Lebron James is now the king of scoring in the NBA. King James needed 36 points to surpass the legendary sky hook of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on February 8th. James would score 38 points in Oklahoma City and make NBA history wearing a Laker jersey, breaking another former Laker’s record that seemed untouchable. The sky hook was Abdul-Jabbar’s signature go-to shot and was pretty much unstoppable as he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 18 year title as all-time NBA scorer back in 1984. It’s a record Abdul-Jabbar has had for 39 years basically doubling Chamberlains’ run from 1966 to 1984. Now King James has conquered another significant piece of the NBA royalty. Is this the final piece to crown King James the best basketball player of all-time? Not so fast as Abdul-Jabbar should not be dismissed of his legacy he created in the NBA.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, at the age of 42, retired from the game of basketball in 1989. Abdul-Jabbar would leave holding several records in the NBA as we know he had the most points with (38,387). The center played 20 seasons on the hard court and left the game with the most games played (1,560), most minutes on the court (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), personal fouls (4,657), blocked shots (3,189) and rebounds (9,394). Abdul-Jabbar, before being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, helped UCLA win three College Basketball Championships in a row. Drafted number 1 in 1969 by the Bucks, he helped a small market team like Milwaukee win their first NBA Championship in 1971. Then Abdul-Jabbar went on to play for the show time, LA Lakers, where he was a staple of those legendary Lakers teams and helped the purple and gold win 5 championships. If you’re not counting at home, that’s a six pack of championships.

Lebron James never played college basketball as he went right into the NBA after high school. Throughout James’ high school, St.Vincent-St. Mary, everyone knew this kid was something special. James was drafted number 1 overall like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by a smaller market, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in 2003. In James’ second stint with the Cavaliers, he helped them win their first ever championship. That was the least he could have done after he stabbed the city of Cleveland in the back. Then taking his talents to South Beach with the one hour show called, “The Decision,” to break up with the team that drafted him. James would assemble a dream team with the Heat on which he helped Miami win two titles. In a shortened season due to the pandemic, James would add another title with his third team of his career, the LA Lakers. That’s 4 rings for Lebron James at the age of 38 with 20 seasons under his belt.

Both players, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lebron James, have racked up multiple awards and participated in numerous NBA All-Star games. We know both players are two of the best of all-time. Both players had different paths to the game. Lebron James at a young age knew he was the best and has been told that and coddled since then with his family and posse riding his coat tails, probably still latched on. James is the first NBA player to accumulate a billion dollars as an active player. Abdul-Jabbar was raised in Harlem, New York by his mother who was clerk in a department store and father who was transit cop and played in a jazz band. James signed with the Lakers to be right on the Hollywood strip to star in some movies on the side. Space Jam Two seriously? The original was a Michael Jordan jam. Abdul-Jabbar all’s I have to say is in one of the best comedies all time the movie Airplane.

It took Lebron James 20 seasons to break Kareem Abdul’s scoring record. The center broke Wilt “the Stilt” Chamberlain’s record in 15 seasons and still went on to play in the NBA at a high level for another 5 seasons. After James broke the record on February 8th, he went on the injured list. James then was seen in one of the prestige sky boxes in Arizona watching the Superbowl. James then needed to attend the NBA All-Star festivities like having his own parade in honor of breaking that record. What about the Lakers and their playoff hopes? After retiring the Sky-hook, Abdul-Jabbar has coached the game of basketball while becoming a trained assassin in Martial Arts. In 2012, Abdul-Jabbar was selected by that bitch Hillary Clinton, who was Secretary of the State back then, as the U.S Global Cultural Ambassador. In 2016, President Barack Obama gave Abdul-Jabbar the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Abdul-Jabbar also is a best selling author. The facts will never lie as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played at a time when defenders mauled you under the hoop. The air quotes of the King gets touched & a foul is called. Even if the hand of the defender is like a slight breeze on the King’s body, Lebron is shooting free throws. Lebron James is playing during an ERA where traveling is not called as to how many steps can these players take without dribbling during present days of the NBA. Why will Michael Jordan always be better than Lebron James? Because your Airness has won 6 rings in six tries. Lebron has won 4 in ten championships combined that he has played in. Not even half. The numbers never lie as Abdul-Jabbar has 6 championships compared to the King’s 4. That is the tale of the tape of sports is championships. Abdul-Jabbar would play the pilot Roger Murdock in the movie, Airplane. You can ‘Roger That,’ as ‘Captain Over’ has clearance from the tower that the sky-hook definitely overthrows the King on any hard court floor in the game of hoops.

