The Sports Insanity Network

TWIW – This Week In Wrestling VII

By Jeff Knapp

Before anything, I’d love to take this moment to congratulate WWE wrestler Mustafa Ali on the birth of his and his wife’s brand-new baby girl Dua. Those of us who are fathers, know how lucky we are. Much love to Mustafa and his family

Now onto the wrestling….

IMPACT – TURNING POINT PPV

FinJuice vs Rohit Raju & Raj Singh – FinJuice pick up the pinfall victory

IMPACT Digital Media Championship: Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green – Jordynne Grace gets the 1-2-3

Chris Sabin vs Ace Austin – Sabin gets the pinfall victory

Violent By Design vs Heath & Rhino – VBD get the pinfall

Rich Swann vs VSK – Swann gets the 1-2-3

W. Morrisey vs Matt Cardona – Morrisey picks up the pinfall

IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championships: The IInspiration vs Decay – Inspiration get the pinfall

IMPACT X-Division Championship: Trey Miguel vs Laredo Kid vs Steve Maclin – Miguel get the pinfall over Laredo Kid

IMPACT Knockouts Championship: Mickie James vs Mercedes – Mickie Retains the championship after a pinfall victory

IMPACT Tag Team Championships: The Good Brothers vs Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Hikuleo) – The Good Brothers retain after a Magic Killer

IMPACT World Championship Full Metal Mayhem Match: Moose vs Eddie Edwards – Moose gets a hard-fought pinfall victory over EE. Excellent match

WWE – SURVIVOR SERIES

IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. US Champion Damian Priest – Nakamura wins via DQ when Priest uses a guitar

Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair – Becky pics up the pinfall victory with the help of the ropes

Team Raw (Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens & Austin Theory) vs. Team SmackDown (Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin & Sheamus) – Seth Rollins is the lone survivor giving Raw the victory

Vince McMahon brings a golden egg worth $100,000,000 to the show but is later stolen

25 Man Battle Royal – Omos wins, but his pizza party is ruined

Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro – Randy with an RKO out of nowhere on one of the Uso for the 1-2-3

Team Raw (Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella & Queen Zelina Vega) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi Blackheart, Natalya & Toni Storm) – Bianca is the lone survivor giving Smackdown the victory

Main Event: WWE Champion Big E. vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns – After connecting with a spear, Roman picks up the clean pinfall victory

WWE – Raw

Vince arrives and say that whoever brings him the egg will earn a WWE championship shot tonight against Big E.

Riddle Orton (he dressed like Randy) w/ Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode – Riddle Connects with Randy’s RKO for the pinfall, then after the match, Orton hit’s Riddle’s Bro-Derek on Roode

Bianca Belair vs Tamina w/ Natalya – Bianca hit the KOD for the 1-2-3

Seth Rollins vs Finn Bálor – Rollins get the pinfall after connecting with the curb stomp

After the match Rollins is assaulted by a “fan” These people who do this now are not fans and neither was this person. I’m not going to go into what caused him to attack Rollins, but I’m sure he wasn’t playing with all 52 cards. I’d love to see how this would have been handled by the wrestlers of the 70s and 80s. I know Jim Cornette talks about the riots they would cause in the days, but the police were there and the boys would have handled things that would have never made the news. As far as recently goes, I could only guess what a man like New Jack would have done. RIP

Sami Zayn informs Vince that he knows who has the egg and will bring him to Vince

The Street Profits vs AJ Styles & Omos – Styles and Omos get the DQ victory after Dawkins uses a fire extinguisher

Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Super Brutality vs Queen Vega & Carmella – Zelina pins Nikki ASH with a code red. Zelina and Carmella are you NEW WWE Women’s tag team champions

Backstage Zayn brings Vince the thief. It was Austin Theory. Theory informs Vince he just wanted to take a selfie with it. Vince says he admires his honesty and gives him the championship match instead of Sami. When asked why, Vince says that nobody likes a snitch.

24/7 Championship Match: Reggie vs Cedric Alexander – Cedric connects with his lumbar check back breaker for the victory to become the new 24/7 Champion, but this brings out everybody from the back, but Dana Brooke is the 1^st one there and pins Cedric and becomes the new 24/7 Champion

2-on-1 Handicap Match: The Mysterios vs Bobby Lashley w/ MVP – Bobby locks in the Hurt Lock on Dominik for the submission

United States Open Challenge – United States Championship Match: Damian Priest vs Sami Zayn – Priest connects with the Reckoning (or South of Heaven – not sure what they’re calling it, but as a Slayer fan I prefer South of Heaven)

WWE Championship Main Event Match: Big E vs Austin Theory – Rollins and Owens get involved, thus distracting the ref, but Big E still hits Theory with the Big Ending for the 1-2-3

NXT

Non-Title Match: NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs Grayson Waller – Ciampa hits the Fairy Tale Ending for the pinfall victory

We find out that Cameron Grimes will face Duke Hudson in a Hair vs Hair match at War Games – With Vince involved more now, I’m sure Grimes will see his air get cut win, lose or draw

Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs Persia Pirotta & Indi Hartwell-Lumis – Kacy picks up the pinfall victory over a distracted Indi

We next find out that there will be a triple threat match at War games for the NXT Tag Team Championships (Wilde & Mendoza vs Kyle O’ Reilly & Von Wagner vs Imperium)

Non-Title Match: NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose vs Cora Jade – Kay Lee Ray comes down and causes a distraction, which in turn helps Cora with a victory over Mandy Rose

We now find out that Kay Lee Ray will join Cora Jade, Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez as the 4^th member in War Games against Fatal Attraction and Dakota Kai

Briggs & Jensen vs the Grizzled Young Veterans – Briggs pick up the pinfall

North American Championship Triple Threat Main Event Match: Carmelo Hayes vs Johnny Gargano vs Pete Dunne – Dunne hits the Bitter End butTony D’Angelo runs down to the ring and drags Dunne out, beating him at ringside, allowing Hayes to hit Gargano with a top-rope leg drop and pick up the win.

After the match Hayes, Williams, Grayson Waller and D’Angelo beat down Gargano and Dunne until Tommaso Ciampa hits the ring, chair in hand. LA helps clear the ring. Bron Breakker comes out, gets on a mic and yells “WarGames!” So, at War Games it will be Bron Breaker, Carmello Hayes, Grayson Waller, and Tony D’Angelo vs Tommaso Ciampa, LA Knight, Johnny Gargano & Pete Dunne

NWA – POWRRR

Nick Aldis vs. Chris Adonis – Aldis picks up the submission victory via the The Kings Lynn Cloverleaf

Thomas Latimer w/Kamille vs. Jaden Roller – Latimer connects with the piledriver for the 1-2-3

Taryn Terrell vs. Kenzie Paige In A Social Distance Match (both wear masks) – Paige wins via count out when Terrell blinds Paige with the hand sanitizer, then Paige removes her mask. Paige runs after Terrell. Terrell hides behind the podium and gets intentionally counted out.

