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The Mets earned a much-needed victory on Tuesday night to start their three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Washington might have a better record than the Mets, but this is a franchise that signaled that it plans to continue rebuilding in 2026 with its offseason trade of ace pitcher Mackenzie Gore. Last night, the Mets handled the Nationals like a veteran team should handle a rebuilding one and won 8-0 behind six strong innings from Clay Holmes.

The offense woke up as well with a spark provided by Bo Bichette and his leadoff, opposite-field home run off of struggling Washington starter Zack Littell. New York really got the offense cranked up when Marcus Semien bounced a ground ball to third base with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. It looked like Nationals third baseman Jorbit Vivas had a chance to turn a devastating, inning-ending double play, but the ball slipped under his glove and rolled down the left field line to plate a pair of runs.

That error opened the floodgates for the Mets, as Carson Benge roped Littell’s next pitch into center field to plate Semien. After another single by Ronnie Mauricio and a long sac fly to right field by Bichette, Juan Soto capped the rally with a two-run home run to left field. Now the score was 8-0 Mets, and they cruised to victory thanks to Holmes’ continued excellence.

Holmes, Nolan McLean, and Freddy Peralta have given the Mets a strong top of the rotation, but the last two spots have been hard to figure out because of how terrible Kodai Senga and David Peterson have been. With Senga landing on the injured list yesterday, Christian Scott will get another chance to prove himself as a big leaguer following his disaster of a season debut on Thursday against Minnesota. Peterson was ousted from the rotation a couple of weeks ago, but tonight he’ll get a chance to redeem himself thanks to two solid long relief outings and a lack of better options.

On the Washington side will be Opening Day starter Cade Cavalli, who has a 4.01 ERA this season despite allowing 29 hits and 12 walks in 24.2 innings this season for a 1.66 WHIP. Cavalli was sharp in his last start with 10 strikeouts and no walks in five innings against Atlanta.

Last night was a lot of fun for me because the Knicks also won in blowout fashion. I said before the game that the Knicks needed to defeat the Hawks at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 of their first round playoff series in order to be taken seriously as a title contender. The Knicks passed the test with a 126-97 win that featured 39 points and eight assists from Jalen Brunson. New York’s defense held new nemesis CJ McCollum to just six points on 3-for-10 shooting.

Another good sign for the Knicks’ title hopes was Boston’s shocking loss to Philadelphia in another Game 5. The Celtics were supposed to wrap up the series easily at home, but they were outscored 28-11 in the fourth quarter and lost 113-97 while shooting just 40 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range. The 76ers were led by 33 points and eight assists from Joel Embiid. Boston still leads the series 3-2, but it will have to win in Philadelphia to avoid a Game 7 that seemed impossible a day ago.

The dreadful loss by the Celtics combined with top seed Detroit falling behind Orlando 3-1 makes me feel a lot better about the Knicks’ chances to reach the NBA Finals than I did at the start of the NBA Playoffs. Now it’s time to wrap up this series in Atlanta!

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Just when it looked like the Mets were moving on from their 12-game losing streak and getting ready to make a serious run at the Postseason, they went and got swept by the Colorado Rockies, sinking to 9-19 for the season. Following two straight win over the Twins on Wednesday night and Thursday night, the Mets were big favorites against Colorado in the series opener on Friday, but couldn’t take advantage due to three ground-ball double plays and staff “ace” Freddy Peralta crumbling in the fifth and sixth innings.

The first double play came in the bottom of the second after Brett Baty doubled and Mark Vientos hit and infield single to set up the Mets for a big inning. However, Marcus Semien ensured the Mets would only score once when he hit a one-hopper to Tyler Freeman at second base that gave the Rockies two outs for the price of one run and allowed Michael Lorenzen to work deep into the ballgame.

That would be the only New York run until the eighth inning, when the Mets would rally against Colorado reliever Jaden Hill. Ronnie Mauricio, Bo Bichette, and Francisco Alvarez all singled to load the bases with one out. Baty then came through with a base hit up the middle to drive in a pair and put the tying run in scoring position. Finally the Mets were stringing some clutch hits together in a game that they needed to have! Colorado changed pitchers to Antonio Senzatela and Citi Field was ready for one more big knock, but instead we got the most brutal double play of the evening. Mark Vientos ripped a line drive to the opposite field, but it went straight into Freeman’s glove, and he easily doubled pinch-runner Tommy Pham off second base to end the inning.

