MALCOLM WILL TRY AND SPLIT THE MIDDLE 

BY Mark Halpern

    Most of us remember Frankie Muniz as Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle, a funny sitcom with him and Bryan Cranston. Since his show ended, Muniz had been in the spotlight for reasons, some being wrong. He had gotten into racing and was in a severe accident in 2011, but that hasn’t stopped his passion for racing. At the Daytona 500, Franke Muniz will be racing for the Xfinity racing team and the car will be a Ford model, and his number will be #35. We wish Frankie good luck with his new endeavor.  

Dys-Function Junction Is Your Function

By Mike Rifkin

Was there a team with more hype entering the NFL season than the New York Jets? We got it. They added future Hall of Fame Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, plus Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, who were returning offensively and have one of the best defenses in the NFL. But the team with the longest playoff drought in any sport in North America continues to be a dysfunctional mess even after the season. The Jets finished with a 7-10 record, which didn’t stop owner Woody Johnson from passing the blame. Before Thursday’s NFL Honors show, Woody Johnson called out multiple people within the organization, including General Manager Joe Douglas, Head Coach Robert Salah, and Quarterback Zach Wilson. 

The Jets drafted Wilson second overall in 2021, and after two bad years, the Jets decided to trade for Rodgers. Four plays into the season, Rodgers tore his Achilles and missed the season. Wilson was thrust back into the spotlight and a position where he would never succeed. Wilson wasn’t going to succeed because of the team, and no, I don’t mean the guys on the field. I mean an organization that didn’t believe in him, from ownership to the coaching staff. Woody Johnson said of Wilson, “You need a backup Quarterback, and we didn’t have one last year.” Now, that’s an indictment of quite a few people, including Johnson himself; as owner of the team, does he not have a say in what the GM needs to bring to the roster? Is it Zach Wilson’s fault the team went out to get Rodgers – well, yes and no. Yes, because Wilson, in two years, had struggled mightily for the Jets. No, because I think even if Wilson had been solid enough, the Jets were too fascinated with Rodgers that they would go for him. But the problem the Jets ran into was Wilson needed to be moved the second Rodgers was brought in. But here’s the real thing that bothered me about Wilson: when he got benched for Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle, two guys who are journeymen and not good. 

Wilson gets blamed for this year, but the Jets are a mess from the top down. Joe Douglas and Robert Salah never made any adjustments after Rodgers got hurt, and quite frankly, they set Wilson up to fail. By the way, Woody also announced that Salah and Douglas will return to their roles next season. Woody Johnson said on Salah, “ The discussions I’ve had in the last couple of months, they’ve seen me about as mad as I can be with what was going on with the offense particularly. We have all this talent, and we have to deploy this talent properly. So I think they all got the message.” I am unsure of the offensive talent because Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are outstanding young players. Still, guys like Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard were brought in because they’re boys with Aaron Rodgers, and both had dreadful seasons. Dalvin Cook, well, that experiment failed big time as well. Saleh is 18-33 as the Jets coach, and in my opinion, he is a glorified Defensive coordinator. But I have seen nothing from him in three seasons that makes me believe he is the guy to right the ship for the Jets. But to me, with a guy like Mike Vrabel out there on the market, I would make that change today, but Woody Johnson is deciding to play this out for one more year. 

The Saleh and Douglas duo’s Jets’ career hinges on one person: Aaron Rodgers. But here’s the thing: when the Jets acquired Rodgers, the goal wasn’t just making the playoffs; it was the AFC Championship game or bust. Now, Rodgers is 40 years old and coming off a torn Achilles, but Rodgers also has more pressure than any other quarterback in the league to win next season. But the Jets sold their soul to bring in Rodgers, and this year, they got hurt.

Was Woody Johnson right in his criticism? Sure, but Woody Johnson is also in a position where he should be blamed; the Jets have been a dysfunctional mess for a long time, but 2023-24 was a cherry on top. 

