We're a family run sports blog that focuses mostly on Chicago and Purdue, but we will go anywhere. Adding a podcast to out collection of opinions.
Brushback Pitches Episode 109
We have the three Guenthers back to start with the NFL draft and of course have to talk about the Bears big trade to move from three to two. Does the fact that the 49ers had another offer in hand take some of the blame off of Pace? What do we think of Mitch Trubinsky as a QB in a vacuum? Pops thinks Deshaun Watson is the best, do we agree? Pops would also rather have Brian Hoyer as his starting QB this year, who buys that? When you look at the Bears' trade does the trades Kansas City and Houston make take off some of the criticism? Which teams had drafts that we like? Some teams we liked is Cleveland, Carolina and Washington. Tyler started on his offensive rankings for dynasty and we get in to that. Pops and Blair pick one and two in the Dynasty League, who should they take? Pops has a choice between Jordy Nelson and DeAndre Hopkins in keeper league, does Watson make Hopkins the better choice? Blair and Pops swapped Mark Ingram and Kelvin Benjamin in the off season, who's winning that trade? And in Keeper League Blair has Jordan Howard and Pops has been asking all season for him, will a trade be worked out? Quickly undermined by Tyler throwing out a different offer. Tyler goes through some of the end of his dynasty rankings and some of the deeper options to stash. We talk draft strategy with Pops and Blair picking early and Tyler picking last. We Got Beef and Pops starts with any sympathizers for Aaron Hernandez. Also, the very old-fahsioned Roger Goodell sounded off on marijuana. Blair tackles ESPN with another set of purges to a lot of very talent sports writers and sports broadcasters. Tyler has 'beef' that he wants an Executive of the Year award. He does enjoy flipping Pops 'talk to me when you win' criticism for his several bad seasons in a row in fantasy football.
5/16/2017 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 19 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 108
Bringing back 3 Guenthers to talk some basketball playoffs. Cleveland and Golden State have wrapped their first round series but the rest of the playoffs look like they're heading to seven game series, will they have any implications going forward though? Tyler is on board with Golden State getting to the Finals with three losses or less, do you buy it? Who are the biggest threats to the Cavs and Warriors? Are the Warriros and Steph Curry underappreciated? Who's the MVP in the NBA this season? Who is the next great player to take over the mantel? It seemed like we've been waiting for Anthony Davis but Giannis Antetokounmpo gets all of our votes. Blake Griffin's free agency comes up, where could he go? Before we get in to the draft we talk a few players on the market. Will Richard Sherman get traded? Will Malcolm Butler get traded? Do you want him considering you'll have to give up a 1st round pick and pay him? Pops asks Tyler his opinion on the Stephon Gilmore and continues to be by himself. Will Grapplehook get traded? And what happens next season when he's a free agent? How do we rank the top four quaterbacks in the draft? What do the Bears do at pick three? Are Ryan Pace and John Fox picking for their jobs? How do we grade Pace's draft thus far? What do we think of the overall talent in the draft? What do we think about the running back position, especially the top of the draft? We are in another Fantasy Baseball league and a lot of trips to the DL have happened. Are injuries up or is it because it's a shorter trip to a 10-day DL? What do we make of our drafts? We Got Beef and Pops starts with Paul George criticizing his teammates. That was his mini-beef, his big beef is a huge missed strike call in a baseball game. Tyler's beef is with IU. There is apparently a huge issue with how injured players are treated across all sports. Blair's beef is with Phil Jackson and his continual immature antics.
5/14/2017 • 1 hour, 20 minutes, 59 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 107
Playoffs, both hockey and basketball, are the big topics this week but we start with the Kings firing their coach after a few down seasons after some really impressive runs. Is it a just firing? The Blackhawks came in as the number one seed in the West and are getting absolutely worked by Nashville, what's wrong with them? It seems like each playoffs we talk about Jonathon Toews not scoring, but none of the stars are making a difference in this series. What do we make of the rest of the West playoffs? Does the winner of Chicago and Nashville become the favorite to get to the Stanley Cup? What team is the favorite to come out of the East? If Chicago gets swept, what will the reaction be from Bowman and Quenneville? For the NBA the East has the Pacers and Bulls at 7 & 8 seed in the East, Blair thinks on paper in normal years these teams are more middle seed teams but Pops says that was the ceiling for both. In a down year for the East will the Cavs cake walk in to the conference Finals? Is there any challenge to the Warriors in the West? Are the Rockets or the Spurs the biggest threat to get to Golden State? Does Cleveland even stand a chance to repeat? The Legacy question has to come up with LeBron, who looks like he'll go to his seventh straight Finals, but could lose another. How does that Jordan versus James argument come up? We finally get in to our playoff previews starting in the AL East. Is the East Boston's to lose? Could we see Tampa trade away a big piece? In the NL East, can anyone threaten the Nationals? Will the Phillies rotation take a step forward this season? Out in the West for the AL is it Houston or Texas? Jose Quintanna continues to be a rumor for the Astros, would that make a big difference? Who will be better, Oakland or Los Angeles? And will we see them make a trade? Is Mike Trout actually on the path to be one of the greatest players of all time? Talking great players, where does Jose Altuve stand when it comes to some of the best ever? In the NL West are the Dodgers gonna run away with it? Will the Giants for sure be number two? Will the Padres be the worst team in the Majors? What do we make of the AL Central? It's a very up and down division with Kansas City's cap issues, the age of Detroit and Minnesota's talent taking longer than expected to deliver. Who trades more pieces before the deadline; the Royals or the White Sox? Will the Cardinals threaten the Cubs this season? Will the Pirates be a threat or just third place? Will Maddon to be able to juggle all the talent on the offensive side? Is Schwarber at the leadoff spot a problem? What will the Cubs do when it comes to their bullpen issues? Ian Happ and Eloy Jiminez are Chicago's big offensive prospects, will they get traded? We wrap with our playoff picks. We Got Beef focuses on Lavar Ball because he continues to be a jerk. The Brooklyn Nets rested players in the last game but no criticism has been given to them. Adam Silver needs to do something about that.
5/13/2017 • 1 hour, 39 minutes, 22 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 106
A whole lot of college basketball to start this week and Tom Crean is out at IU. The Hoosier coach seemed to be on the hot seat with all the talent he had, but was it a fair firing? Who could be his replacement? Is Steve Alford the answer? Could IU lure Gregg Marshall away from Wichita State? Is it possible Brad Stevens jumps from Boston back to the college game? After the season they've had could the Baylor coach be a top name? Does the Cuonzo Martin hiring in Missouri make any sense? Where does the Illinois job stand? Purdue is in the sweet 16 so what do we make of the team? Can they beat Kansas? With the Boiler's lack of a bench does Painter deserve criticism for not playing Carsen Edwards enough? We talk our brackets, including Elite 8 and Final 4. It looks like the NCAA scheduled brackets to get interesting match ups in the second round specifically. Villanova versus Wisconsin and Kentucky versus Wichita State pair some very bad seedings to get name games. Talking some general managers in NFL free agency, specifically Ted Thompson of Green Bay because of his lack to dip into the free agent pool. Is he wasting Aaron Rodgers? Could Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy come to a headway with the lack of talent added to the team? We Got Beef and Pops tries to argue that because Bill Belichick signed Stephon Gilmore that it will work, instead of the sabremetric numbers. Lavar Ball, a joke athlete, continues to just shout and make noise. Blair's beef is the whole Colin Kaepernick issue. He seems to be getting blackballed and it just isn't right.
