BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The Yankees are the defending American League Champions, and currently have the second best odds to win the title in 2025. After losing the World Series to Los Angeles in five games, the Yankees had to endure some trash talk from Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly. On a …
Read More »MLB Insiders left asking: Can anyone beat the Dodgers ?
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The Dodgers are the overwhelming favorite to repeat as the champions of Major League Baseball, having won their second title in five seasons with their domination of the New York Yankees in last year’s World Series. That team finished with 98 wins, the most in the game, …
Read More »Lions slight favorites to hoist first Super Bowl trophy
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The NFL playoffs kick off Saturday and will culminate with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans on February 9th. The 2024 regular season whittled the field of contenders from 32 down to the 14 who qualified for the playoffs, and each of those teams have survived the …
Read More »49ers hope third Super Bowl trip with Shanahan will be a charm
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The 49ers franchise has won five Super Bowls, with only Pittsburgh and New England eclipsing that mark, having won six each to set the standard of excellence that all other teams aspire to. They’ve appeared in the championship game twice in the past five seasons, losing both …
Read More »Twins power overwhelms A’s 6-2 in opener of doubleheader
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis combined for three home runs on five hits with four RBIs, more than enough to support Twins starter Bailey Ober (6-4, 4.81) who went six plus innings, allowing only a single run in Minnesota’s 6-2 victory over the Oakland A’s Sunday afternoon …
Read More »49ers elite in regular season, can they repeat it when it counts ?
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The San Francisco 49ers are the top seed in the NFC, having finished 12-5 behind MVP candidates QB Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, giving them home field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs in their quest to reach the Super Bowl. San Francisco 49ers (#1 seed) Purdy (31 …
Read More »Ravens favored in the AFC Playoffs, but threats loom
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The world of professional North American sports has seen a curious and unprecedented trend unfold over the past seven months. In early June, the Vegas Golden Knights won the first Stanley Cup in their brief six year franchise history. A week later, the Denver Nuggets were crowned …
Read More »College football playoffs choose ratings over integrity
BY J.A.SCHWARTZ College Football had been the last bastion of major competitive sports, in that every regular reason game truly mattered. In the NBA and NHL, at least 16 teams (at least half the league) qualify for the postseason. In baseball, the recently expanded playoffs allowed 12 teams entry to …
Read More »AFC dominates list of elite QB’s heading into 2023 NFL season
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ As the 2023 season draws near, a bit of reflection about the relative state of the conferences may be required to fully understand the challenges and opportunities presented to each franchise as they seek to become Super Bowl champions in February of 2024. Ironically, the crowning contest …
Read More »Jackson’s saga spotlights lack of guaranteed contracts in NFL
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ Of the four major North American sports leagues, the NFL is the only one that does NOT have fully guaranteed contracts. Every contract signed by an MLB, NBA or NHL player is fully guaranteed the moment it is signed. Those players know they’ll receive the money their …
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