NFL Picks, Week 12

Looking at the NFL standings is just weird right now.  So many teams we're used to seeing in playoff position are currently on the outside looking in, while teams like the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers would be in if the postseason started today.  Of course, there's still six weeks left and a lot can happen in that time.  But still, it's a bit jarring.

Thursday Night: Buffalo (Loss)

Steelers (6-4) at Bears (7-3): Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh's once comfortable lead in the AFC North is all but gone.  The Steelers have just a one-game lead on the Ravens, who play the Jets this week.  So, this is a big one for them against the first-place Bears.  Has Chicago had some luck and taken advantage of its schedule this season?  Absolutely!  But, in the last two weeks especially, they've shown that there definitely is something there.  I just have a feeling Pittsburgh will win, though.

Patriots (9-2) at Bengals (3-7): New England-As crazy as it sounds, having the late bye has actually been working out for New England.  The Patriots are rolling and can just keep that momentum going week after week.  They've won eight in a row and there's no reason to think it won't get to 10 before they finally get a week off.  And, with the way the Bills don't seem to have any interest in winning the division, they may have the AFC East essentially wrapped up by that point.

Giants (2-9) at Lions (6-4): Detroit-Prediction: the Giants will take a double-digit lead and blow it.  That seems to be their M.O. in road games.  Anyway, Detroit is in the busy part of their schedule with three games in 11 days.  Fortunately, this is also the start of a three-game homestand, so at least they don't have to go anywhere.  And, considering the opponents they have coming up, this is also essentially a must-win.

Vikings (4-6) at Packers (6-3-1): Green Bay-Last season, everything went Minnesota's way and the Vikings ended up 14-3.  This season has been the exact opposite.  They find different ways to lose every week, and it has them sitting in last place.  Then there's the Packers, who are second place because of their perplexing losses.  They can't afford another one with the gauntlet they'll run starting on Thanksgiving in Detroit.

Seahawks (7-3) at Titans (1-9): Seattle-The NFC West has been a dogfight all season and will continue to be over the final six weeks.  With that in mind, the Seahawks have to take advantage of the fact that they're playing the Titans this week.  Especially since the Rams and 49ers are playing much tougher opponents in primetime games.

Colts (8-2) at Chiefs (5-5): Kansas City-Normally at this point in the season, the Chiefs are starting to get ready for the playoffs.  This season, it'll be a battle just to get in.  It won't exactly be easy, either.  Take this week's opponent for example--the first-place Colts.  Indianapolis has been such a pleasant surprise this season and can really make a point if they go into Kansas City and win.  But, as we've already seen earlier this year, the Chiefs usually play their best football when their backs are against the wall.

Jets (2-8) at Ravens (5-5): Baltimore-It sounded crazy when the Ravens were 1-5 that people weren't counting them out.  But maybe they knew something!  Because, suddenly, Baltimore has won four straight and is staring at getting over .500 for the first time this season.  Incredibly, they could even be tied for first place if they win and the Steelers lose, which is a real possibility.

Browns (2-8) at Raiders (2-8): Las Vegas-Shadeur Sanders will make his first career start for the Browns.  Should they win, his jersey retirement ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday.  You've gotta give the Browns credit for creating a talking point about this otherwise meaningless matchup between two bad teams.  The Raiders are slightly less bad and playing at home, so they get the nod over Shadeur & Co.

Jaguars (6-4) at Cardinals (3-7): Jacksonville-This one could've been expected to be another meaningless game between also-rans, but it most definitely isn't.  The Jaguars are currently holding down a wild card spot and have tiebreakers over both the Chiefs and Chargers.  So, they're in OK shape even if they lose to the Cardinals.  They're thinking AFC South, though, and to win the division, they can't afford any loss.

Eagles (8-2) at Cowboys (4-5-1): Philadelphia-Dallas is one of the most confusing teams in the NFL.  There are weeks where they look like they've never played football before.  Then there are games like Monday night when they totally dominated the Raiders (sidebar: why are they giving the Lions a Sunday night game and the Cowboys a Monday night game the week before Thanksgiving?).  Anyway, we'll really find out about them this week, as they welcome both of last season's Super Bowl teams to Jerry World in a five-day span.

Falcons (3-7) at Saints (2-8): Atlanta-They didn't make Eagles-Cowboys a full national game in the 4:25 window, so some poor football fans in the South will be subjected to this one instead.  The NFC South actually doesn't play in the 1:00 window at all (the Bucs and Panthers both have primetime games).  Although, for both the Falcons and Saints, this is a rare opportunity to pick up a win.  And, who knows, if they get the win here, maybe this will get Atlanta going on a run.  Which we all know the Falcons are capable of doing.

Buccaneers (6-4) at Rams (8-2): Rams-Two division winners from last season enter their Sunday night showdown both in first place again.  The Rams are actually the No. 1 seed in the NFC right now (and I think they might be the best team in the NFC).  They both need the win, too.  The Rams aren't just trying to hold off the Eagles.  They have Seattle and San Francisco to worry about.  Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has Carolina breathing down its neck.  Speaking of the Panthers, that's who the Rams will play next week...while sporting a 9-2 record.

Panthers (6-5) at 49ers (7-4): San Francisco-When they scheduled this one for Monday night in Week 12, I bet they weren't counting on there being playoff implications for both teams.  We'll know the degree of those playoff implications after the Sunday night game, but, at the very least, this will shift the wild card standings.  Either they'll have the same record with Carolina holding the tiebreaker or San Francisco will have a two-game edge and the head-to-head victory (so, essentially a three-game lead).  So, yeah, huge for both teams.