5/9/2017 • 57 minutes, 39 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 105
We congratulate Northwestern on finally looking to make the March bracket. Now, Purdue basketball what do we expect the rest of the season and going into brackets? The Blackhawks surprised by bring back Johnny Oduya, will it make a difference? There were no additions on offense, is it good enough to make another Stanley Cup run? What do we make of the trade deadline, which was rather quiet? In the NBA, Kevin Durant goes out for a few weeks right when San Antonio clinched it's 20th straight playoff appearance. Can the Warriors lose the 1 seed? What do we think of some of the potential playoff matches? The Cavaliers seemed to of won the buyout market, and with Durant out for a stretch, does this help Cleveland in the potential Finals rematch? The NFL combine is coming and free agency is opening, so what do the Bears do at quaterback. The Patriots don't want to trade Jimmy G, so what do we think about the rumors of Chicago going after Mike Glennon? Pops wants to stay with Brian Hoyer and Blair has a big problem with that. Could Chicago go after a top offensive line free agent and go the Dallas way to put an elite offensive line in front of whoever the QB is? Could Ryan Pace trade down from pick number 3? Will Alshon Jeffery be back? What will Chicago do at WR? Hit free agency? What WR in the draft jump out to us? Could Chicago sign a guard and move Kyle Long to a tackle spot? Blair thinks they could make a quick turn around to playoff contention, does Pops buy it? Will this coaching staff and management get the time to develop a young QB? Pops goes off on the upper management, does it effect things this off season? Pops thinks Jay Cutler not being released shows that they haven't turned the corner yet? Are they just waiting or is he right? He thinks there is a possibility he could be kept, Blair thinks he's crazy. We Got Beef with ESPN, Pops has an issue with Stephen A Smith taking over as the main personality. Also, the family issues with the Lakers ownership continues to get ugly.
5/1/2017 • 56 minutes, 10 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 104
We were riding high on Purdue basketball and after an ugly win at Penn State and loss at Michigan, have they peaked? Wisconsin and Maryland have really started to lose so how does a down Big Ten conference alter Purdue's March seeding? Gonzaga got upset and people are talking about them not getting a 1 seed anymore, crazy? Who are some of our favorites to win the whole tournament at this point. We talk the NBA trade deadline with the Bulls shipping out Dougie Buckets and Taj Gibson. Are they selling or just shuffling chairs on the Titanic? What does this mean for the future of the team? Will Gar Formann and John Paxson trade Jimmy Butler? What the heck are the Kings doing with the Cousins trade? Will DeMarcus do anything to improve the Pelicans? How is it that the Boston Celtics couldn't improve on the trade Sacramento got? The Dallas Mavericks got Nerlens Noel for pretty much nothing, a big surprise. Philadelphia wanted to move him, but that's the best they could get? What do we make of Paul George seeming like a done deal to head to the Lakers? The Lakers shook things up with Magic Johnson taking over in LA, does he make them more relevant? Power agent Palinka becomes the GM, will he be able to spot talent? The Lakers management looks legitimate, Luke Walton is a good coach and they have some good young kids. Can they build back to the top of the draft? Staying in LA, the Kings added Ben Bishop at goalie just as Johnathon Quick comes back from injury. It's rather curious. The Blackhawks made a small move on a player given up on, will it be anything? Chicago has caught fire, can they get the 1 seed in the West? We talk some Cubs with the roster moves seemingly set, and one of the big topics will be the fifth spot in the rotation. Who gets it? Pedro Strop got an extension, anything to make of it? Ian Happ continues to rake, will we see him in Chicago this season? How will Joe Maddon handle all the bats he has? Are one of the kids young bats off limits for a trade? What do we think the final bench and bullpen will look like? We Got Beef and Pops takes on Shaq with his dumb beef with Javale McGee. Blair's Beef is with the Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey who said 'She's tired of hearing about the Baylor scandals and if anyone says they won't send your kids hear punch them in the face.' These comments are so tone deaf for a women who coaches young women on a campus that is completely unsafe to women. These are some of the most egregious comments made on this issue.
4/29/2017 • 57 minutes, 9 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 103
We jump back in to Purdue basketball as the top of the Big Ten standings have changed. Wisconsin has dropped some games and now the Boilers are number one. Will Matt Painter's squad run the table? What kind of seed are they in line for in March? How will the roster construction fair in the tournament? Caught up a lot last week and now catch up on hockey. Minnesota is having a very good season, so can the Blackhawks catch them in the Central? Even without the 1 seed how far can Chicago make it? Stan Bowman always seems to make a move at the deadline, will he this season? How would we grade the kids that are seeing time this season? Who are Pop's favorites for the Stanley Cup? We move on to the NFL and the Bears and the questions start with Alshon Jeffery, what do they do with him? What about Jimmy G, does Pace pull the trade? Pops questions how long John Fox has left in the Windy City. Is he the coach best for a young QB? Both agree that it won't be a QB a third overall. Who do you think is the best QB in this year's draft? Should Ryan Pace trade down? If the QBs fall could we see Chicago trade back into the first round to snag one of them? In the NBA trade deadline, Kevin Love is hurt and the Celtics are surrounded in rumors again. Will we see anything happen? Houston is the three seed right now, will they do anything? Will we finally get Golden State and San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals finally? Talking Chicago Bulls, is Jimmy Butler a franchise player? Should they look to trade him? This week in We Got Beef Pops goes after a bill that would cut major compensation for injured workers, including athletes, for people in Illinois.
4/20/2017 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 36 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 102
We're glad to get back and start with the National Championship game. Did Lane Kiffin's absence alter the outcome? Does this win vault Clemson in to a continual national relevance with a lot of talent leaving? Steve Sarkisian is the offensive coordinator for one game and then bolts for the Falcons. Is that an FU to Saban? Pops thinks Chip Bama could put on the Crimson Tide to rehab his image. Is this year the greatest year in sports history with how many games came down to the wire? With Tom Brady capturing his fifth Super Bowl, is it official that he's the greatest QB of all time? Is Bill Belichick the greatest coach of all time? What were our thoughts at half time? Did the reffing stand out? Will Tom Brady actually slow down before he retires? After a resurgence this year, will Atlanta be a team that threatens for the next few seasons? We catch up with Purdue basketball who had some head scratching losses but have since rattled of several big road wins. Caleb Swanigan is delivering on the goods and could be Big Ten Player of the Year. Is this the best year since the Baby Boilers for Purdue to win the conference tournament? Could we see a March run? We talk a little Indiana basketball with the team trending down fast. Is Tom Crean feeling the heat? What do we make of the landscape of college basketball? Can Gonzaga run the table? What is Duke? Is Kentucky mature enough? We didn't take the PAC12 super seriously at the beginning of the season, but now they could get a 1 seed in the brackets? For the NBA this week week, it's drama with Charles Barkley and LeBron Jame going back and forth. Which side are we on? That was only trumped by Anthony Oakley being banned from Madison Square Garden. What the hell is going on there? Is Kevin Durant versus Russell Westbrook a rivalry? Will Jahlil Okafor be traded? Gar Formann and John Paxson's jobs were announced safe, can we stop puking? We wrap up the off season with the Cubs, what do we make of their signings? Did they get enough pitching? We Got Beef and a lot to catch up on; like Deion Sanders saying the Colts stole signals. Dwayne Wade attacked Barkley to defend James, why? Baseball is trying to speed up the game but has nothing but dumb ideas. Jeffery Loria could make a crap load of money selling the Marlins, but at least he'd be gone.