JTG & Colby Corino vs. The Rude Dudes – JTG connects with The Brooklyn’s Edge to pick up the pinfall victory

Trevor Murdoch & Crimson vs. Jax Dane & Jeremiah Plunkett – Murdoch hits the Flying Bulldog for the 1-2-3 on Plunkett

We now have an updated card for NWA Hard Times 2

Mickie James vs. TBD

Colby Corino vs. Douglas Williams

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament Qualifying Match: Austin Aries vs. Rhett

ROH World Tag Team Championship :The OGK (c) vs. Aron Stevens & JR Kratos

NWA World Women’s Tag Team Championship: The Hex (c) vs. Kylie Rae & Tootie Lynn vs. Lady Frost & Natalia Markova

The NWA National Championship: Chris Adonis (c) vs. Judais w/Father James Mitchell

NWA World Women’s Championship: Kamille (c) vs. Melina

NWA World Tag Team Championship: La Rebellion (c) vs. The End

NWA Worlds Television Championship: Tyrus (c) w/Austin Idol vs. Cyon (No DQ) The Pope Will Be Serving As The Special Guest Referee

Nick Aldis vs. Thomas Latimer. If Either Man Is Disqualified, They Will Be Suspended For 8 Weeks

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship: Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. Mike Knox

AEW – DYNAMITE

CM Punk & MJF start things off with one of the most entertaining promos I’ve heard recently. You’ll never get this on other shows and I’d love to hear it though. MJF calls Punk PG Punk and Punky Brewster. Saying that he’s always #2 behind him, the you can’t see me man and the king of kings. As PG Punk he might as well preach hustle, loyalty and respect. Punk stats MJF isn’t revolutionary, and he’s just a less famous Miz. The crowd popped huge for that. He also states that MJF will never be the man around here because there isn’t enough time for Tony Khan to have a daughter for him to marry (a shot at HHH). This was amazing, I’d suggest looking it up on youtube while you can)

CM Punk vs. QT Marshall – Punk hits the GTS for the pin fall victory

The Gunn Club vs. Bear Country – after some interference from Austin Gunn, we see The Gunn Club pick up the win via pinfall.

After a few weeks of Taz trying to get Dante Martin to join Team Taz, Dante finally decides and leaves Lio Rush

TBS Women’s Championship Quarterfinals: Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa – Thunder Rosa gets the 1-2-3 and advances in the tournament

Colt Cabana vs. Bryan Danielson – Bryan Danielson gets the submission victory via the LeBelle Lock

Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo & FTR vs. Cody Rhodes, PAC & Lucha Brothers – PAC climbs to the top but Malakai sprays the black mist in his eyes. This blinds him as he stumbles off the ropes. Andrade hits his finisher on him gets the pin fall victory

IMPACT

Wrestle House II: James Mitchell is the narrator, first HE recaps Wrestle House 1, which ended with the engagement of Rosemary and John E. Bravo, which would later on lead to the attempted murder of Bravo at the hands of Lawrence D, which in itself would lead to the rise and fall of Swinger’s Palace.

In Wrestle House II, there is Black Taurus, Crazzy Steve, Havok, and Rosemary from Decay. Johnny Swinger, Hernandez, Alisha Edwards, the Swingerellas from Swinger’s Palace, Madison Rayne, Kaleb, Chris Sabin, and John E. Bravo. Sabin is the sexy hunk of the house. Decay kept them all hostage until they made Swinger be happy and thankful, since Decay will gain Bravo’s virgin blood.

Kaleb tried to recruit Riley of the Swingerellas as a reality TV star, but when he noticed that she only had eyes for Sabin, so Kaleb challenged him to a match.

Chris Sabin vs Kaleb – Sabin hits the Cradle Shock for the pinfall victory

Downtown Daddy Brown (Willie Mack) vs Johnny Swinger – Mack with the 1-2-3

After the match, everyone was transported back to the house but when they got back Alisha accidentally revealed to Swinger why they were in the house. Swinger got very angry and told everyone that now he was going to keep them all imprisoned in the house because he was never going to be happy, on purpose.

On the fourth day, after some arguing, the house divided itself between the ones who wanted to leave and the ones that wanted to help Swinger. Rayne asked for a 5-on-5 match and if they win, they will get sent back. Alisha asked that the 5th person on her team was Eddie Edwards.

Decay (Rosemary, Havok, Black Taurus, & Crazzy Steve) & Chris Sabin vs The Influence (Madison Rayne & Kaleb), Eddie Edwards, Alisha Edwards, & Hernandez – Rosemary speared Alisha for the win.

Madison Rayne brought in Swinger to Locker Room Talk to have him meet Swinger’s hero, Gene Simmons. It was actually The Demon, but Swinger wasn’t smarted up about it. The Demon told Swinger about finding love and never letting go once he did. Swinger was now motivated and asked Swingerella #1 out, but since Lawrence D was still there, he got jealous, so Swinger challenged him to a match for the love of Swingerella #1.

Johnny Swinger vs Lawrence D – Swinger picked up the pinfall

After the match, Swinger proposed to Swingerella #1, but Rosemary said that no one was leaving until they went to the altar.

The next day, Alisha Edwards was worried that Eddie was going to ruin the wedding. Swinger asked Hernandez to be his best man, which he accepted, but he then talked to Alisha about being worried that there was something else going on.

Hernandez found out that Rosemary was trying to steal Bravo’s soul, but when he tried to stop them, Rosemary transported him to a match with Black Taurus. Decay surrounded Hernandez.

Black Taurus (with Decay) vs Hernandez – Decay distracted Hernandez and allowed Taurus to take out his leg and rolled him up for 1-2-3

Santa Claus showed up. They try like the devil to entertain us…good or bad

WWE – Smackdown

The night starts out with Kayla Braxton in the ring with The Bloodline & Paul Heyman. She mentions the rumor that Brock Lesnar may have suspension lifted. The angers Heyman who asks her for proof and annoys Roman Reigns.

Jeff Hardy and Drew McIntyre vs Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss – McIntyre nails Moss with a Claymore, tags in Hardy who nails a Swanton Bomb for the pinfall win

Ridge Holland w/ Sheamus vs Cesaro – Cesaro get the roll up pinfall victory. Ridge loses his debut match on Smackdown after being called up from NXT

Thanksgiving Leftovers Throwdown Match: Rick Boogs w/ Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs Angel w/ Humberto – Angel nails Boogs with a Superkick followed by his Wing Clipper finisher to pick up the win.

Charlotte Flair is interviewed but is interrupted by the marvelous Toni Storm. In classic wwe form, Toni gets a pie in the face, but it seems like Toni could be Charlotte’s next opponent.