Missed It By THAT Much

By Mark Halpern

The Detroit Lions, their organization, and its fans missed heading to the Super Bowl by three points. The season that this team had was nothing short of spectacular, and from the way the first half ended, it looked liked things were headed that way, but again, the Defense just broke down, and a couple of players missed some passes that would have turned the tide more in the Lions’ favor. That said, the impression they left on the entire NFL basically stated that the King of the Jungle has returned.

    The Offense broke camp as one of the youngest on the field this season. From the first time he stepped on a field till the moment he stepped off, Jared Goff has been a true leader and the captain of this high-powered Offense. He had a spectacular year throwing for 4,575 yards with 30 touchdowns and only 12 Interceptions. Goff used the talent that was known and returning from last year. The Offense broke camp with a 1-2 punch at running back that would see it become one of the most dangerous duos by the end of the season. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs shared the spotlight this season, combined for 1,960 yards and 23 TDs (1015 yards for Montgomery, 945 yards for Gibbs). You don’t always need a valid number one when two number twos combine to be better than almost all of the #1’s ranked this season. Gibbs got his shot early in the season when Montgomery suffered a thigh injury, and this gave Gibbs the time to show why they needed to split time. This will be the same two next season. Goff had some major talent at Wide Receiver this season with St. Brown, who caught 115 targets for 1500 yards and ten touchdowns. He is one of the most feared wide receivers in the game to go along with Lamb, A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and Justin Jefferson, to name a few. What was supposed to be their starting #2 wide receiver, Jameson Williams, was often injured and still needs to find his footing, but he will. He finished with 40 catches for 350 yards and only 2 TD. This won’t cut it; this is one area of the Offense they will need to look at again.

Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond made up to combine for a number three and had decent seasons, but none better than Goff’s second-favorite target, Sam LaPorta. LaPorta was drafted in the second round and made his presence felt early on in the season. In his rookie season, he had 86 catches for 889 yards and ten touchdowns. Detroit saw the presence of a tight end of this caliber when they had drafted T.J. Hockenson but traded him to Minnesota (Still scratching my head on that one), leaving a very vacant hole that was filled, which was surprising. Most of the focus was on Mayer of LV, Kinkaid of Buf, and Schoonmaker of Dallas. This kid surpassed all of them and put him in the running for NFL ROY, but it will go to Stroud in the end. All in all, this Offense is just going to get better next season. The question becomes, do they bring in a #2 WR and move Williams to Slot?

   Now, the Offense had a great year, and the Defense started out playing at a high level against some solid teams and was showing this team could match up with any Defense in the NFL. Sophomore Defense of end Adian Hutchinson looked like a season primetime diaper dandy (thanks Dick Vitale) and had a season that should be compared to Fred Warner of the 49ers, Micha Parsons of Dallas, and Roquan Smith of Baltimore. Hutchinson must rush the quarterback and also drop back in Defense. He had a spectacular year with 11.5 sacks and 43 solo tackles, including more than 10 for loss. Linebacker Alex Anzalone had a great season with 129 total tackles and was one of the most consistent players at the center of the Lions’ Defense. Defensive Back Kerby Joseph was their best defensive player in the secondary unit. The term roaming free safety fits him well because he was at the center of every defensive play. Totaling 82 tackles (69 solo) and four interceptions, he will help lead them into next season. Now, if the Offense weren’t as good as it was, they would have lost most of the last seven games. The Defense would start great (the NFC Championship Game) and end in disaster. My most feared word in the NFL is a comfortable cause, which is when you make mistakes. The Lions’ secondary over those last games was a significant disaster and could have cost them the entire division. 

