The Sports Insanity Network

DALLAS COWBOY DRAFT RECAP

By Mark Halpern

So another draft has come and gone. We saw a ton of teams make trades all over the place. However, for us Dallas fans looking for the Cowboys to move up and get one of the two linemen they originally wanted, that didn’t happen. Even though Jerry had said they wanted to move up, the cost was too high for them to go through with it. Let us take a look at the newly drafted Cowboys.

The reason why Dallas let two of their line go in free agency was due to holding penalties and they weren’t fitting the scheme. In the first round, Dallas drafted Tyler smith out of Tulsa. He has a big frame and can move well on the line. He will prob play and learn from Tyron Smith as he will probably be his replacement. The thing that concerns me is his Hands to the Face penalties and holding penalties. Tyler will have Smith and Zack Martin to learn from and hopefully take cues from them on how not to get penalized every down.

The Joneses knew they needed an edge rusher to try and replace Randy Gregory. Dallas selected Sam Williams from Ole Miss with their second-round pick. This was a great pick because Williams can play edge and interior line. He is fast and has good vision on the field. He also can drop back into cover for underneath passes as he is that quick. He will join Demarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong as the other edge rushers.

Before the season ended, Dallas had a great wide receiver trio in Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb. At the end of the season, Gallup tore his ACL, Dallas then traded Cooper to the Browns for a 5th and 6th pick, and Cedrick Wilson, the fourth receiver, went to the Dolphins. Dallas needed to get a receiver, and they got a good one in the third round. Jalen Tolbert, who played at Alabama and had a great year fell into their lap just like Lamb did two years ago. Tolbert is a tall and aggressive receiver who isn’t afraid of catching a ball in traffic. Tolbert is being compared to a former Dallas receiver Alvin Harper. Harper was known for his speed, and he never was afraid to catch a ball even if he knew he was going to get hit. Tolbert is the same type of player, and with Gallup still on the mend, Tolbert could find himself on the starting roster.

With Dalton Schultz the only Tight End on the roster, they needed to bring in another. In the fourth round, Dallas drafted Tight End Jake Fergusson from Wisconsin. Fergusson can block on the line as he did in college, but he is also a great route runner and has good hands. Dallas has a good upgrade with this draft pick.

The fifth-round pick is one of my favorites. Dallas was still looking for help on the offensive line, and they got a giant player in Matt Waletzko from North Dakota. He is a monster at 6 foot 8 and 315lbs. Right now, I see his only weakness is Kryptonite. His arm length and center of balance and size made the Joneses drool. He is a little raw but will be learning from the best.

Dallas’s secondary last year was lethal, and now it just got better. Dallas had been doing very well in filling in needs, and they got one of the final needs in the sixth round. Dallas selected DaRon Bland from Fresno state. Bland ran a 4.4 in the 40yrd dash at the combine and showed that he has good vision and hands. He will join the best cornerback in the league to learn from Treyvon Diggs.

In the fifth round, Dallas added Damone Clark, a linebacker out of LSU. Dallas liked his ability to cover tight ends and can rush the passer. He does have some trouble with players and quick feet getting out of his way, so that’s something he will work on in training camp.

Dallas found another piece of their defensive line in the fifth round. John Ridgeway out of Arkansas will join a newly formed Dallas defensive line. He is a significant and robust player at 6 foot 5 and 321lbs. He is a former wrestler and knows how to control a block and make a hole for the linebackers to get in after the Quarterback.

With their last pick, Dallas selected inside linebacker Devin Harper from Oklahoma. Dallas fixed their linebacker problem with Harper, and he will be working with the best linebacker in football, Micha Parsons. Harper has plenty of room for improvement, and with Vander Esch and Parsons, he will get the valuable help he needs to become better at his position.

Overall, I think the Cowboys did what they needed in this draft by filling in holes on offense and defense. Suppose I were to give them an overall grade, I give them a B+. This team still has a hole or two that needs filling, but there are still plenty of free agents that they can add.

TWIW – This Week In Wrestling (4/25 – 4/29)

By Jeff Knapp

In yet another name change, former NXT-UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray will now be known as Alba Fyre. Just because.

NWA President Billy Corgan has announced that the NWA will have their next PPV called Alwayz Ready at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, TN followed by a TV taping the next day.

