Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! & Happy Halloween to all you Cool Cats & Kittens!

Episode 108 - "The CVIII Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football Week Nine Analysis & Review: In this week's episode, JD & Spencer will discuss the major topics/storylines, analyze & review the in-game stats & each provide their individual takeaway's for the Week 9 slate of College Football games from across the country - - Be sure to tune in for an in-depth recap, and discussion of the following games & topics which are included in this week's College Football Analysis & Review segment:

**"Feel Good, Inc:" UNT Redshirt freshman QB Drew Mestemaker "Mustve'Mader" major impact in the Mean Green's impressive comeback victory over Charlotte

No.8 Ole Miss Rebels at No.13 Oklahoma Sooners

No.16 Virginia Cavaliers at North Carolina Tar Heels

No.18 South Florida Bulls at Memphis Tigers

"College Gameday:" No.15 Missouri Tigers at No.10 Vanderbilt Commodores

No.4 Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks

No.22 Texas Longhorns at Mississippi State Bulldogs

And This Week's "Most Badass Celly of the Week" Award goes to. . .Redshirt freshman Nickelback/Safety RahShawn Clark of the Washington Huskies: In the best game of his collegiate career, Clark snagged his first career INT off Illinois QB Luke Altmyer, which led to Clark leading a stadium-wide "6,7" celebration at Husky Stadium on Saturday (**a reference to the viral song/clip from TikTok). . .

No.3 Texas A&M Aggies at No.20 LSU Tigers (**& the firing of Tigers HC Brian Kelly & potential replacements)

- NCAA: News & Storylines (cont'd) - - "The Axe Cometh:" LSU OC and QBs coach Joe Sloan has been fired effective immediately, the school announced on Monday, less than 24 hours after HC Brian Kelly was relieved of his duties - - LSU's offense has struggled this season, ranking No.124 in the country in rushing yards per game (106.3), No.91 in red zone efficiency (58.6%), and No.83 in points per game (25.5) - - TEs coach & Run Game Coordinator Alex Atkins, who formerly made stops as the OC at Florida State & Charlotte, will reportedly take over as LSU's offensive play-caller, per an announcement of the program. . .NCAA College Football Week Ten Preview & Predictions: In this episode's Week Ten preview, JD & Spencer provide their individual & independently-selected pick(s) and/or predictions for each of the following Week 10 matchups - as well as providing in-depth analysis & reasoning to explain the justification for their selection: **Be Sure to Share Your Picks with Us via Twitter/X - - @TraditionFinest OR Send Us an Email at [email protected]!!

No.9 Vanderbilt at No.20 Texas (-2.5)                       O/U45.5

Penn State at No.1 Ohio State (-20.5)                    O/U43.5

No.4 Alabama (-13.5) at South Carolina                O/U47.5

"War for the Okefenokee Oar:" No.5 Georgia (-7.5) vs. Florida  O/U50.5

South Carolina at No.7 Ole Miss (-12.5)      O/U54.5

No.18 Oklahoma at No.14 Tennessee (-3)                   O/U56.5

No.23 USC (-6.5) at Nebraska                           O/U59.5

No.17 Cincinnati at No.24 Utah (-10)                   O/U55.5

- NFL - - "An Episode Favorite, No.74:" Former New York Jets center Nick Mangold, aged 41, a franchise legend who endeared himself to fans and teammates with his blue-collar, every-man demeanor, has passed away due to complications from kidney disease, the Jets franchise announced on Sunday - - Mangold's passing came twelve days after he made a public appeal for a kidney transplant via social media, primarily because none of his family members shared his extremely rare blood type (i.e., Type O) - - Known for his toughness & cerebral approach, Mangold became one of the most decorated centers in the NFL: he made seven Pro Bowls, was twice named a first-team All-Pro, and most impressively, he played in the league for five straight years before he missed his first game (e.g., he wound up missing only four games in his first ten NFL seasons) - - In 2009, Mangold, a veteran in the league, was a bit of a calming influence to Jets new & turnover-prone QB, Mark Sanchez, that would ultimately help the Jets reach the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back consecutive seasons - - While he did draw interest from other NFL teams following his release by the New York Jets, Mangold elected to retire after playing for the same franchise for eleven (11) seasons, where he started 164 of 176 games - - At his induction into the Jets' Ring of Honor in 2022, the bearded Mangold, with his signature backward baseball cap, would go on to punctuate his acceptance speech to the fans in the stadium, by cracking open a beer - - What a legend, R.I.P. Nick Mangold, you will be missed, brother!. . . After being released by the Jets NFL Week 8 Review & Recap: In this week's episode, JD & Spencer will discuss, review & recap each of the following NFL games from Week 8 of the regular season - - **Be sure to tune in for an in-depth review, a highlight and discussion of the following topics from this past weekend's slate of games:

