Yeah, Nay, or Okay: Royal Rumble Winners 

By: Allison Weiner

Welcome to my 1st series of blogs I like to call Yeah, Nay, or Okay. It’s where I rate each of the Royal Rumble winners and explain why I give it that rating. I will only use the Royal Rumble winners from 1992 to 2022 as they had the opportunity to have a world championship match at Wrestlemania or have won a title from the Royal Rumble. Sorry Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Big John Studd, and Hulk Hogan. I will also be including my prediction of the 2023 Royal Rumble Winners. Here is a list below of the Royal Rumble Winners and my ratings.

1992: Ric Flair-Yeah (According to his book, “To be the Man,” he was never expected to be in the Royal Rumble, but when he did, he showed off his skills that people would only see in WCW and Jim Crockett)

1993: Yokozuna-Okay (Love the push they gave Yokozuna, but I would have loved to have seen a “Macho” win for Randy Savage)

1994: Lex Luger-Nay (Should have only been one winner, and that should have been Bret Hart)

1994: Bret Hart-Yeah (He was the real winner and was the only one out of the two co-winners to win the WWF title)

1995: Shawn Michaels-Yeah (Shawn Michaels proved himself as the #1 entrance and had a memorable win)

1996: Shawn Michaels-Yeah (Only due to seeing Michaels vs Hart feud at Wrestlemania 12)

1997: Stone Cold Steve Austin-Okay (Should have fought for the WWF title)

1998: Stone Cold Steve Austin-Yeah (Was the actually start for Stone Cold)

1999: Vince McMahon- Nay (He never used that opportunity right away for Wrestlemania and should had been Stone Cold Steve Austin winning it that whole time)

2000: The Rock-Yeah (I Was excited to see Rock vs Triple H at Wrestlemania 2000. Gave me Shawn Michaels vibe) 

2001: Stone Cold Steve Austin-Yeah (Provided the best match in the best Wrestlemania ever)

2002: Triple H-Okay (Surprised to see him return from injury, but it could have gone either way with Triple H and Kurt Angle)

2003: Brock Lesnar- Yeah (It was a great use to build Brock Lesnar during that year)

2004: Chris Benoit- Okay

2005: Batista- Okay (Really thought John Cena would win this Rumble.)

2006: Rey Mysterio- Yeah (Rey is someone who deserved that win, especially after the loss of his friend, Eddie Guerrero)

2007: Undertaker- Yeah (I was going to say okay, but the way it ended when it came down to him and Shawn Michaels)

2008: John Cena-Yeah (It was a surprise but was well worth it after suffering a pectoral injury)

2009: Randy Orton-Okay

2010: Edge-Yeah (Same as 2008, returning from an injury and not expecting him to make it)

2011: Alberto Del Rio-

2012: Sheamus-Okay (There wasn’t anything special about this Royal Rumble)

2013: John Cena-Okay

2014: Batista-Nay (Should had been someone else in general, CM Punk or Roman Reigns)

2015: Roman Reigns-Nay (I think everyone knows why. It should have been Daniel Bryan or Dean Ambrose. This was the start of corporate trying to overpush Roman Reigns as the next face of WWE)

2016: Triple H-Okay

2017:Randy Orton-Okay

2018: Shinsuke Nakamura-Yeah (Was the best choice to set him up against AJ Styles) 

2018: Asuka-Yeah (To keep her undefeated streak alive during that time)

2019: Seth Rollins- Okay (There wasn’t a winner I would have thought to win, but this win was something to add to Rollins’s resume)

2019: Becky Lynch- Shocking Yeah (I thought Charlotte Flair was going to win, but the man’s storyline from there made her the superstar we saw in her)

2020: Drew Mcyntire-Yeah (A well deserved win and a way to set him up with Brock Lesnar during Wrestlemania)

2020: Charlotte Flair-Nay (She didn’t need the win. She should had won in 2019 to face Ronda at Wrestlemania)

2021: Edge-Okay

2021: Bianca Belair-Yeah (This was the push she needed to be a top star in the women’s division and to main event a memorable Wrestlemania)

2022: Brock Lesnar-Nay (He shouldn’t entered as #30, and yet he won the WWE title back at Elimination Chamber)

2022: Ronda Rousey-Nay (It was a shock to see, but I felt that she didn’t need the win)

Predicted 2023 Royal Rumble Winners: Cody Rhodes (Mens- Everyone wants the Rock, but I just don’t see it. I see him being the one to dethrone Roman Reigns.) and Becky Lynch (Womens- To finally see Becky vs Ronda as a singles match at Wrestlemania, or see Becky vs Charlotte Flair again in a stipulation match at Wrestlemania)

Surging In Seattle

By: Mike Rifkin

Most NHL teams have hit the halfway point of their schedule. If they haven’t yet, they are close. One of the best stories of the first half of the season is the play of the second-year Seattle Kraken. Last season the Kraken finished with a record of 27-49-6, the second-worst record in the Western Conference and the third-worst record in the NHL. So far this season, the Kraken are 23-12-4 and in third place in the Pacific Division. 

