MY THOUGHTS ON THIS YEARS SUPERBOWL

By Mark Halpern

Tomorrow the top two seeds in the NFL, the Kanas City Chief, and the Philadelphia Eagles, will battle to prove who is the best team in the NFL. The Superbowl has seen many close matchups. We have seen game-winning last-second field goals or touchdowns and, of course, plenty of blowouts. What are we going to see tomorrow night? I wish I had that answer so I could take advantage, but here is my take.

  In the AFC, we have the Kanas City Chiefs coached by one of the NFL’s top two active coaches, Andy Reid. Andy Reid has been to the dance before and knows that there is a ton of distractions during media week, and I am sure once that was all done, things got down to business. The Chiefs are led by Patrick Mahomes, who has a Superbowl win on his belt, so he knows the atmosphere as well as Travis Kelce. However, for many of the Chiefs players, this is their first time in the world’s biggest showcase, and it can be a lot to take in. With the likes of this Chiefs offense and its explosiveness, they will have to do most of the point scoring. The question is, what is the condition of star Quarterback Patrick Mahomes? He severely hurt his ankle in the Division playoff game and toughed it out; when the Chiefs got to the AFC Championship game, you could see he was still hampered by it, but he has now had two weeks to get treatment and healing time. So we will see which version of Mahomes is there. The Chief’s defense is their Achilles’ heel, as they tend to give up lots of yards through the air. Their run defense is good and has to be top-notch, as they have to control Jalen Hurts. My underdog player on the Chiefs is Kadarius Toney. Toney was traded from the Giants towards the second half of the season and has yet to make a substantial contribution, and the Eagles might underestimate him. The run game will have to produce and not make Mahomes throw 50 times in the game because the Eagle’s defense is that good, so Mahomes will have to be at his best against this defense because if the Eagles stop the Chiefs from running and have to pass all the time the Eagles will control the game. However, Mahomes can still throw the ball very well and has plenty of capable receivers, and Pacheko is a rookie but is a speedy running back and is valuable in the pass-and-run game.

    Looking at the Eagles, they are nothing short of a fantastic team (this coming from a Die-hard Dallas fan), whether on Offense or Defense. The offense for the Eagles is just as explosive as the Chiefs. The big thing is that Hurts is basically like Lamar Jackson (except he can throw with better accuracy), so the Chiefs will have to control the line of scrimmage. If you control the running game, you must stop this three-headed monster of A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. One question is, what is the status of Jalen Hurts shoulder? As far as the Eagles organization has released is that Hurts is good to go. Hurts went down with three games left when he severely sprained his throwing shoulder. He was kept out until the season’s final game, and even then, you could tell he was bothered by the shoulder then. However, that shoulder looked fine last week, so don’t worry about Hurts. I think A.J. Brown will have a vast game and could have a two-touchdown night. The Eagle’s defense is ranked at the top of the NFL for a reason. They are quick off the line and can get to the Quarterback quickly. The Eagle’s number one passing defense will be tested and tested often. This isn’t a team where you can double cover any wide receiver as someone will be open, and that is where Quez Watkins could be a factor. The Eagles come out with a balanced attack and will find holes in the Chief’s defense and exploit them.

     Both teams deserve to be here in this spotlight game. I know a particular fan base that is pissed off at a HORRIBLE roughing the passer call in the AFC Championship, and another team in the NFC Championship thinks they were cheated. It may be the ref’s fault that the wrong teams are in the Superbowl because of bad calls or no calls, but what can I or any of us do about it? Absolutely nothing. There can be no change of the two teams that are in the Superbowl, and I am excited to see this game. I look at all the factors, and the Chiefs edge out the Eagles 38-31; and that is how the old man sees it.

MY FAVORITE SUPERBOWL

By Mark Halpern

     I have seen every Superbowl from when I was six years old, and I have seen some fantastic games and I have seen plenty of blowouts. However, I am a Cowboys true, and through so, it should be no surprise that my favorite Superbowl is XXVII Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills.