That was a tough way to lose a ballgame, but it was even tougher to watch the Mets’ offense during Sunday’s doubleheader. The first game was a great opportunity to get back on the winning track, with Nolan McLean on the mound and the lineup taking on former Mets southpaw Jose Quintana. New York loaded the bases with one out in the first, but failed to score because Semien and Baty struck out. The Mets wouldn’t reach base again until Tyrone Taylor homered to lead off the fifth inning and tie the score 1-1. Surely that was the spark we were waiting for, right?

Taylor’s home run was less of a spark and more of an aberration, as the Mets would not score again for the rest of the day, including all nine innings of the second game. After Colorado took the lead in the sixth thanks to an Edouard Julien leadoff double and Vientos throwing the ball into Mickey Moniak’s back on a potential double play ball (double plays only work out when the Mets hit into them), New York tried to rally in the eighth against Hill with Alvarez, Bichette, and Juan Soto all reaching base with one out. Once again, there was a big opportunity in the eighth inning to flip the miserable script, but once again, the Mets chose misery with Luis Robert Jr. flying out into foul territory and Vientos flailing away at an outside-corner slider for his second strikeout of the day.

The second game of the day didn’t go any better for the Mets. In fact, it went worse because this time New York put zero runs on the board. We found out quickly that zero wouldn’t not be enough because Kodai Senga continued to be a disaster on the mound. After a decent start to the campaign, Senga has now made three straight starts without competing the fourth inning. In this one, he allowed three hits, three walks, and a hit-by-pitch in the first three innings, and that includes a perfect first inning. Hunter Goodman’s two-run bomb in the third gave Colorado more than enough runs to win the game.

Meanwhile, the Mets were shut down by Chase Dollander, the right-handed pitcher who was chosen by the Rockies in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Dollander had never completed seven innings before in 21 major league starts, but he did just that against the Mets while allowing just five hits and two walks. The Mets had their best chance to break through in the fifth when Carson Benge and Mauricio both singled with nobody out, but Mauricio was easily doubled off first when Taylor hit a soft line drive to TJ Rumfield.

The Mets are now 9-19 and getting ready to start a series against the 13-16 Washington Nationals. Already two MLB teams have fired their managers, but the Mets are not one of them. Boston and Philadelphia are off to similar slow and very disappointing starts. As a result, both Alex Cora and Rob Thomson have lost their jobs even though Cora has won a World Series with the Red Sox and Thomson led his team to the NL pennant just four years ago. What has Mendoza won to earn such a long leash from the Mets? 2024 was a thrilling season, but Buck Showalter was let go just one year after leading the Mets to 101 wins and a Postseason berth. Mendoza has already been allowed to oversee the 2025 meltdown. Will he really be allowed to continue at the helm if the Mets continue to bust in 2026?

There’s also the matter of David Stearns, the president of baseball operations who was supposed to be the architect of the Mets’ resurgence, whiffing on every move he made this offseason. After a hot start, Robert Jr. has looked like the broken slugger that the White Sox traded away for the low, low price of Luisangel Acuna. However, Robert Jr. is still hitting better than Bo Bichette, who was brought in to easy the pain of Pete Alonso’s departure. Like Alonso last year, Bichette is on an opt-out deal that will allow him to bolt from the Mets the minute he finds some success.

Marcus Semien had a lot of success in Texas, but his offense dropped off the last two seasons, and this April he’s hitting even worse than he did then. Semien was brought in to form a great middle-infield defensive combination with Francisco Lindor, but their glovework hasn’t been good enough to make up for the abysmal offense. The worst acquisition has been Devin Williams, who has been a total gas can as the closer and has made me miss Edwin Diaz even though I thought I never would.

Some people have said that firing Mendoza or Stearns right now won’t do anything to help the Mets win more games. That might be true, but something has to be done to show the fans that the team’s performance in April is unacceptable. Maybe Steven Cohen is willing to ride out the season and give the team a chance to turn it around, but I have a feeling that the owner will be compelled to do something if attendance dwindles over the summer.

One game might not be enough to save Mendoza or Stearns from being fired at season’s end, but it would still be cool if the Mets stopped being the worst team in baseball. They can take a step tonight by beating the Nationals. Washington’s starting pitcher Zack Littell has allowed 14 combined runs over his last two starts against San Francisco and Atlanta. He’s someone that even a feeble offense can take advantage of. The Mets will be sending Clay Holmes and his 2.10 ERA to the bump. He has allowed fewer than three runs in all five starts this season.

