and protecting the rim with four blocked shots.

Michigan was SO CLOSE to tying the game, but the Gophers escape with a win in Ann Arbor. pic.twitter.com/2WGUaS04vL

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 5, 2024

Defense hasn’t been a strong point for the Gophers this season, but in Ann Arbor they held McDaniel to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting. McDaniel missed a runner at the buzzer that could have sent the game into overtime, and Michigan probably would have pulled the game out if he had his typical game. Instead, I was impressed with Minnesota’s point guard. Hawkins transferred from Howard, but he looks like he has played in the Big Ten for years. He knows when to pass and when to call his own number, and that’s why he’s averaging an incredible 7.7 assists per game. Hawkins is a diamond in the rough and I give Gophers head coach Ben Johnson a lot of credit for discovering him.

Michigan State 92, Penn State 61

I will start with the one positive and say that Penn State did a nice job rebounding the ball for once. Unfortunately, there were not many rebounds to be had because Michigan State knocked down 56 percent of its shots. This game was doomed from the beginning as my Nittany Lions could not stop turning the ball over and allowing Sparty to score in transition. As usual, Kanye Clary did his thing with 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting and five assists, but the supporting cast was mostly dreadful. Ace Baldwin Jr. was 0-for-7 from the field and the team as a whole shot 10 percent from three-point range. The most telling thing about this game was Jon Rothstein doing the Michigan State victory tweet at halftime.

Strong defense leads to easy offense.@MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/6CZN7X2GP8

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 5, 2024

Tyson Walker (22 points, 5 assists, 6 steals) and Malik Hall (24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) pretty much did whatever they wanted, and Sparty got a nice momentum-building win as it heads into 2024. Tom Izzo’s team is looking more formidable since the breakthrough win against Baylor.

Purdue 83, Illinois 78

You have to hand it to Brad Underwood. His Illinois team did not give up after falling behind 20-4 in the first half and 66-45 in the second half. The whole way it looked like this game was in Purdue’s pocket, but the Illini battled back and got to within one score when Coleman Hawkins hit a clutch three-point shot with 14 seconds to play. Sure, Illinois only got that close because of a bizarre flagrant foul called on Lance Jones when Quincy Guerrier fell over his back while Jones was boxing out, but it was still a decent showing for an Illinois team that has only played three games since the suspension of Terrence Shannon Jr.

💯 TKR was everywhere tonight.

Season-high 23 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. pic.twitter.com/AzrjswKGP7

— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) January 6, 2024

Underwood’s defense did a great job forcing the ball out of Zach Edey’s hands, and the superstar big man only scored 10 points. Instead, it was Trey Kaufman-Renn who stepped up and scored down low with a season-high 23 points. What really killed Illinois in this game was Purdue’s offensive rebounding. Even with Edey off the floor, Purdue was able to slap the ball around and keep possessions alive after misses. In fact, out of 33 missed shots by Purdue, 18 of them ended up back in the Boilers’ hands. That is a tough figure to overcome, even when Marcus Domask came alive for Illinois in the second half. Overall, he scored 26 points with five assists while proving to be the straw that stirs the drink for Illinois. I love how Domask is an old-school player who starts backing down his defender at the three-point line. Once Domask gets within 15 feet of the basket, his jumper is tough to stop. Illinois’ opponents will have a tough time getting Domask out of his office this season.

For Purdue, this game was another example of why it is the best team in the country, but keeping Edey out of foul trouble will continue to be a tricky obstacle. It was encouraging to see Illinois fight its way out of an early hole, while Domask and Guerrier are showing that they can put the ball in the bucket to make up for Shannon Jr.’s absence.

The Big Ten action will stay hot all weekend with three games on Saturday and three on Sunday. Rutgers and Iowa clash in a battle of NCAA Tournament hopefuls that desperately need a conference win. Nebraska looks to keep surprising the country with a win at Wisconsin. Indiana has a chance to boost its bubble resume with Ohio State in town. Michigan can probably kiss its hopes and dreams goodbye if it loses to Penn State. Minnesota can prove itself again with a win over Maryland. Finally, Michigan State will try to keep its winning streak alive in the place where Purdue suffered its only loss.

NFL Week 18 2024 Picks ATS Courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | January 5, 2024 | 1 Comment

ChabDog’s pick against the spread in Game 1 on this week’s version of Violent Saturday:

by Brandon Chabner | January 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

Well-read hasn’t yet put up the number of points Pittsburgh is getting, but irregardless I’m going with my Steelers in Game 1 to beat whatever spread the world says awaits. My decision came to me in a vision, after listening to this song for about the 50th time in the last two weeks, my favorite off of the Stones’ latest album.

When the whole wide world’s against you
And you’re standing in the rain
When all your friends have let you down
And treat you with disdain
When the whole wide world’s against you
And that’s got you on the run
And you think the party is over
But it’s only just, only just begun

Yes, the playoff party’s only just begun… when Mike’s minions take down some purple birds who will mostly sit Lamar and lay some eggs.

Big Ten hoops are back and Illinois does not miss Terrence Shannon Jr. yet

by Aaron | January 4, 2024 | 0 Comments

I have loved following Big Ten Basketball ever since I was a freshman at Penn State and I realized that while my Nittany Lions were incompetent, there were some other fun teams in the conference. In later years, Penn State would be one of those fun teams, and that was very cool for a bit. In 2024, it looks like that will not be the case, but there is still plenty of excitement in the Big Ten. I guess I’ll try to turn it into content.

There have been five games played since conference play started back up on January 2. Here’s what happened.

Purdue 67, Maryland 53

The Terps tried to fool us with a five-game winning streak in December which included an overtime victory over my Nittany Lions that we practically gave away with our pathetic lack of rebounding as well as an actual quality road win over UCLA. However, it turns out that the Terps still can’t shoot and they still stink. Maybe that is a little harsh since Maryland was playing the best team in the country, but I expected a little more fight from Kevin Willard’s team. Instead, Purdue jumped out to a 16-4 lead and stayed on top throughout the game, while Maryland got very little from anyone not named Jahmir Young. The super senior scored a ridiculous 26 of Maryland’s 53 points, and he shot 12-for-23 while the rest of the team was just 9-for-40. No wonder Young had zero assists on the night. He had almost no help, including a goose egg from Julian Reese, who averages 13.3 points per game! And Purdue is a team you need help against.

Ball movement on 💯. All night. pic.twitter.com/tobVaECayL

— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) January 3, 2024

The Boilers were not even that good on offense, although they did shoot 9-for-20 from beyond the arc. Zach Edey had his typical game with 23 points and 12 rebounds on 8-for-13 shooting, while Braden Smith pitched in with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. It was an easy win for Purdue, who can now focus on the Friday night showdown with Illinois coming up.

Wisconsin 83, Iowa 72

We should have known that Wisconsin would cover the five-point spread when the team held a moment of silence for Herb Kohl before the game. He was the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and a U.S. senator, but more importantly in this case, he was the man who the Kohl Center was named after. It was only fitting that Wisconsin’s home-court advantage would be on full display the week after Kohl passed away. The game was tied 32-32 at halftime, but the Badgers pulled away in the final 20 minutes thanks to the 26 free throws they attempted in the second half. Iowa got called for a ton of fouls, and that resulted in its best player Ben Krikke being limited to 20 minutes while Wisconsin’s Tyler Wahl scored 11 of his team-high 19 points from the charity stripe.

WHAT A SEQUENCE❗@BadgerMBB just turned defense into highlight baskets on back-to-back possessions. 👀

📺: Big Ten Network pic.twitter.com/HE8MmkGXR7

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 3, 2024

Tony Perkins (25 points) and freshman sensation Owen Freeman (14 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks) stood out for Iowa, but it was not enough to keep up with Wisconsin’s second half surge. The Badgers are now 2-0 in Big Ten play, while the Hawkeyes fell to 0-3 and they are in desperate need of a win at home against Rutgers on Saturday.

Illinois 96, Northwestern 66

Illinois has now played two games since Terrence Shannon Jr. was charged with rape in Kansas and suspended by the university. In those two games, the Illini have scored a total of 200 points. The first game was against Fairleigh Dickinson, but this one against a Northwestern team that has already beaten Purdue is impressive. We knew that someone would have to step up with Shannon Jr. out indefinitely, and Marcus Domask showed that his superstar performance against Florida Atlantic last month was not a fluke. He scored 32 points on 11-for-15 shooting with six assists. Unlike Shannon Jr., Domask is not someone who will blow you away with his athleticism, but he’s a great technician who can score from anywhere on the floor. Plus, he’s got experience out the wazoo since he was a double-figure scorer in all four of his years at Southern Illinois.

Highlights of No. 9 Illinois' 96-66 victory vs. Northwestern#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/bkndeBajdd

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 3, 2024

Domask wasn’t the only transfer to step up against Northwestern, though. Justin Harmon scored 20 off the bench and went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc despite averaging just 6.4 points per game this season. Harmon has come along slowly for Illinois, but he was a major scorer for Utah Valley and he clearly knows how to put the ball in the hoop if given room to operate. For Northwestern, this was a big setback defensively. Chris Collins’ team allowed just 46 points each in back-to-back wins over DePaul and Arizona State in December, but Illinois is a different animal. I like what Collins said after the game: “We can’t take this game and flush it, forget about it. We have to understand why we couldn’t guard them and fix the problems.”

It’s easy as a fan to say you want to burn the game tape and forget about it, but the coach needs to figure out what went wrong and fix it if Northwestern is going to return to the NCAA Tournament. The Cats’ win over Purdue will help that cause, but they also have a shocking loss to Chicago State as a stain on their resume, so there is work to be done.

Ohio State 76, Rutgers 72

We had to wait until Wednesday to get our first highly competitive Big Ten game of the new year. Rutgers fell behind by 13 at halftime thanks to Jamison Battle’s hot shooting. He hit five three-point shots in the first half and scored 17 of his 22 points before the break. However, the Scarlet Knights fought back in the second half and trailed by just a point with 3:20 to play. If not for a rare bucket by Evan Mahaffey and a huge three-point shot by Roddy Gayle Jr., Rutgers might have pulled off the sorely-needed upset. It would have been the second straight Big Ten collapse for the Buckeyes, as they lost to my Nittany Lions back on December 9 despite leading by 18 in the second half. Instead, Ohio State is looking like a good bet to redeem itself after a 5-15 conference slate in 2023. A lot of that is thanks to Bruce Thornton, who is one of the most underrated guards in the Big Ten. He scored 24 points against Rutgers with 7 assists.

Have a NIGHT, @battletime510 😤👏

12 points so far in the first half for @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/2UeRQ17jwL

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 4, 2024

The Knights, meanwhile, got some solid guard play from Derek Simpson (23 points, 8 rebounds) and Noah Fernandes (17 points), but offense continues to be a struggle for them. Rutgers shot just 6-for-24 from three-point range and had 7 assists on 27 made baskets. There is no pure point guard on the roster, and that is going to make scoring an uphill battle.

Nebraska 86, Indiana 70

In the biggest surprise of the early Big Ten slate, Nebraska not only upset Indiana, but it boat raced the Hoosiers and led comfortably throughout the second half. I expected the Indiana offense to get a boost from the return of Xavier Johnson to the backcourt, but he might have come back too soon from his foot injury. Johnson played only 14 minutes and finished with zero points, 4 turnovers, and 3 assists. Big man Kel’el Ware was a beast for Indiana with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, but it was not enough to keep up with Nebraska’s Japanese shooting star Keisei Tominaga. Tominaga Time was in full effect with a game-high 28 points on 4-for-10 three-point shooting. Twice in the second half Indiana appeared on the verge of narrowing the deficit to single digits only for Tominaga to nail a triple right in its face. The Hoosiers were also demoralized by 19 turnovers.

Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga dropped 28 to lead the Cornhuskers to their first win over Indiana since the 2017-18 season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/V6luIwcb2B

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) January 4, 2024

I didn’t take Nebraska very seriously when it was plowing through tomato cans in November, and I took it even less seriously when it followed up that 7-0 start with losses to Creighton and Minnesota. However, the Cornhuskers have since defeated Michigan State, Kansas State, and Indiana to put themselves on pace for the NCAA Tournament. Their new frontcourt duo of Rienk Mast and Josiah Allick give them the grit to balance out the scoring prowess of Tominaga and Brice Williams. Fred Hoiberg just might have stumbled onto something with his latest transfer portal crop.

Everything you wanted to know about Pittsburgh’s playoff positioning….

by Brandon Chabner | January 2, 2024 | 0 Comments

but were afraid to ask…

All you ever wanted to know about something almost as good as sex, … a Steeler playoff berth (or is it birth)… the position for me that is the best is the one where we get a playoff climax, from a Steeler loss, accompanied by a Cougar, no Jaguar, taming, combined with a Bronco busting win and something between the Colts and the Texans that doesn’t involve handcuffs or a tie.

https://steelersdepot.com/2023/12/heres-the-pittsburgh-steelers-week-18-path-to-the-playoffs/

Our Week 17 NFL Results Picks ATS courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | January 2, 2024 | 0 Comments

Yes, I stand for this 100%.

by Brandon Chabner | January 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

Semi-final blue plate specials … saturated with prime ingredients to satiate my coach potato cravings:

by Brandon Chabner | January 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

Michigan’s code of decorum seemed to loosen up when Corum cruised home, leading to outright jubilation when Milroe’s run into the line in OT fell harmlessly short. All signs appear to point to the Wolverines as the team of destiny.
Yes, it’s Purple Penix Jr. and his pretty talented pass of pass catchers, who move on; and you gotta wonder what Sark will be thinking tonight later in the dark as he ponders how those last two minutes might have been re-played? What about going for that initial three a bit sooner. Whether it really made sense to do the on-sides kick, as opposed to kicking deep with two time outs in his back pocket. And what might have been if the refs had called penalties on those late hits and pass interferences that apparently never happened. But who knew they’d nearly be saved by that fortuitiously timed injury.

REMOVE MASON NOW?

by Brandon Chabner | January 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

THAT WOULD BE WAIVING THE TERRIBLE TOWEL OF SURRENDER. OVER MY DEAD BODY!

ChabDog’s “Might as well kickoff the year with these beauts” Sports Rock Pool Picks — Week 18:

by Brandon Chabner | January 1, 2024 | 0 Comments

SATURDAY JANUARY 6, 2024:
1. 4:30 PM (EST) STEELERS @ RAVENS — I’m going down this year and out of the funny money (in this particular affair), so I might as well go Steelers. Baltimore ain’t playing for squat, so they just won’t have the mojo they need. We beat’m before and we’ll do it again. STEELERS ALL THE WAY WITHOUT A DOUBT!!!!
2.- 8:15 PM (EST) TEXANS @ COLTS — Colts got lucky last week and in their perverse minds think they are in anyway. Texans will take this one. TEXANS.
SUNDAY JANUARY 7, 2024:
3. 1 PM JAGUARS @ TITANS — Jags win, unfortunately for my Stillers.
4. 1 PM FALCONS @ SAINTS — This why the Saints drive me crazy. They should win this game, but isn’t this the classic trap. GOING SAINTS NONETHELESS
5. 1 PM JETS @ PATS (just for the hell of it) — Going with the PATS.
6. 1 PM BUCCANEERS @ PANTHERS –Seems to catastrophicly obvious… Going BUCS!!!!
7. 4:25 PM COWBOYS @ COMMANDERS (Commadores now got #2 draft pick!!! Dont blow it guys) — This game used to be worth televising. Now it isn’t worth even commenting on. COWBOYS WIN.
8. 4:25 PM EAGLES @ GIANTS — Can the Eagles beat anyone anymore? Still going EAGLES.
9. 4:25 PM BEARS @ PACKERS — Packers can’t afford to lose this, but could. Still going PACKERS.
10. SNF- BILLS @ DOLPHINS (Winner takes AL East – Miami in regardless-Bills could be in or out with loss, depending on others) –Never rooted this hard for Miami. And I’ll be rewarded, god willing. MIAMI wins.

Week 17: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | December 31, 2023 | 0 Comments

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

JETS | BROWNS -7.5

Getting the chalk on tonight’s game because I didn’t make a pick before kick-off. Need the Browns to keep the lead here @NewportBest_ https://t.co/HCw6Yd2Biy pic.twitter.com/oirjt4QMpZ

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 29, 2023

SATURDAY PICK

LIONS | COWBOYS -6

Getting the chalk tonight because I did so well against the Jets earlier this week. Cowboys are -6 & the Lions are keeping it close, however, I got faith in America’s team because @PotatoGobbler is a fan & he’ll make sure they turn on their jets here in the 4th 💪 https://t.co/eRmyVxtngX

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 31, 2023

SUNDAE PICKS

PATRIOTS +13 | BILLS

DOLPHINS | RAVENS -3.5

TITANS | TEXANS -4.5

RAIDERS | COLTS -3.5

PANTHERS +6.5 | JAGUARS

RAMS -4.5 | GIANTS

CARDINALS | EAGLES -10.5

49ERS | COMMANDER +13.5

FALCONS | BEARS -3

SAINTS | BUCCANEERS -2.5

BENGALS | CHIEFS -7

STEELERS | SEAHAWKS -4

CHARGERS | BRONCOS -3.5

PACKERS +2.5 | VIKINGS

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/27/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

“I Learned The Truth Week 17” on this Week’s ChabDog Sports Talk Live Sunday 9am pac- noon est

by Well Read | December 30, 2023 | 1 Comment

I learned the truth week 17
That love was meant for Brock Purdy
And Detroit Lions with clear skinned smiles
Barry quit and then retired

The Superbowls I never knew
The Monday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more parlay
Week 17 I learned the truth

And those of us with ravaged bets
Lacking in winning ways
Desperately kept betting Cards
Inventing bookies on the phone

Who called to say, “You won today”
And murmured Rams obscenities
It isn’t about Stafford’s injuries
Week 17

The Cleveland Browns in hand-me-downs
Okoronkwo’s name I never could pronounce
Said, “Pity please Deshaun Watson
He only gets what he deserves”

And the rich relationed Cowboy’s queen
Marries into Jerry’s team
With a guarantee of Mike McCarthy
And haven for Rafael Septien

To those Vikings fans who knew the pain
Of Superbowls that never came
And Colin Kaepernick was never called
By the Jets, Pats, or Bennnngals

It was long ago and far away
The NFL was younger than today
And dreams were all they gave for free
To Redskins fans like me

Bills fans play the game when they dare
To cheat themselves at Edwards-Helaire
Becoming losers on Mahomes
Loosing over and over wins unknown

They call and say, “You won today”
And murmur Rams obscenities
At ugly Redskins like me
Week 17

ChabDog’s Second-To-Last Futile Attempt to beat the spread… Week 17 picks ag. the spread

by Brandon Chabner | December 29, 2023 | 0 Comments

Lions (Lions are just better, pure and simple), Patriots (Bills are still overrated), Ravens (Best team in the AFC … by far), Texans (Titans are a titanic flop), Raiders (that defense will chew up and spit out Minchew), Panthers (Panthers are on the rise, Jags have hit a major snag), Rams (cuz the Giants just suck), Eagles (don’t deserve that spread, but whatever.. cannot bring myself to go Cards), Commanders (Niners bubble was burst a bit last week and that margin is just too rich), Bears (they’ve been playing better… and FFing Falcons can suck my arse on the road), Buccs (I’m like butter… on a roll against the stinking Saints), Bengals (who’s afraid of the Chiefs… not me!), Steelers (they have to win and will keep it close), Broncos (Sean Payton, Sean Payton, Sean Payton LOL), Vikings (Pick Mullens over Love Child)

NFL Week 17 Picks ATS courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | December 27, 2023 | 1 Comment

NFL Week 17 Picks ATS courtesy BetMGM

Our Results to Week 16’s NFL Picks ATS courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | December 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Results to Week 16 NFL Picks ATS courtesy BetMGM

My advice to the Steelers on making the playoffs:

by Brandon Chabner | December 25, 2023 | 0 Comments

Pray for the Raiders next week against Indy,

pray for the Ravens next week against Miami,

pray for Indy the following week against the Texans, …

and start drinking heavily.

On the first day of Christmas, the NFL gave to me:

by Brandon Chabner | December 25, 2023 | 0 Comments

— The Ravens took apart the Niners today, exposing their “issues” with mobile quarterbacks. But the red alert on this group goes beyond that. Brock Purdy again showed us his inexperienced, unsteady side … the side we had a glimpse of last year in the playoffs… real problems dealing with physical and fast linebackers and a beastly pass rush. I hope the Rams were taking notes on this game. And the Steelers just got a big hand out from their AFC North buddies.

— Eagles push back the G-men, maintain their sanity, but didn’t look that convincing in the process.
The tush push is still money, but the defense is steadily becoming devalued and the offense seems to be
strangely pass heavy and impatient; sounds like it needs a therapist.

–Give the Raiders a lot credit … character I wasn’t positive they had … in stuffing that dysfunctional Chiefs offense all day, and in adding another wrinkle to what is shaping up to be an incredibly complicated AFC Wild Card picture. Baltimore may well have nothing to gain in that season ending finale against Pittsburgh, and LV should play that much harder against the Colts, knowing that they could, conceivably catch the Chiefs for the division. Just sayin.

What happened to be under my Hanukkah Bush this past weekend

by Brandon Chabner | December 25, 2023 | 0 Comments

— Just like Harry Christmas, Bailey Zappe is more than happy to totally redeem himself
for a shining Christmas in Colorado.
— In the end, it was Masterful Mullens giving way to Nick The Pick, and determined Dan’s Detroit clinched the Norris Division title with two weeks to spare.
— Tampa keeps on making hay with Baker May…. meanwhile, it appears the Jags have hit more than a snag
— Hold your head up Mr. Young, progress is being made and Bryce guys can finish first… but today you lost to the Packer attackers.
— Tough tough loss for a Commanders’ squad that fought back so effectively. And contrats to a Jet’s’ team that just keep scrapping for their dignity and respect.
— Seattle didn’t in any way knock the cover off the ball, but it did cover.
— This appears to be a tailor-made situation for mending by Taylor.

Week 16: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | December 24, 2023 | 0 Comments

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

SAINTS | RAMS -4

https://t.co/6ztJ2JUGZE pic.twitter.com/bkT9XpXsTm

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 21, 2023

SATURDAY PICKS

BENGALS -2 | STEELERS

BILLS -12 | CHARGERS

🐅-2 || 🦬-12 https://t.co/2y5qdbULNO pic.twitter.com/rrLkwN9MS4

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 23, 2023

My post-game reaction to the Bengals losing to the Steelers and the Chargers covering the spread against the Bills…

My NFL picks is why I sign autos at my local mall 👍 https://t.co/BWHwlwwFZG pic.twitter.com/VjQF8sJE1G

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 24, 2023

SUNDAE PICKS

COMMANDERS +3 | JETS

BROWNS -2.5 | TEXANS

SEAHAWKS -2.5 | TITANS

LIONS -3 | VIKINGS

COLTS +1 | FALCONS

PACKERS -4.5 | PANTHERS

JAGUARS | BUCCANEERS -1

COWBOYS +1.5 | DOLPHINS

CARDINALS | BEARS -4

PATRIOTS | BRONCOS -6.5

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICKS

RAIDERS +10 | CHIEFS

GIANTS +12 | EAGLES

RAVENS | 49ERS -5.5

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/20/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

Christmas Eve-Eve

by Dorothy Dawn | December 23, 2023 | 0 Comments

Violent Saturday No. 2 — The Return of Henry Steeler

by Brandon Chabner | December 23, 2023 | 0 Comments

— Thanks god, on behalf of all Steeler fans, for reminding us what a really good Henry Steeler game looks like. Speaking of looks, has anybody seen these two guys aka Henry Steeler in the same room.

— In the end, the Bills did what they had to do, and that was it. Nothing very fancy, and the win raises some old questions about Buffalo’s quite obvious attention deficit disorder condition. That nothwithstanding, they’re still standing, and it’s now time for McDaniel’s Miami to… perform. And Charger chariot performed pretty good, at least for a while, with drive in Stick and Giff.

On this week’s “Sixteen Candles or Sixteen IEDs: Week 16 NFL Preview Show” …

by Brandon Chabner | December 22, 2023 | 0 Comments

find out whether we blow out the competition or blow ourselves up in the chaotic uncertainty that is addressing and assessing the pro football spreads….

Can the Ravens surprise on the upside against the favored Forty Niners? Will the real Lions come out to play? Can the Bills continue to stomp on the graves of the dead men not charging Chargers? Why the Falcons should have nothing to worry about, since I’m picking against them. And of course, the prospects that last week’s weak Cowboys have against the homestanding Dolphins blessed with Tyreek.

And as for our intramural competitions, Well-read tries in vain to inch ahead, in a titanic struggle with Dorothy D, while A-ron, Abe and a chagrined ChabDog vie for the prized scraps in the second cluster.

Mommy, what’s bukake mean?

by Well Read | December 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

Give me the saints +4 tonite in the bukake fest at Inglewood @chabdogsports pic.twitter.com/Mtm5w1jVE4

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) December 21, 2023

Where has the greatness gone?

by Brandon Chabner | December 20, 2023 | 0 Comments

I am hearing and seeing lots of stories about team infighting, people saying this, people saying that. Used to be our team did less talking and more doing… on the field. This team’s brand equity has taken a serious hit, and more damage can be done if we continue to adhere to the philosophy that a record barely above .500 is commensurate with what Steeler Nation deserves, and should expect.

