Tradition's Finest Podcast Episode 70 - "The Diamond Dallas Dennis (DDD) Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast & Happy New Year! Episode 70 - “The Diamond Dallas Dennis (DDD) Episode” includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NCAA College Basketball: Six former Florida State basketball players filed a lawsuit on Monday against Seminoles Head Coach Leonard Hamilton, alleging that he failed to make good on his promise to get each of them $250k in NIL compensation. . .Is this the direction that collegiate sports are headed? Will we eventually get to a point where coaches - and programs, in general - are capable of suing athletes if they do not deliver a specified number of wins, etc. - that are based on individual player expectations?. . . 2025 Shooting Guard Bryce James, the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James & the younger brother of Bronny James, announced on New Year's Day that he has committed to the University of Arizona - Are you surprised by Bryce's decision to commit to Arizona? Do you think Bryce has the potential to be even better than Bronny? (Let us know what you think!) - NBA: "No Class. No Balls." - this was Denver Nuggets' HC Michael Malone's reaction to the news that Sacramento Kings HC Mike Brown had been fired by the organization via phone call just 31 days into his 3^rd season with the franchise - after Brown was named the "NBA Coach of the Year" in the 2022-23 season & ended the Kings' 16-year playoff drought in his second season with the team - PG De'Aaron Fox responds to claims that Brown & the team were "butting heads" via social media. . . - An on-court incident occurred on Sunday between the Miami Heat & the Houston Rockets - as Rockets Amen Thompson threw Tyler Herro to the ground - which would lead to a multiple-player altercation & a slew of ejections near the end of the game. . .Rockets HC Ime Udoka had to be restrained from rushing onto the court as a full-out brawl ensued where both teams engaged in pushing, shoving & yelling. . . At the time of the incident, Herro led all scorers with 27 points, 9 assists & 6 rebounds & stated after the game that he believed that he "frustrated" Thompson. . . Miami Heat's Terry Rozier was also ejected for his participation in the altercation. . .Overall, there was a total seven players ejected within the final minute of this game, and the NBA handed out a total of $145k in fines on Tuesday to those players involved. . . - NCAA: News & Storylines: LSU star LB Harold Perkins Jr. announced on Friday that he will return for the Tigers in the 2025 season. . . - R.I.P. Greg Gumbel, the CBS Sports broadcasting legend, recently passed away after a courageous battle with Cancer. . .Gumbel, 78, was most notably known for his coverage of the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament or "March Madness". . .and he will be sorely missed by the sports' community. . . - NC State transfer WR Kevin Concepcion has committed to the Texas A&M Aggies, he announced last Sunday via social media. . .Concepcion will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Aggies. . .Is Concepcion as compatible fit offensively for Texas A&M & HC Mike Elko's system?. . .There is a very good possibility that Texas A&M will enter 2025 with a blazing, fast offense with QB Marcel Reed & WR Terry Bussey both returning - as well as with the transfer portal additions Micah Riley (Auburn) & Nate Boerkichner (Nebraska). . . - University of West Virginia QB Garrett Green recently declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. . .but not as a QB?. . . - According to multiple reports, Texas QB Quinn Ewers has reportedly received NIL offers upwards of $6M to enter the NCAA transfer portal following the 2024 College Football Playoff - but former Texas WR Johntay Cook, who recently transferred to Washington, replied to this report via social media by posting "wasting yall money fr,". . .Bad blood between Ewers & Cook? -or- Cook's disdain for the Texas program after losing his starting role?. . . - University of Clemson QB Cade Klubnik announced on Monday that he will "return" for the 2025 season. . .Should Klubnik be a considered an early favorite win the 2025 Heisman Trophy Award?. . . - University of Alabama QB Jalen Milroe announced on Thursday that he will declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. . .Are you at all surprised by Milroe's decision? If Milroe had elected to enter the NCAA transfer portal, which program do you think would have made a significant push for Milroe's services?. . . - NCAA Weekly Bowl Review & Recap: JD & Spencer chose to breakdown & provide a detailed analysis of bowl games that have occurred within the past week; In particular, the following list of bowl games were reviewed & discussed in greater detail in this episode: ** - Individual player performance(s) were discussed as well. . . 