Tradition's Finest Episode 87 - "The Taylor Swift's Boyfriend Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 87 - "The Taylor Swift's Boyfriend Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - MLB - The Colorado Rockies fired GM Bud Black on Sunday, just one day after suffering an embarrassing twenty-one-run loss to the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. . .Despite the tragedy that is the Chicago White Sox, collectively, the Rockies players within their dugout seem to have lost their "spark" for the sport of baseball - as Colorado is off to an MLB-worst 7-33 start to the 2025 season - even after defeating the Padres 9-3 on Sunday in an attempt to remedy the pain following their 21-run loss the day prior. . .Even with the Rockies' victory over the Padres on Sunday, the team officially has the worst 40-game start in MLB history since 1988 (i.e., the Baltimore Orioles: 6-34). . .It's not very often that we - as a sports-affiliated podcast - have the opportunity to embrace the influence and overall impact that we have on the sports community and just the sports world, in general - - In last week's episode & during the "FAQ segment," Spencer & JD discussed & debated the topic of whether or not former MLB players, such as but not limited to Pete Rose, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa & Barry Bonds should be allowed into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame after their controversial, yet isolated, incidents as it relates to sports gambling and/or the use of PEDs (or performance-enhancing drugs) - - Clearly, we did NOT contribute in any way and/or influence the MLB Commissioner's decision regarding this particular topic (*In other words, it is nothing more than a coincidence that we discussed this particular topic the week prior - - and we did like to think that, maybe - just maybe - we did influence this story primarily because it was a massive "ego boost!") - - In a historic, sweeping decision made last Tuesday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the removal of Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, and other deceased MLB players from the league's permanently ineligible list. . .Manfred ruled that the league-issued punishment of being banned from the sport of baseball, ends after the player is deceased - - therefore, Rose is now presumably eligible for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. . .Q: What are your thoughts regarding MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's decision or declaration that former players who have been banned from the sport, are no longer banned after death?. . .Are we really going to have to wait the next thirty to forty years for players such as McGwire, Sosa & Bonds to pass away before witnessing them being inducted into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame?. . . - NCAA: News & Storylines - NCAA College Football: Last Friday morning, a report was released that University of North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick's 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordan Hudson, had been "banned" from the UNC Athletic facilities - - A few hours later, UNC, per On3 Sports, was forced into a corner and once again, would need to publicly acknowledge the strange personal life of their legendary head coach - - In a lengthy statement posted via social media, the University declined the report that Hudson had been banned from the on-campus athletic facilities - while also making sure to acknowledge within the statement that she "is not an employee at the University or Carolina Athletics," - - The denial comes on the [Tar] heels of the latest episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, a national podcast channel from Meadowlark Media Group that features former ESPN & Around the Horn sports analyst, Pablo Torre - According to Torre, two sources with direct ties to the North Carolina Athletic Department reported that Hudson was "no longer allowed in the football building or on the team's practice field," - and Torre also reported that a source close to Bill Belichick's family indicated that there is "deep worry about how detrimental Hudson can be for [Belichick's] reputation,". . .Q: What are your thoughts regarding the way in which this particular story involving UNC HC Bill Belichick & his 24-year-old girlfriend have come about? Do you have any personal theories on this story? At this rate, would it shock you if Bill Belichick is not the Tar Heels head football coach by Week 1 of the 2025-26 college football season?. . .Per On3 Sports, a potential 16-team college football playoff bracket is "gaining support" by both the Big Ten & SEC Conference(s) after an in-person meeting last Thursday in New York - - The 16-team bracket would include four automatic bids for both Conferences (i.e., Big Ten & SEC) while the ACC and Big 12 Conference(s) would each get two automatic berths - the Group