NFL Week 16 picks ATS courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | December 20, 2023 | 1 Comment

nfl week 16 picks ats 2023 courtesy betmgm

It’s that time of the week, the time of the week for the Sports Rock pick’m pool —

by Brandon Chabner | December 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

In the words of Maggie from Caddyshack, “here goes nuttin”:
1 TNF- SAINTS @ RAMS — Aaron Donald must be licking his chops with Carr coming to town. GOING RAMS! JUST RAM IT, BABY!!!
(Due Thurs Noon)
Sat. Dec 23 (PacTime):
2 1:30PM- BENGALS @ STEELERS (Oh No- not Pitt again?)– Thank you Brian for continuing this public shaming; once again, the Steelers cannot be saved from their dysfunctional offense, this time directed by Henry Steeler. GOING BENGALS.
3 5PM- BILLS @ CHARGERS (a pair of inconsistant teams that consistantly under-achieve) — Too bad this game couldn’t be flexed out of peacock. Josh Allen will be strutting around like a peacock after the Bills trample the Chargers. GOING BIG WITH THE BILLS.
(Sat Picks due Fri 9PM)
Sun. “Christmas Eve” Dec 24:
4 10AM WASHINGTON @ JETS — Washington in a worthless win over the now completely irrelevant Jets. GOING WITH THE ‘SKINS!
5 1:25PM- DALLAS @ MIAMI (Thank You Gidget) — Dallas must smell blood in the water after the latest Eagles implosion. I gotta believe they can pull out a win in Miami. GOING WITH DALLAS.
Mon. “Christmas Day-3” Dec 25:
6 10AM- RAIDERS @ CHIEFS — This is a Christmas gift. OF COURSE GOING CHIEFS.
7 1:30PM- GIANTS @ EAGLES — Giants are in the wrong place at the wrong time. GOING EGGLES.
8 5PM- RAVENS @ NINERS — Cliffhanger goes to …THE RAVENS… why not? GOING RAVENS…

No tush push to victory here…. on Monday Nitro more detours for the preyed upon birds of prey in green and gray

by Brandon Chabner | December 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hurts did a lot right in this game, and showed
true grit in going out there and almost getting it done,
but look who executed in the end and who got executed.
Say what you want about Pete Carroll, but his players have his
back and vice versa. Where have we seen this before … the team that has to win does, at the expense of the less desperate, favored guy. In the melee that ensued, Pete pushed the
right bottons, while Siriani picked the wrong time to go deep.
With two timeouts and needing only 10-15 yards for a decent field goal attempt, Jalen threw it up for grabs, something he hadn’t really been able to do all night.
This game hurt the Eagles a lot more than the additional entry in the loss column. Just as with KC, the generalized fear around the league seems to be done.

DD Comes Storming Back With 10 Wins In Week 15

by Well Read | December 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

What we can remember on another violent Saturday in December:

by Brandon Chabner | December 16, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey Denver, yo, where did your mojo go? The Lions made you look weak, worthless, and stuck in motion that is oh so slow.
Steelers continue their slide into playoff irrelevance with a very unimpressive day at the office against the improving Colts. Once again, Minshew came through when his team needed him, while Trubisky did nearly nothing … other than a few signs of life in the first quarter and a quarter. Same problems we all know … zero urgency on offense, no running game, a very limited guy at the helm (both in terms of the field general and the guy calling the plays on the sidelines).
Change is something that the Steelers instinctively resist, but change is needed here in the worst way. Meanwhile, Tomlin does nothing but watch his team’s prospects burn up like Nero watching Rome go up in smoke. So be it.
Vikings fall short a few inches on fourth and inches in OT, and then get toyed with by Browning to Boyd. It certainly could be that nobody in the AFC wants to mess with them, come January.

Week 15: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | December 16, 2023 | 0 Comments

Also, need to honorably mention that you have exactly a 50/50 chance of making any money off my picks based on my past 14-week performance. Is this good? Well, if this were straight win-or-loss picks then it simply be par for the course. However, since I’m playing against a Vegas points spread, I would say it’s more like shooting a birdie. Not a hole-in-one, not an eagle, but maybe a birdie (with a little wind to push the ball in). The goal for me is to clock over 50% by the end of the season and fortunately, I have a few more weeks to hit this goal. With that, let us open the doors to this amazing candy factory and reveal Week 15’s NFL picks (AST).

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

CHARGERS | RAIDERS -3

-3 is the Christmas 🎁 I wasn’t expecting this year 🤣🤣🤣 @NewportBest_ #RaiderNation https://t.co/1IIadvNe9z

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 15, 2023

SATURDAY PICKS

VIKINGS | BENGALS -3

STEELERS | COLTS -1.5

BRONCOS +4 | LIONS

SUNDAE PICKS

BEARS | BROWNS -3

FALCONS -3 | PANTHERS

JETS +8.5 | DOLPHINS

TEXANS | TITANS -3

BUCCANEERS | PACKERS

GIANTS +6 | SAINTS

49ERS | CARDINALS +12.5

COMMANDERS | RAMS -6.5

COWBOYS +2 | BILLS

RAVENS -3 | JAGUARS

CHIEFS | PATRIOTS +7.5

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

EAGLES -4 | SEAHAWKS

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/14/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

Stay tuned in for this week’s CDST “Taking a shine to Tommy Devito’s shine box?” Week 15 NFL Preview Show…

by Brandon Chabner | December 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

It’s that extra good time of year, when Saturday goes from sleepy to intensely physical, if not violent, wetting our appetite for the intensity of super Sunday. We discuss it all on this week’s CDST “Taking a shine to Tommy Devito’s shine box?, NFL Week 15 Preview Show.” We’ll do some accident reconstruction from the day before, and look ahead to whether the Ex-Texans will teach Houston a lesson, whether the Jets get grounded in South Beach, whether catching the Chiefs on the rebound is still dangerous, and whether the thought of Sean Payton is making the Lions cowardly.
This and many other sub-plots, including Well-read’s concerted effort to bravely pull-away from the rest of the group’s gravitational pull, and ChabDog’s barely audible barking from the basement.

Week 15 Picks ATS by Well Read, DD & Aaron

by Well Read | December 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

Thursday Night Special:

by Brandon Chabner | December 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

Chargers taken hostage in the Black Hole, and emerge
with a car that might just be in Stick shift. That being said the driver is about to be changed. Mr. Spanos this is becoming ridiculous. The coach has completely lost his team.

Week 15 – Praying I’m Feeling the NFL Caribbean Waves Better

by Dorothy Dawn | December 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM CHABDOG SPORTS

by Brandon Chabner | December 13, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 15 Picks ATS courtesy betMGM

by Well Read | December 13, 2023 | 1 Comment

nfl week 15 picks ats courtesy betmgm

ChabDog’s Superbad Sports Rock Pool Picks for Week 15 …

by Brandon Chabner | December 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

First let me preface this by saying I don’t have access to Phil Kissfan Dunn’s one of a kind ranking system, including the ass and superass categories. All I know is the Steelers ARE Iowa. Here goes —

THUR. DEC 14:
1. TNF- CHARGERS @ RAIDERS — Gotta go with the Chargers…. The guy from Purdue is the superass of all QBs.
(Pick due THUR by Noon)
SAT. DEC 16:
2. 1PM (ET)- VIKINGS @ BENGALS — You gotta be freaking kidding that the Vikes are favored. I’d be seriously mulling the soundness of any assumption that you can rely on Mullens.
3. 4:30PM- STEELERS @ COLTS — Computer models are saying Colts by about 3… so who am I to argue. COLTS.
4. 8:15PM- BRONCOS @ LIONS — I’ll go with the Lions, quite meekly into the night and without much conviction. Lions win by a whisker.
(These Picks due FRIDAY Dec 15 by 9 PM)
SUN. DEC 17:
5. 1PM- BUCCANEERS @ PACKERS– Packers will live to fight another day after being gutted like the deer in Goodfellas. I’ve been picking against the Buccs are year. Why stop now. Packers.
6. 1PM- FALCONS @ PANTHERS — So hate the prospect of picking the Falcons for anything, after they picked me apart last week in Atlanta. But the Panthers are super bowl champion ass when it comes to offense, which suits the Falcons just fine. Falcons.
7. 4:05PM- COMMANDERS @ RAMS — Finally one that I don’t have to think about… yeah right. RAMS.
8. 4:25PM- COWBOYS @ BILLS (c/o Douglas-TY)– Bills are favored by 2 here, which in mind isn’t justified. Going Cowboys on this one. COWBOYS.
9. SNF- RAVENS @ JAGUARS– Jackson will juke and zag around the Jags, who lose their third in a row overall, and second in a row at home. RAVENS
MON. DEC 18:
10. MNF- EAGLES @ SEAHAWKS
(SUN & MON Picks are due SAT Dec 16 by 9 PM) — Eagles need to save some face. And they will against the Hawks. EAGLES.

A Monday Nitro Full of Fantastic Finishes Fitting for Frank:

by Brandon Chabner | December 11, 2023 | 0 Comments

Quite a tribute given to the pride of MD, former star tight end/tough guy Frank Wycheck, by his Tennessee Ti-tans…. who’d have thunk, with a 14 point lead and under four minutes left, the sputtering Dolphins were not just going to win, THEY WERE COVERING… then it all fell apart like a house of cards. When Henry rumbled in standing, the guys in baby blue had the lead, and even though the Fins had almost two minutes and two timeouts to work with, you could see the uncertainty in their eyes. Mike McDaniel didn’t show any emotion, but you could see he saw things slipping away and he couldn’t do anything but watch … the slow motion car crash was on. The game ends, with Tua denied, and the reality of a pretty tough finishing schedule is now setting in.
I just got the sensation, of A-ron Yorke’s prediction becoming immediately apparent. Tommy D. deontates
his most explosive work to date right in the face of Coach Lafleur.
What a game, what an expensive loss … but what a privilege to have 2 or 3 hours for the pure entertainment, drama and
roller coaster of emotions I was provded with.

Can’t Beat The Sharps At ChabDog After 14 Weeks ATS

by Well Read | December 11, 2023 | 0 Comments

nfl week 14 pick results ats courtesy betmgm

Pick 14 Before 10AM PST – Just In Time Yikes!

by Dorothy Dawn | December 10, 2023 | 0 Comments

Week 14 Picks ATS … DD’s missing!

by Well Read | December 10, 2023 | 0 Comments

Week 14: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | December 10, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome to another Chabdog Sports Blog of me making scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be turned on based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4 Week 12: 9 Week 13: 7

Also, need to honorably mention that you have exactly a 50/50 chance of making any money off my picks based on my past performance. Is this good? Well, if this were straight win-or-loss picks then it simply be par for the course. However, since I’m playing against a Vegas points spread, I would say it’s more like shooting a birdie. Not a hole-in-one, not an eagle, but maybe a birdie (with a little wind to push the ball in). The goal for me is to clock over 50% by the end of the season and fortunately, I have a few more weeks to hit this goal. With that, let us open the doors to this amazing candy factory and reveal Week 14’s NFL picks (AST).

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

Steelers -6 🔒 https://t.co/MxYvBGvASs

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 7, 2023

Need you to know I handled losing this pick very well & why you should follow me on X @darthvaber99

When you pick the Steelers @ -6 pic.twitter.com/5bEnOc5Mhf

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 8, 2023

SUNDAE PICKS

TEXANS -5.5 | JETS

RAMS +7 | RAVENS

COLTS | BENGALS +1

JAGUARS +3 | BROWNS

LIONS -3.5 | BEARS

BUCS +2.5 | FALCONS

PANTHERS +5.5 | SAINTS

VIKINGS -3 | RAIDERS

SEAHAWKS | 49ERS -10.5

BILLS +2.5 | CHIEFS

BRONCOS +3 | CHARGERS

EAGLES | COWBOYS -3

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

TITANS | DOLPHINS -13.5

PACKERS -6.5 | GIANTS

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/06/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

Tune in this Sunday at 9 am sharp for the CDST “Bay City Controllers: Week 14 NFL Preview Show. “….

by Brandon Chabner | December 8, 2023 | 0 Comments

Tune in this Sunday at 9 am sharp for the “Bay City Controllers: Week 14 NFL Preview Show. ” ChabDog explains why this year, the Lombardi Trophy will return at long last to San Francisco. This year, the game should be played on SSSSaturday Night.
Other points of interest include:
Can Kansas City continue its charmed life?
Can Allen redeem himself? Ever? Truly?
Can the Saints ever cover?
Can the Eagles get a little more time off?
Can Browning continue to sizzle?
Can Well-read finally make his move on Dorothy.
Can ChabDog make it back to .see level.
As for Karaoke: Don’t Ask Me No Questions… about that

Thursday Nite Fun-ball….

by Brandon Chabner | December 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

Another excruciating humuliation for the Steelers, who only witsh they had been this close. Tonight’s victims of Belichick’s handcuffs needed another 30 yards,… which seemed more like a mile. The defense did what it needed to do … not its best work, but clearly good enough. The offense was often listless, never reliable and definitely sputtering. The running game was running on empty, and the Steelers don’t thrive or survive well in that environment. The Legend of Jesse James is alive and well in Acrisure.

Flying Patriot Colors On Thursday Night Football

by Well Read | December 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

For the record @BrandonChabner1 is betting against his beloved @steelers again for the second week in a row and I'm joining in Patriots +6 @AaronPYorke @DarthVaber99 @DorothyDawn @chabdogsports pic.twitter.com/VZRIsaUvzO

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) December 7, 2023

Should we add “Bob Iger” to our other sound bite?

by Well Read | December 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

Drops more bombs than a B-52 pic.twitter.com/wvEfXAk7nN

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 7, 2023

Drops More Bombs Than A B-52

by Well Read | December 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL week 14 odds courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | December 6, 2023 | 1 Comment

nfl week 14 odds courtesy BetMGM

ChabDog’s Sports Rock Picks for Week 14 (Skynyrd style — If you ask me any questions, I’ll tell you these lies)

by Brandon Chabner | December 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

FILE PHOTO – Members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd backstage after performing in the 47th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on February 13, 2005. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

THU DEC 7:
1.TNF- PATRIOTS @ STEELERS – Ooh that smell. Can’t you smell that smell. That was some rank stank from both of this Thursday night’s offenses. Nonetheless, I’ve gotta believe Pittsburgh’s defense does have ability to impose its will on Mack “Home alone on an island” Jones. STEELERS .
(Pick due Thursday Noon)
SUN DEC 10:
2. 1PM (EST)- LIONS @ BEARS — Rumor has it the Lions are a less than five point favorite in this one. Seriously, did the Bears’ stock rise so much with the Dobbs debacle. You can certainly call the Lions the breeze when that speed gets going. LIONS ALL OVER THE BEARS.
3 1PM- COLTS @ BENGALS — Gotta admit this hurts getting burned by the stache with the panache… Gardner the QB. But I’ve gotta go with Cincy. They may’be found something last week with Jack Browning. Browning might not have rifle, but he’s quick, accurate and in terms of composure seemed to have something special,,, not Saturday Night Special… but the one for Sunday afternoon. BENGALS
4 4:05PM-VIKINGS @ RAIDERS — Raider Haiders will hate this one. RRRAIDERS WIN.
5 4:25PM- BILLS @ CHIEFS (Noelani’s Choice) -No .. something tells me the Bills are gonna give the Chiefs a few more than 3 steps of buffer. MAJOMES wins this game with his legs. CHIEFS.
6. SNF- EAGLES @ COWBOYS — Freebirds, they are not. Eagles still look somewhat spent, and Cowboys have been wating for this game for some time. HOW BOUT THEM WINNING COWBOYS!!!!
MON DEC 11 (There are 2):
7. MNF {ESPN}- TITANS @ DOLPHINS -Sweet home Miami. Another rather dull blowout for the FINS..
8. MNF {ABC}- PACKERS @ GIANTS — Packers just keep looking better and better. Even a downhome simple man can see the G-men don’t have a snowball in hell’s chance to win this.
BOTH @ 8:15PM EST
(Sun & Mon Due Saturday Dec 9 @ 9 PM EST)

Results To Week 13 NFL Picks ATS courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | December 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Abridged History of the NFL– Sunday and Monday Week 13

by Brandon Chabner | December 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

“Nails” McPherson nailed a few more, and Browning was sizzling.
If not for a somewhat miracle catch and a gadget play that blew a major gasket, this game would not have been this close. Shows you what an experienced back-up QB can do in one week to improve his performance. This guy was accurate, confident, and uncommonly cool under pressure. Maybe the Bengals aren’t really done for this year.
Losing Chiefs had their usual beefs with the officiating, but let’s face it, the Packers are up and coming and lately
you guys have just looked flat. Kelce is not involved enough, there is no serious speed at receiver, and the Packers were running
and throwing on you all day… in damaging spurts. Yes, you’re winning the AFC West and going to the playoffs, but what then?
Niners had the times of their collective lives. trashing Philly’s Eagles without mercy and casting some doubt on last year’s conf. champion returning to the big game. Maybe this was just an example of a team in need of a bye (or did they already have that?). The team in green just looked a bit hungover and was getting out-physicalled all over the field. Hey Nick, what’s with all those missed tackles?
Good overall work by Flacco in a rather remarkable return, but in the end, Aaron Donald had his happy meal, Stafford was
in control and effective and the Rams offense was back in good working order. Rams can, and should make the playoffs, and
might cause problems from there.
Wasn’t it the Commodores who said “I’m easy like Sunday morning….” These Commydores are definitely “Easy on Sunday Afternoon….”
Steelers knuckle under to the Cardinals at home for the first time since 1969, but the Patriots are coming to town in four days, and there’s not much time to lick your wounds.
Not much took flight in this battle of air powers. Most of the damage happened on the ground, with Atlanta getting its Falcons on a couple of costly Jet fumbles.
Saints go down in classic Saints fashion, with Carr going down after leading a frantic and often fantastic
comeback. In the end, the cold truth was a Lion receiver running free and easy, through the NO secondary in the Big Easy.
Chargers taser the Patriots with nothing more than a couple ofdinky Dicker field goals; imagine what Mel Gibson would say.
Colts thank Gardner the QB for being there, as well as Ryan T. for spinning the ball the wrong direction on that critical PAT.
No CJ wasn’t in over his pay grade, and no Payton didn’t appear to have all the anwers in today’s showdown, particularly at the very end when Denver got so close to taking the lead. These two could meet in the playoffs.

NFL Week 13 Picks ATS Final

by Well Read | December 3, 2023 | 0 Comments

My Pics 4 Lucky Week 13

by Dorothy Dawn | December 3, 2023 | 0 Comments

Week 13: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | December 3, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome to another blog of me making scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey-sense that may or may not be turned on based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4 Week 12: 9

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

Cowboys -9 🔒

Place your bets…

— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) November 30, 2023

SUNDAE PICKS

CHARGERS -5.5 | PATRIOTS

FALCONS -2.5 | JETS

CARDINALS | STEELERS -5.5

COLTS -1 | TITANS

DOLPHINS -9.5 | COMMANDERS

LIONS -4 | SAINTS

PANTHERS | BUCS -5.5

BRONCOS +3.5 | TEXANS

49ERS | EAGLES +3

BROWNS | RAMS -3.5

CHIEFS | PACKERS +6

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

BENGALS | JAGUARS -8.5

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 11/29/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

ChabDog’s Pre-visioned history of pigskni, Week 13 —

by Brandon Chabner | December 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Pre-visioned history of pigskni, Week 13 —
– The Chargers and the Rams win on the same day. You thought a lot of statues fell during the Summer of Love,
but nothing will fall harder and faster than Joe Flack Jacket Flacco when Aaron Donald decides he wants a Happy Meal.
And the Chargers will take out last week’s psychological beating by pulverizing the pathetic P-men.
— The Lions in the Big Easy is definitely the psycho game of the day. God knows there are almost no limits to what the
Saints could do, at home against an opposing QB who lately has had that deer in headlights look. But I always over-estimate
the Saints,and refuse to go to the island for them in this situation. The Lions figure out how to cut the Saints’ defense down
to size and that is end of story.
— Falcons finally find a team they can handle on the road
— Steelers will win, but by 5.5. Are you kidding? They will win by 5.
— Titans can man up at home, like they often do, and will force feed
a loss to the somewhat laissez-faire Colts
— Wonder what the Commies did with their 2 weeks off. Not enough to stay within 9 of the Dolphins, who
are pissed off they could not be at home.
— Texans/Broncos will be the best game of the day, bar none. In the end, CJ vs. Russell goes like
Mondale vs. Reagan.
— Buccs finally put a good game together, putting them at or near the top of their insignificant division.
— Niners are just playing better than the Eagles. Enough is enough, the Eagles look relieved as they
leave the field with a 10 point loss.
— The Packers didn’t lack for much last week, and lately Love has looked strangely comfortable in the pocket.
Like he expects something good to happen. The Chiefs pulled away from the Raiders last week (if you
want to call it that), but they still don’t look right, or dominant in any sense of the word. Chiefs will probably escape
with a win, but it’s not very impressive.
— OMG, why wasn’t an;ything with the Bungles flexed out on MNF? Speaking of flex, Trevor is tremendous.

Well Read & The Yorke Experience

by Well Read | December 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Look who’s coming to dinner in PIttsburgh this week….

by Brandon Chabner | November 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

Seahawks came to play, but left town tarred and feathered …

by Brandon Chabner | November 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

…with another disappointing loss by the potent Cowboys, including
the thundering thighs of TE Jake (almost Jay) Ferguson.

Jumping into the shark invested survivor pool waters with….

by Brandon Chabner | November 29, 2023 | 0 Comments

the Chargers… 24% chance of rain in New England when the Chargers come to town. So LAC may go from being terrorized at home by the Ravens (like Tippi Hendren in the Birds) to rolling around in the mud and muck with the Patriots. I would take the latter.

NFL Week 13 Spreads courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | November 29, 2023 | 1 Comment

STEELERS 24, KYLER’S KIDS 19…..

by Brandon Chabner | November 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

I PRE-VISIONED IT!!!

ChabDog’s Hebrew National Sports Rock Pool Picks (Week 13) — Spreads from a higher authority…

by Brandon Chabner | November 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

1. TNF- SEAHAWKS @ COWBOYS –Cowboys will win by over a touchdown. Might be the easiest game of the day. COWBOYS BY 8
(Thu Pick due Thu by Noon)
SUN DEC 3:
2. 10AM- BRONCOS @ TEXANS –The Texans still don’t have a real kicker, and the kicker is that the Broncos are just playing better. Going with the team with the better kicker. Going Broncos by 2.
3. 10AM- COLTS @ TITANS — 2 in a row for the suddenly competent Titans? Colts don’t typically do much away from wherever they cal home, but in this situation, they should win by 1. COLTS BY 1.
4. 10AM- CARDINALS @ STEELERS — Steelers roar back against a tougher than expected bunch of Cardinals, and win by 5. STEELERS BY A HANDFUL.
5. 1:25PM- 49ERS @ EAGLES — Really interesting game. The Niners are playing better right now, and will beat up the Eagles by 4. NINERS BY 4.
6. 1:25PM- BROWNS @ RAMS — Ramming speed is all the rage, and Stafford and Co. should expunge the Brown stains by 3.5… or more. RAMS WIN BY 8.
7. SNF- CHIEFS @ PACKERS
MON DEC 4: This will probably be closer than most people think. The Chiefs just don’t scare me that much anymore. CHIEFS BY 4.
8. MNF- BENGALS @ JAGUARS — This is capcake game of the No. 2. The Bengals have dentures, not teeth, with no Burrow. JAGS WILL WIN BY 11.

Well Read Wins Week 12, With 12 Wins, After Bears Score 12

by Well Read | November 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

More Monday Night Musings … no seriously this was the worst game that ever had me glued to the edge of my seat for 3 hours

by Brandon Chabner | November 27, 2023 | 0 Comments

Kevy’s Vikey’s spent bit too much time hob nobbing with the Dobbs lobs, and in a game too messy for slobs, Da Bears are victorious. Gotta actually give both QB’s lots of credit for not quitting on themselves, when either one easily could’ve.
Chicago remains one of those bad team, that can still thrive in the prime time…
in the NFL you just never know.

Week 12: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | November 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4

I was on a cruise this week so I simply posted my first four picks on X (Twitter) @darthvaber99. So follow me there to always catch my latest picks, pics, or need a direct link to my latest blog! See below my four first picks:

Abe’s “Tanks-giving” Picks 🦃

Packers +7.5 | Cowboys -11 | 49ers -6.5 | Dolphins -10

(BTW, I can neither confirm nor deny I’m hammered in Mexico RN)

by @BetMGM – 11/21/23 #NFL https://t.co/A3R6KlodtU pic.twitter.com/lqrQHZKsUI

— Abe (@DarthVaber99) November 22, 2023

STEELERS -1 | Bengals: Joe Burrow out
JAGUARS | TEXANS +1: Houston must topple the Jags here to be crowned King of the AFC South.
BUCS +2.5 | COLTS: Bucs last 2 games had much better opponents with better results vs the Colts last 2 winning games.
PANTHERS | TITANS -3.5: Two terrible teams going head to head and hoping the Titans are having an on day.
PATRIOTS -3 | GIANTS: Giants are hurt, and the Pats are in a better position to win.
SAINTS -1 | FALCONS: Derek Carr is back from a concussion and the Saints have scored better than the Falcons over the last 3 games.
BROWNS | BRONCOS -2.5: Broncos are on a 4-game winning streak with the 5th game at home.
RAMS -1 | CARDINALS: Rams offensive numbies are better (QB & WR), and coming off a win in Seattle.
CHIEFS | RAIDERS +9.5: The Raiders have enough offensive (RB & WR) to keep the game within 9.5 points at home (Las Vegas).
BILLS | EAGLES -3.5: Eagles are locked and loaded at home to beat a Bills team that has not lived up to their hype this season.
RAVENS -4 | CHARGERS: Lamar Jackson has had a great season so far and has beaten decent opponents in the last 5 games. Justin Herbert also having a great season but is in last place in the AFC West and recently lost to the Packers.
BEARS | VIKINGS -3.5: Hold up, let Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs cook.

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 11/21/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Week 12 below, or where posted on social media

| | @darthvaber99

All But Abe

by Well Read | November 25, 2023 | 0 Comments

Tune in Sunday morning, a few hours and a bunch of glorious clouds of dust after…

by Brandon Chabner | November 24, 2023 | 0 Comments

that sacred intense grudge match known as The Game takes place. It’s always a special pleasure to watch these two almost mythical Big Ten programs collidge like a couple of very angry Rams…. this time in The Big House. I like Ohio St.’s chances, but how can you go against Michigan, in the Big House, and all those intangibles. Michigan 24 – Ohio St. 20… Woah Nellie.
It’s time to take a side and get off the fence, on this week’s “Treading in the Dead Sea of spread betting” Week 12 CDST Show. Some compelling NFL matchups including the Jags getting welcomed by The Texans, the Steelers sending out feelers in the Queen City, Mcvay on a trip through the desert with his resurgent Rams, the bi-annual bloodsport that is New Orleans vs. Atlanta, and the hardscrabble Browns against the in-the-money man-phillies of Payton. This is, surprisingly enough, looking like a week flush with a plethora of fantastic finishes. ChabDog, Well-read, one hot hot hot Abe, the speaking of hot hot hot Dorothy Dawn, and Aaron the Duke of Yorke do their best to navigate.