Following the events at the Impact PPV “Rebellion” congratulations are in order for the NEW AAA Reina de Reinas Champion, Taya Valkyrie who defeated Deonna Purrazzo, Ace Austin on becoming the 3X X-Division champion by pinning Trey Miguel and finally, to The Walking Weapon Josh Alexander on finally getting his hands on Moose and becoming the 2X Impact World Champion.

Former IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts World Tag Team Champions The Inspiration, Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay confirmed that they will be indefinitely stepping away from in-ring action. As a fan of both ladies, I’ve enjoyed watching them over the years, and hope the reasons, if serious, work themselves out sooner than later. Now, If it’s an issue with Impact, that’s a different story that Impact needs to correct. Time will tell.

Next week on Dynamite, IMPACT Wrestler Deonna Purrazzo, the reigning ROH Women’s World Champion, will face Mercedes Martinez, the interim ROH Women’s Champion in a match that will crown the undisputed champion.

WWE – RAW

After having the Raw Women’s Championship match restarted twice by Sonya Deville, to help benefit her, Bianca Belair still came out on top

Finn Balor loses again to Damien Priest via some type of distraction from Edge, but we do know of his stable name and that is Judgment Day

Raw saw the returns of Asuka, who came out to taunt Becky Lynch and Mustafa Ali who came to challenge Theory for the United States Championship, but ended up wrestling, and defeating The Miz.

Tonight was also Randy Orton celebration night for his 20 years in the WWE.

With the setup to the Tag Title Unification match offer Backlash, the main event was an 8-man tag team match: RK-Bro, Cody Rhodes and Ezekiel (Elias’ younger brother lol) vs The Usos, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens. Orton gets the pin after RKOing everybody in the ring (outta nowhere)

NXT

Nikkita Lyons continues her winning streak by defeating Lash Legend again

It looks like a feud is building between Tony Gabagool and Legado Del Fantasma, when they caused Tony to lose to Von Wagner and then attacked him after the match

Solo Sikoa gets back on his winning ways by pinning Trick Williams

The NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament is announced and as of now newcomers Arianna Grace (Santino Morella’s daughter) & Kiana James along with Lash Legend have been announced as participants in the tournament.

AEW – DYNAMITE

Dax Harwood advances to the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament by pinning his tag team partner Cash Wheeler in their Qualifying Match

On May 29^th at Double or Nothing, AEW World Champion Adam Page will be defending his championship against CM Punk

Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs confront The Jurassic Express backstage during an interview and request an AEW World Tag-Team Title Shot. Any place and any time

In Wardlow’s toughest test to date, he faces another pick from MJF, Lance Archer. Very physical, but Wardlow get the win after hitting his powerbomb symphony

An in-ring promo with the JAS and Santana, Ortiz and Kingston got heated. Jericho says he will take out Kingston, but Eddie informs him what that means where he comes from. Gets in Jericho’s face and Chris turns white as a ghost

MJF tells Wardlow that he has another surprise from him next week against a man who is stronger than him and taller than him and you can’t teach that. Seemingly insinuating that W. Morrisey will be his next opponent

Rey Fenix is back, and so is Death Triangle, who attack the House of Black

Scorpio Sky Challenges Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship in a Ladder Match and after Paige VanZant and Tay Conti get involved, Scorpio knocks Sammy off the ladder, grabs the title and becomes the new TNT Champion for the 2^nd time

IMPACT

The Briscoe Brothers arrive at Impact and defeat Heath and Rhino. We also find out that they will challenge VDB for the Impact World Tag Team Championships at the next Impact PPV, Under Siege.

It’s announced that Jonah will face PCO next week in a Monster’s Ball Match

Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defeated Moose to retain his IMPACT World Championship and after the match, Scott D’Amore’s handpicked challenger for Under Siege will be NJPW’s Tomohiro Ishii. “The Walking Weapon” vs. “The Stone Pitbull” at IMPACT Under Siege is going to be amazing.

