Banter From The Bench

National Week One of the NFL preseason gave us our first look at rookies and depth players, with a few breakout performances and some early injury scares. Micah Parsons made headlines by requesting a trade from the Cowboys, sparking speculation on which contender might make a move. Shohei Ohtani’s name surfaced again off the field, this time tied to a Hawaii real estate lawsuit. We each shared our...

National - We recap a good deal of the moves made so far in the off-season in the NBA so far. Which teams have made the most movement? Which teams have done close to nothing? The NBA draft had some pretty surprising picks...who caught our eye?! And finally, Sean recaps the NHL draft and some of the major headlines that weekend! Chicago - How did the Blackhawks do this year in their draft weekend?...

National: The NBA Conference Finals are heating up—Pacers hold a 3-1 lead over the Knicks, while OKC is also up 3-1 on the Timberwolves with the series heading back to Oklahoma. NCAA Baseball Regional play kicks off this week, and we’ll run through every regional to make our picks. Plus, the Women’s College World Series begins—get ready for our championship predictions. Chicago: The Blackhawks mad...

National The NHL Draft Lottery shook things up with the Islanders landing the top pick and Utah jumping ten spots to fourth, along with revealing their wild new name—the Utah Mammoth Sluts. A new lottery format debuted, drawing mixed reactions. In the NHL playoffs, Toronto, Carolina, and Edmonton hold early series leads. The NBA playoffs are also underway, with Indiana and New York among the teams...

We live stream our reactions to each pick in round 2 of the draft, and also giving our thoughts on how our Bears did in the first round, taking Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick!

National - The Florida Gators are the Mens College Basketball champions. UConn takes home the title for the Womens College Basketball tournament. Alexander Ovechkin has officially passed Wayne Gretzky's all time goals record, in the same exact amount of games! NBA playoffs are starting to take shape, with only a few games left on the schedule for each team. Chicago - The White Sox farm system...

National - The Final Four features all 1 seeds. Do we have a new era of college basketball due to the NIL? Baseball extensions are happening left and right - who are the latest players to cash in? The NFL might be trying to ban the tush push - do we agree with this?! Chicago - The White Sox starting pitching staff has looked incredible so far. Who are some names we might expect to see from the far...

National - We make our picks for every single game in the first two rounds. Spoiler alert...we love upsets. NFL Free Agency is still fairly busy - who are the latest players with new homes? Chicago - Sean Burke was named opening day starter for the White Sox. Artyom Levshunov was called up and seems to be getting some meaningful ice time - what have we noticed so far? Da Bears are starting to fill...

National - The Raiders/Seahawks made an interesting trade this week. Some teams are clearing cap space, and others are ready to SPEND. NHL trade deadline was primarily won by the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers, but had a lot of excitement during the final two days. March Madness is HERE - who do we predict will win each conference tournament?! Chicago - The Blackhawks traded Seth Jones, Petr Mr...

National - We give our thoughts on the 4 Nations Tournament. Ovechkin is closing in on Gretzky's scoring record - will he hit it this year? The NBA All Star Game was played? Couldn't tell...no one watched it. NFL free agency is less than two weeks away and there are already a lot of rumors - what are the latest names? Chicago - Seth Jones is causing chaos in the Blackhawks locker room whil...

National - Luke Doncic was traded? Am I just imagining this? Our reaction to that massive move by the Lakers. NBA trade deadline was BONKERS this year. Eagles vs. Chiefs are set to kick off in just a few days...who do we think will win MVP? The NHL is introducing The 4 Nations Face Off, providing a different spin to All Star weekend. Baseball is set to begin Spring Training games in two weeks...an...

National - We have the Eagles vs. the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, a repeat matchup from two years ago. Do we like that, or is it frustrating to see the same teams? Liam Coen was hired as the Jaguars head coach after a series of events...and that man is a meme factory! Other head coaching moves around the NFL, leaving one team with very few options at this point. NBA All Star Starters were named...wh...

