Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!

Episode 61 - “It's Halloween, Boi! Episode” includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- MLB: A Review of Games 1 thru 4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees & Los Angeles Dodgers. . .

- "Welcome Back, NBA!". . . while you were sorely missed, the NBA regular season is way too long & exhausting. . . Should the NBA reduce the number of games played per season? If so, could a shorter NBA season positively influence or even eliminate the "load management" issues, such as those currently revolving around Philadelphia 76er's All-Star Center Joel Embiid? - Tweet us your Thoughts on Twitter/X at @TraditionFinest!

- A Review/Discussion of the games from NBA Opening Night. . . Was the "new look" NY Knicks able to spoil the "unveiling of Banner #18" for Jayson Tatum & the Boston Celtics? Following the Knicks' acquisition of Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT), are the Knicks a legitimate threat to this defending champion Celtics team out of the Eastern Conference? Why or why not?

- LeBron & Bronny James make history by being the first-ever Father-Son combo to play a professional sport alongside one another - as Bron & Bronny checked in the game for the LA Lakers versus their opening night matchup versus All-Star SF Anthony Edwards & the Minnesota Timberwolves. . . Why do you think there was such a great deal of negativity per social media regarding this historical moment in Sports?. . . 'Bron finished with 16 PTS while C Anthony Davis put on a very dominant performance with 36 PTs & 16 rebounds. . . but how long can Davis remain 'healthy' this NBA season?

- NCAA CFB News & Storylines: Former Coastal Carolina & current NC State QB Grayson McCall recently announced his "Retirement" from football via social media - following a consultation with a brain specialist who suggested that it 'might be best for his health long-term if he hangs the cleats up;' Shortly afterwards, on Tuesday evening - University of Michigan QB Jack Tuttle also announced his "Retirement" from the sport via social media citing "a fifth concussion" and his interest in "prioritizing his health." What are your thoughts on McCall & Tuttle's announcement(s) to retire from the sport? Do you believe that the NCAA's ruling which allowed collegiate athletes to be paid - based on his or her NIL - has significantly increased the probability that a collegiate athlete might "retire" from a physical sport, such as CFB, following the diagnosis of one or two concussions? JD & Spencer also acknowledge some players' estimated NIL Valuation(s), primarily that of five-star Freshman Basketball player, Cooper Flagg, who has yet to play in an NCAA MBB regular season game, but just signed an NIL deal with Gatorade for $2.6M dollars. . .

- NCAA CFB Week 9 Review & Recap: Last Wednesday night, 0-5 or the "winless" Kennesaw State Owls shocked the CFB world!. . . as 28-point Underdogs!. . . after the Owls pulled off a 27 to 24 upset over the undefeated (5-0) Liberty Flames. . .

- Former Ohio State QB Kyle McCord, who transferred to the University of Syracuse in the offseason to play under First-year HC Fran Brown, has played very well this season. . . his performance was even acknowledged by McCord's former HC at Ohio State Ryan Day at an Ohio State postgame press conference. . . and then he dished out an abysmal performance last Thursday evening versus the undefeated & No. 19-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. . . McCord threw 3 TD passes in the first half (each of which were thrown to the wrong/opposing team) that led to three pick-six TD's for Pitt. . . McCord would finish the game throwing for 320+ yards & 5 INT's. . . while No. 19-ranked Pitt was able to secure a 41 to 13 victory over Syracuse to remain undefeated (7-0) this regular season.

- A Breakdown of No. 4-ranked Ohio State's 21-17 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. . . the Buckeyes were inconsistent & played a very sloppy game. . . were the Buckeyes caught "looking ahead" to their Week 10 showdown with Big Ten rival Penn State? QB Will Howard threw for 3 TD's. . . Freshman phenom WR Jeremiah Smith caught his 8th Receiving TD of the season (is now tied with HOF WR Cris Carter for the school record of most TD's scored as a Freshman). . . Cornhusker HC Matt Rhule's defensive game plan was "Genius;"

- QB Quinn Ewers threw for 3 TD's as No. 5-ranked Texas was able to hold off No. 25-ranked Vanderbilt on the road 27 to 24 after Vandy's failed onside kick attempt. . . HC Steve Sarkisian called this a "culture" win - Is this a "dig" at Alabama or nah? Loss snapped the Commodores' three-game winning streak, and has since booted them from the AP Poll Top 25 - Such a damn shame. . . Does Vanderbilt have a "valid" argument to remain in the Top 25? Why or why not?