The XFL is hoping third time around is the charm for this league. New owners of this league, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson & Dany Garcia, think they can be a success over former owner and creator Vince McMahon. On opening weekend of the XFL III, the owners went to every game in two days of the slate of games.

We bring you the power rankings of the XFL III starting with week two which gave us time to watch every team and come up with an opinion of where they stand after the first week of decent football. It was sloppy week one. Have to get use to the extra point rules where you don’t kick extra points. The XFL onside kick which is not a kick. It’s a 4th and 15 yard play to convert which came into play. I like seeing the return of the beer snake or perhaps the end in DC. Nice to see some of the fans from some of these same teams from the 2020 season come back and support their team. Let’s take a look at what their team is doing after one week of the XFL part three in our first XFL power rankings of the 2023 season.

#8. ORLANDO GUARDIANS (0-1) Paxton Lynch, the starting quarterback for the Guardians, was benched in third quarter for throwing an interception.

Lynch has now been benched as a quarterback in three different leagues starting with the NFL & then last year with the USFL. Things started off well for the former Bronco, Lynch, who hit another former Denver player Cody Latimer, a teammate friend of Paxton. The second string quarterback for the Guardians, Quinten Dormady, threw a touchdown pass but had two interceptions. The Guardians lost by the biggest margin in week 1 of part three of the XFL versus the Roughnecks who scored the most points.

#7. VEGAS VIPERS (0-1) The Vipers looked like the Golden Knights in their first game ever as a Vegas franchise. At least for the first half of the game as the Vipers led 14-3 over the Renegades. It was the tale of two halves for Vegas as everything that could go wrong went that way in the second half. The King of Spring football, Luis Perez, looked like an NFL quarterback the first half. In the second half, Perez looked like an XFL quarterback.

Perez had two interceptions both returned for touchdowns. Perez and the Vipers had one last gasp of hope as they scored a late touchdown to go down by two points with hope of a 2-point conversion to tie the game. Instead, Perez was sacked on the 2-point attempt. Vipers played well & just have to avoid the big mistakes that cost them the game in week one.

#6. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (0-1) What the hell is a Brahma?

If you look up San Antonio’s nickname ‘Brahmas,’ they say it’s the Hindu god of creation. However, Dwayne the Rock Johnson says Brahmas are bulls which have been bred in the United States since the late 1800’s. The XFL is the Rock’s league, so maybe he was told his entire life he has to be strong like bull and tada… Brahmas formed.

The Brahmas may have the best running back in the league. Kalen Ballage had a nice start to his XFL career as the former NFL running back carried the rock 24 times for 84 yards. The X Fighting Irish quarterback, Jack Coan, had a nice debut going 25-26 for 207 yards with a touchdown pass but threw an interception. The Brahmas dominated the game but settled for fields and St. Louis came back took advantage of the XFL zany scoring rules. The Battlehawks’ comeback started as they scored a touchdown in the last minute and then converted a 3-point conversion. Then St. Louis converted the onside kick which in the XFL is getting another play from scrimmage and converting it. It’s a 15-yard play as St.Louis did that.Then they marched down the field and hit a field goal to end a game that the home crowd and the breeded bulls thought they had it in a bag.

#5. SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS (0-1) I don’t think Seattle will stay in the bottom 4 of the XFL. The Sea Dragons lost a close game to the Defenders on the road last week. This Seattle team has multiple positive things that should help this Sea Dragon team prosper the rest of the way. The Sea Dragons defense played well the entire game versus the Defenders. The Sea Dragons offense played well as running back Brendan Knox had a rushing touchdown and multiple nice runs.

Josh Gordon looked great catching 6 passes for 74 yards with a touchdown pass. The Sea Dragons had a 18-8 lead in the third quarter. The Sea Dragons quarterback, Ben DiNucci, played well with 282 passing yards and ran in a three point conversion, but he also made mistakes that cost Seattle the game. DiNucci threw two costly interceptions and fumbled the ball at the wrong part of the field.

