The Associated Press released its preseason College Football Top 25 poll Monday. We debate which teams will be the biggest risers and fallers between now and season's end. We also preview the entire season's schedule and rank the 10 most impactful matchups of the season. We put a bow on the Olympics and Clark tries to defend rooting against Team USA in the men's basketball tournament. Plus we touch on head-scratching decisions from golfer Matt Kuchar and the Hoover High School football coaching staff.

Olympics Spitballin’

Also in this episode: The White Sox skid approaches historic levels (at least at the time we recorded). Parity in MLB: Phils, Dodgers, Yanks and O’s have all taken their lumps. The new kickoff rules in football are just another step towards the inevitable. ‘This Day In Sports History’ examines a missed opportunity by the city of Cleveland and why the Korean population in Montgomery is thriving. 

The Olympics are in full swing. We touch on everything we’ve liked (Rafa/Djokovic, floor routines, handball) and everything we don’t (silver medals, judges, the Opening Ceremony). We discuss ESPN’s favorite punching bag and take a look at the current state of the NFL quarterback market. The MLB trade deadline is Tuesday - James and Brad break down what the Braves should or shouldn’t do, & we list five teams we think need to be buyers. We spend the last 10 minutes of the show responding to a Jose Canseco tweet and irresponsibly accuse five random players in the MLB Hall of Fame of taking steroids.

Sports fans and media alike have griped about ESPN’s recent list of the Top 100 Athletes of the 21st Century. So we decided we’d pile on as well. We discuss what the worldwide leader got wrong and debate who we’d put near the top. We close out major season with a recap of Xander Schauffele’s dominant performance at Royal Troon in Scotland. Is two majors enough to contend with Scottie Scheffler for Player of the Year? We also discuss Team USA’s narrow victory over South Sudan and if the Olympics should allow B-teams to compete. 

We reflect on 50 episodes and what the heck we were thinking recording our sports opinions. We also give our thoughts on the Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas. 

Carlos Alcaraz wins his fourth Grand Slam at age 21. James and Brad debate which all-time tennis legends he’s capable of catching. Team USA basketball sprints toward the Olympics: is entertainment or dominance more important? British Open picks.

It’s July and that means college football starts next month. We debate which coaches and quarterbacks are under the most pressure heading into the 2024 season. 

Coaches

Quarterbacks

We also recap Wimbledon and lookahead to the quarterfinals of the Men’s singles draw. Keegan Bradley named U.S. Ryder Cup captain and a Wimbledon-heavy ‘This Day In Sports History.’

In honor of the U.S. Men's National Team's pathetic Copa America showing, we debate where the soccer team's loyal but irrational supporters rank among the worst fanbases in all of sports. From Notre Dame to Texas A&M, Raiders to the Cowboys, and Dodgers to the Yankees, we compiled a bracket to determine who truly has the most despised fanbase in all of athletics. We also discuss MLB and some of the storylines going forward for the second half: Gunnar's historic chase, Judge's Ruth-ian dominance and, of course, the sensational Shohei Ohtani's pursuit of a third MVP in four seasons. We wrap it up with a breakdown of the key NBA free agent signings and if any of them are significant enough to help teams contend with the Celtics in 2024-25.

We break down Monday’s NHL and College Baseball championship action on what proved to be one of the best sports nights of the year. We discuss whether Connor McDavid deserved the Conn Smythe trophy, our mutual admiration for a despised rival’s fight song, the brilliance of Charles Barkley, missing Barry Melrose, and our inability to grow proper playoff beards. We also discuss which athletes in history we wished weren’t ring-less. The 2024 NBA Draft gets underway Wednesday night - why fans of lottery teams should temper their expectations. And we give instant reaction to breaking news as the New York Knicks send a truckload of first round picks across the Brooklyn Bridge for Mikal Bridges. 

We put a bow on the NBA Finals and discuss what the result means specifically for superstars Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic. We also recap a dramatic U.S. Open: is Rory or Bryson the bigger story?

Also in this episode:

The Celtics take a 2-0 lead on the Mavericks as the Dallas panic meter hits level 10: Why Dallas is so helpless offensively, No-show Kyrie, Kristaps’ triumphant return, Tatum’s not-so-super starpower. And we look back on some of the teams to come back from 2-0 deficits in the NBA Finals. 

Plus, we rate our interest levels on a variety of topics. 

And ‘This Day In Sports History’ goes off the rails yet again.