Tradition's Finest Episode 95 - "The Myles High Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 95 - "The Myles High Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - Miscellaneous - High School Football : We just have a couple things to say: "Teddy Bridgewater is a Scumbag! The Salt of the Earth! A Horrible Person!". . .This GUY! - - According to a post via his social media account, former NFL QB Teddy Bridgewater indicated earlier this week that he has been "suspended" from coaching his former high school team, Miami Northwestern, for reportedly giving impermissible benefits to his players - - The 32-year-old "abomination," according to multiple reports, reportedly helped his players with uber costs, paid for player's physical therapy out of pocket, pregame meals, recovery assistance, as well as purchased the field paint that was applied to the High School football field - - If it's not utterly apparent & obvious, we are exaggerating - former NFL QB & current High School head football coach Teddy Bridgewater is an incredibly generous and very thoughtful human being, who deserves to be celebrated NOT suspended!! - - This is certainly not a good look for Miami Northwestern High School & their Athletic Department - - The news of Bridgewater's suspension has drawn much criticism from former NFL players, athletes & sports commentators alike. . .Q: What are your thoughts regarding Miami Northwestern High School's decision to suspend HC Teddy Bridgewater for reportedly giving impermissible benefits to his players?. . .PGA: Oakmont County Club, which is located approximately fifteen miles outside of Pittsburgh (PA), has banned professional golfer, Wyndham Clark, from its property after he damaged his locker following a missed cut at last month's U.S. Open event, per sources who confirmed the news to ESPN on Wednesday - - Oakmont Club President John Lynch issued a letter that was sent out to all Oakmont Country Club members earlier this week, indicating that their decision was reached after multiple discussions with the USGA & the Club's Board - - According to Lynch's letter, the ban could be lifted if Clark, 31, pays for the damaged property, makes a "meaningful contribution" to a charity selected by the Oakmont Country Club, and undergoes extensive "counseling and/or anger management therapy." - - Fortunately for Clark, he will not have to play at Oakmont again until 2033, when it is scheduled to host the U.S. Open once again. . .Q: Do you think PGA golfer Wyndham Clark will comply with Oakmont County Club President John Lynch's demands in his letter to ensure that the ban is lifted?. . . - MLB - Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg has agreed in principle to a $1.7 billion deal to sell the franchise to a group led by a Florida-based developer, Patrick Zalupski, according to a report from The Athletic - - The deal is reportedly expected to be closed as early as September and will keep the franchise in the area, with Zalupski, a homebuilder in Jacksonville, having a strong preference to land in Tampa rather than in St. Petersburg - - This was definitely a very profitable deal for Stu Sternberg, after he purchased the Rays franchise in 2004 for $200 million. . .Seattle Mariners star & MLB Home Run leader, Cal Raleigh, became the first MLB catcher to ever win the All-Star Home Run Derby - - Raleigh joins Ken Griffey Jr. as the only two Mariners to win the event, after he totaled 54 homers at the 2025 Derby - - Unfortunately, for Raleigh, his win of the 2025 Home Run Derby was largely overshadowed by the highlight of the evening: Let's just say, if a baseball had a soul, Oneil Cruz would be a "soul crusher." - - Cruz produced the highlight of the first round when he blasted a 513-foot HR, the longest of the evening - he becomes just the sixth player to hit a Derby homer of 500+ feet since Statcast started tracking it in 2016 - - Cruz averaged a distance of 447 feet in Round 1 but was eliminated by Raleigh in the semi-finals when the latter hit 19 dingers to advance - - Raleigh wowed the crowd when he hit left-handed and right-handed during his first round, blasting 10 from the left side and another seven from the right, becoming the first switch hitter to win the contest - - Raleigh outlasted Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero in the HR Derby Final on Monday night - Raleigh hit 18 to Caminero's 15 in the final round - and to the kid that robbed Caminero's homer in the championship round, shame on your parents, and you deserve a nice good kick to the shin!. . .Kyle Schwarber, the man, the myth, [and now] the legend - Remarkably, Schwarber, who is rather spectacular at smashing baseballs, has never won a Home Run Derby - he lost in the finals back in 2018 & failed to advance out of the first round in 2022 - - but on Tuesday night, however, the Philadelphia Phillies slugger made home run history on the All-Star stage, pulverizing three HRs on three swings in the first-ever swing-off to decide the winner of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, giving the National League a 4-3 victory over the American League at Truist Park in Atlanta, after the teams were deadlocked at 6-6 through nine innings - - His performance was enough for Schwarber, and he became the first position player to win the All-Star Game MVP, in a game that began and ended with historic firsts - - This year's exhibition was the first game to feature the automated ball-strike (ABS) system at the major league level outside of spring training, an expected precursor to the MLB's implementation of this new system beginning for the 2026 MLB season - - In this game, four pitches were challenged, and the very first official challenge came on a 0-2 changeup pitch by American League starter Tarik Skubal to San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, that home-plate umpire had called a strike in the first inning, and the call was overturned, ending Machado's at-bat with a strikeout. . .Q: What were your thoughts on the MLB's use of the automated ball-strike (ABS) system in this year's All-Star Game? Do you believe that the aspect of "human error" adds to the overall fun & exhilaration associated with a major (or professional) sport, such as Major League Baseball?. . . - NCAA: News & Storylines - During a Monday morning interview on the "Mac and Cube" show in Birmingham (AL), former University of Alabama QB & current Nick Saban co-worker, Greg McElroy, stated that he spoke to someone "in the know" & was expressively adamant that the GOAT (i.e., Nick Saban) will return as a college football coach - - According to McElroy's statement on the show, "A very much in the know person that I have a lot of respect for and