According to Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, running back Saquon Barkley is one of the Philadelphia Eagles starting players listed as doubtful for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New York Giants.

The Eagles (13-3) have already clinched the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the conference and have little to nothing to play for in the season finale.

Barkley, however, did have something to play for. He is 101 yards shy of breaking the NFL single-season rushing record, set by Eric Dickerson with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
Sirianni told the press: “It wasn’t the easiest decision to go through.”

It’s likely a tough decision for Barkley, but it's wise for the organization to ensure the health of its best player going into a postseason in which the team has a good chance of winning the second Super Bowl in franchise history.  

I’m thankful the Eagles have made this decision because the idea of Barkley breaking Dickerson’s record in one extra game—the league now plays 17 games a season, compared to the 16 in Dickerson’s era—didn’t sit well with me.

I hate to be that curmudgeon, but I prefer things to be fair and equal, and having an extra game to accomplish something doesn’t fit those parameters. It’s not Barkley’s fault, but it doesn’t mean I have to sit back and root for the record to be broken.

Many will tell you that records are meant to be broken, and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment when things are equal. But I believe in the sanctity of sports records and Barkley breaking the record, which he very likely would do if he played on Sunday – he’s averaged 125 yards per game this season, and the Giants are one of the worst teams in the league – wouldn’t feel much like a record merely an athlete who benefited from a different set of rules.

Barkley’s 2,005 yards and eighth place all-time in a single season in NFL history feels like his rightful place.

I know everybody reading this is thinking: “O.J. Simpson rushed for 2,003 yards in a 14-game season in 1973.” Yes, and that’s a valid point. If you want to claim that Simpson is the true single-season rushing king, I don’t know that I have much of a leg to stand on in arguing against it.

My biggest issue is with the NFL and other sports leagues. The changes they make for money or to build an audience have major impacts on the history of sports. Because of this, records could become extinct in pro sports. Eventually, all NFL records will likely be broken because of the extra games players today and in the future will have over those in the past.

And the NFL isn’t even the most significant issue. Other sports, like Major League Baseball and the NBA, are considering the prospect of shortening seasons, ensuring that no single-season records are ever broken again (and would make career records hard to achieve).

Times change. There’s no denying that. But one of the most incredible things about sports is being able to watch the pursuit of records – both in a single season and all-time. I worry that those times are coming to an end. So, for now, I’ll be glad to see Dickerson hold on to one of the most outstanding records in sports for at least another year.

​The first round of the College Football Playoff didn’t have a whole lot of drama as far as the games were concerned. The real drama occurred when fans and coaches of teams that did not make the playoff complained that their teams should have been in over the ones that made it. Anyone can whine and moan about who got in and who didn't, but the truth was played on the field for about 12 weeks, and the right 12 teams deserved to be in their spots. 

What I loved about the opening weekend of the College Football Playoff was the atmosphere of all four games being on campus. Yes, it was December, and it was cold in three of the games, but you can't deny the excitement displayed in South Bend, Happy Valley, Austin and Columbus. The opening weekend proves that December football on college campuses is better than any neutral site.

I am not surprised that all four home teams won. The biggest surprise was that all the games were not competitively close. Clemson performed the best from a losing standpoint, but it felt like Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Ohio State were going to protect their home fields from the get-go, and the visitors did not have a chance. I went 3-1 on picking the first round, and now it is time to start breaking down the quarterfinal games.

No. 6. Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State (Vrbo Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, Ariz) – Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN

After blowing out SMU in the first round, No. 6 Penn State returns to Arizona and the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions are 7-0 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl, including a national championship win in 1987. Their defense set the tone against SMU, scoring two touchdowns off interception returns. They look to ride their wave of momentum against the Broncos. Boise State is also undefeated in the Fiesta Bowl, going 3-0. Their biggest win occurred at the Fiesta Bowl, 43-42 over Oklahoma in 2007. The Mountain West champions will look to their star running back to lead the way over Penn State. Ashton Jeanty, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race, is having the greatest season by a running back in college football since Barry Sanders’ historic season in 1988. Jeanty currently has 2,497 yards and is less than 300 yards from breaking Sanders' record. He also leads FBS in scrimmage yards, rushing touchdowns and scoring. For Penn State to win the Fiesta Bowl, they must stop Jeanty and Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar has to play a better game than he did against SMU. Boise State has always been a great story and while Jeanty is a special player and will have a ton of success at the next level, I believe Penn State is more of a complete team than Boise State. Penn State is my pick.