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The Mets appeared to be on their way to ending their 11-game losing streak in the series opener vs. Minnesota on Tuesday night. Nolan McLean was dominant and retired the first 15 batters that he faced while Francisco Lindor came up big with a three-run blast to right field that ended up being the only significant offense from the Mets all night. Still, it looked like it would be enough until Byron Buxton took McLean deep over the left field wall just three batters after Matt Wallner became the first Twins batter to reach base with a single to open the sixth inning.

The two-run home run brought Minnesota within one and put some pressure on New York’s offense to add some runs. Instead, the Mets made 12 straight outs against the Twins’ beleaguered bullpen. While the Mets flailed about, Minnesota broke through against McLean again with Kody Clemens hitting a double with one out in the seventh and Luke Keaschall following up with an RBI single to tie the game. Huascar Brazoban kept the score steady until the ninth, which set the stage for Devin Williams to blow a game for the second time in a row.

Williams started by walking Josh Bell on four pitches and then gave Ryan Jeffers a free pass as well. Clemens bunted to the first base side, but the Mets failed to record an out when pinch runner Josh Outman beat Mark Vientos’ throw to third base. With the bases loaded and nobody out Keaschall hits a ground ball to the left side that bounced past New York’s drawn-in infield. What looked like it could yield an out at home plate turned into an RBI single. Not content to let his defense shoulder some of the blame, Williams then walked Wallner to make the score 5-3 Minnesota.

Austin Warren did an amazing job striking out the side to prevent further damage, but it didn’t matter much since the Mets were lifeless in their half of the ninth. I’m all for Warren or Brazoban getting the next save opportunity since it would show the clubhouse that performance matters, but I don’t expect Carlos Mendoza to rock the boat so much despite a disastrous start to the season.

The Mets are back at it tonight with Juan Soto in the lineup against a southpaw making his MLB debut. Surely, now is when the Mets take a break from losing, right?

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The Mets got the offense revved up in the second inning on Friday afternoon in Chicago, but it didn’t matter very much since Kodai Senga was a flaming tire fire for the second time in a row. The Japanese right-hander was one strike away from escaping a jam in the bottom of the first, but then Seiya Suzuki dropped an RBI single into right field and Cubs phenom Moises Ballesteros followed up with a three-run opposite taco. The Mets, who have had trouble scoring more than two runs in a game during this long losing streak were down 4-0 out of the gate.

Even before I could say “it’s over,” the Mets surprisingly battled back against Chicago starter Edward Cabrera. MJ Melendez continued his hot hitting with a scorching line drive single to put two runners on base for Marcus Semien, who ripped a double into the gap to get the Mets on the board. After Brett Baty continued his monster slump with a strikeout, Tyrone Taylor ripped a line drive off the left-center field wall for what could have been a two-RBI double. However, Taylor had to settle for a single since he was thrown out by former Mets draft pick Pete Crow-Armstrong. On instant replay it looked like Taylor might have avoided the tag by Nico Hoerner, but Carlos Mendoza chose not to challenge the play and the rally fizzled out on Caron Benge’s fly out with the New York still down a run.

The momentum didn’t last long, as Senga gave up a two-run blast to Hoerner in the bottom of the inning to make the score 6-3. The Mets wouldn’t score again until the game was well out of hand in eighth inning. The game almost got interesting when the first three New York batters reached base, but then Melendez struck out and Mark Vientos grounded into a double play to doom the Mets to a 12-4 blowout loss.

For the second straight week, a decent offensive showing from the Mets was spoiled by a Senga disaster start. It’s time to consider a change to the rotation, especially with Christian Scott heating up at Triple-A. The lineup could also use a lot of work, but the most pressing concern is Brett Baty, who has 21 strikeouts and zero walks so far, resulting in a .190 on-base percentage. He also is a man without a position since Bo Bichette signed on to play third base. Baty has tried to fit at first base and right field, but he cost the Mets a run with an error on Friday and could be due for a demotion when Juan Soto or Jared Young returns from the injured list.

If the Mets continue floundering into oblivion, at least we’ll have the NBA Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Playoffs to distract us starting this afternoon. The Knicks losing in the first round would be a bigger mess than the baseball season, so hopefully that doesn’t happen. This was supposed to be the Knicks’ year with Jayson Tatum missing most of the season due to his Achilles injury, but now Tatum is back and the Celtics will be favored to beat New York in the Eastern Conference Semifinals if we get that far. The expectation is for the Knicks to finally reach the NBA Finals, but it would be surprising if they got back to the Conference Finals.