WWE – SMACKDOWN

Ricochet retained his WWE Intercontinental Championship when he defeated Shanky

Raquel Rodriguez (aka Raquel Gonzalez made her Smackdown debut and defeated Cat Cardoza

Ronda Rousey won the beat the clock challenge by 2 seconds over Charlotte Flair

We also found out that at Backlash that RK-Bro and the Usos will not only face each other to unify the tag team championships, but RK-Bro will team with Drew McIntyre to face The Usos and Roman Reigns

AEW – RAMPAGE

In an Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifier, Darby Allin defeated Shane Strickland to advance to the tournament

In a 6 woman tag team match, Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan & Red Velvet defeated Skye Blue, Willow Nightingale & Trish Adora when Jade pinned Trish Adora for the 1-2-3

We find out that Jeff Hardy will face Bobby Fish next Wednesday on Dynamite in a Owen Hart Foundation Tournament qualifying match.

In the main event, Samoa Joe successfully defended his ROH Television championship when he defeated Trent Baretta with a muscle buster.

After the match Jay Lethal made his way down and started to brawl with Joe.

Vegas Golden Knights Statement Address

By : Mike Rifkin

For the first time in their franchise’s history the Vegas Golden Knights have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vegas was considered a Stanley Cup favorite prior to the season. They went from expansion team to going all in.

Vegas made a lot of interesting decisions throughout the season the first was trading Vezina trophy winner Marc – Andre Fleury. Fleury last season was 26-10-0 with a 1.98 Goals Against Average, .928 save percentage and six shutouts. Fleury was traded to Chicago as a salary dump. Robin Lehner last season went 13-4-2 with a 2.29 Goals Against Average and a .913 save percentage. This year Lehner was 23-17-2 with a 2.83 GAA and a .907 save percentage. Lehner’s numbers aren’t bad and he is not totally at fault for all the failures but Marc-Andre Fleury had been the face of the Vegas Golden Knights since being taken in the expansion draft. A major question heading into the offseason will be what to do with Lehner who is signed through 2025-26 at five million dollars a season. After what just transpired between the team and Lehner due to his shoulder surgery I think there is a very good percentage that Vegas shops their goalie. Now another reason Lehner can be moved was the emergence of Logan Thompson who posted a 9-5-3 record with a 2.60 Goals Against Average, .918 save percentage and a shutout. Pairing Thompson with a cheaper veteran option could be in the cards for Vegas.

In November Vegas traded for disgruntled Sabres star Jack Eichel. Vegas traded away Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, 2022 first round pick (top 10 protected), and a 2023 second round pick. Eichel, who played in 33 games due to artificial disk replacement surgery had 12 goals and 22 points for Vegas. The Eichel trade wasn’t just for this season, it’s about the future. Eichel is still 25 years old and is signed through 2026-27.

In my opinion the biggest reason the Golden Knights missed the playoffs for the first time was injuries. Captain Mark Stone was limited to 36 games, Max Pacioretty played in 38, Reilly Smith played in 56, and Alec Martinez played in 25. In 2020-21 Stone and Pacioretty were the top two leading scorers, Reilly Smith is an excellent two way forward who is big on the penalty kill, and Alec Martinez is a very good defenseman. These injuries took its toll on Vegas special teams. The Power Play clicked at 18.1 percent and the Penalty Kill was at 78.1 percent. The penalty kill was at 86.8 percent last season, while the power play was 17.8.

The big thing for Vegas is they have to figure out their cap situation. So here is how I would handle it.

Trade Robin Lehner and replace with a cheaper free agent/ trade. Free agents to look at : Jaroslav Halak (VAN), Joonas Koripsalo (CBJ) , Braden Holtby (DAL), Thomas Greiss (DET) . Trade : Alexandar Georgiev (NYR), Jake Allen (MTL)
Try to trade Reilly Smith and Mattias Janmark at draft/ let them walk in free agency.
Trade Evgeni Dadonov or William Karlsson. Karlsson put up 67 goals the first two seasons in Vegas, and over the last three has put up 40 including 11 in 66 games this season. Dadonov was on fire after his non trade at the trade deadline but which 5 million dollar player they want to keep. Also need some of that money to re-sign Nicolas Roy who will be an RFA.

2022-23 will be a major pressure year in Vegas and nobody will feel more pressure than Pete DeBoer. DeBoer should be fine heading into the offseason but if the Golden Knights start slow next season DeBoer will be fired because Vegas has gone ALL IN.