No 5. Texas vs. No. 4 Arizona State (Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl - Atlanta, Ga.) – Wednesday, Jan. 1st at Noon CST on ESPN

The most surprising team in the college football playoff is Arizona State. They were predicted to finish last in their first year in the Big XII conference, but they ended up in the Big XII Championship game and defeated Iowa State. The real test will come against a Texas team trying to prove they are the nation's best. Although the Longhorns did not beat Georgia twice in the regular season, they have looked like a contender throughout the season. I thought they played well against Clemson. The Longhorns’ defense must control Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo, and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers must continue to play well for Texas to move on to the semifinals. My concern for Arizona State and all the top four teams in the playoff is the long layoff. I think Texas will capitalize on Arizona State's long rest and dominate this game from start to finish.

No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Oregon (Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential - Pasadena, Calif.) – Wednesday, Jan. 1st at 4:00 PM CST on ESPN

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks gave us one of the best college football games of the season in October when Oregon prevailed 32-31 in Eugene, Ore. We all thought these two teams would meet again in the Big Ten Championship Game, but Ohio State lost to arch-rival Michigan on Thanksgiving Weekend, thus sending Penn State to take on Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. After their blowout win over Tennessee in the first round, the Buckeyes get their rematch against the Ducks in the "Granddaddy of them All." Oregon will lean on Heisman Finalist quarterback Dillion Gabriel, as they have all year long. The Ducks put up numbers against an excellent Buckeyes defense, but Oregon's defense did get exposed against an outstanding Ohio State offense. The biggest key for Ohio State is for quarterback Will Howard to play even better than he did against Tennessee and continue to limit the mistakes. This is a good matchup for Ohio State, and I believe it favors the Buckeyes over the Ducks, having played more recently. While Oregon is ranked No. 1 going into the playoffs and deservingly so, I can see this game being a shootout, and if Oregon can't limit the Buckeyes on defense, Ohio State can win this game. Oregon is good, but I think Ohio State will win this one.

No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia (Allstate Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, La.) – Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 7:30 P.M. CST on ESPN

Notre Dame started the college football playoff with a win over in-state opponent Indiana. While the final margin was 10 points, the Irish were clearly the better team for much of the game. Now they take on the No. 2 and SEC champion Bulldogs in New Orleans. Georgia is coming off an overtime win over Texas in the SEC Championship game. Georgia's defense once again made plays by limiting Texas' offensive chances. One key factor in the game for Georgia is quarterback; as Carson Beck will not play for the Bulldogs due to an injury, he sustained in the SEC Championship game. Gunnar Stockton will make his first career start for Georgia. Stockton played well in relief, leading Georgia on a game-winning drive in overtime. Having that extra time to prepare Stockton for this game will be key in developing how the game will go for him and the Georgia offense. For Notre Dame, I thought quarterback Riley Leonard had a good game, but he would need his absolute best against an excellent Georgia defense in order for the Irish to move on to the semifinals. This could be a close, low-scoring game, as both teams have very good defenses. I think Georgia wins a very tight and good game.

by Eric Fulton
A new era for college football kicks off this weekend with a new format to determine a national champion. On Friday (Dec. 20) and Saturday (Dec. 21), there will be four games in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. Seeds 5-12 will play the first four games. Then, in late December, the top four seeds will play in the second round against the winners of the first round.

​The four teams with a bye for the first round of the College Football Playoff are Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State.

For this article, we will solely focus on the first-round matchups. 

​10. Indiana @ 7. Notre Dame – Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 pm (CST) - ABC/ESPN
A rare matchup between two in-state schools kicks off the inaugural 12-team playoff. Although these two in-state schools first played each other in 1898, Indiana and Notre Dame have met only 29 times, with the last meeting coming in 1991. Notre Dame has a record of 23-5-1 all-time against Indiana.  While the Fighting Irish is Indiana's big, powerful football school, the Hoosiers are having a special year, going 11-1 under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. While Notre Dame is the heavy favorite, this would be the biggest win in program history for Indiana. As special a win as it would be for Indiana, I will have to go with the experience of Notre Dame.

11. SMU @ 6. Penn State – Saturday, Dec. 21 at 11 am (CST) - TNT/Max
SMU and Penn State will kick off the tripleheader of playoff games on Saturday in Happy Valley. Both teams lost their perspective conference championship games and are looking for a huge bounce-back. Offense will be key in this game, as both teams like to score. So, it could come down to whoever scores last. I like Penn State to defend Beaver Stadium's home grounds.