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 12-3
Overall: 105-59-1

Switch It For Syd

I touched on this the other day when I was talking about the Olympic track & field schedule, but I figured it was worth its own post, as well.  Because it truly is asinine that the women's 400 and 400 hurdles will overlap in LA.  Especially when it all but eliminates the possibility of Sydney McLaughlin attempting to double.  She's not only one of the biggest stars in track & field, she's American.  Making it so that she can't do the double makes absolutely no sense!

They're still more than two years out, so there's always a possibility that they'll make a change so that it's doable.  That's what they did the last time the Summer Olympics were in the U.S.  They adjusted the schedule for Michael Johnson, pushing the men's 200 back so that he could double in the 200 and 400, which he did spectacularly (Johnson set a world record in the 200 that stood until Usain Bolt).  So, if Syd were to truly announce her intention to go for a 400/400 hurdles double in 2028, I'm sure the organizers would make that happen.

Except they shouldn't have to.  That's the issue.  The track & field program lasts 10 days.  They easily could've made it so that the schedule doesn't have to be adjusted at all.  It would require running at least one 400-meter race pretty much every day in that span, but that's certainly manageable.  And it would make it possible to do both events without having to change anything.  Now, when/if they do change the schedule, it'll be obvious that it's for one person.

The current schedule has the heats of the 400 during the Day 1 night session, with both rounds of the mixed 4x400 relay the next day.  The repechages of the 400 (which McLaughlin presumably wouldn't need to run) are set for the morning session on Monday.  On Tuesday, it's the first round of the 400 hurdles in the morning and the semifinals of the 400 at night.  Repechages of the 400 hurdles (which, again, likely won't include McLaughlin) on Wednesday morning, then the most ridiculous part of the scheduling--the 400 hurdles semis AND 400 final within about 90 minutes of each other on Thursday night.  The 400 hurdles final is Saturday night, while both rounds of the women's 4x400 relay are on Sunday.

Doubling under this schedule isn't completely impossible, but it would certainly be difficult.  I included the mixed 4x400 simply because there will likely be some women who do both that relay and the individual event.  McLaughlin won't be one of them.  It needs to be taken into consideration, though, because it wouldn't be right to ask those women to compete in both events on the same day.  For McLaughlin, however, that's a full day off.  Both heats of the women's 4x400 relay are on the same day, as well, but she'll only run in the final.

So, considering the fact that she likely won't have to race in the repechages, McLauglin's schedule would look like this if she were to attempt a double: Saturday-400; Sunday-off; Monday-off; Tuesday-hurdles AM, 400 PM; Wednesday-off; Thursday-hurdles & 400 final PM; Friday-off; Saturday-hurdles final; Sunday-relay.  That's four off days (out of 10) and two days with both events.  If not for Thursday night, they probably wouldn't need to change it at all.  (And, yes, swimmers often swim multiple events in the same session.  Swimming is a much different sport, though.)

Bobby Kersee, McLaughlin's coach, was irate when the schedule was released.  And rightfully so.  Frankly, he should be angry about it.  Sydney McLaughlin is a unique talent who has a chance to do something unique in LA.  At least she did.  Because, as it stands now, and knowing how he plots out his athletes' training and race schedules, it seems unlikely Kersee will even let her attempt both.  She'll have to make a choice she really shouldn't have to make.

Here's the thing about it, too.  This wouldn't be doubling for the sake of simply doing both events.  She could easily win both.  McLaughlin is the dominant figure in the 400 hurdles.  She's the world record-holder and two-time reigning Olympic champion.  She didn't run the 400 hurdles at Worlds this year.  Instead, she ran the open 400...and set the American record while winning the gold.  McLaughlin is one of the best in the world at both events and, frankly, track & field fans have been waiting for her to double at either Worlds or the Olympics.

It's not clear which event she'll choose to run in LA (it's not even clear which she'll run in 2026).  The fact that she has to make a choice at all, though, is absurd!  The 2028 Olympics are IN THE U.S.!  Why wouldn't you want to give an American star the chance?!  Especially when it isn't even a guarantee that she'd go for the double.  Now they're forcing her hand.  If Kersee requests the schedule change on McLaughlin's behalf, they're committing to the double with no chance to back out.

We aren't talking about a change that's super drastic, either.  The repechage round, which was added in Paris, complicates things for sure.  They only have the repechage round at the Olympics, and it doesn't just add a round.  It adds a day!  They also like to give them a day off between the semifinals and final, so each event needs five days to complete.  Which means there has to be some overlap.  But, again, it's doable.

To make it work, the mixed 4x400 relay would have to be on Day 1 (which it was at both Olympics where the event's been contested).  Then the first round of the 400 in the morning session on Day 2 and the repechages on the morning of Day 3.  The 400 semifinals at night on Day 4, then the 400 hurdles start on Day 5.  Day 6 would be the only one with an overlap, repechages of the 400 hurdles and the final of the open 400.  Then the 400 hurdles semis on Day 7, Day 8 off and the 400 hurdles final on Day 9.  And the heats of the 4x400 relay could either be on Day 9 or the Day 10 morning session before the relay final in the last session.

Under my proposed schedule, McLaughlin wouldn't have to run twice in a day at all (unless she somehow ended up in a repechage).  In fact, it would make it pretty easy to run all three events.  Assuming she doesn't have to run a repechage, she'd race seven times in nine days after getting the opening day off.  A lot of racing to be sure, but very doable.  And, to even attempt to win three gold medals, you've gotta run a lot of races!