have spent a lot of time around, and just really, really admire - they seems to think Nick Saban is not done coaching," as was initially reported per 24/7 Sports. . .However, and not surprisingly, McElroy refused to acknowledge and respond to the question of who his "in the know' source was - but the news of a possible return to coaching for Saban has spread far & wide, and it has resonated with University of Alabama fans in both a positive and negative light - - If Saban wants to come out of retirement to coach again, there would be plenty of interest in his services - - After all, he established one of the greatest college football dynasties in the history of the sport, in Tuscaloosa, where we would go on to win six national championships with the Crimson Tide between 2007 and 2023 - - Q: What are your thoughts on McElroy's statement regarding the possibility of Nick Saban coming out of retirement to coach as the collegiate level again? Realistically, as a biased Alabama fan, how would you view Saban if he did return to coaching at a power conference outside of the state of Alabama? How would that affect his legacy? . .With each new season of college football comes a new set of rule changes - and this offseason, a new set of rules were introduced and outlined at Day Two of this week's "SEC Media Days" on Wednesday by SEC Conference Coordinator of Football Officials, John McDaid - - Of the six new rule changes that will be introduced in this upcoming season, the two most notable - and those that were discussed in this episode - concern the following: (1) McDaid outlined a new rule that is to be implemented that is expected to decrease the likelihood of players faking injuries before plays to halt the opposing team's momentum as a result of the charged timeout - This new rule will attempt to eliminate the issue of referees having to stop games in order to maintain player safety, which were enabling defenses to get a free timeout - - According to the new rule "if a player goes down after the ball is spotted, the player's team will be charged with a timeout; if the team does not have one, a five-yard penalty will be assessed." - - (2) The second new rule actually has a title affiliated with it - a "Defensive Delay of Game" - and according to this rule, "defenses cannot simulate a snap trying to get the offensive player or players to false start. Abrupt coordinated movements will result in a delay of game penalty for the defense," - All eyes are on you, HC Kirby Smart & the Georgia Bulldogs. . . - NBA - Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was elected President of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) on Saturday, succeeding CJ McCollum of the Washington Wizards - - VanVleet was voted NBPA President during the Board of Player Representatives meeting, and he will begin a four-year term immediately, while McCollum will transition to an advisory role - - VanVleet, a 2019 NBA Champion with the Toronto Raptors & 2022 NBA All-Star, who has set records for the highest-paid contracts for an undrafted player, is regarded as someone who has experienced every level of competition - even within the NBA G-League - and advocates for the union - - VanVleet recently signed a two-year, $50 million contract extension to remain in Houston next season. . .Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns, and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after he clears waivers, per ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania on Wednesday afternoon - - The player option for the 2026-27 NBA season clears the way for Beal, aged 32, to be one of the top available players in free agency next summer - - Q: What are your thoughts on the overall "fit" of Beal teaming up with fellow Clippers All-Star players, Kawhi Leonard & James Harden?. . - NFL - A five-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro & Super Bowl LV champion, DT Ndamukong Suh, officially announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons on Saturday - - Suh broke the news on the one-year anniversary of his father's passing - as he announced his decision in a social media statement - - Q: Where does Ndamukong Suh rank on the NFL All-Time Defensive Lineman list for you: Top 100? Top 25? Top 5?. . .San Francisco 49ers WR Jauan Jennings, who is scheduled to make $7.5 million in the final year of his deal, wants a new contract or trade, sources told ESPN on Monday - - this marks the second straight summer that the Niners are in this situation with a WR who wants to be "paid or traded," - and this year's situation is indirectly tied to last year's scenario with WR Brandon Aiyuk - - Jennings is expected to report to the 49ers training camp, but he is not expected to be happy if a new deal is not in place - - The Niners extended Jennings through 2025 last year, and feel that they have treated him fairly - - While Jennings is coming off of his best NFL season, which included career highs in receptions (77) & TDs (6), it has taken him some time to adjust to the game - - Q: Do you think that the 49ers are most likely to pay or trade WR Jauan Jennings?. . .New York Jets WR Garrett Wilson & CB Sauce Gardner have become the first two former first-round picks under the NFL's current financial system, which went into effect in 2011, to receive extensions in their first year of eligibility - - Wilson agreed to a four-year, $130 million extension, while Gardner agreed to a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension - - This is outside of the norm for the New York Jets, but they have decided to take a more proactive approach to secure their two foundational players through the 2030 season. . . - 2025-26 College Football Preseason Prediction Showcase PT. II: Big 12 Conference - - In the episode finale this week, JD & Spencer each provide their individual (and independent) projections/predictions for the Big XII Conference for the upcoming 2025-26 college football season - - They provided their overall predictions by presenting their responses to the following set of agreed-upon questions: 1. Which teams of the Big 12 Conference would you consider to be "Championship Contenders" next season? 2. Which teams of the Big 12 Conference would you consider to be "Championship Pretenders" next season? 3. Which programs would you consider to function as "sleeper team(s)" of the Big 12 Conference next season? 4. Who are a few "players to watch" out of the Big 12 Conference next season? 5. Which Big 12 Conference program do you predict to win the 2025-26 Conference Championship? 6. How many Big 12 Conference programs do you believe will receive a bid into the 2025-26 College Football Playoff? Which team(s)? Thanks for Listening!