    The Dallas Cowboys broke training camp with the youngest and hungriest team in the NFL. The great Jimmy Johnson put this team together starting in 1989 by selecting Troy Aikman and pairing him with one of the NFL’s best young receivers in, Michael Irvin. The Next year Dallas made the Trades of Trades with the Vikings, which brought the likes of Russel Maryland and the great Emmitt Smith. In these two years, Dallas put together a dynasty.

   The Cowboys had a pretty flawless season in 92/93 by going 13-3 and dominating every big team in the league except the 49ers. The NFC championship game was a battle to the end, but an Aikman to Kelvin Martian 10 yard TD pass sealed the game and moved Dallas to play in Pasadena in the Super Bowl.

   Getting to a Superbowl is part of every Football player’s dream. The Cowboys were about to face off against a Buffalo Bills team that pulled off one the greatest comebacks in the AFC Championship game history, coming back over 25 points to beat the Houston Oilers.

From the kickoff of the Superbowl, everything was going wrong for Dallas. A blocked punt on the first drive and a three-and-out on the second made fans nervous. The Next drive Started it all. Aikman got his composer back, drove down the field, and hit Jay Novacheck for a 23-yard pass tying the game up. On the next drive, a tipped pass at the goal line, Jimme Jones picks it off and falls into the endzone. Dallas goes up  14-7 Dallas at the end of the first quarter.

  Buffalo showed some life in the second quarter by tacking on 3 points, but this would be the end of the bills as the Cowboys took over from there. Aikman had turned into a sniper by almost completing every pass after the Novacheck touchdown. It was time to get the ball to the Playmaker Michael Irvin, and he did. Over the next two drives, Irvin had two TD catches, one for 18 yards and another for 19. Going into the half, the Cowboys were up 28-10.

  The third quarter seemed to fizzle, but the Cowboys tacked on three, and Don “Had too many concussions” Beebe had a 40-yard TD catch to narrow the lead, but that would be the end of the Buffalo scorning.

   Ahh, in the fourth quarter, Aikman wasted no time hitting a wide-open Alvin Harper for a 45-yard score; on the next drive, Emmitt smith got into the endzone on a 10-yard scamper, and then Ken Norton Jr scooped up a Thurman Thomas fumble and took it to the house adding yet another score making it 52-17 a few points shy of the points record. On the next drive, Leon Lett scooped up a fumble and had a straight line to the endzone, but like a child, tried to get fancy and look cool and held the ball with one hand and Don Beebe pulled a DK Metcalf and ran down Lett knocking the ball out of his hand and recovered for a touchback. It was the most life seen out of any Buffalo Player the entire game.

  In the end, Troy Aikman was named MVP after completing 22/30 for 273 yards and four touchdowns. It was a great mixture of defensive and offensive plays and a game I won’t forget.

Organizational Failure

By: Mike Rifkin

On July 1st, 2019, the Brooklyn Nets signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to massive four-year contracts. Three and a half years later, both Durant and Irving were traded in the same week. This era has to be considered one of the biggest failures in NBA history. 

At one point, they even had James Harden, who forced his way to Brooklyn and less than a full year later got shipped to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons. Durant, Irving, and Harden played 16 games together, going 13-3. 

The NBA has turned into this super team-based league, and this has to be considered one of the biggest super team failures in NBA history. This group won a total of ONE playoff series. 

When Durant and Irving joined forces in Brooklyn, many people, whether in the media or elsewhere, thought the Nets would run New York City and laughed at the Knicks, but this is a rare Knicks win, avoiding this situation over the last few years. Look, the pieces that the Nets got in these trades could help them win in the future, but we have to look at Durant – Irving era as an absolute failure. 

STEVE COHEN THE CURRENT GEORGE STEINBRENNER

By Mark Halpern

Let’s take a trip back to the end of the 2000 season; George Steinbrenner shells out the most significant contract, a 7-year 100mil+, to Jason Giambi. This contract is the first contract of $ 100 million of its kind. It didn’t stop there as we saw the Yankees hand out deals to the best players for an average of $80 million, turning those teams into World Series champs. Stein Brenner was asked what he thought of the other owners and that they couldn’t do what he was doing. He simply said, “My team, I will spend as much as I want, and there is no rule against it.” Steinbrenner was also smart by hiring one of the best front-office personnel and coaching staff in baseball. However, he never cared what other owners thought of him with all that he was spending.