A 400/400 hurdles double, which has never been attempted before at an Olympics, would be the story of the first week.  Especially when it's somebody who isn't just an American, but somebody who lives and trains in LA, going for it.  Which is why the LA Olympic track & field schedule makes absolutely no sense!  She may not have done it anyway.  But at least give her the chance!

Hopefully someone comes to their senses and the schedule is changed.  And not just because Bobby Kersee requested it.  Because, frankly, he shouldn't need to request it!  Whoever made that schedule dropped the ball!  The double is the only thing Syd hasn't done.  The LA Olympics would be the perfect setting to do it.  As long as they realize they screwed up and make it possible after all. 

LA's Olympic Schedule

Last week, the full event schedule for the 2028 Olympics was released.  We already knew some of the details (for example, track & field and swimming swapping weeks), but now we know the specific dates for all 351 events.  Some of which answered pressing questions.  Some of which raised more.  And some of which definitely came as a surprise.

One thing that didn't come as a surprise was the announcement that the Closing Ceremony will be held entirely within the LA Coliseum.  The original plan when LA first got the 2028 Olympics was that both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies would be split between the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium.  But that was before swimming was moved to SoFi, necessitating the schedule switch with track & field.  The last swimming events will literally be the final events of the Games (the swimming session ends at 7:30 ET on that final Sunday and the Closing Ceremony starts at 9:00 ET).  So, it would've been logistically impossible to do the dual-stadium Closing Ceremony.  They simply confirmed it.

Flipping track & field and swimming on the Olympic program was obviously done for logistical reasons, but I agree with some of the comments that were made by the LA Organizing Committee about the benefits of the change.  Specifically, it'll be a different experience for the swimmers, who often have to miss the Opening Ceremony because they're competing right off the bat.  Now they'll get to walk in the Opening Ceremony and still have plenty of time before their event.  Likewise, on the opposite end, the track & field athletes will get their competition out of the way and be able to enjoy the rest of the Olympics once they're done.  Which isn't always the case for them when they don't compete until the end.

Perhaps the most noticeable change to the track & field schedule (besides the obvious one) involves the women's 100 meters.  The women's 100 final is set for the first full day of the Olympics--Saturday, July 15.  The whole idea is to start the Games with a bang by featuring one of the marquee events.  However, that means all four rounds of the women's 100 are scheduled for the same day--the preliminary and first rounds in the morning, the semifinals and final about 90 minutes apart during the evening session.  Granted, the most any of the finalists will have to run is three rounds, but it's still unusual to say the least to have the entire event take place on one day.

With two and a half years until the Olympics, the female sprinters are being given plenty of notice to adjust their training regiments.  And the 100 is perhaps the only event where you can do it all in one day (at World Indoors, they do all three rounds of the 60 in the same day).  Still, it's a lot to ask.  Especially since the men won't have to do it.  (The first two rounds of the men's 100 are on Saturday, with the semifinals and final on Sunday.)  The women claim not to have a problem with, but how much of that is the truth and how much is toeing the company line?

Other than NBC wanting a marquee event on the opening night of the Games, there is one other reason I can think of.  The mixed 4x100 relay makes its Olympic debut in LA and they needed to squeeze that in between the individual 100s & 200s and men's & women's 4x100 relays that are always at the end.  The mixed 4x100 is on Day 3, so the women will get a day off before it and the men won't.  The first round of the men's 200 is then on Day 4, while the women's 200 doesn't start until Day 5.  So, their schedule will certainly be more spread out then the men after that busy first day.

There was one other thing people were really looking forward to potentially seeing in the track & field competition at the LA Olympics.  Sydney McLaughlin (who lives in LA) having the chance to do a 400-400 hurdles double.  You would think that they'd arrange the schedule to make it possible.  Instead, they've made it so that it effectively isn't.  The first round of the 400 hurdles and semifinals of the 400 are on the same day (in different sessions), while the semifinals of the 400 hurdles are in the same session as the 400 final.  Just stupid scheduling!

The first gold medal of the Games will be awarded in the women's triathlon, the first time since 2000 that it'll be the opening medal event.  That's just the start of a day featuring the most women's finals in Olympic history.  In addition to the triathlon and 100, other women's finals scheduled for the first full day of Olympic competition include rugby, individual epee fencing, 10 meter air rifle shooting, the shot put, and more.

Two weeks later, on what they're calling "Super Saturday," there will be 26 finals in 23 different sports.  Team sports traditionally reach their climax on the final weekend, and it'll be no different in LA.  That Saturday includes the gold medal matchups in softball, women's basketball, men's beach volleyball, men's cricket, women's soccer, women's field hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, and men's volleyball, as well as a bunch of bronze medal games in sports that conclude on the final day of the Olympics.  So, yeah, it'll be busy.

I figured that swimming being moved to the second week would result in the schedule being adjusted for all the other pool sports, but it didn't happen in the way I thought.  Water polo and artistic swimming are being held at the same venue, so, instead of water polo stretching the entire duration of the Games like it normally does, it's actually starting two days before the Opening Ceremony and ending on the middle Sunday.  Then artistic swimming moves in and starts on Tuesday.

A very interesting adjustment was also made to the diving schedule.  Instead of starting with the four synchronized events and ending with the individual competition, that's reversed.  The four individual events are at the beginning, then, after a couple days off, the synchronized events are all at the end.  I wonder what the impetus for that decision was.  Men's individual platform was the final diving event for as long as I can remember.  (Also, if this will be the Olympic diving schedule moving forward, they can easily fill that gap with the mixed team event.  Just saying!)