12. Clemson @ 5. Texas – Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 pm (CST) - TNT/Max
The Tigers and Longhorns will square off in the battle of orange in Austin. Clemson, who won the ACC Championship, has been playing well behind quarterback Cade Klubnik as of late and will come into the matchup against Texas with a ton of momentum. Despite losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship game, the Longhorns are still an excellent team led by quarterback Quinn Ewers. While this game will be another close game early, I think Texas will pull this one out late in the fourth quarter and move on to the second round.

9. Tennessee @ 8. Ohio State – Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. (CST) – ABC/ESPN
This is the best matchup of all the first-round games in the College Football Playoff. These two teams have a rich tradition in college football. The Volunteers and Buckeyes could go on a deep run if they play well. If they won the Big Ten Championship, Ohio State would have had an inside track to have a higher seed, possibly the number one overall. However, the Buckeyes' loss to Michigan on November 30th was a significant cause for concern, thanks to their conservative style of play on offense. I expect a better game from Ohio State with the time off. However, I can see Tennessee go to Columbus and play exceptionally well, even though the game time temps will be around the 20s. I say Tennessee takes this one, and they will have a date against Oregon in the second round.

These four first-round games should be very exciting and fun to watch. The National Championship game will be held on Monday, January 21st, in Atlanta. 

​4. Cam Ward, Quarterback, Miami (FL)
Season statistics: 4,123 passing yards, 40 combined touchdowns (36 passing/4 rushing), 67.4% completion percentage

Ward, a transfer from Washington State, is the first Miami Hurricane named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy since Ken Dorsey in 2001. He would become the third Hurricane to win the Heisman Trophy (Vinny Testaverde won in 1986 and Gino Torretta won in 1992). He led Miami to 10 wins this season, but Ward’s chances of winning the Heisman Trophy might take a hit with the Hurricanes not playing in the College Football Playoff.

3. Dillion Gabriel, Quarterback, Oregon

Season statistics: 3,558 passing yards, 35 combined touchdowns (28 passing/7 rushing), 73.2% completion percentage

Dillion Gabriel may not have as many passing yards and total touchdowns as Cam Ward, but he has done something Ward did not do in 2024 by leading his team to the College Football Playoffs. Gabriel led the Ducks to the Big Ten Championship in Oregon’s first year in their new conference and finished the regular season undefeated and number one heading into the playoffs. He needs three more passing touchdowns to become college football’s all-time passing touchdowns leader. Gabriel would become the second Oregon Ducks player to win the Heisman Trophy (Marcus Mariota, 2014). If he finishes in the top three in the final voting, he will become the fifth Ducks player to achieve the mark.

2. Travis Hunter, Cornerback and Wide Receiver, Colorado

Season statistics: 92 catches, 1,152 yards, 15 combined touchdowns (14 receiving/1 rushing), 31 tackles, 11 pass breakups, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble

Having the ability to be a game-changer on both offense and defense is rare these days in football. Travis Hunter shows people that football players can still excel playing both ways. Michigan’s Charles Woodson was the last defensive player to win the Heisman in 1997. Alabama’s DeVonta Smith was the last wide receiver to win the Heisman in 2020. Hunter is a legit contender to win because of Colorado’s win total. The Buffaloes went 4-8 in Deion Sanders’ first year in 2023. This year, they went 9-3 and finished the regular season in the top 25. Hunter has been the biggest reason why Colorado is back on the college football map. Hunter would be the second Colorado player to win the Heisman (Rashaan Salaam, 1994) if chosen.

1. Ashton Jeanty, Running Back, Boise State

Season statistics: 344 carries, 2,497 rushing yards, 29 rushing touchdowns, 20 catches, 116 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdowns
 
The Boise State Broncos have been college football’s biggest underdogs for the past two decades. They have had decent players during that time. Quarterback Kellen Moore was the first and only Heisman finalist (2010) until Jeanty came into the picture in 2024.  Jeanty would be the first running back to win the Heisman Trophy since Alabama’s Derrick Henry won it in 2015. His 2,497 rushing yards in the regular season trail only Barry Sanders’ 2,628 yards in 1988 for most in a college football season.
Jeanty is my pick to win the Heisman because of his yardage and the fact that he is doing it at Boise State, not a school from a major conference. However, I would not be surprised if Hunter wins the Heisman because he has been great on both offense and defense. 

by Julian Spivey

Team of the Year: Kansas City Chiefs (NFL)
There’s only one dynasty currently in professional sports: the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have won three of the last five Super Bowls, including two in a row, and they’ve been to four of the previous five Super Bowls. Led by coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, and defensive standout Chris Jones, this Chiefs squad has clinched a spot, in my opinion, as one of the five greatest teams in NFL history. And they’re poised to potentially add on this season with a current 11-1 record and have clinched a playoff berth already. Now, I understand they may not look like the best team currently in the NFL, but they always seem to find ways to pull out a victory, and that’s what winning teams do, even when they aren’t at their best.  