3/27/2017 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 33 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 101
With Purdue kicking off conference play we start with the Boilers after an overtime loss at home to Minnesota. Also, what do Caleb Swanigan's 30/20 games mean against sub par competition. What do we make of the Big Ten with Michigan State getting off to a slow start and Nebraska getting road wins at Indiana and Maryland. Pops throws in a Purdue football update with Jeff Brohm doing some recruiting work and getting some 4 star players to flip. We jump into the the football playoff games with the New Year six bowls that haven't happened yet. USC and Penn State features to of the hottest teams to end the season, who wins? The Cotton Bowl features the underdog Western Michigan versus Wisconsin. P. J. Fleck is still there, can he get the upset after not getting the job he wanted? The Sugar Bowl features Auburn and Oklahoma, two teams who fell short of their high expectations. This could be a springboard for next season. Speaking of teams that fell short, LSU rolled Louisville, what does that mean for next year? Then we back track to the playoff games. Washington lost to Alabama 24-7, what does that mean for both teams? Is this Crimson Tide team better or worse than last year? In the other game, where was Ohio State? Pops makes a surprise pick saying he'd take Clemson and the 6.5 points in a bet and favors the offense and DeShaun Watson in National Championship. After Ohio State laid an egg and Michigan lost to Florida State, was the Big Ten overrated? We get into the NFL starting with the Detroit and Green Bay Sunday Night match up to decide the NFC North. Most of the seeds seem pretty set so we go through the match ups, starting with the Packers hosting the Giants. The other wild card match up is Seattle and Detroit, and home field seems to decide this one. What do we make of the bye teams; will Atlanta or Dallas win? The AFC side has been decided for awhile. The Dolphins have surprised and travel to Pittsburgh. Does the Dolphins season end there? The other Wild Card game is Houston and Oakland, and it features a quaterback situation that is just ugly. The bye weeks go to Kansas City and New England, the two teams with the biggest home field advantage. Can the Steelers O top the Chiefs? Will anyone beat Brady and the Pats in Foxborough? Who do we have in the Super Bowl? Leaving the playoffs behind we talk coaching news, starting with the Chicago Bears. Will Vic Fangio be out? Trent Balke is fired as the GM in San Francisco, is Chip Kelly next? Gary Kubiak is retiring and the Denver job becomes probably the most attractive job. Who gets it? Terry Bradshaw made dumb comments about Mike Tomlin, no one knows what's happening in Buffalo and Sean Payton is surrounded by rumors. Pops jumps outside the NFL with rumors that Fred Hoiberg is on the hot seat, and Chicago continuing to be a mess. We Got Beef with Terry Bradshaw because of his unfounded criticism of Mike Tomlin and saying Mike McCarthy over Aaron Rodgers.
3/23/2017 • 1 hour, 10 minutes
Brushback Pitches Episode 100
Happy Holidays and our pre-end of the year podcast, starting with Christian McCaffery and Leonard Fournette sitting out their bowl games. Is it a smart decision? What does this say about these players? Does the fact that it isn't the BCS Invitational mean anything? Is this worse than Clowney who played the whole season but seemed checked out? How do we feel about Bob Stoops and Oklahoma getting a lot of criticism for the Joe Mixon situation? A coach that needs more criticism is Coach K. Grayson Allen continues to do dumb things on the court and let him get away with it. We waste good time on the Bears this week and talk playoffs next week. We go down the line, who stays and who goes? Coaching? Jay Cutler? Are Pace and Fox on the chopping block? We talk Fantasy with Blair wrapping up his second championship in a row in keeper league and Tyler taking the first Dynasty league crown. We look at keepers going forward and the teams that have decisions to make. Pops and Blair finish last and second to last in the Dynasty League and talk strategy going in to next season. We get a hockey update with Minnesota and Columbus the two hottest teams in the NHL. Pops gives us a recap of the playoff picture right now and an updated Stanley Cup pick. We Got Beef this week, Pops goes after Richard Sherman again for his out cry over a journalist asking tough questions. For Blair, Bill Belicheck sits and cuts players for missing meetings and trades players for not loving football but signs Michael Floyd after a ridiculous BAC.
3/19/2017 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 51 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 99
Starting things off with baseball with the White Sox officially entering a rebuilding and getting hauls for Adam Eaton and Chris Sale. The surprising thing is Chicago might have gotten a better haul for Eaton. Who else is on the trading block? Pops maintains he was right when the Sox should have traded Sale two years ago, Blair still maintains that's not right. The Cubs seemed to have hit one of the park trading Jorge Soler, who fell out of regular at bats, for Wade Davis. What do we make of the pen situation now with Koji Uehara and Brian Duensing being added to the pen. What will Epstein and the brain trust do at the five spot in the rotation? Will the Cubs' luck run out when it comes to health? We come back to West Lafayette with the football hiring Jeff Brohm. Is there room for cautious optimism or is this similar to the Darrell Hazell hiring? Purdue basketball got their first win against Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic and their only notable non-conference win. What does it mean for Matt Painter's team? What do we make of the top of the Big Ten? Isaac Haas played only three minutes in the second half of the Notre Dame game, what does that mean going forward? We talk some college football with a Wake Forest radio announcer giving out plays. Louisville was the big name mentioned, which Bobby Petrino has denied. No one is talking about the other schools though; Virginia Tech. The biggest story is the situation in Minnesota. Several players were suspended and it seems like there wasn't a lot of communication. There were accusations, no punishments, threats of scholarships being stripped and the team sitting out in protest. The whole situation has gotten really messy. Video has come out for what happened with Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. Bob Stoops is getting a lot of criticism, but does he deserve it all? And of course we talk college football and take a closer look at Lane Kiffin and why he didn't go to Houston. And how does he end up at Florida Atlantic? Do we blame Houston for trying to lock Kiffin in to a contract? Will Willie Taggert succeed in Oregon? We take a look at the NFL with the playoffs coming up fast. Each week we talk football it seems like there are several games that make no seasone (Tenn winning at KC and Indy blowing out Minnesota). Who wins the AFC West? The Texans pulled Osweiler and no one seems to want to win the AFC South or North, so who are the three and four seeds? In the NFC does New York catch Dallas for the division. If not, do the Cowboys get knocked off in the playoffs? Detroit seems to be floundering, can Green Bay catch them? Are we buying the Falcons in a close NFC South 13 games in to the season? Pops wants to address rumors of Bill Polian to be the president of football operations, mistake? It's ridiculous that there are rumors after two seasons that the Bears could be blowing up the staff again. Todd McShay has four running backs in the first round in his early mock draft, problem? In our last segment we vent because 'We Got Beef.' Pops sounds off on Jeff Fisher who is massively overrated and is out 'for revenge' now after being mediocre and fleecing the organization for his contract. Blair's beef has to do with Aqib Talib. There was a dirty hit in the Titans and Broncos game. Talib has the audacity to sound off on someone going after someone's knees yet poked someone in the eye last season, on purpose!
