Author: devinbrainch

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NFL

Patrick Mahomes is holding back the Chiefs from returning to the Super Bowl

         At this point in the NFL season, there are clear Super Bowl contenders and pretenders emerging. For the NFC, the Detroit Lions have established themselves as the favorite, but the AFC is still a toss-up. After a miraculous win vs. the Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs are 9-0 for the first time in the Mahomes era. Beating the Broncos on a blocked kick in a game that they ultimately shouldn’t have won sums up their season. Seven of their nine wins have been within one-score games. Although some argue that the Chiefs just know how to win close games, Patrick Mahomes’ play this season gives another perspective. So far, Mahomes is statistically off to the worst start to a season of his career, already having nine interceptions. For comparison, in the 2007 Patriots undefeated season, Tom Brady passed for 50 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, winning the league MVP. In the last decade, the team that won the Super Bowl almost always has had a top-five quarterback in the NFL. 

         For the Chiefs to return to the Súper Bowl, they will have to face elite quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. Without a competent quarterback, the Chiefs will stand no chance against those teams, and it will be proven this weekend in their game against the Buffalo Bills. Given that Mahomes has been playing like a bottom-five quarterback, the Chiefs will be exposed as a fraudulent team by the time the playoffs come around in January.

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Uncategorized

The Coach Prime experience enters year two

Last year when Colorado signed NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, aka Coach Prime, as their next football head coach, the expectations were enormous. Sanders brought in high confidence in his team which came off to some negatively. His high ego has led to Colorado being the most divisive team in the country. Despite all the hype around Colorado, they finished Sanders’ first season with an awful 4-8 record. Regardless of the losing record, the Buffaloes played all their games with style and energy. 

Although there is a lot of doubt entering year 2 of Sanders’ tenure, the Buffaloes will surprise many fans. Although Sanders’ coaching style isn’t for everyone, he brings in a lot of experience, himself being arguably the greatest cornerback of all time. Sanders has used his experience and connections to bring in numerous former NFL players to help coach the Buffaloes in the off-season. The Buffaloes also have some of the most skilled athletes in the country, notably Travis Hunter, who plays both cornerback and wide receiver. At quarterback, they are again being led by Deion Sanders’ son, Shedur Sanders, who is currently a Heisman front-runner.

It is unclear what fans should expect from Colorado this season, but knowing Coach Prime, the goal is to qualify for the new 12-team playoff and win the national title. To accomplish this, Coach Prime will need to avoid his fatal mistake of becoming the enemy in college football. He will need to incite confidence in his team while avoiding arrogance. Colorado has a reasonable schedule that could lead to many wins, and they will need a win tonight against North Dakota State to start the season strong.

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Uncategorized

2024 Paris Olympics are an all new sporting experience

Last night, the closing ceremonies officially concluded the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Since I attended some events at the games, I have some thoughts on the in-person viewing experience. The Olympics are a very different sporting event compared to most because there is no single winner. Unlike events such as the World Cup or the World Baseball Classic, there are winners from many different countries in numerous events. While some may care about which country wins the most gold medals, this is less of a focal point. For the athletes, it is not only about competing for themselves but also about the pride of representing their country. Moments like when Greek basketball player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, proudly carried the Greek flag during the opening ceremonies show how much it means to the athletes to represent their countries. 

In each Olympic Games, new sports are being added, even to the point where some question if something is a sport (most notably breakdancing was introduced this year). Nonetheless, it is a great way to introduce the world to a sport that may not be popular in most countries. One of the more obscure sports that I watched in person was beach volleyball. This event felt much less serious than other events such as tennis, but that didn’t take away the fun and excitement when watching it. The announcers played music between every point and the audience became very involved with cheering on the players. While some sports require a close match to engage the crowd, this was a very fun event to watch regardless of the stakes.

The tennis matches at Roland Garros felt much different from beach volleyball as they were much more intense. I watched a Round 1 match between Rafael Nadal from Spain and Marton Fuscovics from Hungary. The crowd was very in favor of Nadal but there was much more nervousness among fans in this stadium than I have seen at other events. Nadal with his 14 French Open wins seemed at home at the Roland Garros Center Court. However, the match was close at times and went all the way to three sets with Nadal winning eventually, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Even though each event had the same Paris 2024 Olympic branding and the same music playing, they all felt different in their own ways. Each stadium had its own flavor with the beach volleyball stadium being the most impressive with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Table tennis had a lot of the crowd chanting in different languages and waving flags for their countries. The soccer stadium spectators were really intent on doing the wave and the Uzbekistan soccer team fan base came with their own drums and cheer routines. This was overall a positive experience since every single event felt new.