Naomi & Sasha Banks vs Natalya & Shayna Baszler – Naomi hits Natalya with a jaw breaker and then rolls her up for the win.

Black Friday Battle Royal Number One Contender’s Main Event Match – Sami Zayn eliminates Jeff Hardy to win the battle royal and is the number 1 contender. Backstage, Reigns is shown laughing

After the match Kayla Braxton interviews Zayn but quickly cuts to the bigger breaking news–the suspension has been lifted and Brock Lesnar will be at SmackDown next week. Roman is shown once again in the back giving Paul Heyman the death look

AEW – RAMPAGE

Adam Cole & Bobby Fish vs. Orange Cassidy & Wheeler Yuta – Bobby connects with a top rope falcon arrow on Yuta for the 1-2-3

Former WWE 205 member Tony Nese is backstage. He informs Tony Schivone that he’s in AEW to answer the open challenge for the TNT Championship. When he wrestles Sammy Guevara next week on Dynamite, that should be one amazing match

Black Friday Deal Match: Riho vs. Britt Baker – Riho wins with a roll up and now has a shot at the AEW Women’s World ChampionshipDaniel Garcia vs. Eddie Kingston – Kingston nails Garcia with a Saito suplex then connects with a spinning back-fist for the pin fall victory

The Lighting may have left NY.

But, The Sun shined through like a beacon pointing to CITI FIELD.

So with December 2nd is rapidly approaching, and teams are scrambling to sign free agents before a possible work stoppage could happen. Two weeks ago, the Mets believed that their qualifying offer to Noah Syndergaard would be enough to retain the fireballer but, Mets fans were surprised when he signed at 1 year deal with the angels for $21 million. This was a slap in the face to the organization that didn’t give up on him when he needed Tommy John surgery. He had only pitched 2 innings since that, and he decided to leave. Last weekend it looked as if the Mets were the top contender to bring back Steven Matz, and as it looked, the contract was going to be signed, and at the last minute, he went elsewhere. Again another slap in the face to the Mets Organization. However, Mets fans Eppler, Sandy, and Steve were getting ready to open the flood gates unbeknown to us.

Steve Cohen had enough and told Eppler and Sandy to do whatever it takes to bring in a winning team. On November 26th of this year, Mets fans across the world were given three presents by Eppler and the organization.

First was the signing of Eduardo Escobar. He had played with the Diamondbacks and was traded to the Brewers, where he hit .253 with 28 home runs. He can play second or third and has had a handful of games at first base. The ball explodes off his bat, and he can hit to either side of the diamond. His deal is 2 years for a total of $20 million with a club option for a third.
The second gift was the signing of Ketel Marte. He is an explosive outfielder with tremendous speed {something the Mets have been lacking} a powerful bat. He hit .310 last year, and for his career, he is .300 hitter. He is a center fielder by trade, and he will be roaming it for the next 4 years. His deal is 4 years for $78 million and worth every penny.
The third gift I said would be a Met is outfielder Mark Canha who can play all three positions in the outfield and some first base giving them some versatility. His batting average is not the best, as he hit .231 last year but, his play on defense is superb, and he is a good fit in NY.

Now I know what some Mets fans and sportswriters are thinking. What are the Mets going to do with Brandon Nimmo and Dom Smith? As of now, Center and Left Field are penciled in. Nimmo has played right field before and can still fit there. We need him at the top of the lineup as he is a great leadoff hitter and gets on base. As for Dom Smith, he has been a fan loved player but room for him is dimishing. I feel it might be time to trade him and get some prospects for him.

The next issue that needs to be resolved is the starting rotation. As of right now, DeGrom is #1 {as long as he recovered from injury} Carlos Corasco at #2 and Megil #3. This is not going to do it. There are many names out there, and the most intriguing is Max Scherzer. I know that Max wants to stay on the west coast, but he wants to win another championship. It will cost a lot to ring him to NY. I am thinking of a 2year deal $80 million with a club option for 3rd, making it a possible $120 million. Also, you can expect the Mets to get in touch with Kershaw’s agent and Rondon and Gray’s agents.

I will address this next person quickly cause I feel it in my gut that he will be back with the Mets, Javy Baez. Many teams are courting him, and the feeling most teams are getting is he wants anywhere 7-8 years and $225 Million. That’s a lot of money, but I say he’s more than worth it.

The Bullpen needs help as well, and there are many names. The Mets have to see who is going to come back from arbitration. There are a plethora of names that would fit this team. I like A.J. Cole, and Jacob Junis are the two whom I would love to join, but there are plenty of others that fit the bill, and we will see what direction we head to after December 2nd. This will be one of the more exciting free agencies in a while; if everything gets done quickly and with no problems with a work stoppage or CBA being held up, the fans are in for a real treat, and That Is How The Old Man Sees It.

Cowboys drop two games they should have won

Record 7-4

Over the last two weeks, the Dallas Cowboys played two games they should have won. One easily and the other we knew would be a challenge. Coming off a monstrous game against Atlanta, it looked like Dallas was primed for another long win streak, but that was foiled by the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Let’s first dive into the Kansas game, and stats are not something to discuss because both sides didn’t put up any real numbers that mattered. The Kansas City defense was one of the worst defenses in football, sitting at the league’s bottom three. Dallas, coming off a shellacking handed to the Falcons, the Cowboys were riding high, hoping to keep the trend going. That trend ended and not a blowout by any means, but the offense during this game couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. Zeke got injured on the third play; you had no Cooper or Tyron Smith but, that’s not the reason they lost. The Chief’s defense played like a top-tier defense and stopped the most potent offense. I am not saying the Cowboys underestimated them, but Dallas could get the ball down the field. The Dallas defense showed up and held Mahomes to no touchdowns. That is an accomplishment in his self, and any coach could tell you that. One man doesn’t make the team, and even though Mahomes is the captain when you have a potent offense like the chiefs do, points will be scored one way or another. However, they still put up points on Dallas turnovers, and that was what cost Dallas that game. This game they should have won by 9

Moving on to Thanksgiving, this is a game Dallas needed to get back on track. Now Dallas was sitting 7-3 and needed a game where they could show the league and the fans themselves that Dallas is still the team to believe. The Raiders came in and moved the ball from the first drive, and scored. Deshawn Jackson, whom I can’t stand, caught a pass down the sideline for a 56-yard score in the opening quarter. We all know that Jackson has been a thorn in Dallas’s side for many years and pretty much the NFC East. In the first few drives, the Dallas defense looked like they did against Denver by allowing long runs and completing many third downs that should have been stopped.