Football We’re Thankful For On Thanksgiving, 2023:

by Brandon Chabner | November 23, 2023 | 0 Comments

Football We’re Thankful For On Thanksgiving, 2023:
–The Niners defense was a thing of beauty tonight; by the start of the second half
it was squeezing the Seahawk offense like a python. Hospital Ward was operating very closely on a helpless Metcalf, and d-line enveloped Geno like an advancing shadow,
As for the offense, Brock Purdy’s closing TD was epic, and the Mccaffrey/Samuel 1-2 punch was rock’m sock’m.
–Love looked lovely, while the Lions hardly looked concerned about the rude wake-up call they got just last week.
Campbell was right; it was/is his responsibility to eliminate the apathy that comes with success.
–Cowboys’ Bland equity is certainly livin large these days, as
the Commanders llimp into town and don’t have command of anything.

Happy Thanksgiving from ChabDog Sports

by Brandon Chabner | November 22, 2023 | 0 Comments

I’d love some Snake on the menu tomorrow, but I’ll just have to settle for
some turkey and Lions. Happy Thanksgiving from ChabDog Sports … thank god we made it …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAiK0mekgTc

Well Read & Abe r in

by Well Read | November 22, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s Party Line Picks for the Sports Rock Pool (Week 12):

by Brandon Chabner | November 22, 2023 | 0 Comments

1.– PACKERS @ LIONS: Feed the Packers to the Lions. Lions win.
2- 1:30 PM COMMANDERS @ COWBOYS: Thank you for the lay up. Cowboys win.
3-5:20 PM 49ERS @ SEAHAWKS — If Geno thought last week was rough… Niners win.
4-NOON (Amazon) DOLPHINS @ JETS– The Jets have forgotten how to win. Dolphins win.
5- 10 AM SAINTS @ FALCONS — I routinely get both these teams wrong, so at least that can’t happen this week. Even a blind Saint sometimes finds a nut on the road. Saints win.
6-10 AM PANTHERS @ TITANS — This one game that Flex Levis can definitely win… I think… Going Ti-tans.
7-1:05 PM BROWNS @ BRONCOS (Peter’s Pick-TY) — Terrific pick. More blood, guts and gore for the Browns, … all they need is Frank Gore. But they don’t have him and they don’t have the guy that Sierra is so high on. Broncos all the way baby!!!
8-1:25 PM BILLS @ EAGLES –Bills beat the crap outta the Jets and the Jets beat the Eagles, … so the Bills will beat the Eagles… right? No freaking way. Eagles quash the Bills and Josh.
9-SNF: RAVENS @ CHARGERS –Why the @#$#@$ would I give the Chargers credit for anything right now? A team that can’t tackle has no chance against the brazen Ravens. Ravens win and give yet another testimonial to the power of the AFC North. This game screams Ravens!!!
MONDAY NOV 27:
10-MNF: BEARS @ VIKINGS — Vikings have every reason to want to win this more. But something tells me the Bears will give them a scare. But it’s not enough. Vikings win.

Week 12 Picks ATS courtesy BetMGM – Put Yourself Up Against ChabDog’s Sharps

by Well Read | November 21, 2023 | 1 Comment

nfl week 12 2023 picks ats courtesy betmgm

BREAKING NEWS: Results Of Us 5 NFL Picks ATS To Week 11 – 1/2 Of Us Are Not Better Than 50%…. oh and Matt Canada

by Well Read | November 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog NFL Picks ATS Results to Week 11 2023

Week 12 — Shark-infested Survivor Pool Waters for ChabDog

by Brandon Chabner | November 20, 2023 | 0 Comments

I feel like one of those soldiers playing Russian Roulette in “Deerhunter” trying to pick my winner in this week’s Survivor Pool
What shark infested waters… whether to go with Josh Dobbs on the job in Minny, against the very pissed off Bears or the rarely right Tt-tans at home against the Panthers. Or maybe the Broncos at home against the Browns, or Colts at home against TB. And what about the Lambs trying to find their way in the desert. Any other choices are pretty much out of question, pure suicide or taken off my plate.

ChabDog’s Big Tent Round Up –11-18-23

by Brandon Chabner | November 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

Aw shucks, the former Big Red had no business involved in a serious scrum
with the very big red Ws. Badgers break through in OT, while Chubba and Co.
are .500 chasers.

This season could have been worse for Northwestern; they’re going bowling,
Sparty spanks the looser Hoosiers with a swift kick in the ass from its big baller, Mr. Maliq.while, as usual, Perdue can’t even find shoes the right size.

Was this a game between U of I and IU, or vice versa.
Whatever it was, it had Iowa written all over it.

Was it the new offensive coordinator, or just maybe the new case of Air Allen, not Air Allar, that
put Rutgers back in the same old Rut.

So Michigan’s perfect year stays in tact. But let’s be clear here…
this was absolutely no referendum on their emergence as a serious threat for the National Championship.
A much bigger test will come next week. What I saw today, impressed me in terms of their brute power in the area
of running it down your throat. But the passing game has been laregly non-existent … perhaps a bit by design,
but McCarthy hasn’t been impressing much lately. And the defense in general wasn’t exactly suffocating.
This game gives Ohio State significant hope, even in the Big House.

The OSU warms up for The Game, when McCord cuts the cord pretty quickly on the Gophers’ umbillical. .

Week 11: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | November 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9

BENGALS | RAVENS -3.5: Unfortunately, I’m posting this past Thursday’s game because I was having login issues here at Chabdog Sports, however, my pick did make its way to our amazing producer before kick-off who also picked the RAVENS.

CHARGERS -3 | PACKERS
TITANS +6.5 | JAGUARS
RAIDERS +12 | DOLPHINS
COWBOYS -10.5 | PANTHERS
CARDINALS | TEXANS -5
STEELERS +1.5 | BROWNS
GIANTS | COMMANDERS -9.5
BEARS | LIONS -9
BUCS +11.5 | 49ERS
JETS +7 | BILLS
SEAHAWKS -1 | RAMS
VIKINGS | BRONCOS -2.5
EAGLES +2.5 | CHIEFS

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 11/15/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Week 11 below, or where posted

| | @darthvaber99

Find out what we think about this week’s messiest matchups, on the “Dammit, Janet, we got to get organizized: Week 11 Preview Show”.

by Brandon Chabner | November 17, 2023 | 0 Comments

Yes, it’s tough work picking against the spread, and the season’s getting a little long in the tooth, with those intense divisional matchups coming front and center. Steelers vs. Browns, Seahawks vs. Rams, Titans vs. Jags, Jets vs. Bills, G-men vs. Commies, Bears vs. Lions, are a serious seven that come to mind. One thing I do know …. the Streets of San Francisco are now clean, just like the royal penis, and Fall freshening up is definitely in order. And after pre-visioning the course of events on sacred Sunday, we’ll turn to Monday night, when tush push meets walk this way Pat …. and the question remains, who will get pushed ot the sidewalk.

Say, it ‘aint so Joe?

by Brandon Chabner | November 17, 2023 | 0 Comments

Say, it ‘aint so Joe? As you go, so go the Bengals.
Hey, the sad truth is that if you aren’t ready to really brawl, you’re going to lose control of the ball to Baltimore. That’s all. And tonight, Cincy wasn’t ready to brawl. Just ask Pittsburgh … we know what’s involved.

Partial Week 11 Picks

by Well Read | November 16, 2023 | 0 Comments

For this drop….

by Brandon Chabner | November 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

For this drop, Boyd was clearly devoid of any coherent explanation.

Bengals need to get mad, get angry and bring it with more authority against a formidle feathered force in Raven Haven.

Something tells me this game will be a real brawl.

I’m Paranoid Now, I’m Posting Pics – Week 11 Lucky Bday Week

by Dorothy Dawn | November 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

Get Your NFL Week 11 Spreads (courtesy BetMGM) & Make Your Picks!

by Well Read | November 15, 2023 | 1 Comment

Breaking Bills News + Outstanding Week 10 Picks

by Well Read | November 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

I’m a spy banished from the Big House of Maize and Blue Love.

by Brandon Chabner | November 13, 2023 | 0 Comments

I’m a spy
banished from the Big House of Maize and Blue Love.
I know the dream
That you’re dreamin’ of
I know the word
That you long to hear
I know your deepest secret fear
because my video recorder is here…

Looks like Denver gave home improvement Allen a bad case of the Mondays…

by Brandon Chabner | November 13, 2023 | 0 Comments

On tonight’s MNF, lust for not losing leads Buffalo to futz with Lutz using too many men.
The result is a lethal Mulligan from five yards closer, and Denver wins a game it truly deserved to win.
That guy out there leading the Broncos reminded me of the resourceful Russell who engineered, through brute willpower,
so many memorable comebacks. Tonight, Denver controlled the pace of the game and created more scoring opportunities for itself,
than did the more explosive, but chronically unreliable Bills. I continue to see a lot of problems simmering below the surface for the Bills,
who seemed to think they had to win, under the circumstances. But the Bills have become incredibly predictable and boring.
Josh Allen just isn’t the Imperial improv. he used to be, and the rest of the lineup is, somewhat underwhelming.
Denver’s on the rise. Buffalo is imploding.

Agree or disagree with MJD

by Brandon Chabner | November 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

I disagree with MJD on CJ Stroud being now loudly on the stage as MVP; what about sounding off for Jared Goff, quite a cool customer is he.
But I agree with MJD that the Steelers will win the AFC North. They have the defense, and they now think they might well having the running game… to go with the clutch QB. And how about one-step further… they’ll play the Brownies in the AFC Championship. Other than on a good day the Chiefs, nobody in the AFC is out of reach.

ChabDog Team NFL Week 10 Pics

by Well Read | November 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

Week 10 and I’m Still Mad About Last Week

by Dorothy Dawn | November 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

Colts

Jags

Saints

Bucs

Ravens

Bengals

Steelers

Cardinals

Lions

Cowboys

Commodores

Raiders

Bills

Week 10: Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | November 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of me making shitty picks based on flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and very mistaken logic since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10

Also, need to honorably mention that fading me statistically (51.75%) gives you a better chance of making any money from my NFL picks, hence, Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks. So let’s try this again with the goal of trying to pick more right games than wrong ones in Week 10!

PANTHERS | BEARS -3.5: I lost this game by .5 point as the final score was 13-16 Bears. I truly am a POS.

pic.twitter.com/wMtzSVQyxQ

— Abe (@DarthVaber99) November 9, 2023

COLTS -1.5 | PATRIOTS: Two very terrible teams square off against each other with the Colts coming into this one with a better record, a better offense, and in Frankfurt. So no team here truly has the home-field advantage as most Europeans are simply there to see an NFL game. The only other advantage the Colts have here is a little confidence after beating the Panthers in Week 9 and the ability to score 25+ points against the SAINTS and the BROWNS even though they lost the games. However, the PATRIOTS are neither the SAINTS nor the BROWNS, and why the COLTS are slightly favored in this one (and my pick).

49ERS | JAGUARS +3: The 49ERS look great offensively with their star QB, RB, and WR showing better offensive numbies than the JAGS, however, the 49ERS are coming into this one with a 3-game losing streak against teams with a worse record than the JAGS. On the flip side, I can’t even recall when the JAGS even lost a game as they’re currently 6-2 and playing at home in this one. Lastly, the JAGS have beaten their last 5 opponents by more than 3 points and they’re coming off a BYE week. Lock it in…JAGS.

SAINTS -2.5 | VIKINGS: The VIKINGS are in a funky place as both Justin Jefferson (WR) and Kirk Cousins (QB) are on the IR. However, I like Joshua Dobbs AKA “Passtronaut”, and do hope he can put his rocket scientist mind to good use for the VIKINGS (rooting for the nerd). However, we still have a lot of unknowns here and they’re coming against Derek Carr and the SAINTS with more offensive weapons and more playing time. Simply taking experience over uncertainty & beyond in this one.

TITANS | BUCS -1.5: Here we have another two teams with the same W-L record battling it out this week with the BUCS coming into this one as the hometown favorites. Probably even more so now that Ryan Tannehill has been replaced with Will Levis for the remainder of the season who will be making his third start for the team with a 1-1 record. Hard to see a rookie QB beating out a more experienced one in Tampa Bay in this one, but glad the spread is tiny.

BROWNS | RAVENS -6: The RAVENS have easily won their last 4 games by more than 6 points, and it shouldn’t be a problem for them against a BROWNS team that has a rusty Deshaun Watson (QB) who still doesn’t feel 100% with his rotator cuff strain. Little things that can make a big difference here against a RAVENS team that has been dominating their last 4 games and at home in this one.

TEXANS +6.5 | BENGALS: The TEXANS have done great in trying to keep games close or even winning them this season. C.J. Stroud (QB) has also been impressive going for 2270 yards for 14TD with only 1 interception. Again, very impressive with better numbies than Joe Burrow. The other thing that is in favor of the TEXANS is that the BENGALS star WR, Ja’Marr Chase, is still listed as questionable with back soreness. Things that could affect the BENGALS offensive game even if he does play. Hard to see the BENGALS run away with this one. Lock in on the TEXANS with this fat spread.

PACKERS | STEELERS -3: The PACKERS and the STEELERS have not been amazing so far, but the STEELERS have been better in beating the Titans, the Rams, and the Ravens by more than 3 points in the last month. Additionally, the STEELERS have had a few extra rest days than the PACKERS with a home-field advantage that is looking to beat the PACKERS by more than 3 points in this one.

FALCONS -1.5 | CARDINALS: QB Kyler Murray is returning after being out for 11 months for a torn ACL to his right knee. Combine a rusty QB with RB James Conner also coming off the IR for things to swing in favor of the FALCONS with a low spread working for them in this one.

LIONS -2.5 | CHARGERS: The LIONS are coming off a bye week with a 6-2 record and a great offense. The CHARGERS are coming off a two-game winning streak, but only putting it together to beat the Jets and the Bears. Two teams that are not as strong as the LIONS. Well-rested LIONS to challenge the Chargers at home.

GIANTS | COWBOYS -16.5: You know the GIANTS are bad when taking the COWBOYS at -16.5 points. However, when you factor in that the GIANTS have no QB, and the best they can do is Tommy DeVito in Dallas, ooooooooooooooooooooooooooffffff, this team is cooooooooked!!!

COMMANDERS +6.5 | SEAHAWKS: The SEAHAWKS are favored in this game by 6.5 points, yet the SEAHAWKS have not been able to beat a team by that much since playing the Cardinals in Week 7 and the COMMANDERS are no Cardinals. Lastly, the SEAHAWKS just lost badly to the Ravens and could not even score more than 3 points in Week 9. So technically, the SEAHWAKS couldn’t even score enough points in their last game to even make the spread in this one..let alone beat a team by this many points. Lock it in, COMMANDERS +6.5.

JETS | RAIDERS +1.5: The JETS got crucified last week with QB Zach Wilson getting sacked over and over again by the Chargers while the RAIDERS demolished the GIANTS 30-6. Yet, the RAIDERS are not favored in this one and at home. Yes, we can look at what the Raiders have done so far and say they havn’t been great, but they also changed coach and things appear to have gotten better for them since then. So lets let Antonio Pierce cook and see what he has in store for the Jets in this one considering he’s 1-0 as the new Raiders coach.

BRONCOS +7.5 | BILLS: The BILLS are in a funky spot this season but mostly a dissapointment in the last 5 games. Especially since they’ve not been able to beat any team by 7.5 since Week 4. Including the dumpster fire Giants in Week 6. The BRONCOS have also been garbage, but they’ve also managed to beat the KC Chiefs in Week 9 and the Packers in Week 8. So we got the BRONCOS in an upswing and the BILLS in a downswing with the Broncos coming off a BYE Week. All things that are screaming that the BRONCOS are not going to get beaten by 7.5 points in this one.

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 11/08/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Week 10 below, or where posted

| | @darthvaber99

Spread specutation — Week 10 NFL

by Brandon Chabner | November 10, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog’s last stand heading into Week 10’s weekend games:

Colts-Pats: Colts should be able to withstand the little Mac attack and cover the 1.5, whereever it is being played.

Niners-Jags: Those guys are Jags, and they are pretty good. Yeah, I’ll take them to play it closer to the vest against SF than 3, and even to win the game. Why the hell not?

Saints – Vikes: Probably taking my life in my hands going with the Saints on the road, but whatever. Don’t expect another Dobbsian miracle this week. Taking the Saints giving 2.5 on the road.

Titans-Bucs: Titans getting very little respect against a Bucs team that is going absolutely nowhere fast. Take the Titans and the gift 1.5.

Browns-Ravens: Ravens by 2 field goals and then some. I’ve gotten burned two weeks in a row by the Ravens, and “Thank you sir, may I have another?!” Going with the Browns to keep it closer than that.

Packers-Steelers: As ChabDognosticated on my Steelers fan page, the Steelers will have no problem ransacking the Pack… for sure at the A-sure. Steelers cover the little 3 point shot.

Falcons-Cards: Falcons giving only 1.5 on the road against the Cards with nothing in the hole… well practically nothing. I’ll take the Falcons.

Lions-Chargers: Chargers are only getting 2.5 against the rested Lions. Lions are not the Jets and are certainly not LAC’s compliant pets. Going with Detroit.

G-men – Boys: 17 points is a king’s plunder full of lumber…. but 16.5… that seems doable, particularly given what happened last week. Dallas does the Giants in a big, bad way.

Commies- Seattle — nearly a TD is too much respect for a Seattle team that has lately struggled to score. Going with Washington the road, which lately has paid off apparently.

Jets- Raiders — Raider think they can still turn their season around, and should be able to surprise the world as home dogs against the Jets and their mutt of a QB. Go with the Raiders getting 1.5

Broncos-Bills — The overblown Bills have no business being a 7.5 home fav against a Bronco team that is starting to look at least mediocre. Denverackdoors in Western New York.

Texicans-Bengals — I was all in for an Alamo-style demolition of the Texicans in Cincy; however, there gonna apparently be no Chase to chase down those passes from Joe Cool. Under the circumstances, I still see the Bengals winning, but it seems more prudent to see this as being a within one TD game. Taking Texans to beat the 6.5 spread.

NFL Week 10 Picks

by Well Read | November 8, 2023 | 2 Comments

courtesy BETMGM

Results: ChabDog NFL Picks ATS To Week 9

by Well Read | November 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

week 9 results nfl picks ats

WEEK 9 PICKS

by Well Read | November 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

Whatever This week is

by Dorothy Dawn | November 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

I’m sorry I’m so late…

Chiefs

commodores

ravens

browns

rams

flacons

saints

indiana

Giants

eagles

Bengals

chargers

Stop! Don’t make those Sunday/MNF picks until you let tomorrow’s “Lost in American Football Week 9: CDST NFL Preview Show” into your airspace.

by Brandon Chabner | November 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

Plenty to be confused about, with the sub-500 Chargers going east as favorites against the above-500 J E T S … JETS. Then there’s arguably the hottest team in the AFC hosting Muffalo, and only giving 2.5, and It’s Pat not Patrick’s Ma-homeys taking a European vaca to tangle with Tua. (no we are not discussing whether a certain overrated personality decided to make the trip). And hear why a certain someone actually thinks the Brown-outs and the Aints could be trusted with glad-handing out 9 and 7.5 points, respectively. Finally, why you should be betting the house (figuratively not literally) on McVay’s Navy.

We’ll also have Dorothy D’s men’s health spot, Abe’s @#$#$ity picks, Aaron’s shameless plug for the G-men, and those unending innuendos from Eric.

Tune in for clarification.

Week 9: Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | November 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of me making shitty picks based on flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and mistaken logic since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7

Also, need to honorably mention that fading me statistically (53.33%) gives you a way better chance of making any money from my NFL picks, hence, Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks. So let’s try this again with the goal of trying to pick more right games than wrong ones in Week 9!

STEELERS -2.5

DOLPHINS +2.5

COMMANDERS +3.5

RAVENS -5.5

CARDINALS +8

BUCS +2.5

PACKERS -3

FALCONS -5.5

SAINTS -7.5

COLTS -2.5

RAIDERS -2.5

EAGLES -3

BENGALS -2.5

CHARGERS -3

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 11/01/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Week 9 below, or wherever you find this posted on social media

| | @darthvaber99

ChabDog’s Not-so-quick Picks for Week Nine:

by Brandon Chabner | November 3, 2023 | 0 Comments

Dolphins-Chiefs — I wouldn’t give the Chiefs much more than 3, that’s for sure. Chiefs are coming off a bad loss, and that might be the only reason I’m going with the Chiefs. Chiefs cover the 2.5… probably not by much.

Commies-Patriots — The thought of the Patriots giving anybody 3.5 is completely preposterous… except when you remember they are coming off the bye week, and Belichick had extra time to prepare. Gonna go Patriots against my better judgment.

Seahawks-Ravens — Ravens giving away too many points is usually a recipe for disaster. Nearly 6 points to a pretty good Seahawks team seems excessive. If they didn’t cover 7 against the Cardinal Sins, they ain’t covering 5.5 at home against Seattle. Going Seahawks… it may be time for one of those stink bombs by everybody’s darling Lamar.

Cards- Browns — yeah… this is really a bit difficult… the Browns are not known for being generous givers and getting away with it. But this team from Airzona is mostly a headless pony… or at least one driven by a juckey just off sabbatical. Let’s go with the Browns giving an absurd 9.

Bucs- Texans — Since when do the Texans get the respect of 2.5 points at home. Since they play the boring and functionally limited Succaneers. Taking the Texans.

Rams – Packers — Slackers favored by 3. Hah! That’s comedic and ridiculous. The Rams all the way baby!!!! Easiest game of the day.

Vikings-Falcons — A birdie of prey told me Taylor Meineke was going to be caring for the Falcon favs on Sunday. Yes, let’s go ahead with finding the Falcons worthy of covering five point five against a Viking team shellshocked and lost after losing Captain Kirk.

Bears-Saints — I took the Saints in my suicide pool, but having them give more than a TD is pretty extreme. For my own psychological well-being, I have to stay all in with the Saints. Saints cover.

Colts-Panthers — Colts cover the 2.5. Yeah, they can do this.

G-men-Raiders — So they have no Gano, no Tyrod the bod, no Danny Devito at QB, but they do have Danny Jones. Oh boy, and the Raiders have no Josh, no Jimmy G and are giving 2.5. Raiders probably survive on a Karlson field goal. Can’t go Giants after that patethic lay down last week in the last minute. Raiders are a dumpster fire extraordinaire, but the Giants are massive Cleveland Steamer left at Eric Adams’ doorstep. RAYDES COVER.

Boys in the ‘hood to play Philly. Boys getting 3. This should be real close. I took Philly to win in the Sports Rock pool, and I’m sticking with them here. All comes to down to Jalen vs. Dak, and I trust Jalen. Go with the Eggles giving a little field goal.

Bills -Bengals — Bengals giving 2.5… hey why not 3… why not 7… they are the better team. Of that I am sure. And they will take apart the pretender Bills, just like they di last year. 1000% behind the Bengals covering this… with ease.

Chargers-Jets — Jets still gettng snubbed, tagged as 3 point dogs at home against the still respected Chargers. Yes, they have the offensive weapons that the Jets lack. But the Jets have the defense, and that defense usually keeps them in the game. Jets win this in the Zach shack, and blow the lid off of this spread.

(subject to modification on the show) LOL

TNF Update — Nov. 2 (Steelers over Ti-tans

by Brandon Chabner | November 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Lots of hometown hereos in today’s spiritually uplifting win for the still standing Steelers.
There were the running backs Warren and Harris, who together easily outgained the much balllyhooed Henry. There was Broad-erick Jones, the rookie who stepped in quite capably at right tackle.
There was of course Pickett, who played one of the most clutch games of his career, bouncing back from last week’s
injury. There was D. Johnson, who game up huge on the game winning drive, and there was Pal Joey Jr., who made
Hopkins his closest best friend. And now we have the schedule’s best friend, going into a 10 day break from action with
a valuable victory under our belts.

Farewell to Coach Bob Knight…

by Brandon Chabner | November 1, 2023 | 0 Comments

Goodbye to Bob Knight, whose accomplishments were well-summarized by commentator Jay Bilas…
“Knight was the first Division I men’s basketball coach to win 900 games. He was the most prolific winner in Big Ten history, won three NCAA titles at Indiana, went to five Final Fours and led the United States to the 1984 Olympic gold medal. He innovated the motion offense and influenced countless coaches with his teaching of the game. One cannot think of Indiana basketball without thinking of Bob Knight.”
He was also the witty antagonist of the press and those pressuring him: “When my time on earth is gone, and my activities here are passed, I want them to bury me upside down, and my critics can kiss my ass,”

Frank Howard Tribute…

by Brandon Chabner | November 1, 2023 | 0 Comments

Somewhere in heaven, “Hondo” aka The Capital Punisher aka The Washington Monument, is looking down through his fogged up glasses, and smiling. His franchise is 1 game away.

Possibly the most feared hitter in the AL from 1968-1971 or thereabouts, with serious power and a talent for knocking in runs.

Ok so he only had 8 stolen bases and 35 triples. Speed wasn’t his thing. But with his 6 ft 7, 255 pound frame, he was truly a terrifying sight to behold at the plate, unless you were a Senators fan.

NFL Week 9 Spreads courtesy BetMGM

by Well Read | November 1, 2023 | 1 Comment

NFL Week 9 spreads courtesy BetMGM

Bo Knows Baseball

by Well Read | November 1, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL win results to week 8

ChabDog’s Survivor Pool Update:

by Brandon Chabner | November 1, 2023 | 0 Comments

Was backed into a bit of a corner tonight, trying to come up with this week’s suicide pool selection. Took a flier on Carr and the Saints..
Seemed very difficult to find a heavy favorite at home this week. Cleveland also looked good, at home against Arizona. But what about their QB… not enough offense for my liking, and the Cardinals are scrappy. Pittsbugh at home against TN? Definitely, not sure about that if Pickett isn’t involved, … and even then.
Cincy over Buffalo? Atlanta over Counsins-less Minny? Atlanta?