#4. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (1-0) If it was not for the Renegade defense, Arlington would have lost their opener versus the Vipers at home in the first game of this XFL season. The Renegades offense looked awful in the game and the team was down 14-3 at halftime. The Renegade defense bailed the offense with two scoring defensive plays that helped Arlington win this game.

Not sure why the Renegade coaching staff went with quarterback Drew Plitt over Kyle Sloter, who has more experience, especially playing with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL the entire season last year.

#3. ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (1-0) A.J McCarron should be the best quarterback in the entire XFL. McCarron did not show his abilities until the very end of week one with a stellar comeback over the Brahmas. McCarron caught on fire and the Battlehawks benefited over the XFL corney rules by hitting a 3 point conversion. Then the Battlehawks passed the football to convert a 4th and 15th play which is the XFL version of the onside kick. McCarron then drove his team down the field for the winning field goal.

Austin Proehl is the son of Ricky Proehl, who played years in the NFL as a receiver, & he caught the 3 point conversion off McCarron. Austin was drafted by the Bills & is still trying to find a way to make it on an NFL roster. His father Ricky is coach for the Battlehawks so you know he’s trying to help his son get noticed by an NFL team.

#2. D.C DEFENDERS (1-0) When DC security takes away the Defenders’ fans’ beer snake, there’s big trouble in little China.

The Defenders don’t make mountains out of mole hills, but they sure know how to make lemonade out of lemons as many of these yellow objects flew on to the field because security took the fans’ coveted beer snake. The Defenders offense played like a lemon. It was the Defenders defense that helped their team prevail over the Seattle Sea Dragons.

Michael Joseph had two interceptions, one for a touchdown. The Defenders were able to defend their home turf at the very end in the red zone by forcing a fumble and recovering to end Seattle’s chance for a go ahead score.

#1. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (1-0) Looks like the Roughnecks picked off where they left off in the 2020 reboot of the XFL. Totally different team this go around for the Roughnecks as they scored the most points in week 1 with 33. The Roughnecks looked great on both sides of the ball as they had the largest margin of victory in week one by 21 points of their beat down of the Guardians. History seems like it’s repeating itself in all kinds of ways. The Head Coach of the Roughnecks, Wade Phillips, has the most coaching experience in the XFL.

As a Head Coach in the NFL, the teams Phillips coached always had a great first year in the program. Phillips’ defenses as defensive coordinator have always been a scrappy bunch and hovering around the top ten units in the league is the norm. Trent Harris, linebacker for the Roughnecks, got Phillips’ memo getting 4 sacks and 4 tackles for a loss in his debut. Brandon Silvers may kill the Roughnecks or may take this team all the way. The Gunslinger quarterback had two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

Eric Bieniemy has been the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator since 2018. The Chiefs led the league in scoring, averaging 29.2 points per game this season. The Chiefs won the Superbowl this season. Actually, Kansas City has collected two Superbowl trophies with Bieniemy calling the offense for the Chiefs. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has won two MVP’s during this Chiefs dynasty. Bieniemy played 9 seasons in the NFL as a running back for three teams. Bieniemy has been with the Kansas City coaching staff since 2013 working his way up the Chiefs ladder. Bieniemy has seen two coaches hold the same position he has & go on to become head coaches in the NFL. Why has Bieniemy gotten the nod to be head coach in the NFL? Why does Bieniemy have to accept a job in Washington to still prove himself?

The Washington organization may be one of the worst franchises in sports right now due to their owner, Dan Snyder, who is your classic rich dirt bag. It took Snyder years to cave in on the change of Washington’s nickname, the Redskins. Now they are the Commanders, which is just a new fancy wrapper hiding an organization with a toxic environment. This is the organization where former head Jon Gruden’s past caught up to him as he had to step away from the Raiders due to his old skeletons oozing out of the computers exposing his racist emails. Snyder, I labeled a dirt bag because he has had sexual assault allegations by many female employees. Snyder even was accused of instructing the Washington video department to splice together an exotic video of his cheerleaders exposing their private parts. Rumors which may just be gossip that Snyder may sell the franchise which would be good thing. The good thing about Washington River boat Ron Rivera is the head coach a class act and a defensive minded guy former linebacker for the 85 Bears. Eric Bieniemy takes this Washington job will be promoted and take on duties as the assistant head coach and still be the Commanders offensive coordinator. Bieniemy did not have the assistant head coaching duties in Kansas City.