On Monday night, the Kraken beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 for their fifth straight win. Last season the Kraken were 11-27-3 on the road. After last night’s victory, they are now 13-4-2 on the road this season. Last season, the Kraken averaged 2.60 goals per game; this year, they are averaging 3.67 goals per game. Last season the Kraken had three players (Jared McCann, Yanni Gourde, and Jordan Eberle) hit the 20-goal mark. This year the Kraken looks like they will have more. McCann has 19; rookie Matty Beniers has 15; Daniel Sprong has 13. Andre Burakovsky has 11, and Eberle and Jaden Schwartz are at nine each. 

One primary reason for the Kraken’s success is Martin Jones’s play. The backup goalie has a record of 19-5-3 with a 2.78 GAA, a .894 save percentage, and two shutouts. This season has been Jones’ best season since he took the San Jose Sharks to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016. 

Now I’m not going to sit here in the middle of January and say confidently that the Kraken will make the playoffs. They have made a statement on this current five-game winning streak against the Islanders, Oilers, Maple Leafs, Senators, and Canadiens. But they have an opportunity to make a significant statement with games coming up against the Bruins, Lightning, Oilers (again), and Avalanche. If the Kraken do find a way to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, Dave Hakstol should be the front-runner for the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year.

Week 18: Jets at Dolphins 

By Ross Mazin and Mike Rifkin

The Jets face their division rival Dolphins Sunday afternoon in Miami. The Jets were eliminated from playoff contention after losing last week to the Seahawks. The Dolphins can still make the playoffs with a win and a Patriots loss. 

The Jets are coming off a disappointing loss at Seattle last week. Mike White was 23-46 for 240 yards and two interceptions, and Ty Johnson had eight carries for 46 yards. The Jets turned the ball over three times. The Jets’ defense gave up 346 yards of total offense and didn’t force a single turnover.

The Dolphins are coming off a loss against New England last week. Teddy Bridgewater was 12-19 for 161 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Skylar Thompson eventually came in for an injured Bridgewater and went 12-21 for 104 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. With Bridgewater injured, Thompson will play against the Jets for the second time this season. In week five, after Bridgewater got hurt on the opening series, Thompson went 19-33 for 166 yards and an interception. Thompson also lost a fumble. Something the Dolphins can build off of the first meeting, Raheem Mostert ran the ball for 113 yards and a touchdown; as a team, the Dolphins ran for 137 yards. 

With Mike White out, the Jets will turn to Joe Flacco to try and end Miami’s season. The Dolphins will rely on their seventh-round draft pick to keep their playoff dreams alive. Two backup quarterbacks are playing the final regular season game for these two-division rivals.

Ross Predicts: Jets 21- Dolphins 10

BEST EVER?

BY: Mike Rifkin

Saturday, a day when we celebrated the coming New Year surrounded by friends and family, was also the day when the College Football Playoff semifinals were played. As College Football fans, we got the best two semifinal games since this format was instituted in 2014. 

The first game saw the TCU Horned Frogs taking on the Michigan Wolverines. Many people did not give TCU  a chance in the game, and they pulled off a 51-45 win. Quarterback Max Duggan accounted for 282 yards and had four touchdowns ( 2 rush and two passes) for the Frogs. The Horned Frogs ran the ball for 263 yards as a team, and their defense had two interceptions returned for touchdowns. For the Wolverines, JJ Mccarthy accounted for 395 yards, three touchdowns ( 2 passes, one rush), and two interceptions. Michigan had to play this game without running back Blake Corum, who had a knee injury. Corum was 11th in the country in rushing. Donovan Edwards filled in and had 119 yards on 23 carries. There were a lot of big plays in this game, but two that there are two that stand out. The first one was on the opening drive by Michigan, where on fourth and goal, they tried to run a “Philly Special,” and TCU wound up getting a stop behind the line of scrimmage. The other came in the Second quarter when Mccarthy hit a deep shot to Roman Wilson for what looked to be a touchdown, but the replay official said he was short of the endzone. On the next play, Michigan fumbles and turns it over. 