NFL DRAFT WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR THE DRAFTEES

By Mark Halpern

In two days, the NFL returns with the NFL Draft. It is a big night for the college players who registered and declared themselves eligible to be drafted. With the pandemic still in full swing, we see fewer possible draft picks attending live for the draft. Many players want to be home with friends and loved ones.

The draft makes these players so uneasy because they are picked to go a specific number, doesn’t mean that will happen. The draft is like playing a game of keno. So many different possibilities, and one wrong number loses you your prize. So, take a player like Randy Moss. He was projected to go in the top 3 picks in his year; however, off-field troubles caused him to drop to #20. One wrong pick screws up the prizes for other teams. The players don’t know until a few minutes before they will be drafted to and by which team. The players get a call from the owner and head coach usually. The tension is so thick in that room from the first minute to the last that you need a chainsaw to cut through it.

Some draftees are getting ready to head to Nevada, and others will be seen from their homes or even colleges they played at. It will be a fun night, and I expect to have as many as four possible trades this first round, with the Jets being the center of the talks. I wish the draftees good luck and great success in the NFL, and that is how the old man sees it.

Meet The Me-gill

By: Mike Rifkin

On Sunday the New York Mets defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2. Once again Tylor Megill was excellent in the start going 6.⅔ innings giving up two runs on five hits and seven strikeouts, Megill threw 92 pitches and 65 were strikes. Megill in four starts so far is 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA and 22 strikeouts and walked only 3 hitters in 23 innings of work. In his 18 starts last year 27 in 89.2 innings pitched. Megill who got the opening day nod due to Jacob deGrom’s injury looks like a different pitcher. Megill in his start last Tuesday against the Giants gave up four runs in six innings, but even on a day where he didn’t have his best stuff he was able to give his team length and a chance to win the game which they eventually did. DeGrom is scheduled to undergo an MRI today on his shoulder and the Mets will proceed from there and Taijuan Walker is scheduled to return from Injury this weekend. Right now there is no way Buck Showalter can take the ball from Megill. He has been tremendous and is off to a great start.

2022 NFL MOCK DRAFT

By : Mike Rifkin

Draft season is upon us and here is how I see the first round going down.

