Hooked on Sports

In today's podcast:

John goes over all of the playoff matchups in the NBA and NHL so far, from the Sacramento Kings going up 2-0 in their series against the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green's stomp on Domantas Sabonis and Game 3 suspension, the Cleveland Cavaliers bouncing back in Game 2 vs. the New York Knicks, the injuries to Tyler Herro and Giannis Antetokounmpo and how it shapes up tonight's matchup between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks, the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers splitting the first two games of their series in Arizona, and the Lakers' chances of putting the Memphis Grizzlies away in short order following their Game 1 triumph.

Then, John discusses whether or not the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs were as good as their regular seasons indicated following four-goal defeats to the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning, respectively, in Tuesday's series openers, and why the Edmonton Oilers missed a big chance in their Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Then, he discusses the Atlanta Braves' strong start in baseball, as well as the Padres' struggles offensively, the Rays' 13-game winning streak ending, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs as sleeper teams in the National League, the A's potentially losing 120+ games this season, and the genius and greatness of Clayton Kershaw.

And finally, John discusses Jalen Hurts' 5-year, $255 million contract extension, and another Arizona Cardinals' star player requesting a trade, and Allen Robinson getting traded from the L.A. Rams to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In today's podcast:

John turns the page on the NBA and NHL regular seasons and focuses now on the playoffs. Is this the most intriguing first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs ever? What series in the NBA will provide the most entertaining games? Plus, why is the Tampa Bay Rays' 13-0 start too good to hold up, and John explains why Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley have no leverage in their extension talks for now, which teams will feel desperate enough to trade with the Arizona Cardinals for the 3rd selection (probably Anthony Richardson) in the upcoming NFL Draft, and Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort can do two more things this offseason to help shape the future for the team.

In today's podcast:

John discusses the playoff scenarios in the Eastern Conference in the NHL and the Western Conference in the NBA, which one of the Islanders, Panthers, and Penguins will be left out of the playoffs, how the Clippers' massive win over the Lakers on Wednesday factors in to seedings and if that win separated the teams from the play-in and the playoffs. Then, he talks about some of the early observations from the first week of the 2023 MLB season, UConn's unbelievable run of dominance in the NCAA Tournament, capped by a 17-point win over San Diego State in the national title game earlier this week, how the Masters is shaking up after 1 day, the controversy that the media spun regarding Angel Reese of LSU and Caitlin Clark of Iowa and why it's okay to support both players, and why this NFL draft features a typical, not extraordinary class of quarterbacks.

In today's podcast:

John formally marks the tape on the 2023 Major League Baseball season, dishing out win-loss records for all 30 teams, his 12 playoff teams, the awards predictions for each league, and his postseason picks. Lots of buzz this season will be on the San Diego Padres after another busy offseason, Shohei Ohtani getting attention in his contract year and the pressure on the Los Angeles Angels to get to the playoffs, the New York Yankees after naming Aaron Judge their captain and Anthony Volpe making the team as the starting shortstop, the Philadelphia Phillies adding Trea Turner to a deep lineup, and the Houston Astros begin their World Series title defense.

Plus, Lamar Jackson wants out of Baltimore, the Chargers are opening contract extension talks with Justin Herbert, and John handicaps the Final Four matchups this weekend with three first-timer participants in the Final Four in Florida Atlantic, San Diego State, and Miami, plus UConn seeking their fifth national title in 25 years.

In today's podcast,

John discussees the impact this year's World Baseball Classic had on the growth of the game, from the start to when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to give Japan the championship, the NFL biggest free agent moves, the insane March Madness so far, and the wild push in the Western Conference for the NBA playoffs, with six teams separated by 1 1/2 games in the standings.

In today's podcast, John picks every game for the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, from the first round to the National Championship Game. Who does he have cutting down the nets at NRG Stadium in Houston on April 3? What big upsets does John have? Listen here to find out.

In today's podcast,

ESPN+ and WFUV (Fordham University in the Bronx) radio play-by-play voice Miles Grossman comes on to dish on the resurgent Fordham Rams men's basketball team under coach Keith Urgo and the possibility of two Atlantic-10 teams going to the NCAA tournament as their conference tournament commences on Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. He also dishes on how exactly the future dynamic has shifted with the Nets following the departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the super team with the New York Liberty with the additions of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot, what power conference tournament to keep an eye on for bid-stealers, and how WFUV and sportscasting legend Vin Scully shaped Miles for who he was.

In today's episode:

John talks about the disappointing NBA All-Star Game and why major changes are needed and new rules should be adopted to get the All-Star Game into watchable TV again, what the Patrick Kane trade to the Rangers does in terms of their chances to win the Stanley Cup and whether or not the Eastern Conference balance of power changes with six weeks left until the Stanley Cup playoffs, and with the new season of Major League Soccer kicking off this past weekend, when is it time to classify North America's top soccer association as a major league alongside the Big Four leagues on the continent (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) and expand the group to five.

NBA All-Star Game changes needed (2:22-8:03)

Patrick Kane traded to the New York Rangers (8:05-14:05)

Should MLS be on the same level as the other sports leagues? (14:09-35:48)

Personal Twitter: @JohnFlynn97 Personal Instagram: @jayflizzie

Hooked on Sports Twitter & Instagram: hooked_onsports

In today’s podcast:

John reflects on the 2022 NFL season by listing nine lessons he took away from an eventful 2022 NFL season, such as those about the greatness of Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, how great offensive line play (and lack thereof) shaped the 2022 season, how coaching mattered, how dysfunctional franchises got punished this season, and offers one major change the NFL should consider in the not-so-distant future.

Offensive line play matters (02:48)

Patrick Mahomes is the best player and QB in football (12:44)

Maturity (or lack thereof) matters (14:00)

The refs were bad this year, get over it! (15:47)

Life is precious and it matters (Damar Hamlin) (17:07)

Having an elite wide receiver makes a big difference (18:00)

Having a great coach/staff makes a big difference (22:09)

Franchises that are dysfunctional get punished (40:33)

It's time for a draft lottery in the NFL (49:27)

Today, John discusses the fallout from what was an epic Super Bowl LVII in Arizona with the Kansas City Chiefs winning their third Super Bowl and second in four years. Plus, what went wrong with the historically good Eagles defense and was the holding penalty called on Eagles CB James Bradberry properly called?