Athlete of the Year: Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Over the last few years, my Athlete of the Year has been baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, who I’ve often called a unicorn because he can do everything. While Ohtani was undoubtedly a candidate this year, winning the National League MVP, my pick is another rare unicorn of sorts in sports – Nikola Jokic, three-time NBA MVP center of the Denver Nuggets. The guy can do everything on the basketball court and does it while looking like the least athletic guy on the court. I don’t understand it. But you can’t argue with all-time great numbers. This year, Jokic has the opportunity to do something that has never been done in NBA history – lead the league in scoring, rebounding, and assists. He’s currently 4th in scoring, second in assists and first in rebounding. More likely is the opportunity to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players to average a triple-double in a season. 

Coach of the Year: Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
Remember when people thought Andy Reid couldn’t win the big game? Now he’s a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, including the last two consecutively. This year, he’s led his team to a ridiculous amount of come-from-behind or close last-minute victories to an 11-1 record, and there is still more than a month left in the season. There were certainly coaches who did a more surprising job in 2024, but I have to give it to the living legend. 

​Game/Event of the Year: USA vs. Serbia (Olympic Basketball Semifinal)
The most exhilarating sporting event I saw this year was the Olympic Men’s Basketball semifinal game between the United States and Serbia. Serbia was in control almost the entire game, with dominant performances from Bojan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jokic. They looked to stun Team USA, which is always considered close to a lock to win the Olympic Gold Medal with its roster of NBA All-Stars. Late in the game, Stephen Curry got hot, and when Curry gets hot, we’ve seen from history that it could be the death knell for the opponent. Curry went 12-19 from the field, including 9-14 from three, scoring 36 points and leading Team USA to a thrilling comeback and victory. Team USA would go on to win the Olympic gold medal in another tight matchup against the home country of France. 

Best Broadcaster: Rowdy Gaines & Lewis Johnson (NBC)
This year being an Olympic year reminded us all how great Rowdy Gaines is as an Olympic swimmer analyst. He has the perfect combination of enthusiasm (without being over-the-top) and knowledge of the sport; he’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist and likely would have won more had the U.S. not boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games.

I was so impressed by one particular moment from Lewis Johnson as a sideline reporter for the Olympic track and field events, in which he was widely hammered on social media for his performance, that I wrote an entire article about it in August. It may not have been popular among the masses when Johnson held the U.S. track and field men’s relay team to the fire, but as a journalist, it’s your job to get answers, and Johnson refused to back down. 

Legend of the Year: Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal, one of the three-headed monster with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic that dominated the greatest era of men’s tennis, hung up his tennis racket this year. Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles are the second most in men’s tennis history, behind Djokovic’s 24. His 14 French Open wins are the most in that tournament’s history and for any Grand Slam tournament in tennis history, clinching Nadal’s status as the greatest clay tennis player ever. He’s also one of only three men’s tennis players to win the Golden Grand Slam career, winning all four Grand Slam titles plus an Olympic gold medal (Andre Agassi, Djokovic). Tennis is going to miss Nadal. 

The farce that was the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson boxing match on Netflix on Friday, November 15, was the perfect sporting event for modern America.

The fight pitted Paul, a 27-year-old Internet personality turned boxer who rarely ever boxes actual professional boxers, against former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Tyson, who is more than 30 years Paul’s senior.

It was a complete joke for money and viewers all along, and somehow, Americans turned it into one of the most anticipated and watched sporting events of the year – those who could actually view it, that is, as the Netflix live event was maligned throughout its broadcast due to streaming issues showing that Netflix, which is set to air an NFL Christmas Day doubleheader in just over a month, isn’t ready for live sporting events.

And because Paul is such a nuisance (among other things – there have been sexual assault allegations against him, too), many watching the event were actually rooting for the convicted rapist.

But, hell, that shouldn’t be all that surprising in an America that voted to elect a likely rapist (among other things) to the highest office in the land the week prior.

America wants spectacle.

In the end, they didn’t even get that.

The fight was embarrassing. Tyson looked like he was only in it for the $20 million payday. Paul defeated Tyson on points. He couldn’t even knock out a 58-year-old has-been. He didn’t even look particularly good against the elderly has-been. All that really happened for Paul is he proved he’s merely a circus act. The geek eating the live chicken.

