A2D Radio

Another year is about to start in the NHL, and the Carolina Hurricanes are a Stanley Cup contender. The Canes didn't have the most exciting offseason. Similar to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canes re-signed some necessary depth players and players key to the organization. Some of those depth players include Dmitry Orlov and Caleb Jones on defense. General Manager Don Waddell has always done well to make sure the Canes are a competitive defensive team. He also made a splash, landing Michael Bunting from the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent. Bunting is coming off a slight down year in points but did tie his career-high in goals with 23. This roster may not be the flashiest in the league, but this team is always competitive and plays a blue-collar game. Do the Hurricanes finally break through and return to the Cup Finals for the first time since 2006? Now the Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off a massive down year where they found themselves with the third overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. They don't have very high expectations, but Adam Fantilli, who was taken with the third overall pick, is bringing a lot of excitement back to the Blue Jackets fanbase. Adding him to the mix with Johnny Gaudreau and Patrick Laine will definitely add excitement and creativity to this offense. The Jackets also revamped their defense from last season, bringing in Ivan Provorov from the Flyers and Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils. Also working in the Jackets' favor is hopefully getting Jake Bean back for the season opener. The Jackets are a team that some people will have their eyes on as an improving team with the moves this offseason. Can the Blue Jackets finish the season with more than 30 wins? The Metro Division will be one of the most intriguing divisions to watch all season long. With teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils leading the chase for the division title, you can't rule out teams like the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins to make a push for the playoffs as well. Now many people will rule the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets out of the race before the season starts, but should things go right, they could be dark horse teams that could compete for the second Wild Card spot. The Metro Division has been and will continue to be one of the toughest divisions in the NHL.

The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly ended all trade conversations regarding veteran guard James Harden. Would it be in Harden’s best interest to show up to training camp? How will James be remembered for his tenure with the Sixers? Is Joel Embiid on his way out? We’ll discuss all things Sixers and take a look at the off-season the New York Knicks had and where they rank in the Eastern Conference. Although the Philadelphia Phillies had two quiet games against the Minnesota Twins, it seems the bats might be back alive in the month of August. Can they make another World Series run? We’ll go over the end of the Phillies season and touch on the woeful New York Mets. Additionally, there have been some major headlines all across the NFL. We’ll predict where Dalvin Cook might land, go over the struggles of the New York Jets offensive line and debate how Joe Burrow’s injury could impact the AFC North. Rookie QB CJ Stroud had a rough showing in his preseason debut. Should Houston Texans fans be worried? Who has shined the brightest during the NFL preseason so far? This week, there are some teams and athletes that went to absolute TEARS. Who deserves to be shouted out on this week’s “Shoutout Of The Week?”

College Football Conference Realignment was complete chaos and has turned college sports upside down. Tonight, former head coach and current Towson University analyst Gordy Combs joins the crew to take a look at how the landscape of College Football is set to change over the next two years. Conferences like the Big 10, SEC saw major additions to their conference while the PAC-12 will be virtually decimated in 2024 leaving only 4 teams (Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State). Is Conference Realignment good for college sports? How will it affect the already proposed College Playoff Expansion next season? Who will come out on top in 2023 and where will they come from? Will it be a Big 12 team like newcomers Houston? A Big 10 team like Penn State? Will a team come out of the shadows and take down the SEC powerhouse and defending champions Georgia Bulldogs? Will Nick Saban and Alabama find their way back to the top of the mountain? Throughout the conversation, we will break down each conference and give our early season predictions including key matchups like Ohio State vs Notre Dame and Florida State vs LSU that have the potential to shift the entire outlook on the College Football Playoffs. In addition, we will take a look at who will be each team's Heisman Trophy candidate.

On today’s episode of “Here's The Thing,” filling in for Thomas Arnone, Michael Chromiak and former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams kick things off with their thoughts on whether Taijuan Walker is a legit Cy Young candidate or not. So far this season in Walker’s 24 starts he has a 4.03 era, 106 K’s, 1.28 WHIP, and 131.2 innings pitched. While not having a great start against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, Walker is tied for the most wins in the National League with a record of 13-5. Rumors have begun to circulate that Rob Thomson is saying Walker might miss his next start due to workload management. The Phillies wrap things up at home with a 6-4 record. They kicked off the week with a series win over the Washington Nationals, including an emotional and historic Wednesday when Michael Lorenzen threw his first-ever No-Hitter and Westin Wilson homered at his first at-bat. They would not be so lucky over the weekend, however, losing the series to the Minnesota Twins. Yet, in the wake of defeat, Trea Turner’s hitting streak was extended to 9, while Nick Castellanos saw his 13-game hit streak come to an end Sunday. JT Realmuto has also shown to be getting on track this past week. This week it’s a quick trip to Canada for a 2 game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, a rare 2 days off and then the Washington Nationals look for revenge but this time on their home turf inside our Nation’s Capital. How will the extended time off fare for this MLB club?