Dallas got off to a prolonged start but began waking up be the second quarter. All night I had to listen to haters saying Dak is overrated and his bad decisions lead to their loss. I hate to use foul language in a blog but BULLSHIT. Prescot threw for 373 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. I can think of 10 quarterbacks who would kill to be able to games like this. Since Dallas was behind, they passed the ball more, and everyone handled a catch. Zeke and Tony couldn’t get it done on the offense, but Tony Pollard ran a kickoff back for 98 yards and a touchdown on special teams. Pollard has become a mainstay in Dallas, and I am sure they will be locking him up soon enough to a long contract. Dallas was missing two of their prime weapons. Cee Dee Lamb {Concussion} and Amari Cooper [Covid} were missed from this game, and that is like missing Mike Trout and Aaron Judge from their respected teams in a day. Cedrick Wilson, Michael Gallup, and Dalton Schultz had good games with Gallup and Wilson, eclipsing the 100-yard mark. Dalton Schultz had a quiet day but did score another touchdown. In the end, Dallas lost in OT 36-33.

This game was longer than most because the F****** refs threw more yellow on the field during this game than any game that was held this season. The penalties were not just called on the Cowboys but, on the Raiders, as well. It seemed every other play there was a flag. Now some penalties were deserved, but Dallas got flagged for 6 Pass Interference penalties 4 at the hands of Anthony Brown {which were inexcusable} which led to 14 points. However, there were so many phantom calls on Dallas that you would think something was amiss. On the Raiders side, a few Pass Interference plays should have been called that weren’t especially two around the goal line late in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders were flagged for so many holding calls. Some were warranted, and others were not even close. I think both teams were cheated in this game. At the sound of the final gun, Dallas lost to the Raiders 36-33 in OT.

Dallas has a nice long ten-day break to get Cee Dee Lamb and Amari Cooper back on the field. The O-line needs a break, and they will get it; Zeke needs to heal up, and the big news is that Randy Gregory and Demarcus “Tank” Lawrence should return for their next match that will be against a New Orleans Saints team that at times has shown some real flash. Dallas needs all its weapons ready and at full health because with Philly and Washington on a small winning streak, they can climb right back into the race, and we pretty much can say the Giants are definitely out of contention.

Feast Or Famine For Harbaugh

By: Mike Rifkin

Thanksgiving means spending time with family and college football rivalry games. The best rivalry in college football and one of the best in all of sports, is Michigan vs Ohio State. This game also looms large in the College Football Playoffs. The latest rankings has Ohio State in the playoff at number two in the country while Michigan is on the outside at number five.

After successful runs at San Diego University and Stanford Harbaugh went to the NFL to coach the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh went 44-19-1 in four seasons with the 49ers and took them to a Super Bowl where they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens and his brother John. In December of 2015 Harbaugh signed a seven year deal worth 52.1 million dollars to become the coach of his alma mater the University of Michigan. In January of this year Harbaugh signed a four year extension at a lower salary.

Harbaugh’s record at Michigan is 59-23 but that doesn’t matter. What matters is how you play against rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. Harbaugh is 3-9 against the Spartans and Buckeyes combined. All 3 of those wins are against Michigan State Harbaugh has never defeated Ohio State.

In order for Michigan to win this game their defensive backs have to play good coverage against the Ohio State receivers Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Olave and Wilson both should have been nominated for the Biletnikoff award for best receiver in the country and both will be first round picks in the NFL draft in April. But if the Michigan defensive backs do their job it allows Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo who have combined for 19.5 sacks to get pressure on CJ Stroud. Michigan needs quarterback Cade Mcnamara to make some plays through the air, Erick All, Mike Sanistril, Cornelius Johnson and company need to help their quarterback out. The third key is to avoid the big mistake every year in these games it feels there is one play that Michigan never recovers from and it enables the Buckeyes to pull away.

This is the best rivalry in college football. With a spot in the Big Ten title game and potentially a shot in the College Football Playoffs on the line it is time for Jim Harbaugh to earn his money.

The Genius Is Back

By: Mike Rifkin

For two decades the New England Patriots ran the NFL winning six Super Bowls. Which led to this question: were the Patriots this good because of quarterback Tom Brady or coach Bill Bellichick? Last season Brady hoisted the Lombardi trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while Bellichick and the Patriots were at home watching the playoffs after a 7-9 record. Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2021 and the New England Patriots are back in first place in the AFC East and a true Super Bowl contender thanks to their head coach.

Let’s start with Bill’s bread and butter which is the defense. The Patriots defense ranks third in yards allowed, seventh in sacks and tied for fifth in the NFL with a +6 turnover differential. Last season the Patriots were middle of the pack in yards allowed, had a +3 turnover differential and were 27th in sacks, so what changed? Bill Bellichick did something people aren’t used to, he was aggressive in free agency. The big fish was signing Matthew Judon from the Baltimore Ravens to a four year 56 million $ contract. That has paid off this season as Judon has 10.5 sacks on the season which is tied for third in the NFL. They also brought back edge rusher Kyle Van Noy who was cut by the Miami Dolphins. Van Noy signed a two year 13.2 million $ contract to go back to New England. He has 4 sacks on the season but provides a nice combination with Judon. Dont’a Hightower returned to the Patriots after opting out of the 2020 season. He has 41 tackles and half a sack but his presence alone helps this defense. They traded All Pro Cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers earlier this season, the play of J.C. Jackson made that possible; he has six interceptions on the season which is second in the NFL.

One of the biggest issues the Patriots had last year was they didn’t have great weapons on offense. They are averaging a touchdown more a game than they did last season. Let’s start with the Mac attack, rookie quarterback Mac Jones who has played the best of all the rookies so far has a 70.2 completion percentage with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Jones averages 236 yards passing per game. Bill spent a lot of money providing offensive firepower for his rookie quarterback. Kendrick Bourne who came over from the 49ers signed a three year 22.5 million dollar contract has 37 catches with a team high 562 yards and 3 touchdowns. Nelson Agoholor signed a 2 year 24 million dollar contract. He has 29 receptions for 396 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith who came over from the Chargers and Titans respectively signed lucrative contracts. Henry signed a 3 year 37.5 million dollar contract. On the season he has 33 catches, 378 yards and 7 touchdowns. Smith signed a 4 year 50 million dollar contract. He has 22 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown. Having these two tight ends is something the Patriots hadn’t had since Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

The Patriots have won five consecutive games leading them to a record of 7-4. The rest of their schedule includes both meetings with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and this week a showdown with the Tennessee Titans. One thing is for sure no team in the AFC wants to go play the Patriots in the playoffs. Yes they missed the playoffs in 2020 and watched their old quarterback hoist the Lombardi trophy but now the Patriots are back and it has to do with their head coach who is in the conversation for both coach and General Manager of the year.

