Hooked on Sports

In today's episode of Hooked on Sports:

The 2021 World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves is nearing it's climax. With the Braves holding a three games to two advantage going into Game 6 in Houston on Tuesday, can the Braves hang on to win their first world championship in 26 years, or can the Astros overcome a 3-1 series deficit and win? (02:07) John recaps the shocking results from yesterday's action around the NFL, including the four backup quarterbacks that won games, with Mike White & the New York Jets taking down the Bengals, Geno Smith and the Seahawks bouncing back to beat the Jaguars, Trevor Simeian coming in relief of Jameis Winston (who tore his ACL) to beat the defending champion Buccaneers, and Cooper Rush filling in for Dak Prescott to lead to the Dallas Cowboys to a last minute victory over the Vikings in primetime (12:36), the breaking news that broke during recording that the Los Angeles Rams acquired superstar defensive lineman Von Miller from the Denver Broncos (20:51), who John would like to see get moved ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline (23:00), and the injury to Derrick Henry (26:30).

Then, John discusses how the College Football Playoff race is down to 12 teams and all the potential scenarios for the committee to come up with the four teams (29:55), why the Chicago Blackhawks sexual abuse scandal is such a painful moment for the NHL (39:55), why the Knicks and Bulls both starting 5-1 is significant and a great thing for the NBA (44:48), and why he loves the Padres hiring Bob Melvin to be the team's manager and not the Cardinals hiring Oliver Marmol (48:11).

In today's podcast, John discusses three matchups that can prove pivotal to the playoff race that will take place this weekend, with the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals set to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers without COVID-stricken Davante Adams, the Colts' only chance to get back into an AFC South race with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and the Saints trying to get to 5-2 with an upset win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Then, John offers all of his picks and predictions (straight up and against the spread as usual) for Week 8 in the NFL.

In today's podcast:

John discusses how Penn State's (9 overtime) loss at home coming off their bye week to an unranked Illinois team impacts the legacy of the James Franklin era with Penn State football and why the upset is such an encouraging sign for the Illinois program with first year head coach Bret Bielema (1:13).

He also discusses whether or not the Cincinnati Bengals are the best team in the AFC after a 41-17 blowout win over the Ravens in Baltimore, and why the presence of Joe Burrow will be a boon for the franchise in the near future (11:38), the future of Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers after a poor performance on Sunday against the New York Giants, and whether or not the Giants should get credit for holding the Panthers to three points (18:32), if the Kansas City Chiefs can recover from a 3-4 start and a game where the Chiefs were limited to three points in a 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans (22:18), whether or not Kyler Murray is the front runner for NFL MVP honors after another dominant performance by his Arizona Cardinals against the Houston Texans (24:13), and if the San Francisco 49ers can solve their quarterback situation before it is too late (27:25).

Plus, Ja Morant is turning into a superstar for the Memphis Grizzlies, but his 40-point performance against the Lakers on Sunday proved not to be enough as Russell Westbrook is showing why the Lakers can absolutely win a second NBA title in three years (32:25), Steph Curry continuing to show he's a video game character as the Warriors are off to a 3-0 start, headlined by a 45-point masterpiece on Thursday night vs. the Clippers (37:16), and about the Chicago Bulls' 3-0 start and whether the Bulls can sustain their strong opening (40:34)?

The Vegas Golden Knights are off to a sluggish beginning, but can they shrug off the slow start and bounce back, given that John has them going to the Western Conference Finals (43:15), and why the New York Rangers' 4-0 road trip proves that they're a playoff-caliber team (45:18).

Then, John offers his thoughts on the Houston Astros winning the American League (47:10), the Atlanta Braves heading to their first World Series since 1999 (50:01), and who wins the 2021 World Series (52:54).

Today, John discusses the opening of the NBA season, offers his 2021-22 NBA Predictions, early returns in the NHL season, reactions to the Braves going up 3-1 in their series vs. the Dodgers in the NLCS, while the Astros took a 3-2 lead in the ALCS with a big win over the Red Sox in Game 5 with a chance to win their third American League pennant in five seasons tomorrow night. Plus, John offers his Week 7 NFL picks against the spread at the end of today's podcast.

Today, John discusses how the Jon Gruden scandal is a significant setback for the NFL if the league wants to be more inclusive, and how the Baltimore Ravens could have been 1-4, but thanks to Lamar Jackson, they're 4-1. Plus, 14 games are on tap this weekend in the NFL, so who will John pick against the spread this week, starting with Thursday's clash between the Bucs & Eagles.