     Now let us take a trip forward twenty years; we don’t have to go far, but the New York Mets were bought by Billionaire and die-hard Mets fan Steve Cohen. Cohen expressed that he wanted to bring in a championship team and will do everything in his power. So, in his first three years, Steve Cohen has brought in Free Agents Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Mark Canha, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Kodai Senga. Steve Cohen has spent better than a Billion dollars to bring in a winning team. Steve Cohen also had the great help of a talented front office lead by GM Billy Eppler. Steve Cohen was interviewed with ESPN and said, “I am not responsible for how other teams run their clubs. They set the rules down, and I am just following them.” Basically, Cohen felt the same way Steinbrenner felt. It’s my team, and I will do what I damn, please.

    Suppose you look at what Steinbrenner did during his tenure as Yankees owner. The team accomplished a lot, but it took a little time, but the Yankees are the Yankees, and we know how many rings, etc., they have. Now the momentum has shifted cross town to Queens, New York, where Steve Cohen is taking the philosophy that he has the money and wants a winning team, and no one will get in his way of that. Only when Major League Baseball imposes a Salary Cap (never happen in the next decade) there is nothing to stop Cohen from spending, and we will be in tier one of the salary luxury cap. Steve doesn’t care what other owners have to say and will continuing his player search with the promise of bringing a Championships to the New York Mets and that is how the old man sees it.

Dolphins Season In Review/Offseason Preview

By: Mike Rifkin

For the first time in six years, the 2022 Miami Dolphins made the playoffs. The Dolphins’ season was streaky. They won their first three games, then lost three, then won five, then lost five before winning their season finale to make the playoffs. 

The biggest question going into the 2022 season was Tua Tagovailoa’s development. The Dolphins brought a pro-Left Tackle, Terron Armstead, and Connor Williams to help the offensive line. They made a massive trade with the Chiefs to acquire Receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill’s chemistry with Tua did not disappoint, as Hill broke the franchise record with the most receptions in a single season with 119 receiving yards in a single season. With 1,710 yards. Second-year receiver Jaylen Waddle followed up a great rookie year with a solid second season. Waddle had 75 catches for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns. Raheem Mostert, who came from San Francisco and head coach Mike McDaniel, had 891 rushing yards and three touchdowns. They traded with the 49ers to get Jeff Wilson at the trade deadline, and in eight games, Wilson ran for 392 yards and three touchdowns. 

Tua’s ability shouldn’t be questioned after he posted a 64.9 completion percentage of 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Tua had a QB Rating of 105.5, which was at the top of the NFL. Tua did suffer three concussions during the season. One occurred on Christmas day against the Packers, the last game Tua played during the season. There will be questions on the backup quarterback position. Will the Dolphins retain Teddy Bridgewater, or did Skylar Thompson show enough against the Bills that he can be the backup? Or does the team go after a different veteran? What if Aaron Rodgers says to the Packers that he wants to go to Miami? Do the Dolphins inquire about that? Derek Carr or Jimmy G is not an upgrade, although Garoppolo knows the system. 

The Dolphins’ defense took a bit of a backward step this season. The defense gave up 23.9 points per game, compared to 21.9 in 2021. In 2021 the defense was top five in sacks. This season they were middle of the pack. Part of that reason was Emmanuel Ogbah, whom the Dolphins gave a big contract to in the offseason, had one sack in nine games before getting a season-ending triceps injury. Former first-round pick Jaelan Phillips backed up his 8.5 sacks in his rookie season with seven. The Dolphins made a splash at the trade deadline when they traded their first-round pick to the Broncos for Bradley Chubb and signed him to a five-year contract worth 110 million dollars with 53 million guaranteed. Chubb had 2.5 sacks in eight games as a Dolphin. The Dolphin secondary had to rely on young Kader Kohou and Keion Crossen players. They had to rely on these guys because Nik Needham was limited to six games before tearing his Achilles, and Byron Jones had off-season ankle surgery and didn’t play a snap. Safety Jevon Holland had a great year with 96 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions. The Dolphins’ defense should improve next season because the guys will be healthy, and they hired Vic Fangio to be the new defensive coordinator. 