ChabDog’s Week 8 Recap —

by Brandon Chabner | October 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

Except for a few sustained, well-conceived and well-executed drives, it was no

beauty pageant for Bagent.
Bengals extract some super revenge for those painful Super Bowl defeats,

and rekindle expectations that this team will complete the business it failed to finish in February 2022.
Steelers found themselves stuck in the rain and mud with wheels spinning against the Jags.
Ravens spend most the afternoon playing with the Cardinals,

but end up running for cover when it came to covering that healthy spread.
Yes, one guy does make a big difference. Hope he enjoys the trip to Germany.
He must have known I dressed up like Kelce for Halloween.
Feisty Hawks win dogfight with the Browns, as Geno catches fire and takes Seattle on a magic carpet ride to the end zone.
Nice Bryce over Proud Stroud… which leads me to question
my past prospects for CJ.
Really should take the time to better understand how in the hell the former Skins
nearly scored 31 off of the Eagles apparently overrated defense. Bottom line is the Mean
Green won and covered, which is just fine with me. But I still can’t completely figure out the Commondores.
Didn’t watch this game… with I could have.
My impression is the promise of the Colts (well, there was a little of that.)..seems completely gone.
And when the Saints get quarterbacking like this, they are a pretty good team.
So much for the Gano toe. And today, younger little half-brother tripped up his older sibling, or was it the other way around.
Let it be said that this weekend, Levis took flight, not the Falcons.
Really a collassal tragedy, as I was enjoying being flogged on the head by Kirk Cousins’
increasing list of big game performances. And then this happens. I hope this isn”t as serious
as it sounds.
McVey’s wife just gave birth, and the Rams’ defense gave life to 2 sets of quadruplets… as in TD’s and Field Goals. Congrats Sean.
Regardless of the verdicts of juries, no matter the final score, this game still
shows the Bills to be a team with something not quite right, and the Bucs a team
that never really got anything right.
Detroit’s just oozing with athleticism, while the Raiders seemed to have maxxed out on Maxx.

NASCAR Preview: XFINITY 500 @ Martinsville Speedway

by Abe Miranda | October 29, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hello, Chabdog racing fans, and welcome to XFINITY 500, the last race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs! Today, we find ourselves in a sold-out race at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Below is the current layout of this short track and adjacent facilities. The most unique aspect of this track is that it’s shaped like a paper clip with straightaways made of asphalts and turns made from concrete.

Source: MVS-22-338694 Facility Map Update_v2 (martinsvillespeedway.com)

Qualifying is done for this race, and I’ve posted the Top 10 drivers as shown below:

Source: Martinsville Speedway 2 Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

Below are our current playoff standings (Round of 8). Please note that the Round of 8 is made up of 3 races: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (10/15), Homestead-Miami Speedway (10/22), and Martinsville Speedway (10/29). Today, we expect all the playoff drivers to push hard to either win this race or gain as many points as possible by staying at the very front of the pack with the exception of Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell who’ve already clinched a spot for the Championship 4 race on November 5th. Finally, a win here by any of the six remaining drivers will automatically clinch them a spot in the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway next week as well.

Source: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | Official Site Of NASCAR

Every week the Chabdog Sports Team makes on-air picks on the show for the upcoming NASCAR race and earns points based on the following criteria:

: Anyone who picks the winning driver gets 3 points.

: Anyone who picks the 2nd place driver gets 2 points.

: Anyone who picks the 3rd place driver gets 1 point.

Lastly, if no one picks a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place driver then 1 point is awarded to the picked driver that is closest to the podium. Therefore, in our fantasy game, someone from the team always walks away with a point.

For those who are unavailable to make a pick, or do not make a pick prior to the start of the race, then that host is given the “chalk pick”. The “chalk pick” is the poll position driver for that week’s race. This week’s “chalk pick” is Martin Truex Jr.

Last week’s race results:

Source: Homestead-Miami Speedway Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

My pick: William Byron

Lastly, sound off who you think our podium winner is for today’s race in the comments below!

With that, let’s get ready to NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASCAR!

| | @darthvaber99

College Football Selections — Last Saturday in October 2023…

by Brandon Chabner | October 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

This season’s gone from Prime Sublime to undercooked Colonel Sanders for Colorado.

Sorry, but size matters and until UCLA leaves next year for greener pastures, you

are just ittle water buffaloes in a little pond.
Badger trap game doesn’t phase the steady Buckeyes.
USC slips by Cal (should have been in the middle of the night) after

a ton of offense and a bit of well-timed defense at the end of the game.

Very high-Cal (in terms of points and respect given up).
And I thought the stink Panthers played in Carolina. PIttsgurgh looked
scared today to be on the same field with Notre Dame. And can you blame them?
Bo is a bona fide star, and Oregon loves its Nix fix.
Was this the game they call “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”…
today it was just “The World’s Largest Outdoor Tail-kicking Contest”.
The Penn State offense woke up just in time from their Buckeye-hangover to avoid another frontal lobotomy, and

the fans ended up crazy happy in Happy Valley.
So that’s why they call them the Sooners. Sooner or later they’ll
end up losing to KU.
Is Florida State really this good, or is this just a strong reason for de-Forestation in the ACC?

If You Can’t Read My Pic – Here It Is With A Couple Twists

by Dorothy Dawn | October 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

Bucs

Dolphins

Jets

Steelers

Falcons

Texans

Cowboys

Vikings

Saints

Eagles

Seattle

Ravens

Chiefs

49ers

Chargers

Lions

College games tomorrow that warrant watching —

by Brandon Chabner | October 27, 2023 | 0 Comments

College games tomorrow that warrant watching —
Georgia at Florida
Tennessee traveling to Kentucky
Colorado goes for three losses in a row (is that right?) against UCLA… fight fight fight
And don’t you forget about OU at KU…. yes, KU will make the Sooners sweat a little sooner than usual

The Ones in Blue Are Correct

by Dorothy Dawn | October 27, 2023 | 0 Comments

Everyone’s NFL Week 8 Picks ‘cept DD

by Well Read | October 27, 2023 | 0 Comments

Our latest show live this Sunday at 9AM!

by Well Read | October 27, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog goes slightly political in this Sunday’s “Biggest Swinging Johnson This Side of Rock Ridge: Week 8 NFL Preview Show”…

by Brandon Chabner | October 27, 2023 | 0 Comments

Who’s going to rule in a world engulfed by chaos inviting spreads so very cruel. Just look at Saints-Colts … a clash that promises to be special.

And maybe the Raydes can pull a rabbit outta a hat and make it a one score game in Motown.

Then there’s mysterious Miami and a rather inflated passel of points it’s giving to last week’s giant killers, the Pats.

All I know is the week got off to an ominous start, what with the garbage comeback by the Bucs on TNC. Blowing that lead was Rich Stadium Rich, Bills…. very Rich…

We don’t need a Speaker, but we need more than a few squeakers to go in the right direction.

Well… maybe she can still perform at the Super Bowl halftime show….

by Brandon Chabner | October 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Week 8: Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | October 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of me making shitty picks based on flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and mistaken logic since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4

BILLS -8.5: Baker Mayfield (QB) is currently listed as questionable for this matchup against the Bills so there’s a good chance the Bucs hurt offense will not be able to catch up to the Bills allowing them to cover the 8.5 point spread.

PATRIOTS +9.5: The Dolphins have both WR Tyreek Hill (hip injury) and RB Raheem Mostert (ankle injury) listed as questionable which would be a huge blow to their offense if they do not play against a Patriots team who just beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Both Mostert and Hill have put in huge offensive numbies so far this season, and without them, it will be difficult to beat the Patriots by more than 9.5 points.

JETS -3: The Giants may have recently beaten the Commanders in Week 7, however, they’ve been gawd awful before then. Additionally, the Giants RB Saquon Barkley is currently listed as questionable (elbow), which only further helps the Jets cover the spread in this one. Ultimately, the Jets have beaten the Eagles (Week 7) and the Broncos (Week 6) by more than 3 points so I do not see how any of this would suggest the Jets would not be able to cover the spread in this one.

JAGUARS -2.5: Last week I did not pick the Jaguars simply because I did not think Trevor Lawerence (QB) would be plowing through the Saints wearing a knee brace as he was checked off as questionable. Again, Lawerence is listed as questionable for this game, but won’t be surprised to see him out on the field again wearing his knee brace and plowing through the Steelers to cover the spread in Pittsburgh.

FALCONS -3: I didn’t get a lot of games right last week, but I did get the Falcons right considering they had better offensive and defensive numbers to beat the Bucs. The same applies here, as the Falcons find themselves in a similar situation over the Titans (except that the Bucs are a slightly better team) and will use the same winning formula I used last week to make this pick.

TEXANS -3: The 0-6 Panthers are horrendous and simply can’t compute a scenario where they’re going to be anywhere near the 3-point spread against the Texans in this one. Especially against a team that has already beaten the Saints, the Steelers & the Jaguars.

RAMS +6.5: The Rams have all the offensive numbies in their favor to not only cover the spread but to outright beat the Cowboys at AT&T. However, both teams have been hit or miss this season, and with that kind of record, it’s hard to trust any of these teams with that kind of spread. Going to side with Rams here to keep this game truer to their actual numbies.

VIKINGS -1: WTF happened to the Packers this season? Yes, we all knew Jordan Love wasn’t going to have a perfect season, but to lose to both the Raiders (Week 6) and the Broncos (Week 7) back to back is simply screaming your team is a raging…flaming…dumpster fire. Yes, the Vikings have not been stellar this season either, but they did beat the 49ers last week, and if they can do that, what makes anyone think they cannot beat the Packers by 1 point in this Pick’em game?

SAINTS +1: The Saints and the Colts are simply two garbage teams battling it out to be crowned king of the dump on Sunday. These two teams have an identical track record and are both coming off a losing streak. The Saints are coming into this game with 3 additional rest days and a better defense. The only issue I have with the Saints is that Derek Carr has had some issues connecting with his offensive players, although not entirely his fault. Again, not too much separating these teams here, but handing the slight advantage to the Saints in this Pick’em game.

EAGLES -6.5: The Eagles have clearly demonstrated that they can get the ball down the field by killing the Dolphins in Week 7 using their immaculate tush push strategy to get the extra yards they need for a first down and killing them by way more than the spread we have in this match up. Easy breezy money.

SEAHAWKS -3.5: PJ Walker will start for the Browns against the Seahawks, which could favor the Hawks in this game at home. The only thing going for the Browns in this one is their defense, however, the Colts proved in Week 7 that they could get 38 points out of them and I assume the Hawks will be watching some film on that this week.

RAVENS -8.5: The Cardinals have lost their four last games by 10+ points while beating the Lions by 30+ points in Week 7. Signs that the Ravens shouldn’t have a problem covering the spread.

CHIEFS -7: The Broncos once again find themselves playing the Chiefs who lost to them 19-8. I’m sure they’ll work on fixing those mistakes this week, however, execution is where the money is at and I don’t think they have what it takes to cover the spread.

BENGALS -5.5: Brock Purdy is questionable, is in concussion protocol, and will probably not play in this one. That being said, we can expect the 49ers to not play as well as they would normally do against this Bengals team. Also, keep in mind that the 49ers are on a losing streak while the Bengals are on a winning one.

BEARS +8.5: The West Coast Bears (Chargers) are in no position to beat anyone by 8.5 points, especially after giving up more than 432 yards this season and being an utter disappointment to Chargers Superfan Merianne Do who has gone 0-2 since going viral.

LIONS -8.5: Both the Raiders and the Lions lost by great margins in Week 7, however, the Raiders have been consistently not so good whereas the Lions have been consistently pretty dominant prior to last week’s game. Jimmy Garoppolo (QB) is currently listed as questionable for this game for his back, but will most likely return in this matchup per the latest reports. However, Jimmy G has already thrown 8 interceptions this season which is concerning since he hasn’t played 8 games which could help the Lions cover the spread if he throws another interception in this one. Leaning on the Raiders dropping the ball in Detroit in true Raiders fashion.

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 10/25/2023

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Week 8 below, or wherever you find this posted on social media

| | @darthvaber99

Sea of Hands 2,…

by Brandon Chabner | October 25, 2023 | 0 Comments

starring who else but Kelce…

Week 8 NFL Picks

by Well Read | October 25, 2023 | 1 Comment

spread your cheeks week 8 nfl pics nfl week 8 2023 pics courtesy of BetMGM

ChabDog’s Sports Rock pool picks for Week 8 —

by Brandon Chabner | October 24, 2023 | 0 Comments

8 Games a week, “I love, love you.. 8 games a week, is how I know you really care,”…. ChabDog’s picks (Beattles style): 1 Thur- 6 Sun – 1 Mon***

BUCCANEERS @ BILLS — The Bills were recently re-exposed for what they are… a mediocre psuedo Super power… meawhile the Bucs are sporting the gelded, low T look and not exciting the senses…GOTTA BE THE TAXMEN… Gotta be the BILLS…..

2-1PM: JAGUARS @ STEELERS — Oh thank you Brian Helter Skelter Keller for indulging me again with a Steeler game. We handled some other quarterbacks of note pretty capably already, and we can do the same with Trevor… going with the STEELERS.

3-1PM: FALCONS @ TITANS (Just because)– So now the Falcons are world beaters since they won one on the road against a .500 team. As I recall TN typically plays pretty tough at home. No reason why the Ti-tans can’t summon the energy to make a stand at home, recardless of the state of Tannehill .Let it be the TITANS.

4-1PM: JETS @ GIANTS (The Battle for the Big Apple!)– G-men just strong-armed the Commies, now they can stand up to the Jets. I see Graham Gano’s toeS figuring very prominently in this one.

Official Big Apple records will record this as a GIANTS’ WIN.

5-1PM: RAMS @ COWBOYS (Couldnt resist this one!)– Rams just got smashed in the face. Now them Cowboys gonna take it to another level by making Maxwell’s silver and blue hammer come banging down on their heads. COWBOYS IN A VERY BIG WAY!!!!

6-4O5PM: BROWNS @ SEAHAWKS — Can the Browns really bring it for another week. I’m not sure they have enough to get by the Seahawks, but the thought of getting burned again by Cleveland is leaving me sleepless with Seattle. Obla de, obla da, life goes on with the BROWNS …. BROWNS

7-SNF: BEARS @ CHARGERS — Chargers have sunk low, but for god’s sake this is the Bears. Brandon’s band of not so merry men eeke out a win and are very happy day trippers.

8-MNF: RAIDERS @ LIONS — I am the walrus, I am the egg man, I am … the Lions, talking bout the Lions….

NFL Win Standings After Week 7

by Well Read | October 24, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Picks ATS Results to Week 7

ChabDog’s Monday Nitro Update:

by Brandon Chabner | October 23, 2023 | 0 Comments

— Could this finally be a sustained turn in the right direction for Kirk Cousins,

who was nasty good on a Monday Night. A fitting end to a completely nuts

and destructive week. I feel about as beaten up as Luke fighting George Kennedy,

and coming back with nothing. And Shana-man better talk to his secondary about

excessive use of their hands… most notably Hospital Ward.

–Phls fail in close-out game No. 1, when they plead Nola contendere.
Heroes for Arizona include Good Lourdes and Wham Bam Tommy Pham.
–This Texas-sized showdown went to the road warriors for the last time, which is just fine with the Rangers. Ding dong, delivered from Dusty’s Astros.

On the “It’s deja vu all over again: CDST Week 7 Preview Show”:

by Brandon Chabner | October 23, 2023 | 0 Comments

On the “It’s deja vu all over again: CDST Week 7 Preview Show”:
–the lowdown on the Michigan sign stealing scandal
–The high prevelance of low T … don’t drink the water
–at min. 47, Abe waxes poetic about all those distractions
–it might still not be too late to change my vote to the Vkings on MNF….the absence of Samuel could be fatal to cover prospects
–a client call for Chabner Law hits the answering machine… a Rockford Files type opening is ready to go….. “Well-read this is the Blue Oyster Bar… you left your keys here”
–Nice job Abe, sniffing out the Falcons’ simple advantage over the Bucs. How about that Riddler?
–A Steel City celebration at Sharkey’s in Hermosa Beach. Should have been the premonition I needed to stay loyal in my prediction. My bad.
–Tyrod at the Improv… how unfortunate for the Commanders
–Well-read confuses his Indiana Jonathans
–Browns and Colts, was as I predicted, a total dawg fight; no wonder the Browns prevailed.
–Nice job by Aaron, whose stomach appropriately turned when faced with the prospect of going with the Raiders as a road favorite.
–I guess Tyson “I’m no chicken” Bagent was too much for Brian “Steny” Hoyer to deal with.
–Why couldn’t I have picked to profile some of the games I actually got right? LOL
–Well, it looks like the bad boyfriend Lions treated all of us badly today… after getting picked apart by the Ravens
–a discussion of current events that needed to be had

NASCAR Preview: 4EVER 400 by MOBIL 1

by Abe Miranda | October 22, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hello, Chabdog racing fans, and welcome to Homestead Miami Speedway and the second of three races for the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs! Also, need to mention that we will be racing on the 1.5-mile oval vs the inside road course configuration. Lastly, need to mention that this course has an amazing virtual tour that allows you to explore this track in greater detail @ Homestead-Miami Speedway (panowalks.com)

Source: Homestead-Miami Speedway (panowalks.com)

Source: Miami Homestead Track Layout – Bing images

Qualifying is done for this race, and I’ve posted the Top 10 drivers as shown below:

Source: Homestead-Miami Speedway Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

Below are our current playoff standings (Round of 8). Please note that the Round of 8 is made up of 3 races: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (10/15), Homestead-Miami Speedway (10/22), and Martinsville Speedway (10/29). Today, we expect all the playoff drivers to push hard to either win this race or gain as many points as possible by staying at the very front of the pack with the exception of Kyle Larson who has already clinched a spot for the Championship 4 race. Finally, a win here or in Martinsville next week will automatically clinch that driver for the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway.

Source: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | Official Site Of NASCAR

Every week the Chabdog Sports Team makes on-air picks on the show for the upcoming NASCAR race and earns points based on the following criteria:

: Anyone who picks the winning driver gets 3 points.

: Anyone who picks the 2nd place driver gets 2 points.

: Anyone who picks the 3rd place driver gets 1 point.

For those who are unavailable to make a pick, or do not make a pick prior to the start of the race, then that person is given the “chalk pick”. The “chalk pick” is the poll position driver for that week’s race. This week’s “chalk pick” is Martin Truex Jr.

Last week’s race results:

Source: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

My pick: Martin Truex Jr.

Lastly, sound off who you think our podium winner is for today’s race in the comments below!

With that, let’s get ready to NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASCAR!

| | @darthvaber99

Tune in to tomorrow’s “Is it like deja vu all over again in Week 7: CDST NFL Preview Show” ….

by Brandon Chabner | October 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

Tune in to tomorrow’s “Is it like deja vu all over again in Week 7: CDST NFL Preview Show” …. with this slew of hotly contested games, Abe will be hard pressed to repeat last week’s prodigious score of 11 right against the spread. But maybe with some special sorecery and the right hat, he can do it. ChabDog thinks he’s just stuck in neutral (well actually in the basement) with another 7 right staring him in the face…but hey that result might not be so bad. Among others, we’ll be deliberating the relative merits of Steelers vs. Rams, Falcons vs. Bucs, Dolphins vs. Eagles, Lions vs. Ravens, Browns vs. Colts and Commies vs. Giants, Raiders vs. Bears and Packers vs. Broncos…. all with spreads less than 4. Your guess is as good as mine, but we like to hear ourselves talk… so here goes.
And some mention will be made of MLB … though didn’t we see this all last year. Houston and Philadelphia returning home with 3-2 leads and a World Series rematch looming. Oh joy!

Games I’ll be watching or thinking about this Saturday:

by Brandon Chabner | October 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

Nittany Lions let loose in The Horseshoe

Tennessee sees stars at Alabama.

The Red Badge of Courage on display in Bloomertown.

How will the battle of N’s end in Lilncoln.

Will Big Brother be able to beat Little Brother even if he can’t steal signs no more?

The rankings would disctate a great deal about Utah vs. USC.

Clemson’s wrath to reign down on Miami? Hurricanes looking to regain some respect, but this looks like a major ask.

ChabDog’s Friday Night Fantasy Frights:

by Brandon Chabner | October 20, 2023 | 0 Comments

— The long hot deep-in-the heart of Texas Summer swoon came a bit late in the year, but it has come nonethless.
Texas hands Houston control of the series, in what appears will not be a series won exclusively by the visitors.
The plane, Boss!
— Phillies throw their best 1-2 punch, and then some, at the plucky D-backs, and look who’s coming back. Kimbrel goes from rally killer to rally fulfiller; conjures up some very scary, Don Stanhouse type full-pack images from the Bosox days.

Week 7: Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | October 20, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of me making shitty picks based on flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and mistaken logic since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11

Also, need to honorably mention that fading me statistically (51.1%) gives you a way better chance of making any money from my NFL picks, hence, Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks. So let’s try this again with the goal of trying to pick more right games than wrong ones in Week 7!

SAINTS -1*: The real issue in this Thursday Night Football Game is Trevor Lawrance (QB) being listed as questionable due to a right knee injury and this is no bueno for the JAGS. Without Trevor, the Saints will be both offensively and defensively a better team in New Orleans with the “who dat” crowd cheering them on.

SAINTS -1: The real issue in this TNF Game is T. Lawerance (QB) being listed as questionable due to a right knee injury & this is no bueno 4 the JAGS. Without Trevor, da Saints will be both offensively & defensively a better team in N.O. with the “who dat” crowd cheering dem on. https://t.co/Bq5HeEXYP2

— Abe (@DarthVaber99) October 19, 2023

LIONS +3*: The Lions have started the season well going 5-1 playing against the 4-2 Ravens. Offensively the Lions simply have a better stack of weapons coming into this away game. Additionally, the Lions have only allowed 64.7 rushing yards this season which will put considerable pressure on Lamar Jackson (QB) who also leads the Ravens in rushing yards to possibly throw more balls and risk an interception. The Lions have won their last four games, are hot, and hope they use this winning momentum to cover the spread or outright beat the Ravens.

RAIDERS -3*: What an absolute dumpster fire of a game is scheduled with this one as both J. Garoppolo (QB) and J. Field (QB) are out with both teams sealing their fate with backup QBs. I have no idea what shitstorm awaits us, but it will be very entertaining watching this dumpster fire of a game. Either way, I expect J. Jacobs (RB) from the Raiders to get the ball a lot in this one against a Chicago Bears team that has already lost their lead rusher (K. Herbert) to the IR. I expect the dumpster fire Raiders to crucify the dumpster fire Bears in this game.

COLTS +2.5*: As of right now, D. Watson is still questionable for this matchup and will roll the dice that he won’t play in this game, or play like a QB who’s missed a lot of practice. Either way, this should give the home-field advantage Colts another slight advantage in this game. Problems for the Colts include a strong Browns defense that might keep this game close, but offset by a weaker Browns offense. Colts to keep this game interesting at home.

BILLS -8.5*: The 4-2 Bills are simply going to kill the Patriots as the team has only been able to pull off one win against a Zach Wilson’s Jets team. Although the Patriots were able to keep the game close against the garbage Raiders in Week 6, let’s all keep in mind that the Buffalo Bills are not the Raiders. Lastly, let’s not all forget the Patriots lost to the Saints and the Cowboys by more than 30 points and we’re only looking for 8.5 here.

COMMIES (COMMANDERS) -1.5*: The numbies show that offensively (QB, WR, RB) are simply better than the New York Giants. Let’s throw the Giants, QB D. Jones, and RB S. Barkley into the questionable list and we’re simply looking at a catastrophe in New Jersey this week. Fortunately for us, we only need to win by 1.5 points to cash out on this bet.

FALCONS +2.5*: The Falcons may have a slightly worse record than the Bucs, but their stats show that they’ve done more than the Bucs offensively and defensively and it shows as a tight spread (see below). Additionally, the Falcons have no injured players and are playing with a fully healthy team. The only concern I have is D. Riddler (QB) already throwing 6 interceptions and the Bucs capitalizing on it.

Source: Falcons vs. Buccaneers (Oct 22, 2023) Live Score – ESPN

STEELERS +3*: The deciding factor in this game for me is that the Rams star RB K. Williams is out & weakening the offense of the Rams enough for the Steelers to cover the game. However, Mathew Stafford (QB) has other options that he can use including WR P. Nacua to to keep this game in favor of the Rams. However, Stafford has also given up 6 interceptions this season which could benefit the Steelers if he throws another one. Lastly, the Steelers beat the AFC North Leader (Ravens) last week suggesting that they can keep the Rams in check this week.

CARDINALS +7.5*: The Seahawks are going into this home game with DK Metcalf (WR) possibly sidelined as he is still marked as questionable for this week’s game. Additionally, Metcalf has been a penalty pain in the ass for the Seahawks and could prove once again to drag his team under the penalty bus if he does play. Little things that can slow the Seahawks enough to not cover the spread. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been able to put up similar offensive numbies minus the injuries to keep this game closer than the Seahawks would like.

PACKERS -1*: Looks like we have another pick’em game against two teams that have lost more games than won this season, and boy do we have garbage against garbage here. The only real difference in this game is that both A. Dillion (RB) and A. Jones (RB) for the Packers could be suited up for this one. Unfortunately, we do not really know about A. Jones until 90 minutes before the game. Either way, the well-rested Packers are facing a Broncos team that has given up more than 458 yards this season which could favor them in this one.

CHIEFS -5.5*: The Chargers just played on Monday and will be back at it in less than a week after losing to the Cowboys. This time they’re walking into another brutal game against the Chiefs who’ve had the luxury of 4 additional rest days and a better defense. That being said, the Chargers and Chiefs are evenly matched offensively and the Chargers have been able to keep games close, but again, not much rest coming into this one with any mistake favoring the Chiefs to rack up more than 5.5 points, which is very doable in this one.

Dolphins +2*: Yes, the Eagles are good, and yes, so are the Dolphins. This right here might be the Superbowl game as we get to watch one of the most anticipated games this week with me leaning on the Dolphins due to their powerhouse offense that has kept this game’s spread super tight. The Eagles have a lot of ammunition in this one with the Dolphins giving up way more rushing yards than passing yards which D. Swift (RB) could capitalize on. However, the Dolphins are the clear winners offensively as long as the football’s laces are facing out Finkle.

49ERS -6.5*: The 49ers are really good this season and have dominated every single game this season with the exception of the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. The Vikings on the other hand have great offensive numbies but have proven to lose the majority of their games despite K. Cousins (QB) throwing 14 touchdown passes and going for 1679 yards this season. Something that I feel will continue into this game as I have given up all hope on this team unless they can start proving some form of turnaround which I don’t expect to happen in this one. Either way, the 49ers are looking for a feel-good game after losing to the Browns, and winning here by a touchdown + is a good way to start that 49ers winning momentum once again.

*Odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 10/18/2023

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wow, look at what I did in Week 6 with 11 AST picks and proving that you could have parlayed all of them, retired, and be now living on your private island. Hopefully, I will make another double-digit run in Week 7 keeping in mind I’ve already lost one to the Saint on Thursday night. Looks like this week I have balanced the books by only picking 7 favored teams even though it just worked out to be like that based on my sophisticated formula for picking games. Also, someone needs to ask why Chabdog Sports calls the Commanders “Commies” but I’ll say it’s an improvement over calling them the “Foreskins” which we had in place for the longest time. Lastly, I am simply amazed every week that we’re still in business considering the amount of shenanigans we pull off, and happy to still have a place here to pencil in all my thoughts considering that blogging only started at Chabdog 7 weeks ago!

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Week 7 below, or wherever you find this posted on my socials @

| | @darthvaber99

Everyone’s Picks but Abe

by Well Read | October 20, 2023 | 0 Comments

nfl week 7 picks no abe

Thursday Nitro — NFL and MLB updates:

by Brandon Chabner | October 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

–If there was one night to own Amazon Prime it would have been this night.

A predictable dog fight, right down to the final series. Yes, I could see some Foster Brooks in Foster Moreau.

Maybe it could’ve worked out differently if the Saints had run the ball more and used their 3 timeouts when they got to the

six yard line with 40 seconds to play. To beat these Jags, you have to be pretty close to perfect, and sorry but it can basically come down to one play.

–Here’s some added spice for the Houston lineup… McCormick.

–Looks like even after last game’s shellacking, all the heads of the snakes were not in fact cut off. D-backs fight back.

Could it be that all the Heisman watchers and hopefuls other than Mike Jr…

by Brandon Chabner | October 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

are suffering from a major case of Penix envy.

Week 7 Picks – Heavens:D

by Dorothy Dawn | October 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

Jaguars

Lions

Raiders

Colts

NE!

Commodores

Bucs*

Rams

Seahawks

Packers*

Chiefs!

Eagles*

Niners

Jets, Giants & Cowboys rescue Aaron from pedo island

by Well Read | October 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

@DarthVaber99 crushed the competition in Week Six's NFL fuckery while @AaronPYorke got miraculously rescued at sea from the hungry pedos – he goes to the island 3 times for the Jets, Giants & Cowboys, wins all 3https://t.co/Msmlxo3AXQ

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) October 18, 2023

Abe’s Out Of The Basement After A Big Week 6

by Well Read | October 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog Hosts NFL wins ATS after 6 weeks

NFL Week 7 Spreads courtesy of Bet MGM

by Well Read | October 18, 2023 | 1 Comment

NFL Week 7 spreads BetMGM

Monday Nitro Update: Oct. 16, 2023

by Brandon Chabner | October 17, 2023 | 0 Comments

Dear Justin…. don’t you know that in the end, this bear hug would always be there, for Micah. And passersbys on the streets of Ingewood heard the whispers, ….it took awhile but eventually Herbert would be wearing Ware. Dallas squeezes Brandon’s baby blue Chargers for dear life.
Eovaldi makes the emphatic point that his Rangers have evolved into Astro beaters.
Damn if Kimbrel doesn’t look great, closing in red. Thank you Boston, for sending Philly two pieces of the puzzle, that really expand the borders of what this talented team is capable of. I remember like it was almost yesterday, when Schwarber started channelling the Babe and the Red Sox went up 2 to 1, with two more at home. Kyle’s bat is snapping, crackling and popping just like two years ago.

ChabDog’s Week 6 NFL Recap

by Brandon Chabner | October 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

Bearded Blunderer sowes his own doom with poor time management at the end of the 1st half, only to fall one yard short on the game’s final play. Tyrod’s squad is ultimately eclipsed by my Suicide Squad, and I couldn’t be happier.
Ti-tans play like they were still on Tennessee time for too much time and booted by the Ravens somewhere in the vicinity of Big Ben.
My apologies, Commies. As usual, I underestimated you on the wrong week.
You were on the road… I should have known.
Vikings do what Vikings do… take advange of clumsy, lumbering, self-destructive Bears.
Bengals serve official notice they are back, with a refreshingly stubborn defense and it’s star quarterback with the swagger back. But Joe Mixon remains generally unproductive, and sooner or later that’s going to matter.
Shana-man and his QB with the Purdy mouth done in twice by a Moody kicker.
Raheem made the Mostert of his opportunities, and Tua was just too good.
Minshew threw, the Jags’ defense caught, and that’s all she wrote for the Colts.
Important win for the Texans, who held serve at home against a very competitive group of Saints.

Houston’s starting to resemble one of those physical, hungry teams that nobody really wants to face.
Raiders survive the loss of their field general, and with the help of a bad to the bone sack by mad Maxx, they cover the spread at their Plunder home.
Rams find something valuable during the second half and roll to victory over the Cardinals. It wasn’t really the ability to work hook ups with Kupp… it was the running game and a balanced offensive sheme.
Finally, Philly gets burned by an underdog opponent that stayed a little too close for comfort.
Kudos to the Jets’ defense, which was just too hot to handle.
a real dud from the previously plucky Bucs… another reminder
about the depth of the Detroit attack and the quality of their defense…
will try not to forget

Full Week Sex Picks

by Well Read | October 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog hosts NFL week 6 picks ATS

NASCAR Preview: South Point 400

by Abe Miranda | October 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hello, Chabdog racing fans, and welcome to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the first race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs!

Source: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Track Map – Bing images

Qualifying is done for today’s race, and I’ve posted the Top 10 drivers as shown below:

Source: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

Below are our current playoff standings (Round of 8). Please note that the Round of 8 is made up of 3 races: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway. Today, we expect all the playoff drivers to push hard to either win this race or gain as many points as possible by staying at the very front of the pack. Finally, a win at any of these 3 races automatically clinches that driver for the Championship 4 race at the Phoenix Raceway.

Source: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | Official Site Of NASCAR

Every week the Chabdog Sports Team makes on-air picks on the show for the upcoming NASCAR race and earns points based on the following criteria:

: Anyone who picks the winning driver gets 3 points.

: Anyone who picks the 2nd place driver gets 2 points.

: Anyone who picks the 3rd place driver gets 1 point.

Last week’s race results:

Source: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

My pick: William Byron

Lastly, sound off who you think our podium winner is for today’s race in the comments below!

With that, let’s get ready to NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASCAR!

| | @darthvaber99

Join us tomorrow for the sinfully satisfying CDST, “Joy of Week Six: NFL Preview Show.”

by Brandon Chabner | October 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

There’s plenty to discuss, including my caper to climb seamlessly over some roadblocks in the pick’m standings, to the fall from grace of Neion Deion, at the hands of those strangely athletic trees, plus the emerging legend of Sam Heartthrob Hartman and of course the games…. including Giants against Buffalo, with no Scotty Norwood to bail them out, the Boyz travelin to LA’s Hood to play the fine non-Arab Chargers, the Saints getting into a bar-room brawl in Houston and the Titans at home in London and facing Action Jackson and his entourage. Plus, which Natty will be served with brunch, the one with, or without, Burrow the Great.

Notre Dame slaps around the defective Trojans, and it’s the coming out party for Sam Heartthrob Hartman…

by Brandon Chabner | October 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

Mirror mirror on my helmet… who’s the biggest Heisman heartthrob of them all…poor Caleb you may no longer have a ticket to the ball… gotta like that there Sam Hartman, even if he doesn’t quite have the stats… he’s like a college version of Burt Reynolds-Longest Yard, with a hint of Clint and facial hair to make Kris Kristofferson stop and stare.

ChabDog Swims Naked – Picks Live On Air

by Well Read | October 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL week 6 betting spreads courtesy betmgm

Gambling While Using ChabDog?

by Well Read | October 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

CHabDog hosts picks results NFL 5 weeks

Special Friday Nite Update:

by Brandon Chabner | October 13, 2023 | 0 Comments

Don’t look now. But the trees aren’t falling very pleasantly for Neion Deion and friends. No, the Cardinal sin is to under-estimate your esteemed opponents. Looks like they’re going to OT.

Week 6: Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | October 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of me making shitty picks based on flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and drunken logic since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6

Also, need to honorably mention that fading me statistically gives you a way better chance of making any money from my NFL picks, hence, Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks. So let’s try this again with the goal of trying to pick more right games than wrong ones in Week 6!

KC SWIFTS (CHIEFS) -10.5: Made my Thursday Night Football Pick via X.com before the game. See the reply in the tweet below:

Content go

https://t.co/OCBzsaq9vi @chabdogsports

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) October 12, 2023

es here

RAVENS -4: Again we find ourselves in London, England for another great match on the pitch. I need you to know that I am 1-1 in predicting London games with last week’s Jags win over the Bills sucking for a lot of folks mate. However, this week the Jags are no longer in town as we see team Ravens-claw and the Titans-puffs go at it in a good old-fashioned quidditch match instead. Two teams that are kicked in the nutz by jet lag and partying at the pubs all night. Offensively and defensively the Ravewns have the higher ground and why they are favored in this game. However, I am concerned about their loss to the Steelers last week and am willing to call it a fluke considering they easily penetrated through the Browns’ defense the week prior. The Titans, are not the Browns, so I am expecting the Ravens to bounce back and kill the Titans by more than 4 points.

COMMIES (COMMANDERS) +2.5: Going with the underdog Commanders in this game simply because they have a better offense and have played against much better teams than the Falcons. Sure, they lost to the Eagles and the Bills, but keep in mind they sent that more recent Eagles game into OT 34-31. However, they’ve also lost to the Bears (a garbage team) and the Bills by 20 or more points. However, the Falcons are getting their Wins by beating Houston, Greenbay, and the Panthers. Three teams that are not that amazing. So taking all things into consideration, offense, defense, and past games, I expect this game to be close or flat-out beat the Falcons at home.

VIKINGS -2.5: Yes, we all know the Bears actually did something good and beat the Commanders by 20 points. Yes, we also know the Bears are garrrrrrrrrrbaggggggge and have been a complete catastrophe before that. I can also say that the Vikings have not been amazing this year, but do come into this game with better offense and defense. Therefore, I find myself in a similar situation as I did with the Panthers in Week 4 where I also picked the Vikings and won using the exact same philosophy. Why change something that works, I’m all in with the Vikings.

BENGALS -2.5: The Seahawks are coming off a bye-week and are probably feeling pretty energized after winning their last three games. However, Joe Burrow is feeling much better from his injured calf and showed a little dominance against the Cardinals. Offensively, the Bengals have all the right stuff to beat out the Seahawks at home with a mobile Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase connecting being major factors in making this pick.

49ERS -7: The Browns have really been hit-and-miss this season, and are coming off a bye-week. However, let us keep in mind that Deshaun Watson (QB) will not be playing in this game, and this simply sounds like a recipe for disaster for Cleveland. The 49ERS are RED HOT, and this game is simply SCREAMING 49ERS.

TEXANS +1.5: Derek Carr killed the Patriots last week so it may look easy to go with him this week as well. However, we all need to accept here that the Houston Texans are not the Patriots, they’re much better than them. HAHAHAHA…gawd has that team fallen into the abysmial pit since Tom Brady left. So need to factor that Houston is at home and has greater offensive numbies than the Saints. Maybe why this game’s spread is so small and validates my logic here.

JAGUARS -4: The Colts once again find themselves with Gardner Minshew who is seeking revenge on his former team. However, he’s coming up against a team that just beat the Buffalo Bills and who also has better offensive and defensive numbies than the Colts. Uphill battle for the Colts going into this one in Jacksonville.

DOLPHINS -13.5: Incredible to see such a huge spread, but then again it’s the Miami Dolphins against the absolute worst team in the league and in Miami chico. Been a while since Miami could command such a spread. The only thing I hate about this game is that RB De’von Achane is out on the IR till about Week 11. Now, had this been another team, I might have really considered a hard pass on this 13.5-point spread, but c’mon it’s Carolina. A Miami field day with this team is still in the realm of possibilities with the ability for the Panthers to lose by more than 20 points still on the table.

LIONS -3: The 4-1 Detroit Lions have done well this season and come into this Tampa game with WR Mike Evans with a high probability of not playing or being limited in this one for the Bucs. A huge factor to consider in this game. Sorry but the BUC stops here….LIONS.

RAIDERS -3: Wow, do the Patriots suck. Wow, do the Raiders suck. Raiders hopefully get Devante Adams (WR) in this one considering he’s still questionable. Not much to boast here aside from the Raiders being at home, and the Raiders finally seeing a W in Week 5, unlike the Patriots who haven’t seen one since September 24 against a Zach Wilson New York Jets team. Again, not much going on here except for two really bad teams playing near a Tacos El Gordo (the best part of this whole matchup).

RAMS -7: The Cardinals have lost their last two games by 14 or more points as their defense continues to crumble. The Rams on the other hand have the clear offensive advantage in this game at home, and should be able to penetrate the Cardinals’ defense by more than 7 points with Stafford (QB), Williams (RB) and Nacua (WR).

EAGLES -7: The undefeated Eagles take on the 2-3 New York Jets with no advantage here aside from being at home among many Eagles fans. However, the Jets have done well to keep it close against KC and beat the Buffalo Bills. However, the Birds were able to beat the Rams last week in LA by 9 points so 7 doesn’t seem impossible in New Jersey. Especially since Zach Wilson already has 5 interceptions this season and it would only take one more to get an easy extra 7 points on the board.

BILLS -14: The Giants have been a flaming dumpster fire all season and the Bills have been killing every team so far except for the Jags last week. Are the Bills coming here to feel good, try to crush this team, and show dominance once again??? I think so after that devastating loss against the Jags. Again, let’s not forget the Bills crushed the Dolphins by 28 points the week before and we all know the Giants are not the Miami Dolphins.

Chargers +2.5: The Chargers are coming off a bye-week in LA to play a Cowboys team that may be missing their RB Tony Pollard. No bueno for the Cowboys as that may impact their offense if he’s limited or not playing. The great news here, is that the Chargers are underdogs so anything close or a W is a cash out for us. Again, it’s a bye-week, they are at home, and Dallas may be out an RB making this an easy underdog pick.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Every week I seem to find a theme with my picks. Some weeks I lay heavily into the favorites. This week it seems I took all the big spreads and told Vegas to cash me out on every single one of them. To be clear, I don’t tell myself I am going to pick them all, but as I look at every game under the shitty microscope I tend to find enough fault in the other teams to justify taking the bigger point spreads. Lastly, check out my picks in greater detail on the show, along with our other co-host for an hour of fun before kickoff every Sunday this season. Let me know in the comments what you think about Week 6 here, or on whatever social media platform this is posted @

| | @darthvaber99

A Feeding Frenzy for a Thursday Night: Special Update

by Brandon Chabner | October 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

Phillies appear to be on a mission, while the Braves seemed a bit apathetic, without reservation.

Broncos looked more like dazed donkeys, after getting a Swift kick in the ass from who else, but Kelce.

Week 6 Picks

by Dorothy Dawn | October 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

Chiefs

Ravens

Falcons

Bears

Seahawks

Niners

Texans

Jags

Dolphins

Lions

Raiders

Rams

Eagles

Bills

NFL Week 6 Point Spreads

by Well Read | October 12, 2023 | 1 Comment

NFL Week 6 point spreads

Bidding a fond farewell to the divisional series….

by Brandon Chabner | October 12, 2023 | 0 Comments

The unbeatable Braves took another beating, at the hands of Harper and the hungry Phils.
The ALCS now involves HOU… so sick of that same old news…. for what seems like the seventh straight season
Doyyers pick their day to die a bit early this year, with the D-backs
the happy beneficiaries. Is the Arizona pitching really this good?
Or did the Dodgers choke their collective cojones off? We’ll just never know, what
I do have a hard time seeing Arizona in the World Series.

ChabDog’s Sport Rock Pool picks for Week 6:

by Brandon Chabner | October 11, 2023 | 0 Comments

1-BRONCOS @ CHIEFS — Another ho hum Chiefs victory, not as exciting for me as the one they had (I think against Denver) on “Thanks Jack Rudnay Day”. CHIEFS
2-RAVENS @ TITANS — Titans let me down big time last week, getting stuffed on 4th and 1 in a moment of truth at Indy. But as usual, I think they can take the Ravens.. For whatever reason, I’ve gotta go against my worst instincts. RAVENS.
3-1:00 PM SAINTS @ TEXANS — This could well be one of the best games to watch. Saints are slim favs on the road, and this is the second road game in succession. Not exactly a resounding vote of confidence after that demolition of New England. Who cares. Their defense will probably win the game when it matters. SAINTS.
4 -4:25 PM LIONS @ BUCCANEERS (John Walter’s choice, TY) — When you’re talking about the more talented team, you’re definitely talking bout the Lions. But well-rested Bucs make it interesting. Still, talkin bout the Lions. LIONS
5-SNF GIANTS @ BILLS — Seriously? BILLS (no Scott Norwood to save the Jr. G-men. 6- COWBOYS @ CHARGERS– the fine Arab CHARGERS… CHARGERS all the way

On the “Deep Dive into Week 5: Bearded Blunderer” CDST Show:

by Brandon Chabner | October 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

— All glory is fleeting … someone forgot to whisper that in our leader’s ear when he discounted the Maxx resiliency of Crosby and his brigade of Sin City surrogates.
— Too bad for the Doyyers that Dave Roberts had his Mitch McConnell freeze moment
— DD gets sent home from scab school when she refuses to check into the TB-12 clinic
— Eric happily goes to that infamous island with his Boyz-friends. LOL!
–Rams body slam me with a completely meaningless 2nd half… live, on-the-air embarrassment
–Only Jimmy Dean has woken up like a tight pair of pants, ready to rip
–Well-read was barking up the wrong tree by hoping for salvation from Joshua
–another game involving 2 heretofore unimpressive teams.. Bengals vs. Cards… so I glad I took the Bungles for no apparent reason…
–Some of us “forgot” that the Steelers have lately owned the Ravens during the regular year
–Shame on Washington for breaking out those black and gold unis and backing away from their Redskin roots
–I was totally serious when I reminded everyone that the Saints could go into New England and win… to bad I forgot my own advice
–Giants are just as incompetent as NJ Transit… omg
–Poor Aaron gets stuck with the stink Panthers in abstentia.
–They’ve got some good Jameson in Detroit, and I’m not talking about whiskey.
–According to US Grant, debt happens!

Thank goodness “he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” ’cause he’s been busy

by Well Read | October 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

With respect to Psalm 121:4-7… Ben Shapiro

https://twitter.com/BenShapiroShow/status/1711418033913078162

Cowboys 10 – 49ers 42

by Well Read | October 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

This was the year the ‘boys were to be “all hat” and “all cattle”. Until last night’s flight.

Dak sum ting wong! Jerry tu lo. Ho Lee Fuk they’re bad. Bang Ding Ow Cowboys fan and those who took the ‘boys +3.5

Flight 214

NASCAR Preview: Bank of America Roval 400

by Abe Miranda | October 8, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hello, Chabdog racing fans, and welcome to the Charlotte Motor Speedway…road course edition! Yes, today we find ourselves on a 17-turn road course with some really cool viewing areas and a pedestrian bridge I wouldn’t mind finding myself on watching all the action. Today is an important race for the 12 remaining NASCAR playoff drivers as four of them will be cut today. You heard that right, we’re going to slice four of them off with the 8 remaining battling it out in Las Vegas starting next week. Below is a preview of today’s road course:

Source: ROVAL-Seating Chart-2021 (charlottemotorspeedway.com)

Qualifying is done for today’s race, and I’ve posted the Top 10 drivers as shown below:

Source: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

However, we’re not done yet folks as we’re also in NASCAR playoff season! Fortunately, those, “on the bubble” (9, 10, 11 & 12), still have a chance in this road course to come out on top for next week’s race. Currently, William Byron and Ryan Blaney have secured a spot for winning prior playoff races with 4 bubble drivers doing anything and everything to win this race to clinch a spot for next week. However, I also expect a lot of competition coming from Kyle Larson (7) and Brad Keselowski (8) since they’ll need to put in a good fight to ensure they see any more playoff action next week. So let’s see how we currently stand below:

Source: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | Official Site Of NASCAR

Every week the Chabdog Sports Team makes on-air picks on the show for the upcoming NASCAR race and earns points based on the following criteria:

: Anyone who picks the winning driver gets 3 points.

: Anyone who picks the 2nd place driver gets 2 points.

: Anyone who picks the 3rd place driver gets 1 point.

This week’s “chalk pick” is Tyler Reddick.

Last week’s race results:

YellaWood 500 @ Talladega Superspeedway

Source: Talladega Superspeedway Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

My pick: Tyler Reddick

Lastly, sound off who you think our podium winner is for today’s race in the comments below!

With that, let’s get ready to NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASCAR!

| | @darthvaber99

8 Games Rapid Succession-Find Out Who Bets Against The Tide-Then What Would Dorothy Eat?

by Well Read | October 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

From 9:05 to 9:45 we’ll hit these 8 games – who shamefully bets against the tide and goes to pedo island? then… what would Dorothy D eat?

Panthers at Lions: who would stoop so low to bet against the Lions?
Giants at Dolphins: bet against the tide and end up on Epstein’s island (again)
Saints at Patriots: we gave the Patriots the “Kiss of Death”
Ravens at Steelers: PIckett gets stickett to the sideline
Bengals at Cardinals: Joe Donkey is broken
Eagles at Rams: Philly fan take over of Inglewood underway
Cowboys at 49ers: Why is everyone but Well Read on the 9ers?
Packers at Raiders: ChabDog gets a bowl cut

Week 5 NFL picks Chabdog hosts

worst uniforms ever

by Well Read | October 6, 2023 | 0 Comments

https://twitter.com/WashRadskins/status/1710130577079234795

Abe’s Week 5 Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | October 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of me making shitty picks based on flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and drunken logic since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8

Also, need to honorably mention that you’ll have a whopping 44.44% chance that you’ll make any money from my fantastic NFL picks, or you can fade me for a 55.56% chance of making money from my shitty NFL picks (not bad). So let’s try this again with the goal of getting into the double digits with my Week 5 picks.

WASHINGTON COMMIES -6.5: OOOOOOF the 0-4 Chicago Bears are simply trash this season, especially after losing to the Denver Broncos (another team that can go into the 23-24 fire dumpster). Yes the Commies, as we like to call them here at Chabdog Sports, are 2-2, however, losing to the Eagles in OT is also no small feat! AAAAAnd everyone knows that the Bears are nowhere near the Eagles, shit, if the Chicago Bears had baby cubs, those cubs would grow up dreaming they too could be mighty Eagles one day. The Bears are fucked this season so let’s ride 0-5.

BILLS -5.5: The 2-2 Jaguars have a great chance this season to lead the AFC South and make it into the playoffs, however, the 3-1 Bills are starting to hit their stride and are simply a better team. Especially after blowing out the Miami Dolphins by 28 points. Again, we will find ourselves in London with no true home-field advantage with the only real advantage favoring the Jags since they’re more acclimated to the timezone difference considering they played in London last week against the Falcons in Toy Story Mode.

TEXANS +1: Amazing to witness that that the 2-2 Texans are simply tied with everyone else in the AFC South in Week 5. I also like how people are starting to give them much more value in picking them considering they blew out the Steelers and the Jags by 20 or more points. Additionally, I’m factoring in how the Falcons just lost to the Jaguars 23-7 while looking at Houston who just blew that team out of the water two weeks ago. +1 seems like a gift from the Vegas Gawds.

LIONS -9: The Detroit Lions are looking like the team that will most likely lead the NFC North this season if nothing changes moving forward. Of course, we need to consider that the Lions come into this game as both the offensive and defensive leader while taking on more formidable opponents by two or more touchdowns in the last two weeks. The 0-4 Panthers are simply bad, and owe those losses to the Vikings, Seahawks, Saints, and Falcons. Teams that have been struggling a little bit out of the gate this season with the Seahawks being the only team with a winning record right now (3-1).

TITANS -1.5: On paper, the Titans and the Colts are simply “even Steven” with the Colts giving up more yards than the Titans. The only real advantage I see here is the Titan’s offense cutting through the Colt’s weaker defense with greater opportunities for the Titans to kick field goals and make stronger offensive drives toward the endzone. On the flip side, Titans QB Tannehill already has 4 interceptions this season and could give up another one in this game to switch the momentum and keep the game interesting. Ultimately, I feel the Titans have the ability to get closer to the endzone with greater chances to kick field goals than the Colts to easily beat them by more than a point and a half.

MIAMI -11: Wow, what a spread. However, one can’t deny that the Dolphins are simply an offensive powerhouse that is playing a ridiculously incompetent NY Giants team. I mean, when Daniel Jones (QB) is his team’s statistical leader as a passer and rusher, you know that guy is just simply skreeeeewed. I don’t know if he can magically do it all against this Miami Dolphins team without getting hurt and being sent to the hospital. Prayers bro…seriously.

PATRIOTS -1.5: The Saints are simply in a bad spot considering that Derek Carr is still questionable as of October 5 for this game and his backup QB, Taysom Hill, got his ass handed to him against the Bucs. Also, like to mention that I stated that on the show to much fury from my co-hosts who thought Hill was going to do something magical against the Bucs…like seriously, WTF are they even thinking??? Additionally, Bill Belichick is ridiculously pissed right now, and I can’t see him losing this game at home against a hurt Saints team.

RAVENS -4.5: Holy caca do the Steelers royally suck this season. I mean, WOW just WOW. How the hell is the spread for this game even -4.5 against a Ravens team that blew out the Cleveland Brown’s impenetrable defense in Week 4? I mean, come on guys, what are we looking at here that I’m missing? We don’t even know if Kenny Pickett (QB) is going to play in this game to add insult to injury here. Easssssssssssssssssy money.

BENGALS -3: I really harped in on the 49ers/Cards game last week, and boy were they defensively awful against the 49ers. If the Cards repeat whatever the hell they did in Week 4 defensively, Joe Burrow (QB) is going to have an absolute field day with them. A confidence boost the Bengals need to get out of this funky slump they find themselves in right now.