These Two NFC Teams Can Learn From The Lions

By Mike Rifkin

This past offseason the Detroit Lions decided it was time to move on from franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford and traded him to the Rams for Jared Goff and two first round picks. While the Lions remain winless this season the trade of Stafford was a sign that the team was ready for a rebuild. After watching these two teams who played against Super Bowl contenders on Sunday I think they should take a similar approach to what the Lions did this offseason. They would be the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.

Let’s start with the Falcons who got shut out on Thursday night 25-0 following a performance in which they got decimated by the Dallas Cowboys 43-3. The Falcons sit with a record of 4-6 and are considered in the hunt for an NFC Wild Card. Even though Matt Ryan can still play at a high level so far this season Ryan has completed 67.7 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns, 8 interceptions with a rating of 93.1. In his career Ryan has a 65.5 completion percentage 58,041 yards, 362 touchdowns and a 94.4 rating. The Falcons have not been the same team since they blew the 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl. The Falcons bypassed an opportunity to take Matt Ryan’s successor in the Draft this past April instead taking Tight End Kyle Pits out of Florida. This would be a hard decision for first year General Manager Terry Fontenot. But I think it would be a smart one because of how tough the NFC is. Also with Matt Ryan playing at a high level like Stafford in Detroit Ryan can net the Falcons draft capital and that doesn’t mean they’re punting on the future. They can sign or trade for a guy who can help in 2022 while searching for the next franchise guy. Hypothetically these teams could have interest in Ryan are the Steelers and the Washington Football Team.

Now the Seattle Seahawks who welcomed Russell Wilson back after his finger injury to be shut out for the first time since Wilson became quarterback. The Seahawks lost 17-0 to the Green Bay Packers giving them a record of 3-6. We heard the offseason rumors that Wilson wanted out of Seattle and the Seahawks didn’t budge on it. Now they have to pull the trigger this offseason because as I said on the Falcons you have to evaluate the entire NFC but in this case let’s talk NFC West which is arguably the best division in the NFL. The 49ers and Cardinals both have young quarterbacks who they believe are their future with Trey Lance and Kyler Murray respectively. The Rams have gone all in on 2021 and 22 with Matthew Stafford. When Seattle went to the two Super Bowls people talked about the Legion of Boom secondary with Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, and Brandon Browner. But two important parts of that defense were Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett. Through 10 weeks the Seahawks are 29th in the NFL with 15 sacks. The reason Seattle should move on is to get back the draft picks they lost when they acquired safety Jamal Adams from the Jets. Reportedly Russ would have gone to one of four teams during the offseason: the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders and Bears. The Cowboys paid Dak Prescott this past offseason, Bears drafted Justin Fields and he looks like the real deal. The Raiders have Derek Carr which could be a match. The Saints had been playing Jameis Winston before he tore his ACL a couple weeks ago. For the Saints to make it work they have to make it work financially. A couple other teams that make sense here would be the New York Giants ( 2 first round picks in 2022), Carolina Panthers a lot of their front office is from Seattle, and a team that may not wind up with Deshaun Watson or Aaron Rodgers. For Seattle they do have pieces with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Chris Carson when healthy on offense. But you can’t get them the ball with how bad their offensive line has played. They have given up 29 sacks in 10 games. Like Atlanta this doesn’t mean you punt on next year if you trade Wilson you can get a young quarterback to evaluate on your own or sign a quarterback while looking for your next franchise guy.

For Terry Fontenot and John Schneider this is all about evaluating for the future. Ryan and Wilson can still play at a high level so if there is a team that feels they are a quarterback from being a Super Bowl Contender then they should pull the trigger on a deal for one of these two. The Falcons and Seahawks have more pieces than the Lions but these two teams can actually learn from what the Lions did last offseason.

This Week in Wrestling V & VI

By Jeff Knapp

Week of 11/08/21– Recaps

***Before the recaps, I’d like to take this moment to say RIP to Judy Bagwell, the mother of former WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell. She was 78***

WWE – RAW

Eight-Man Tag Match: Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro and the Street Profits vs. the Dirty Dawgs and AJ Styles & Omos – Dolph Ziggler picks up the pinfall victory over Matt Riddle after a chokeslam from Omos.

Team Raw Survivor Series Qualifier Match: Dominik Mysterio w/ Rey vs. Bobby Lashley w/ MVP – Bobby Lashley wins via a Hurt Lock submission.

Non-Title Singles Match: WWE Champion Big E vs. Chad Gable w/ Otis – Big E picks up the victory after hitting the Big Ending, which then brings Otis to the ring to have a staredown, to what will possibly be a new feud for Big E.

24/7 Championship Match: Reggie(c) vs. Drake Maverick – Reggie retains and regains the 24/7 championship after it changes hands multiple times.

Drake Maverick wins the title from Reggie 1st, who loses it to Akira Tozawa, who is then pinned by Corey Graves, who then loses it to co announcer Byron Saxton, who then gets pinned by Drake Maverick, who then loses it to Reggie.

Number One Contender’s Fatal Five-Way Match: Queen Zelina vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan vs. Carmella vs. Bianca Belair – Liv Morgan picks up the pinfall victory on Zelina Vega after the EST of WWE hits the KOD on Vega.

Main Event Match: Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins – Seth wins via count-out when Big E mistakenly gets in the way of Owens. – After the match, KO snaps and attacks the WWE Champion, whipping him into the barricade and steel steps. Owens hits a pop-up Powerbomb from the ground to the apron, leaving the champion laid out.

NXT

Six-Woman Tag Match: Toxic Attraction vs. Io Shirai and Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro – Gigi Dolin connects with her finisher, The Uncaged on Kayden Carter, for the pinfall victory.

Kay Lee Ray (former nxt UK women’s champion) vs. Sarray – KLR picks up the pinfall victory after connecting with 2 KLR Bombs.

Joe Gacy vs. Boa – Gacy wins via DQ after Boa refuses to relinquish the rope break hold.

Jacket Time (Ikemen Jiro & Kushida) vs. The Creed Brothers – Julius connects with a one-armed bomb roll-up to pick up the win on Jiro

JACKET TIME !!! What a joke. It takes a lot of energy to keep what I want to write at a PG level, but it wasn’t for the faint of heart if you read my mind.

Cameron Grimes vs. Ru Feng – Grimes connects with his running stomp followed by a diving splash for the pinfall victory.

This sets up an in-ring confrontation between Grimes and Duke Hudson. Hudson is upset because Grimes took all his money in a poker game the week before. Maybe he would have had better luck at Swinger’s Palace over at Impact before they shut that down too.

Triple Threat Match: Solo Sikoa vs. LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller – Knight connects with a cutter on Solo, then Waller hits Knight with a springboard rolling cutter. Solo gets back to his feet, tosses Grayson out of the ring, and then hits a diving splash on Knight for the pinfall victory.