There is also WrestleMania this weekend, which means maybe just maybe we’ll get to see Roman Reigns beat up the insufferable CM Punk and return to his role as the Head of the Table at WWE. Also, can Gunther finally get a big win at WrestleMania after being “upset” by Sami Zayn and Jey Uso in the last two years? Speaking of Zayn, I’m looking forward to seeing if he fully commits to his new heel bit and beats Trick Williams or if Williams continues on his rocket ship ride to the top of the company. Another recent NXT call-up who is super hot right now is Oba Femi. If he beats Brock Lesnar on Sunday, Femi could take Lesnar’s place as one of the most intimidating forces in the wrestling world. There’s so much to look forward to!

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The very evil and very nice future WWE Hall of Famer Danhausen agreed to uncurse the Mets on Wednesday morning, but New York continued to stumble that night in an 8-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers that completed a three-game sweep. The Mets have now lost eight games in a row and sit in last place in the National League East. Maybe the loss was due to Danhausen’s face not yet appearing on a WWE equipment truck, or maybe the Mets were never cursed and have just been a terrible franchise for the past 40 years. I don’t want to contemplate that second scenario, but after this latest result, it has to be brought into consideration.

Clay Holmes kept the Mets in the game with his third straight solid outing, but hope remained bleak due to the offense’s continued ineptness against Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani. It looked like Los Angeles might have enough runs to win the game when Hyeseong Kim delivered a two-run home run to the right field seats in the second inning.

The Dodgers ended up needing a little bit more than those two runs, but that was only because of a garbage-time run in the ninth inning driven in by Marcus Semien. New York’s other run came in the fifth inning during a stretch that should have allowed the Mets to take control of the game. Ohtani had trouble finding the strike zone during that frame, starting with a walk to Francisco Alvarez. Carson Benge followed with a solid line drive to left field that appeared to land in front of Teoscar Hernandez for a base hit. Unfortunately, Alvarez thought otherwise and headed back to first base instead of advancing to second. This resulted in an easy force out at second base instead of two runners on and nobody out.

Even after the baserunning blunder, the Mets continued to rally with Semien drawing a walk and MJ Melendez, who was just called up that day to replace an injured Jared Young in the lineup, bouncing his second double of the game into the right field seats. The clutch hit could have tied the game if only Alvarez hadn’t ran himself into an out, but it still scored one run and there was still a chance for more. The Mets did not score more, though, because Tommy Pham struck out with two runners in scoring position and then Francisco Lindor lined out to end the threat.

That was the closest the Mets would get to contending in this game. In the sixth inning, Ohtani recovered to strike out the side and Teoscar Hernandez hit a solo shot off of Tobias Myers to put Los Angeles ahead by two again.

Hernandez was back at the plate in the eighth to open up the floodgates. The rally started with an innocent ground ball to shortstop, but instead of charging the ball, Lindor backed up on it, and his throw to first was not in time to get Hernandez out. After a walk by Max Muncy and a very long single by Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing drove a Devin Williams hanging changeup over the center field fence for a grand slam and a 7-1 lead.

The Mets have a day off on Thursday before starting a three-game series at the Cubs on Friday. It will be nice to have three straight day games after three straight late-night games to start the road trip. Chicago is off to a 9-9 start, but the team appears to be rounding into form with two straight blowout wins over Philadelphia.

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The young New York Mets 2026 campaign took a turn for the worse after the team defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 to improve to 7-4 last week. Since then, the Mets have lost seven straight games, and in only two of those games have they scored more than one run. Tuesday night against the Dodgers was a great opportunity to score more than a run because Francisco Lindor led off with a solo home run off of Los Angeles ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to finally find his first RBI of the season. This could have been the night that the Mets’ offense exploded and snapped the losing skid, but instead Yamamoto settled in and retired the next 20 New York batters in a row before Bo Bichette hit a double with two outs in the seventh inning. With the scored tied 1-1, the Mets had a chance to take a rare lead, but Brett Baty struck out to end the frame.

The Mets were still in the game until late because Nolan McLean proved to be just as brilliant as Yamamoto. He allowed a run in the first when Will Smith hit a double that led to Kyle Tucker scoring on Freddie Freeman’s ground out, but after that McLean was lights out. The most encouraging part was how he stayed in control even when facing the powerful Dodgers lineup for a third time. He even struck out the side in the seventh inning before leaving the game with 95 pitches thrown.

The eighth inning provide another opportunity for the Mets when Carson Benge and Lindor both singled with two outs to finally get Yamamoto out of the game. However, Blake Treinen struck out Luis Robert Jr. to end the threat and the Dodgers pushed a run across in the bottom half thanks to Miguel Rojas’ leadoff walk and Tucker’s bloop single off of Brooks Raley.