As it stands now, the Dolphins are 12 million dollars over the cap. To free up space, they can restructure the contracts of Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and Terron Armstead. Trading Cedric Wilson and extending defensive tackle Christian Wilkins can save money. Cutting Byron Jones and designating him as a post-June 1st cut can save the team 13 million dollars. 

Free agency

  1. Sign Mike McGlinchey – The Dolphins’ offensive line still needs to be improved, and Mchlinchey did play for Mike Mcdaniel in San Francisco. If the Bills cut Mitch Morse, he’d also be a name to check on. 
  2. Sign TJ Edwards – The Dolphins have multiple free agents at linebacker. Edwards has played a solid role for the Eagles. 
  3. Extend or Franchise Tag Christian Wilkins- Wilkins was arguably the most consistent Dolphin defender this season. Extending him would be significant for the franchise, as he and Zac Sieler have created a dynamic duo in the middle.
  4. Re-sign Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson- Both had their moments this year for the Dolphins. If both are back, that would be good, but I would spend my money wisely. 
  5. Re-sign Nik Needham – Needham was missed after his injury. Putting him back in the slot can help the Secondary and give it depth.

Draft 

RD 2 (51) – Jack Campbell- LB – Iowa. Campbell is an excellent tackler who could flourish in Fangios’s scheme.

RD 3 (78) – Kenny Mcintosh – RB – Georgia. If the Dolphins lose both Mostert and Wilson, running back becomes more necessary. Mcintosth was excellent for the Bulldogs and can be a good scheme fit.

RD 3 (84) – Dalton Kincade – TE – Utah. Mike Gesicki is a free agent, and it has been widely speculated that he will leave. Kincade is an excellent receiver and has good speed. He could be a better blocker, but he can give the Dolphins’ offense a high-upside tight end. 

Nothing But Nets

By: Mike Rifkin

On Friday, the NBA world was stunned when Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving requested a trade. According to reports, Irving and the Nets were talking about a contract extension, but the Nets wanted stipulations that have yet to be public. 

The Nets front office wants stipulations in Kyrie’s contract because Kyrie, as talented as he is, comes with much baggage. Whether it’s not wanting to play in the bubble, he is not vaccinated, flipping off opposing teams’ fans, or earlier this season when he didn’t disavow an anti-semitic movie and got suspended by the team for eight games. Kyrie, for the season, is averaging 27.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game. 

Kyrie has left the Nets’ front office with two choices. One is to give in to his request and not get total value for him, or they let this season play out, try to win a championship and then let him walk as a free agent. The choice is simple unless, given what is deemed total value, I keep Kyrie, and I can pull a sign and trade with him over the summer. Ever since Kyrie and Kevin Durant signed in Brooklyn, the goal was to win a championship, and when healthy, the Nets have as good of a chance as anyone else in the Eastern Conference to get to the Finals. 

My biggest problem with the request is the timing. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, so give the Nets a week to make the deal. The other reason I find the timing peculiar is the Nets’ last game, and they got obliterated by the Boston Celtics, one of the teams they’d have to go through in the playoffs and Kyrie’s former team. Boston has defeated Brooklyn ten consecutive times, including a four-game sweep in the playoffs last season. 

If Kyrie is traded, does Kevin Durant, who requested a trade over the summer, but the Nets were unwilling to deal him, bring his request back? If Kyrie stays, it feels like a last chance at a title for Durant and Irving in Brooklyn; otherwise, the two of them going there will be viewed as a failure. 

What If (Pro-Wrestling Edition)- What if Disney buys WWE?

