Tradition's Finest Episode 99 - "The Who's Who Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 99 - "The Who's Who Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - Miscellaneous - PGA: The No.1-rated PGA Player of the World, Scottie Scheffler, had a Tiger Woods-like moment with a trophy on the line & a club in his hand on Sunday at the PGA's BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club located in Owing Mills, Maryland: On the hardest hole in the final round at Caves Valley, Scheffler hit an 82-foot chip shot on the 17th hole, that landed about 60 feet short and rolled the rest of the way - picking up speed, losing speed & dropping on the final turn - - The birdie on the 17th hole all but ensured another victory, giving Scheffler his fifth PGA Tour title this year - - Scheffler, who had to erase a four-shot deficit against Robert MacIntyre in five holes, closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory & became the first PGA golfer since Tiger Woods in 2006 & 2007, to win at least five times on the PGA Tour in consecutive years - - Scheffler, who finished at 15-under 265, now has 18 career titles in the past 3 ½ years since his first PGA Tour title in Phoenix, Arizona. . .Scottie Scheffler wasn't the only golfer at this weekend's BMW Championship that was a major contributor to the news & storylines surrounding the PGA event; however, fellow PGA Tour golfer Ben Griffin did not, on the other hand, fare so well in terms of his rollercoaster performance in the opening day of the event - Griffin started his final round at Caves Valley Golf Club with a four-putt from 4-feet out for a triple bogey, a drive out-of-bounds that resulted in a double bogey, and a bogey at the third - Griffin was (+6) for the day, but he would battle back to shoot 1-under 69 - - So what happened?. . .Did he not get enough sleep the night before? No, that's not it!. . .Was he a little hungover from hitting the bar with the boys? Nope, not that, either!. . . Fortunately, we do not have to provide an educated guess as to why Griffin's play was far below average in the opening round because he gave us a viable explanation: He overdosed after ingesting too big a dose of the supplement Creatine - "I basically just inhaled a snowball," Griffin stated at a press conference following the PGA event, further explaining that he was shaking uncontrollably, and had actually considered withdrawing from the tournament - - but nobody likes a quitter! (and neither does his caddie), who stepped in & forced him to chug an entire bottle of water to reset - - By the time Griffin reached the fifth tee, he was on the mend - and he would go on to reel off three straight birdies starting at No.7 & four more on the back nine, including a 55-footer at No.17, and he would finish the BMW Championship tied for 12th place at (-3) - - Moral of the story is. . Do Not Overdose on Creatine!. . .Boxing: A former NBA player, a few 'washed' former UFC fighters & the 59-year-old version of boxing legend Mike Tyson later, Jake Paul, by some measures, is set to test himself in an exhibition boxing match against WBA lightweight champion, Gervonta "Tank" Davis, as first reported by Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine - - Coppinger reported that the exhibition bout has been tentatively scheduled for the date of November 15th, and will take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta - - In contrast to Davis who is 5-foot-5 inches tall, Paul is much larger in body physique & overall stature - standing at 6-foot-1, weighing roughly 65-lbs heavier, and possessing a much wider wing span than that of Davis - however, the specific details regarding the match's weight limit have yet to be finalized - - Despite the obvious differences in overall stature & size, to date, this will undoubtedly be the biggest test of Jake Paul's boxing career, as Davis currently holds a record of 30-0-1 as a professional boxer with 28 knockouts - - While the outcome of the fight will be a topic of debate as the date for the match draws closer, one thing is for certain: both Paul & Davis will likely secure a massive payday from a boxing event that will most likely be promoted & accessible via streaming service provider Netflix - - Q: Who do you got winning the fight between Jake Paul & "Tank" Davis? Will the obvious size differences skew the overall outcome or results for the match's winning boxer?. . . - NBA - Five-time NBA All-Star & former No.1 overall draft pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, John Wall, announced via his social media account on Tuesday that he is retiring from basketball after playing for 11 seasons in the league - - Wall, 34, played most of his NBA career alongside Bradley Beal with the Washington Wizards after he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft following his impressive freshman season at the University of Kentucky under head basketball coach John Calipari - - The five-time All-Star PG finishes his NBA