As for the swimming competition, that's seen all kinds of adjustments because they added the 50s in the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.  They'd already extended the swimming schedule to nine days starting with the Paris Games, which allowed them to spread out the events a little more for those attempting doubles.  They still changed it up in a pretty major way, though, which I'm sure was likely to accommodate NBC.  The women's 800 freestyle (aka Katie Ledecky's best event) was moved to the final day and will literally be the last individual event of the entire Olympics.

Two of the sports the organizers added to the program for the LA Games were baseball and flag football.  The hope is that MLB and NFL players will participate.  While that's by no means a guarantee, they've set it up to improve the chances of it happening.  The entire baseball competition lasts just a week and is over by July 19.  Assuming the 2028 All*Star Game is on July 11, they could theoretically just extend the All*Star Break an extra week (I don't see that happening, or MLB players participating in the Olympics, but that's a topic for another post).  Likewise, flag football will be done on Friday, July 21...before NFL training camps open in the last week of July.

Baseball's just one of the sports that will begin competition before the Opening Ceremony.  Soccer always does, and rugby has since its debut in 2016, as well.  They're also starting basketball two days early for reasons I still don't quite understand.  Cricket, handball and field hockey also start before the Opening Ceremony, while there will be canoe slalom competition on the day of the Opening Ceremony itself.  Canoe slalom, of course, is taking place in Oklahoma City along with softball, though (I guess that means Jessica Fox won't be Australia's flag bearer again).

In tennis, they're evidently taking the mixed doubles format that debuted at this year's US Open and using it at the LA Olympics.  Because the tennis schedule starts with just the first two rounds of mixed doubles on the first day, then the semifinals and bronze/gold medal matches the following day.  When the initial list of events came out, it just said "Mixed Event TBA," so I'm glad they opted for traditional mixed doubles rather than some sort of team format.  I just wish it wasn't the new format from the US Open.  (John McEnroe may like it, but I don't.)

It's crazy to think about how fast LA28 is approaching.  Before we know it, it'll be here.  Releasing the schedule always makes it feel a little more real.  Yes, it's still two and a half years.  There's a whole Winter Olympics in Italy before it.  But LA28 seems like it's just around the corner.  Especially now that there's a schedule.  Start planning for July 2028.

NFL Picks, Week 11

Things are starting to become clearer in the NFL, but, at the same time, the playoff picture is murkier than ever.  Some teams have started separating themselves, but, for the most part, we've got divisions that are tightly bunched with playoff positions changing each week.  It'll only get crazier with so many division games backloaded, too.  And with certain teams that currently aren't in playoff spots lurking.  So, expect a lot to happen the rest of the way.

Thursday Night: New England (Win)

Commanders (3-7) vs. Dolphins (3-7): Washington-The curtain falls on the International Series with the NFL's first-ever game in Madrid.  This looked like a much better matchup before the season than it turned out to be.  Miami shockingly took it to the Bills last week, while Washington has lost five straight and is still without Jayden Daniels.  None of those games have been particularly close.  But those opponents have been a much higher caliber than the Dolphins.  That's why I'm taking the Commanders to end their skid.

Panthers (5-5) at Falcons (3-6): Carolina-Atlanta is right up there on the list of most disappointing teams in the league this season.  People, myself included, figured the Falcons would challenge Tampa Bay for the division title.  Instead, they're 3-6, and they didn't even get a bye following their long trip back from Germany.  They've been far too inconsistent to think the team that beat the Bills will show up on a regular basis.  The Panthers, meanwhile, can find themselves just a half-game out of first place if things fall their way this week.

Buccaneers (6-3) at Bills (6-3): Buffalo-Tampa Bay wasn't given the easiest schedule coming out of its bye.  The Bucs lost to New England last week.  Now they've got Buffalo.  And next week, the Rams.  They could easily lose all three, so it's a good thing they were able to beef up early.  The Bills laid an egg last week in Miami, which really put them in a bad spot since the Patriots don't stop winning.  New England already won this week, so a loss will put them 2.5 games back.  Not insurmountable, but not where they want to be either.  Being a game and a half out is much more manageable.

Texans (4-5) at Titans (1-8): Houston-During their bye week, the Titans saw every other one-win team come away with a victory.  So, they're back in the driver's seat for the No. 1 pick.  That's obviously a fluid situation that might change several times over the rest of the season, but the point remains.  Tennessee's not a good team.  And, to think, this team fired Mike Vrabel, only to see him become a Coach of the Year candidates while making the Patriots "the Patriots" again.  Needless to say, his coaching might not have been the problem.

Bears (6-3) at Vikings (4-5): Chicago-Chicago is a playoff team right now.  It sounds crazy, I know, but the Bears are 6-3 and could be in first place at the end of Week 11.  That could be 7-2 if not for one quarter of their season opener, which was the only good quarter the Vikings played in their first two games.  The Bears are a much different team in mid-November than they were in early September, though.  Last week's comeback against the Giants is proof of that.  Count this team out at your own peril.

Packers (5-3-1) at Giants (2-8): Green Bay-One little loss can have so much impact.  Especially in a tight division race.  The Packers went from first place in the NFC North to third after falling to the Eagles on Monday night.  The good news is this week, they're playing a Giants team that finally got fed up with the blown double-digit leads and fired Brian Daboll.  It's not like that'll make much of a difference against the Packers, though.  (Although, their two wins this season were at home against the Chargers and Eagles, so who knows?)