3/14/2017 • 1 hour, 12 minutes, 19 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 98
Blair starts things off after going down to Louisville to see Purdue lose to the Cardinals. What does this mean for the Boilermaker program? A big story has to be the struggles of Vince Edwards, was it right to bench him? Moving over to college football, did the committee get the four teams right or wrong? Penn State winning the conference and not getting in really opens a can of worms with Ohio State a no doubter for everyone. How much does the conference championship factor into this decision? Do the Huskies have a chance against Alabama? Which team is the favorite in Ohio State and Clemson? Who would give the Crimson Tide the best game? Baseball free agency moves on with the CBA agreed to, so what was changed? How does it change the free agent market and moves between small and large market teams? What are the changes for the International talent pool and the luxury tax? And then we recap free agency thus far after not going over much yet. We start with the Astros who made a lot of early noise, but still on the offense and not really on the pitching staff. The Diamondbacks added another young pitcher, and have a good commodity of it, but will he actually deliver in Arizona? What do we make of Atlanta adding veterans to the staff? Will the White Sox actually sell? Are we buying the rumors about Detroit potentially selling? Who will be the first domino to fall in the closer market? The Cubs signed Jon Jay which means a few things for the OF rotation, what do we think Chicago will do going forward? What do we think will happen with Jorge Soler? Pops comes up with an arbitrary 10 million to make moves which Blair calls out because Chicago has the ability to move funds around. Blair does some bragging after locking up the 1 seed in Fantasy Football. We go over the match ups in round one and see what Pops thinks since he's sitting out. Pops has complaints about the Texans and DeAndre Hopkins' irrelevance. At what point does Bill O'Brien make a QB change? Pops is back on the beef cattle train with Jeff Fisher and the St. Louis Rams. Fisher having a job takes a dump all over the Rooney Rule. There's always time to go over Kirk Herbstreit and Pops goes over him for having no integrity in his job with his inability to put his Ohio State fandom aside.
1/18/2017 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 43 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 97
We start with Big Ten basketball and trying to figure out where Purdue stands early in the season with Villanova the only game on their schedule thus far. Michigan State continues to lose its blistering schedule and IU beat Kansas but lost at IPFW. In college basketball the early story has to be Baylor who has stacked up wins against Oregon, Michigan State and Louisville already. Kentucky looks more athletic than normal after crushing the Spartans. Butler has continued their success after a win against Arizona. Blair jumps on the Hoosiers for being overrated again this season. Speaking of overrated teams, we switch to Notre Dame football. Is Brian Kelly going to get fired? After all the hoopla for how many premiere jobs were supposed to be open and then teams like Penn State, Auburn and USC rebounded. Now all of a sudden there just aren't as many jobs for a lot of candidates. Is Houston a good enough job to draw a big name? Lane Kiffin's contract runs out and there are rumors out there. Does he leave Alabama? What do we think of the Todd Herman and Coach O hires? Will Herman be able to take Texas up a few levels? Before we preview the conference championships, who are our top 4 teams right now? How does this whole scenario play out? What's the nightmare scenario? This year seems like the one that leads to a call to go to an 8 game playoff. We move on to Fantasy Football with just one week left in the regular season and look at the potential playoff match ups. With Pops on the outside looking in Blair has him predict who he think is in. We move on to the NFL with more up and down play out of top teams, so who wins? Who are the division winners and playoff teams? Who wins the NFC North and who are the Wild Cards? We make our conference championship picks at this point in the season. For his beef Blair goes after these stories that have come out that have not been true and is sick of it, especially after an election that has proof that fake stories greatly swayed public opinion.
1/16/2017 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 35 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 96
We kick it off with the college football Playoff Committee and Pops already has an issue. He feels like they are bending already to public criticism. With a new chairman Pops thinks they can get this wrong...after telling people the poll is irrelevant two weeks into them picking their top four. Who else are threats to possibly make a run to the BCS Invitational? We get a shot in against Purdue Football before starting with the basketball team as we do our college basketball preview. It has to be Caleb Swanigan's team, but Pops is really worried about the guard play. Carsen Edwards has a chance to be an X Factor for the black and gold. Matt Painter has to make sure the team doesn't fall in love with the 3-point line. The Boilermakers don't have a tough non-conference, minus their cross conference commitments. Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Kansas are part of the Champions Classic, how about Purdue starts one? In the Big Ten Wisconsin brings back it's entire team and is expected to take a step forward, buying em? Everyone knows what Izzo brings to the table and he got a dynamite recruiting class, but a brutal non-conference schedule. Will they go back to the top? Indiana has a lot of talent, but was a doughnut team last year. Can they toughen up? For Painter, the pressure is on to deliver with a five-star prospect. Taking a look at the national landscape, Duke and Kentucky are at the top. Do they have the number one pick on their team? Oregon is at four, are they overrated? How does Villanova do this year after winning the championship? What do we make of the PAC12 as a whole? Time to talk Cubs as the stove heats up for the baseball offseason. What does Chicago do in the outfield with Baez proving himself at 2nd and having Schwarber, Zobrist, Heyward, Almora and Soler? The attention is really going to be paid to the bullpen with closer a place they need to address again. Chicago also has money to spend with Montero, Lackey and Arrieta all free agents next season. Will Theo Epstein go after the big name pitchers that could available? Will we have a work stoppage with the CBA expiring? Who and when does Chicago already start looking for contract extensions? For beef this week Blair takes on Colin Kaepernick. He's kneeling during the National Anthem to take a stand but says he didn't vote because it's irrelevant. That's a contradiction and harms his position.
