Tradition's Finest Episode 91 - "The Justin I-bet-he Tuck-it Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 91 - "The Justin I-bet-he Tuck it Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NHL - Spencer & JD provide a detailed review and individual player analysis for the NHL Stanley Cup Final series between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers - and the games that have occurred within the past week - - This review includes a brief discussion of the first three games of the series, including an OT thriller in Game 1, a back-and-forth matchup that leveled the series in Game 2, and a lopsided victory in Game 3. . .Q: Following the outcome(s) of the first three games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, are you still 'confident' in your series projection/prediction prior to the onset of the best-of-seven series?. . . - NFL - "It's Officially Official:" QB Aaron Rodgers has passed his physical - - AND unbeknownst to a significant majority of the world, got married - - and signed a one-year, $13.6 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers that includes $10 million guaranteed - - and could be worth up to $19.5 million with incentives, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Saturday - - Rodgers, who is coming off the two disastrous seasons with the New York Jets, took time in the NFL offseason as an NFL free agent to ponder whether or not he would return to the league for a 21st NFL season, or if he would hang up his cleats & ride off into the sunset on a white horse - - While the four-time MVP was provided plenty of time to weigh his options, nobody (and we mean "NOBODY!") thought that Rodgers would wait, and wait. . . .and wait. . .and wait. . .and wait a little more. . .before he signed with the Steelers, a franchise who has been openly discussed as what was believed to be Rodgers' preferred destination - - Rather than sign in the initial days of free agency like many of his fellow high-profile players untethered to a team, he waited & sorted out whatever needed to be sorted and continued contemplating a return to the NFL for Year No.21 - -Q: What are your thoughts on the way in which QB Aaron Rodgers waited until the very last moment of the offseason to finally sign on with the Pittsburgh Steelers? Realistically, did you think there was ever a legitimate possibility that Rodgers would NOT return next season?. . .Four-time Pro Bowl RB, Nick Chubb, has signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Houston Texans, per Ian Rapoport - - Chubb was one of best available players on the free agent market, and he landed with the Texans on a deal that could pay him up to $5 million with incentives - - Chubb was determined to sign with a new franchise after a return to Cleveland became increasingly unlikely after the Browns drafted RBs Quinshon Judkins & Dylan Sampson in the second and fourth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, respectively - - Chubb will join a Texans backfield that, in 2024, featured starter Joe Mixon & a cast of unreliable playmakers - - The move to Houston clears a path to playing time for Chubb, who would have found himself intertwined with the crowded RB room if he re-signed & made a return to Cleveland - - Q: How do you think RB Nick Chubb will perform at Houston next season after he experienced what could have been a career-ending injury during the 2024 season?. . .Two-straight injury-plagued seasons ultimately spelled the end of the Jaire Alexander era in Green Bay - as the Packers released the two-time All-Pro CB, who has spent the past seven years with the franchise, on Monday to end an offseason saga in which the two sides could not seem to negotiate a deal - - While Alexander had planned to report for the Packers' mandatory minicamp that began on Tuesday after skipping each day of the in-person, voluntary workouts, he would not be presented with that opportunity after the team would announce his release the day prior - - Alexander appeared in just seven regular-season games each of the past two seasons and did not play after November 17^th last year - - He was placed on the "injured reserve" list the final week of the season & underwent knee surgery on what Alexander stated was a "torn PCL" - - Even with his notable absence, Alexander finished second on the team in pass breakups (7) and tied for second in INTs (2) - - Alexander was a first-round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and went on to sign a four-year, $84 million contract extension with the Packers, which made him the highest-paid CB in the league at the time - - Alexander, who was an All-Pro in 2020 and 2022, played in just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 NFL season - - Shortly after the 2024 seasons ended, multiple sources privately confirmed that the team no longer wanted to "play the weekly game of whether Alexander would be healthy enough to play," or would be willing to play at anything less than 100% - - Shortly after being released by the Packers, six teams made "immediate" inquiries about the CB's availability - according to NFL insider Josina Anderson - with teams such as the Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders & Miami Dolphins being listed as potential landing spots - - Q: Which NFL franchise do you think will most likely pick up (or sign) CB Jaire Alexander prior to the 2025-26 NFL season?. . . - NCAA: News & Storylines - Judge Claudia Wilken has approved the landmark House v. NCAA settlement, which will usher in revenue sharing and roster limits for collegiate sports - - With this ruling, schools are now free to begin paying their athletes directly, marking the dawn of a new era in college sports brought about