Jaguars – Aidan Hutchinson – DE Michigan : Hutchinson is the best player in this draft according to everyone. Pairing him with Josh Allen can give the Jags a dynamic duo rushing the passer.
Lions – Kayvon Thibodeaux – DE – Oregon : Lions could go a lot of different directions here including trade down but they get the Oregon defensive end with high upside
Texans – Ickey Ekwonu – OT NC ST – Houston like Detroit could go in a lot of different directions. Here they take Ekwonu and protect Davis Mills.
Jets – Ahmad Gardener -CB – Cincinnati – fills a need for the first of two Jets top 10 picks.
Giants Evan Neal – OT – Alabama – Things could change if Gardener were to be here. But the Giants have a lot of questions along the offensive line.
Panthers Charles Cross – OT – Mississippi ST – YES the Panthers need a QB but trading for either Jimmy Garropolo or Baker Mayfield makes more sense. Cross gives them a tackle they could really use.
Giants – Jermaine Johnson – EDGE – FSU – A lot depends on what the Giants do at 5, but at some point the Giants need to address the pass rush that had 34 sacks last season.
TRADE : Commanders : Kyle Hamilton Safety – Notre Dame – Atlanta gets multiple picks for their rebuild (which was desperately needed) Washington takes the best safety in the draft to replace Landon Collins who they released earlier this offseason. Also could be a spot where a team looking to add a receiver could move up into this pick.
Seahawks : Malik Willis : QB : Liberty – Willis is a dual threat quarterback who could be the long term solution after Seattle traded Russel Wilson.
Jets : Garrett Wilson : WR : Ohio State – good speed and good route runner should help the development of Zach Wilson.
Falcons : Travon Walker : DL : Georgia – Falcons need to address pass rusher after finishing last in the NFL in sacks with 18 a year ago. Walker didn’t have great numbers at Georgia but was heavily involved on the best defense in the country.
Vikings : Derek Stingley Jr.: CB LSU: When LSU won the National Championship Stingley was sensational. The past couple of years he hasn’t but pairing him with another LSU alumni Patrick Peterson could be what the doctor ordered.
Texans : Trent Mcduffie : CB : Washington : Mcduffie isn’t a long cornerback but he is very good at everything and can help that Lovie Smith Defense.
Ravens : Jordan Davis : DT Georgia: Not going to lie this would be my favorite pick of the first round. Watch Davis highlights from the combine and he was in the middle of that great Georgia defense.
Eagles : Drake London – WR USC : Jalen Hurts was inconsistent at times last year but he definitely needs more weapons London gives him a target with size.
Saints : Trevor Penning : OT : Northern Iowa : Terron Armstead left for Miami. Penning has high upside and played both tackle spots on the offensive line.
Chargers : Chris Olave – WR -Ohio ST: Keenan Allen will be 30 soon and Olave is very similar to Allen, great footwork and excellent route runner and gives Justin Herbert another weapon.
Eagles – Andrew Booth – CB – Clemson – Booth is a very good corner who will learn a lot playing with All Pro Darius Slay on an Eagles secondary that needs help.
Saints – Desmond Ridder – QB -Cincinnati : The Saints usher in their next franchise qb they hope. All Ridder did at Cincinnati was win. Once Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton are ready to pass the torch Ridder will be ready.
Steelers – Matt Corral – QB – Ole Miss – Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky this offseason but they should draft any QB remaining here. All of them give them mobility which is something Mike Tomlin said he wanted.
Trade : Lions : Kenny Pickett : QB : Pittsburgh: The Lions want in on the quarterback fun and trade with New England to acquire Pickett. Pickett could give Jared Goff a run for his money as starting qb.
Packers : Treylon Burks – WR- Arkansas : Packers need to address receiver after trading Davante Adams and losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency. Burks is big and fast and possess great hands. Just watch the Alabama game.
Cardinals – Zion Johnson – OL – Boston College : If the Cardinals are going to pay Kyler Murray the money they want him, Johnson can be very helpful in protecting Murray, on the interior of the Offensive line.
Cowboys – Kenyon Green – OL – Texas A&M – Tyron Smith is getting older and hasn’t played a full season since 2015. Connor Williams left for Miami so Dallas bolsters their offensive line.
Bills – Kyler Gordon – CB – Washington – The Bills have a need at corner right now and Gordon possesses great athletic ability and is versatile enough to play outside or nickel.
Titans- Tyler Linderbaum – Center – Iowa : Ben Jones has an out in his contract after the season and is 33 years old. Linderbaum is the best center in the draft and is extremely effective in run blocking which would help Derrick Henry.
Bucs – Kaiir Elam – CB – Florida – Tom Brady is back for the Bucs. Elam gives the Bucs depth at corner they need with three corners up after the season and Todd Bowles can get the most out of Elam who is extremely talented.
Packers : George Karlaftis – Edge – Purdue : The Packers need to replace Za’darius Smith who left for Minnesota. Karlaftis has a great motor but needs to work on his run defense.
Chiefs – Jahan Dotson WR- Penn State – This is the pick the Chiefs got when they traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins ( couldn’t help myself). I am not saying Dotson will be Hill but he is fast and has great catch and run ability for the Chiefs offense.
Chiefs – Daxton Hill – Safety – Michigan : Hill can play either Safety or corner and the Chiefs need bodies in their secondary.
Bengals – Perrion Winfrey – DT – Oklahoma – Larry Ogunjobi is still unsigned. Winfrey can create chaos in the middle of a Bengal defense that almost won the Super Bowl.
Patriots – Devin Lloyd – Linebacker – Utah – This is the pick Detroit moved up to get Kenny Pickett. Lloyd can play multiple linebacker positions. He is a very good tackler who can also rush the passer. Kind of feels like a Patriot.

TWIW – This Week In Wrestling (4/18 – 4/22)

By Jeff Knapp

Tony Khan’s Big Announcement on Wednesday during Dynamite, to me was the biggest story of the week. Although Tony and the NJPW’s President, Takami Ohbari were out there to make the announcement, Adam Cole interrupted and made the announcement for them.