    The Lions need to focus on a few areas of Defense. They need another end rusher to compliment Hutchinson; they should invest in a player like Stephon Gilmore, as he most likely won’t be back in Dallas, and would give them a player who proved he could play last season still at a high rate. The Lions also need some help on the offensive line, and the draft is full of good linemen to have; with the most prominent name, Joe Alt out of Notre Dame will be gone by the 7th, and with Det not picking until the 29th, they might be in a position to move out of the first round and grab an extra two and a 3rd and a 4th 2025 would get that done. Dan Campbell has his hands full and is probably already burning the midnight oil, preparing for next season.

    I expect to see this team in the thick of it next year and very well could be in the NFC title game and, dare I say it, a Super Bowl appearance. Catch you next season, Lions fans, and thank you for reading.

Making Moves

By Mike Rifkin

The city of Baltimore is jumping with joy right now. Most people would say the city should be sad after the Ravens lost in the AFC Championship game, but no, Baltimore should be ecstatic after what has occurred over the past few days. 

A few days ago, it was announced that the Baltimore Orioles would be sold to David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti for 1.725 Billion Dollars. The sale is yet to be official ( there should be a vote at the owners’ meeting next week), but the new ownership group didn’t take long to make an impact.

On Thursday night, it was announced that the Baltimore Orioles made a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, sending Pitcher DL Hall, Third Baseman Joey Ortiz, and the 34th pick in the MLB Draft for former CY Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. Acquiring Burnes is the move many people wanted the Orioles to make last season at the trade deadline as they went on to win 101 games and win the AL East for the first time since 2014. Adding Burnes to a very young core could make a team that won 101 games last year even more dangerous 

One thing to know is that Burnes is a Free Agent after the season, so once new ownership does take over, I would expect extension talks to be at Spring Training potentially. If new ownership does, would they follow the Atlanta Braves route of buying out arbitration years of their young core and signing them long-term? Taking care of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Austin Hays, etc… could help Baltimore be a constant threat in the American League. But for now, Baltimore celebrates what new ownership has and can continue to bring to you. 

Allie’s Predictions: Stadium and Arena Predictions for WWE PPV (Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and Summerslam) For the next 10 years

Since 2019, the Royal Rumble took place in a baseball stadium. As of 2021, Summerslam took place inside a football arena similar to when Wrestlemania started in 2007. This made me think where we would see all of these PLEs take place in the next 10 years. So here are my predictions for future stadiums and baseball fields that will host a WWE event from 2024 to 2034, excluding any major events (pandemic, war) that can effect how the PLEs will run.

Royal Rumble

YearCityStadium/Arena/Field
 2024 Tampa, FL Tropicana Field
 2025 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
 2026 San Diego, CA Petco Park
 2027 Milwaukee, WI American Family Field
 2028 Houston, TX Minute Maid Park
 2029 Seattle, WA T-Mobile Park
 2030 Toronto, ON, Canada Rogers Centre
 2031 San Antonio, TX Alamodome
 2032 Detroit, MI Ford Field
 2033 Phoenix, AZ Chase Field
 2034 Miami, FL Loan Depot Park

Wrestlemania

YearCityStadium/Arena/Field
 2024 (40) Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field
 2025 (41) Minneapolis, MN US Banks Stadium
 2026 (42) Las Vegas, NV Allegiant Stadium
 2027 (43) Nashville, TN “New” Nissan Stadium
 2028 (44) Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium
 2029 (45) Santa Clara, CA Levi’s Stadium
 2030 (46) Atlanta, GA Mercedes-Benz Stadium
 2031 (47) Arlington, TX AT&T Stadium
 2032 (48) New Orleans, LA Caesar’s Superdome
 2033 (49)Kansas City, MO Arrowhead Stadium
 2034 (50) Rutherford, NJ and Flushing, NY Metlife Stadium, Citi Field (NXT)

Summerslam

YearCityStadium/Arena/Field
 2024 Cleveland, OH Progressive Field
 2025 Kansas City, MO Arrowhead Stadium
 2026 London, UK Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
 2027 Phoenix, AZState Farm Stadium
 2028 Baltimore, MD M&T Bank Stadium
 2029 Orlando, FL Camping World Stadium
 2030 Rutherford, NJ Metlife Stadium
 2031 Charlotte, NC Bank of America Stadium
 2032 Montreal. QB, Canada Olympic Stadium
 2033 Houston, TX NRG Stadium
 2034 Los Angeles, CA Sofi Stadium

What’s Next

By Mike Rifkin

The NFL world witnessed the end of an era when the Patriots and Bill Belichick decided to part ways after 24 seasons and one of the greatest dynasties in all sports. So the question then became, where does Bill Belichick go next? 