BONUS: John also makes his picks for the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros at the end of today's episode.

In today's episode of Hooked on Sports:

(03:11) John goes over the wild Saturday in college football, ranging from Texas A&M's astounding upset win over top ranked Alabama, Iowa's comeback victory against Penn State, the insane finishes to the Red River Rivalry Game between Texas and Oklahoma as well as the SEC offensive slugfest between Ole Miss and Arkansas, Notre Dame's comeback win over Virginia Tech and Michigan surviving a tough challenge against Nebraska in Lincoln, and Georgia seizing a firm grip as the best team in the country with a blowout in at Auburn.

(19:31) John also discusses the Seahawks' mess and why their failure to address areas of need and the injury to star quarterback Russell WIlson is why the end is here for the Seahawks, as well as a wild NFL Sunday that saw the Packers earning a tough victory over the Bengals and the Bills have become the team to beat in the AFC with an astounding blowout victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

(34:19) The MLB Playoffs have been quite a doozy through its first six days, and John will discuss why the Red Sox took down the Yankees in the Wild Card game and the events that led up to the Chris Taylor walk-off home run in the National League Wild Card game to help the Dodgers get past the St. Louis Cardinals, and the fascinating set of Divisional Series so far across the league, with the Atlanta Braves up 2-1 in their series over the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers and Giants even at one game a piece, the Red Sox have a 2-1 series lead over the Rays thanks to a controversial rule, and the Astros are up 2-1 on the White Sox in their series after missing an opportunity to close out the South Siders last night.

(44:44) And finally, John wraps up the show by locking in his 2021-22 NHL playoff picks and predictions. He says which sixteen teams will make the playoffs, and how will the expansion Seattle Kraken fare in their first year in the league, and can the Tampa Bay Lightning three-peat as Stanley Cup champions?

Today, John is all over a few topics from NFL news over the last few days, including two significant defensive players changing teams, as the Carolina Panthers acquired fowrmer NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from the New England Patriots, while former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith signed with the Green Bay Packers, and wondering whether or not Daniel Jones can continue to improve in his third season in the NFL.

Plus, as per usual, picks and predictions in Week 5 in the NFL are included in the second half of the podcast.

The first game Tom Brady played in New England as a visiting player lived up to the hype; it was a classic chess match against Bill Belichick that Tom Brady won. Plus, with a wild 2021 regular season over in baseball, who does John have making deep playoff runs, and who survives the Wild Card games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and is the Urban Meyer era over in Jacksonville way sooner than everyone thought?

John goes in depth on three topics this week leading up to Week 4 in the NFL: The Bears' offense performance vs. the Browns on Sunday and how it stems back to years of mismanagement, the Steelers, and Derek Carr as the leader for NFL MVP through three seasons? That, and more, as Week 4 commences across the NFL.

Here are the spreads for Week 4 in the NFL

Jaguars @ Bengals (CIN -7.5)

Washington @ Atlanta (WSH -1.0)

Texans @ Bills (BUF -16.5)

Lions @ Bears (CHI -3.0)

Panthers @ Cowboys (DAL -4.5)

Colts @ Dolphins (MIA -2.0)

Browns @ Vikings (CLE -1.5)

Giants @ Saints (NO -7.5)

Chiefs @ Eagles (KC -7.0)

Titans @ Jets (TEN -7.0)

Cardinals @ Rams (LAR -4.5)

Seahawks @ 49ers (SF -3.0)

Ravens @ Broncos (DEN -1.0)

Steelers @ Packers (GB -6.5)

Buccaneers @ Patriots (TB -7.0)

Raiders @ Chargers (LAC -3.5)

Just one week remains in the 2021 Major League Baseball season, and there as a wacky five-team race in the American League Wild Card, as five teams are separated by four games for the top spots. This comes after a dramatic weekend where the Yankees swept the Red Sox at Fenway to seize the lead for the top Wild Card spot. But Boston holds the second Wild Card, with the Blue Jays one game back, with Mariners two back and the A's three back. Who does John see facing off in next week's Wild Card game? John also gets into the performances of Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener and Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz as well as Arkansas' statement victory over Texas A&M over the weekend. And with training camps opening across the NBA on Tuesday, John looks into three topics of discussion, ranging from Ben Simmons' absence from Sixers training camp, comments the Warriors made about Klay Thompson's return, and obstacles the Milwaukee Bucks have to deal with if they want to repeat as NBA champions.