career with averages of 18.7 points and 8.9 assists per game - - Statistically, in his best season, he averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists for the 2016-17 regular season with the Washington Wizards, where he was named All-NBA Third Team - - In his prime, Wall was one of the fastest, most athletic guards set to enter the NBA, and it did not take him very long to adjust to playing among the NBA's elite, as he was crowned the Slam Dunk Champion in 2014 - and as an elite defender - he made the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team in 2015 - - However, injuries plagued the second half of Wall's career as he never played more than half the games in any of the past six seasons, and he did not play in the league over the last two years - - Shortly after announcing his retirement from the NBA, Wall shared a post via social media, indicating that he will join Amazon Prime Video as an NBA analyst - - Q: Do you recall that moment when you first heard the song "Do the John Wall?". . . - NCAA: News & Storylines - The University of Michigan has received a series of fines that could eclipse $30 million, but avoided punitive penalties, such as a postseason ban and/or the vacating of victories - including those that occurred the Wolverines' national championship season in 2023 - as the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions ruled on the program's advance-scouting case last Friday - - In addition to Moore's two-game suspension that is expected to be served this upcoming season, the NCAA has also imposed an additional game suspension for Wolverines HC Sherrone Moore, which will be served for the first game of the 2026 season - and he also received a two-year show-cause penalty - - The NCAA Committee also levied an eight-year show-cause penalty for former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, as well as a ten-year show-cause penalty for former Wolverines HC Jim Harbaugh, who is now is the head coach for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers - The show-cause penalties imposed on Stalions & Harbaugh are intended to act as potential barriers for any collegiate programs that might have interest in hiring them in the future - - Separately, former Wolverines' assistant coach Denard Robinson was hit with a three-year show-cause penalty for a combined role in the team's recruiting violations - - In the sign-stealing case, the University of Michigan, it's coaches & staffers were charged with six Level 1 violations, which constitute as the most serious violations handed down by the NCAA - - The NCAA Committee provided further clarification as well as their rationale for the decision to fine the Michigan program heavily, rather than to issue a penalty such as a postseason ban - and this further indicates an overall shift in NCAA enforcement rulings away from postseason prohibitions - - After the NCAA's ruling was handed down to the school last Friday evening, the University later released a statement that, in short, acknowledged the Committee's ruling, but further questioned their interpretation of NCAA bylaws & stated that they "will appeal this decision to ensure a fair result." - - Q: What are your thoughts regarding the NCAA Committee of Infractions' ruling to slap Michigan with what ESPN reporter Pete Thamel referred to as "unprecedented" fines (totaling approximately $30 million)? Do you believe that the Committee should have vacated the program's victories that were associated with the Wolverines' 2023 national championship run?. . .University of Alabama Crimson Tide RB Jam Miller, the program's top returning rusher who is entering his fourth season with the team, suffered an upper-body injury in a preseason camp scrimmage on Saturday, per HC Kalen DeBoer - and according to initial reports, he is expected to miss the August 30th season opener at Florida State - - Following the initial injury report, On3 Sports reported on Sunday that Miller had sustained a collarbone injury, and while he is expected to make a full recovery, the Crimson Tide are hopeful that Miller will be able to return for the Crimson Tide when they face off against the Georgia Bulldogs on September 27th - - Without Miller, and following the transfer of 2024 starter Justice Haynes to Michigan - sophomore RBs Richard Young (146 rushing yards & 2 TDs in 2024) & Daniel Hill (61 rushing yards & 1 TD in 2024) are expected to retain a bulk of the carries against the Seminoles in the team's season opener, along with Louisiana transfer RB Dre Washington - - Q: What are your thoughts on the Crimson Tide's depth (and lack of experience) at the RB position, and does Jam Miller's injury change the team's offensive gameplan as they prepare for their road trip to Tallahassee?. . . The University of Tennessee named senior Joey Aguilar its starting QB on Sunday - - Aguilar transferred from UCLA to Tennessee in April, one day after former Volunteers QB Nico lamaleava joined the Bruins, in what would essentially