December is in full bloom as so is the latest podcast as I have plenty to unpack after a wild few days in the world of sports. On deck:
(2:42) The semifinals in college football are set, but not without some controversy. Alabama played an excellent game vs. two time defending champ, riding a 29 game winning streak to beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. It paved the way for the committee to have them leapfrog over an undefeated Florida State team and into the college football playoff as they chose an SEC powerhouse, opposed to an unbeaten Seminole squad looking to get back to prominence in the sport. I'll dissect this whole scenario from soup to nuts, have an early preview of the matchups between Alabama-Michigan & Texas-Washington as the bowl season will be upon us in the next week and a half.
(19:50) A colossal confrontation in Philadelphia yesterday was anything but that. The San Francisco 49ers showed the NFC and the rest of the league they mean business as they took the Eagles to the back of the woodshed in a 42-19 win. Are they the NFL's best? I have to throw some cold water on that as I've explained this in past podcasts, but has to be reiterated as to as good of a team they are, they are far from perfect. I'll get into what's becoming a muddled AFC playoff picture from top to bottom as the Chiefs slip in the conference, the Dolphins move to the top and before the night is done, Jacksonville push Miami out of the way as a #1 seed. An awful Steelers performance against a 2-10 Arizona Cardinals team, with a short week and a Thursday night date with a team even WORSE in the New England Patriots. You know I'm not a happy camper and have a ton to say about this. I'll peek at an up to the second review of the NFC, all that transpired on the schedule as we're on the cusp of the final four games of the regular season. NOTE: I stated that the coach of the Indianapolis Colts is Scott Steichen, it's Shane Steichen. My apologies for the error.
(47:52) Are you ready for the first ever NBA Cup? The quarterfinals begin tonight as there'll be four games tonight, four tomorrow, the semifinals on Thursday, culminating in the championship game on Saturday night. I'll bluntly state what the Association is hoping, PRAYING for, when it comes who they'd love to see in the final? Plus, Kevin Durant reaches lofty status when it comes to scoring all time in league history. Luka Doncic's monster effort after the birth of his first child (with a 30-0 run in the middle of it), but LOST! And anything else happening as I'll see what the rest of the league is doing in the midst of this in-season tournament.
(56:54) A couple of key injuries highlight what's going on in the NHL. The Devils lose one of their top defenseman (Dougie Hamilton) for an extended period of time. Same for the Avalanche's Cale Makar, although the extent of how long he'll be out in unknown at this time. And give it up to Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry who made history when he scored a goal the other night vs. Tampa Bay. I'll check what else is happening on the ice as they're past the quarter pole of their season.
(59:53) The Winter Meetings has commenced in Nashville when it comes to the MLB Hot Stove. The Atlanta Braves continue their low key, but effective off-season doing their best to retool a team that's already stacked. They acquired former Mets prospect and Seattle Mariner OF Jarred Kelenic in a deal involving prospects. The Milwaukee Brewers have put all of their chips in the basket of their 19 year old CF Jackson Chourio before he's played a game in the majors with an eight year/82 million dollar deal. Will the next couple of days deliver a deal for Shohei Ohtani? Yoshinobu Yamamoto? What about a team inquiring about Juan Soto? Or Pete Alonso? You know I'll have my fingers on the pulse when it comes to some wheeling and dealing in baseball.
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Intro/outro music by Cyklonus.