Hooked on Sports

In today's podcast: John discusses the incredible College Football Playoff semifinal games between Michigan and Alabama in the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl shootout between Washington and Texas, and why the committee was proven right to leave Florida State out of the playoff. Then, John lists his biggest threats to each of the newly minted #1 seeds in the AFC (the Ravens) and the NFC (the 49er...

Today, With the old year of 2023 officially closed, John looks back at the biggest stories from the world of sports from last year, including women's sports becoming more mainstream, Lionel Messi's arrival in the United States, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and the relationship's impact on the NFL, Dan Snyder selling the Washington Commanders, Saudi Arabian "sportswashing", t...

In today's podcast, John discusses the Denver Broncos' decision to bench starting QB Russell Wilson and the reports that he'll be released in March to save money for the franchise, the Baltimore Ravens dominating the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins finally getting a win against a quality opponent, and the Detroit Lions winning their first division title in 30 years. Then, John...

In today's podcast, John discusses the matchups between the current 1 seeds in each conference (the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers) and the 2 seeds (the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins) that'll go down this weekend that'll go a long way in shaping up the playoff pictures in each conference, then he picks every game against the spread for Week 16 in the NFL.

In today's podcast, John discusses the big takeaways from Week 15 in the NFL, from the Bills' 31-10 win over the Cowboys, the Ravens asserting themselves as the class of the AFC, the Chargers firing Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco, and the Jets' fiasco. Then, John discusses the Knicks' splitting their West Coast trip, Ja Morant's incredible return to the court after his suspensi...

In today's podcast: Chargers embarrassed 63-21, and why this should be the end for Brandon Staley (1:41) Shohei Ohtani goes to the Dodgers, and the Dodgers trade for and sign Tyler Glasnow to a long-term contract extension (8:57) Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA for his latest on-court incident, but is there a bit of irony to this when it comes to his legacy? (14:40) The NB...

In today's podcast: John gives you the five games he is most intrigued by this weekend in the NFL, including nationally-televised interconference showdowns between the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys in Orchard Park, the red-hot Denver Broncos and the inconsistent Detroit Lions facing off in the Motor City and the issues facing the Lions, and Jake Browning and the Cincinnati Bengals meeting t...

In today's podcast: Juan Soto is now a Yankee, as the Padres and Yankees pull off the biggest trade of the 2023-24 offseson last night, which has benefits for both teams. John also says the College Football Playoff committee got it right putting Alabama in over Florida State in the playoff, despite Florida State being an undefeated 13-0 Power 5 conference champion, and the NBA in-season tourna...

In today's podcast, John discusses the much-anticipated heavyweight showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles upcoming on Sunday, as well as excellent undercard matchups, such as the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans, filled with AFC Wild Card playoff implications as well as the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams. Then, he picks every game in Week 13 in th...

In today's podcast: John discusses the ripple effects of the Carolina Panthers firing head coach Frank Reich and what it means for the team's future, the Washington Commanders firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, the mental fortitude of the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles and why it bodes well for them for the 49ers showdown on Sunday, the Jets' mess, the St. Louis Cardinals free agent...

In today's podcast: John makes his picks for all the games this weekend that feature all the 32 teams in the NFL over the course of the next five days with the Thanksgiving holiday, with lots of key divisional tilts around the league featuring battles for first place in the NFC West and NFC South, and the very first Black Friday game in NFL history between AFC East rivals in the Dolphins and t...

Today's podcast: Why should you feel more confident about the Cincinnati Bengals than the Baltimore Ravens as the two teams collide on Thursday Night Football tonight (1:25-7:23) The Cleveland Browns can still absolutely make the playoffs despite Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury and can absolutely beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday (7:25-12:52) The Eagles and Chiefs face off for t...

Today's podcast topics (with timecodes): Bills' mess (1:36-20:51) CJ Stroud, 49ers, Vikings (20:54-31:02) Clippers' trade for James Harden (31:03-34:55) Tyrese Maxey, Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James thriving (34:57-44:38) College Football Playoff Outlook (44:38-51:23) NHL - Rangers thriving under Peter Laviolette and Oilers fire Jay Woodcroft (51:24-55:21) MLB - Manager Carousel (55...

In today's podcast, John looks at key matchups in the NFL on Sunday afternoon, and says why the panic meter in San Francisco should revert back to lower levels with the expected return of Deebo Samuel and probable return of Trent Williams back from injuries in time for a showdown with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, why the stock is up on the Minnesota Vikings following a comeback win in whic...

In today's podcast: John discusses the key matchups ahead of Week 9 of the NFL season, the things he liked and loathed from the trade deadline that just past on Tuesday, and offer his NFL picks against the spread for the week.

The Texas Rangers capped off an unbelievable 2023 season by winning its first championship in it's 63-year history by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 4 games to 1 in the World Series. It was a day Rangers fans thought would never see, 12 years after they were a strike away TWICE! in Game 6 against the Cardinals in the Fall Classic, so today's podcast is about the Rangers winning the Wor...

In today's podcast, John discusses why the Cincinnati Bengals, a team coming off their bye week, are getting a Super Bowl favorite at the right time in the 49ers, an intriguing game in Pittsburgh between the Jaguars and Steelers, with both teams winning four of their last five games each, and why the latest edition of the Giants-Jets rivalry in New York is a must-win game for both teams and th...

Seven weeks are in the books in the NFL, and John tells you why fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs should be excited about their performances over the weekend and how it relates to the big picture in the NFL. Then, John says the Astros' lack of clutch hitting doomed them in the ALCS against the Texas Rangers, and the Diamondbacks come...

In today's podcast, John discusses the five teams that have five wins, the Chiefs, 49ers, Lions, Dolphins, and Eagles, and four of them have tough matchups on Sunday, including two of them facing each other in primetime, so what should we make about the Dolphins and Eagles matchup on Sunday night. Is it time to raise the expectations for the Detroit Lions who have won 4 straight games by 14+ p...

In today's podcast, John discusses some of the biggest takeaways from Week 6 in the NFL, the announcement of sports added to the 2028 LA Olympics program, and how the Rangers got to a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Astros in the ALCS and the Phillies' continued mashing of their opposition.

Today's episode goes into depth about what to expect for this upcoming week of NFL games, including what figures to feature a very interesting slate of 1 p.m. ET NFL games between interconference foes, with Seahawks-Bengals, 49ers-Browns, and Saints-Texans as fun games to watch on the TV screens. Then, he picks every game in the NFL against the spread for the week.

In today's podcast, John discusses the many story lines he took away from Week 5 in the NFL, including what to think of the San Francisco 49ers after their 42-10 blowout against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles improving to 5-0 with a 23-14 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Pittsburgh Steelers moving to first place in the AFC North with a thrilling, bizarre comeback...

In today's episode: John says just because the media and fans will be talking about how the Dallas Cowboys fare doesn't mean we can minimize how critical a week this is for the San Francisco 49ers as the two teams clash on Sunday Night Football. Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams may have an aerial shootout on the way, and two big AFC division tilts are on tap with the...

In today's podcast: John discusses some of the biggest takeaways he saw from Week 4 in the NFL, from the New York Giants' horrendous performance on Monday Night Football vs. the Seattle Seahawks, the Chicago Bears continuting to spiral out of control, and good vibes from the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and Zach Wilson. Also, John will pick each of the playoff series i...

In today's podcast: John offers three games for this upcoming slate of NFL games to keep your eyes on for results, and all three are key divisional games that will determine control of their divisions for the foreseeable future in the NFC North, AFC North and AFC East. Then, John picks every NFL game against the spread for the week, hoping to rebound from a rough Week 3.