Elektra Lopez vs. Erika Yan – Lopez with the quick victory

COMING SOON….NXT TAKEOVER: WARGAMES

Non-Title Main Event Match: Pete Dune vs. North American Champion Carmelo Hayes w/ Trick Williams – Dunne picks up the pinfall victory after a distraction from Johnny Gargano.

AEW – DYNAMITE

Bryan Danielson vs. Rocky Romero w/ Orange Cassidy (It was announced Wednesday morning via Twitter that Best Friends are officially in the NJPW stable CHAOS) – Bryan Danielson picks up the submission victory after locking in the tequila sunrise (very close to a single leg Boston crab)

Six-Woman Tag Match: AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter & Rebel vs. Anna Jay, Tay Conti & Thunder Rosa – Tay Conti picks up the pinfall victory on Rebel after connecting with a DDT

Jungle Boy vs. Anthony Bowens w/ Max Caster – Winner by Submission, Jungle Boy. I don’t care what anybody says or thinks, but Platinum Max Caster’s raps always entertain me before the match.

Wheeler Yuta w/ Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy vs. Wardlow – Wardlow hits 4 powerbombs on Wheeler for the pinfall win

Matt Sydal & Lee Moriarty vs. Leo Rush & Dante Martin – Leo & Dante pick up the victory

Dax Harwood w/ Tully Blanchard vs. “the Bastard” PAC – PAC picks up the rings of Saturn submission victory.

Contract Signing/Main Event: Tony Khan, AEW Champion Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page at Full Gear on Saturday 11/13/2021

Omega talks to Page about how they were once friends and family. He says everything in AEW was meant for Page, but if it wasn’t for his failures and insecurities, he’d have it. “What a disappointment,” Omega says. He wants to shake Page’s hand one last time before they kill it at the PPV. They both shake hands. As Omega walks away, the cameraman then clocks Page with the camera… It’s Don Callis. Page is bleeding from the head. Omega then signs the contract in Page’s blood as the show ends.

IMPACT WRESTLING

# 1 contenders match for the Impact World Tag Team Championships: FinJuice vs. Bullet Club – Bey picks up the pinfall victory on Juice Robinson, making this version of the Bullet Club the #1 contenders to the Good Brother’s Impact Tag Team Championships

Minoru Suzuki vs. Kaleb with a K – Susuki wins….I can’t stand the Kaleb character. Just go away

The Undead Bridesmaids (Kimber Lee and Brandi Lauren) vs. Decay (Havok and Rosemary) – Decay gets the victory after they hit a neck-breaker and spear combo to finish off Lauren.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Madison Rayne –Mercedes connected with a jumping knee and followed by a schoolgirl for the pinfall victory.

Rohit Raju vs. Rocky Romero – Raju blocks a tornado DDT and hits a drive-by kick to pick up the pinfall victory over Romero.

Scott D’Amore announces that a four-way match next week’s show that will see Chelsea Green vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Jake Something vs. Matthew Rehwoldt, and the winner will be the #1 contender to the IMPACT Digital Media Championship

Impact World Championship #1 contenders match: Eddie Edwards vs. W. Morrissey vs. Matt Cardona – Eddie Edwards picks up the pinfall victory when he pinned Matt Cardona after connecting with his Boston Knee Party finisher.

WWE – SMACKDOWN

WWE Official Sonya Deville introduces the SmackDown Survivor Series Team, consisting of Shayna Baszler, Natalya, Aliyah, Shotzi Blackheart, and the team captain, Sasha Banks. We then go straight to our 1st match of the evening.

Sasha Banks, Naomi, & Aliyah vs. Natalya, Shotzi & Shayna Baszler – Aliyah picks up the pinfall victory on Natalya.

After the match, Sonya Deville informs Aliyah that she is no longer on Team Smackdown for Survivor Series…no explanation.

IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs vs. Los Lotharios (Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo) – Los Lotharios pick up the double team pinfall victory on Nakamura

NXT’s Von Wagner is apparently Adam Pierce’s bodyguard

Jeff Hardy vs. Sami Zayn (loser is off SS team smackdown) – Jeff Hardy hit the Swanton and picks up pinfall victory, and Sami is off team Smackdown

Xia Li debuts next week – I’ve seen her on Twitter, and she is so beautiful. The WWE will try to hide that like they do with Natalya.

We are given a tease that Sheamus will be returning soon and teaming with Ridge Holland.

Main Event: Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. “King” Xavier Woods – Woods connects with a top rope elbow drop, goes for the cover but is pulled off by the Usos, which leads to a DQ victory for King Woods. The Usos attack Woods after the match, take his crown, and present it to Roman.

AEW – RAMPAGE

It’s Friday, and you know what that means….the last show before Full Gear on Saturday.

Jungle Boy Jack Perry vs. Bobby Fish – Jungle Boy picks up the victory when he locks in a snare trap submission, and Bobby Fish passes out.

Adam Page issues a warning to the Young Bucks about getting involved in his match at Full Gear.

Jade Cargill vs. Santana Garrett – Jade Cargill picks up the pinfall victory

Dante Martin vs. Ariya Daivari – Dante connects with his double jump moonsault and gets the pinfall victory.

After the match, Dante gets an offer to join Team Taz

Main Event: Lumberjack Match- Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy – Pandemonium runs wild as both Best Friends and The Hardy group hit the ring. The Blade hits Cassidy with brass knuckles, and Matt covers for the victory.

Week of 11/15/21– Recent WWE/NXT Releases

Recently the WWE completed another round of “budget” cuts and released 18 wrestlers from Raw, Smackdown, NXT, and a few in development and non-assigned wrestlers like Harry Smith, aka Davey Boy Smith Jr.

The ones that stick out the most for me are Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax, Scarlett Bordeaux, Franky Monet (aka Taya Valkyrie), Oney Lorcan, Mia Yim, and B-Fab, who, although I wasn’t a fan of her in-ring work, she was just brought up to Smackdown the week before.

That brings the total to roughly 71 wrestlers released so far this year. While many have found new homes at Impact, AEW, and the NWA, some, including Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, and Buddy Murphy, for example, have not.

The cool thing to say is that Tony Khan will scoop up all these wrestlers and sign them to AEW, but let’s give Impact, NWA, NJPW, and possibly AAA a piece of the action.

Now I understand the WWE possibly has too many wrestlers on their rosters, which led to the downsizing. But have you taken a look at those who have recently been brought into NXT? The WWE has added just over 20 new faces to NXT in a short amount of time. Out of those 20 or so, I only enjoy watching a handful. I want to take this moment to say that I’m impressed with Bron Breakker (Ric Steiner’s son), Joe Gacy, The Creed Brothers, Carmelo Hayes, and Elektra Lopez. I’m hoping the others grow on me. I’ll give them time since I wasn’t a fan of Johnny Gargano or even Bayley at 1st either.