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (**& the loss of Rookie RB Cam Skattebo)

"Another Milestone:" Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry passed one of the biggest names in NFL history on Sunday: His two rushing TDs against the Chicago Bears brought his career total to 112, breaking a tie with the late great Walter Payton (110) for fifth on the career rushing list - - Henry is also closing in on becoming the 17th player in NFL history to rush for 12,000 yards. . .

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals (**QB Justin Fields leads Jets' rally to overcome a 15-point, 4th-QTR deficit to win 1st game of the season). . .

"Sack Man:" On Saturday, Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, became the third player in NFL history to have 10 or more sacks in eight consecutive seasons, joining Hall of Famers Reggie White & John Randle - - **NOTE: It is the third four-sack game in the history of the Browns franchise. . .Q: Are you, by any measure, surprised that Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett became the 3rd player in NFL history to have 10 or more sacks in eight consecutive seasons?. . .

"Another Vintage Performance:" In the Monday Night Football matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs & the Washington Commanders, the Chiefs picked up their fifth win in the past six games, by comfortably defeating the Commanders 28-7 at Arrowhead Stadium. . .but the Chiefs' victory is not nearly as significant as a particular stat that was recorded in this game by a team veteran - - TE Travis Kelce's 10-yard TD late in the 3rd QTR was historic: It was Kelce's 83rd career score, which tied him with former RB Priest Holmes for the most total TDs in Chiefs' franchise history - - To date, Kelce also had the best game of the 2025 NFL regular season - as he led the Chiefs with six receptions on eight targets for 99 yards receiving - - Kelce put together another vintage performance by doing exactly what he had done throughout his entire career: devour zone coverage - - **NOTE: Together, QB Patrick Mahomes & TE Travis Kelce are just the third QB-TE duo in NFL history to connect for 75 TDs, including the playoffs - joining the likes of Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski (105) and Philip Rivers & Antonio Gates (90). . .