There were many exciting moments from the Olympics this year, but there were a few in particular that stood out. While not the closest match, Djokovic playing Nadal for potentially the final time ever was very cool to see. Djokovic would win, and then go on to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the gold medal match. For Americans, Team USA Basketball’s run to the gold medal was incredible. After pulling off the most improbable comeback against Serbia, their gold medal game against France came down to the wire. In typical Steph Curry fashion, he could not miss a shot at the end of the game, leading the U.S. to the win.

Since the entire world was changed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this year was the first back-to-normal Olympic Games since 2016, and Paris did not disappoint. The opening ceremony on the Seine, the different festivities for the public at Hotel de Ville and the Place de la Concorde, and the Olympic flame balloon near the Louvre will be hard to forget. The 2028 games are headed to Los Angeles and this city will have a lot of expectations to live up to. More sports will be added to the Olympic roster and some will be removed (breakdancing anyone?). The traffic of LA will be interesting for Olympic fans to navigate without a reliable public transportation system. But in the end, the closing ceremony with a shot of the Olympic Rings within the Hollywood sign shows that maybe LA has what it takes to make the 2028 games a huge success with a unique American flavor.

Categories
MLB

Rece Hinds gives the Cincinnati Reds hope that they can secure a playoff berth

Entering the all-star break, the Cincinnati Reds are in a much better position than they were a month ago. Though still fourth place in the NL Central, they are only 8 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers who sit in first place.

 They can credit new outfielder Rece Hinds for the hot streak they are riding, as he was called up to the major league only a few weeks ago and has been dominating. So far, Hinds is 11-23 with three doubles, a triple, and five home runs. Usually, it takes time for rookies to adjust to the major leagues, but Hinds has started on fire. For the Reds, Hinds’ hot start has given both the players and the fans life, despite the rough stretch of losses the Reds had faced for much of the season. 

Within only a few weeks, Hinds has deservingly been named the National League player of the week. Hinds is showing that he might be the missing piece for this young Reds team, who have struggled with scoring runs consistently. Since the departure of Joey Votto, the Reds lost a player who could hit home runs in crucial moments of a game, and bring the energy as well. Hinds is filling the Joey Votto role perfectly so far, as he has already been the determining factor to win numerous games. If Hinds is a legit star, adding him to the Reds’ already elite young core should be concerning for the other teams in the NL Central.

Last season, the Reds became the most fun and high-energy team in the league once Elly De La Cruz was called up. There has been a similar feeling among Reds fans and players as Rece Hinds mania takes over the MLB. Although pitchers will start adjusting, making it more difficult for Hinds, the Reds need to use this winning experience to fuel a potential playoff push.

Categories
NBA

Trading DeMar DeRozan signals that the Bulls are entering a rebuild… again

The Chicago Bulls have officially entered a new era as they traded away DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings. A few summers ago, the Bulls made big-time moves, bringing in DeMar Derozan, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vucevic. For about half a season, the Bulls were the one seed in the Eastern Conference and looked like a championship team. Since then, it has been entirely downhill due to injuries to Lonzo Ball and the poor performance of the entire team.

Trading DeRozan away is a statement from the Bulls front office saying that they will enter a rebuild and focus on their young players. The Bulls also traded Alex Caruso a few weeks ago, and It is safe to say that Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic will be on new teams next season as well. While the Bulls’ young core looks promising with Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and newly acquired rookie Matas Buzelis, it is not enough to satisfy Bulls fans. Since Jordan left, the franchise has been in a loop that consists of having a promising team, struggling with injuries, and then trading everyone away. Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler, and now DeMar Derozan are all names that once brought the Bulls to relevance, just for the front office to blow it all up.

As the Bulls enter yet another rebuilding season, they must approach it differently this time. The entire focus of the coaching staff needs to be developing their young players. While the Bulls have struggled with young talent in the past, they have some players who have shown flashes of being elite players. This time around, the Bulls will not be building around a single player like they have in the past with Derrick Rose and Zach Lavine. Ascending star Coby White, along with newly acquired young talent in Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, need to build team chemistry for a few seasons. The Bulls will almost certainly lose many of their games,  but in a few seasons, the front office can once again make a splash by signing a big-time player. The Bulls must stay patient with their young players before signing a superstar player, and this might mean firing current head coach Billy Donavan, who seemingly wants to win now. This method of rebuilding was also done by the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they slowly developed their young talent, and then signed superstar Donavan Mitchell, making them instant contenders.

In the past few seasons, we have seen many teams try to sign many superstar players and fail. The Brooklyn Nets had Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, and could not make it past the second round of the playoffs. The Phoenix Suns also created a big three just to lose in round one. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have been arguably some of the best teams in the NBA, built their teams entirely off of the young players on their team. They remained patient and now will be winning for the next 10 seasons at least. If Bulls fans want to see their team win again, it will have to be another few years of waiting.

