Tradition's Finest Episode 73 - "The Dennis Rod-, Man! Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 73 - “The Dennis Rod-, Man! Episode” includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

• Miscellaneous - Mesrobian High School, located in Los Angeles, CA, handed Waverly High School a BIG fat "L" last Thursday night in a 119-25 victory. . .but this was way more than just a casual High School Basketball beatdown in Southern California. . .Mesrobian's Nick Khatchikan broke the state of California's single-game scoring record after dropping 102 of the team's 119 total points (and he did so, in twenty-two minutes). . .Nick's brother, Dylan Khatchikan, wanted in on the action - as he would set a new assist record dishing out 35 of them thangs' in the win. . .Dylan would also secure a triple-double after snagging 15 rebounds & 13 steals - but Dyl did NOT attempt a single shot during the game . . .Dem boys are ballers! (or Waverly High School's Varsity Basketball team sucks something awful!). . .The "Master Marketers of YouTube," aka Jake & Logan Paul, announced via social media on Tuesday afternoon that they will spar on MAX's first-ever live boxing event on March 27th. . .Q: According to the Paul brothers "this is what everyone wanted to see," or what "the people have been asking for," but will you be tuning in for the Paul vs. Paul boxing match? Also, after the abysmal attempt by Netflix to host a live event, the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight, that led to significant outages & outrage all over the world, do you have "high hopes" that HBO (the owner of MAX) will prevent such static & interference for such a publicized, live event? (*Let Us Know What You Think - Tweet at Us on Twitter/X - @TraditionFinest or Send Us a Message via Email to [email protected]!)

• NCAA College Basketball - NCAA College Basketball Analyst & Commentator Jay Bilas made a very interesting statement on Monday evening - Bilas stated that he believes that "winning the SEC Conference Tournament will be harder or more difficult to achieve than winning the National Championship this season," - Q: What are your thoughts - do you agree with Jay Bilas' stance/statement?. . .The SEC Conference does seem to be currently dominating the sport, with NCAA College Basketball Bracketologist Andy Katz's most current projected NCAA Tournament bracket including 13 teams from the Southeastern Conference, which would obviously be the most for ANY league in CBB history - approximately making up 19% of the 64-team field. . .

• NBA - "And That, Ladies & Gentlemen, is the Way the Cookie Crumbles:" The Miami Heat have suspended All-Star SG Jimmy Butler (for a 3^rd time in the past couple weeks) Indefinitely, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday. . .Butler allegedly walked out of the Heat shootaround on Monday morning after being informed that the team was planning to not start him - and would move Haywood Highsmith - into the starting lineup, moving forward. . .Q: After Butler's most recent suspension by the Miami Heat, and as the Feb. 6^th NBA trade deadline approaches, how likely is it that Jimmy Butler is traded? If so, where is his most likely destination?. . .The reigning two-time/back-to-back NBA Dunk Contest Champion Mac McClung will compete in this year's event during All-Star Weekend in San Francisco - McClung has the opportunity to make history by claiming the first three-peat in the NBA Dunk Contest (which was conceived and started by the ABA & the contest was moved to the NBA for 1976-77 season). . .McClung will compete against Spurs' rookie Stephon Castle, Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis & Bucks' second-year player Andre Jackson Jr. . .Q: Does McClung make history & become the first "three-peat" NBA Dunk Contest Champion in 2025? Out of the four-man field competing this year, which one of the NBA players performance(s) are you most excited about?. . .

• MLB - The 11-year-old boy from Los Angeles who pulled the 1-of-1 Paul Skenes autographed trading card has declined the Pittsburgh Pirates' offer purchase the card - and instead, has opted to send the card to a March premier auction. . .the Pirates offered this kid WHAT for this card?!. . .LSU Gymnast & social media influencer Livvy Dunne, who is currently dating the Pirates' pitcher - even attempted to sweeten the pot by offering the lucky person to pull the card an opportunity to watch a Pirates' game in her suite at PNC Park. . .Good decision, kid!. . .However, the proceeds from the auction of the Skenes' redemption card will be donated to the Los Angeles fire relief funding. . .Q: If you pulled the 1-of-1 Paul Skenes autographed trading card, would you have accepted the Pirates' offer? Would you have attempted to barter by suggesting a trade that involves a significant amount of money? [Yeah, us neither!. . .Definitely not!]

• NCAA: News & Storylines - Following their impressive run in the College Football Playoffs, and their National Championship victory over Notre Dame last Monday night, HC Ryan Day & Ohio State University is working to retain its' brass of talent - according to multiple reports, star WR Jeremiah Smith has received a $4.5M+ offer to enter the NCAA transfer portal, while WR Carnell Tate has received a $1M+ offer to transfer, per On3 Sports' Pete Nakos report on Friday - However, in a more recent development, WR Carnell Tate declined the offer, and announced that he will be "returning to Columbus" amid transfer portal speculation. . .While all signs point to Smith returning to Ohio State next season - Q: What are the chances that we see a player of his caliber 'test the market' & transfer elsewhere?. . .In other news in Columbus, RB Quinshon Judkins, who scored three TD's in the National Championship Game, has decided to forgo his final season of eligibility, and will enter the 2025 NFL Draft, Judkins would post an announcement to Buckeye Nation. . .According to Mel Kiper's draft board, Judkins is expected to be a second to third-round pick in April. . .Q: Do you agree with Judkins' decision to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft? Will Judkins be successful at the next level?. . .Penn State Nittany Lions HC James Franklin announced on Monday morning that Jim Knowles has been hired as the program's new defensive coordinator. . .Knowles most recently served as the DC at Ohio State for the previous three seasons, where he led a defense that was ranked 1^st nationally in total defense & scoring defense, 2^nd in sacks & opponent red zone score percentage, and 3^rd in rushing defense, passing defense & sacks per game. . .Q: After achieving success throughout the 2024 CFB season, and with the return of OC Andy Kotelnicki - as well as the addition of DC Jim Knowles - Could the Nittany Lions potentially crawl into the 2025 seasons with a "leg up" over the defending National Champion Buckeyes?. . .