Bengals (3-6) at Steelers (5-4): Pittsburgh-When these two met in Cincinnati on a Thursday night, the Bengals pulled the upset (while wearing those ridiculous white helmets).  That loss dropped the Steelers to 4-2 and suddenly they were no longer running away with the division.  They're still in front, but it's no longer comfortable.  A win in the rematch can go a long way towards changing that and set Pittsburgh up for the stretch run.

Chargers (7-3) at Jaguars (5-4): Chargers-Don't sleep on either of these teams.  Jacksonville has beaten both San Francisco and Kansas City on the road this season, while the Chargers have really been impressive.  Sure, two of their losses are bad, but they always show up and play well against good opponents (as evidence by their 3-0 division record).  And they just took it to the Steelers last week.  I'm not saying this one will be easy, but I do expect them to go into their bye at 8-3.

Seahawks (7-2) at Rams (7-2): Rams-As this little NFC West round robin concludes, we'll actually have a division leader with sole possession of first place.  Not only that, the Seahawks-Rams winner will likely hold the NFC's No. 1 seed at the end of the week.  Personally, I think the Rams are the best team in the division, if not the entire NFC.  They showed it with an absolutely dominant performance in San Francisco, and they'll show it again at home against Seattle.

49ers (6-4) at Cardinals (3-6): San Francisco-Heading into the season, some people thought Arizona might make the NFC West a four-way race.  That obviously hasn't been the case, with the Cardinals sitting at just 3-6.  One of the reasons for that is an 0-3 division record.  When these two met in San Francisco, it was a one-point game.  I wouldn't be surprised if it's close again.  I'd expect the final result to be the same, though.

Ravens (4-5) at Browns (2-7): Baltimore-For weeks, people have been saying to look out for Baltimore.  The Ravens got off to a terrible start and were left for dead.  Then Lamar Jackson came back and their schedule got easier.  Now, we're staring at Baltimore getting back to .500 and indeed becoming that opponent no one wants to face down the stretch.

Chiefs (5-4) at Broncos (8-2): Kansas City-If the playoffs started today, the Chiefs wouldn't be in them.  Yet everyone knows Kansas City is a dangerous opponent.  First-place Denver can really make a statement here while also opening up a 3.5-game lead on the Chiefs.  So, while this isn't necessarily a must-win, it's a very important game for Kansas City.  The Chiefs won't let go of their stranglehold on the AFC West that easily.

Lions (6-3) at Eagles (7-2): Philadelphia-This was the NFC Championship Game everyone wanted and expected last season, but the Commanders had to go and ruin it!  Now we finally get that Lions-Eagles matchup in one of the most-anticipated Sunday night games of the season.  It's an important one, too.  Detroit's finally in first place, but two of the Lions' three losses were on the road against top teams (Green Bay & Kansas City).  Expect a third road loss to a good team here.

Cowboys (3-5-1) at Raiders (2-7): Dallas-Cowboys-Raiders is always a matchup that will draw a lot of eyeballs no matter how good either team is.  Which is what makes this a fun Monday night game.  Are they the two best teams in the NFL?  Definitely not.  But there's still potential for an entertaining game here.  It's also one that Dallas absolutely cannot lose.  The Cowboys need to start consistently collecting wins if they want to be taken seriously as a playoff contender.

GREY CUP: Roughriders (12-6) vs. Alouettes (10-8): Saskatchewan-It's Grey Cup Sunday!  So, following my tradition, I'll give my two cents (guess I have to start collecting pennies) about the CFL's championship game.  Saskatchewan has been the dominant team in the league all year and is playing in its first Grey Cup game since 2013.  Montreal was a surprise Grey Cup champion two years ago and won the East Final on the road in Hamilton.  I just can't pick against the Roughriders, though.  The game's being played in Winnipeg, which means it'll be a sea of green, giving them a huge home-away-from-home advantage.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 7-7
Overall: 94-55-1 

The MVPs, 2025

Judge or Raleigh?  For most of the second half of the season, and especially over the final two months, the AL MVP debate was an almost daily topic.  Raleigh crushed 60 home runs as a switch-hitting catcher for a division winner.  Judge once again put up the otherworldly numbers that are just an average season for him at this point.  If not for Raleigh's season, he'd be running away with a second straight MVP award, and probably unanimously.  But that won't be the case at all.  There's truly some suspense here.

It's probably a safe bet to say Judge and Raleigh went 1-2 on all 30 ballots.  If they were both first on 15 and second on the other 15, it'll be a tie, just the second ever and the first in the American League.  So, it's really a matter of how many voters had Raleigh-Judge and how many had Judge-Raleigh (or if any of the writers put either one third, which changes the math completely and almost assuredly gives the other one the win).  Whoever got more first-place votes is probably the winner.

If Raleigh wasn't a catcher, this vote wouldn't be as close as it projects to be.  But the fact that he is will almost certainly come into play.  As it should.  Raleigh had a monster year offensively while also playing 150 games at the most grueling defensive position and guiding that outstanding Seattle pitching staff.  The Mariners don't win their first division title in 24 years without him.  Not to mention the fact that Raleigh and his home runs were the story for much of the season's second half.  Which is why, as much as I love Aaron Judge and as impressed as I am with the numbers he continually puts up year after year, my AL MVP vote goes to Cal Raleigh.

Spoiler alert with that one!  I usually wait until the end of the post to reveal who my choice for the award is.  Raleigh vs. Judge is the most anticipated and figures to be the most hotly contested of all eight awards up for grabs.  And there's no question they both deserve it.  I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing we'd found out the MVPs first instead of last.  But, it's also fitting to end Awards Week with the one award that actually carries some suspense with it.