By Allison Weiner

Welcome to my 2nd series of blogs called What If? (Pro Wrestling Edition). In this series, I give a predicament that could or could have potentially happened in the pro wrestling universe. The 1st what if is….. What if Disney buys WWE? 

For those who don’t know, the devil known as Vince McMahon returned to WWE at the beginning of this year with one purpose only. Selling the company that his family has owned for decades. You can listen to the Face Turn podcast to hear everything going on with the company being sold. I want to get to a point where it’s the middle of 2023 and WWE has officially been sold. The board of directors has formally posted something close to these words…. “As of this day, this month in 2023, the World Wrestling Entertainment has new ownership. Disney has officially bought WWE.” Out of all the companies interested in buying WWE, Disney was a shocker to me when I heard that they were interested in buying WWE. But after seeing them acclaim WWE, now comes to question, what does mean for WWE. Will their PPVs go onto Disney+ or another streaming service? Where will they stream Raw, Smackdown, and NXT? Will they be going back to a PG era? Will Disney build a new wrestling center at Disney Springs in their parks?

First off, if this happens, we know Disney will be as strong as the Monopoly game, and people will post all over social media that WWE will be run by a mouse. Now to answer the questions previously mentioned. I don’t see Disney+ running WWE PPVs as it wouldn’t be as strong for their brand. However, if it does happen, I’m sure more people will cancel other subscriptions such as Peacock. But most likely Disney will run WWE PPVs on either Hulu or ESPN+. With Hulu also being owned by Comcast, I can see Disney negotiating a deal with them to air Raw, Smackdown, and NXT on their NBC Universal stations. I don’t see any of these shows on Disney-affiliated stations such as ABC and ESPN due to certain popular shows and sports events that will air during the days of these live shows. I do have a weird feeling that Disney will make WWE go back to PG for their younger viewers, but you know some swear words will come out here and there. Finally, I don’t see WWE taping NXT in a built arena in Disney Springs, but you would expect an official WWE merchandise store at Disney Springs in Florida and California.

    Midseason NHL Awards

By: Mike Rifkin

With the NHL All-Star Game this weekend, here is how I would vote for the major awards.

HART: Connor McDavid – Oilers. Every night McDavid does something special. In 50 games played, the best player in the world has 41 goals and 92 points. He is 16 points ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl and 20 points ahead of Nikita Kucherov. 

Norris: Adam Fox – Rangers. Let me preface this by saying there are a lot of good candidates for this award. The Rangers defenseman is top 5 in points, power-play assists, and game-winning assists. He plays 25 minutes a night against the opposition’s top line. Other candidates: Rasmus Dahlin, Josh Morrissey, Erik Karlsson.

Vezina  : Linus Ullmark – Bruins. Ullmark is having a breakout season for the best team in the NHL. Ullmark is currently 25-4-1 with a 1.90 GAA and .936 save percentage, leading the league. Other candidates: Jake Oettinger, Connor Hellebuyck

Jack Adams : Dave Hakstol – Kraken. Again there are a lot of good candidates here. The Kraken is the best story of the young season. Seattle has already surpassed their win and point total from their inaugural season. Other candidates: Jim Montgomery, Lindy Ruff, Don Granato

Biggest Surprise: Eastern Conference: New Jersey Devils – The Devils are currently in second place in the highly competitive Metro division. The Devils averaged 3.47 goals per game this year; last year, they averaged 2.99. The Devils have gotten unbelievable goaltending out of Vitek Vanecek, who has a 2.29 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Jack Hughes is having a great year with 33 goals and 64 points in 49 games played. 

Biggest Disappointment: Eastern Conference: Florida Panthers – I could have put either Detroit or Ottawa here, but neither of those teams won the Presidents Trophy last year. Last year Florida had a +94 goal differential. At the break this year, it’s -5. Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe have a combined 51 goals. If this team wants to make a run in the second half, they need their ten million-dollar-a-year goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to be better. So far this year, Bob has a 3.24 GAA and a .897 save percentage.