• NFL - Part A: "A Calamity of Coaches" - On Monday in a press conference, Pete Carroll was introduced as the next Head Coach for the Las Vegas Raiders - along with the franchise's new GM John Spytek - The Raiders currently hold the No.6 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and while much speculation has swirled that the franchise will pursue a new QB - neither Carroll nor Spytek would confirm, but did indicate that the team will "lean on" minority team owner & seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady as part of the team's plan for the QB position, and will be a part of establishing a "new culture' for the organization. . .HC Pete Carroll will become the oldest HC in NFL history as he is set to turn 74 years old in September. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Raiders' hire of Pete Carroll as the team's new HC? What overall grade (i.e., A+ to F-) would you give to the Raiders hire in terms of organizational growth & its' culture?. . .Also, on Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars held a press conference to introduce their hire, Liam Coen, as the new Head Coach. . .Coen, who was the OC for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 NFL season, had signed a deal to remain with the Bucs as the highest-paid coordinator in the league - but this deal was contingent on Coen refusing a second (and in-person) interview with Jaguars team owner Shad Khan - and Coen did just that, removing his name from the interview pool on Wednesday morning. . .Hours later, the Jaguars parted ways with GM Trent Baalke, and Khan reached out directly to Coen - and by Thursday afternoon, Coen was on a flight headed for Jacksonville - by midnight, a deal was in place for Coen to become the franchise's next HC. . .Q: Do you believe that Liam Coen can shift the overall culture in Jacksonville, and help rebound a team coming off a four-win season? What overall grade (i.e., A+ to F-) would you give to the Jaguars hire, Liam Coen?. . .The Dallas Cowboys announced late Friday evening that they had made an "in-house" pick from their pool of head coaching candidates - hiring Brian Schottenheimer as their new HC. . .Schottenheimer will take on his first HC position and will become the tenth full-time HC for the Cowboys, succeeding his former boss Mike McCarthy, the team's previous HC & play-caller. . .The Cowboys' fan base - and football fans in general - seem to view this pick as a mostly "underwhelming" hire - and team owner Jerry Jones & the franchise has received a significant amount of negative criticism. . .This hire is viewed in such a critical manner as the team - "America's Team," - is coming off a disappointing 7-10 season, that expects to bounce back the following year, whether the thought process is illogical or not. . .At his introductory press conference on Monday, Schottenheimer, however, seemed to say all the right things that the Cowboys faithful are striving for, but how long will it take for the levee to break?. . .Q: It's no surprise that the Cowboys & Jerry Jones definitely made a "safe, afraid-to-take-a-risk" type hire when selecting Brian Schottenheimer as the franchise's next HC, but what are the chances that this story ends with a "happy ending" rather than the stereotypical "I told ya so" next NFL season?. . .The San Francisco 49ers announced on Friday that they were hiring a familiar face as the team's new defensive coordinator - as Robert Saleh - who during his previous run as the Niners DC from 2017 to 2020, turned their defense into one of the best and most productive units in the NFL, prior to his departure to become the HC of the New York Jets for the next three seasons. . .Cleveland Browns HC Kevin Stefanski announced recently that he will resume his play-calling duties after previously resigning from the role during the struggling 2024 season - following a 1-6 start & after the injury to Browns starting QB Deshaun Watson, Stefanski allowed OC Ken Dorsey to 'take the wheel'. . .However, after the most recent development that the Browns are promoting TE Coach Tommy Rees to OC, Stefanski has reclaimed control & expressed his intent to adjust strategies as needed to be successful next season. . .The Cleveland Browns currently hold the No.2 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft - and considering Watson's injury & extensive timetable for a possible return, it is likely that the Browns select one of two potential QB prospects - Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward - who can step into a starting role & impact the team's dynamic moving forward. . .Q: Do you like Stefanski's decision to resume play-calling duties for Cleveland in 2025, and do you think this plays into the fact that the franchise is expected to draft a QB with No.2 (or possible trade up for the No.1) overall pick in the NFL Draft?. . .

• NFL: Part B: "A Review & Recap of the AFC & NFC Conference Championship Games" - JD & Spencer provide a detailed, comprehensive review of both the AFC & NFC Conference Championship games for the 2025 NFL Playoffs, that includes individual player and team analysis & an overview or breakdown of each game; the following games listed below are reviewed & discussed more in-depth in this episode: *Be Sure to Tune in to Check Out Their Official Review!

NFC Championship Game: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders AFC Championship Game: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills

• The Kansas City Chiefs & the Philadelphia Eagles are headed to the "Big Easy" or New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, which will occur on Sunday, February 9th, 2025 at 5:30 PM CST. . .This is the second time in three years that the Chiefs & Eagles will play for an NFL title. . .In the first game or Super Bowl LVII, played on February 12th, 2023 in Phoenix, the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs rallied from a 24-14 halftime deficit, with kicker Harrison Butker making a 27-yard GW FG for the 38-35 victory over the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. . .*In Next Week's Episode, We Will Preview Super Bowl LIX!!

Thanks for Listening!