Outside New England, other openings for head coaches included Atlanta, Carolina, Tennessee, Seattle, Washington, LA Chargers, and Las Vegas. Atlanta was the only team in this group to at least give Belichick an interview, and they did that twice. But Atlanta has hired Rams’ defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their next coach. So what’s next for Belichick?

Seattle and Washington are the two jobs that remain open, but neither team has called him for an interview. Let’s say that these two teams don’t give Belichick a call; he will open the season at home watching the games. But here is a list of teams that, if they get off to a rocky start next season, can call Belichick to see if he can save them. 

New York Giants – this is Belichick’s dream job. He was the defensive coordinator for the Giants Super Bowl teams in 1986 and 1990. If Brian Daboll’s team struggles again next season, could John Mara call Belichick?

Dallas Cowboys – Hand up. I would like to see the roster tug-of-war between Belichick and Jerry Jones, but with Mike McCarthy having another first-round exit in the Playoffs, if Dallas starts slow next season, the fan base might call for McCarthy’s departure. 

New Orleans Saints – Last offseason, the Saints acquired Quarterback Derek Carr and thought they’d compete in the NFC. Instead, they underachieved and missed the playoffs again. Yet they remain hopeful that Dennis Allen and Derek Carr can lead them back to the promised land. 

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles were the NFC representative in the Super Bowl last year;  thus, they shouldn’t be on this list. Well, this year, the Eagles started 10-1 and looked like world beaters, but after a 37-34 Overtime win over the Bills, the Eagles lost five of their last six games, lost their stranglehold on the NFC East and got flat out beat by the Bucs in the Wildcard round.32-9. Now, the team has fired both coordinators, but if they struggle again out of the starting gate next year, could Nick Siriani be ousted? 

These are just four options that Belichick could have if the Commanders or Seahawks don’t call his name. There is more to come for one of the greatest coaches in the sport’s history, 15 wins shy of breaking Don Shula’s all-time wins record. 

True Greatness

By Mike Rifkin

Most experts thought this was the year that the Kansas City Chiefs faltered. Whether it was the talent at the receiver position or based on what they saw during the regular season, most people didn’t think the Chiefs would be on the cusp of another Super Bowl. For the first time in his career, Patrick Mahomes was on the road for a playoff game and, of all places, Buffalo. The Chiefs knocked off the Bills 27-24 in another classic between these two teams. Mahomes was 17-23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Travis Kelce. That set the record for a Quarterback and Receiver duo in the playoffs, breaking the record set by Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. 

Mahomes took over as the Chiefs starting quarterback in 2018 and has never missed the AFC Championship Game. Mahomes is now tied for seventh All-Time in Playoff wins with 13 with Roger Staubach, Brett Favre, and Ben Roethlisberger. 

Mahomes and company have one more difficult task if they want to reach another Super Bowl. That is going on the road again and beating Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. But whether the Chiefs get there or not, this run has been phenomenal. A team that looked dead in the water during the season and looked the most vulnerable than they have ever looked in the Mahomes era is on the cusp of another appearance in the grandest game. Appreciate the true greatness we are witnessing.