Sadly this will continue as long as Vince is around and also surrounds himself with Nick Khan and Kevin Dunn.

Just like everybody else, I was truly surprised by the releases of Kross, Lee, Nia Jax, and Scarlett. Kross was a monster champion in NXT and was recently brought up, with this horrible change to his gimmick that we will never know the reason behind. Keith Lee wasn’t the most charismatic wrestler in the world, but he was super athletic for a man his size and, just like Kross, will be a star wherever he goes.

I wish I had the money to start a promotion and just use the wrestlers that were released.

I’ll make my BOLD predictions on where we might see the above wrestlers end up. I’m sure indies like GCW, the revived XPW, and PWG will use these wrestlers, and other smaller promotions around the US like NEW Wrestling out the northeast will try to book them. I’d like to include ROH, but we’ll see what happens:

Keith Lee – NJPW as part of their Strong shows in the US, unless he can get a visa to work in Japan or MLW

Karrion / Killer Kross – I think Impact is out since I believe he had a falling out with them, so I’m saying either AAA or AEW. Scarlett goes where he goes.

Nia Jax – I can see her going to Impact Wrestling and possibly having a great feud with Havok before moving onto the Impact Women’s championship.

Taya Valkyrie – If she doesn’t go to AAA after this, I fully expect her to head back to Impact. I could have seen her going to ROH if they weren’t going on Hiatus.

Oney Lorcan – I’d love to see him in Impact and have a great series with Josh Alexander. If not, then you might see him in the NWA, MLW, or some of the high-end indies.

Mia Yim – She had a less than stellar run in Impact, so maybe she heads back there to correct the wrongs that creativity and lack of experience gave to her. I can also see her adding to the small women’s division in the NWA.

I know many people say that everybody under the sun who has been released should go to AEW. I love AEW, but #1, that’s insulting to Impact, NWA, NJPW, and MLW. I’d add ROH into that mix if I knew their status.

As of this writing, Bronson Reed, who was released from NXT during their last batch of releases, has signed with NJPW and will be known as Jonah. He will be working on their American program, STRONG. Along with another WWE-released wrestler Buddy Murphy, who goes by Buddy Matthews, he debuted for NJPW on November 13th at the Battle in the Valley Show.

The Lighting is Leaving The NY Mets

Noah Syndergaard heads to Angels

By Mark Halpern

The New York Mets fans got some bad news this morning: All-Star pitcher Noah “Thor” Syndergaard has decided not to sign with the Mets and instead decided to sign with the Angels. It’s a one-year $21 million contract with no options. So yes, like many players in the NFL, this season will be a showcase for him to earn him a more significant deal, so a return to the Mets won’t be but of the conversation if he indeed has a great return.

Noah Syndergaard came to the Mets organization via a trade with the Blue Jays, which involved star pitcher R.A. Dickey. He was lighting on the mound from the moment he got with the organization till he made his first major league start. With his long blond hair, he resembled the Marvel superhero Thor. That is how he got his nickname, and it fit because when the ball left his hand, you could see the lighting trail flow from the ball. His career with the Mets has been a good one. He pitched his way to a 47-31 record in 121 games with a career ERA of 3.32, 777 strikeouts, and a 1.18 WHIP. These numbers are for a number 1 or 2 starter in the rotation. His fastball can top out at 102mph. He has a good change-up, a great slider, and has been working on a curveball to add to his pitch selection. The Angles now have a great 1-2 with Shohei Ohtani and Him.

As most Mets fans know, two years ago, Noah suffered an injury that can kill a pitcher’s career, and he needed Tommy John Surgery to repair his UCL in his pitching elbow. He recovered during the 2020 season, and Mets fans were expecting a massive resurgence from Noah this year. However, in his minor league rehab warmups, he felt tightness in that recovered elbow and was shut down for most of the season. It wasn’t till September that Thor made his return, and by that time, the Mets were really out of contention. Thor didn’t pitch bad through the last three weeks and proved he could throw.

When the season ended, Noah had expressed his want to stay with the Mets, and the Mets {Like Most Teams would have} only offered the Qualifying Offer of $18.4 million. For a one-year offer, that’s a lot, especially for someone who has not pitched in two years. Once he was offered the deal from the Mets, it looked like he would accept it. Until this morning when all of the Metropolitans fans saw that he chose to go to the Angles. I was deeply saddened to see that Noah is leaving, and I wish him nothing but the best with his endeavor with the Angels, and I hope he can return to his form and maybe make a come back with the Mets, and That Is How The Old Man See It.

DALLAS VS FALCONS

DALLAS D FREEZES MATTY ICE

RECORD 7-2

By Mark Halpern

The Dallas Cowboys took on the Atlanta Falcons yesterday, and the outcome was what this team needed to right the ship. The Cowboys blew out the Falcons 43-3 on Sunday. From the get-go Cowboys fans had a little to be concerned that the Cowboys were going for it on fourth down after failing multiple times last week versus Denver. This goes to show you that even though the Cowboys signed a kicker they still had no faith. However, in this game, the 4th down plays worked, and Dallas was on the board first.

The Dallas offense was on fire from the first drive, which ended in a Dak to Lamb touchdown. This was just the first one by Lamb on the day he would add another at the end of the second quarter. Zeke Elliot didn’t have a huge game {. This is mainly because the Cowboys were so far ahead} yards-wise but had two touchdowns. Dak Prescott showed that last week the rust was thrown off and Dak Came back firing. Dak had 292 yards and 2 passing, and 1 rushing touchdown. Michael Gallup made his return since his week 1 injury and got back into rhythm with Prescott early, and did well on blocking up field. Cooper had a relatively quiet day, but his catches came at well-needed times, especially on third down.

However, the Dallas offense was primed for a big game but, so was the defense. Last week the Dallas defense collapsed and let a weak Denver team walk all over them. This week, however, the defense froze Matt Ryan. Ryan, who has been in the league a long time, has had a few games this season {even with a put-together crew} still has been putting up 300 yard games. The Dallas secondary “The No Fly Zone” shut down the passing game entirely. The secondary, which has been making plays all season, got 3 interceptions {two of Ryan 1 off Rosen}, two sacks, 4 tackles for loss, not to mention the ton of pressure put on Ryan the whole game and the several hits he took. Jordan Lewis had an excellent breakout game with a few pass deflections and great coverage. Treyvon Diggs captured his 7th pick of the year and is making a run at Cowboy’s history. The Cowboys held the Flacons to a total of 234 yards of offense and gave up only 3 points on the entire day.

Now yes, Cowboys fans enjoyed this ass-kicking, and after last week’s performance, they deserved it. However, this wasn’t the Atlanta team of 2-3 years ago. Next week is the test of test for the Cowboys as they head to Arrowhead Stadium to face a Chiefs team that’s defense is close to last in the NFL, but their offense is potent. If the Dallas team that has been playing all along shows up, they can beat the Chiefs, and if they do, Superbowl bound they are.