EAGLES -4.5: The Rams and the Eagles both have great offensive numbies, but let’s keep in mind that the Rams could have easily been a 3-1 team if it wasn’t for their OT win against the Colts in Week 4. Looking at their Week 2 performance against another strong offensive team (49ers), we saw the Rams lose that game by 7 points at home. Therefore, it’s very possible that the Eagles can soar above this threshold considering they’re extremely motivated to go 5-0 with the Rams in a similar scenario. Something that I referenced in my Week 1 blog recalling them having a stellar start to their season last year, and ultimately going to the Superbowl. See below:

Spectacular run for the Eagles. No one expected them to fly this high for this long, but they did. Won’t be surprised if @rihanna sings for them next year 🦅 https://t.co/NTzj4BYYaf

— Abe (@DarthVaber99) November 15, 2022

BRONCOS -1.5: Hello Dumpster Fire Game of the Week between two real garbage 1-3 teams who are both miserable to watch right now. Even better, the spread is this tiny because they both equally blow in every way. Of course, I’m going to go with the Broncos simply because Russel Wilson is offensively better than Zach Wilson along with the mile-high factor in Denver, and Sean Payton as their Head Coach. Also, the Broncos may feel they’re on the upswing considering they just barely beat another garbage team in Week 4. Unfortunately, I lost that pick simply because the spread was 3.5 and the Broncos beat the Bears by only 3!! Ultimately, plugging in the same formula I applied last week but with a 1.5 spread instead of 3.5.

KC SWIFTS -5.5: Don’t let any offensive numbers fool you that the Vikings are any good, considering the only team they’ve beaten has been the gawd awful Panthers. But I also need you to know that I’ve picked the Vikings wrong every week except Week 4 simply because the Vikings were playing the Panthers (a dumpster fire). So if you’re going to fade me on any pick, this might be the one considering the Chiefs barely beat the Jets last week. However, Taylor Swift might be in attendance and she’s been 2-0 since attending so…

Taylor Swift after Travis Kelce’s touchdown: “LFG!”

This is real.

🎥 @NFL pic.twitter.com/RIJWi4bUe4

— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) September 24, 2023

49ERS -3.5: This game is going to be great! Two great teams with decent offense and defense that have really done well so far. Especially the undefeated 49ers. So how do we pick a side here? Well, let’s start with a home-field advantage and the fact that the 49ers killed the Cardinals 35-16 vs the Cowboys who lost to them 28-16 in Week 3. Also like to note that Brock Purdy has yet to throw an interception, but again, not too much else here in the stat box aside from slightly better offensive yardage over the Cowboys when plugging in the numbers.

PACKERS -1.5: The biggest factor in this game is Jimmy Garoppolo (QB) coming into this game off concussion protocol with absolutely no practice time and having already thrown 6 interceptions in the short time he’s played. Additionally, the Packers have Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to either score touchdowns or gain enough rushing yards to kick a field goal in this one. Lastly, the Raiders have been a disappointment so far, even losing to the shitty Steelers at their own home opener. I am not boasting that the Packers are amazing, but theirs just too much negative juju to put any money on the Raiders right now and a 1.5 spread makes this pick a lot easier in favor of the quesoheads

FINAL THOUGHTS

OK, so the majority of my picks in Week 5 are the favorites this week, however, sometimes matchups line up like stars where there are real justifiable reasons to pick the favorites aside from being favorites. Finally, it’s been fun blogging my picks this NFL season considering I’ve never actually blogged before as we just implemented this thing like 5 weeks ago here at Chabdog Sports! Especially learning how to do things, like embedding tweets like you see above. Of course, it takes me like 40 times longer to write this thing out since there’s no real instruction manual on how to work this thing, but it’s been fun figuring it out, and glad that Chabdog Sports has this amazing website that does so many cool things that is similar to what I’ve seen my gawd brudder, “Frank The Tank”, do over at Barstool Sports. Can’t tell you how much I’ve seen this place grow since I’ve been here

| | @darthvaber99

ChabDog’s Reluctant Return to Baseball: Round the Wild Car Horn

by Brandon Chabner | October 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

THE YELLOW ROLLS ROYCE, Wally Cox, 1964

Could it be that milktoast Milwaukee is reverting to its playoff norm?
Bring on the Bravos!
Rays hitting goes into permanent hiding, and little blue Rays sent riding in their own hood.
Shame on all of us for giving short shrift to the Twins, whose
pitching game the Jays a case of the spins.
Oh.. and no, the Trashtros are not repeating.

ChabDog, Well Read & Dorothy D’s Picks Are In

by Well Read | October 4, 2023 | 1 Comment

nfl week 5 ChabDog Well Read Dorothy D

Dorothy’s Week 5 Picks

by Dorothy Dawn | October 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

Commies

Bills

Falcons

Lions

Colts

Dolphins

Patriots

Ravens

Cards

Eagles

Jets

Chiefs

Niners

Packers

NFL Week 5 Spreads

by Well Read | October 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL spreads week 5

Our Week 4 NFL Results Are In – Aaron Wins

by Well Read | October 3, 2023 | 0 Comments

Aaron won the week with 9 while ChabDog regressed to the mean, Well Read & Abe hit .500, and Dorothy had her worst week yet. Using “inductive” reasoning to predict Week 5 ChabDog will have 7, Well Read 9, Abe 6, Dorothy 9, and Aaron 8.

NFL Week 4 results ATP

The Astros are Winning the World Series Again

by Aaron | October 3, 2023 | 0 Comments

We haven’t seen back-to-back World Series champions since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000, but I think we’ll see some history this year. The Astros will repeat as champs after having to battle just to qualify for the October tournament.

I guess we’ll never know 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/86jCyYO8d8

— Houston Astros (@astros) October 1, 2023

In a series of events that struck too close to home for a Mets fan like myself, the Astros stole the AL West title from the Rangers on the final day of the regular season. Texas choked big time by losing 1-0 to the recently eliminated Mariners when a win would send them through to the ALDS. Instead, it will be Houston bypassing the Wild Card round as the number two seed. That’s a pretty big difference between having to win two out of three games in Tampa Bay just to reach the Division Series.

Now that the Astros have the bye locked up, their top competition in the AL are the Orioles, who won 11 more games than Houston in the regular season. However, the young Baltimore team doesn’t have the proven pitching and big-game experience that the defending champs have. Does that mean that the Orioles can’t win the pennant and the World Series with a bunch of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed kids? No, we’ve seen teams like this win big before. I just trust Justin Verlander and Cristian Javier more in a big spot than Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez.

The National League will be Atlanta’s to lose. The Braves have one of the most fearsome lineups we’ve ever seen. The rotation is shaky, but so is that of the Dodgers, who figure to be the number one obstacle between Atlanta and the pennant. If Ronald Acuna Jr. and company can mash their way past the Phillies in a revenge spot from last year’s Postseason, I think they’ll win the pennant.

No matter who comes out of the NL, I still like Houston to win the World Series. No other team has the rotation experience of the Astros plus the deep lineup that is headlined by Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. Houston also has a solid bench and reliable bullpen that will come into play during tight games. Plus, Dusty Baker will make this team feel like it is playing with house money since they came from behind to clinch the division. After vindicating themselves as legitimate champions that don’t need a trash can scandal to win, the Astros are about to start a dynasty.

Sunday Sports Deflections

by Brandon Chabner | October 3, 2023 | 0 Comments

Sports Deflections of a mad Middle-aged man:
Disclaimer — I actually had a very productive and satsifying day, allthings be told–

Things were going pretty well after Thursday and 6 AM, and then the roofs fell in:

— Jax had the accelerator pressed down, if not to the max, and it didn’t need more, because the Falcons weren’t rid of Ridder.

— Dolphins turn into the dullphins as soon as I grant them my favors, probably because I called out their coach for being cocky and dorky.

— Bears turn out to a afraid of their own shadow, but held on like grim death when i thought you couldn’t beat the disabling spread.

— Then after our clip with Nicky shooting the horse in Kubrick’s “The Killing”, ChabDog was dead at 27:37

— ChabDog inappropriately tried to impose “Chabner’s Law” when vouching for the Steelers. Not much to say about the way Houston is playing its defense vs. the way Pittsburgh is conducting his offense.. Yes Aaron, you were a prophet.

— Those Bengals were titanic flops in TN. In the back of my mind, I knew the Titans could, and probably would, smash Cincy to smithereens. The Bengals just exist for me to misjudge, in seemingly every situation.

— Rams and the Colts…. god did this one hurt. Matthew Stafford dragged himself around like grim death, but when push came to shove he was able to get it done. I know their rooke QB did pretty well, but I was hoping to see Gardner MInchew, who seems to surpass excections more often than note.

— Speaking about hanging around like grim death, how about them Commies? Giving the Eagles a run for their money. and I get punished for weakly and meekly bowing to the weight of panel opinon.

–like the kid in Animal House when the majorette comes crashing through the bedroom window… “Thank you god!”.. the Vikings finally play up to their reasonable expectations and defang the stink Panthers.

— the Patriots vs. the Cowboys… thank you New England for using the relatively run-less slugfest against the Jets as a vehicle for sucking me to your delusions of competitiveness at AT&T. And if I ever pay home to a Bill Bellichick team, shoot me.

— My afneroon was somewhat saved, when the Chargers sort of backed in to yet another deflating experience for the Raydes. O’Connelll was better than expected, but Oakland was charitable as ever in terms of giving the game away.

— and then the crushing disappointment of what happened with Cards-Niners and Chiefs-Jets. First, the Cardinals pull within 12 late in the third, then I see it balloon like an overfed tic, only to see Arizona drive to the San Fan 11 with 40 seconds lift… then drive just runs out of gas. Then,, it’s beyond belief what chief Chief does to avoid scoring that simple TD and prevent the spread covering chippy field goal.

Might Have Given Her A Cream Pie Too…

by Well Read | October 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Are we sure that Zach Wilson didn’t bang Rodney Harrison’s mom? https://t.co/iQ381EMsmd

— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) October 2, 2023

The whole nation saw the smirk on his face…

by Well Read | October 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

That fucker Mahomes slid before the touchdown # pic.twitter.com/q5eHgEXo7p

— The Informer (@therealinformer) October 2, 2023

Aaron Leading With 9 Wins Going Into MNF

by Well Read | October 2, 2023 | 1 Comment

We learned who the pretenders were in Week 4: the “nice try” Dolphins, the “bad news” Bears, and the “we suck again” Browns. Not to mention we in the LA market got stuck watching the Rams vs. Colts in the early game which sucked until the Rams choked in the 4th quarter and then sucked again when the Rams won in overtime

oh no we suck again

Aaron has 9 wins and a shot at 10 depending on tonight’s outcome. The rest of us? We didn’t win so much. Four times we were unanimous on a pick and three times it was the kiss of death for those teams: Bengals got screwed, blued, and tattooed by the Titans and the Cards were stopped from a back-door-cover by Zac Ertz dropping a certain score twice on the last 2 plays. Fuck me! But wait, it gets better: KC plays listless with the Jets and then Mahomes on the last drive decides to fall down outside the endzone like he’s playing freeze tag and blow the cover to smithereens. The whole nation saw the smirk on your face when you did that Mahomes. Not sure what you are trying to prove Pat but you’re not going to beat the Dolphins’ point differential by leaving points on the field poindexter.

NFL Week 4 Picks Results

NASCAR Preview: YellaWood 500 @ Talladega Superspeedway

by Abe Miranda | October 1, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hello Chabdog Racing Fans! Once again we find ourselves at Talladega Superspeedway this season with the biggest difference being that we are in the playoffs! Below you’ll find a track map to get a sense of how big this place is! I mean this place is HUUUUUUUGE, it even has a tram to shuttle you around this place!

Source: TSS-23-471382-Facility-Map_v4_CROP-FINAL.pdf (talladegasuperspeedway.com)

Qualifying is done for this race, and I’ve posted the Top 10 drivers below for today’s race below:

Source: Talladega Superspeedway Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

However, we’re not done yet folks as we’re also in NASCAR playoff season! Fortunately, those, “on the bubble” (9, 10, 11 & 12), still have a chance in this race and next week’s race in Charlotte to try to come out on top as the Round of 8 will commence in Las Vegas on October 15th. Currently, William Byron has clinched his spot in Las Vegas as he just won the previous race @ Texas Motor Speedway. So technically we are now fighting for 7 remaining spots among 11 drivers. So let’s see how we currently stand below:

Source: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | Official Site Of NASCAR

Every week the Chabdog Sports Team makes on-air picks on the show for the upcoming NASCAR race and earns points based on the following criteria:

: Anyone who picks the winning driver gets 3 points.

: Anyone who picks the 2nd place driver gets 2 points.

: Anyone who picks the 3rd place driver gets 1 point.

This week’s “chalk pick” is Aric Almirola.

Last week’s race results:

AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 @ Texas Motor Speedway Results

Source: Texas Motor Speedway Race Results, Lineup | Official Site Of NASCAR

My pick: Kyle Larson for the mere fact that he’s qualified 4th for today’s race and is also sitting in the 8th spot of the playoffs. A win here would clinch a spot for him until the Round of 8 and he needs that since he could get bumped out of his spot based on his performance here and in Charlotte.

Lastly, sound off who you think our podium winner is for today’s race in the comments below!

With that, let’s get ready to NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASCAR!

| | @darthvaber99

Join us as ChabDog’s panel Musters up some ghastly good picks on the CDST “Tea for Tua and Trevor, Week 4 NFL” Preview Show

by Brandon Chabner | September 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

We’ll reveal our menu of special selections, including sprinkles of numbies analysis from Abe, Well-read’s saucy sound bits that form that impressive hard shell, and the marachino cherry that is Dorothy’s final word. Plus, MLB playoffs and some of the juicy acition at the latest imp eachment inquiry.

Best Pre-Game Show You’ve Ever Seen LineUp – Sunday Morning Live 9 AM

by Well Read | September 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

We’re unanimous on Bengals over Titans, Chargers over Raiders, Cards over 49ers, Chiefs over Jets, and Sea over Giants. We differ here:

9:00 ChabDog’s Opening
9:05 Dolphins @ Bills
9:10 Vikings @ Panthers
9:15 Broncos @ Bears – need to arm the bears
9:20 Ravens @ Browns
9:25 Steelers @ Texans
9:30 Bucs @ Saints
9:35 Commies @ Eagles
9:40 Patriots @ Cowboys
9:45 What Would Dorothy Eat?
9:50 College wrap up
9:55 ChabDog closing
9:59 KICK-OFF!!!

need to arm bears

Suspicious Repeat Visits To Epstein’s Island In Our NFL Week 4 Picks

by Well Read | September 30, 2023 | 1 Comment

Chabdog hosts NFL Week 4 Picks

DD sharing secrets

by Well Read | September 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

the secret arm workout 💪 – https://t.co/Vvg3fTWKan pic.twitter.com/rmrZaqWeo5

— Detroit Dorothy (@DorothyDawn) September 26, 2023

Catchy beats embedded with “Frank The Tank like” baseball references

by Well Read | September 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

The most left field Rap Album release of 2023. If the listener don’t know Baseball or its history they missing 85% of these bars. Some cats still discovering Basketball analogies from He Got Game in 1998. I have massive fun in HipHop Rap hiding bars within https://t.co/ZjynWwbWEP

— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) September 28, 2023

Wig?

by Well Read | September 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

If you want to break the hottest sports news, you’re gonna need 900 clocks, a fleet of 19-inch TVs, and more wood paneling than a fucking Lowe’s. I still believe this. pic.twitter.com/CkmdsjZbUY

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) September 29, 2023

Lucky her

by Well Read | September 30, 2023 | 0 Comments

On the plus side for Dianne Feinstein she’s all done seeing Kelce and Swift.

— B. Miller (@BlaiseInKC) September 29, 2023

DD’s week 4 picks from 9/27/23 – Pardon me 4 not publishing correctly

by Dorothy Dawn | September 29, 2023 | 0 Comments

Dorothy Got A Chalk Win on TNF

by Well Read | September 29, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 4 Picks

Post-parting Packers…

by Brandon Chabner | September 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

Unfortunate Packers can’t ward off the advances of Montgomery, and

Lions run wild on the not-so-frozen tundra. Could it be that Green Bay is suffering

post-parting feelings of Rodgers’ abandonment.

Fill Me With Pity Phils throw a major hissy fit when previously poor Pirates strike gold and black with 75.

by Brandon Chabner | September 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

Is an innocent loss to their Western PA brethren really so hard to take?

The fill me with pity Phillies throw hissy fits, and allow once lowly

P-burgh the honor of winning 75. All you need to know is Bryce wasn’t

so nice when called out by Angel of Death Hernandez.

Abe’s Week 4 Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

by Abe Miranda | September 28, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of me making shitty picks based on flawed science, numbies, and logic since my current record is:

Week 1: 6

Week 2: 8

Week 3: 6

Also, need to honorably mention that you’ll have a whopping 42.55% chance that you’ll make any money off my NFL picks so, “Yes, I’m truly the Oakland A’s of making NFL picks this season”! But then again, you can fade me for a 57.45% chance of making money from my picks (not bad). So let’s try this again with the goal of getting into the double digits with my Week 4 picks.

PACKERS +1.5*: “Love” how the Packers are going into this game at home as undergogs considering Aaron Jones might still come in and play as he’s listed as “questionable” right now. The battle of the 2-1 teams will make for a great competitive Thursday Night Football game with the Packers edging out the Lions at Lambeau Field.

JAGUARS -3*: Excited to see this game in Toy Story mode on Disney + as this game will be played at Wembley Stadium in London with no team actually being at “home”…and, with only diehard Flacons and Jags fans making up the minority of European NFL fans who may have no particular loyalty to either team but are there to drink, cause hell, and watch LIVE American “futbol”. Both teams will be traveling far with jet lag sucking for both of them. On paper, I think an argument can be made for either team since the Jags have better offensive yards than the Falcons, and the Falcons have given up less defensively than the Jags. Ultimately, I think Trevor Lawrence is the better and more experienced QB who is hunting for a win after losing to the Texans as a 9.5-point favorite last week. Fortunately for us, the spread is only 3.

BILLS -2.5*: I know a lot of folks are leaning on the Dolphins to bulldoze every team in the NFL by 50 points, but I am going with the Bills at home even though the Dolphins are an offensive powerhouse. However, let’s keep in mind that the Bills are also an offensive powerhouse, with a better defense than Miami. One thing to keep in mind is that Miami has a lot of inflated offensive numbies right now because the Broncos sucked super ass and got blown out of the water by 50 points. I don’t expect a repeat here in Buffalo.

VIKINGS -3.5*: The battle of the 0-3 teams begins. I can tell you that I’ve picked the Vikings and have lost my ass to them in the last 3 weeks, however, the Vikings come into this game as the clear winner of the offensive game with fantastic numbies coming from Kirk Cousins (QB) and Justin Jefferson (WR). Yes, I’ve been talking like this about the Vikings since Week 1, but we’re also talking about the 0-3 Carolina Panthers. Not going to lie, but if I come out a loser on this pick I’ll pretty much hate the Vikings for the rest of the season.

BRONCOS -3.5* “SHIT GAME OF THE WEEK”: Welcome Ladies & Gentleman to the “Shit Game of The Week”. Two shitty teams battling it out in Chicago where the loser will be crowned a real, real shitty team. Favoring the Broncos on their offensive advantage and Sean Payton needing to redeem himself after losing to the Dolphins by 50 points.

BROWNS -2.5*: Counting on Deshaun Watson (QB) and Kareem Hunt (RB) to play and provide the offense to beat the Ravens. Also, we need to acknowledge that the Browns have great defensive numbies and I expect them to put the brakes on Lamar Jackson (QB).

STEELERS -3*: Yes, Houston has better offensive and defensive numbers right now, but they’ve also only won one fluke game against a Jaguars team that was a 9.5-point favorite. Steelers on the other hand beat the Raiders in Vegas, and the Browns with a powerful defense. This game might bring the Texans back to reality with a loss here at home.

RAMS +1*: The Colts QB situation will be a real factor in this game. If Anthony Richardson does come back to play against the Rams, then +1 will look like a steal since he hasn’t played in a few weeks. Offensively and defensively the Rams hold the advantage. Although they’ve lost the last two games, it’s also worth mentioning it was against the Bengals and 49rs. Rams need to get back in the W column and I think they’ll resurrect their mojo from Game 1 to get it done here.

BUCS +3.5*: As of right now, Derek Carr (QB) is still questionable for this game, and I expect that without the Saint’s star QB, for the Saints to go into suck-ass mode. Regardless, I can’t see D. Carr at 100%, even if he does play. My money is on the Bucs +3.5.

Eagles -8.5*: The 3-0 Eagles are hot with the Commanders proving that they can lose by 34 points. I feel like 8.5 points is chump change for the Eagles with this team easily going 4-0 at home.

Bengals -2.5*: On paper, both teams look equal with 1 tight game Win a piece. Ultimately, the Bengals are a slightly better team, and that is why they’re favored to win by a low margin. Gotta pick a side, and am banking on the Bengals’ coming off a win to edge them out over the Titans by more than 2.5 points. Ra

Chargers -5.5*: Without Jimmy Garoppolo (QB), the Raiders are pretty much walking into an electrocution in LA. If Garoppolo does play, then it may be possible to see the Raiders come within the point spread since they haven’t lost by more than 5 points if you omit their Buffalo Bills game

Cowboys -7*: The Patriots and the Cowboys have both faced the Jets in the first few weeks of the season with the Cowboys going 30-10 and the Pats going 15-10. On paper, both teams look equal, so no one here is the clear winner. However, the Cowboys have proven to be strong offensively, and I expect them to play hard at home after losing to the Arizona Cardinals 28-16.

Cardinals +14*: We all know the 3-0 49ers are good. We also know that it’s very likely the 49ers will go 4-0 after playing the Cardinals at home. However, the same could be said about the Cowboys who also lost to the Cardinals as a heavy favorite meaning that the Cardinals could keep this game tighter than what the bookmakers in Vegas are calling for. Another factor in this game is that Deebo Samuel (WR) is currently listed as questionable which favors the Cardinals tremendously if he does not play or is not running at 100%.

Chiefs -9.5*: The Chiefs are feeling good after beating the Bears by 31 points, while the Jets continue to struggle under Zach Wilson. Taylor Swift is expected to be at the game to motivate Travis Kelce to get TD after TD with the media going bananas every time Travis touches the ball while robbing Jackson and Brittany Mahomes from the spotlight (oh no..what shall we do?).

Seahawks +1.5*: What a gift to have the Seahawks come into this game as 1.5-point underdogs. Right off the bat, the Giants star RB Saquan Barkley is listed as questionable, and the Giants cannot afford to lose anybody right now. I mean, this team is already bad with a full squad, so losing your RB or not being able to play him at 100% is just bad. Ultimately, this will be a great Monday Night Football game if you’re a Seahawks fan so go out and get yourself some beer, pizza, and chicken wings, and go watch the Giants lose in New Jersey.

*Odds courtesy of MGM Sportsbook (09/27/2023)

| | @darthvaber99

He was like a playful Pujols, with a not-so-serious dab of Curly from the Stooges…

by Brandon Chabner | September 27, 2023 | 0 Comments

https://www.facebook.com/mlb/videos/642220568034853

Miggy left a big impression, and to date, 511 dingers.

NFL Week 4 Point Spreads – Give us your picks!

by Well Read | September 27, 2023 | 1 Comment

Give us your picks in the comments

NFL Week 4 Point Spreads

ChabDog’s Sports Rock Pool Picks for Week 4: My pre-spread session viewpoints

by Brandon Chabner | September 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Brian Keller is definitely upping his game with these games… mostly brain teasers or slightly up for grabs… well in words of Maggie from Caddyshack… “Tanks for Nuttin”

1-LIONS @ PACKERS — Lions are not afraid of the frozen Tundra anymore, particularly when it isn’t frozen. LIONS!!!!

2. JAGS/FALCONS AT WEMBLY — Tea time it is not for Trevor. FALCONS!!!!

3-10 AM DOLPHINS @ BILLS — I just don’t think Miami is ready to lose. Yeah the Bills have some momentum, but they still aren’t world beaters. FINS!!!

4-1:25 PM PATRIOTS @ COWBOYS — Mack Davis might be able to win this game, but Mack Jones can’t. As much as I hate doing this, it’s DALLAS….

5-SNF CHIEFS @ JETS — Finally a total lay up…. CHIEFS, OF COURSE.

6- SEAHAWKS @ GIANTS — Could be time for the Seahawks to lay another egg, but the Giants don’t have a Giant appetite for winning. SEAHAWKS.

Just realized why I always liked the number of 5 ….

by Brandon Chabner | September 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Bidding a fond farewell to Brooks Robinson. He was a joy to watch, except if you were the other team. He had the best hot corner hands of all time… with all due respect to Schmidt, Brett and a rew others. And he was a money hitter, and dangerous tour de force to have to deal with. Won 2 World Championships, along with how many All-Stars and gold gloves. Topping that off was his work as a broadcaster for them O’s. He could say “Jim Palmer” better than anyone else.

And at some early age, I forgot he wore No. 5, my favorite number for no apparent reason.

NFL Week III Ends In 3-Way Tie

by Well Read | September 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Dorothy holds a narrow lead over Well Read & Aaron while ChabDog moved up the leaderboard with a great performance in week 3. Abe is making the best case for a fade that we’ve seen in a while….

Going Deep With ChabDog’s Week 4 Odds-ervations:

by Brandon Chabner | September 26, 2023 | 0 Comments

Det. @ GB +1.5 (-110)

[somebody’s really in love with Love and scoffing at Goff]

Falcons @ JAX -3 (-105) [ok, the Falcons like to win mother#$%$#%ing ugly anywhere they can; ;this looks perfect]

Miami Dolphins @ BUF -2.5 (-115) [Buffalo shuts down Miami enough to get a still Jumpy Jim’s all heart a flutter? Really?]

Denver Broncos @ CHI +3.5 (-115)[Featuring everybody’s Care Bears against the Gomer Denver Pyle Phillies… Denver’s still scoring points, so go with them. No problemo]

Baltimore Ravens @ CLE -2.5 (-105) ; [Wow, the Ravens are already losing their mojo, and Lamar hasn’t even been thrown on his fanny pack, has he? The Browns still have Watson but no Chubb, so how is this visitor optimism even possible?]

Cincinnati Bengals @ TEN -1.5 (-110) [Cincy just solidly covered at home against the Lambs, and now is a 1.5 dog to terrible TN. That says more about lack of confidence in Cincy as compared with titanic support for what’s going on in TN. Still, the Bengals need another kick in the ass… they still look soft to me.]