The second game saw the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 42-41. The Bulldogs outscored the Buckeyes 18-3 in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for 398 yards and accounted for four touchdowns ( 3 passes, one rush). Georgia’s offense picked up their defense, which has been so good the last two seasons. On Saturday, that defense was picked apart by CJ Stroud. The future first-round pick threw 348 yards and four touchdowns against a great defense. Ohio State led 21-7 in the first half and 38-24 in the fourth quarter and couldn’t hold the lead. The game came down to a 50-yard field goal by Noah Ruggles, who missed it. 

Experts talk about wanting the four best teams in the playoffs. For the first time, not only did they get the four teams right, but everyone was equal. There was no domination; we got two excellent games, and I’ll say this was the best College Football Semifinals ever. 

PLAYOFFS

BY: Jeff Knapp

Going into week 17, the Giants took the field for their last home game of the season against the fledgling Colts, who were 1-8 in their last nine games. 

Heading into the 2nd quarter, the Giants started turning up the heat. Down 3-0, the Giants went 71 yards on 11 plays to have Daniel Jones hit Richie James on a 9-yard TD pass for the 1st of his two passing TDs of the day. Jones wasn’t done there, taking the Giants 64 yards on nine plays on their next possession and capping the drive off with a 6-yard TD pass to Isaiah Hodgins.

Things got worse for the Colts during their next possession when Nick Foles dropped back on 3rd and 11 from their 46-yard line and had his next pass intercepted by returning Giant Landon Collins, who took it 52 yards for a pick 6.

After that, things hit rock bottom for Indy when on 3rd and 4, Nick Foles was sacked by Kayvon Thibodeaux for a 9-yard loss. Foles was injured on that play and was knocked out of the game for the rest of the day.

Although the Giants continued to dominate the 3rd quarter with yet another TD by Daniel Jones, who rushed this one in for 18 yards, three things had me wincing. The 1st thing was the Darius Slayton fumble that the Colts recovered, and although the Colts couldn’t capitalize on that, ball security must remain at the forefront of every Giant on the field. The 2nd one was less than the Colts scored a TD in the 3rd, but they converted on two different 4th down plays. If the game weren’t so far out of hand, I’d be much more disturbed about that. The last big one for me was the 1st of two hard shots Jones took running in for his 2 TD rushes. The one in the 4th quarter was even stiffer and should allow Barkley to take those hits.

I’m still trying to understand why the Giants would go for it and not punt it away on 4th down when they are up 38-10 with 2 minutes left. I know it didn’t hurt the Giants, but there was no point in it to me.

Once again, Jones threw for 200 yards or less for the 11th time this season, but when he did pass, he was decisive and on point. He ran with authority and purpose, ending the day with 91 yards rushing (leading the team) on 11 attempts. 

I would have loved to have seen some of those holes that Jones got have gone the way of Saquon Barkley, who had 12 attempts for a total of 58 yards, with only one long run of 19 yards in the 2nd quarter during the Giants’ 1st TD drive.

Jones distributed the ball to 6 receivers, including Richie James, who led the team in receptions (7) and receiving yards (76), including 1 TD. 

On defense, the Giants and the returning Xavier McKinney ran roughshod over the Colts, ending the day with two sacks, 1 INT, and 4 QB hits. 

I hope that Nick Foles is ok, but that sack from KT was tremendous, and he attacked Foles like I attacked the couch after a long day at work.

Next week, at 4:25, the Giants play their season finale in Philly against the NFC East-leading Eagles.

Week 17: Steelers at Ravens 

By: Ross Mazin

The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North matchup Sunday night. The Ravens are in the playoffs but still have a shot at the division title, while the Steelers are still alive in the wild-card race.

The Steelers are coming off a big win against Las Vegas last week. Kenny Pickett was 26 for 39 for 244 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Najee Harris had 16 carries for 53 yards. The Steelers’ defense had three interceptions and three sacks. 

The Ravens are coming off a win against Atlanta. Tyler Huntley was 9 for 17 for 115 yards and one touchdown. Gus Edwards had 11 carries for 99 yards. As a team, the Ravens rushed for 184 yards. 

The Ravens and Steelers are playing for the second time this season. The Ravens won 16-14 in early December on the strength of JK Dobbins’s 120 yards rushing, Justin Tucker’s three field goals, and the defense forced three turnovers.