- No. 12-ranked Notre Dame straight up does NOT respect the United States military. . . knocked off error-prone No. 24-ranked Navy 51-14. . . the Midshipmen turned the ball over six times. . . QB Riley Leonard completed 13/21 for 178 yards & 2 TD's while RB Jeremiyah Love finished the game with 12 carries for 102 yards & 2 TD's; Maybe the stage was too big for the Midshipmen, or at least that's what Navy HC Brian Newberry suggested in his postgame interview. . . Midshipmen QB Blake Horvath had a disastrous day throwing the ball, but had 14 carries for 129 yards & 1 TD. . .

- No. 15-ranked Alabama picked off 3 passes & RB Jam Miller rushed for 2 TD's as the Crimson Tide pitched the shut-out on the road 34-0 versus No. 21-ranked Missouri; HC Kalen DeBoer & the Tide have to approach the remaining games on their schedule with a "do or die" philosophy. . . Tigers QB Brady Cook injured his right (throwing) hand & was knocked out of the game. . . The reliever? A 5-foot 10-inch Drew Pyne who could not see over the OL. . . Pyne threw 3 INT's & finished the game 6-of-12 for 42 yards. . . Mizzou's playoff hopes went up in flames, while Alabama lives, lives to fight another day. . .

- RB Jarquez Hunter rushed the ball 23 times for a career-high 278 yards as Auburn rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat Kentucky in Lexington 24 to 10. . . first SEC Conference victory of the season for the Auburn Tigers. . . Second week in a row Kentucky has collapsed after holding a lead. . . Kentucky's bowl eligibility seems very unlikely at this point?

- Backup Aggies QB Marcel Reed came off the bench in the 3rd QTR against No. 8-ranked LSU looking to jumpstart the stagnant offense & scored . . . QB change was made by Aggies HC Mike Elko - the guy has some balls. . . No. 14-ranked Texas A&M rallied from 10 points down & scored on four straight possessions in the 2nd half to upset LSU 38 to 23 at Kyle Field. . . LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier threw for over 400 yards but had 3 costly INT's - for this LSU team, it's "Beat Bama or Go Home!". . . A&M wins their seventh-straight game, and now sits firmly atop the SEC Conference standings.

- The Battle of the Two First-Year HC's or "A Rivalry Renewed:" The outcome of the Michigan-Michigan State game was pretty much irrelevant following the events that took place afterwards; Michigan held off the Spartans 24 to 17. . .as the final seconds ticked off the clock, players began throwing punches & a skirmish broke out that eventually led to players exiting both sidelines to "join in on the fun;" The fight was triggered after Wolverines All-American TE Colston Loveland & Michigan State DE Anthony Jones pushed, shoved, and butted helmets after QB Davis Warren took a knee to let the remaining seconds on the clock run out. . . Based on the Wolverines' remaining schedule that includes matchups versus No.1-ranked Oregon & No. 4-ranked Ohio State, what will Michigan's record be at the end of the 2024 CFB season?

- NCAA CFB Week 10 Preview & Game Predictions:

#18 Pittsburgh at #20 SMU (-7.5) O/U59.5

Vanderbilt at Auburn (-6.5) O/U48.5

#4 Ohio State (-4.5) at #3 Penn State O/U47.5

#1 Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan O/U44.5

#19 Ole Miss (-6.5) at Arkansas O/U53.5

#2 Georgia (-16.5) vs. Florida O/U52.5

#10 Texas A&M (-2.5) at South Carolina O/U44.5

-NFL: Last Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs finalized a trade/deal for Titans WR Deandre Hopkins for a conditional 4th-round draft pick. . . the following Monday, they bolster their pass rush by trading for New England's Joshua Uche. . . "the Rich Continue to Get Richer?"

- A Discussion of the "Facemask Heard Round the World" penalty & it's costly effects from the Thursday Night LA Rams versus Minnesota Vikings game. . .

- Breakdown of the Panthers/Broncos game

- Colts QB Anthony Richardson removes himself from a game versus the Houston Texans because he was "tired". . . Thoughts? Colts franchise announced on Tuesday that QB Joe Flacco will now be the team's starter. . . Do you agree with the benching of Richardson? Texans hold on to defeat AFC South rival 23-20 but at a cost - WR Stefon Diggs is done for the season after suffering a torn ACL. . .

- The Arizona Cardinals & QB Kyler Murray spoil Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's return, after clearing the NFL's concussion protocol. . . Arizona wins game 28 to 27 after rallying from 14 points down in the 4th QTR. . . FG Kicker Chad Ryland nails GW FG for the second straight week. . . Cardinals finish game with a pair of 100-yard WR's for the first time since October of 2021. . . Dolphins are now 2-5 this NFL season - Are the Dolphins in the red area or "danger zone" of missing the NFL Playoffs this season?

- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson slammed his helmet on the field after the Cleveland Browns' defense stopped them on the final play of the game. . . Browns stun...