Baseball Hall Of Fame 2024

By Mike Rifkin

Next Tuesday, the Baseball Hall Of Fame will announce their class of 2024. Players need at least 75% of the vote to be enshrined into the Hall. Players also will have ten years on the ballot to get in; otherwise, they need the Veterans Committee to put them in. If a player receives less than 5% of the vote, that player will drop off the ballot entirely. Here’s how I would vote for the 2024 class for the Baseball Hall Of Fame

FIRST YEAR Eligibility

Joe Mauer – The 2009 AL MVP played 15 seasons for the Minnesota Twins. Mauer won three batting titles (2006, 2008,2009) and is the only catcher in history with three batting titles. Mauer also won five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. 

Adrian Beltre – Beltre played 21 seasons for the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox, and Rangers. Beltre won five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Beltre hit 477 Home Runs and 3,166 hits. All of that should be able to put him in Cooperstown. 

HOLDOVERS 

Todd Helton – Like Mauer, Helton played his entire career with one organization, the Colorado Rockies. Helton won three Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Helton’s career average is .316. The writers should not hold Coors Field against Helton. 

Andruw Jones: Jones is a ten-time Gold Glove winner in Center Field. Jones has 434 career Home Runs; the only players with more than 10 Gold Gloves are Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr, and Mike Schmidt (all in the Hall). 

Billy Wagner – 422 saves, which is the sixth All time. A career 2.31 ERA. Billy Wagner was a dominant reliever throughout his career. His 0.098 WHIP is the lowest All Time for a reliever with at least 700 innings pitched. 

Torii Hunter – Hunter is a nine-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time Silver Slugger winner. Hunter had one of the most famous catches in All-Star Game history when he robbed Barry Bonds of a homer. (It’s not something you put on the plaque, but if you’ve never seen it, YouTube it). 11 seasons of 20 or more Homers as well for Hunter. 

Gary Sheffield – Sheffield is in the top 30 All-time in Home Runs, Walks, and RBI. Sheffield was a member of the 1997 World Series Champion Florida Marlins. He won five Silver Sluggers in his career.

Carlos Beltran- Beltran is a three-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time Silver Slugger. Beltran was a tremendous Center Fielder in his career. Beltran is one of four players with 1,500 runs scored, 2,700 hits, 400 Home Runs, and 300 steals ( Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez). Beltran also hit 16 Playoff Homers. He had one of the greatest Postseasons in 2004 and won a World Series 2017. 

Omar Vizquel – A member of two Cleveland Indian AL Championship teams. Vizquel won 11 Gold Gloves in his career and eight seasons of 20 or more stolen bases. Vizquel has 2,877 hits and is in the top 15 All-Time in Games Played (2,968). 

Yes, I have Gary Sheffield in the Hall, not Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez. Yes, all three have a PED connection, but Sheffield never tested positive and has been more open about it than the other two. At some point, Baseball has to acknowledge the Steroid era took place, especially since the man who saw it (Bud Selig) is in. But for now, these are the names I’d vote for in the 2024 Baseball Hall Of Fame. 

Giants Season Recap

By Jeff Knapp

After a hopeful 2023 season, the NY Giants 2023 season is finally over after a lackluster 6-11 record. Coach Daboll has a lot of work ahead of him going into the 2024 season, which includes the sixth pick in the draft and two second-round picks, followed by a third-rounder. How will they use that draft capital?

The two most significant issues they will face until free agency and draft day will be the future of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. Will Jones get cut or take a pay reduction, and will Barkley sign a multi-season contract with the team?

Like anything, there are good and bad for each team during each season, and since the bad heavily outweighs the good, let’s take a brief moment to look at the good from the 2023 season.

NY went TommyCutlets crazy for about a month when he came in after both Jones and Taylor went down with injuries and led the Giants to three straight wins over the Commanders, Patriots, and Packers but was benched for Tyrod Taylor against the Eagles in week 16.

Saquon Barkley had a good season for a horrible offensive line by rushing for 962 yards, 6 TDs, and an additional 280 receiving yards for 4 TDs. 