On this episode of “Agree 2 Disagree,” Thomas Arnone, Nick DelGozzo, Brian Wilson, and Greg Milakovic will look back over the most recent homestand for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies won series’ against the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals before losing the final series against the Minnesota Twins. As the Philadelphia Sixers struggle to find a trade partner for “superstar” James Harden he has fired back and mentioned that he will not report to training camp. The Philadelphia Eagles opened up the preseason losing to the Baltimore Ravens 20-19 Saturday night. Join Thomas, Nick, Brian, and Greg as they discuss the homestand for the Phillies. Despite ending with a winning 6-4 record, this homestand for the Phillies was a disappointment. Join the fellas and let them know if you agree or disagree with that statement. The Phillies lost the first game of the homestand to the Royals and then the second game of the double header to the Nationals bringing the Twins to town. The Phillies started off the weekend by scoring 13 runs against the Twins on Friday only to score 1 run in Saturday and Sunday’s games combined. With losing 2 out of 3 to the Twins the Phillies ended the homestand at 6-4. The Phillies faced 3 teams that they are better than and should have at least gone 7-3 if not 8-2 on this homestand. Trea Turner has seemed to turn things around and is riding a 9 game hit streak after receiving standing ovations to start the Royals series. The Philadelphia Sixers naturally are struggling to find a trade partner for Captain Crumb James Harden. Harden has announced that he will not show up for training camp despite his agent claiming he’s as hungry as he’s ever been while being in superb shape. The Eagles lost their preseason opener to the Ravens 20-19. The guys will end the show as they always do with their Crumb of the Week segment.

As of right now the current 2023 NFC West odds say that the New Orleans Saints are the favorites +120, the Atlanta Falcons are +215, the Carolina Panthers at +400, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the longshots at +800. The NFC South is wide open and a lot of uncertainty in the winner of this Division. A losing record might win this Division. Derek Carr looks to be in the best shape of his life and gets an underrated offense. Mike Thomas is back from injury, Chris Olave had a breakout rookie year with over 1,000 yards receiving, and Jimmy Graham is returning after a 5 year lay off. There is also Tyson Hill and Alvin Kamara as well. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a veteran team lead but Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield. The Atlanta Falcons have a new influx of player makers starting with their 2023 first-round pick Bjian Robinson. Lots to unload! Let's break down all the betting odds on each team to win the NFC West Division so you know what your best bets are.

Today on The Rob Ellis Show, Rob will discuss all matters Philadelphia sports including Trea Turner’s standing ovation from Philadelphia Phillies fans when he was struggling, Turner’s subsequent success, and how that may impact how the fan approaches team and player support in the future. He will also look at the Phillies’ World Series title chances. The Phillies currently stand at 65-54 and hold one of the three wild card spots in the National League. Can they hold on to the wild card and have another “Red October?” In addition, Rob will do a deep dive into the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2023 roster, schedule, and possibility of winning the Super Bowl. Do Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and the rest of the Eagles have a strong chance at winning their second Super Bowl in franchise history?

Following WWE SummerSlam, Roman Reigns is still the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion all thanks to Jimmy Uso. That's right, Jimmy screwed Jey. Everyone was left asking why? But we are left with asking if The Bloodline story has run its course. Have we entered into a point in the story where WWE is just overdoing it? When will the Roman Empire fall? Will Jimmy be able to capture the spotlight like Jey has? What is Solo’s role in all of this? Later in the show, we will take a look at the rest of the SummerSlam card and breakdown the results as well as the fall out including the Logan Paul and Ricochet match, Drew McIntrye’s failure to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship from Gunther, Cody Rhodes defeating “The Beast” Brock Lesnar and their moment post match, Iyo Sky cashing in her Money In The Bank briefcase following Bianca Belair’s defeat of Asuka and Charlotte Flair to become the WWE Women’s Champion and Finn Balor coming up short against World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins As we move away from SummerSlam and take a look at This Week In Wrestling, we wonder what will come of Shinsuke Nakamura’s turn on Seth Rollins this past Monday Night on Monday Night RAW? LA Knight, fresh off his SummerSlam win, has entered a war of words with The Miz, could this be the start of something great? Is the Judgement Day not as strong as it used to be even though “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley still hold the NXT North American Championship and Women’s World Championship respectively not to mention Damian Priest is still holding onto his Money In The Bank briefcase. All of this and more tonight on In This Very Ring on A2D Radio!

Joining Markus this week is former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker William Thomas. Thomas was a member of the Eagles from 1991-99, with a brief stint with the Oakland Raiders from 2000-01. Both Markus and William will discuss the current situation with second-year player Nakobe Dean and the linebacker corps. Dean, during training camp, suffered an ankle injury that exposed the Eagles’ weakness at linebacker. This prompted general manager Howie Roseman to sign veterans Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham. Will Jack and Cunningham bring a lot to the table as the regular season nears? The Philadelphia Eagles are in their first “game week” of the 2023 NFL Season as they prepare to travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens in Week 1 of preseason action. Will Eagles fans get to see Jalen Hurts play a series on Saturday night? With the countdown to the regular season underway, Markus and William will break down some of the big training camp storylines inclugins: Reed Blankenship locking up one of the starting safety positions, Quez Watkins showing signs of improvement, and a lackluster special teams battle between Arryn Siposs and Ty Zetner. To end the show, Markus will talk about the recent events involving Phillies shortstop Trea Turner and his turnaround since he received a standing ovation from fans earlier this week.

The NFL today is an offensive-driven league, so as we continue preparing for the 2023 season, your hosts at Birds of a Feather will predict which offenses they believe will be the best units this year. Will the Philadelphia Eagles finish as a top 3 offense? Can any team dethrone Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs as the best offense in the league? And which offenses will surprise everyone this season, whether it be as a team on the rise or on the decline? As the boys give their lists, give yours as well to compare! Also, the Eagles’ first preseason game is this Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens. The BOAF panel will each give one player they’ll be paying attention to the most. Should/will the starters play at all this preseason? Which player or players on the bubble need to stand out the most in order to make the roster? To end the show the BOAF panel goes “NO HUDDLE” as they discuss anything and everything else surrounding the NFL, sports, and anything else that we find worth discussing!