The offensive coordinator position under the Andy Reid has been usually a springboard to a head coach gig. Doug Pederson was offensive coordinator for the Chiefs from 2013-15. Bieniemy started in 2013 with the Chiefs coaching staff. Pederson would move on and take the Philadelphia Eagles job. Pederson would lead the Eagles to their first ever Superbowl win over a Tom Brady Patriots team in 2018. Pederson was not around in Kansas City when they drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Pederson already turned around the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise in one season getting them to the playoffs this past season. If Washington is the worst franchise in the NFL, the Jaguars have to be 1 B. Then we have the turd of all turds, Matt Nagy, getting the head coach job with the Chicago Bears in 2018. Nagy would be around Patrick Mahomes for one season his rookie year. Mahomes would only play one game his rookie year; the last game of regular season when the Chiefs were resting players for the playoffs. As you can see, the Chiefs coaching branches beyond Andy Reid have produced one full of growth with leaves bigger than your head unlike Nagy’s decaying twig which needed to be loped off with the pruning saw.

Has Patrick Mahomes’ play prevented any organization from hiring Eric Bieniemy? The age we live in means many people will yell the entire league owned by white rich men are just racist bastards. Some will point that Andy Reid calls most of the plays. Look at Bill Belichick’s disciples over the year & how badly they do when they leave the nest. You know Belichick has his hand up each of their arseholes controlling them like a puppet master. Rumors have said that Bieniemy who has been interviewed multiple times for head coaching gigs has not done well in the interview. No organization wants a turd like Matt Nagy. Nagy obviously knows what to do well in an interview to get by. The Bears hired Nagy if Washington is the worst franchise and Jacksonville is 1 B then the Bears have to be 1 C. Patrick Mahomes is very good with instinct. Mahomes can make plays happen either with his arms or legs. How many times do we see Mahomes, the best in the business, just ad-lib a play? How many times have we seen the best quarterback in the entire league make something happen from a broken play? No, I’m not downing Bieniemy’s game plan which is important for the Chiefs winning. When you have the best quarterback in the league, it just makes your job that easy.

The former running back, who was a jack of all trades in his career as Eric Bieniemy was, could do well in Washington with multiple duties. Bieniemy took kickoffs & punt returns while playing running back during his playing career as he ran the ball and caught passes out of the back field. Bieniemy was never the top back in any team’s offense over his playing career. Bieniemy rushed for 1, 589 yards with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also had a 1, 223 receiving yards to his credit with one kickoff return for a touchdown. Washington has no quarterback and has been a revolving door there for quite some time. The Commanders offense was ranked overall number 20 on total offense last season. The Commanders averaged 18.9 points per game which was 9th worst in the NFL. If Bieniemy turns this mess around in Washington, he will look and be the genius of the NFL and will get a head coaching job. With that Washington defense which has one of better units in the league, the Commanders could be a team on the rise. Let’s not forget the Commanders almost made the post-season last year. It will be curious who the Commanders will get for their quarterback as Bieniemy will have to have some say in the matter. Sometimes you have to get down and dirty to prove yourself. I know Bieniemy has worked his way up the ladder to get where he’s at. This will be his offense in Washington, not Andy Reid’s. We know Ron Rivera will take the defense and let Bieniemy do his thing. This job will prove to the entire world if Bieniemy is the right choice to be a head coach in the NFL.

In the first ever XFL, back in 2001, Tommy Maddox led the LA Extreme to the only Championship this league ever had.

P.J Walker, who now plays for the Carolina Panthers, back in 2020 had the Houston Roughnecks undefeated in XFL Part 2. The season was washed out by the Pandemic. No playoffs & no championship as the season was cancelled.

XFL PART 3

Which quarterback will emerge as the best in the return of the XFL for the third time? The quarterback may not even be listed as these guys are the starters out of the gate. Some names are familiar from the NFL. Some of these guys are getting their feet wet for the first time in a professional league. Some of these names have traveled from Spring league to Spring league and made a career out of these leagues that seem to sink in quicksand before getting some footing. I have ranked each team’s quarterback from best to worst in the league in my opinion.

#1. KYLE SLOTER (AGE 28)

Kyle Sloter could be a football spy with all the NFL camps and playbooks he’s been in over the years. Last year, Sloter played in the USFL where he led the New Orleans Breakers to the playoffs. Sloter was like a terminator on the field wearing a tinted visor and taking on injuries but still functioning well on the field.