Categories
NBA

Bronny James’ journey to the NBA has been unfairly criticized

In the past, there have been numerous father-son duos to play the same sport at the highest level, but there have not been many instances where they have played together. The most famous example is Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. teaming up on the Cincinnati Reds. We now have a new father-son duo in the NBA, this time being LeBron and Bronny James.

Over the last few years, one of the biggest stories in all of sports has been Lebron James’ son, Bronny, potentially playing in the NBA at the same time as LeBron. For many years Bronny was hyped up as an elite draft prospect, but once he committed to USC, scouts became a little more realistic with his expectations. Whether it was for his mediocre performance in his lone season of college basketball, or his health concerns following a cardiac arrest, Bronnys draft stock plummeted. After all the hype throughout the years, the Lakers selected Bronny James in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Many fans and media members have been criticizing Bronnys journey to the NBA, and believe the only reason he was drafted was because of his dad. While there has been much debate surrounding this topic, the truth is that Bronny likely wouldn’t have been considered by NBA teams if it weren’t for him being the son of LeBron James. Where the critics are wrong, however, is blaming Bronny for this. The whole concept of nepotism appears in sports all the time, but for whatever reason there are more critics of Bronny. For example, two of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brothers are in the NBA strictly because they are related to the two-time MVP. There will be advantages to being related to LeBron James, and people have to deal with it. 

Although there is nothing wrong with Bronny having this advantage, the way that LeBron pulled Bronny to be drafted by the Lakers is a little more debatable. Reports came out that Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, told teams to not draft Bronny or he would go play in Australia instead. This of course, ultimately led to Bronny being available at pick 55 for the Lakers to select him.  It seems a little unnecessary for Bronny to force his way to play with his dad, especially given that Bronny has said he wants out of LeBron’s shadow.

Now that Bronny James has finally been drafted, the spotlight will be huge on him. He may not have much playing time, but it won’t take the attention away from him. If he plays well, he will be given a lot of media coverage, but if he plays poorly he will be given even more.

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Uncategorized

Will Rory McIlroy be remembered for his U.S. Open missed putt?

On Sunday in the U.S. Open, Bryson Dechambeau won the tournament following a heartbreaking missed three-foot putt from Rory McIlroy that would have forced a playoff. The media has suddenly shifted the positive narrative on McIlroy as he has now not won a major for 10 years. For the past decade, Macilroy has been the fan favorite on the PGA Tour, and also the most consistent golfer in the world. Every tournament, McIlroy is in the running to win, but it seems he can never finish the job. Many fans of the PGA, including myself, have realized that while McIlroy is a great golfer, he might never be the best on the PGA Tour. While McIlroy’s consistency is off the charts, he must win another major soon if he wants to be remembered as an all-time great. In all sports, all-time great players are not remembered for being consistently good, but for being the best and winning often. If Rory McIlroy does not win another major championship, his missed putt on Sunday will go down as a career-defining moment.

Categories
NBA

Jayson Tatum vs. Jaylen Brown: the most meaningless debate in the NBA

The Boston Celtics have lived up to their expectations as the best team in the NBA, taking a commanding 2-0 lead against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. While many have downplayed their success because of their weak opponents due to injuries, the Celtics roster has shown its perfection. Each starter can score, defend, and make the right play when asked to, along with this the team also has the most elite bench in the NBA.

A recent debate has come up surrounding the Celtics’ superstars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Despite Jayson Tatum historically being the best player on this team, Jaylen Brown was awarded the conference finals MVP trophy. The intense debate has led to the Dallas Mavericks head coach, Jason Kidd, giving his own opinion, stating that he believes Jaylen Brown is the best player in the Celtics. Both the opposition and the media are attempting to cause division in the Celtics locker room. For the Celtics to complete this NBA Finals run with a win, both Tatum and Brown need to ignore the outside noise. It is clear that Jayson Tatum is not playing to his usual standards, but this should not matter to the Celtics as they are still winning.

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant won three straight titles, with the finals MVP in each series going to Shaq, yet nobody discredits Kobe. The ongoing slander that Jayson Tatum has been receiving will all be meaningless if the Celtics finish the job and win the NBA Finals.

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NFL

2024 NFL Draft has an Unprecedented Amount of Offensive Talent

Ever since the final seconds ticked away and the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their Super Bowl title, NFL fans have had the draft marked on their calendars. The weeks that precede draft day are often among the most deceptive times of the year, filled with false rumors and misinformation. This year has been no different, as almost every draft selection remains up in the air.

Despite the mysteries still surfacing about the draft, one thing is certain: the Chicago Bears will select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. This has been nothing but a guarantee since the Bears traded former quarterback Justin Fields one month ago. While Bears fans are sure to be excited, the rest of the NFL fans wait in anticipation for the picks following the Bears’ selection.