12/6/2016 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 34 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 95
We get Tyler back this week but open up with the World Series and check in with Pops to see how he's feeling at this historic championship. Did Joe Maddon over manage game 7? There were plenty of times for the Chicago Cubs to revert back to the choker persona, but this team is different. What was the turning point in the World Series? The Kris Bryant home run in game 5? Should Ben Zobrist have been the MVP? Are the Indians and Cubs the favorites for next year? Tyler takes on Cleveland as a team that was going to change the logo and then slapped it everywhere after getting to the Series. We aren't asking the D question, but when it comes to the Cubs' talent how about the simple question of where does Zobrist play? Chapman is a free agent, does he come back? Pops tries to blow up the entire Cubs pen. We were expecting a down season for the Blackhawks and they really are streaking right now. Are they better than we thought? Vey little to go off for the Bulls, but what do we make of the team on the short season? What do we make of the villains this season, the Golden State Warriors? Steve Kerr's squad may have a bit of an attitude change after going all in to chase 72-10 last season. LSU and Alabama starts of college football. It was tough, low scoring and physical. What do we make of the game and some missed calls? What do we take away for Bama? Is it an impressive win? Everyone freaked out about Texas A&M being in the first Playoff poll but they handled it themselves by getting upset by Mississippi State. So who do we think are actually the four best teams? If Washington wins the PAC12 will they be in? Pops is still riding high on Louisville, can they jump the conference champion? From Saban we trust to Belichick we trust, what does Pops make of the Jamie Collins trade? It looks very much like another possible Patriots' Super Bowl year, could this damper that? I mean who stands out in the NFL, let alone the AFC to challenge New England? Who would think with a triple side of beef Tyler doesn't have any. For his beef Pops is beefin on Miguel Montero complaining during the World Series parade. For Blair's beef he is taking on delusional quaterbacks. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jay Cutler speak out about not having support of their teams...after being bad. If you don't play well you lose your job. Tyler jumps in to beef on some of Pops' arguments against non-SEC playoff teams.
11/28/2016 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 30 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 94
We start off of course with the Cubs going to the World Series and Pops puts it in perspective for us. We recap the NLCS such as the decision to save Clayton Kershaw for Game 6. Or was it just that he ran out of gas? It's not a championship but how does it quantify with the other sports that the Cubs just got back to the World Series. Heading to the World Series there are rumors that Kyle Schwarber got cleared to take ABs and could be used as a DH? Will he? Is it smart? What are the Cubs going to do with their rotation? Does Lester go in game 1? Does potential Cy Young winner Kyle Hendricks get saved for game 3 in Wrigley? The Indians are more of small ball team so the key will be for Chicago get after the three-headed bullpen monster of Miller, Shaw and Allen. Who has the advantage and who are we taking? Which manager has the advantage in the World Series? We move from something we're excited about to another disappointing headline from the NFL. Weed, National Anthem protests, ratings are several things that are more important than domestic violence to the NFL. Roger Goodell, the NFL and the New York Giants got it so wrong when it came to Josh Brown. The amount of effort and time spent to go after Tom Brady shows how little they care and the hypocrisy when it comes to their punishment. Speaking of legal issues, Derrick Rose beat his gang rape case but there were comments made by the judge and jury that seems to kind of diminish the lack of bias they should have for a case this serious. The image of Derrick Rose has completely crashed and never will be good again. We take a snap shot of the NFL with it still making not a whole lot of sense week to week. I mean Carolina is one with that team falling off a cliff. What teams are real and who are we buying as legitimate threats for a championship? Let's keep talking football but the collegiate ranks with Alabama being a factory. LSU has rebounded, can the Tigers pull of the upset in a few weeks? Of course the big NCAAF story is Ohio State got upset by Penn State which opens up the playoff picture. Who do we think the top 4 is right now? We wrap up our NBA previews with the East, which we will likely very quickly speed through a conference that stinks. Which teams are picking for the playoffs, but who really are worth watching? Kind of surprisingly, Pops is taking the entire Central Division to make the playoffs and Blair doesn't really disagree. The East REALLY stinks! Where do the Bulls finish in the Central? What do their off season moves do to the team? It really is the Cleveland Cavaliers and everyone else so we do a little preview against the Warriors. Four our beef this week I take on James Franklin who made insensitive comments about Penn State beginning to heal because of it's upset over Ohio State. Football is the whole reason the Nittany Lions are in that mess so have some sensitivity about it.
11/8/2016 • 2 hours, 3 minutes, 13 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 93
Pops was on the wait and see train last week for Purdue who got dominated by Iowa at half and now Darrell Hazell is fired. Do we give Mike Bobinski credit or was his hand forced? The Boilermakers are finally getting lights so they can host night games, one of the last programs to get them. The Hazell hire was un-Purdue move and canning him before the season is over is a move in new territory. We give a little update on the possible coaching candidates Purdue could be looking at. We get an updated on college football, starting with Notre Dame losing again and Alabama trouncing Tennessee. Houston lost which opens up the BCS Invitational picture. Are we buying Washington, Baylor or West Virginia? Does a one loss Michigan, Ohio State or Louisville get in instead? Pops is 100% against that school up North this season but his normal punching bag, Nebraska, is still undefeated. Mark Dantonio and Michigan State are really having a down year, will he leave because of it? We move over to baseball where Pops said he wasn't worried when they got ready to face off against the Giants but what about being down 5-2 going into the 9th of Game 4? How about that decision to load the bases in Game 1 before Miguel Montero hit a Grand Slam to win the game. Do we have any worries over the pen with Aroldis Champan's issues to stop inherited runners from scoring? Especially with the new habit being to use closers for more than just an inning. The ALCS match up is Cleveland and Toronto, the exact opposite of what we thought. Who do we think is going to the World Series? How crucial is Game 2 against Clayton Kershaw? Can we count on John Lackey for Game 4 in the NLCS? Hockey and basketball season are around the corner and we kick off the previews with the Chicago Blackhakws. This may be a season unlike fans have seen in awhile with the all the youth and depth depleted from the cap issues. Is a salary dump coming finally? You have the core of Kane, Toews, Panarin and Crawford so Stan Bowman has tried to stay in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, but it may cost your core's prime with just first or second round exits. Are we starting to lose faith in Stan Bowman? Pops also gives us his Top 4 team in the West and East, though really it seems like either Pittsburgh or Tampa. We break the NBA in half and knock out the Western Conference preview this week. Is the Northwest division still OKC's to win? Does Minnesota break the drought and get into the playoffs? What does Damian Lilliard and Portland do this season? Utah is another young roster as well, do they take a step forward? In the Pacific Division of course we take Golden State. The Clippers seems likely to get into the playoffs, but anyone else? How long does it take the Warriors to gel? In the Southwest Division it's still clearly the Spurs, but do they drop off? Memphis spent a bunch of money but are still getting pretty old, does Anthony Davis stay healthy, Dallas lost their off season again and Houston added more jump shooters so that should work right? We pick our eight Western playoff teams. Who is the biggest threat to the Warriors in the Western Conference? Pops has beef with the Bears who are quickly trending downwards.