 Another big game in this tremendous rivalry. Will the Ravens’ divisional hopes stand, or will the Steelers still have a shot at the playoffs? My prediction is Ravens 33- Steelers 20

Week 17: Jets at Seahawks 

By Ross Mazin

There will be an exciting matchup with two weeks left in the regular season. Two teams are vying for a playoff spot in their respective conferences. 

The Jets are coming off a disappointing 19-3 loss against the Jaguars last week. Chris Streveler was 10 -15 for 90 yards and rushed for 54 yards after replacing Zach Wilson. Wilson was 9 – 18 for 92 yards and an interception. The Jets have announced that Mike White will return as the starting quarterback after the Jets got a lot of help in the playoff race. 

The Seahawks are coming off a 24-10 loss against the Chiefs last week. Geno Smith was 24 -50  for 215 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Smith is a former second-round Jets pick in 2013 and has had a career year this season. Kenneth Walker has been great as a rookie running back. He averages 4.6 yards per carry and has a chance for his first 1,000-yard season. Fans should be excited to see the matchup of Sauce Gardener against DK Metcalf.

My prediction is Jets 15- Seahawks 3

   Judging The Captain

By: Lawrence Lang.

 At last Wednesday’s press conference, The New York Yankees named Aaron Judge Captain. After Judge signed a new nine-year deal with the Yankees worth $360 Million, thus making him earn $40 Million over the next nine seasons with the Yankees. Judge becomes the 16th captain in Yankees History. He joins a long list of Hall of farmers who were also Captain of the 27-time World Champions list, including the inaugural Captain Clark Griffith (1903- 1905), Willie Keeler (1908-1909), Frank Chance (1913), Babe Ruth (1922), Lou Gehrig (1986-1988) and the most recent Captain Derek Jeter (2003-2014). 

Judge’s Path to Captain goes as follows. He was a first-round pick of the Yankees in 2013. On August 13th, 2016, Judge made his Major League debut. Since that time, Judge has racked up many accolades; below are just a few. 

4x All-Star (2017,2018,2021,2022)

AL MVP (2022)

AL recorded for most Home Runs in a single season (62) 

3x Silver Slugger (2017,2021,2022) 

Wilson Defensive Player of the Year (2019)

To many, it’s right to name Judge the new Captain of the Yankees, which is well deserved, especially what he did this past season. Judge set the American League single-season record and Yankees’ Single Season record for home runs in a season with 62 home runs breaking the 61-year-old record that former Yankee Right Fielder Roger Marris set in 1961 with 61 Home Runs. Judge is also the locker room leader of the Yankees right now and never puts the spotlight on himself when it comes to the game of baseball. Many expected when he became a free agent that he would be dawning a new uniform once 2023 Spring Training. Other teams looking to bring a new JUDGE to town were The San Diego Padres. Who already have Fernando Tatis jr. ( still suspended for part of 2023 for PEDs), former world series winner Juan Soto ( acquired in a trade with Washington Nationals in 2022), and Manny Machado. The San Francisco Giants were also in the mix, and most people thought there made a deal for Judge to go there, but a last-minute offer from the Yankees made Judge decide to stay. 

Now that it’s all time to all rise again in the Bronx. Judge is now in some familiar territory, as when you get named Captain of the Yankees championship, success comes around. The 8th Yankee captain, shortstop Everett Scott (1922-1925), brought the Yankees the first title in 1923. Lou Gehrig, the next Captain from 1935-1939, brought the Yankees four championships. Thurman Munson (1976- 1979) became the 10th captain 37 years after Gehrig brought two championships. Finally, the latest Captain, Derk Jeter (2003-2014), who, before being named Captain, had already won four world series with the Yankees (96,98,99,00), brought the Yankees their most recent championship in 2009. Scott, Gehrig, and Munsion all won one title a year after being named Captain, and for Jeter, it was six years when he finally won a title as Captain.  

Since Judge came up in 2016, the Yankees have had a great regular season but have seen to come up short once it came to the Playoffs.

2016. Missed 

2017. 91 – 71 Lost the ALCS to Houston 

2018. 100-62 Lost ALDS to Boston 

2019. 103-59, Lost ALCS to Houston

2020. (Covid Season) 33-27 Lost ALDS to Tampa 

2021. 92-70 Lost ALWC to Boston

2022. 99-63 Lost the ALCS to Houston.

Suppose we forget that with sub-par performance in the playoffs for the Yankees, their biggest question now for the Judge and the Yankees is whether Judge can stay healthy, especially with making $40 Million a year now for the next nine years. Looking at Judge, he finds a way to be on the DL with no severe injuries and a few Serious ones. Plus, with a new deal staying healthy will be critical for Judge if he wants to keep his $40 Million salary. Judge will turn 31 next April.