Sloter was one of the top passers in the USFL last Spring. Sloter has 1,798 passing yards with 10 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. Sloter is a gunslinger and will make mistakes on the field. I think Sloter fits perfectly with Bob Stoop’s offensive system. I also like the fact the Renegades have a familiar weapon for Sloter tight end Sal Cannella, who also played for the Breakers.

#2. A.J MCCARRON (AGE 32)

On paper, A.J McCarron should be the best quarterback in the XFL in their 3rd World War wreck of league. McCarron has 17 games of NFL experience as he played 6 seasons with the Bengals, Raiders, and Texans.

Once upon a time ago, McCarron won a big game for the Bengals as the back up and was instantly sought out by other teams as they thought he would be the next big deal. As a starter, McCarron went 2-2 and completed 62.6 of his NFL passes. McCarron threw 6 touchdown passes and had three interceptions. Last time he played in the NFL was in 2020. Another concern is McCarron threw all 6 touchdown passes in his first season which was 2015. At the age of 32, does McCarron have anything left in the tank? He should be well rested.

#3. LUIS PEREZ (AGE 28 )

Luis Perez is the King of Spring football leagues. Perez learn the quarterback position on Youtube. Perez is an excellent bowler as he rowed a perfect game probably more than once.

Perez has been in NFL camps with the Rams and Eagles. Perez has been in every Spring league that has formed in the last few years. Perez did well in Birmingham with the Iron of the AAF. Then Perez was part of the XFL Reboot in 2020 as he played for the New York Guardians. He came in for the struggling starter and took over the job. Last year, he played for the New Jersey Generals and led them to a division title and a playoff appearance. Perez right now is the starter because veteran quarterback and former NFL signal caller, Brett Hundley, is not ready yet. Perez does not make mistakes and makes plays with what the defense gives him.

#4. JORDAN TA’AMU (AGE 25)

Jordan Ta’amu was one of the star quarterbacks in the XFL reboot in 2020 when he played for the St.Louis Battlehawks. Ta’amu had then just come out of Ole Miss undrafted.

It was Ta’amu’s play in XFL part two, the search for Spock, that got him into some NFL camps as he was signed by the Texans and the Chiefs. Ta’amu is a duel threat quarterback who can use his legs for chunks of yardage. Last season, Ta’amu played in the USFL for the Tampa Bay Bandits in which he led the league in passing with 2.015 yards and 14 touchdown passes.

#5. BEN DINUCCI (AGE 26)

Ben Dinucci could be the sleeper in the XFL. Dinucci spent time with the Dallas Cowboys who drafted him from James Madison University in the 7th round 2020 draft. Dinucci played in three games in 2020 for the Cowboys as he even started one game but took a loss.

Dinucci had a total of 219 passing yards during those three games completing 53.5% of his passes. No touch down passes & no interceptions either. For James Madison University, Dinucci threw for 5,700 yards with 45 touch down strikes.

#6. JACK COAN (AGE 24)

Jack Coan played his collegiate ball with two huge programs. Coan started off at Wisconsin University & then transferred to University of Notre Dame his senior year. Coan for the Irish had an awesome year in South Bend throwing for 3,100 passing yards with 25 touchdown passes.

Coan had a stint with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent but was released after the pre-season. Coan has a golden arm which will make it interesting to see what he can do in the XFL.

#7. COLE MCDONALD (AGE 24)

Cole McDonald is the guy I’m rooting for. McDonald looks like the Trevor Lawrence of the league. McDonald played his college football for the University of Hawaii, a kid born in California.

McDonald is not a duel threat quarterback but ran for about 700 yards on the ground in college. McDonald’s arm lit up the skies for the University of Hawaii as he finished his career with 8,000 passing yards and 70 touchdown passes. He was MVP of the Hawaii Bowl in 2019. McDonald was good enough to be drafted in the 7th round by the Tennessee Titans in the 2020 draft. McDonald was cut eventually and latched on to the Arizona Cardinals. McDonald saw some action in the CFL. The Toronto Argonauts were resting their starters for the playoffs and McDonald got in a game and passed for 45 yards with an interception. We see if Cole McDonald can keep the Roughnecks undefeated, as they never lost in the 2020 season before everything was shut down due to the pandemic.