Netflix, Paul and Tyson made a lot of money and in the end nobody really had any fun but them – the rich getting richer and the dumb getting dumber.

Ain’t that America.

I’m not sure there is anything in the world of sports predictions that is more of a crapshoot than attempting to predict the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway with its winner-take-all format that pits four drivers/teams against each other and the highest finisher of the four is crowned the champion.

But part of what we do here in the sports page of The Word on Pop Culture is predict sporting event outcomes so here we are attempting to predict something that we might have better luck at by rolling a die.

There are three factors I like to consider when predicting the NASCAR champion: season statistics, playoff statistics, and Phoenix statistics. The least important of these is probably season statistics because they give the driver’s year as a whole and not how they’ve fared lately. For instance, if season-long numbers truly mattered in this NASCAR playoff format, the championship race would likely have Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and maybe Denny Hamlin competing in it.

Here's how I think the Championship Four will fare in reverse order:

4. Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick, the 28-year-old driver for the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, is looking for his first Cup Series championship but the way the nine previous playoff races have gone for him and his team he’s pretty lucky to be here and likely has only gotten this far because of the 15 bonus points he earned by winning the regular season points title after the first 25 races of the season. The only reason he made it to Phoenix in the previous round of the playoffs was a last-lap pass to win at Homestead-Miami Speedway over Ryan Blaney. With two DNFs in the other two races of the round, even a second-place finish at Homestead would’ve knocked him out of title contention.  His luck this postseason has been dreadful with only two top-10s and his win being his only top-5. His average finish in the playoffs has been 19.8. He also has the least experience at Phoenix in the Cup Series with nine starts at the track, zero wins, two top-5s, three top-10s and an average finish of 17.9. With the Championship race being its own event these past results at Phoenix and throughout this postseason may mean little but the way that 23XI No. 45 team has been going lately I have to put Reddick as the fourth most likely to win the title.

3. William Byron

William Byron has gained a bit of a reputation over the last couple of seasons as a fast starter who fades during the season and that has undoubtedly been the case when it comes to winning races this season. Byron and his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet won three of the season’s first nine events and haven’t been to Victory Lane since. Byron has been the most consistent driver of the Championship Four this year with a 13.2 average finish, 12 top-5s and 20 top-10s and also has the most top-5s and top-10s throughout the playoffs but every year except for last year the champion has had to win the championship race and it’s been more than half a year since Byron has won. He does have a previous win in his career at Phoenix in 13 starts (something half of the Championship Four can’t say). His 11.8 average finish at the track is second among the four. I wouldn’t be surprised if Byron, who only made the title race due to Christopher Bell’s controversial penalty for riding the wall on the final lap at Martinsville last weekend, won the championship. Still, I’ve got him as the third most likely going into the race.

OK, here’s the part where you find out who I’m predicting to win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship and you already know it’s going to come down to the Penske Racing teammates of Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano.

Blaney and Logano are the two most recent NASCAR Cup Series champions and both have done so by performing at the top of their game with their respective teams in the playoffs after having so-so/average regular seasons. Both have done the same this postseason, though the No. 12 team of Blaney has been more consistent in doing so and the No. 22 team of Logano has used timely wins and the disqualification of another team to make it this far.

Logano won the first race of the playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway to lock his way into the second round, got a bit lucky with Alex Bowman failing technical inspection at the Charlotte Roval to reach the third round and clinched his way into the title race winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on a killer job of saving fuel and strategy call from his crew chief Paul Wolfe. With only six top-5s, 12 top-10s and an average finish of 17.6 if Logano wins the championship he’d likely be the worst champion in the history of the sport.

2. Joey Logano

Thankfully, I don’t think he’ll be the champion. But I do think his team’s effort when it matters most and his past numbers at Phoenix – three wins (two of which came in this winner-take-all format) – will help him take the runner-up spot.

1. Ryan Blaney

That means that for the first time in this NASCAR playoff format, which began in 2014, NASCAR is going to have a back-to-back champion in Ryan Blaney. This format certainly isn’t conducive to repeat winners but Blaney is showing strength late in the season when it matters most and is following the same blueprint he did last season into the championship race. Last season he had to win the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville to make the title race. This season he had to do the same. He also finished second place the week before at Homestead and nearly clinched his way into the title race before being passed on the final lap by Reddick. So, he has an average finish of 1.5 in the two races leading up to the championship race. Blaney has never won at Phoenix – last season he became the first champion under this format to win the title without actually winning the race - which could cause some to believe he might not repeat but of the four drivers in the Championship Four his 10.9 average finish at the track is the best.