10/27/2016 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 26 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 92
We get Tyler back this week in time to talk a lot of college football and baseball playoffs. After us wanting to burn down the Purdue football program after the Maryland debacle but came back and won at Illinois, good or bad? Pops of all people, says we should take a step back with the black and gold at 3-2, shocking. Keeping going with college football we talk about the cancellation of LSU and Florida and will it get rescheduled? Last week we talked about some potential job openings and this week we really get into it and who our top candidates are. It could be the greatest collection of programs open with Oregon, USC, LSU, Texas and Notre Dame seeming like they'll be looking for coaches this winter. Pops doesn't have LSU as the top job, a bit surprising in our opinions. What coaches do we think will be considered or looking for a program upgrade? We also get Tyler's opinion on Art Briles rehabbing his image at Purdue and the Les Miles rumors. We move onto the NFL to talk about a job we think will be open and that's the Colts, who got our attention because of Ryan Grigson's dumb comments about why his defense is bad. It's time to talk MLB Playoffs with the Red Sox and Rangers both floundering to start their series. How worried were Pops and I when the Cubs got the Giants? While we talk baseball playoffs we take a shot at the White Sox for another lackluster manager hiring. The Dodgers and Nationals have been disappointments year in and year out the past few playoffs, so who gets out of that match up? Is Madison Bumgarner the best post season pitcher ever? We Got Beef! And for Blair it's the fact that OBJ is letting people get in his head and take him out of games. Pops vents about losing a Fantasy Football game by one point, something that has happened to everyone.
10/18/2016 • 58 minutes, 54 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 91
This week we answer some questions, starting in our backyard with Purdue Football and the Bears. Is it more disappointing that Purdue continues to employ Darrell Hazell after the 50-7 Maryland debacle? Where can the Boilermakers realistically find their next coach? Is it really possible for Art Briles to come to West Lafayette to rehab his image? Would Bobinski and Purdue take on those negative headlines? Who had Brian Hoyer throwing over 300 yards and winning a defensive struggle against the Lions? Does Chicago have a QB controversy? Is this the last season in the Windy City for Jay Cutler? Did the Bears make a mistake firing Lovie Smith? Who is Chicago taking if they have the #1 draft pick? Talking some college football, what do we take away from Louisville and Clemson? Is this a year of chaos when it comes to the BCS Invitational? Who are the four teams in the playoffs now? Is Texas A&M the biggest threat to Alabama in the SEC? Pops is still taking LSU. Are we buying Washington? What about an undefeated Houston? What if Michigan has a loss to Ohio State or Louisville runs the table the rest of the way? We were off last week and the coaches changes started so we jump on that, including some of the jobs that we think will open up after the season ends. Todd Herman is likely the biggest coaching candidate so where does he go? Pops thinks LSU isn't done this season and that means we may not say a new name attached to the Tigers next season. Do we think Les Miles will coach next year? How about some coaches that have had success at their programs jumping to a new a ship? Michigan State? Florida State? Moving back to the NFL we answer more questions, like is AP done? Will Adrian Peterson be back with Minnesota next year? We're just about done with week 4 which means Tom Brady will be back, how many more seasons does he play? What will the Patritos do with their young QBs when Brady finally hangs it up? While we're talking back up QBs, what happens when Tony Romo returns? Is this his last season with a star on his helmet? While we're talking signal callers, did Cleveland screw up not taking Carson Wentz? Cody Kessler has looked solid, so what about the Rams with Jared Goff not even close to sniffing the field? Jeff Fisher is an enemy of the podcast. Moving on to baseball, the Cubs clinched NL home field but the question is what player move was the biggest in transforming Chicago into World Series favorites? The brain trust all signed extensions so they'll be in Chicago for awhile, but are we worried that some of the other top level guys will be going to run other teams? Texas has home field through the AL, but is there a bigger threat for them? We get a shot in on the White Sox who hired Rick Renteria to replace Ventura, bad. This week the National Anthem issues aren't part of our beef, but a protest makes Pops' beef. Joakim Noah didn't have dinner with cadets in West Point as a form of protest that really seem to just by piggybacking on the Colin Kaepernick protest. Blair tackles Kirk Herbstreit who lets his homerism show when it comes to the B1G and with College Gameday. Six weeks into the football season and two teams have been part of five of the weeks. It doesn't help that Blair is cheering against Tennessee like Pops is cheering against that school up North.
10/7/2016 • 59 minutes, 49 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 90
We start off with Fantasy Baseball with Blair clinching his first championship and taking the family lead with three between football and baseball. He also went back to back between football and baseball, something Pops did last season. Up next is actual baseball with the Cubs clinching in almost the fastest in their history, but how do we feel about their chances with Jake Arrieta still struggling. Also, the Cardinals clinched pretty early last season only to lose to the Cubs. What do we think about the wild card spots, and the potential Divisional round for Chicago. In the AL side Boston has seemingly take a bit of control of the AL East, but it's still pretty crowded. In college football Louisville has to be the story after destroying Florida State team. Can they win a championship? Ohio State made a statement too by handling Oklahoma. The Big is going to be very interesting. Alabama gave up 43 points to Ole Miss and was down big just before half, is it a statement game? Pops has gotten to the point where he won't even say Michigan. We aren't talking Purdue this week with a bye, but an injury makes Austin Appleby the starter at Florida with Danny Etling taking over the job at LSU. Will an SEC team take a shot on Petrino this off season? What's wrong with the idiots at Penn State? And what jobs do we think will be open after this season? Speaking of jobs that will be open, how about the mess that is the Buffalo Bills? The NFL continues to be a bit of a head scratcher with LA beating Seattle this week after the embarrassment opening week against the 49ers. We go through week 2 with more surprising wins across the league. We got beef this week and Pops thinks people are piggybacking on Colin Kaepernick's protest and thinks Adam Jones' comments about baseball being a white man's game. Blair has beef with Tony LaRussa questioning Kaepernick's sincerity. And with that protest, Blair brings up why the NFL made players start standing out on the field during National Anthem.
9/30/2016 • 1 hour, 38 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 89
Here we go again as we talk Purdue Football who has shown they really are the same as they always have been, not really being in the game against Cincinnati. Will we see Elijah Sindelar this season? This Boilermaker team has gone from the middle of division one to near the bottom of the entire division. Darrell Hazell was a MAC coach and they have a track record of coming through the Big Ten for their next jobs, would a MAC coach even consider coming to Purdue? We don't think so. There's a whole lot of beef going around, continuing with the second week of college football which was a snoozefest. We get better games heading this week with conference play starting up as well. Pops wanted to do a Fantasy Baseball update, at least he did last week before he lots. Pops and Blair looked like the best teams and Blair came out with the win. Daniel beats Johnny who didn't update his roster for the playoffs and very likely could have gotten out of the first round. Blair asks Pops about how many starts he should reach for based on what Daniel is projecting to have. We take a look at the MLB playoff picture with the Cubs not slowing down and the rest of the NL not looking great. The Dodgers are beat up, the Cardinals are just trying to patch things together and the Giants continue to torpedo on their season. Who do we think will take the NL Wildcards? As Cubs fans we're worried about how it all seems pretty set up for Chicago to get to the World Series. In the AL, how about the mess in the AL East? The Rangers and Indians seem to have their divisions, can anyone knock the East out of having three playoff spots? Texas sits on top of the AL, can anyone beat them to the Series? How do we feel about a potential Rangers and Cubs match up? The NFL season started and we had a big injury already so we talk some Fantasy Football and some observations. It's only week one but we go through some of the scores like how in the heck do the Bills lose to the Ravens? What did the Giants' receiver situation look like? Pops takes some shots at the 49ers, when will they score an offensive touchdown? We make our six NFL playoff picks, conference championship and Super Bowl picks. We Got Beef this week with the NFL blowing the protection of Cam Newton in game one. Blair calls out Hawk Harrelson who had the audacity to compare Kris Bryant to Todd Frazier. We get being a fan, but how about being intelligent?