Mets Offseason To-Do List

By Mark Halpern and Michael Rifkin

When Steve Cohen took over last season, there was a ton of excitement around the fanbase. The Mets led the division for 103 days and yet finished eight games under .500 at 77-85, the first team in history to do this. Luis Rojas was fired after the season, and the fanbase is getting impatient. 2015 and 2016 seem like a lifetime ago, and the fans are sick of the losing and organizational failures.

Since 2003 every team in the National League East has won the World Series except the New York Mets.

To make things worse, the Mets have made it their top priority to hire a President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, yet everyone they like either has not taken the job or declined even having an interview. I will not say who I think should be in these roles because that is too difficult. It should be noted the team did offer the qualifying offer to Right Fielder Michael Conforto and Starting Pitcher Noah Syndergaard. I think Syndergaard will accept the qualifier, and Conforto will not. Here is what I think the rest of the offseason should go for the Mets.

Let’s start with the hiring of a manager. Since Terry Collins retired, the Mets have hired two first-time managers in Mickey Callaway, and Luis Rojas failed to make the playoffs in their four years combined. I think the organization should look to someone with experience. Bob Melvin’s name would have been thrown around had Billy Beane taken the president of baseball ops role, but Melvin decided to take the San Diego Padres job. Three interesting names for me would be Ron Washington, Mike Shildt, and Buck Showalter. Washington, the current third base coach for the World Series Champion Atlanta Braves, managed the Texas Rangers from 2007-14, making the playoffs three straight seasons, including back-to-back World Series appearances. The Rangers had four consecutive 90 win seasons under Washington, who had a 664-611 record. Mike Shildt was fired after this past season after the Cardinals lost in the Wild Card game for a second consecutive season.

The Cardinals went on a remarkable 17 game winning streak to get into the playoffs. Shildt went 252-199 in his three-plus seasons as manager but did spend over 15 seasons in the Cardinals organization and was National League Manager of the year in 2019. Buck Showalter has managed the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Orioles and has a career record of 1,551-1,517. Showalter is a guy who is very good with young talent, and the team usually has some form of success, whether it’s in the record or player development. After being let go by the Yankees, they went on their run of four consecutive World Series titles; after being let go by the Diamondbacks, they won the World Series.. Whoever the organization hires, they have to have the ability to take the big stage of New York and keep this team’s mind and business on the field. Mark’s pick: Buck Showalter. Mike’s pick: Washington but wouldn’t have an issue with any of the 3

Re-sign Marcus Stroman. Who had opted out of the 2020 season and took the one-year qualifying offer. Stroman bet on himself and was tremendous in 2021. His 10-13 record is not indicative of how well he pitched. Stroman had a 3.02 ERA and a WHIP of 1.145.
Re-sign Javy Baez Baez, who in 47 games as a Met hit nine home runs and drove in 22 runs. He also put up a slash line of .299,.371, and .477 in Queens. Baez was more disciplined at the plate as his time in New York went on. He turned it around after the whole thumbs-down situation (which is something else I wrote about). Baez is a shortstop by trait, but this Winter has a star-studded shortstop market. Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, and Trevor Story are all free agents. Francisco Lindor might be able to keep his buddy in Flushing. Having Lindor and Baez up the middle can seriously help the Mets defense.
Re-sign Aaron Loup. Loup was the most consistent reliever the Mets had last season. Posting a 6-0 record with a 0.95 ERA and had 57 strikeouts in 56.2 innings pitched. Would I expect him to put up those same numbers? Loup was so well last season, and the Mets can undoubtedly use a lefty in the bullpen.
Trade or buy out the contract of Robinson Cano. Cano missed all of last season due to a second suspension due to steroids. This would be a salary dump for the most part, but maybe a team would take Cano if no takers just buy out the contract.
Sign Starling Marte, Nick Callestanos, Kris Bryant, or Tommy Pham. As I said earlier, the Mets extended the qualifying offer to Michael Conforto, but he has declined it and is free to sign elsewhere. Now, if the Mets were to sign Castellanos or Bryant, they can move him back to third base in his natural position and sign Marte or Pham to play in the outfield and give the Mets some speed at the top of the lineup. Bryant also gives some versatility to play all three outfield positions, third base, and first base.
Sign Dylan Bundy, Zach Davies, Carlos Rodon, Justin Verlander, or Jon Gray. Gray and Rodon do not have a qualifying offer attached to them. But the last two seasons, the Mets rotation depth was tested. Guys like David Peterson and Tylor Megill, who pitched well for the Mets, need some time at Triple-A to season them a bit. With the curious case of Jacob deGrom, the Mets need starting pitching depth. They expect Carlos Carrasco to pitch better. Taijuan Walker had an All-Star first half but struggled post-All-Star break, where he gave up 20 of his 26 home runs.
Re-sign Jonathon Villar and Kevin Pillar. Both guys gave the Mets more than what was expected of them due to injuries. But both guys were tremendous and are guys the Mets should bring back.
Sign Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo to long-term deals talked about the team’s core earlier, and these two players fit the narrative. Alonso has the making of being the next captain of the team. Nimmo plays the right way, always hustling down the line and has an infectious smile, but he is the engine that makes it go at the top of the lineup. When he was out due to a finger injury, the Mets offensively was offensive to watch, but when he came back, they righted the ship. Having these two plus Lindor long-term is a plan.
Trade JD Davis for a starting pitcher, outfielder, or third baseman. This decision comes down to who you prefer between Davis and McNeil. For me, I would rather keep McNeil because of his versatility. But McNeil has to return to the guy who can hit .330 and not worry about hitting the ball out of the ballpark. So I said if the Mets were to sign Castellanos, he could move to third. But if he or Kris Bryant don’t sign, the Mets should explore the trade market. Oakland has said Matt Chapman is available, and depending on the price, the Mets should make a phone call regarding one of the best in the game. Oakland is selling a ton of other pieces, including members of their pitching rotation. While the Mets do need to upgrade at third base Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are in their system, and depending on how far away the organization feels they are could put a damper on a significant upgrade at the position unless they sign the versatile Bryant or Castellanos to move to the outfield.
Bullpen depth is significant in baseball today. Adding one more explosive arm to Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, and Trevor May at the backend of the bullpen would be wise. Signing Kendall Graveman, Yimi Garcia, Ryan Tepera, Jakob Junis, or Michael Lorenzen. Jeurys Familia is a free agent, but I don’t think that is a road the Mets want to go down again.

The fanbase is tired of losing, and it is time for the Mets to turn the ship around. What will the Mets do this offseason? Stay tuned and find out.