Even with Edwin Diaz out of commission due to a decrease in velocity, the Dodgers had no trouble shutting down the Mets in the ninth, as Alex Vesia struck out the side on just 10 pitches. Almost immaculate!

Juan Soto is still on the shelf for a little while, so it’s hard to foresee an end to the batting struggles, but maybe a supernatural force can step in and lift the Mets out of their long slump.

Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz appears to have the connections necessary to make this deal happen with Danhausen. As soon as we see his ghoulish face on a production truck, there’s a chance the Mets never lose again.

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Wisconsin avoided a letdown game following its shocking upset at Michigan when John Blackwell crushed a triple at the buzzer to give the Badgers a 78-75 victory at Minnesota on Tuesday night. The Gophers led 41-30 over their rivals with 18 minutes left thanks to Jaylen Crocker-Johnson hitting a floater plus the foul, but Blackwell answered with a pair of three-point shots to lead Wisconsin on the comeback trail. The Badgers would lead by as many as nine thanks to former Gopher Braeden Carrington knocking down seven triples of his own for a season-high 21 points, but Minnesota refused to go away. Nolan Winter’s missed free throw with 12 seconds left gave Cade Tyson the opportunity to tie the game at 75-75 with five seconds to play, but Blackwell struck right back with his clutch winner.

Blackwell led everyone in scoring with 27 points and added five assists as well. Minnesota had four players in double figures led by Crocker-Johnson with 20 points while Langston Reynolds scored 12 points with 10 of the Gophers’ 20 assists.

Talk about two teams going in different directions. Nebraska wrecked Oregon 90-55 to keep the Cornhuskers undefeated at 6-0 in the Big Ten and 17-0 overall. It’s the biggest blowout Nebraska has ever had over a Big Ten opponent in conference play. This is also the best start to Big Ten play that Nebraska has had since joining the conference for the 2011-12 season. Meanwhile, the Ducks are 1-5 in the Big Ten haven’t started this poorly in league play since they went 1-5 to begin the Pac-12 campaign of 2013-14.

The game didn’t start so lopsided. Oregon center Nate Bittle made a layup to tie the score at 28-28 with four minutes left in the first half, but then Oregon rolled off a 14-2 run to gain a 42-30 lead at halftime. The burst was spearheaded by Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager each making two three-point shots, and they would end up torching the nets by each going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc during the game. That accounted for 14 of Nebraska’s 17 three-point shots. On the other side, Oregon made just six shots from beyond the arc while shooting 26 percent from there.

If it wasn’t clear enough from the Michigan State and Indiana results from earlier this month, the Huskers are for real. Rienk Mast has developed into an all-conference player, Sam Hoiberg is a steady hand at point guard, and the Sandfort-Frager combo is lighting up scoreboards. Plus, Nebraska’s defense ranks even higher than its offense on KenPom!

Two traditional Big Ten powers battled in East Lansing, but the hotly contested game turned into an 81-60 Michigan State blowout thanks to Indiana going seven minutes without scoring down the stretch. With just over 11 minutes to play, Indiana’s Lamar Wilkerson dunked to tie the score at 53-53, but Jordan Scott came back with a mid-range jump shot for Sparty to spark a 7-0 run over the next minute that was punctuated by a breakaway slam from Coen Carr. Hoosiers head coach Darian DeVries called a timeout, but it did nothing to get his team back into the game, as MSU rolled off 12 more unanswered points to make the score 72-53 with five minutes left.

Jeremy Fears Jr. was fantastic for Sparty with 23 points and 10 assists while Jaxon Kohler also had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Wilkerson scored 19 points for Indiana, but no other Hoosiers scored more than nine points, as Tucker DeVries was held to that many on 3-for-10 field goals.

In the night cap, Maryland continued to slump in the first year of Buzz Williams’ leadership, falling at USC 88-71 and dropping to 0-6 in league play. Trojans star Chad Baker-Mazara was limited to seven points in nine minutes due to injury, but Jordan Marsh came through with 20 points off the bench. The gigantic center Gabe Dynes played a larger than usual role for USC with 10 points and eight rebounds. Four of those rebounds came on offense, which contributed to USC’s 13-4 edge on the offensive glass. That led to the Trojans firing off 66 shots in this game compared to just 48 for Maryland. All of those extra shots helped USC overcome a 30-point game from Terps guard David Coit.