9/19/2016 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 24 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 88
Starting with Fantasy Baseball this week heading into playoffs with Pops having a really good week and beating the 1 seed to finish the regular season. Blair had a very bad week, losing to one of the worst teams in the league. Blair and Pops have arguable the two best teams in the league and will face off in the first round. Johnny is the 1 seed but has checked out and will be dealt a blow with two of his seven starters out for the first round, if not later. We move onto the NFL with the last of the roster cuts and the Teddy Bridgewater injury. Let's just get this out of the way, Sam Bradford stinks and the Vikings massively overpaid. Is Minnesota still a playoff team? What cuts surprised us? Any effect on fantasy football? We move on to Purdue who started the season with a win...against the last FCS school they will get to play. It's all irrelevant until these next few games where Purdue has to show it's a different year. We go through the rest of the Big Ten, take shots at Michigan, but it was really all irrelevant except for the huge Wisconsin upset. What the hell is LSU and Les Miles doing? There is no doubt that Alabama is the best team in the nation and, criticism to Cam Cameron and LSU, Lane Kiffin has made the Crimson Tide QBs look good again. Clemson and Auburn, what do we make of it? Blair is all in on Houston, can they make the playoffs? What jobs do we think will be open at the end of the season? For our newest segment 'We Got Beef' Pops took on those that attacked Colin Kaepernick sitting during National Anthem and this week Blair attacks the Santa Clara police department for saying they may boycott security at 49ers games. It looks to be a standing together with all police, which shows ignorance to the fact that there is a problem.
9/12/2016 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 31 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 87
We jump in on the Cubs with the seasons Kris Bryant and Kyle Hendricks, how do they hold up? Some of the things Bryant has done have people looking at the Hall of Fame resume, do we really think he can be that great? Is he the National League MVP this year? After the stellar season Jake Arrieta had last season, Hendricks may win the Cy Young this season. Do you Hendricks start in one of the home games of a playoff series? Game 2? Could the Cubs look to add another bullpen arm before August ends? Jonathan Papelbon? With August coming to a close we get Pops' new World Series predictions? A Chicago kiss of death? What do we expect for Clayton Kershaw coming back? And he's on Blair's team so what does that mean for Fantasy Baseball playoffs? College football is finally back! Some awesome games starting Saturday including; Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Houston, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and more to kick off the opening weekend. Which team do you want to see most? What game do you think will be the best? Worst? Upset special? Kirk Herbstreit was quoted as saying 'The preseason rankings are based on last season and who was returning and no one has played yet.' Uh duuhhhhh Herbstreit! The other thing he said was that he didn't think the Playoff Committee wouldn't vote in anyone besides conference championships. We don't think that's case, but you'd have to have several loses for your conference championship. This could be the year with the PAC10 looking down and Oklahoma having Houston and Ohio State on the non-conference schedule and the rest of the Big12 up in the air. And with this great opening week there are plenty of non-conference games that could throw the BCS Invitational into complete chaos. Which team could lose this opening week and still bounce back to get into the playoffs? The early Heisman top 4 is Baker Mayfield, DeShaun Watson, Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffery, who's your early favorite? We finally had our Keeper Draft so it's more Fantasy Football talk. Several keepers changed hands which really seemed to balance out the league making it possibly our most competitive league ever. We go through several of the top end rosters to make our picks for early playoff favorites. We introduce a new segment 'I Got Beef' because Pops has a problem with everyone jumping on Colin Kaepernick for sitting during the National Anthem.
9/1/2016 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 24 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 86
Last week we posed the question is Michael Phelps the greatest athlete or Olympian? But after Usain Bolt winning the sprinting event in three straight Olympics, is he the greatest Olympian? Pops calls out the events that have the non-amateur athletes in them, like basketball and golf. Before we review Morgan Burke's tenure, Matt Painter got an extension in the 11th hour that no one is happy about. We review Burke's tenure, who actually some solid success in his first decade. The second...not great. And for Purdue's athletic program supposedly being one of self-run when it comes to its budget, his 12 million dollar shortfall is a massive failure. Purdue has less Big Ten titles than the University of Chicago, a program that hasn't been part of the conference in over 50 years. Do we think Bobinski can build a or several Purdue program back to national prominence. We did our Dynasty Draft, which none of us has done before. And of course the draft didn't go according to plan. While it's preseason and there are some defensive players not on the field, Jimmy G's success is a bit of a concern. With the injuries to the offensive line, can the team be better? Can the Lions improve or are they in the basement? Will Bridgewater take a step forward or still be very run heavy? Will Aaron Rodgers return to the MVP conversation? Which defense is the best in the NFC North? Could we be close to the end of Jordy Nelson in Green Bay? Will the RG3 experiment work with Hue Jackson in Cleveland? Will Josh Gordon make it through the season and be productive? How bad will Baltimore be? Who is fantasy relevant for the Ravens this season? How does Cincy look after letting most of their free agents leave? Will Marvin Lewis finally be fired? Pittsburgh looks to be the class of the AFC North, are a threat to win a Super Bowl? Who has the best defense in the division?
8/28/2016 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 15 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 85
We start off with an Olympic update, starting with Michael Phelps. Is he the greatest Olympian? Greatest athlete of all time? How do the gold medals measure up to American titles and individual achievements? Is part of the reason it's not talked about because Americans don't take the Olympics seriously? How about the fact that he wins at every stroke? Will Phelps, despite his claims, swim in Tokyo? Speaking of dominance, will Katie Ledecky follow after Phelps? Really the United States could have sent out the gymnastics and swimming teams and done pretty well in the medal count. How do you measure the dominance of the U. S. gymnastics team and Simone Biles? Finally we get to trash, I mean, talk Purdue who finally replaced Morgan Burke. Mike Bobinski takes over the mess of Purdue football and he has actual experience, already a positive, but what has he actually done? How do you feel about the hiring of what seems like a pretty inexperienced guy? Something that is flying under the radar is that Purdue, who is supposed to be a self-sufficient sports program, is 12 million dollars short even with the Big Ten Network money! We continue our college football previews with the Big Ten, starting with the awful Purdue football team. When it comes to the start of a Boilermaker season under Darrell Hazell you gotta ask, gonna see another QB switch? What do we make of the roster? Pops is putting the over/under at 2 and 1/2 games, can the Boilers win more? We start in the West, which is the weaker half. Who are we taking and who's schedule is favorable? In the East there's some questions with Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State. Which team are you taking? J. T. Barrett comes back and brings a lot of experience, but the Buckeyes lost a lot of talent to the draft. Michigan State got to the playoffs but graduated Connor Cook, can they continue to build on what they've accomplished? Tyler is feeling Michigan, Pops is annoyed how overblown the Maize and Blue is. We continue our NFL previews out West this week. Denver lost a lot of talent in free agency and Kansas City was in the playoffs last year, does the division bunch up? Will we see two or three QBs for the Broncos? Kansas City didn't really make any roster shake ups, can they close the gap? The Raiders opened some eyes last year and it seems like everyone is giving them credit, can they surprise this season? Will Khalil Mack break the single season sack record? The Chargers have talent but seem much, much older and never deliver. Not to mention, the San Diego front office is starting to develop a reputation as jerks that screw over players. Which fantasy running back do you trust most? Will the top of the NFC West be close, or will Arizona stay in front? Which Seattle team will we get this year? Can Palmer and the Cardinals stay healthy and productive? The Rams moved to LA, draft Jared Goff and have Todd Gurley, but will the lack of the offensive production limit him? The biggest commentary for the 49ers is that fact that Blaine Gabbert could be the starter. Is there anyone in San Francisco or Los Angeles, besides Gurley, that you'd draft for your fantasy team?