Jose Ramirez of the Guardians finished third.  Even he knows that.  But still, finishing third makes you a finalist, and maybe J-Ram will grab that first career MVP sooner or later.  After all, he's in the Judge/Ohtani category for his ability to just go out there and consistently put up 30-home run, 80-RBI seasons while playing Gold Glove caliber defense at third base.  He's a quiet superstar that led Cleveland to another division title.

We know the top three, but who else figures to factor into the AL MVP vote?  Well, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for one.  His signing an extension with Toronto set the stage for the Blue Jays' entire season, and he returned their investment by playing like the franchise player he's paid to be.  A case could also be made for his Toronto teammate Bo Bichette, who could've had 200 hits if he hadn't missed most of September.  And how about a third Blue Jay--George Springer?  Those three at the top of the lineup are a big reason why the Blue Jays went from worst to first in the AL East.

And, even though he's not a finalist this season, that doesn't mean Bobby Witt Jr. had a "bad" year.  Quite the opposite.  He led the AL in hits, actually.  Junior Caminero quietly had a great season in Tampa Bay, and Julio Rodriguez didn't get the headlines that Raleigh did, but he was just as big a reason for the Mariners' first division title since 2001.  Byron Buxton was healthy this season and what a difference it made!  And let's not forget the pitchers.  Where would Detroit have been without Tarik Skubal or Boston without Garret Crochet?

Well, since I already told you, you know the order I've got Raleigh and Judge in.  And I'm good with Jose Ramirez in the 3-spot.  Vladimir Guerrero Jr. goes fourth in my book, followed by Caminero in fifth and Guerrero's teammates Bichette in sixth and Springer in seventh.  Bobby Witt Jr. is No. 8 for me, then Julio Rodriguez, with Tarik Skubal getting a 10th-place vote from me.

In the National League, it's gonna be Ohtani.  Because who else would it be?  He's a unique, generational talent who was finally able to show his two-way gift after being limited to just hitting in 2024 (and winning the MVP).  Ohtani didn't have as many stolen bases this season, but that's because he didn't run as much.  And he obviously brings so much more value to the Dodgers when he's able to pitch, too.  We've seen the difference Ohtani the pitcher can make, and going back to doing both should lock up his fourth career MVP.

Kyle Schwarber's job is to hit home runs.  Which is exactly what he did for a Phillies team that won its division.  The fact that he was able to consistently hit all season really came up big when you consider how many players Philadelphia lost to injury or were just plain ineffective.  Not Schwarber.  He started hitting on Opening Day and never stopped.  He played all 162 games and led the NL in both homers (56) and RBIs (132).  And, it doesn't count for regular season MVP consideration, but will anyone be able to forget the show he put on in the All*Star Game?

When the Mets signed Juan Soto to that record contract in the offseason, it came with the expectation that he live up to the investment.  April was a bit of a struggle, but Mets fans were more than satisfied with their high-priced addition.  Soto was a finalist for AL MVP last season, now he's a finalist in the NL in his first season across town.  He ended up with a .263/43/105 slash line while playing 160 games.  Soto also added another element to his game--the stolen base.  He finished with 38 of them!

There's far less suspense in the National League as in the American League.  I suspect the alphabetical order that was used to announce them as the finalists was the order of finish--Ohtani, Schwarber, Soto.  The real question is whether it was unanimous (it probably was) or if one of the Philadelphia writers threw Schwarber a bone and put him at No. 1.

Now let's talk about the other guys worth being in consideration for some down-vote MVP love.  Starting with Pete Alonso.  The Mets' first baseman wasn't sure he'd be back in Queens after his dalliance with free agency, but the Mets were glad to have him back.  He and Soto formed a formidable pair, and Alonso finished second in the NL with 126 RBIs while hitting a respectable .272.

The Chicago Cubs also contributed a couple of MVP candidates.  Pete Crow-Armstrong was really up there in the conversation with Ohtani early in the season, and he had the Gold Glove-caliber defense to go with his breakout offensive season.  PCA himself would argue that he wasn't even the most valuable member of the Cubs, however.  He'd say it was Seiya Suzuki, and I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a counterargument to that claim.  Suzuki had 32 homers and 31 doubles while driving in 103.

A healthy Christian Yelich showed that he still has the form from when he won this award in 2018.  Geraldo Perdomo quietly put together a 20-home run, 100-RBI season in Arizona.  As did Matt Olson in Atlanta.  And, it's easy to miss what everybody else on the Dodgers is doing because Ohtani sucks so much air out of the room, but Freddie Freeman once again proved that he's one of the top players in the game.  I didn't forget about Manny Machado, either.  Or James Wood, who toiled on a not-very-good Nationals team.

Ohtani's No. 1.  He's in his Barry Bonds Era right now.  The only thing preventing him from winning MVP every year is health at this point.  Schwarber gets my No. 2, with Soto at No. 3.  I'm going Seiya Suzuki at No. 4, then Pete Alonso and Pete Crow-Armstrong.  Perdomo No. 7, Yelich No. 8 (you've got to have somebody from the team that had the best record in the sport), then Olson and Machado rounding it out.

