With the MLB Winter Meetings underway in Orlando, former MLB pitcher CJ Nitkowski joins Jim Monaghan and Chris Swendeman this week on the Two-Minute Drill Podcast.

And there's lots to talk about, too!

• New Hall-of-Famer Jeff Kent
• The Kent-Barry Bonds Dynamic
• Don Mattingly
• Edwin Diaz and what his signing with the Dodgers means for the Mets
• The Dodgers as the new "Evil Empire"
• Pete Alonso's future
• Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes

Check out CJ on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, as well as his work with the Atlanta Braves TV crew. 

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If you want to look at the bright side of things, the Giants didn't blow another 4th quarter lead, and quarterback Jaxson Dart didn't get hurt.

After that, Monday night's loss to the Patriots was pretty much bad all around.

Abdul Carter was on the bench for the first couple of series for what we hear was "disciplinary reasons," the Giants field goal kicker pulled a Charlie Brown moment, the Patriots scored 17 points on 16 plays...that about sums it up.

Oh, and then there's the Lane Kiffin mess to discuss (that is one VERY sweet deal he has) plus the Yankees haven't made an off-season move yet while the fans get a little antsy.

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Following yet another blown 4th-quarter lead, the Giants responded by firing their defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

While Bowen was probably going to be fired at the end of the season anyway, his dismissal with five games to go is another exclamation point on a horrible Giants season.

Just six weeks after the Giants defense rose to the occasion in helping to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, the team blew 4th quarter leads against Denver, Chicago, Green Bay, and Detroit.

Overall, we're talking about a team that has blown double-digit leads in the 4th quarter in three games, and 5 double-digit leads over all this season.

With the radio broadcast crew openly criticizing coaching decisions as well as an injured player doing the same on social media (in a since-deleted post), it's not exactly a sizzling hot take to tell you that the coaching staff has completely lost the room.

And we also throw in a little baseball with the Mets trading fan favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien, and what that might mean when it comes to Pete Alonso.

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After multiple seasons of failure, the Giants finally cut ties with head coach Brian Daboll, acknowledging that the team couldn't continue in its current path.

The question now is who exactly do the Giants hire?  It's not as if the next Great-Head-Coach-In-Waiting is sitting by the phone just hoping that the team will call.

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart appears to be the real deal, even as it also appears that the team may have mismanaged his style of play that has led Dart into the blue tent four times in his six games to determine if he had suffered a concussion.

It's imperative that the Giants find the right person.

Jim Monaghan and Chris Swendeman go over what's ahead for the Giants, plus they cover what may indeed be a Jets turnaround (despite their record), and offer thoughts on where free agent first baseman Pete Alonso may end up.

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 The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays just treated us to an EPIC 7-game classic that may very well go down as one of the greatest postseason series of all time!

This one had everything - home runs, great plays, pitching performances the likes of which we haven't seen in years.

Jim Monaghan and Chris Swendeman offer their thoughts on what the Blue Jays and Dodgers just gave us, plus a quick look at Week 9 of the NFL season, and the mess that the NBA is in with the latest gambling scandal it's found itself dealing with. 

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The Stone Pony has long been a huge part of the Asbury Park/Jersey Shore music scene, and Lee Mrowicki has been a key player for years.

As "The Voice of the Stone Pony" Lee's view from the DJ booth opposite the stage opened the door to stories about Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, and other characters who are such an important part of the Jersey Shore sound.

What you may not know about Lee is that in addition to being the Pony's DJ, he also has an ongoing career as a scout with the Chicago Cubs.

Lee has combined stories of baseball and music in his new audio book, Legendary - the Stone Pony 74-91 and the People Who Made It So.

Co-hosts Jim Monaghan and Chris Swendeman welcome Lee to this week's episode.

You can purchase the audiobook directly from Lee via his Venmo - @LeeMrowicki.

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Hope for the New York Jets?  Surely you must be kidding!  After getting off to an 0-7 start, fans are looking at another horrible season.

Jets radio play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen, who's been covering the team in one way or another since Year Two of the Rich Kotite debacle, sees some silver lining, especially after the last two games in which the defense has allowed a combined 6 points in the second half.

Still, with so many first-year people on the staff - GM, head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator - it's going to take some time.

Bob offers his perspective on the Jets and gets into some NHL talk with Chris Swendeman and Jim Monaghan on this week's episode.

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Longtime New York Giants radio play-by-play announcer Bob Papa joins Jim Monaghan and Chris Swendeman this week on the Two-Minute Drill podcast.

As someone who has been an integral part of the Giants radio team since the late 1980s, Bob has a unique perspective into what happens with the team on a day-to-day basis.

We talk about the continued development of QB Jaxson Dart, the emergence of running back Cam Skattebo, as well as problems teams like the Philadelphia Eagles are experiencing.

And we continue the conversation about quarterback like Daniel Jones and Mac Jones who have left their original teams and are now finding success.

Turning to baseball, Bob shares an interesting theory on why the Yankees' front office may not really care too deeply about winning a World Series.

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The Yankees are on the brink of elimination (again), the Jets' season might already be over (and we haven't even reached Columbus Day), and a few former New York quarterbacks are having surprisingly good seasons.

Jim Monaghan and Chris Swendeman dive into how the Red Sox gave teams a blueprint for beating the Yankees, a surprising Bills loss to the Patriots, and some thoughts on Jaxson Dart's second NFL start.

And "in other news," Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Rush announce their return to the stage!

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This week we welcome Bill Lekas to the Two-Minute Drill.

Co-host of "The Sunday Drive" on SiriusXM, Bill breaks down all the action every Sunday from noon to 8 PM, and he can also be heard on the "Late Hits" program at various times during the week.

Jim Monaghan and Chris Swendeman get with Bill for his take on what's happened so far this season including the Giants first win thanks in part to the performance of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

And where is the NFL headed in terms of international play?  Could we see a team based outside the United States soon?

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