become the first-ever college football QB trade - - Aguilar, who threw for over 3,000 yards and 23 TDs with 14 INTs last season at Appalachian State, beat out redshirt freshman QB Jake Merklinger for the starting job - and is expected to make his first official start for the Volunteers on August 30th when they face off against Syracuse - - Q: Were you surprised by the news that Joey Aguilar had been named the starting QB for the Tennessee Volunteers? If he can remain healthy, do you expect him to remain the Volunteers' starter?. . ."Auburn in the News:" Auburn University announced on Monday that it will retire the No.2 jersey of Cam Newton, the former Tigers QB who won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 prior to leading the team to a BCS national title later that season - - The retirement ceremony will take place on October 11th during the Tigers' rivalry game versus Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium - - Newton will join fellow Heisman winners Pat Sullivan (No.7) & Bo Jackson (No.34) as well as record-setting WR Terry Beasley (No.88) as the only Auburn players to have their jersey numbers retired - - In his single season with the Tigers, Newton became the first SEC player to record 2,000 passing yards & 1,000 rushing yards in a single season - and he went on to account for 51 of the team's TDs (30 passing, 20 rushing, 1 receiving) while leading Auburn to a 14-0 perfect record, and a BCS national championship victory over the Oregon Ducks - - Newton swept the major college football awards in 2010, winning the Maxwell, Walter Camp, Manning & Davey O'Brien Awards - as well as being named the AP Player of the Year, prior to being drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the No.1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft - - The No.2 jersey has not been worn at Auburn since Cam Newton, and while the news of his jersey being retired was widely celebrated across the sport of college football, it does bring a bit of bad news for five-star freshman QB Deuce Knight, who for obvious reasons, wore No.2 in high school - and was even photographed wearing the No.2 jersey during his official visit(s) to the University, but following the program's announcement on Monday, it appears that Knight's chances of donning the No.2 jersey at Auburn have gone from slim to "not a chance!" - - Last week, Auburn Tigers HC Hugh Freeze revealed one of the craziest approaches to play-calling, which sparked just how insane his approach will be: This season, on first downs, OC Derrick Nix will call the plays, on second downs, it'll be Hugh Freeze, and finally, on third downs, it'll be QB coach Kent Austin, however, Mr. Freeze may overrule the play-calling duties at any point, but it will be a collaborative effort - - While Freeze plans to have three different play-callers - he also announced that the Tigers could use as many as three different QBs in the team's season opener versus Baylor - if you're not a math whiz, that's a potential 9 play-caller-QB combinations, which is absolute madness & chaos - - Q: What are your thoughts on Auburn Tigers HC Hugh Freeze's decision for the program to "go nuclear" offensively in their season opener versus Baylor? - - In other news, Auburn is trying to catch up to their biggest rival Alabama in the race for the number of national championships claimed, as the Tigers announced on Tuesday that it will now recognize themselves as nine-time college football champions - - With titles originally claimed for 1913, 1957, 1983, 1993 & 2010, now Auburn is claiming national titles in 1910, 1914, 1958 & 2004 - - Unfortunately for the Tigers, the Crimson Tide has 18 national championships that weren't "claimed," but were actually won - - Q: Should Auburn University be allowed to claim these additional college football national titles? Why or why not?. . .Ohio State has named sophomore Julian Sayin as its starting QB ahead of the Buckeyes' season opener against the Texas Longhorns on August 30th, per Buckeyes' HC Ryan Day on Monday afternoon - - Sayin, a former five-star prospect & No.3 QB in the 2024 recruiting class, beat out redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz & true freshman Tavien St. Clair for the starting job - - While all three QBs were blue-chip recruits, it was reportedly Sayin's consistency, command of the offense & overall strong performance in the fall that helped him emerge from arguably one of the most competitive QB battles in the country this offseason - - Q: Were you surprised by HC Ryan Day's announcement on Monday that Julian Sayin had been named the Buckeyes' starting QB this season?. . . The Big Ten Conference is reportedly proposing a significant expansion of the College Football Playoff, suggesting a jump from the current 12-team model to include 24 to 28 teams, according to ESPN - - This proposal includes a large number of automatic bids for the four major conferences (i.e., Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12) - - The