68 Ventures Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green: **TE Harold Fannin Jr. proved that he was snubbed for The John Mackey Award Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Navy vs. Oklahoma Birmingham Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech: **Pavia vs. King DirecTV Holiday Bowl: No. 22 Syracuse vs. Washington State: **Orange QB Kyle McCord broke Deshaun Watson's ACC Conference season passing record SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: USC vs. Texas A&M Pop-Tarts Bowl: No.18 Iowa State vs. No.15 Miami: **QB Cam Ward broke NCAA D-1 record in the first half with his 156th TD pass Valero Alamo Bowl: No.17 BYU vs. No.23 Colorado: **Final college game for Buffaloes QB Sanders & WR/CB Hunter ReliaQuest Bowl: No.11 Alabama vs. Michigan Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: No. 21 Illinois vs. No. 14 South Carolina: **Beamer vs. Bielema in a boxing match? College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl: No.5 Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State: **RB Ashton Jeanty is a DAWG College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-Fil-A Bowl: No.5 Texas vs. No.4 Arizona State: **RB Cam Skattebo is, in fact, LEGIT & the controversial targeting no-call College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl: No.8 Ohio State vs. No.1 Oregon: **Buckeyes freshman WR Jeremiah Smith might be pretty good - Wednesday night's College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl game between No.2 Georgia & No.7 Notre Dame was postponed to Thursday after the horrific events that occurred in the French Quarter in New Orleans that left 15 dead & dozens injured. . .The game was played on Thursday at 4PM EST: College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No.7 Notre Dame: **The Luck of the Irish lives on The College Football Playoff Semifinal game matchups are set - Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No.8 Ohio State vs. No.5 Texas Capital One Orange Bowl: No.6 Penn State vs. No.7 Notre Dame - NCAA CFB Preview & Game Predictions: JD & Spencer preview the upcoming CFB Bowl games & provide their individual/independent game predictions for the following games (Share your picks with us on X - @Traditionfinest or via email at [email protected]!) Bahamas Bowl: Buffalo (-3) vs. Liberty     O/U50.5 FCS Championship Game: North Dakota State vs. Montana State (-3.5)    O/U56.5 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Ohio State (-6) vs. Texas    O/U53.5 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl: Notre Dame (-1.5) vs. Penn State    O/U46.5 - NFL: Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley became the 9^th player in NFL history to top 2,000 yards rushing in a season - as the Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 to clinch the NFC East division. . .Third-string QB Tanner McKee's threw his first (of two) TD passes in this game versus the Cowboys - WR A.J. Brown launched the first ball into the stands but makes an undeniable trade request for the ball back?. . . Saquon has 2,005 rushing yards this season and only needs 101 yards in the Eagles' regular-season finale next Sunday versus the Giants to pass Eric Dickerson for the NFL record. . .HC Nick Sirianni & the Eagles provided an update regarding Saquon's status for Week 18 - and he will "sit out" to avoid injury as the Eagles are primed to make a deep run into the postseason. . .Do you agree with the decision to sit Barkley next week versus the Giants?. . . - Las Vegas Raiders rookie TE Brock Bowers set an NFL rookie record as the Raiders won their second straight game - defeating the New Orleans Saints 25-10 behind QB Aidan O'Connell's two-TD performance. . .Bowers would finish the game with seven catches for 77 yards receiving, which gave him 108 receptions on the year & 1,144 yards this season, which passes Mike Ditka's 1961 rookie TE mark of 1,067 yards receiving & WR Puka Nacua's 2023 mark of 105 catches by a rookie at any position. . .Raiders won for the 4^th time this season & veteran RB Ameer Abdullah rushed for 115 yards - his first 100-yard game in his 10-year career. . .Saints QB Derek Carr unable to suit up due to the lingering injury to his left, non-throwing, hand, and so, the Saints turned to rookie QB Spencer Rattler, who remained winless in his fifth career start in the NFL. . . - Snapping a franchise-record 10-game losing streak, and winning for the first time at home this season - and ending the Indianapolis Colts' slim playoff hopes on Sunday - did not salvage the season for the New York Giants - although the 45-33 win felt pretty sweet. . .Giants QB Drew Lock led the team with 4 TD passes & 1 rushing TD. . .unfortunately for the Giants - following the "much-needed" win, the franchise no longer has control of the No.1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. . .In the Valero Alamo Bowl, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders wore custom "New York Giants-themed" cleats based on the belief that the Giants would receive the No.1 pick AND that they would select him with THAT No.1 pick. . .Colts (7-9) will miss the NFL playoffs once again, but RB Johnathan Taylor finished the game with 125 yards rushing with 2 TD's & the "backup king" Joe Flacco tossed two TD's before Giants QB Drew Lock's game-securing rushing TD. . . - The Minnesota Vikings (14-2) vs. Detroit Lions (14-2) matchup in Week 18 will be a "blockbuster" film with ridiculous postseason aspirations: the winner will receive the No.1 seed in the NFC & home-field advantage, while the loser of this game will receive the No.5 seed in the NFC Playoffs. . .Who wins this game - the Lions -or- the Vikings? - The New England Patriots announced that they will start QB Drake Maye in Week 18 as the "prioritize winning" over the top pick in the NFL Draft. . .Is this a smart decision by Jerod Mayo & the Patriots organization? What skill positions would the Patriots be most likely and/or most interested in pursuing in the 2025 NFL Draft?. . Thanks for Listening!!