Hooked on Sports

A much-anticipated NFL Draft Week is here, and there are so many intriguing questions facing all the teams in the league and how this weekend's events will change the course for franchises, whether they hit or miss. Today's podcast mocks the first round of the NFL Draft, which is Thursday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN/ABC/NFL Network.

LeBron James said on Twitter on Thursday that the NBA is better off when the New York Knicks are winning and relevant. Well, the Knicks are on an eight-game winning streak and in sole possession of 4th place in the Eastern Conference following a 137-127 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. John breaks down how the Knicks got to this point and one lethal obstacle remaining in the regular season. Also, with seven days before Draft Day, we hear breakdown of what the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles are and should be thinking about how to approach the draft, and if the Bills should draft a running back in the first round. Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres clash in their second series of the year at Dodger Stadium this weekend, and if it is anything like last weekend's games in San Diego, we'll be in for a treat this year. Plus, John talks about one team in baseball that's hot, and one that's not.

This week's podcast features a recap of Hideki Matsuyama winning the Masters, John's hot take regarding what the Dallas Cowboys should do in the NFL draft, why New York hockey fans should be excited for the next several years, whether or not the Lakers can win a championship with a lower seed, how replay has wrecked baseball in the last week, and evaluate Julian Edelman's Hall of Fame candidacy in the wake of his retirement announcement.

This week's podcast is a rant-filled special. So sit back, listen, and have some fun listening to John go ballistic on the wild NCAA men's Final Four, the fallout of the Jets trading quarterback Sam Darnold to the Panthers, and talks about why the Philadelphia Flyers' future isn't as bright as it seems. Plus, he gets into some news with the NFL Draft, some of the new names baseball fans were introduced to last week, and his prediction for the Masters tournament this weekend.

TIMESTAMPS:

Gonzaga/UCLA epic / Baylor beats Gonzaga to win first ever NCAA men's title (O0:39)

Jets trade Sam Darnold to the Panthers (8:58)

John's rant on the Flyers (19:37)

Miami Dolphins active in NFL Draft trades (27:07)

New names in baseball (34:37)

Masters picks (40:10)

In today's special edition of Hooked on Sports, John is giving his complete predictions for the 2021 Major League Baseball season. He'll offer what he believes are the four biggest stories of the season, and give his win-loss records for all 30 clubs, who will capture the major awards of the season (MVP, Cy Young, Rookies of the Year, Managers of the Year) and which team he thinks will win the 2021 World Series.

The NBA Trade deadline has come and gone, and this year's deadline was a wild one with several significant trades, which encapsulated the Orlando Magic's deep commitment to rebuilding, and the Denver Nuggets adding to boost their strength ahead of the playoffs. We also witnessed the wildest first weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament ever, with a ton of upsets and busted brackets everywhere. In today's podcast, John looks at the Sweet Sixteen field and evaluates each team's chances of advancing to the Elite Eight, and tells you what team reminded him of the Chicago Bears over the weekend. We also round out the first wave of free agency with the Giants boosting their offense with adding star WR Kenny Golladay, whlie the Bears declared Andy Dalton as their QB1 for this season.

TIMESTAMPS:

NBA Trade Deadline Roundup (1:37)

NCAA Tournament down to sixteen teams (20:51)

NFL Free Agency (34:57)

Eloy Jimenez injury (46:47)

Sixty-eight teams are set to play in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament starting on Thursday, March 18, and this episode is dedicated to looking ahead, with John picking the winners and losers, the potential upsets, the Cinderella teams, the Final Four teams, and most importantly, which team will cut down the nets in Indianapolis on April 5.

The annual NFL year is set to begin tomorrow, but the frenzy of free agency opened up as many of the top free agents available this year have already either been tagged or have agreements in place before they can become official. Which teams were some of the biggest winners so far in free agency? Which teams were left out from addressing their biggest needs? Plus, with the NCAA Tournament beginning later this week, a wild weekend in the conference tournaments left bubbles bursting and teams wondering how they didn't make the field of 68 this year, and is there one matchup that's harder than the others to pick in the Round of 64?

Timestamps:

NFL Free Agency Saga (02:30)

NCAA College Basketball Conference Tournaments & Bracket Set (21:08)

Dak Prescott signed his much-anticipated long-term contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, but will that even matter for the Cowboys, whose fans annually dial up expectations over reality? Will the Chicago Bears franchise tagging star wideout Allen Robinson translate into a Russell Wilson trade? Why did the Giants just set themselves up to fail in 2021? All of that and more on this week's podcast!!

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL world by signing former Houston Texans star J.J. Watt and recent news surrounding Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. John tells us this week whether or not Watt makes the Cardinals Super Bowl Contenders and power ranking the potential landing spots for Russell Wilson.