Although Giants Veteran Darius Slayton led the team in receiving yards and TDs, second-year receiver Wan’Dale Robinson showed us he’s back from last year’s rookie injury and led the team in receptions. 

Although his stats don’t jump off the page, there is a lot of promise for the rookie out of Tennessee, Jalin Hyatt, who showed off his speed and quickness and had his best game of the season against the Patriots with five receptions for 109 yards. 

Over on Defense, the Giants hit the jackpot by signing LB Bobby Okereke, who had a monster season for the G-Men. He racked up 149 total tackles, 92 solo, 2.5 sacks and two ints.

Safety Xavier McKinney showed us why he needs to stay long-term by being one of the best defensive players on the Giants when he’s on the field. This year, he had 116 tackles, 78 solo, three ints, and 11 passes defended.

Speaking of the backfield, rookie corner Deonte Banks showed us why he deserved to be taken with our 1st round pick. He ended the season with 64 tackles, two interceptions, and 11 passes defended.

Now that we have the pleasant moments out of the way, let’s talk about what didn’t go right for the Giants and at times; I feel like Coach Wally Riggendorf in Necessary Roughness during his “pep talk speech” Most sports movie fans know what I’m talking about, when mentioning what’s gone right.

The Giants had their fair share of shortcomings and, none more evident than the offensive line, and they sure were offensive. They stopped rushing defenders like a screen window stops airflow. The team allowed 84 sacks, the 2nd most in the over 100 years the league’s in around. Rookie Tony Devito was sacked 37 times, including nine times in week 11 against the Commanders (but somehow won). Daniel Jones was sacked ten times against the Seahawks. It’s difficult to gauge a quarterback when he’s on his backside more than when he’s upright and throwing. Because of this, Daniels Jones finished the season on IR, and Tyrod Taylor led all the Giant QBs with a measly 1341 passing yards and 5 TDs.

That same O-Line only allowed Barkley to gain 3.89 yards per carry, and, sadly, all three starting QBs had more rushing yards than the backup running back Matt Breida, who only had 151 rushing yards for 1 TD.

The Defense, despite the top play of Okereke, McKinney, Micha McFadden and Kayvon Thibodeaux, who led the team in sacks with 11.5, including three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, the Giants defense gave up the 5th most TDs, with 48, 6th most total yards per game with 361.7, 14th most passing yards per game (229.3) and 4th most rushing yards per game (132.4) and 7th most points allowed per game (23.9)

Here is the crazy part: they were tied for 1st with a +12 turnover differential. That’s like being at the fullest but eating the least.

As of this writing, Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins, and defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins were fired. Wink Martindale resigned, although he had a great 2022 season. I was hoping he’d right the ship for the 2024 season. Strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald and running backs coach Jeff Nixon left for other opportunities, which is excellent. They had more Giants getting injured than I’d care to imagine. 

The Giants have some thinking to do with those currently on the team who are headed to free agency with the 24 unrestricted free agents they currently have, including RB Saquon Barkley, safety Xavier McKinney, QB Tyrod Taylor, CB Adoree Jackson, and LB Isaiah Simmons, which I’ll be covering all those in my 2024 off-season choices and predictions.

BEASTS OF THE EAST ONCE AGAIN

BY Mark Halpern

I usually write an article with stats and players who deserve awards for what they do. I’m going to keep this short and sweet. The Cowboys went into D.C. and destroyed the Commanders 38-10, making them the kings of the NFC East once again. They will host the Green Bay Packers next weekend at AT&T Stadium.

        The entire team showed up and played at their top level while the Eagles faltered against the Giants and possibly lost A.J. Brown for playoffs. The Cowboys knew that if they won, they would win the division, and they played like they were prepared to take the crown while the other lost to the N.Y. Giants.

      The Dallas Cowboys have been on a tear at home, and Green Bay is coming but will be missing a crucial part of their past successes. Can the Cowboys erase some demons in the Wild Card Round?