proposal is still in its early stages of discussion, with other conferences weighing in, and a final decision is needed by the first of December - - A key aspect of this proposal is the potential elimination of Conference Championship games, and in such a 28-team model, the Big Ten & SEC Conference(s) would each receive seven automatic bids, while the ACC & Big 12 Conference(s) would each receive five - The remaining spots would be filled by two automatic bids for non-Power 4 Conferences and two "at-large" teams - - Q: We have discussed the possibility of an expansion within the CFP, and we both agree that 24 or 28 teams is way too damn many, do you agree? If not, why would you prefer this particular model?. . .Notre Dame named redshirt freshman CJ Carr its starting QB on Tuesday - - Carr beat out sophomore QB Kenny Minchey after what was reportedly a "fairly even" competition for the starting role - - Carr, whose grandfather is former Michigan HC Lloyd Carr, will make his first career start for the Fighting Irish at Miami (FL) on August 31st. . .BYU is naming Bear Bachmeier as its starting QB, as first reported per ESPN, which will make him the first true freshman QB in program history to start a season opener for BYU - - Bachmeier, who will wear No.47, will debut against Portland State on August 30th - after beating out redshirt sophomore transfer QB McCae Hillstead (via Utah State) & redshirt junior transfer QB Treyson Bourguet (via Western Michigan). . .It's official, party people! - The 2025-26 College Football Season is officially underway as the Week 0 schedule is set, and will kick off this Saturday, August 23rd with four FBS vs. FBS matchups - and yes! we are here to give you our Week 0 predictions: (1) "Irish Farmageddon:" In the first time slot of the season, as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic & the 109th meeting of the "Farmageddon" rivalry - as well as the first-ever Big 12 Conference matchup played on Irish soil - the No.17-ranked Kansas State Wildcats will face off against the No.22-ranked Iowa State Cyclones in a clash of Big 12 title contenders at Noon ET - - *Note: Kansas State (+550) are the preseason favorites to win the Big 12, while Iowa State is listed at (+1200) - - Kansas State (-3) vs. Iowa State O/U 49.5 - - Q: Who do you like to come out on top in this Big 12 Conference clash in Ireland?. . . (2) While not as an impactful of a game as the one before, in the first game of the Dan Mullen era at UNLV, he will try to keep the success of the Barry Odom era rolling - but unfortunately for Mullen, there are plenty of lost parts, lots of rebuilding to do, and now there are actual expectations after UNLV fans finally got to taste the sweet nectar of a winning program - On the other hand, Idaho State isn't a total pushover - after a 5-7 season in 2024, the Bengals are returning a decent group of offensive talent, and enough of a ground game to be more than just a "paycheck game" for the new-look Rebels at 4:00 PM ET on Saturday - In addition, Rebels HC Dan Mullen announced on Wednesday morning that Michigan transfer QB Alex Orji & Virginia transfer QB Anthony Colandrea will both play in the season opener versus the Bengals - - Idaho State at UNLV (-25.5) O/U 63.5 - - Q: Does the Idaho State Bengals spoil Dan Mullen's coaching debut in Vegas?. . .The third time slot at 6:00 PM ET features a strong Conference USA opener for two teams with plenty to work on, but enough talent returning & an upside to push for a spot in the C-USA Championship game - In this matchup, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will face off against the Sam Houston Bearkats, who is coming off a ten-win season, but is starting over under new HC Phil Longo after KC Keeler bolted to Temple - - Western Kentucky (-10) vs. Sam Houston O/U 61.5 - - Q: Which team do you like to pull out this C-USA season opener?. . .In the fourth & final time slot at 6:30 PM ET, in what is expected to be a entertaining game with plenty of mood swings, the Stanford Cardinals will travel to Honolulu to take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in what could be a potentially physical matchup - - Hawaii (-2.5) vs. Stanford O/U 51.5 - - Q: Who do you like to come out with a victory in the Week 0 finale?. . .If you have been tuned in for the past few weeks, you are very familiar with our "2025-26 College Football Preseason Prediction Showcase" segment(s) where JD & Spencer have discussed & presented their individual predictions/projections for the upcoming season, starting with the Group of Five Conference(s) and making their way up to the Power Five Conferences, which included the Big XII, Big Ten, ACC & SEC Conferences - This week, Spencer & JD will present their final predictions for the 2025 College Football season: Our National Championship Picks!! - - According to multiple sources, the favorites to win the national championship next season are Texas (+450) and Ohio State (+525) - and beyond that, the