2016 (call-up year). Grade 2 Oblique Strain 

2017- 18 Offseason Shoulder Surgery (arthroscopic surgery)

2018 July Chip fracture in the wrist ( nearly two months on IL)

2019 April Oblique Strain ( April returned on June 21st)

2020 Collapsed Lung ( due to a dive in Sept of 2019) was due to miss significant time when reported to spring training, but we all know what happened in 2020. 

2020 Calf Strain in early and late august

2021 Lowe Body soreness on and off. 

Keeping Judge healthy is critical because not only is he your Captain, but he is also your franchise player now. Injuries due occur at any time, and nobody ever wishes injury on anyone. But here is the thing ‘What if” Judge does get injured and does miss the significant time where he misses multiple months or a season? What do the Yankees do? The 2023 season has yet to start, and we are not a few years into the Judge contract. With that in mind, here are five things to consider in the Captain Judge era beginning. 

  1. Will Judge be Captain all nine years of his contract? 
  2. Will Judge be a Yankee for his entire nine-year contract?
  3. How healthy will Judge be in the next nine years with being 30 already?
  4. How will Judge deal with the pressure of now being the Yankees’ Captain?
  5. HOW MANY WORLD SERIES WILL THE YANKEES WIN IN THE NEXT NINE YEARS?

The last question is the most important, and the Yankees have always been associated with winning championships. They have not won a World Series since 2009, and the fans are getting restless. How much longer will it take for them to get to the promised land? If they don’t, the fans and the New York media will come after the new Captain. It might sound harsh, but Aaron is about to be Judged in a different matter.

MVP CASES

By : Mike Rifkin

As the NFL season dwindles, people will keep debating awards, specifically the MVP. The league last had a non-quarterback win the award in 2012 when Adrian Peterson won the award; only five times since 2000 has a non-quarterback won the award, and all of them were running backs. I know people are debating Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts for the award, but I will give you two other guys who should be in the conversation. 

Let’s start with Mahomes, who has a guy on his team who should be in the conversation. The Chiefs’ offense is first in yards per game and has the top-ranked passing offense, and Mahomes leads the league in passing yards and touchdowns. But how would those numbers change if Travis Kelce wasn’t a Chief? Kelce is currently fourth in receptions, seventh in receiving yards, and tied for first with 12 touchdowns. Even with Tyreek Hill gone, Kelce has played great. 

Last season Cooper Kupp won the receiving Triple Crown leading in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns; because of that and the season the Rams had, he was definitely in the MVP conversation. Justin Jefferson is leading in receptions and receiving yards this year and is tied for fifth in touchdowns. Jefferson can break Calvin Johnson’s single-season yards record and Michael Thomas’s single-season receptions record. 

Defenses know both guys will get the ball and can’t stop it. I understand there is the Offensive Player of the year award, which one of these guys will surely win, but they deserve to be mentioned in the MVP conversation. At some point, a non-quarterback will win MVP. Why not have it be this season?

Who Gets The W As A Present

By: Mike Rifkin

On Christmas day, the Dolphins and Packers will play in a battle of teams looking for a Wild Card position in their respective conferences. Miami comes into the game on a three-game losing streak, while the Packers have won back-to-back games. 

The Packers are coming off a 24-12 win over the Rams on Monday night. Aaron Rodgers was 22-30 for 229 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Packers as a team ran for 138 yards, and AJ Dillon had two rushing touchdowns. The Packer defense gave up 156 yards of total offense to the Rams. They also sacked Baker Mayfield five times and had an interception. The Packer defense has forced four turnovers over their last two games. In his career against the Dolphins, Aaron Rodgers has a 59.2 completion percentage, averaging 258.7 yards per game with six touchdowns and one interception in three games. 

The Dolphins are coming off a hard-fought 32-29 loss at the Bills on Saturday. Tua Tagovailoa was 17-30 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Raheem Mostert ran for 136 yards on 17 carries, and as a team, the Dolphins ran for 188 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. Jaylen Waddle had three catches for 114 yards and a touchdown, and Tyreek Hill had nine catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. A couple of costly penalties cost the Dolphins the game, but overall it was a step in the right direction after two bad games on the west coast. The Dolphins should be able to establish the run again this week, as the Packers give up 148.9 rushing yards per game. 

A Christmas game with many playoff implications; it doesn’t get much better than that. Will Miami get back on track, or will Aaron Rodgers and company still hang on to their playoff lives?