It begins again: The NFL campaign kicks off with a Sunday full of offensive firepower. Not joking about that, it was the highest-scoring Week One in NFL history. Probably more to do with modern training camps and practices (or lack thereof), but it did make for some entertaining football. Defensive enthusiasts notwithstanding. As 2026 kicks off, we push forward in a world of pigskin and perdition, of struggle and strife, of tragedy and triumph. A new year means new hopes... unless you're Cleveland or Tennessee.

The rest of you can have Sportsball in 2026. Ten years of this... good lord, what is wrong with the world?

The NFC is a land of plenty... of top-heavy powerhouses. The NFC North is a gauntlet of absolute hell. The NFC South is just absolute hell. And then the Rams just threw down the gauntlet and assembled the second coming of the Dream Team. If they succeed where those Eagles failed is up to time and fate to decide. Meanwhile, we have sixteen teams ready to begin another campaign of NFL football. Well, technically fifteen. The Cardinals are probably going to die with that schedule and the division they're in. Maybe they get lucky and win consecutive games? Maybe?Fuck them picks... and fuck these picks too. They'll probably be ruined by Week Nine.

Football. It has returned to consume us whole once again. After an offseason of moving, shaking, more moving, and nuking (in the case of Miami), we are about to begin real games to consume us whole for about six months. There will be carnage. There will be chaos. Our predictions right now will probably be horrifically wrong once January hits (as it did for me last season. The Chiefs winning the AFC West... sure...)Come and witness the trials and tribulations of all sixteen teams that make up the AFC, with each having different goals, dreams, and setbacks alike. It'll be a ride for sure.

After 75 years, the Pro Bowl is no more. It went out with a mere whimper... and honestly, it was a mercy killing. The event was seen as a glorified scrimmage and derided by hardcore fans of the NFL for decades, but over the past fifteen years, it had fallen to a state of decay beyond the point of return. Nobody cared: Not the players, not the fans, and the league was out of ideas on how to revive it. They tried, but everything they did merely drove a further wedge into it. Even worse were the players chosen to go to the event. What was supposed to be a prestige title became one scouring for table scraps. It got bad, and the mockery was worse.This was the Pro Bowl. Thank God it's gone.

As we enter the new Era of NFL jerseys, we can begin to see a specific pattern of how Nike wants to advance the look in the future.

Written by ‪@TalkToNic‬ @UrinatingTree Edited by ‪@TalkToNic‬

We all saw this coming, don't lie to yourselves. The Dodgers are inevitable. Everyone not a Dodgers fan melted down as the rich got richer (and why wouldn't they?). The cries of a lockout go further and further into chaos and insanity itself. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are living in a fever dream of endless winning. The AL Central and AL West are divisions. And the Yankees are sitting around pretending that they don't need to address core issues on the team due to reasons of their own intuition.The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline was seismic and only now is the dust settling... and there's still plenty of baseball left to play. Just look at the AL: The 3rd wild card is pretty much up for grabs.

The transition from playing career to coach or executive is a roulette wheel: There are times when it works when a hero comes home in a different way. Joe Sakic is a notable example (even if it was a rough go in the early game). However, for every Sakic, there are at least three Rob Blake's or Joe Nieuwendyk's. The dream of rebuilding a team in your image is a challenging one, guys like Ken Holland were able to do it in the past, but failed to adapt to an ever-changing game.Detroit's had a major regret, and it's letting Steve Yzerman walk when Holland refused to budge for him. Years of decay and a fallen empire were all that remained after the fact, but then something interesting happened: A chance to avenge a past mistake. Stevie came home. The Yzerplan was supposed to be the blueprint to recovery. Yzerman built Tampa Bay into a juggernaut and he'd do the same for Detroit... in theory.Reality is much crueler.Written by @UrinatingTree and @Zepp Edited by @UrinatingTree

Every once in a while, you'll find the wholesome third-string/practice squad athlete that isn't expected to find anything close to success in the NFL. Someone who would be lucky to even get a snap of real playing time gets thrust into duty due to a variety of factors. Not only does this player make his debut... he thrives. Becoming a cult hero, no matter how fleeting, in the eyes of the fandom. Even if the odds are insurmountable, it's a tremendous feel-good story... for all of a few weeks. Then unfortunate reality sets in for most of them. Their limitations get the best of them. Opposing teams zone in on them with adequate game tape. They fall just as fast as they rise.This is the story of one of these men: He goes by Duck, and in 2019, he was the talk of Pittsburgh for a brief moment. I miss that time.Written by ‪@TalkToNic‬ & @UrinatingTreeVideo Edited by @MechaFishMan

Podcast edited by Five Points Tool Shed

And now we get to the back half of the Major Leagues. The NL has two tiers of team: The Dodgers and everyone else. Who can take them down? Who can conjure powers unseen to the naked eye and defeat this behemoth? The National League has more than a few suitors eager to try. The NL East has become quite interesting to watch over the past month. The NL Central is pretty much loaded with intrigue and the undead alike. The NL West has morphed into the Dodgers and their vassal states. It's kind of sad.What happens from here? Hoist your cones and prepare for a feast... depending on the franchise you root for.

This Major League Baseball season is one that is conflicting. The threat of a lockout continues to loom large, but the baseball itself has been quite interesting... if you're into the art of absolute insanity and the AL West being a wasteland where the light no longer shines. From the Small Ball Rays to the No Ball Royals to the Long Ball Yankees, there is intrigue from coast to coast. The American League is no exception.This episode is in tribute to the fifteen teams fighting for supremacy... minus the Angels. Sell the team.