current national title odds are as follows: Georgia & Penn State (tied for 3rd at +700); Oregon & Clemson (tied for 5th at +900); Alabama (+1000); Notre Dame (+1200); LSU (+1400); Ole Miss, Florida & Michigan (tied for 10th highest odds at +2500) - - Q: Which college football program do you predict to win the 2025-26 national championship? (**Be sure to Tune in to hear Spencer & JD's picks - - and Share your picks with us via X - @TraditionFinest or by Email to [email protected]!!) - NFL - Joe Flacco will open the NFL regular season as the Cleveland Browns' starting QB, the team announced on Monday - - Flacco, who is entering his 18th NFL season, will also start the team's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams at home on Saturday after Flacco did not play in the team's first two preseason games (i.e., Shedeur Sanders & Dillion Gabriel) - - The Browns will host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the NFL regular season - - Q: Were you the least bit surprised by the announcement that Joe Flacco would be Browns' starting QB this upcoming season?. . .The Houston Texans traded WR John Metchie III and a sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for TE Harrison Bryant & a fifth-round draft pick, as first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday afternoon - - The Philadelphia Eagles have made their second trade in the past 12 days, continuing a busy summer for GM Howie Roseman & the defending Super Bowl champions - - This time, Philadelphia added depth at the WR position, whereas the Texans' trade for Bryant came after the team lost TE Brevin Jordan to a season-ending knee injury last week - - Metchie, entering his fourth NFL season, has 40 receptions for 412 yards & a TD in 29 games, but he missed his entire rookie season while getting treatment for leukemia, after he was selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft - - Metchie will certainly fill that "WR3" role for the Eagles, playing alongside WRs A.J. Brown & DeVonta Smith - - This trade reunites Smith & Metchie who were teammates at the University of Alabama, and were members of the Crimson Tide's 2020 national title team - - Q: Who won this trade: the Texans or Eagles? What trade grade would you give to both teams?. . ."Indiana Jones:" The Indianapolis Colts' months-long QB battle is over - - Colts HC Shane Steichen has selected Daniel Jones to be the Colts starting QB, opting for the vetern free agent acquisition over the club's 2023 first-round draft pick, Anthony Richardson Sr. - - Asked if this decision was intended to be a permanent move, Steichen stated that Jones is "our starting QB for the season. I don't want to have a quick leash on that. I feel confident in his abilities." - - While the Colts signed Jones in the offseason (i.e., March) to a one-year, $14 million contract, the expectation among the Colts fanbase as well as across the league, was that Richardson would ultimately be named the starting QB or would be given an opportunity to contribute to the franchise this season, but instead, he is now left with an uncertain future in Indianapolis - and the rumor mill has already begun to circulate that a few teams might be interested in his services - - Q: Former NFL QB RGIII brought up a pretty interesting (and extremely bold) point via social media on Tuesday afternoon regarding the QB situation in Indianapolis - According to RGIII, the Colts have made the decision to start Jones at QB because they are "tanking this season to draft [QB] Arch Manning in next year's NFL Draft," but of course, this statement is baseless if Arch Manning decides to return to Texas for his senior season - What are your thoughts on RGIII's statement?. . . - 2025-26 NFL Preseason Prediction Showcase: NFC Conference - The NFC, which is one of the two conferences in the National Football League (NFL), comprises 16 professional American football teams, divided into four divisions: NFC East, NFC North, NFC South & NFC West - - Each division contains four teams - - The NFC Champion competes against the AFC Conference Champion (**will cover in next week's episode!) in the "granddaddy of them all," or the Super Bowl - - In this week's episode finale, JD & Spencer will each provide their individual & independent/unique predictions for the NFC Conference in 2025-26 - Such predictions will include the selection of winners for each of the four divisions; the NFC's Super Bowl "Pretenders" & "Contenders" - and finally, they will each predict which NFC team they believe will represent the Conference in this year's Super Bowl (i.e., Super Bowl LX): 1. NFC Divisional Winners (i.e., NFC East, NFC South, NFC West & NFC North)? 2. Which NFC team(s) do you predict to be "Super Bowl Pretenders" this NFL season 3. Which NFC team(s) do you predict to be "Super Bowl Contenders" this NFL season 4. Which team do you predict to represent the NFC Conference in this year's Super Bowl (i.e., Super Bowl LX)? Thanks for Listening & for your Support!