of 6 would get one, and finally, the final three spots would be "at-large" bids - - In addition, "inner-league-play-in-games" could also be in the cards at the end of the college football season, which would set up the following type of matchups: Conference A's 3rd-place team would face off versus Conference A's 6th-place team, as well as the 4th-place team taking on the 5th-place team - and this would apply for a majority of the power conference - - long story, short: This is a nightmare idea, let's scrap it altogether!. . Q: What are your thoughts on a potential 16-team CFB playoff gaining support across the two most formidable conferences in the sport? If a 16-team field is approved, what are the chances we eventually expand into a 20-, 24- or 30-team field?. . .NCAA College Basketball: The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee met last week in Indianapolis and reportedly drafted a few rule proposals that make the game a bit more "modernized & enjoyable," - - Such proposals included the following suggestions: (1) If one shot clock has malfunctioned, it should not be required to shut down or turn off the additional shot clock - yes! this is a legitimate and current NCAA rule. . .(2) Perhaps the most significant proposal would give a team's head coach the ability to challenge any call, such as those related to an out-of-bounds call, basket interference or goaltending, and the presence of a second defender in the restricted area under the basket - - The challenging coach must possess one timeout to initiate a challenge - and if successful, the timeout is restored & the team is capable of one more challenge at some point throughout the game. . .If the challenge is unsuccessful, the timeout is wasted & the HC cannot challenge another play in a particular game. . .(3) Another notable suggestion involved the act of continuation on shot attempts that could result in a three-point play, or an "and-one," as most players like to refer to it - The proposal would let an offensive player, who is driving to the basket and is fouled by a defender, to pivot or complete a step after contact to finish the shot attempt. . .(4) A suggestion that was not proposed, but we firmly believe it should have been, is in relation to game format - NCAA Men's College Basketball is the only league where teams play two twenty-minute halfs - rather than the typical four 5-minute QTRs (NBA/NCAA Women's College Basketball) - The two twenty-minute halves just does not make too much sense. . .Q: What are your thoughts regarding these potential rule changes for NCAA Division I College Basketball? Are there any additional rule proposals that you believe that the NCAA should implement?. . .NCAA College Softball: Texas A&M earned the No.1 overall seed in the NCAA Division I college softball tournament on Sunday, edging four-time defending national champion Oklahoma for the top spot & leading seven SEC Conference teams that are seeded in the top 8 - - While OU won the SEC regular-season title by a game over the Aggies in its first season in the conference - A&M and Oklahoma tied for the Conference Tournament title after the championship game was canceled due to inclement weather - - One of the most hilarous moments of the 2025 college softball tournament bracket reveal involved Boston University (BU), who immediately hit the "surrender cobra" on live television after realizing that they had been selected to face off against four-time defending national champion, Oklahoma, in the first-round. . . - NFL - LB Jaylon Smith will attempt to resurrect his career with the Las Vegas Raiders franchise - - the veteran LB signed a contract with the team shortly after participating in a weekend tryout at rookie minicamp. . .Smith, 29, after battling a couple gruesome injuries over the years, last played in the league in 2023, where he appeared in just one game for the Raiders, and totaled two tackles in 25 defensive snaps in the Raiders' Week 9 victory over the New York Giants - shortly afterward, he was waived. . .Q: Can Jaylon Smith contribute to the Las Vegas Raiders defense in 2025?. . .After a headline-making search, New York Giants first-round draft pick Abdul Carter has finally chosen his jersey number - - After being shot down by Giants' legendary pass rusher, Lawrence Taylor, for his retired No.56 jersey - and the family of two-time Super Bowl champion & QB Phil Simms decided against Carter wearing his No.11 jersey - - it might not be that coincidental that Carter combined the two numbers to land on No.51. . . .Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, infamous Chiefs superfan, Xavier Babudar - aka ChiefsAholic - was sentenced in an Oklahoma courtroom on Monday to 32 years in prison - - this charge is presented 2 & 1/2 years after authorities caught him in the state as he fled from a local bank robbery. . .Babudar was already serving a 17 1/2-year federal prison sentence for robbing banks across seven states from 2022 to 2023. . .Babudar has admitted to stealing more than $800k in 11 robberies across these seven states & laundering the proceeds through casinos. . .New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr, 34, announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons on Saturday morning - - the impetus behind the abrupt and stunning announcement is related to a shoulder injury that would require a surgical procedure to repair the damage - after discovering the injury in late March while ramping up for the 2025 NFL season. . .NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Carr tried an injection and rehab, but it would not allow him to be at 100% until another procedure was performed, which would have jeopardized his 2025 campaign - - By retiring, Carr forgoes the $30M guaranteed this season on his contract, but overall, Carr made approximately $200M while playing in the league. . .Shortly after the announcement, the Saints announed that they will begin the QB competition to determine Carr's replacement among a invariably young & inexperienced QB room that features second-round rookie Tyler Shough, second-year fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler & third-year fourth-round pick Jake Haener, who will each battle for the starting job in New Orleans. . .Q: Who will be the Saints starting QB next season? Should the Saints be pretty upset with QB Derek Carr for making this decision after the 2025 NFL Draft where they could've potentially drafted or traded up to obtain a franchise-level QB in the first round?. . .While the entire 2025 NFL schedule is set to be released on May 14th, we were provided a bit of a sneak preview - - On Monday, it was announced that the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, Sept. 4, in the NFL's 2025 regular-season opener - - This marks the first Week 1 meeting between the NFC East rivals since 2000, and marks the regular-season debut for Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer. . .This is only the 4th time an intra-division game has been selected to serve as the season opener. . .The Minnesota Vikings will become the first team in NFL history to play consecutive international games in different countries this season - - The Vikings will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 28 at Croke Park in Dublin, marking the league's first regular-season game in Ireland - - and they will then travel to London, England to face off against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 5. . .NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson said on Tuesday that he will not play for the Cincinnati Bengals this season under his current contract - - The Bengals' star appeared at the team's voluntary workouts on Tuesday - not in uniform - and addressed reporters after informing Adam Schefter that the Bengals had cut off contract discussions with him. . .Q: Will Trey Hendrickson wear a Bengals uniform in 2025?. . . - NBA - Per ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly "open-minded" about exploring a trade for the first time in his NBA career. . .Q: What NBA franchise would be a "good fit" for Antetokounmpo? What are a few of the possible trade destinations for Giannis irrespective of fit?. . .After going into the NBA draft lottery with just a 1.8% chance to win, the Dallas Mavericks did the unthinkable & won the lottery - - this was the largest jump by any team in lottery history - - On Tuesday, the Mavs confirmed that they will not trade the No.1 overall pick, and are focusing on Cooper Flagg. . .Q: After GM Nico Harrison traded away the franchise's star player to the Lakers, which led to a dejected fan base, this just seems quite weird (and somewhat sneaky) - - Was this year's NBA draft lottery rigged?. . .Discuss & Debate: Who will win the 2025 NBA MVP?: Thunder G Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Nuggets C Nikola Jokic or Bucks PF Giannis Antetokounmpo?. . .*Let Us Know What You Think - Share Your Thoughts with Us on X - @TraditionFinest or by Email at [email protected]!. . . - NBA Playoffs Review & Recap - JD & Spencer provide a detailed analysis & breakdown of NBA playoff games from both the Eastern & Western Conference - - The following NBA games from the second or semifinal round of the playoffs are discussed in this episode: Game 3: No.2 seed Boston Celtics vs. No.3 seed New York Knicks Game 4: No.2 seed Boston Celtics vs. No.3 seed New York Knicks Game 4: No.1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No.4 seed Indiana Pacers Game 2: No.6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No.7 seed Golden State Warriors Game 3: No.6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No.7 seed Golden State Warriors Game 4: No.6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No.7 seed Golden State Warriors Game 4: No.1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No.4 seed Denver Nuggets Thanks for Listening!