On June 26, 2022, AEW and NJPW will co-promote a show named “The Forbidden Door.” This brings out the current leader of the Bullet Club leader, “Switchblade” Jay White who boasts about selling out Madison Square Garden by himself and that the Bullet Club is ready for a new era.

Speaking of AEW, Tony Khan mentioned that the upcoming AEW video game coming to Playstation and Xbox will be called AEW: Fight Forever

It appears that Kushida is no longer with NXT & WWE. No word on the reason, but his pushed came to a stop once NXT transitioned to 2.0

Jack Evan’s AEW contract is set to expire at the end of April and all signs point to the fact that he will not be re-signed. He formed a fun and excited tag team with Angelico back as far as Lucha Underground. Best of luck to Jack

Lately there has been some IWC uproar over the name changes to current roster member, including Pete Dunne to Butch, Raquel Gonzalez to Raquel Rodriguez, Austin Theory to Theory and WALTER to Gunther. It looks like VKM sent out a memo stating that he doesn’t want talent using their real names or using the names that they used in the indies. With that said, Walter, Austin, Pete and Gonzalez were all their real names. This rule isn’t enforced entirely, with the likes of Brock, Rhonda, Randy and Cody for instance. We will see about Gable Steveson.

Speaking of name changes, Kacy Catanzaro will now be known as Katana Chance I’m guessing for the reason above.

D’Lo Brown made a hysterical comment this week saying, “From the Knockouts World Champ to even people we bring in to get looked at, the absolute talent level that we have in that Knockouts division is better than any out there.” “They’re all willing to go out there and prove they’re the best and help each other become the best. So that’s what I mean. It’s awesome.”

“I mean, you can put their names in a hat, pick two of them, and they’re going to have a great match. You can’t do that anywhere else in the world with a woman’s division. So, I think top to bottom, just talent describes everyone, and that’s what makes us far superior, and they all want to be the best.”

No offense to the women of Impact, but the depth of the roster isn’t deep at all.

This weekend is the Impact Rebellion PPV and with some of the shortcomings of Impact, the Main Event of the show should be a really great one. Josh Alexander will face Moose for the World title in what is one of the best long-standing feuds in all of pro wrestling.

WWE – RAW

This week we saw the wedding of Akira Tozawa to Tamina and Dana Brooke to Reggie. Thankfully R-Truth was there to save the segment.

We also witnessed Rhea Ripley turning on Liv Morgan after Liv gets pinned in a tag match against Sasha and Naomi,

Austin Theory, now just going by Theory, won the WWE United States Championship when he pinned Finn Balor and the main event saw Cody get a count out win over Kevin Owen when he walked out after Seth Rollins called him fat.

NXT

Former ROH Women’s Champion Roc-C made here debut at Roxanne Perez and defeated Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attraction when Wendy Choo distracted Jacy

In the main event, Pretty Deadly retained their NXT Tag Team Titles when they defeated Dexter Lumis & Duke Hudson.

It also appears that Tony D’Angelo has wise guys joining his new stable. No name yet, but what about the gabagools?

AEW – DYNAMITE

CM Punk continues his undefeated streak continue by defeating Dustin Rhodes

Wheeler Yuta tags for the 1^st time with Moxley and Danielson and pick up a victory over Lee Moriarty, Brock Anderson and Dante Martin. Yuta is on his way. I was impressed with him when I 1^st saw him a while back in MLW

We witness Kyle O’Reilly qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament when he defeated Jungle Boy Jack Perry

Hook made his Dynamite debut and finished off Anthony Henry in quick fashion

Danhausen requests a match with Hook when his curses have no effect on him. Funny stuff

Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Qualifier

Britt Baker qualifies for the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament when she submits Danielle Kamela quickly

IMPACT

This is the go home show for the upcoming Impact PPV, Rebellion in Poughkeepise, NY.

This week’s show was at the 2300 Arena in Philly, but known to older guys like me, as the ECW Arena, and speaking of ECW, Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke made an appearance against the Major Players, Cardona, Myers and Greene. The FBI get attacked, but W. Morrisey and Jordynne Grace make the save.

In what was a 1^st for Impact, we had an 8-man tag between the Bullet Club (Good Brothers, Chris Bey and “Switchblade” Jay White) and Honor No More (Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Vincent and Kenny King) in which Bennett fell victim to the Magic Killer.

