Hooked on Sports

In today's podcast:

John discusses several key storylines going into the opening weekend of the 2022 NFL season, from five first-time head coaches making their NFL debuts at the position, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially starting Mitchell Trubisky over Kenny Pickett for their Week 1 clash on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, the opening night game between the Buffalo Bills and defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, and the first of 12 AFC West divisional clashes this season on tap for Sunday (Raiders @ Chargers at 4:25 PM ET on CBS).

Then, John makes his first batch of NFL picks against the spread for this season. 

On today's podcast:

John discusses some of the biggest takeaways from Week 1 of the college football season, from Georgia's 49-3 blowout victory over Oregon, and Anthony Richardson's Heisman-like performance for Florida in an upset victory over Utah. Plus, he discusses the AL MVP race between Aaron Judge and his 54 home runs for the Yankees and Shohei Ohtani's dual-threat season with 32 home runs and 181 strikeouts in 130+ innings pitched. We also hear how real it was that Serena Williams could have won the US Open in her final major, and what are the NBA 2K23 ratings like?

Today is Labor Day in the United States, which means it is time for an annual tradition: To officially predict the 2022 NFL season.

Who will John pick to make the playoffs? What is everyone's win-loss records going to be? Who will win the awards of MVP, Offensive & Defensive Players and Rookies of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year? Will players from the same team get awards? And who will win Super Bowl LVII on February 12?

In today's podcast:

The San Francisco 49ers finally found a solution for their Jimmy Garoppolo problem... to bring him back on a new contract! How will that ripple across the NFL as the Super Bowl contender makes some noise? Also, what should we make of the Steelers' QB situation? And the Seahawks? How will Tyron Smith's injury change the outlook on the 2022 Dallas Cowboys? We also talk Bills' pressure, the Chiefs and Mahomes making the playoffs without Tyreek Hill?, and the Ravens' Lamar Jackson contract situation.

Then, we discuss some of the best college football games to be played this weekend, including Notre Dame/Ohio State, Oregon/Georgia, and Cincinnati/Arkansas, then discuss the big Mets-Dodgers series at Citi Field, Arte Moreno finally selling the L.A. Angels, the Orioles, Serena Williams, and R.J. Barrett.

On today's podast:

John discusses the Yankees' statement Subway Series wins over the Mets this week in the Bronx, and the Mets' ability to stay tough as they show the ingredients needed for a World Series run this season.

Then, with Kevin Durant back with the Nets for this season, does this news change the equation? And how did Derek Carr respond to rumors that the Raiders were interested in bringing Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to the Raiders following the 2019 season? Also, John says again Lamar Jackson needs to get paid for what he wants by the Baltimore Ravens, and the Carolina Panthers have officially named Baker Mayfield as the Week 1 starter at QB.

In today's podcast episode:

John discusses news across Major League Baseball, with the suspension of San Diego Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. of 80 games due to a failed drug test, the Texas Rangers firing Chris Woodward after four failed seasons as their skipper, the Yankees' offensive woes without Giancarlo Stanton, the Dodgers' pitching situation with Walker Buehler undergoing season ending elbow surgery, and the Miami Marlins' historically bad offense.

Then, he discusses the availability of Zach Wilson with knee surgery today, the job security of Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, and the genius of Patrick Mahomes in the NFL, and then with the first college football rankings of the season out from the Associated Press, he looks at if we are destined for an Alabama-Ohio State matchup in the National Championship Game in January, Notre Dame's schedule, and the emergence of the Texas Longhorns as a college football power again under Steve Sarkisian.

Today on Hooked on Sports:

John goes through what is next for the Detroit Tigers after they axed general manager Al Avila and what led the franchise to this point. The Cincinnati Reds got embarrassed this week at the hands of the New York Mets, and it is a reflection of the poor leadership there, and are the Cubs regreting not moving star catcher Willson Contreras at the trade deadline?

Also, is the vibe in Green Bay championship level when it comes to the Packers, and what about the Eagles, and Daniel Jones' last hurrah in New York?

In today's podacst:

John discusses the big winners and losers from the 2022 MLB trade deadline, including the Padres, who landed superstar outfielder Juan Soto in a trade with the Washington Nationals. Then, he discusses the big Mets-Braves and Dodgers-Padres showdowns to take place this weekend, as well as a tribute to the late Vin Scully.

Then, he says why Raiders fans should be concerned heading into the season, why the Patriots set themselves up to fail, why the Ravens will win the AFC North over the Bengals, Diontae Johnson means everything for the Steelers, a look at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022, and the latest on the Brittney Griner situation in Russia.

In today's podcast:

John discusses the New York Mets making a huge statement in taking two from the Yankees in the Subway Series this week, and what both teams can take away from this week. Also, the MLB trade deadline is just a few days away, and the first major domino has fallen, with the Yankees acquiring (a soon-to-be-vaxxed) Andrew Benintendi from the Royals, and new suitors emerge in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Who should acquire Willson Contreras and David Robertson from the Cubs, and what should the Red Sox do with Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers?

Then, John claims that Trey Lance may be the biggest X-factor of the 2022 NFL season with the 49ers announcing this week that Lance will be the starting quarterback going forward and the Jimmy Garoppolo era coming to an end. Other NFL topics include the injury to Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen, the New Orleans Saints seeing Michael Thomas return to practice, the open QB situation with the Carolina Panthers, the first year of Doug Pederson coaching Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, why Patrick Mahomes should never be discounted, even without Tyreek Hill in the fold this season for the Kansas City Chiefs, why people will kick themselves in the foot for discounting the Denver Broncos with Russell Wilson, and the encouraging signs from New York Giants training camp under new head coach Brian Daboll.

On today's podcast:

1) John discusses the news that broke on Thursday about Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray receiving a 5-year, $230.5 million contract extension, why Kyler might not be worth the money, but why the Cardinals had to pay him.

2) The San Francisco 49ers told QB Jimmy Garoppolo that he can seek trades out of San Francisco with Trey Lance appearing poised to be the Week 1 starter for the 49ers. So what teams fit for Garoppolo? The New York Giants? The Seattle Seahawks? The Cleveland Browns? Someone else?

3) The news that the Washington Nationals are looking at trading star outfielder Juan Soto before the trade deadline sent ripple effects throughout Major League Baseball. So what are the pros and cons that each team looking to nab the Home Run Derby champ must consider? And does history really add up?

4) With training camps set to open in the next few days across the NFL, who made John's list of the 10 best QB's in the NFL going into the 2022 season? Where does Patrick Mahomes fall? Did Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford make the cut? And how should we make sense of the insane class of QB's in the AFC?