Los Angeles Rams @ IND -1 (-105) [The Rams are worthless and weak, choosing not to go for two after that second straight week with a a worthless and weak garbage TD; I’m throwing my full support to the Colts, who are actually the best horsing around team out there]

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers NO -3 (-110) [the Saints are the way to go here… because they always do what they’re supposed to do, and beating the fabulous Baker boy at home for two straights weeks without a Carr?….;]

Washington Commanders @ PHI -7 (-110) [seriously? seriously? The Commanders keep coming back… like Cool Hand Luke, with nothing]

Minnesota Vikings @vCAR +3.5 (-110)[Yes, I guess the Vikings have finally found some hosts to party with]

Pittsburgh Steelers @ HOU +3 (-105) ;[anytime you get the Steelers as favorites on the road in a very winnable game, a field goal spread is a gift from god.]

Las Vegas Raiders @ LAC -4.5 (-110)[Raiders do well every year in this matchup…. like clockwork…. and these Chargers do not win games by more than fourt]

New England Patriots @ DAL -7 (-110) [Too bad Mac Davis isn’t playing for the Patriots; he could outplay Dak, who seems to lack the knack for rising to the occasion more than occasionally; 7 points seems another ridiculous slap in the face to every New Englander]

Arizona Cardinals @ SF -14 (-110) [Suddenly Rowdy Redbirds just might make the Niners sweat to win by 14…. they just might…. nahhhh]

Kansas City Chiefs @ NYJ +9.5 (-110) [Is trendy Taylor going to show up in some press box for this one too? Not on your life, and Patrick Mahomes might just be running for his; actually, I think the Jet defense is starting to get a bit gassed. I think…..]

Seattle Seahawks @ NYG +1.5 (-110) [[How in the hell to the Giants deserve this spread?

An Oakland Raiders wears a bag over his head during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

ChabDog Gleeful For Lead After Raiders Suck

by Well Read | September 25, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog gets a win over a garbage team with a garbage QB and gets giddy over the raiders bag boy…

And takes a 10 win lead into MNF with 2 to go..

NFL Week 3 results

Sorry to have missed the brave new world of CDST’s Week 3 Show but…

by Brandon Chabner | September 25, 2023 | 0 Comments

Weak teams facing off in Vegas?

I only saw 1 Well-read, and don’t know what schedule you are looking at.

Heard that

somebody on our panel raised an Arizona desert squall today by going for all of double digits

heading into MNC. And it weren’t any other of yuse other guys and girls.

This could be the formula for a successful Steeler season.

The defense had definite control for most of night, while the offense

got things right just enough to put the outcome out of reach.

There wasn’t a ton of rushing yards, but just enough for Pittsburgh to get the job done in

terms of controlling time of possession and loosening things up for a more confident

Pickett and a gorgeous George Pickens who had good reason to be counting his receptions

before they were catched.

NASCAR Preview: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400

by Abe Miranda | September 23, 2023 | 0 Comments

Yeeeeeeeeehaw! We find ourselves at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas this Sunday! Look at this place! It even has its own dedicated dirt track and “Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway” track, proving once again, that everything just goes BIG in Texas.

Source: tms-facility-diagram.jpg (texasmotorspeedway.com)

Sunday’s race will be a 267-lapper, 400-mile race, on a 1.5-mile oval speedway with the lineup already set in place with Bubba Wallace taking the poll position. The top 10 drivers of the lineup are shown below who will battle it out starting at 12:30 p.m. (PT) / 3:30 p.m. (ET).

Source: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 | Official Site Of NASCAR

In addition to watching a great race, this is also a playoff race with 12 drivers competing to make the final 8 scheduled for October 15 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The good news is that the 4 remaining drivers in the bubble have this race, Talladega (Oct 1), and Charlotte (Oct 9) to win a race (clinch a spot) or acquire enough points to make the final 8 spots. As such, we’ll have 12 drivers fighting it out (extra hard) in Texas to win the race.

Source: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | Official Site Of NASCAR

Every week the Chabdog Sports Team makes on-air picks on the show for the upcoming NASCAR race and earns points based on the following criteria:

: Anyone who picks the winning driver gets 3 points.

: Anyone who picks the 2nd place driver gets 2 points.

: Anyone who picks the 3rd place driver gets 1 point.

This week’s “chalk pick” is Bubba Wallace

ABE’s PICK: I’m picking Kyle Busch since he has won more and has been in the top five than any other active driver (4 wins & 14 top-fives) here @ Texas Motor Speedway. He’s currently sitting in the 7th spot in the lineup and the 6th spot in the playoff standings. Right now I need to get my pick in the top 3 so that I can gain some points and continue to secure the second spot in our exclusive Chabdog Pick’em Game! So I’m putting all my cookies in with someone who has the most experience getting to the top 5 at this race course and is currently in the playoff hunt. However, let me hear in the comments who your podium winner is for this race. With that, LET’S GET READY TO NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASCAR!

| @darthvaber99

NFL Week 3 Picks: Well Read, Aaron & Dorothy Are Going To The “Island”

by Well Read | September 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 3 picks full ChabDog crew

That guy either has a short foot or….

by Well Read | September 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

How did they get this into the stadium?

Where on earth did they hide it?

https://t.co/r59ZZ0Tp4M pic.twitter.com/CWWAZuPPNf

— Well Read Producer ChabDog.com (@NewportBest_) September 20, 2023

Mets have a chance to spoil their rivals while New York Giants try to give us hope in San Francisco

by Aaron | September 21, 2023 | 1 Comment

It is too little and way too late, but the Mets are finally beginning to play like a competent baseball team. That’s not an insignificant thing when you consider the downgrades that Stevie Cohen and Billy Eppler made to this New York roster before the trade deadline. The Mets are 6-4 in their last 10 and that is against three opponents in Arizona, Cincinnati, and Miami that are desperate for wins in the National League Wild Card race. Not only are we starting to see some promise from the Mets’ prospects like Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos, but the pitching rotation looks as strong as it has all season even though Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have been replaced by Jose Butto and Joey “Meatball” Lucchesi. Mauricio is playing so well that Eppler looks like a complete fool for holding him back in the minor leagues for the first five months of the season, while Vientos showed off his power with a pair of home runs in a 8-3 win over the Marlins on Wednesday night. Plus, Butto and Lucchesi look like they can be assets in the middle of next year’s rotation.

Mark Vientos' 2nd homer of the night! pic.twitter.com/Ieu0qEEfd4

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2023

Even Brett Baty got in on the action with a home run, and I’ve already written him off as a complete bust. He has given the Mets almost nothing with his .212/.282/.323 hitting and inconsistent defense that ranges from brilliant to Daniel Murphy depending on the night. Now the Mets have 10 games left in the regular season with seven against the Phillies and three vs. the Marlins. It would be just splendid if the Mets could ruin both of their seasons to get us fans some vengeance for the disasters of 2007 and 2008. For the Marlins, that is very possible since they are on the outside of the Wild Card hunt looking in. For the Phillies, the Mets would probably have to win all seven games since Philadelphia has a four-game cushion. A man can dream, though, and I am more excited for this Mets vs. Phillies game tonight than I have been for a baseball game in a long time. I love beating Philly! It’s just a shame that they won’t have to see Kodai Senga since he pitched last night and should make his final start of the season on Wednesday against Miami.

That brings up an interesting question: Am I more excited for the Mets or New York Football Giants tonight? The Giants are 10-point underdogs in San Francisco for Thursday Night Football and they are missing two of their most impactful players on offense with RB Saquon Barkley and LT Andrew Thomas out due to injury. After all the good vibes that came from Sunday’s comeback win against Arizona, we could be headed back to another beatdown reminiscent of the 40-0 nightmare vs. Dallas in Week 1. How do the Giants at least give us a sign that the team has grown since then and is capable of competing against the top teams in the NFC? It starts with not having a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown. In fact, cutting down on turnovers all together would at least force San Francisco to put some work in on offense to get ahead. The Cowboys did not have to do that 11 days ago.

Eliminating turnovers is easier said than done with Thomas out and Nick Bosa foaming at the mouth on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Jones is going to be under pressure, and the pressure will be worse when the Giants are facing second- and third-and long. The key will be completing short passes on first down. Barkley only managed 3.7 yards per carry against Arizona, so I very much doubt Matt Breida will make a dent in this San Francisco rush defense. The Giants ought to cut the run game out in the early going and put San Francisco on its heels. Get Darren Waller going and set up some longer throws to Jalin Hyatt, who was only targeted twice last Sunday, but he made those targets count with two catches for 89 yards.

On defense, the Giants need the fourth quarter rush defense from last Sunday to show up, and not the rush defense that let James Conner run over them for most of the game. If Christian McCaffrey gets going, it will set up everything the 49ers want to do, and the game will snowball from there. The Giants need to get to the point where Brock Purdy has to make a play, but even if they get there, the pass rush is so feeble that he will probably make those plays. I am counting on Wink Martindale dialing up some creative blitzes to get someone in the backfield. The four-man rush was almost useless against Arizona except for when Dexter Lawrence was bullying interior linemen. The “star” pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has been the Giants’ version of Baty: highly touted, but not effective at all so far.

The Giants need way too much to go right for them to have success in San Francisco tonight. I will settle for them not getting completely humiliated and hopefully covering the spread.

The Pics Are In, Dorothy & Aaron Add In Here

by Well Read | September 21, 2023 | 2 Comments

NFL Week 3 picks

Abe’s Week 3 Shitty NFL Picks (Against the Spread)

by Abe Miranda | September 21, 2023 | 0 Comments

Another week More shitty picks! Welcome to another episode of watching me barely make .500 on my weekly NFL picks, “Against the Spread (ATS)”. As you can see below, I’m in last place, but also in last place with the CEO of Chabdog Sports. So if I make more shitty picks, the CEO will probably love me more because at least he won’t be in last place. Also, is that a dildo on the field in the picture below??? Ahhh, only at independently owned Chabdog Sports can we somehow and magically pull off these shenanigans on the West Coast of America. Is it because we work with “Frank The Tank” from Barstool Sports and they love him so much no one wants to mess with our little mom-and-pop show here in Cali? Is it because we are owned by a law firm? I don’t know, so here you have it, more shitty picks…and a dildo from a Californian trying to make a brand for himself. So without further delay….my shitty NFL picks.

NFL Wins to week 2

(Week 2 Results – Eric Sauve)

GIANTS +10*: The 49rs are not the Cardinals, but I also can’t see them getting plowed like Week 1 against the Cowboys. On paper, the 49rs are favored offensively, however, they are showing a slightly weaker defense (although some of that can be attributed to the yards they gave up to the Rams). I like to think that the Giants have more life than to be beaten by 10 points…also hope they kick it when they’re down by 12 points.

(per ESPN)

RAVENS -8*: The Ravens are offensively and defensively better than the Colts. Additionally, Colts QB Anthony Richardson is listed as questionable with Gardner Minshew getting all the practice this week. This could get really ugly for the Colts making an 8-point spread look like chump change.

(per ESPN)

TITANS -3*: Had the Browns had Nick Chubb (RB) coming into this game, I may have picked the Browns -3. However, that is not the case, and will lean on the Titans to keep this game close or take home the W.

(per ESPN)

LIONS -3*: Jared Goff has racked up some great offensive numbies & beating out the KC Chiefs in Week 1. The Falcons are undefeated and show great defense. This game may be close with the edge going to interceptions or mistakes. This is a home game for the Lions and I lean on them putting on a good show for their fanbase.

(per ESPN)

SAINTS +2*: Everyone who knows me knows I’m a Packers fan, but I try to make picks based on a feeble attempt to win money. Saints are undefeated and have great offensive and defensive numbers going into this game. Additionally, Aaron Jones is questionable for this game compacted with my low confidence that he’ll play a full game against the Saints (if he plays). +2 is looking like a gift to me.

(per ESPN)

TEXANS +9.5*: On paper, the Texans actually have better offensive and defensive numbers with C.J. Stroud (QB) going for more yards and completions than Trevor Lawerance (QB). I can sit here and deny the math and say the Jags are going to run over the Texans by more than two touchdowns, but I’m simply going to go with the science here against a 9.5-point spread.

(per ESPN)

BRONCOS +6.5*: I love watching Russell Wilson (QB) lose, and the 0-2 Broncos have done a great job of keeping the streak going. The Dolphins on the other hand are undefeated with great offensive numbies coming into this game. However, the Broncos have lost by less than 6.5 points in the last two games and have only beaten the Patriots by more than that. This could turn out to be a close game considering the Dolphins QB has already thrown two interceptions. In the end, the Dolphins have the offense to go 3-0.

(per ESPN)

VIKINGS +1*: The battle of the 0-2 Chargers and the 0-2 Vikings with a 1-point spread makes this game, “the shit game of the week”. The Chargers are coming into this game defensively weak and in Minnesota. Everything is screaming for the Vikings to break their losing streak.

(per ESPN)

PATRIOTS -3*: The Patriots come into this game offensively and defensively favored against a 4-interception Zach Wilson New York Jets team. Had it been Aaron Rodgers, this game may have leaned the other way. I see the Patriots getting a confidence boost here when they beat the Jets by more than 3 points.

(per ESPN)

COMMANDERS +6.5*: I know many are leaning on the Bills, but we’re not talking about the Bills beating the undefeated Commanders at home…we’re talking about the Bills beating them by more than a touchdown. The numbies show that the Bills are not going to destroy the Commanders the same way they destroyed the Raiders. Now if they do destroy the Commanders, I do have Josh Allen on my fantasy team so I hope it’s by a million gazillion points.

(per ESPN)

Seahawks -6*: The Seahawks have been hit or miss the last two games with numbies demonstrating a weaker defense. Wouldn’t take much to keep this game close considering the Panthers lost to the Saints by only 3 points. However, with the Panthers star QB and RB listed as questionable with zero to nada practice this week, it could spell a huge disaster in Seattle for them (especially if they don’t play).

(per ESPN)

CARDINALS +12.5*: The Cowboys have been absolutely fantastic coming out of the gate and easily expect them to be the 3-0 Cowboys. However, the numbies show the Cards to be a little more competitive. Additionally, the Cards have not lost to any team by more than 4 points. Cowboy fans, regardless, should be happy with the actual outcome of this game.

(per ESPN)

BEARS +12.5*: The Chiefs have not beaten any team so far this season by more than 8 points and currently have Isiah Pacheco (RB) listed as questionable. The Bears are not a good team but hope that they’ll put in enough of a fight to keep it closer than 12.5 points. Regardless, Chief fans should come away happy with this game.

(per ESPN)

RAIDERS -2.5*: I am not a big fan of this game since both teams are hit-and-miss right now. The question is who’s going to hit and who’s going to miss. I am currently in a suicide pool and am not making this game my pick of the week since it could swing either way. This is a home game for the Raiders (home opener) and they’ve won two of their three last at Allegiant.

(per ESPN)

BUCS 5.5+*: Two undefeated teams that will be battling it out in Tampa. There is no math that says one team is going to blow the other out of the water here. I expect a tight game and the Bucs to cover the spread on their home turf.

(per ESPN)

RAMS +2*: This is a gift pick considering Joe Burrow is questionable and may not even play on MNF. Offensively and defensively the RAMS look better on paper with a healthier squad. The Bengals have yet to win a game this season and are likely to continue that streak on Monday. My money is on the RAMS.

(per ESPN)

*ALL ODDS COURTESY OF MGM SPORTSBOOK (09/17/2023)

| @darthvaber99

Get a handle on Week 3’s action with ChabDog’s Sports Rock Pool Picks…

by Brandon Chabner | September 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

Well, here goes nothing:

1. NY GIANTS @ SF 49ERS — Jr. G-men can’t even hold the Niners’ collectivist jocks….NINERS!!!!

2. CHARGERS @ VIKINGS — Something’s gotta give here… the Chargers’ record sucks, and the Vikings are the purple people pretenders…gotta believe the Chargers finally come through… CHARGERS

3. PANTHERS @ SEAHAWKS — “In Gino we trust?” Yeah, once again I have to stick my neck out and Go Gino…. no way I can be leaning on the skinny frame of Bryce Young…. gotta be SEAHAWKS

4. BILLS @ COMMANDERS -BONUS GAME- Another lay up, confidence builder for the Counterfeit Bills. You go Buffalo, against a Foreskin squad that up to

now has been deftly covering up a major defect at QB… BILLS

5. SNF- STEELERS @ RAIDERS

MON SEPT. 25: aka The Schizophrenia Bowl… Gotta go Steelers… because their offense can’t get any worse, and I think Denver just made the Raydes look capable in Game 1…STEELERS

6. EAGLES @ BUCCS* (MON GAME 1) — The Bucs realize there is life with Baker Baker Touchdown Maker, and Philly is ripe for a letdown. That being said… the Eagles will continue to soar. EAGLES

7. RAMS @ BENGALS* (MON GAME 2) — Monday Nitro will reignite the Baying of the Bengals, who will look more like themselves and less like the Bangles aganist a Ram team that is running low on t. BENGALS

(Sun & Mon Due Sat Sept 23 @ 9pm)

NFL Week 3 Pics

by Well Read | September 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 3 pics courtesy BetMGM

Dorothy Detroit Takes The Lead!

by Well Read | September 19, 2023 | 0 Comments

Dorothy takes the lead while ChabDog & Abe are off to a slow start but it’s still early!

Don’t get defensive about it…this MNF double dip was full of offensive yips…

by Brandon Chabner | September 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

Largely unsightly Saints’ win in typically barbaric style, with a full plate of strip sacks; Young Bryce

was conscripted for playing the part of rookie in teal looking for happy meal.

Watt and Highsmith take matters into their own hands, leading
the Steelers to what may be a season-saving home win over their bitter rivals on MNF.
The pass rush was mostly relentless, and that combined with the heavy hits exacted a mental and physical toll
on the opposition that seemed to explain Cleveland’s inability to execute at game end.
Yes, we won, but how many victories like this can you manufacture, in the absence of
a viable offense? There were a few bright spots, but the bottom line is the running game is
mostly stuck in the mud, and the pass scheme is in a word, stodgy.
As for the Browns, this game is yet another reminder that whatever they they thought they
were getting with Watson, an elite, or even above-average, QB he is not.

Dorothy Detroit Leading With 11 Wins!

by Well Read | September 17, 2023 | 0 Comments

Switching picks usually results in a loss but Detroit Dorothy’s switch from the Pats to Miami on today’s show gives her the lead at 11 wins with two games to go

Chabdog Racing Segment Fantasy Pick’em Game (exclusive game)

by Abe Miranda | September 17, 2023 | 0 Comments

Prior to Chabdog Sports going full blog mode (literally a couple of weeks ago), and the show being trimmed down to an hour, I used to discuss on the show our previous NASCAR race, or upcoming NASCAR race, and our own Fantasy NASCAR Pick’em game that I came up with to make the segment fun and competitive (just as we do with our NFL picks every week). With that, let me break down our exclusive Chabdog Sports NASCAR fantasy game.

Every week the Chabdog Sports Team makes on-air picks on the show for the upcoming NASCAR race and earns points based on the following criteria:

: Anyone who picks the winning driver gets 3 points.

: Anyone who picks the 2nd place driver gets 2 points.

: Anyone who picks the 3rd place driver gets 1 point.

Sometimes our co-hosts are not available to make a pick, so we default our “chalk” pick to the pole position driver using the official line-up from NASCAR prior to the start of the race.

One last thing, when we finally get down to the Final Four Championship Race we end up making two picks for that race. The first pick is, “Who will win the Final Four and be our Champion?”, which is a do-or-die pick that is worth 4 points. The second pick is, “Who will actually win the race?”, which is scored exactly like any other race. So we can potentially win up to 7 points in the last race of the season. Some Co-hosts pick two different drivers here, and others go all in with one Final Four driver (win the season & the race).

To date, our co-host Dorothy is leading our group with 30 points and is the heavy favorite to ultimately win our fantasy game this year. If you look at today’s Bristol race (September 16, 2023) you’ll notice that everyone has Christopher Bell because it’s a Saturday race, our show is on Sunday, and I gave everyone (including myself) the “chalk” based on pole position (Christopher Bell). Fortunately for us, he came in 3rd place so everyone gets a point. However, had we all picked Ryan Newman who came in 36th place, we’d all still get a point since no one else had a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place pick, and Ryan Newman is the closest driver to the podium amongst the Chabdog Sports Team, even though he’s in last place.

Below is our current NASCAR Matrix that I maintain for the show. Here you can see how we’ve scored in each race, and the drivers each of us picked. Aaron didn’t join our team until July so he had to start with a slight disadvantage. In the future, we will award any new member of the team with all the “chalk” points rather than starting at zero. However, Aaron has done a commendable job catching up to the rest of us in the short time he has been with us (except for Dorothy who has lapped us all).

Final Thoughts

My NASCAR game is really cool and fun. Yes, there’s a lot of bias here because I came up with it, however, my co-hosts really have fun playing this little NASCAR game so if you have a group of friends who love NASCAR and want to make it competitive and fun, maybe this game will work for you like it did for us. Try it out and comment below if you find this game fun and cool, or have any questions.

| @darthvaber99

“cuz after all the world is topsy turvy non-conventional….”

by Well Read | September 16, 2023 | 0 Comments

CDST Anything Goes Show

Tune in for the CDST Week 2 Preview, “Anything Goes” Show:

by Brandon Chabner | September 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

cuz after all the world is topsy turvy non-conventional…. particularly when the Raydes look like a strong dog in the Buffalo slog and the Jets are causing some turbulence over thte roof of AT&T…it’s the first day of the Jewish New Year, and pay heed to the September arrivals of some pretty impactful guys, like Marino, Jimbo, and ?

Well-read rides the tide of yet another, naughtily good back door cover, ChabDog insists he’s still here, Dorothy continues to think of St. George-Brown all about town, and Abe is chained to a pole in the cellar eating baloney and mayo sandiwiches, … but could a change be blowing in the wind. And our best for Aaron, who is off today like Koufax in the World Series (65?)

May be an image of 2 people and people dancing

ChabDog Belly Dancing

by Well Read | September 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog Belly Dancing

Our Picks For Week Two Are In

by Well Read | September 15, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 2 Show hosts' picks

Dorothy’s Picks

by Dorothy Dawn | September 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

Eagles

ATL

Raiders

Ravens

Lions

Colts

Chiefs

Bucs

Titans

Cardinals

Rams

Cowboys

Commies

Patriots

Saints

Browns

NFL – Week 2 – Against The Spread Picks

by Abe Miranda | September 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

Another week, another blog about my shitty NFL picks. Especially since I went 6 & 16, but come on, the Chiefs taking an L, the Bills taking an L against the Zach Wilson Jets, and the Chargers taking an L to a hurt Dolphins team at home is nothing I could predict in my shitty crystal ball. I know that doesn’t sound like my Week 2 picks will be amazing, but at least I now have some perspective of the teams in their regular season form (less shitty crystal ball). So let’s try this again.

NFL WEEK 1 RESULTS

NFL week 1 results

OFFICIAL CHABDOG SPORTS NFL WEEK 2 SPREAD

NFL Week 2 Spreads

VIKINGS: The Vikings may lose this game but not by 7 points. Show some damn heart Vikings, especially since Kirk Cousins, a Justin Jefferson had better Week 1 numbies than their counterparts.PACKERS: I got this pick right last week, and are favored to win against the Falcons. Packers either lose this gamer or beat the Falcons by more than 2 points. My money is on beating the Falcons. Hold up boys and let Jordan Love cook (my proven Packers motto).

RAIDERS: The Bills are pissed, but the Raiders are not the New York Jets. That means that the Bills are not going to slaughter the Raiders, especially after last week’s performance against Zach Wilson. I expect the game to run a little tighter than 9 1/2 points.

BENGALS: The Ravens played Houston (an easy team) and the Bengals played a much tougher opponent. So looking at Week 1’s number the Ravens look better on paper. But again we find ourselves with Lamar Jackson playing QB/RB with the Bengals having Joe Mixon (RB) and Ja’marr Chase (WR) to mix it up at home. Also, let’s add that Joe Burrow is pissed off from losing against the Browns and needs to come out strong here in front of the homestand.

LIONS: The Seahawks played like shit last week and are coming up against the Lions who have the offensive numbies to beat the Seahawks. Additionally, the Seahawks are also defensively bad which could mean the Lions destroy the Hawks at home. If you’re a Seahawks fan, I suggest you start looking forward to the Seattle Kraken season, because that will be far less disappointing than what is to come. Although you may get Shohei Ohtani in Mariners uni…may.

JAGUARS: I don’t know what is going on with the Chiefs but most people I know are picking them simply because it’s the Chiefs, they’re pissed for taking an L, and they’re the former Superbowl Champs. But the Jags put up some really good numbies last week (way better than the Chiefs) and have a chance of actually beating them if they repeat the performance. the math says that the Jags are not bad team, and should be able to keep pace with the Chiefs…if so, all I can say is that it’s a great time to be a Jags fan.

BUCS: The Bears lost

to the Jordan Love Packers at home. Hard to see the Bears beating the Bucs, especially in the Bucs pirate ship (and at their home port).

CHARGERS: The Chargers losing to a hurt Dolphins team is just sad. The Titans not being able to produce against the Saints is also bad. Tannehill having a few interceptions in his last game is also bad. I feel like these two teams can make enough mistakes for either team to ultimately win in this game, but the maths says that the Titans will make more.

CARDINALS: The Giants are an absolute disaster. Considering the Giants haven’t actually scored a touchdown or field goal this season, it is hard for me to say that they’ll beat the Cardinals (or anybody) by 5 1/2 points.

RAMS: The Rams are back and the 49rs are good. I expect the Rams to keep it closer than 8 points here. If this was a moneyline pick I would place that bet on the 49rs.

COWBOYS: The heavily favored Cowboys are favored because they slaughtered the Giants 40 to 0. I am going to say that the Zach Wilson Jets are better than the Giants, but are probably going to get plowed by the Cowboys (but not as bad as the Giants).

COMMANDERS: The Broncos have proven that they can be beaten at home. Both of these teams look pretty even on paper and is a game that could have multiple lead changes. Ultimately it will come down to Russel Wilson playing like shit (hopefully) and the Commanders beating them out slightly to cover the spread.

DOLPHINS: If a hurt Dolphins team can beat the Chargers, a less hurt Dolphins team can beat the Patriots.

SAINTS: I like the Derek Carr Saints. I also like that he’s a slightly better QB than Bryce Young. The “numbies” show that the Saints are slightly better than the Panthers, and my internal pendulum is swinging for the Saints to beat the Panthers by 3 points.

BROWNS: I was the only one who picked the Browns last week, and I was the only one who won that pick. The Browns have a lot of offensive “numbies” and the Steelers have really bad defensive “numbies”. The Browns have all the better stats and a great running back. Everything is SCREAMING Browns for Monday night.