WWE – SMACKDOWN

There was a contract signing for the “I Quit” match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship between Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey which, like all contract signings ends in bedlam.

Pete Dunne, I mean Butch continues to lose his cool, this time after a loss to King Woods.

In leading up the tag title unification match at Backlash, Jey Uso loses to Riddle, which doesn’t sit well with Roman Reigns.

Angel Garza is another wrestler who loses his name and is just Angel, and not only loses his name, but he also loses to Madcap Moss, who looks like they are starting to give a push to, and to an eventual match against Corbin

Sami Zayn was about to face Drew in a Lumberjack match, but runs away. He doesn’t get too far when WWE official Adam Pierce announces that they will wrestle in a steel cage next week.

AEW – RAMPAGE

In an Owen Hart Foundation Tournament qualifying match Adam Cole defeated NJPW’s Tomohiro Ishii after some distraction from “Switchblade” Jay White.

Danhausen gets Hook’s attention, while Danhausen tries to pass as a vendor salesman

In the main event the 29-0 TBS Women’s Champion, Jade Cargill retained her championship in her hardest matchup to date when she defeated Marina Shafir to go to 30-0.

Will Marina get a rematch sooner rather than later? Who will be the one to humble the champion? Could Jade go undefeated in 2022?

The Great Eight Hits 50 Again

By: Mike Rifkin

In Wednesday’s loss to the Golden Knights, Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin scored twice giving him 50 on the season. It is the ninth time in Ovechkin’s career that he has reached the 50 goal mark, the only other two players in NHL history to have achieved this were Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. With Ovechkin hitting 50 he is now 114 goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s all time mark of 894 and 21 behind Gordie Howe. Outside of last season where he had 24 Ovechkin had hit the 30 goal mark since he came into the NHL in 2005-06 season. It is truly remarkable the season Ovechkin is having at age 36. If Ovechkin can stay healthy which he has for most of his career he will break Gretzky’s record but appreciate the greatness while it is still going strong. Ovechkin and his Capitals will be looking to capture their second Stanley Cup.

New Faces Shining Bright In Queens

By : Mike Rifkin

Currently the New York Mets own the best record in MLB at 9-3. Yesterday the Mets swept a doubleheader from the San Francisco Giants and a big reason why is the new guys they brought in during the offseason.

In game two of the doubleheader Max Scherzer made his Citi Field debut and it was as advertised. Scherzer, who signed a three year 130 million dollar contract, had a no-hitter into the sixth inning and wound up giving up one run in seven innings with 10 strikeouts. Scherzer is now 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA and has 23 strikeouts in 18 innings of work.

The Mets other big addition to the rotation Chris Bassitt will get the start tonight against San Francisco. Bassitt so far is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA and has 14 strikeouts in 12 innings. But the biggest thing about Scherzer and Bassitt is that they are talking to the other starting pitchers and showing them how to pitch. So far the rotation has been really good even though Jacob deGrom has not pitched yet.

The Mets offense also got revamped this offseason. Starling Marte was given the longest contract by the team this offseason at four years and 78 million dollars. Early on Marte is hitting .239 with two home runs and 10 RBI. Marte does have a .300 on base percentage, .391 slugging percentage, and .691 OPS. Marte gives the Mets the element of speed as he already has three stolen bases and if you watch the first inning of game one yesterday he manufactures the Mets first run by hitting a single, stealing second, advancing to third on a bad throw and scoring on a wild pitch. The Mets haven’t had that element at the top of the lineup since Jose Reyes. Marte also has played a good right field. Eduardo Escobar signed a two year 20 million dollar contract to play third base. Escobar who had a key two run double in the game two victory yesterday is hitting .289 and has 4 RBI. Escobar has .438 on base percentage, .500 slugging percentage and a .938 OPS. Escobar has already drawn 10 walks in 11 games played, his career high for walks is 50. Mark Canha who is currently on the Covid list was off to a good start as well. Canha is hitting .381 with three RBI and has .500 On base percentage, .381 slugging percentage, and .881 OPS. The Mets offense has come up big with two outs and runners in scoring position posting a slash line of .362/.474/.575. The offense also leads the league in stolen bases on base percentage and tied with the Dodgers in runs scored.