I’m not saying Blaney is going to walk-off into the Championship sunset with a win – but I do think he’s the most likely of these four drivers to win the title.  

 
The 2024 World Series begins Friday, October 25 between the American League champion New York Yankees and the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
​
Dodgers vs. Yankees is the most common World Series matchup in Major League Baseball history. This is the 12th matchup between the two franchises, but the first in more than years. The Yankees have gone 8-3 in the previous 11 matchups.

The Dodgers and Yankees were their league’s best team record-wise during the season, making this the first time (in a non-shortened season) that the top team from each league during the regular season has made the World Series since 2013 when the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Dodgers last won the World Series in the Covid-shortened 2020 season. The Yankees last won the World Series in 2009.

Here is the positional breakdown for the 2024 World Series:

Rotation:
For much of the Dodgers success over the last decade-plus, it has been their starting pitching that has made the team dominant, but due to injuries, their rotation at this point in the season is pretty hurt, and the team has gotten this far based on great work from the bullpen this postseason. The Dodgers have a more impressive rotation in the injured list than the one they’ve been running out this postseason. Jack Flaherty, a midseason trade piece from Detroit, will start game one for the Dodgers. He went 6-2 in 10 starts for L.A. in the second half of the season but has been roughed up pretty harshly in the postseason against the Padres and Mets. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the big free agent pitching acquisition of the offseason from Japan, missed a lot of the regular season with a shoulder injury but was good when he pitched. He has struggled a bit in the postseason with a 5.11 ERA in three starts, only one of which he went five innings. Walker Buehler is the Dodger's No. 3 starter and, basically, the last one in their rotation as they’ve been pitching a bullpen game at least once a series. He hasn’t shown the same stuff he had before Tommy John surgery. He went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts this season and has pitched nine innings over two starts this postseason, one of which he gave up six earned runs, and the other looked well over four innings.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have one of the best, if not the best, ace in all of baseball, with Gerrit Cole leading the rotation. Only making 17 starts this season due to injury, Cole went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA, coming off a Cy Young Award in 2023. He’s 1-0 over three starts this postseason with six earned runs over 16.1 innings. Carlos Rodon is the No.2 guy in the Yankees rotation, going 16-9 this season with a 3.96 ERA. In three starts this postseason, Rodon is 1-1 and pitched much better in the ALCS over the Cleveland Guardians in two starts than he did against the Kansas City Royals in a horrid 3.2 innings in the ALDS. The No. 3 guy for the Yankees is Clark Schmidt, who went 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA during the season, and has pitched 4.2 innings in both of his starts this postseason, allowing four runs over those 9.1 innings total. If the Yankees use a fourth starter during the series, it’ll be rookie Luis Gil, who was 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA this season.

Advantage: Yankees

Bullpen:
As I mentioned above, the Dodgers bullpen is a big reason they’ve made it this far with all the injuries and issues with the team’s rotation. Picking which team will have the advantage in this series could be particularly rough as both teams have depended hugely on their bullpens all postseason and both run the risk of having run their arms out of gas. This postseason, the Yankees have gotten a 2.56 ERA in 38.2 innings from their pen, while the Dodgers have a 2.94 ERA in 49 innings. L.A.’s lack of starting is the biggest reason for more than 10-plus innings over the Yankees on their bullpen. The Dodgers’ best bullpen arms include closer Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Anthony Banda, Daniel Hudson, Michael Kopech (naturally a starting pitcher), and Alex Vesia. These six arms have combined for an incredible 0.84 ERA this postseason. The Yankees are enjoying a breakthrough performance from new closer Luke Weaver, who struggled for years as a starting pitcher. Weaver has appeared in eight games this postseason, compiling a 2.61 ERA and four saves. The Yanks' most used arms in the pen after Weaver are former closers Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle. Holmes has pitched 7.2 innings this postseason and Kahnle has pitched 7.

Advantage: Dodgers

Designated Hitter:
The biggest and best matchup that everybody will keep their eyes on all series long will be Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers vs. Aaron Judge for the Yankees. But the two don’t play the same position. However, the DH matchup for these two teams could be the difference in the series as Yankees’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been the team’s biggest threat this postseason with five home runs over two series. His .294 batting average, 11 RBI, 10 hits and five walks are among the team’s offensive statistical leaders. Some would say Stanton has been the offensive threat people thought Judge would be this postseason. But it doesn’t matter how you shake it and how the two have played this postseason; the Dodgers have the single biggest threat at the plate in all of baseball in Ohtani. Ohtani’s three homers this postseason are second on the Dodgers’ squad to Mookie Betts’ four. His 10 RBI are second to Betts and Tommy Edman’s 12. He’s hitting .286 with 12 hits and 11 walks.