Biggest Surprise: Western Conference –  Seattle Kraken – The upstart second-year franchise has already surpassed their win and point total from their inaugural season and currently sits atop the Pacific Division. The Kraken average more than one goal a game more than they did last season. Matty Beniers is having an excellent rookie season with 17 goals and 36 points in 47 games played. Jared McCann, who had 27 goals last year, has 23 at the break. Daniel Sprong already has a career-high for goals and points in a season. Martin Jones has had a resurgence with a record of 23-7-3, a 2.82 GAA, and three shutouts. 

Biggest Disappointment: Western Conference – St. Louis Blues – Hand up. I was wrong about this team before the season. Jordan Binnington was handed the net after they traded Ville Husso. Binnington has struggled with consistency and has a 3.27 GAA, and .892 save percentage. Things have gotten rough in St. Louis. They are talking about selling at the deadline, which before the season, most people thought they were a Cup contender.

What’s The Goal?

By: Mike Rifkin

If you owned a sports franchise, your goal would be to do whatever it took to win. 

Over the weekend, Rockies Owner Dick Monfort spoke at a community event. He was talking about the San Diego Padres spending money. “That puts a lot of pressure on us. But it’s not just the Padres; it’s the Mets, it’s the Phillies. This has been an interesting year.” Monfort has an issue with teams that spend money. Meanwhile, he is the guy who traded his franchise player Nolan Arenado and 50 million dollars to the Cardinals two off-seasons ago and didn’t get the best return.

 As an owner, your goal should be two things. One is to make your team as competitive as possible so people will go to games, and the other is to win a championship. If you don’t want to do either, why do you own a sports franchise? Monfort continued, saying, “What the Padres are doing, I don’t 100% agree with, though I know our fans probably agree with it. We’ll see how it plays out.” Fans wanting an owner to spend money, wow, what a concept. Fans only want the owners to show they care as much as they do, but why try to annoy the fans with this talk? Here’s the downside: some owners will increase payroll, by which tickets, concessions, and parking will increase prices. 

Montfort said, “I look at the Padres, and they have a really talented team, but they have some holes, too. They’ve got three, maybe four starting pitchers, and then they’re like us. So I don’t know. They have spent a lot of money, and they will have to spend a lot more if they want to keep (outfielder) Juan Soto. But it does put a lot of pressure on you. Yes, it does.” Why is Monfort talking about a player currently on a division rivals roster? Are the Rockies going to make a run at Soto when he hits free agency, or is he just saying that Soto will be too expensive for the Rockies? 

Montfort went on to say he thinks the Rockies can play.500 baseball this season. Last season the Rockies finished with a record of 68-94, 43 games behind the first-place Dodgers. But playing .500 baseball shouldn’t be the goal, especially before Spring Training starts. You don’t have to think you will win the World Series, but you can say your team is good enough to make the playoffs. Once again, why do you own a franchise if you don’t do whatever it takes to win a World Championship? 

Montfort is an easy target, but others have been critical of Mets owner Steve Cohen and how he has spent money since he took over. But why are others so concerned with what Steve Cohen and other owners do? They are doing whatever it takes to win a championship, which should be every owner’s goal. 

Reid, It And, Weep

By: Mike Rifkin

We got our answer to who will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will play each other in Glendale, Arizona, on February 12th. 

One of the most incredible things about this matchup is that Andy Reid will be coaching against his former team. Reid spent 14 seasons as the Eagles’ coach going 130-93-1. The 130 wins are the most in Eagles franchise history. From 2001-2004 Reid led the Eagles to the NFC Championship game, winning the conference in 04 before losing the Super Bowl to the Patriots. Reid was fired after the 2012 season and was hired by the Chiefs a month later. 

Over the last five seasons, the Chiefs have been to the AFC Championship game, advancing to their third Super Bowl in this stretch. When Andy first took over the Chiefs, they were coming off a 2-14 record. Reid has never had a losing season as the coach of the Chiefs and only had three losing seasons in his 14 seasons with the Eagles. Reid is the first coach to lead two different franchises to the Conference Championship game and to host that game. 

We know Andy Reid will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Canton when his career is over. There should be much talk about Andy Reid’s legacy in Philadelphia and Kansas City.