- MLB - - 2025 World Series Game 1: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Addison Barger launched the first-ever pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history, and Alejandro Kirk added a two-run homer as the Blue Jays stormed back to crush the defending champion Dodgers 11-4 in last Friday night's series opener at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada - - Playing in their first "Fall Classic" in 32 years, the Blue Jays erupted for nine runs in the 6th inning, turning a 2-0 deficit into a blowout that electrified a sold-out home crowd & gave Toronto a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series - - Los Angeles, who is seeking to become the first team in a quarter century to win back-to-back titles, stranded three with the bases loaded in the 2nd inning - and stranded another in the 3rd as well - - The 22-year-old RHP, Trey YeSavage, making just his fourth postseason start, became the second-youngest pitcher to ever star in a World Series opener - - Despite their early jitters, Toronto began their comeback in the 4th inning when Kirk singled off the right-field wall, and Daulton Varsho followed with a 423-foot HR to center off Dodgers' Blake Snell, who had not allowed a homer to a left-handed hitter in approximately five months - - Snell unraveled in the 6th inning, giving up a walk to Bo Bichette - who was playing in his first game in seven weeks after sustaining a knee injury - followed by a Kirk single and a Varsho hit-by-pitch to load the bases for the Blue Jays - - The Dodgers, the team with the highest payroll in baseball, looked very rusty after a weeklong layoff following their NLCS sweep of the Detroit Tigers. . .2025 World Series Game 2: Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (0-1): The Los Angeles Dodgers bounced back from the crushing loss in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series with a 5-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday evening in their second consecutive game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto - - Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a great outing for the Dodgers, throwing his second straight complete game while only allowing one run - - **NOTE: Throughout the 2025 MLB postseason, Yamamoto has posted a 1.59 ERA through his four starts in October - - **NOTE: The last player to throw consecutive complete games in the postseason was Curt Schilling in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he threw all nine innings in three consecutive games against the St. Louis Cardinals & Atlanta Braves - - The Dodgers took an early lead against former division rival, Kevin Gausman - with Will Smith scoring Freddie Freeman in the top of the 1st inning after Freeman hit a double to right field - - The Dodgers did not record another hit until the top of the 7th inning, when Will Smith gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead with a solo HR - his first this postseason - & Max Muncy tacked on another solo shot two batters later - forcing Gausman out of the game - - This was a massive win for the Dodgers, tying the series at 1-1, and they would head back to Dodger Stadium, where the next three games of the series, will be held. . .2025 World Series Game 3: Toronto Blue Jays (1-1) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (1-1): It took six hours and thirty-nine minutes - as well as 609 pitches - to finally crown a winner in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series: Against the 19th pitcher deployed, Freddie Freeman saw a full-count sinker that sailed toward the middle of the strike zone and lifted it to straightaway center field for another game-ending HR, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-5 victory over the Blue Jays in 18 innings on Monday night, which tied for the longest game in World Series history - - Game 3 saw the Blue Jays & Dodgers combine for 10 runs in the first seven innings and zero for the next ten innings - - It saw Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani collect an extra-base hit in each of his first four plate appearances, including the game-tying homer in the 7th inning, and walk in each of his next five, four of which were intentional - - It saw Clayton Kershaw strand the bases loaded in an emotional 12th inning - and it saw an array of impressive throws, including those by Blue Jays' Addison Barger & Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and by Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez - - And Game 3 also saw Will Klein, a minor midseason pickup & surprising addition to the Dodgers' World Series roster, save L.A.'s season - - Prior to Ohtani in Game 3, no MLB player had ever reached base nine times in a postseason game. . .2025 World Series Game 4: Toronto Blue Jays (1-2) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (2-1): The Toronto Blue Jays became the second team in baseball history to face the task of coming off an 18-inning loss in the World Series on Tuesday night - and much like the 2018 Boston Red Sox - they responded with a resounding win: Behind a 3rd-inning Vladimir Guerrero Jr. blast off Shohei Ohtani & a much-needed quality outing from starting pitcher Shane Bieber, the Blue Jays cruised to a mostly drama-free 6-2 win over the Dodgers, evening the Fall Classic series at 2-2. . .Q: After the Blue Jays successfully tied up the series at 2-2, which team do you think has the "competitive edge" going into Game 5?. . .

- NBA - - Hall of Famer & current Portland Trail Blazers HC Chauncey Billups, former Cleveland Cavaliers player & assistant coach Damon Jones, and current Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, were all arrested and indicted for their alleged involvement in illegal sports gambling and rigged poker games, reportedly backed by the Italian Mafia, the authorities announced last Thursday - - Both Billups & Rozier, who has been indicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy & money laundering conspiracy, have been placed on administrative (or immediate) leave from their respective teams (each of these counts carries a term of no more than 20 years in prison) - - A total of 34 people were arrested as a result of a yearslong investigation covering 11 states and involving tens of millions of dollars, per the Director of the FBI, Kash Patel - - Law enforcement officials have also reported that the multiple charges involve four Mafia families & organized crime networks - - According to the indictment for former NBA player, Damon Jones, it is alleged that he sold inside information to bettors - and that Jones had a close relationship with "a prominent NBA player," during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers & the Los Angeles Lakers - and that he allegedly had access to insider information through that relationship - - While Jones' indictment does not specifically name the player, a source has informed ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin that it was former Cavaliers/Lakers superstar, LeBron James. . .Q: What are your thoughts regarding the NBA's alleged illegal gambling scandal and its' ties to the Mafia?. . .