Just like with Indiana and Michigan State, this one was close for most of the game, but USC outscored Maryland 25-12 over the last 11 minutes following a three-point shot by Coit that trimmed the Trojans’ lead to 63-59. Jade Brownell made a layup and a triple on consecutive possessions for USC to push the lead to 11 points with six and a half minutes left. Coit tried to stop the run with a layup, but then Marsh and Jacob Cofie hit back-to-back jumpers to put the game away.

There are four more Big Ten games tonight with both Northwestern and my Nittany Lions looking for their first conference wins of the season. Penn State has had a brutal schedule to start league play, so hopefully it can finally pull of a win over UCLA. The Wildcats are coming home to face in-state rival Illinois after losing at Rutgers in overtime. We also have Iowa visiting the Purdue juggernaut and Michigan traveling to Washington for late night hoops.

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I was terrible last week, but so was everyone else except Abe, who tightened his stranglehold on the ChabDog picks contest by being sharp when everyone else was being square. Abe had New England when the rest of us had Tampa and New Orleans when the rest of us had Carolina. The only good pick I made was Houston, and that was still a loser after the Texans’ miracle comeback! It took a fluke touchdown at the end to get Houston to cover the spread. At least I finished strong with big wins by the Chargers and Eagles.

Abe might be too far gone at this point, but I can still catch the Tank with a solid Week 11.

Jets +11.5 at Patriots

Jets have won two in a row and the Patriots are wearing ugly uniforms.

Commanders +2.5 at Dolphins

This is such a recency bias spread. Marcus Mariota has played well for Washington with Jayden Daniels out.

Panthers at Falcons -3.5

I should pick Carolina since it was such a letdown last week, but I’m back on the Falcons after they blew the cover and the game in European overtime.

Buccaneers at Bills -5.5

Last week was a fluke for Buffalo. The Bills will bounce back at home against a team from Florida.

Texans -7.5 at Titans

Another favorite that I’m nervous about. Houston crushed Tennessee in their first meeting 26-0.

Bears at Vikings -3.5

Chicago only covered last week because Jaxson Dart got hurt. The squares will say the wrong team is favored.

Packers at Giants +7.5

This has Jameis Winston backdoor cover written all over it.

Bengals +4.5 at Steelers

There’s just something about Joe Flacco! Cincinnati can’t stop a nose bleed, but it’s still hard to bet against.

Chargers -2.5 at Jaguars

I’m going chalk here because of all the fantasy interest I have with the Bolts this week.

Seahawks at Rams -2.5

Chalk again. Rams being favored by less than three at home is disrespectful.

49ers at Cardinals +2.5

Despite getting their doors blown off in Seattle, Arizona has been more consistent than San Francisco lately.

Ravens at Browns +7.5

This game will either go like Bills vs. Dolphins and Saints vs. Panthers last week or like Lions vs. Commanders and Cardinals vs. Seahawks. That’s why picking is hard.

Chiefs -3.5 at Broncos

Major fraud test for the Broncos. I say they fail.

Lions +1.5 at Eagles

Detroit bounced back well last week. Now it is time to assert dominance over the NFC.

Cowboys at Raiders +3.5

Dallas desperately needs this game to justify the Quinnen Williams trade. Raiders have been plucky, though.

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Oba Femi is back! The Ruler of NXT had been absent from the wrestling universe since dropping the NXT Championship to Ricky Saints at No Mercy in late September, but he returned to the scene on Tuesday night right after Saints barley survived his bloody Last Man Standing title match against Trick Williams. Williams did everything he could to keep Saints down for a 10 count, including hitting a Trick Shot knee strike, blasting him with the steel ring stairs, burying him under those stairs, and throwing him through a wall, but Saints got up and kept fighting. Williams then brought Saints into the crowd and hit another Trick Shot, but Saints answered by spearing Williams out of the stands and through the announce table below. The epic blow was barely enough to keep Williams down and keep the NXT Championship around Saints’ waist… for now.

As soon as the match ended, Femi emerged on the entrance ramp to stake his claim to a rematch. With no NXT Championship match on the upcoming Gold Rush card (November 18 and 25 at Madison Square Garden), I’m thinking that Femi will get his shot at becoming a two-time NXT Champion at Deadline on December 6 in San Antonio.

One rematch that is happening at Gold Rush is Tatum Paxley vs. Jacy Jayne for the NXT Women’s Championship. Paxley opened the Tuesday show by granting a rematch to Jayne despite Paxley’s friend Izzi Dame wanting her to be more selective when handing out title shots. If Paxley wins at Gold Rush, it could make the champion more confident in doing things her way instead of listening to Dame. If she loses, Dame can say “I told you so” and continue having Paxley do the bidding of The Culling. That’s why I’m predicting that Dame costs Paxley the title next week. Remember, at Halloween Havoc, it looked like Dame was trying to sabotage Paxley when Dame ran into the ring with the title.