THE SHIT GAME OF THE WEEK

COLTS: How nice we get to see two shitty teams play each other with a one-point spread. I am picking the Colts simply because they actually did something offensively (even though they lost) than the Texans. If you’re a fan of either team, sorry

| | @darthvaber99

Fuck The Woke Mob! #44 Knows The Team’s Name #HTTR

by Well Read | September 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

John Riggins

John Riggins, The Diesel, #44

ChabDog & Well Read Get Their Picks In!

by Well Read | September 14, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 2 picks

Well Read Skids Into Week 1 Victory in Narrow Race

by Well Read | September 12, 2023 | 1 Comment

NFL week 1 results

Week Two NFL Spreads

by Well Read | September 12, 2023 | 1 Comment

NFL Week 2 Spreads courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook as of September 12, 2023

ChabDog extricates himself out of the basement with a Papillon pick for the ages

by Brandon Chabner | September 11, 2023 | 0 Comments

All alone on an island, friendless and left for dead after A-rodg is carted off, the JETS and ChabDog fight back on MNF, hang on like grim death and will themselves to an unlikely victory.

Hey you bastards, I’m still here ! (Papillon)

JETS DO A SEPTEMBER SEPARATION FROM THE METS ON MNF… NICE

by Brandon Chabner | September 11, 2023 | 0 Comments

Image result for jets beat bill on monday night football

Counterfeit Bills wilt when Josh Allen throws caution and good sense to the Metlife winds, while the Jets forget to feel sorry for themselves, … and just get even.
What a defense on display for Gang Green, and one helluva study in determination and fortitude by a squad that had been written off for dead after the Aaron exited.
And as ChabDognosticated, there’s just something wrong with Buffalo. Their star QB walking the sidelines alone, muttering to himself with a vacant, lost look, which you could also see on the face of Diggs after the game. Allen needs to rededicate himself to his craft, and spend more time studying game film, defensive tendencies and schemes, and less time doing DirecTV spots. The Bills defense also has plenty of holes, and overall, these guys and their wrestling coach are not Super Bowl contenders.

Zach Wilsons Moms friends Husband. probably

by Well Read | September 11, 2023 | 0 Comments

Zach Wilsons Moms friends Husband. probably

Aaron Rodgers —- Torn Vagina —-

by Well Read | September 11, 2023 | 0 Comments

Aaron Rodgers on his 1st drive with the jets

aaron rodergers on his 1st drive as a jet

Hey Well-read, just remember what General Patton observed:

by Brandon Chabner | September 10, 2023 | 1 Comment

George S. Patton quote: All glory is fleeting.

When it comes to aching for No. 8,…

by Brandon Chabner | September 10, 2023 | 1 Comment

Look: Jets Schedule For Aaron Rodgers' First Month Is Brutal - The Spun ...

… there’s not much difference between NYC and Big D.

Troy Aikman Page 4 Images | Dallas cowboys, Troy aikman, Nfl dallas cowboys

ChabDog’s Opening Sunday Sermonic Musings … after many picks disabused

by Brandon Chabner | September 10, 2023 | 1 Comment

Raiders: Jimmy Garoppolo NFL free agency contract grade

— Match made in heaven … or in hell given he’s with the silver and black … but no doubt about it, the uniform fits, and rumor has it Jimmy GQ’s been found from time to time on an impromptu after-hours search of The Strip.

— They call him… Dr. Love… and maybe he does have the cure the Packers are thinking of….

–The Boyz weren’t the ones wearing the junior jock straps in tonight’s prime time fiasco.
Little Blue lays a big egg, and the only reason the Giants aren’t limping home with their tails between
their legs is that they were already home.

–Wee-hawks shrink from the moment, getting torched by studly Stafford and his two new “go to’s” Puka and Tutu.
Say what?

–Chargers continue to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, despite moving the ball very efficiently through Herbie’s arm and Austin’s churning legs. Trouble was Tyreek, who was open so much today, it felt like all week.

–Ravens pick apart the Texans with a strong 2nd half, but the kicker in the teeth is that J.K. is not ok.

–Eagles recover from their Superbowl hangover, and survive a very passive aggressive finish at Gillette.
But there are signs that hope should spring eternal this year for the Patriots.

–Commanders finally take command, just in the nick of tune, and
given their history of blowing sure things at home, without rhyme or reason.

–Steelers start, once again, completely behind the eight ball, as in the Niners taking the wrecking ball to them
in all aspects in what can only be categorized as a nightmare of a home opener.

–Barroom brawl in The Big Easy goes to the black ‘n tan; but give the Ti-tans their props
for making the homies sweat and get pretty queasy… but not much has changed from last year, these two are
decidedly lacking in firepower.

–Baker remembers how to be a touchdown maker, and the Vikings return to their soft roots … last seen in last year’s playoff exit. Soft.

–Jags hit a few snags, but still showed the physcial prowess to shut down the Colts when it mattered.
The era of A. Richardson begins with a muted ovation and tempered elation.

I Feel So Bad 4 Aaron

by Dorothy Dawn | September 10, 2023 | 1 Comment

Oh my goodness Aaron, what a horrible way to open your season at home! And you were so excited to start a-fresh after the disappointing Mets season – dang it!

Well Read Takes Lead In Hotly Contested Day

by Well Read | September 10, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL week 1 results

Great show today! New format was awesome!!!

by Well Read | September 10, 2023 | 0 Comments

flounder

Other lessons learned from Week 2 of NCAA —

by Brandon Chabner | September 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

Other lessons learned from Week 2 of NCAA —
— Alabama has a running back (or something resembling one) playing QB and that’s a problem
— Miami is suddenly money, and maybe that’s due to the deep pockets of their boosters
— San Diego St. look great, but played like overheated dog meat, in their spooky black unis
— Maybe Wisconsin and Washington State should exchange conference memberships
— App. St. got paid to play in North Carolina, and it almost became pretty darn expensive for the Tar Heels

NCAA Football Week 2 — The real National Cupcake Day

by Brandon Chabner | September 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

National Cupcake Day isn’t December 15th this year,… no it was today, and here’s a ChabDogian recap of some of the tastiest ones in Week 2 of College Football —
— A pack of Trojans were seen continuously relieving themselves in public against some unprotected and helpless trees from Norcal
— Ball St. gets castrated right in front of a totally disinterest Uga
— The boys from Youngstown State should have stayed in Boys Town
— Not even Joe Flacco from 2013 could’ve saved the Blue Hens from the predators from Penn St.
— K-St. destroyed Troy at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, and a woman wasn’t even involved
— The “Big Red” nebbishes from Nebraska were humiliated by Colorado and a guy named “She”…. that’s all you need to know about how far they’ve fallen
— After leaving Duke covered in puke, Clemson’s crew was only too happy to indulge in the Charleston chew
— No surprise that even though they were Wolverines without a Harbaugh, Michigan pretty much squashed the UNLV basketball team in the Big House
— It took way too long for UT to sit on Austin Peay
— Since when are the football Blue Devils not considered a cupcake. Since they played Lafayette, that when.
— No. 19 Oregon St. showed off at home against UC Davis, but it still isn’t apparently getting them the inside track to an escape route from Pac-12, 6 or 4 land

Get a jump on Week 1 with CDST’s “KC’s floundering, so who’ll grab the low hanging fruit” CDST Show …

by Brandon Chabner | September 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

We’ve got everything you don’t need to know, and more, in our Week 1 “KC’s floundering, so who’ll grab the low hanging fruit” CDST Show …”

Who in their right mind really thought the mighty Chiefs would turn tail at home against the mighty Motown Lions? Hell, they’re so desperate for a possession receiver they would be claiming Flounder from Animal House off of waiver … if he were still alive and snatching.

ChabDog and friends, countrymen and co-hosts guide you through the mine field that is betting on the spread, along with clips and quips, though Freudian slips will be kept to a minimum how that Well-read has us on a very rigorous 1-hr clock.

Wouldn’t want to miss any of the 1 pm eastern/10 am pst action, including the Steelers shocking the world by making the Niners look not too purdy. And later in the day, one of us guaran-freaking-tees a JETS victory, cuz Josh Allen still has a bad case of the yips.

And we’ll also cram in a college football update (rest assured GA found a cupcake to castrate in Ball St.), as well as revealing Novak’s early acceptance letter to Med-ved school in tomorrow’s US Open final.

Tune in tomorrow (Sunday) at 9 am and find out who’s getting banished to the island in Week 1

by Well Read | September 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

Epstien island tours

Epstein’s Island

ChabDog takes Jets, “really wants to be on the island with my boy a-rodg”

by Well Read | September 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

ChabDog NFL Week 1 Picks

Week 2 NCAA Football (games worth watching) —

by Brandon Chabner | September 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

Notre Dame at NC State (something tells me the Wuffpack may have a chance)

Vandy at Wake (Southern Gents may be doing more than sipping mint julips)

Utes at the Baylor Bears (this test will help unearth whether Utah deserves its No. 12 ranking)

Big Red travel to play Colonel Sanders Hot Buffaloes (how can you possibly count on Nebraska’s nebbishes, in what used to be a big rivalry)

A&M vs. Miami in Collies vs. Convicts

Hawks take aim at Cyclones in Ames in the Battle of Iowa

Bama locks horns with the Horns and it’s a tight death spiral in Tuscaloosa

US Open Update: Men’s Singles Semis

by Brandon Chabner | September 9, 2023 | 0 Comments

Medvedev plays like a ruthless Rasputin, cornering the much adored Alcaraz in 4.

The often bitter Serb dials up his unrelenting tenacity in putting sloppy Shelton in a straight set straight jacket.

Images from Week 1 of TNF —

by Brandon Chabner | September 8, 2023 | 0 Comments

Hilarious Kadarius aka Hands of Stone Toney

and Pat having an attack of Dak

Our New Format For Sunday’s Show!

by Well Read | September 8, 2023 | 0 Comments

Producer Well Read here with some great news: it’s NFL football season! And with a new season comes some changes to our live show!

We start at 9:00 AM and end at 9:59 AM just in time for kickoff. Here’s our new format for the best pre-game show you’ve ever heard:

9:00 to 9:05 – ChabDog’s monologue and introduction of Abe, Dorothy, and Aaron, then game breakdowns-
9:05 to 9:10 – Game 1: Bengals at Browns
9:10 to 9:15- Game 2: Buccs at Vikings
9:15 to 9:20- Game 3: 49ers at Steelers
9:20 to 9:25- Game 4: Dolphins at Chargers
9:25 to 9:30- Game 5: Packers at Bears
9:30 to 9:35- Game 6: Eagles at Patriots
9:35 to 9:40- Game 7: Cowboys at Giants
9:40 to 9:45- Game 8: Bills at Jets
9:45 to 9:50- What Would Dorothy Eat?
9:50 to 9:55- College Football report
9:55 to 9:59- Final Thoughts

Our Picks Are In!!

by Well Read | September 8, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 1 picks – good luck to us all

This Piling on Toneys gotta end

by Well Read | September 8, 2023 | 0 Comments

Toney

Dire Straits in KC, by ChabDog (“Lions,” with a twist)

by Brandon Chabner | September 8, 2023 | 0 Comments

Red sun go down way over dirty town
Starlings are sweeping around crazy shoals
A girl is there high heeling across the square
Wind blows around in her hair and the flaqs upon the poles
Waiting in the crowd to cross at the light
She looks around to find a face she can like
Church bell clinging on trying to get a crowd for Evensong
Nobody cares to depend to depend upon the chime it plays
They’re all in the station praying for trains
Congregation late again
It’s getting darker all the time these flagpole days
Drunk old soldier he gives her a fright
He’s crazy lion howling for a fight
Strap hanging gunshot sound
Doors slamming on the overground
Starlings are tough but the lions are made of stone
Her evening paper is horror torn
But there’s hope later for Capricorns
Her lucky stars give her just enough to get her home
Then she’s reading about a swing to the right
But she’s thinking about a stranger in the night

I‘m thinking about the lions tonight
What happened to the lions
I’ll tell you what happened, bro
Dogged Dan had his blue and silver ready to a man,
when the 3rd quarter began
Yeah, those men were made of stone,
and in Q4 they carried the rock to the end zone
And no ring tone for Toney, who dropped the chance,
to be delivered by a horrified Mahomes
Andy panicked with three TOs
and the champs fell on their face in their own place
TALKIN BOUT THE LIONS…

Determined Dan and his dogged Detroiters Turn Back A Very Blase Bunch Of Defending Chumps …

by Brandon Chabner | September 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

Whassup Andy? Your guys clearly thought all you had to do to win was show up. And that was a fatal miscalculation.

KC’s receivers were in a word gar-bage, the pass defense was its usual handsy, sketchy self, and eventually the run defense was porous and unreliable. It was only some ill-timed fumbles and questionable play calling by the Lions’ OC (hello… you need to just run it with those backs on 3rd and 2) that kept the Chiefs sitting pretty, until the 4th quarter’s moment of truth, when the roof at Arrowhead caved in.

Will this thing turn around on a dime when talkative Travis returns, along with all-powerful Chris Jones? Probably not, given the weak crew of speed guys that the Big Red Tomato has at his disposal. And with that defense on the field, I guess Andy will keep going for it on 4th and 25 deep in his own end, with three timeouts. That mindless gamble was the final nail in the coffin, and is completely indefensible.

The next winner of the NFC Norris? TALKIN BOUT THE LIONS, BABY!

Good Sign For a K.C. Win & Cover

by Well Read | September 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

Goodyear blimp over ChabDog studios today

Week 1 – NFL Picks – Against The Spread (ATS)

by Abe Miranda | September 7, 2023 | 0 Comments

It’s that special time of year again when Chabdog Sports goes all in on football and every person on our team must once again prove that they can go over .500 or lose their job here like Squid Games. Of course, we don’t actually do that because we’re pretty chill SoCal people, but it would make for some good content…just saying. Anyways, every week our fabulous producer Well Read hands us the sheet below and we go up against the football gods, the oddsmakers, and our co-hosts to be crowned the 23-24 NFL season champion. Pretty straightforward, pick the most winning teams ATS. Since we can’t officially gamble on sports here in California, I still go into this as if I were in Vegas. Interestingly enough, I happen to be in Vegas this weekend so don’t be surprised if you find me at the sportsbook with an AMF in my hand. Again, I look at every matchup and imagine myself placing 20 bucks on each line here, so LFG.

NFL Week 1 picks 2023

CHIEFS – I know our spread here says 6.5 but that has actually gone down closer to 5. Either way, it’s difficult for me to see the Superbowl Champ Chiefs getting their asses handed to them by the Lions. If they do, it’s going to be a pretty big upset with a lot of memes showing up on the TL from now until Sunday.

FALCONS – I like this home-field advantage for the Falcons with a 3-point spread. I also don’t like how many questionable players the Panthers have or their super poopie pre-season.

RAVENS – LOL Texans

BROWNS – Although most people I know are leaning on the Bengals here, we also need to understand that Joe Burrow is coming off an injury and was carted off the field a little over a month ago. Because of this, I’m putting my 20 bucks on the Browns since my confidence that he’ll be A++ is low right now. Also helps that this is a home game for the Browns.

JAGUARS – This team had a great run this year (9-8), and might once again be king of the AFC South. So asking for 3.5 points doesn’t seem impossible to me against the Colts.

VIKINGS – Up until yesterday, I saw that Mike Evans was questionable for a groin issue. Glad he’ll get to play, and hope it’s not an issue since he’s off the list. However, we also have to accept that Justin Jefferson is elite and was the number-one pick in my fantasy league for a reason, and why I was able to get Josh Allen as my QB (I went second in the draft). Also, this is a home opener for them so I expect them to shine in front of their home crowd.

SAINTS – The Titans have the worst passing defense and Derek Carr has something to prove in New Orleans at his regular season debut. Saints to cover 3.5 points against the Titans.

STEELERS – Chabdog is a huge Steelers fan so I know he’ll be pleased with this pick. Aside from them having a nice pre-season, this is also going to be a home game for them. Purdy will be at the helm for the 49ers but they only have a 2.5 advantage. This tells me that a lot of football is expected to go the Steeler’s way, and being a new season, hopefully, this will energize them to capitalize on any mistake the 49ers make in this game.

COMMANDERS – Cardinals are a joke, and I expect the Commanders to win by at least 6 points at home. Also, according to Ceasars Sportsbook, the Commander’s Super Bowl odds are +8000 vs. +70000 for the Cardinals.

PACKERS – Jordan Love has something to prove, and is only a 2.5-point underdog (not bad). Also helps that they’re playing their rival Bears and Jordan would be considered a hero amongst Cheeseheads if he beats them at their own stadium on Sunday. Hold up, let’s see what an Aaron-less Packers team can cook.

BRONCOS – It’s always the mile-high advantage when you’re favored by 3.5 points at home. Excited to see what Sean Payton has cooking over there in Denver, but really want to see if he’s put a binkie in Russell Wilson’s mouth so he can start acting like a formidable QB.

CHARGERS – Dolphins are simply way more hurt than the Chargers who only need to cover a 2.5-point spread at home for the cash out in Vegas.

Week 1 Injury Report | Chargers vs. Dolphins

EAGLES – Last year the Eagles started extremely strong, and would be surprised if they didn’t come out of the gate with the same passion as last year in their home opener. Only need to beat the Pats by 4 points at home to cash this ticket out, and if they repeat what they did last year….it’s like taking an iPad from a baby.

SEAHAWKS – The Rams are just an ugly mess. Very poopie pre-season and no Cooper Kupp (WR). Seahawks to beat the Rams at home by more than 5.5 points.

GIANTS – It’s safe to assume that most people are probably picking the Cowboys considering their past stats with the Giants being in their favor. However, this Giants team is a little refreshed and has a few new players since they last faced each other such as Darren Waller (TE), Bobby Okereke (LB), Parris Campbell, and Jalin Hyatt (WR), John Michael Schmitz (C), and Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III (CB). Also, the Giants know that the Cowboys have a better record against them so coming out of the gate strong in front of their fans at home would be a great way for them to start their season and tip the scale. Considering this is just a 3-point spread, it’s safe to assume that the odd makers also consider the Giants a little more formidable against a team that has proven to have a better record against them.

BILLS – This MNF definitely goes in the LFG column! Aaron Rodgers debuting for the Jets against the Bills! A 1.5 point spread! A possible upset with the Jets beating the Bills and New Yorkers going hysterical! Here’s the thing, I don’t know if I would bet on this game because no one knows if Aaron is going to be a star or bust for the NY Jets. Since I have to pick a side here, I’m simply considering that the Bills are a great team that’s a little more familiar with each other to pull the advantage. Additionally, I’m also counting on that Aaron Rodgers isn’t Tom Brady who’s going to lead the Jets to a Superbowl victory in his first season with them and maybe show a few kinks in his armor in this game to tip 1.5 points. Again, I need to see him play a few games before I put money down on the Jets. But if we need to drop a coin…Bills.

| @darthvaber99

Who says White Jewish Men can’t jump….

by Brandon Chabner | September 6, 2023 | 0 Comments

Watch ChabDog leap frog the competition in this year’s NFL pick’em action against the dreaded spread,

each week on ChabDog Sports Talk. After all, there has to be a sunset on the hegemony of Dorothy Dawn,

Blixx may be a no-show(?), Abe has been spending too much time at the track, Well-read’s already well-psyched out…

and AP Yorke is nobody’s Barstool fool, but may have lost his mojo with the melt down of the Oven Mets.

Join us for the best freaking pre-game show you’ve ever seen this Sunday 9 am LIVE

by Well Read | September 6, 2023 | 0 Comments

The Best Freaking NFL Pregame Show You've Ever Seen

We’re launching our new format! Which one? Only the best freaking NFL pregame show ever! Join us live from 9 am to kickoff for one action packed coffee soaked hour of picks, analysis and fun

Week 1 – NFL Pick’ Em

by Abe Miranda | September 6, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 1 is here so LFG! Currently have these picks up in our Chabdog Sports Pick’em Challenge and the great news is that you can join this free league too if you think my standard picks suck. So stop talking and start playing!

Chabdog Sports Pick’em Challenge Link: https://fantasy.espn.com/free-prize-games/sharer?from=espn&challengeId=230&context=GROUP_INVITE&edition=espn-en&groupId=bcd27e84-f3eb-4cb5-94ae-5caed7a9bbfd

| @darthvaber99

What’s a Kermit to do… with no security blankey

by Brandon Chabner | September 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

Whassup Walk This Way Kermit? Can you still walk that walk with no Kelce as your security blanket?

Here’s one dedicated detractor who hopes the Lions can stuff that inflated spread in the trash compactor.

Talking bout the Lions on Thursday night, and Chiefs who find themselves … in possible dire straits?

Talkin bout the the Lions.

Gauff goes off … ostracizes Ostapenko in a near double bagel masterpiece

by Brandon Chabner | September 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

Coco was all go go go, in making jittery Jelana total road kill in a 6-2, 6-0 wipe out.

Given the relative ease with which the American teen dispatched conqueror of the Polish potentate Swiatek in the previous round, the young American must be viewed as the odds on favorite to take the women’s title in Flushing.

With muscle T’s all the rage, Ben Shelton forces open the door to the US Open Semis…

by Brandon Chabner | September 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

What the actual fuck?

by Well Read | September 5, 2023 | 0 Comments

KCTV 5 News Kansas City

My First Blog: The Beginnings – An Introduction to the Chabdog Racing Segment

by Abe Miranda | September 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

Wow, I cannot believe that I’m actually blogging on chabdog.com about NASCAR, but even more amazing…I’m actually here freaking blogging for Chabdog Sports! When I first started at Chabdog Sports back in February of 2021, we were strictly an audio-only podcast. Oh how far we’ve come in just a few years that I’ve been on the show considering we’re now on YouTube, we’ve got an ETSY store, and now here blogging like my good friends over at Barstool Sports. Although I’ve been on the show for a few years, I don’t think that many people actually know how I got here, why I’m hosting a racing segment or my role behind the scenes. I think it’s fair to assume that most people think I’m only here because my Gawdbrudder (coined by my Gawdfather Gary) is Frank Fleming, who was actually part of Chabdog Sports prior to joining Barstool Sports. I can say this, yes, my Gawdbrudder is Frank, but I also didn’t get a call to make a guest appearance here until 2021, and only because Chabdog Sports had been following me for a few years and had been super strong supporters of my X (Twitter) content (which I appreciated mucho considering I had a very tiny following back then). Even then, what was supposed to be a “guest spot” talking about my adventures with my Gawdbrudder quickly turned to talking about my favorite sports teams, and diving into various political issues. Interestingly enough, I was only slated for the first hour of the show and was asked to stay on for the second hour right before we cut to the break (who knows if I’d even be here right now if they had decided to send me on my way after the first hour). Considering this was the first time I was ever on air, I’m glad I was able to hang with the boys long enough for an encore, but you be the judge and have provided the link to my very first show here:

▶ The “Better Get Smart” Show (spreaker.com)

I can honestly say that I never really thought that coming on the show as a guest would lead me to host a racing segment or talk about NASCAR, but it turned out that Chabdog really liked NASCAR and was enthused to incorporate a racing segment into his show after talking to me. So on April 11, 2021, the Chabdog Racing Segment was born shortly after being on the show for a little over a month (with our signature intro song that we still roll with today). I’ve included a small clip of the very first time we rolled out the Chabdog Racing Segment:

Again, still funny that I landed a racing segment, considering most of my earliest shows were mainly discussing current political issues, my Mets fandom, how I became a cheesehead, Frank the Tank, and March Madness that was going on at the time. But at some point, in the first few shows I was on, my past about growing up with my step dad who was a professional go-kart racer (who watched a lot of NASCAR, Modified, Sprint, and Midget car racing on TV or at the track) came to light. And because of my stepdad, not only did I watch a lot of NASCAR myself, I also got to go with him and watch a lot of awesome short-track dirt races (some might argue that’s where real racecar racing is done)! Growing up in the NASCAR 90s, I always rooted for Jeff Gordon in his signature brightly-colored DuPont car (epic car). Not going to lie here, but Jeff Gordon was also a good driver to root for during this time since he was the Winston Cup Champion in 1995, 1997 & 1998. Still gets me, or maybe I can say, “I feel my age”, that I remember a time when Winston Cigarettes was a sponsor of something. Yet, what I still find hard to believe is that NASCAR, of ALL the things we talked about in my early days here at Chabdog Sports, is what really got Chabdog’s attention, but more importantly…excited to consider incorporating NASCAR into the show. So yeah, from never being on a radio talk show to hosting a racing segment in about a month’s time might actually rank up there as one of my greatest unexpected accomplishments in life, but also one that turned out to be really cool and fun. So thank you Chabdog for asking me to come onto the show, for asking me to stay on for the second hour, inviting me to the following week’s show…and the next…and the next. So I thought to myself that my first published blog here at Chabdog Sports be dedicated to my beginnings but also pay tribute to our racing segment that really sent me over the moon in making me a permanent fixture around here. So let’s end by saying that I’ve had a lot of firsts here at Chabdog Sports, from being invited to my first on-air show…to hosting a racing segment…to being on YouTube weekly…to now writing my first blog…so with that, let’s get ready to NASCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

X | IG : @darthvaber99

Updated Picks – Abe & Well Read are on the “Island”

by Well Read | September 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

NFL Week 1 picks 2023

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

slow, child has good lawyer

Thank you to all our servicemen working around this globe so that we may enjoy our Labor Day Weekend

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Thank you to all our servicemen working around this globe so that we may enjoy our Labor Day Weekend

Read carefully…

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Read carefully…

Dorothy Detroit

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Dorothy Detroit

The Gawd Brothers

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Well Read, Abe, & ChabDog

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Well Read, Abe, & ChabDog

Jimmy Buffet. legend

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

Jimmy Buffet we hope you find cheeseburgers and margaritas in Paradise RIP legend 1946-2023

NFL Week One Picks

by Well Read | September 2, 2023 | 4 Comments

NFL Week One Picks

Last Sunday Without Football

by Well Read | September 1, 2023 | 0 Comments

We made it! We survived another off-season. Football is back and so with it comes many rituals like the “pre-game” show. ChabDog is launching the best freaking pre-game show you’ve ever seen. The network shows all SUCK. I’m not telling you something you don’t already know. Getting good intel on winning bets doesn’t suck. Tune in every Sunday at 9:00 AM Pacific – Noon Eastern. We see things others don’t. Let us tell you about it. animal house advice to you is to start drinking