8/18/2016 • 1 hour, 18 minutes, 7 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 84
Only two Guenthers this week with Tyler scouting the ACC but Pops and Blair can handle it, starting with the trade deadline. Who was your number one winner? The Dodgers made a big trade with the A's and the Rangers added some big names. What about Andrew Miller going to Cleveland? Who did the best out of the sellers? The Yankees restocked the farm system quick with the Miller and Alrodis Chapman trades. The Cubs added Joe Smith before the deadline and the White Sox didn't make any moves, surprised at the lack of moves? The Sox look like a mess with multiple articles tearing them down for wasting Chris Sale. How do the trade deadlines shape up the playoff predictions? Predictions right now are Giants versus Cubs and Indians versus the Rangers in the Championship Series. We talk some Fantasy Baseball with Pops and I facing off this week in a likely first round match up. Johnny still only has lost one game, can anyone beat him? We move onto Fantasy Football where the keepers are finally traded. Blair traded DeAndre Hopkins to Pops for the swap of 1, 3, 5 picks and Tyler sent Lamar Miller to Cory for 1, 3, 5 swap of picks. With keepers mostly set now we talk about our Keeper League draft. We move onto our next college preview the SEC. We start in the East, can Florida repeat? Pops takes a second to take a shot at Purdue because Austin Appleby is the number two QB at Florida and Danny Etling is number two at LSU, they could play meaningful football. Are the Vols gonna rise to the top? They have the talent. The Georgia Bulldogs have the easiest schedule and apparently grow 1000 yard backs on trees in Athens, so that's our pick for the East. Ole Miss has become a surprise, Arkansas finished third in the West last season so is it still Alabama and LSU one and two? Harris takes over for the Tigers, Tyler's guy, can the offense actually be more modern now? Pops jumps on Hugh Freeze for him always praising God but being a scum bag. Ole Miss has the tougher schedule whereas Bama and LSU have pretty easy first halves and then tough four game stretches late. The coaches are definitely trouble at Auburn and Texas A&M and can Arkansas build on what they did last season? Who goes into the Playoffs and the New Year 6?
8/15/2016 • 1 hour, 15 minutes, 16 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 83
We start off with one of our favorite Chicago Bears, Charles Tillman, who has called it a career. Is he the best Bears' cornerback ever? We talk some Fantasy Football in our keeper league with some players on the move. Tyler traded Mark Ingram and the 14th pick for the 3rd overall pick, with some other possible players on the move. We talk some baseball trades with the deadline two days away and the Cubs knocked a domino down trading a massive haul for Alrodis Chapman. After not putting Andrew Miller up the Yankees traded Andrew Miller to the Indians, for a deal that seemed less than the Cubs gave up. Chapman is a free agent at the end of the season and Chapman has two more years on his deal, which is a bit of head scratcher. With what the Cubs given up it would have been nice to not have a rental. Even though Chicago got Chapman, Pops isn't feeling the bullpen. Hector Rondon moves to the setup and there's Pedro Strop, is it really a three-headed monster? Carl Edwards Jr. is someone to watch, he's having a nice season but hasn't been used a lot. Chicago could still be in the market for a pitcher with Jake Arrieta seeming to hit a wall and Jason Hammel and John Lackey slowing down. Closers have been on the move and there's the curious rejection of going to Cleveland from catcher Jonathon Lucroy. Will we see one of the big pitchers traded? What do you make of the disconnect between Chris Sale and the White Sox management? We move onto another NCAAF preview with the Big 12. Will Baylor be punished? Texas is getting a lot of talk, are we buying it? Can anyone challenge Oklahoma? Okie State finished second last year, can they be a threat for a conference title? The Big 12 is heading towards expansion with no really great choices, it looks like it's going to be Houston and BYU. Do anything for ya? We get into some NFL previews starting out East. In the AFC Tom Brady took the 4 game suspension, will it matter? Can the Jets match what they did last season? Will Buffalo's defense be better? And then there's the mess that is Miami. Can Tyrod Taylor duplicate what he did last season? The NFC East looks like another division that could be ugly. If healthy are the Cowboys a Super Bowl contender? Can Washington replicate their season? What's going on with the Giants after spending all that money on defense? And Philly just looks like a mess.
8/7/2016 • 57 minutes, 41 seconds
Brushback Pitches Episode 82
We ended with a social issue last week and start with one this week with the NBA pulling the All-Star game out of Charlotte. What do you think of Adam Silver doing that? We move from serious stupidity to a more fun stupidity with Derrick Rose saying the Knicks are a 'super team' *pause for laughter* Good riddance to him being gone from the Bulls. Over in baseball Chris Sale had an outburst and destroyed a throwback uniform and got sent home from a scheduled start. Who's side are you on? What do you make of the issues between Sale and management that have been boiling all season long? There have been some rumors about him being on the move, is that possible? The first move that really needs to be made is Kenny Williams being gone because it seems impossible to grade general manager Rick Hahn's moves. The Cubs make a minor move adding Mike Minor and send out Paul Blackburn and Dan Vogelbach, though it seems like Chicago sent out a lot of value. Andrew Miller is seemingly off the market, but does Epstein go after Alrodis Champman? Speaking of trades, Epstein and the brain trust have developed a lot of nice bats but what about pitching? We talk some Fantasy Baseball and take a look at the possible playoffs as we hit the two-thirds mark. We move over to fantasy football with some possible trades in our keeper leagues. Will Tyler move Le'Veon Bell and what about his suspension? Roger Goodell has said any football players that were listed on Al Jazeera report, but several players have said they won't show up. The college football previews continue with the PAC12 this week, a conference of blah. There have been teams that rise to power, but their coaches leave and the team comes back to Earth. Oregon has gone down, can Stanford keep it up? USC, Cal, UCLA, Utah; buy any of them? The PAC12 non-conference schedule really leaves a lot of disappointment. Tyler of course has another wild card pick, he's riding Washington. Is anyone in the BCS Invitational or the New Year's 6?