The Cy Youngs, 2025

About a decade ago, there was a big debate about the AL Cy Young and whether it should go to Felix Hernandez of the Mariners or David Price of the Rays.  Hernandez led in virtually every category, but was just 13-12 for a not-very-good Mariners team.  Price, meanwhile, had 21 wins for a Tampa Bay team that made the playoffs.  I was very much in the pro-Price camp.  Hernandez ended up winning the award, a clear indication that won-loss record no longer matters as much to Cy Young voters.

The same debate happened a few years later in the National League.  This time, it was Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer.  Scherzer was the one with the wins, and he did come away with the Cy Young during that stretch when he was the best pitcher for a few years with the Nationals.

Why am I bringing this up?  Because we've got a similar situation this year.  Paul Skenes was the runaway Rookie of the Year last season, and he's quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball.  His numbers were beyond exceptional...with the exception of his record.  Skenes only went 10-10 this season.  However, the Pirates only scored 11 total runs in his 10 losses, so there wasn't much he could do on that front.  And everyone acknowledges that.  Which is why, despite his record, Skenes is the heavy favorite.  Although, he does face some stiff competition.

If the postseason were included in Cy Young voting, it very well might've been Yoshinobu Yamamoto's award.  He was brilliant in the playoffs...a complete game victory in the NLCS, then going 3-0 in the World Series (now I kinda wish he had pitched in relief in Game 3 so that he could've had a 4-0 record).  It's not like he was a slouch in the regular season, though.  Yamamoto went 12-8, had a WHIP under 1, and was second behind Skenes in ERA.  That 12-year, $325 million investment the Dodgers made in him looks like a bargain!

Then there's Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies.  Philadelphia's rotation is one of its biggest strengths.  Sanchez emerged as the ace of that rotation this season.  And he became even more valuable when Zack Wheeler was lost for the year in August.  They didn't miss a beat, largely because of how Sanchez stepped up.  He finished the year with a 13-5 record, ranked third in the NL in ERA (2.50), and had 212 strikeouts.  Sanchez was also a workhorse, throwing more than 200 innings.

An argument can be made that Sanchez isn't the only Phillies pitcher worthy of Cy Young consideration.  Because there's also a valid case to be made for Jesus Luzardo.  His ERA was a little high (3.92), but his 15 wins were second in the NL, and his 216 strikeouts were tied for second (with Skenes).  And he was Philadelphia's fourth starter for much of the season!

Others who probably got some down-ballot votes include the Cubs' Matthew Boyd, who was as good as anybody for a few months.  I'm actually surprised Freddy Peralta isn't a finalist.  He was the best pitcher on a Brewers team that won 96 games.  Peralta led the National League with 17 wins, held opponents to a .193 batting average and a WHIP of 1.08, and had an ERA of 2.70.  And Nick Pivetta of the Padres could get some love after finishing with a WHIP below 1 and being one of just six National League pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA.

At risk of contradicting myself and my prior position regarding won-loss record and the Cy Young, I've gotta give the nod to Skenes.  Had his record been below .500, it would've been a much more interesting case.  I think the fact that he managed to get to 10-10, though, speaks volumes.  Because he was well below .500 for a while.  As for the rest of my ballot, I've actually got the non-finalist Peralta at No. 2, with Yamamoto at No. 3.  Then the Phillies round it out, with Sanchez fourth and Luzardo fifth.

Much like Skenes, Tarik Skubal was the heavy preseason favorite in the American League.  And he could become the first back-to-back AL Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000.  Skubal was an ace in every sense of the word.  The best pitcher in baseball, he led the Majors in ERA (2.21), was second in the AL in strikeouts (241) and had a ridiculous 0.89 WHIP.  Most importantly, Skubal always came up big when the Tigers needed him to.

It might not be unanimous like it was last year, though.  Because Garret Crochet had quite a first season in Boston!  This is a guy who'd never started a game prior to the 2024 season.  Now he's one of the best starters in the game!  The Red Sox traded for him during the offseason, then paid him like an ace.  And he pitched like one.  Crochet went 18-5, trailing only Max Fried for the Major League lead.  He struck out 255 hitters, 14 more than Skubal.  And he threw 205 innings.  Exactly what an ace should do.

Throughout the season, most of the talk was about how the left-handed starters were dominating the AL.  Which was true.  Yet a righty managed to sneak in there as one of the finalists anyway--Houston's Hunter Brown.  In a rotation with much bigger names, Brown emerged as the Astros' most consistent starter, and Houston went 18-13 in his starts.  He was second (behind Skubal) in ERA and third (behind Crochet and Skubal) in strikeouts.

Just as I'm shocked Freddy Peralta isn't a National League finalist, I'm shocked Max Fried isn't one in the AL.  For most of the year, he was right up there in the conversation with Skubal and Fried.  Outside of one bad stretch when he was pitching hurt, he was brilliant.  And he stepped up to be the ace the Yankees needed with Gerrit Cole out for the year.  Fried led the Majors with 19 wins and was fourth in the AL with a 2.86 ERA.

There were two Phillies worthy of being in the NL discussion, and there are two Yankees worthy of being in the AL discussion.  Fried and Carlos Rodon were quite the 1-2 punch.  Rodon made 33 starts and went 18-9 with over 200 strikeouts and an opponents' batting average of .188.  Bryan Woo was excellent all year for that outstanding Seattle pitching staff.  And don't forget the closers!  Houston's Josh Hader, Seattle's Andres Munoz and, yes, Aroldis Chapman all put themselves in the Cy Young conversation.

Still, it's Skubal's award to lose.  He went into the season as the favorite to win, which is exactly what he'll do.  The vote could be close, though.  Because in any other year, Crochet might be your winner.  My third-place vote goes to Fried, with, I guess, Hunter Brown slotting in behind him and Carlos Rodon rounding out my top five picks.