We also set up an NXT Tag Team Championship match on Tuesday with Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater announcing that they’ll challenge DarkState at Gold Rush. Slater appeared to be in a remote location during the announcement, but when DarkState attacked Evans, he ran out from backstage and helped the Bouncy Boy fight off the fearsome foursome. Evans and Slater are a hot team right now, so I could see this going either way. I will give the edge to DarkState since I think Evans is close to breaking out on the main roster. Look for DarkState to interfere with Evans’ match against Gunther on Monday Night Raw the night before Gold Rush.

The Triple-A Mixed Tag Team Championship is also set to be defended during Week 1 of Gold Rush, and we got a little preview on Tuesday when Thea Hail defeated Secret Hervice member Alba Fyre in a singles match while fighting off interference from Ethan Page and Chelsea Green. Everyone loves Hail and Joe Hendry, but they don’t have the chemistry together than Green and Page do. That’s why I expect the defending champs to win next week. I would rather Hail lose and go on to pursue the NXT Women’s Championship or the Women’s North American Championship than continue teaming with Hendry and living in his shadow.

One more match on the Gold Rush card is Blake Monroe vs. Sol Ruca for the NXT Women’s North American Championship. I feel very good about Monroe winning so that the wedge between Ruca and Zaria is driven deeper. I could see Ruca losing next week and then Zaria winning the Speed Championship during Week 2. That would make Ruca bitter about Zaria only winning when its her title opportunity and not Ruca’s. Remember, Zaria lost the Women’s North American Championship at Halloween Havoc when she stepped in for an injured Ruca.

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It wasn’t surprising to see John Cena open up Monday Night Raw last night and hear him hype up his last match ever on December 13. It was a lot more surprising when Dominik Mysterio came out and accidentally got himself booked in a fight for his Intercontinental Championship. Dom busted out all of his tricks in an effort to retain the prestigious title, but Cena ended up defeating him twice. First when Dom tapped out to the STF while the referee was incapacitated and again when Cena rolled through Dom’s Frog Splash and hit the Attitude Adjustment, this time with the referee ready to count to three.

Just one month before his retirement from WWE, Cena has shockingly won his first Intercontinental Championship, which raises the question, will Cena’s final match be a loss for the legendary wrestler? It seems likely now that the anticipated match on December 13 will be for the Intercontinental Championship unless Cena drops the title as suddenly as he won it. Heel Cena had previously talked about going home with the Undisputed WWE Championship and ruining wrestling, but this current version seems content to let the legacy of his current title continue past 2025. Unless Cena is taking the Intercontinental Championship with him into retirement, he is probably losing in his final match, and that only builds the intrigue over who the opponent will be.

We got two more possibilities announced by Adam Pearce on Monday night. The Raw general manager said that Je’Von Evans will face Gunther in The Last Time is Now Tournament next week. Solo Sikoa will also be in tournament action against a mystery opponent. That leaves us with a second mystery entrant with the first set to be revealed on SmackDown as LA Knight’s tournament opponent. Joe Hendry has been speculated as a mystery spot, but I would be surprised if it was him because he doesn’t have a connection to Cena. Oba Femi makes more sense to me because he is larger than life and is someone that fans including myself would love to see fight Cena before he rides off into the sunset. I will currently project Hendry to face Sikoa and Femi to face Knight, but the possibilities are endless. Chris Jericho making a return to WWE would be electric and Trick Williams seems overdue to break out on the main roster.

Right now my two favorites to defeat Cena in his final match at The Miz and Gunther. It would probably take some shenanigans to get The Miz past Jey Uso in the first round of The Last Time is Now Tournament, but he just cut a killer promo on Friday and he has history with both Cena and the Intercontinental Championship. Gunther has never faced Cena, but he’s someone who would certainly have had an epic feud with Cena if he had come around a decade earlier. With Seth Rollins out of action, Gunther is returning to the spotlight as WWE’s most dominant heel. He has almost always had a title around his waist since being promoted to the main roster, so it would make sense for him to take the IC Championship back after his glorious run with it two years ago.

Both Rusev and Sheamus won their matches in The Last Time is Now Tournament to advance to the quarterfinals. Both wins were easy to predict since both guys have history with Cena. Sheamus’ case for winning the tournament is interesting because he has never won the IC Championship and December 13 is the anniversary of Sheamus defeating Cena for the WWE Championship many years ago. Rusev has beef with Cena because when Cena beat him for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 31, the Bulgarian Brute’s career was never the same. I like the promo that Rusev cut this week, but I give Sheamus the edge to advance farther in the tournament.