But the biggest addition the Mets made this offseason was manager Buck Showalter. Showalter leads by example every time a Met player has been hit by a pitch (feels like one per game) Buck is on the top step of the dugout ready to go. Buck has been around the game a long time and is very smart just watch the play on Sunday having JD Davis steal second base on an appeal play.

I know we are only 12 games into the season and a lot can happen between now and October but the Mets look really good and a big reason why are the new additions that they made during the offseason.

Players To Watch/Under Pressure Eastern Conference Teams

By: Mike Rifkin

As we enter the final two weeks of the NHL regular season we know the eight teams in the Eastern Conference. We do not know who will be playing who (Preview will be up before the playoffs begin) but here are players who need to have a good playoffs for their team to make a run during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Metropolitan

Hurricanes : Frederik Andersen : The Hurricanes signed Andersen to a one year contract and Andersen has rewarded them with a tremendous season. Andersen is top ten in wins, goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. With the Leafs Andersen never made it out of the first round and he at times was criticized whether right or wrong for not coming up with a key save. This year there are no excuses. This is a very good and deep Hurricanes team and they need their goalie who has had a Vezina finalist season to be very good. If Andersen has a good playoff run two things could happen first could get a massive payday this offseason and two the notion of what happened in Toronto will no longer be addressed. Note Andersen is week to week with a lower body injury.

Rangers : Alexis Lafreniere : I could go with a number of players here as there are many Rangers who have not played in a playoff series. The Rangers additions of Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano have solidified the top two lines. If Lafreniere, who has really had a nice second season can give the Rangers a third line that can also produce offensively the Rangers can be a tough out.

Penguins : Rickard Rakell : The Pittsburgh Penguins have not won a playoff series since 2018. Rakell was acquired at the trade deadline to boost the Penguins offense and since being acquired he has three goals and 10 points in 14 games played. Rakell in the playoffs has 11 goals and 19 points in 46 games.

Capitals : Ilya Samsonov/ Vitek Vanecek: Good goaltending is very important in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The duo of Samsonov and Vanecek in DC has been inconsistent to say the least. Samsonov is 23-10-4 with a 2.97 goals against average and an .898 save percentage. Vanecek is 19-11-5 with a 2.67 goals against average and .909 save percentage and both goalies have produced three shutouts. Samsonov in last year’s playoffs went 0-3-0 with a 2.99 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. This could be a real prove it moment for both goalies, if they struggle expect GM Brian MacLellan to address goaltending this offseason.

Atlantic

Panthers : Sergei Bobrovsky : I don’t believe there is a player under more pressure this playoff than Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky so far this season has a record of 33-6-3 with a 2.64 goals against average a.914 save percentage and three shutouts. Bobrovsky, a two time Vezina Trophy winner has struggled in the playoffs with a 13-23 record, 3.24 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. In his two playoffs with the Panthers Bobrovsky has a 2-5 record 3.80 goals against average and .880 save percentage. With Spencer Knight ready to take over the net it is very important for Bob to have a good playoff run not only for himself but because the Panthers are good enough to win the Stanley Cup.

Maple Leafs : John Taveras : Bobrovsky might be the player feeling the most heat, but one of the teams feeling the pressure has to be the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto has not won a playoff series since 2004 and in the process have blown multiple 3-1 series leads. Since signing with the Leafs, Taveras has four goals and eight points. Last year in the playoffs Taveras got hurt. If the Leafs lose in the first round again there will be some changes.

Lightning : Alex Killorn : The real X-factor for the two time defending Stanley Cup Champions is fatigue, they have played a lot of hockey over the past year and a half. But if I am picking a player it’s Killorn who in the two cup runs has 13 goals and 27 points and in his playoff career has 34 goals and 68 points. As skillful as the Lightning are, you need to get to the dirty areas of the ice and Killorn does it as well as anybody.

Bruins : Erik Haula : When David Krejci returned to the Czech Republic the Bruins didn’t know what to do at their second line center. They tried a lot of different players there and eventually Erik Haula stepped up. Haula has 15 goals and 39 points this season. Haula in his playoff career has 11 goals and 27 points in 54 games played.

Now there are others who are going to have to step up in order for their team to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but these are definitely eight players to keep an eye on once the playoffs begin.