Advantage: Dodgers

Catcher:
Austin Wells has done a great job all season as a rookie calling the Yankees pitching game. He’s the better defensive catcher in the matchup against Dodgers All-Star Will Smith, but Smith is certainly a bigger threat at the plate. However, he’s struggled this postseason, only hitting .158 with two homers, six RBI, and six hits. Wells has been even worse at bat, hitting .091 with a homer and three RBI.

Advantage: Dodgers

First Base:
There’s little doubt that the Dodgers have the best first baseman in the World Series with Freddie Freeman. Freeman could very well be the best first baseman in all of baseball. But he’s also hobbled pretty badly right now and has been forced to miss multiple games this postseason with a bad ankle injury that has basically resulted in him playing with only one ankle. Max Muncy has been filling in at first when Freeman can’t go. Freeman has hit .219 this postseason, with seven hits and one RBI. Muncy is hitting .242 with three homers and five RBI. Expect the two to platoon this series if Freeman’s ankle allows him to go. On the other side, Anthony Rizzo is playing with two fractured fingers, which forced him out of the first round of the postseason but didn’t stop him from a torrid 6-for-14 at the plate in the ALCS against Cleveland. Based on what Rizzo showed at-bat in the ALCS, I’m going out on the ledge and giving the Yankees the advantage here, despite knowing both Muncy and Freeman are more significant threats to do something powerful in the series if they connect.

Advantage: Yankees

Second Base:
Gleyber Torres for the Yankees and Gavin Lux for the Dodgers both had good second half of the season numbers for their respective teams with Torres hitting .292 and Lux hitting .304. Their defensive numbers are pretty equal, too. Torres has had a better postseason, hitting .297 with a team-leading 11 hits and nine runs scored, along with a home run and five RBI. Lux is hitting .208 this postseason but went 0-for-6 in the NLCS against the New York Mets and lost some of his playing time to Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez, who’s a postseason stud. If Hernandez gets more reps at second base, this could be a push, but for right now, I’ll have to ride with the known, and that’s Torres.

Advantage: Yankees  

Third Base:
The Dodgers have basically been forced to run a platoon at third base due to Freddie Freeman’s injured ankle forcing Max Muncy over to first. Muncy was the everyday third baseman for most of the season. Kike Hernandez and Chris Taylor are the fill-ins when Muncy moves across the diamond. The Yankees have Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has been more of a middle infielder/outfielder throughout his career and is learning the position on the fly. Muncy recently came off an MLB postseason record 12 straight plate appearances reaching base safely, while Chisholm has struggled in the postseason, hitting only .147.

Advantage: Dodgers  

Shortstop:
Mookie Betts was the Dodgers shortstop for most of the season, which would’ve made the advantage between these teams a no-brainer in favor of the Dodgers, but some injuries have forced Betts back to the outfield in the postseason. The Dodgers have been using midseason acquisition Tommy Edman at short, and what did he do … he won the NLCS MVP with the biggest play of his career on the biggest stage. Edman leads L.A. with a .341 average this postseason, and his 12 RBIs are tied for the team lead position. His New York counterpart Anthony Volpe hasn’t been too shabby, hitting .310 himself, second on the Yankees, with six runs scored. He’s only driven in one run this postseason, though.

Advantage: Dodgers

Outfield:
Both of these outfields are mighty impressive. The Yankees, in fact, probably have the two best outfielders in all of baseball with Aaron Judge in center field and Juan Soto in right field. Alex Verdugo in left field isn’t shabby, either. The Dodgers have former MVP Mookie Betts back in the outfield in right, slugger Teoscar Hernandez in left field and Andy Pages in center.

Soto has been one of the Yankees’ biggest producers this postseason, leading the team with a .333 average and 11 hits, and is second on the team with eight RBI, seven walks, six runs, and three home runs.

Judge has struggled pretty mightily in the postseason, and the Yankees will need him to step up in the World Series if they want to win. I don’t see them coming out on top if he doesn’t wake up at the plate. Judge is only hitting .161 this postseason and has struck out 13 times.

Verdugo is also hitting below the Mendoza line, with a .194 average. He has three RBI and six hits.   
Behind the surprise of Tommy Edman, Betts has likely been the Dodgers’ biggest offensive threat this postseason with a .295 average, a team-leading four homers, and tied for the team lead with 12 RBI.