Getting back to that Dom vs. Cena match on Raw, it is interesting that none of Dom’s Judgement Day family was at ringside to help him out, especially since so many of his title defenses have been team efforts. Is this signaling a split between Dom and The Judgement Day? The legacy superstar is already being treated like a babyface by the crowd, and he’s been one of the hottest heels in the company since he betrayed his father three years ago. Pulling the trigger on a babyface turn for Dom would likely ignite a massive run for him with limitless possibilities including a reunion with Rey Mysterio and an underdog run at a major championship. It’s all potential energy right now and the only question for WWE creative is when to push that button.

The other big thing to happen on Raw was the formation of teams for WarGames. On the men’s side, CM Punk called out Logan Paul after Paul sucker punched him with brass knuckles last week. That led to Paul coming to the ring with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, which in turn led to Punk fighting them off with the help of Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes. Later in the evening, William Regal showed up out of nowhere to officially announce “WarGames!”

We are still at only three men aside, though. It would be surprising if Roman Reigns didn’t join the babyface side. He’s got a strong bond with Jey and both he and Punk share a disdain for Paul Heyman, the man managing Breakker and Reed. With Reigns in the mix, you might as well throw in Jimmy Uso as well to get the babyfaces to five men. I suppose Sami Zayn is also a possibility if he is medically cleared with the history he shares with Reigns and Uso.

As for the heels, Drew McIntyre is suspended, so he probably won’t get announced until close to Survivor Series, but he makes too much sense since he doubled down on his feud with Rhodes by Claymore Kicking a referee last Friday. Gunther is also a possibility based on him disappearing since losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Punk at SummerSlam. Kevin Owens has been on the shelf even longer than Gunther and has a score to settle with Rhodes, but I’m not sure how close he is to returning to action. Owens would also make sense as one of the mystery combatants in The Last Time is Now Tournament since he had a major feud with Cena as soon as he came up on the main roster.

The ladies also got into the WarGames spirit when the new team of Nia Jax and Lash Legend showed up to screw over Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss during their Women’s Tag Team Championship match against the Kabuki Warriors. Bliss had done a great job intercepting Kairi Sane with Sister Abigail to stop the Pirate Princess from breaking up Flair’s Figure Four leglock, but Jax and Legend interfered with the submission while the referee wasn’t looking. That led to Sane throwing Bliss over the announce table and then hitting the Insane Elbow on Flair for the pin to crown new champs.

Bliss tried to pick a fight with Jax and Legend after the match and it predictably wasn’t going well until Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley showed up to clear the ring of the heels. Ripley shouted “WarGames!” at the baddies and all of a sudden we had four women on each team. I’m thinking that the final two spots will go to Jade Cargill and either Tiffany Stratton or Bianca Belair depending on who is available. Cargill doesn’t have a challenger for her new WWE Women’s Championship yet because all she did on Friday was say “I’m that bitch” and walk out of the ring. However, she didn’t make it far before bumping into Flair, which foreshadowed beef between the two powerhouses. Both Stratton and Belair have history with Cargill with Stratton just dropping the title to her and Belair teaming up with her before missing time due to injury.

If Stratton and Belair both aren’t cleared, I can see Bayley jumping on on the babyface side due to her history with Damage Ctrl. Nikki Bella and Stephanie Vaquer would make great candidates for WarGames as well, but they appear locked in their own feud after Bella smashed Vaquer with the title following the latter defeating Raquel Rodriguez to defend the Women’s World Championship last night.

Tonight on NXT, my hero El Grande Americano defends the Speed Championship against Jasper Troy and Ricky Saints faces Trick Williams in what is sure to be an epic Last Man Standing Match for the NXT Championship. Should be a great show.

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Brandon’s Posts

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

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.
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Well Read’s Posts

Well Read Week 3 Picks Yabba Dabba Doo!

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

fred flintstone

 

 

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Abe’s Posts

NASCAR Preview: 4EVER 400 by MOBIL 1

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.

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 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

 

 

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Week 7: Abe’s Shitty NFL Picks (AST)

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.

 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

 

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Dorothy’s Posts

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Aaron’s Posts

Knicks Have No Plan at Head Coach

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.

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Mets Continue Home Magic with Comeback Over Nationals

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!

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.

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.

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Murray State Makes History and Panthers Dominate the Ice

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1931207142490386878

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.

 

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