This year’s draft is filled with players who play offensive positions, notably featuring many quarterbacks. Other than Caleb Williams, elite quarterback prospects include Drake Maye from UNC, Heisman winner Jayden Daniels from LSU, and J.J McCarthy from Michigan. Conveniently, the teams with the next two picks are both in search of their next franchise quarterback. 

For the Washington Commanders, who hold the number two overall selection, it would be a consequential mistake to not draft Drake Maye. In recent years, the Commanders have had a quarterback carousel, unable to settle on their guy. Despite the rumors that they are highly interested in McCarthy and Daniels, Maye is on a different level. His ability to throw the ball at a high level combined with his athleticism enables him to create big plays which sets him apart from the rest of the pack. Even though Caleb Williams has been advertised as the unanimous number-one selection, Maye is not far behind. 

With the next selection, the New England Patriots will be on the clock. Whoever they select will have nothing given to him, as the Patriots face a challenge offensively. In all honesty, the Patriots should trade down to accumulate more assets, which would ultimately provide their future quarterback with a smaller challenge. Drafting Jayden Daniels or JJ McCarthy would be a mistake, both players rely on strong systems around them. For the Patriots to succeed, the front office must accept that their flaws run deeper than just at the quarterback position.

If there’s one message the Arizona Cardinals need, it is to take the best player available. Holding the fourth overall pick, the Cardinals are in a position to draft a generational wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr. Son of the hall of fame receiver Marvin Harrison, Harrison Jr. is without a doubt the number one prospect in this entire draft. The Cardinals will be lucky enough to have him on the board while they are on the clock. Given his size and athletic ability, Harrison Jr. dominated during his time at Ohio State and will change the direction of the franchise that drafts him. For weeks, it has been rumored that the Cardinals will trade this pick to the Minnesota Vikings who are eyeing J.J. McCarthy. While this would be a huge success for the Vikings, trading this pick could be viewed as an all-time missed opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals.

The following draft selections will ultimately be determined by how the top four picks occur. The offensive talent, however, does not end there. Another notable prospect includes wide receiver Malik Nabers from LSU, an elite playmaker who arguably is as skilled as Marvin Harrison Jr. Also, tight-end Brock Bowers from Georgia has been deemed by many draft analysts as the greatest tight-end prospect of all time. Other top-tier prospects in the draft include wide receiver Rome Odunze, offensive tackle Joe Alt, and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.

The NFL Draft is always filled with elite prospects, but this year is being held in higher regard offensively. While it is too early to tell, undoubtedly there are numerous players with hall-of-fame ceilings. In the end, the player’s success is dependent on the team that selects them, and how they handle the situation they are given. After months of anticipation, fans and players will be excited to see how the draft plays out.

Categories
CFB

Washington’s Offense Too Much for Michigan to Handle

The lead up to the college football national championship has been very entertaining. Both teams, Michigan, and Washington, are coming off thrilling semifinal games that were determined by the final play. Michigan made a comeback against Alabama to win in overtime, while Washington held off a determined comeback by Texas. 

While Michigan is a school known for their football success, they had yet to make it to the championship of the college football playoff despite numerous appearances in the semifinals. For Michigan, this season has been a rollercoaster, having more ups and downs than any other team in the country. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended not once, but twice. Prior to winning games against Penn State and Ohio State, Harbaugh was suspended for sign stealing allegations. While it seemed unlikely for Michigan to overcome the loss of their head coach when facing two of the best teams in the nation, they won. If anything is for sure, the Michigan Wolverines know how to win football games. While the offense has shown moments of greatness, it has been the defense which has held them in every game. They have allowed 10.2 points per game which is the lowest among every team in college football. The Wolverines showcased their defensive dominance tallying five sacks in the first half alone, then finishing the game with seven sacks. With the offense occasionally being a little shaky, their defense will be critical to win.

Washington is coming off its fifth consecutive one-score win. Although they have struggled to secure wins of larger margins, they are a more complete football team on both sides of the field. Star QB Michael Penix Jr. playing in his sixth year of college football was the Heisman runner up this season. Though Penix did not win the award, he is widely considered the best quarterback in college football. Penix Jr. has 4,648 passing yards, which is the most among all D1 quarterbacks. Along with this, he just had one of the greatest performances in college football history passing for 430 yards in the semifinal win against Texas. Even though Washington tends to pass the ball, running back Dillon Johnson gives them an alternative if the pass game falters. Though Johnson has been one of the top running backs this season, it will be difficult for him to find openings against Michigan’s elite defensive line.

The determining factor in this game will be the battle between the Washington offense and the Michigan defense. If Michigan can replicate the same pressure on Penix that they put on Alabama, it will be a struggle for Washington’s offense. However, Washington is much more reliable than Alabama’s, making it a tougher task for the Michigan defense. Ultimately, the experience and skill of Michael Penix Jr. will be too much to contain for the Michigan defense and will lead to Washington winning the national championship.

Final Score Prediction: Washington 31 Michigan 23