Teoscar Hernandez has driven in a bunch of runs for the Dodgers with eight, with almost all of those coming in the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, but he’s only hitting .200 for the postseason. He struggled mightily against the Mets in the NLCS, going just 2-for-22.

Pages, the Dodgers’ rookie center fielder, is only hitting .210 this postseason, with most of his playing time coming in the NLCS. This is another spot Kike Hernandez has been seeing a lot of playing time. He’s been one of the team’s standouts this postseason, hitting .303 with two home runs and five RBI.

Even with Judge struggling at the plate, I can’t turn away from the combo of Judge/Soto.

Advantage: Yankees

Prediction: Yankees in 7

I think this series is set up to be a modern classic, and I know Major League Baseball is looking forward to the biggest TV ratings in years, with arguably the biggest franchises in each league playing each other in the fall classic.

The Yankees' starting rotation has more depth and success this postseason than the Dodgers', which was the most significant factor in my prediction of them winning it all. The Dodgers' bullpen has been near perfect, but I’d worry about the pen running out of gas as much as it’s been used.

I expect Judge to start hitting well, and the battle between him and Ohtani at the dish will be must-see TV.

I also worry about how much Freeman’s injury will impact the Dodgers. The trio of Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman in the lineup is fearsome and necessary when the Yankees have Soto, Judge, and Stanton. His inability to play or perform at his usual capabilities could have a big impact on the series.

 
It doesn’t take much talent to win a race like Austin Dillon did on Sunday night, which is good for him because, based on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, Dillon was only the 32nd most talented driver out of the 34 full-time drivers.
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On a two-lap overtime run at the end of Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Va. Dillon, who was likely going to win the race under green when a late caution involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece came out, was passed on the overtime restart by Joey Logano.

Knowing that a win was the only way Dillon could clinch a Cup Series playoff spot for his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Dillon made the last-ditch decision to wreck Logano to win the race. He didn’t try to pass Logano. He didn’t try the widely believed to be fair “bump-and-run” move on Logano. He just aimed the front bumper of his Chevrolet at the back bumper of Logano’s No. 22 Penske Racing Ford and sent him spinning around and wrecking into the outside wall. The contact between Dillon and Logano was enough to both slow Dillon down and push him up the track, allowing the third-place driver of Denny Hamlin to pass Dillon but as soon as that happened Dillon hooked Hamlin in the right rear of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, widely considered the most dangerous move in the sport, and put him into the wall. With Dillon having demolished any car in his path, he crossed the finish line in first place, was granted the victory, and clinched a playoff berth.

It was a miracle there was no post-race incident involving Dillon, Logano, Hamlin and pit crews for all three teams.

In post-race interviews, multiple drivers used the word “chickenshit” to explain Dillon’s method of racing and winning, and it’s pretty appropriate. I’ve never seen a more disgusting, despicable, unsportsmanlike, cowardly and chickenshit way for a driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race in 23 years of watching this sport.

The fact NASCAR allowed the entire thing to stand in the immediate aftermath of the race has drivers and fans alike challenging the sport in serious ways, no more than 54-time Cup Series race winner Hamlin, now one of the sport’s elder statesmen, who told Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass post-race: “Where’s the line, Bob? I mean, that’s the thing. We have rules to prevent ridiculous acts but it’s been a long time since those rules have been enforced.”

He added: “We’re never ever going to get taken seriously as a sport because we have no real officiating.”

Hamlin is right. NASCAR has rules it can enforce in situations like this that can penalize aggressive driving, and we’ve seen the sport enforce them in lower series this season in far less egregious on-track incidents than what Dillon did on the final lap at Richmond. Maybe NASCAR views the final lap as an “anything goes” scenario? But shouldn’t the rules matter the most when the most is on the line?

NASCAR not penalizing Dillon for his egregious overaggressive driving on the final lap and his reaping massive rewards as a result makes the whole sport look like a joke.

It should’ve been an easy call for NASCAR to make and they blew it.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, told the media about an hour after Sunday’s race that the sport would review video, audio and data to determine if any penalties would be announced as a result of the final lap and any such penalties would be announced on Tuesday, the day of the week NASCAR typically announces such penalties. But I wouldn’t expect anything major to come out of that review. It would be unprecedented for the sport to take a win away from a driver two days later.

And so, NASCAR has potentially set another dangerous precedent in that a driver doing anything at all to clinch their way into the playoff field is fair game even if it’s the most cowardly, chickenshit way of ever doing so.