by the multi-billion-dollar legal settlement that was formally approved last Friday - - The House v. NCAA settlement ends three separate federal anti-trust lawsuits, all of which claimed that the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning power of its' college athletes - - The NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in back damages over the next ten years to athletes who competed in college sports at any time from 2016 through present day - - As for future prospects, each school can pay its athletes up to a certain limit, with the annual cap expected to start at roughly $20.5 million per school in 2025-26, and will likely increase every year throughout the decade-long deal - These new payments are in addition to the scholarships & other benefits that athletes are already receiving - - Unfortunately, the settlement approved this week will not put an end to the barrage of legal challenges, for example, questions concerning whether athletes should be considered "employees" as well as the current rules that dictate how long an athlete can play college sports remain unanswered, for now, anyways - - Q: What are your thoughts regarding the judge's ruling in the NCAA v. House case? What are some of the ramifications of this ruling?. . .NCAA College Football: Per a report made available per On3 Sports - when EA Sports College Football 26 is released in July of this year, schools will be compensated in a new way: Payouts will be determined by the amount of time users play as teams in the video game - - The royalty process is also a change from last year's tier system, where schools were placed into one of four tiers based on the previous ten years of final AP Poll results, and that determined the revenue distribution - - Now, it appears that compensation will be based on the time users spend playing as a school in the game - - How about we all come together & start a dynasty for a team like Kennesaw State, and build them into a powerhouse program both in the game and in the real world?. . .NCAA College Basketball: A federal judge on Thursday denied University of Tennessee PG Zakai Zeigler's request for a preliminary injunction that would allow him to play a fifth season of Division I basketball in five years - - According to the U.S. District Judge, Zeigler failed to demonstrate that he would likely succeed in his argument that the NCAA keeping him from playing a fifth season of NCAA Division I College Basketball is a direct violation of the Sherman Act. . .NCAA College Baseball: And then there were Eight (8) - - The 2025 NCAA College Baseball Tournament will resume in Omaha, Nebraska as the field for the Men's College World Series (MCWS) has officially been set - - Murray State booked the final ticket to the series after defeating the Duke Blue Devils in the Durham super regional on Monday night - this is the first time in program history that the Racers have advanced to the MCWS - - The field is vastly different when compared to last year's - - The 2024 field consisted of four SEC programs & four ACC programs - - Not the case in 2025: This year, we have six Conferences represented in the MCWS: two SEC teams, one ACC team, one Big Ten team, one Big 12 team, one Sun Belt team, one Missouri Valley team & one Independent - - The Brackets are set: In Bracket #1 - Game #1, No.13-ranked Coastal Carolina will take on the Arizona Wildcats, and in Game #2, the No.8-ranked Oregon State Beavers are set to face off against the Louisville Cardinals - - In Bracket #2 - Game #3 features a matchup between the No.15-ranked UCLA Bruins and the Murray State Racers, and in Game #4, an all-SEC matchup between No.3-ranked Arkansas & No.6-ranked LSU - - Q: Which team do you predict to win the 2025 Men's College World Series. . .NCAA College Softball: JD & Spencer discuss & analyse the 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS) Final between the No.6-seed Texas Longhorns & the No.12-seed Texas Tech Red Raiders, and more specifically, perform an overall review of Game(s) 1 through 3 - - as well as the impact Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady & the Longhorns' Teagan Kavan, who finished the WCWS 4-0 and was named Most Outstanding Player, had on the series & it's outcome. . . - NBA - After New York Knicks team president Leon Rose made the surprise move to fire HC Tom Thibodeau last Tuesday, many of us thought Rose had a "coach in waiting," - - but NOPE!? - and so, the search for an experienced successor has hit a few road blocks: Former Villanova HC Jay Wright reportedly will not be in the mix for the Knicks head coaching vacancy - after it was reported that Wright is enjoying "retired life," (can't say we blame him!) - - So, what do you do after Villanova HC Jay Wright declines the head coaching job? - - Well, if you are the New York Knicks, then you request permission to speak with Minnesota Timberwolves HC Chris Finch, Houston Rockets HC Ime Udoka, and Dallas Mavericks HC Jason Kidd about the open position - - Unfortunately, for the Knicks, their request to speak to each of these coaches were denied - - At the moment, the Knicks are the only NBA team without a head coach - and at this rate, what gives?. . - NBA Finals Review & Recap - JD & Spencer provide an in-game analysis and thorough review of the 2025 NBA Finals between the No.1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and the No.4-seeded Indiana Pacers thus far; this episode features a breakdown of the following games: Game 1: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers Game 2: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (IND leads series 1-0) Game 3: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Series tied 1-1) Thanks for Listening!