The Managers, 2025

Manager of the Year is my favorite of Baseball's annual awards.  Why?  Because there are so many different ways you can win Manager of the Year, and there are usually multiple deserving candidates in each league.  It also depends on how each individual voter defines it. 

Everybody's criteria is different.  And it really is completely subjective.  Who did the better job?  The guy who unexpectedly took his team to the playoffs or the manager of a good team that met those lofty expectations?  Was it the manager of a surprise contender that just missed the playoffs or the team that overcame injuries and roster changes during the season?  Or the team that had the biggest turnaround?  Sometimes it's a combination of those things.

All six of this year's finalists meet one or more of those criteria, as do some others who aren't finalists.  This year, all six finalists led their teams to the playoffs, which certainly wasn't expected of all of them.  Five of the six teams that won their division are represented, with only Dave Roberts missing (for obvious reasons).  Both of last year's winners have a rare chance to repeat, although one of them is a longshot to do that.

Stephen Vogt, last year's winner in the American League, somehow guided Cleveland to a division title.  The Tigers led the AL Central all season.  The Guardians were 15 1/2 back in July and 11 back on September 5.  Yet, thanks mainly to a 17-5 stretch right after that, they caught and overtook Detroit.  They did this without their closer, Emmanuel Clase (who, it's safe to say, will never pitch in the Majors again) and no rotation to speak of.  Cleveland had no business winning the division, but did anyway.

As impressive as the Guardians' season was, though, I think Stephen Vogt finished a distant third in the voting.  Which isn't a knock on him or the job he did this season by any means.  It's more a compliment to the managers of the ALCS participants.  A compelling case can be made for both Dan Wilson, who guided Seattle to its first division title in 24 years, and John Schneider, who took the Blue Jays from last place in 2024 to the World Series in 2025.

This has been building in Seattle, so it wasn't a total shock to see the Mariners finally put it all together.  It was Dan Wilson, in his first full season as a Major League manager, who got them over the hump.  They trailed the Astros, who've owned the AL West for the better part of a decade, in early September.  Then they went into Houston, swept the Astros, and ran away with the division from there.  The Mariners were the best team in the American League for a good portion of the season, and Wilson got them closer to the World Series than they've ever been.

There's a clear winner in the American League, though.  The Blue Jays finished last in 2024 and entered this season wondering if they'd lose Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to free agency.  Vladdy signed a 15-year deal to stay in Toronto and that was just the start.  The Blue Jays were good, not great, in April and May.  Then they swept a four-game series with the Yankees in early June and the rest was history.  Toronto was dominant at home and their lineup was impossible to get out!  It all added up to 94 wins, the No. 1 seed in the AL, and their first pennant in 32 years...with mostly the same team that went 74-88 last season.

While they obviously weren't top three finalists, also worth a mention (since apparently they go five-deep in Rookie & Manager of the Year voting now) are Alex Cora of the Red Sox, Kansas City's Matt Quatraro and Mark Kotsay of the Athletics.  Boston made the playoffs despite completely overhauling the roster in June.  The Royals, who made the playoffs last season, nearly got back, and finished 82-80.  Kotsay, meanwhile, managed a vagabond team that was playing its home games in a Minor League park and kept the A's competitive, finishing 76-86.

To me, it's very clear.  John Schneider is your very deserving winner, with Dan Wilson as the runner-up.  Stephen Vogt was first last year, but will be third this year.  Rounding out my ballot, I've got Alex Cora in the No. 4 spot and Mark Kotsay at No. 5.

Terry Francona was a three-time AL Manager of the Year in Cleveland.  He retired after the 2023 season, but that retirement didn't last long and he was back in the dugout with Cincinnati this season.  Tito (with a little help from the Mets) guided the Reds to their first full-season playoff berth in 13 years.  No one thought the Cincinnati Reds would come anywhere close to the playoffs.  And they did it as an 83-win team that didn't have a single player hit .270 or with more than 25 home runs.

The Phillies were supposed to be good.  And they were.  What was supposed to be a tight race with the Mets was anything but.  They won the division by 13 games and had the second-best record in baseball at 96-66.  It was a collection of superstars that Rob Thomson managed masterfully all season long.  In four years with the Phillies, he's led Philadelphia to four postseason berths and back-to-back NL East titles.

If you'd told me that the Brewers team that got swept by the Yankees to start the season would end up with the best record in baseball this season, I wouldn't have believed you.  Yet there they were.  Finishing 97-65 and putting together a ridiculous 30-5 stretch in July and August.  They were the third-highest scoring team in baseball and allowed the third-fewest runs.  Their run differential was an absurd +172.  And they did it without a single superstar.  That's a credit to manager Pat Murphy, who could become the first back-to-back Manager of the Year since Bobby Cox in 2004-05.

Just like in the American League, that top three hits it right on the mark.  Another NL Central manager must enter the conversation, too--the Cubs' Craig Counsell.  And how about the job first-year manager Clayton McCullough did with the Marlins?  In a loaded NL East, Miami actually finished ahead of Atlanta and improved from 62 wins in 2024 to 79 this season.

So, will we end up with a back-to-back Manager of the Year or a four-time Manager of the Year?  I say four-time.  No one was surprised the Brewers were good.  Everyone was surprised the Reds were!  Another line to add to Tito's Hall of Fame plaque.  My NL rankings: 1. Francona, 2. Murphy, 3. Thomson, 4. Counsell, 5. McCullough.