National - Ohio State takes down Notre Dame in the CFB Playoff Championship. NFL post-season has been entertaining to say the least...unless you're a Lions fan. Head coaching jobs are starting to fill up QUICKLY...who do we think takes the remaining openings? Dodgers are signing just about every free agent known to man...is this good for baseball? Chicago - The Chicago Bears have their guy...B...

National - The College Football Playoff Finals are set - Notre Dame and Ohio State are set to clash for the title! We start to get a better idea of who could match up in the Super Bowl this year. Jimmy Butler seems to hate every team he joins - when will this end? Roki Sasaki has narrowed his destinations down to three teams - who do we think will land the star pitcher? Chicago - White Sox continu...

National - The Milwaukee Bucks are NBA Cup Champions...for whatever thats worth! The College Football playoffs are set to kick-off, all while there is a TON of movement with the transfer portal and with new head coaching opportunities. Travis Hunter wins the Heisman...do we like how the votes turned out? The NFL playoff picture continues to take shape. College Basketball is largely dominated by th...

National - We discuss the teams that made the 12 team College Football playoff, and who we like in each round. The Tar Heels seem to have made a MAJOR splash for their head coaching job. The MLB Winter Meetings started slow, but ended with a ton of fireworks. NFL postseason starts to look more and more clear on who the favorites are - what have we noticed? NBA teams that have over-performed and so...

National - NFL Week 7 recap - somehow the Chiefs continue to win despite Mahomes struggling early. College football seems to have big match up after big match up each weekend, which should make for a fun playoff landscape. The World Series is set, with the Dodgers facing off against the Yankees - thoughts here? As the NBA tips off, we make our selections for who we think will win the top awards, l...

National - We recap another weekend in college football, with Arizona State being one of the surprising teams this season. MLB playoffs are approaching the point where we get a glimpse of the World Series matchup. Aidan Hutchison will be a massive loss for the Lions. Jets make a splash and trade for Aaron Rodgers good friend, Davante Adams. Chicago - Bulls preseason has been fairly entertaining so...

National - Updates on where the MLB playoffs stand, and who has surprised us. Did we just witness the biggest upset weekend in college football history!? Rookie QB's in the NFL are developing pretty nicely so far...Drake Maye you're up next! Chicago - Blackhawks regular season is finally under way...what did we notice from game one? Bulls pre-season has tipped off and it seems like theres a lot of...

National - Knicks made a big splash late into this offseason. MLB playoffs are well underway, who has the most momentum right now? College Football week 5 recap, teeing up for what should be a very entertaining weekend. What are some of the biggest stories in the NFL right now 4 weeks into the season? Chicago - White Sox season has finally ended, and in typical White Sox fashion. Bears vs Rams rec...

National - We recap some notes that we had from the last week of college football, and certain teams that have impressed, and others that...have not. The NFL season has already provided us with some unexpected stories - which teams are under-performing right now? Bryce Young was benched by the Panthers. Woj retires from dropping Woj Bombs and joins St. Bonaventure. Chicago - Chicago Sports Network...

National - We recap Week 1 of the NFL scene. Then we dive into the college football world and talk about likes/dislikes from some of the top contenders. Finally, we make picks for this weeks showdown of top 25 opponents. Chicago - There are no words for the Chicago White Sox, so we talk about a couple of upcoming prospects making waves. The Bears squeaked out a win agains the Titans in Week 1 - wh...

National - We dive (pun intended) into the final stories from the Olympics in Paris. As college football kickoff is around the corner...who do we think will be some Heisman Trophy front runners? Week 1 of NFL preseason is complete - who are some players that stuck out? Chicago - Bears dominate their preseason game against the Bills. We talk about what we liked from episode two of Hard Knocks. How...

THE WHITE SOX HAVE FIRED PEDRO GRIFOL!!!! Here are some names we think may be considered...

National - Team USA is dominating with 94 total medals already, some wins from first ever Olympians. NFL pre-season is here...what are some stories/players we are keeping an eye on? We predict the winner of each conference in College Football this year...some may surprise you! Jazz just paid one of their best players over $200M. Chicago - Our notes from the Hall of Fame game in Canton. What did we...