#8. DEONDRE FRANCOIS (AGE 26)

Deondre Francois is a duel threat quarterback who played his college ball at Florida State University and Hampton University.

In 2016, Francois led Florida State to a 10-3 record as a starter. Francois transferred to Hampton University his senior year where he threw for over 2,500 yards with 26 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. Francois also had 4 rushing touchdowns. Francois’ professional career has been in the Johnny Football league. In the Fan Controlled football league, Francois played with the Glacier Boyz who sound like a street gang and the Wild Aces. The Guardians also just signed former NFL & USFL quarterback Paxton Lynch, so I expect Francois will have a short leash.

I’m not sure what is rock bottom when it comes to wide receiver Josh Gordon’s professional career in football. In Gordon’s sophomore year at Baylor University, he fell asleep in the Taco Bell drive thru with your teammate in procession of marijuana and not the gummy version as this was 2010. Talk about making a run for the border which could have made a nice commercial for Taco Bell with that little scary dog. Rock bottom for Gordon was not in 2014 speeding in North Carolina intoxicated. Gordon on that day had a blood alcohol .09 over the legal limit. Missing three full NFL seasons due to violating the NFL league substance abuse policy as Gordon racked up six suspensions in his career. I think rock bottom was playing Fan Controlled Football league for the Zappers with former teammate Johnny “Football” Manziel. In 2013, Josh “the Flash” Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards. Gordon who has more football lives than a cat, maybe on his last with the third relaunch of the XFL as he has made the roster of the Seattle Sea Dragons.

The Cleveland Browns drafted Josh Gordon 2nd out of the 2012 Supplemental draft. I think the Supplement draft is the players that have ridden on the short bus their entire lives. After Gordon’s run for the border, he eventually was busted again for the Mary Jane by his coach in 2011 at Baylor University. Gordon would transfer out of Baylor University and leave the state of Texas where he was born and raised, and headed to Utah University. Gordon did not get on the field and missed the 2011 Supplemental draft. The Browns gave their new dog a home and pay him 5.3 million in a four year contract. Gordon’s rookie year he did not disappoint the Browns organization who usually end up with their own noses rubbed in their players’ steamy hot piles on the floor. Gordon led all rookie receivers that year with 50 catches & 805 yards with 5 touchdowns. Then in 2013, Flash became a superhero on the NFL Gridiron as he caught 87 passes for 1,646 yards while catching 9 touchdown passes. In his third year in a Browns uniform Gordon could not find that magic he had as his numbers dropped drastically to 24 catches & 303 yards no touchdowns. Gordon then would miss the entire 2015 & 16 season as old demons come back to haunt the receiver. In 2017, Gordon was not the Flash as he once was, as he’s limited to 5 games as he caught 18 balls for 335 yards and had a touchdown. In 2018, Gordon would play for the Browns one more game as he caught 1 pass for 17 yards. Gordon would take his talents to New England and Seattle before missing his third full season for violating once again the league’s Substance Abuse policy. In 2021, Gordon would play 12 games in Kansas City only getting 14 targets as he did snag a touchdown catch. Last year, Gordon resurfaced in Tennessee, played in two games for the Titans, targeted once, and came away with no catches. Gordon’s career numbers in the NFL has him catching 252 balls for 4, 284 yards with 21 catches.

The XFL kind of has the same career style as a Josh Gordon as they both keep resurfacing. The world can go into an all out Nuclear wasteland and the cockroaches and Gordon and the XFL will still be playing some kind of football. The original XFL was a circus and lasted one season in 2001. Then the pandemic ruined the XFL mid way through the second relaunch in 2020 as the league cancelled the remainder of the season as the future was unpredictable and bleak. The second coming of the XFL was actually football being played with no circus wrestling involved. Why is the XFL and the Flash Gordon the perfect marriage? Let’s face the facts that most players who play in these Spring leagues want to use these leagues like the XFL and USFL as a spring board back to the NFL or this next go around making the roster. Sure some of these players in these leagues just want to play football for a few more years before they jump into the business world or sales, digging ditches, or even being a male gigolo. I’m sure Josh Gordon wants to get back to the NFL. Gordon is a bigger name in the XFL and people will be interested in watching to see what he can do as people want to see if he does well or folds under the pressure of his past demons. If Gordon does well and becomes a star of the league, it helps the league grow. If the XFL survives and grows, Gordon could just finish his days playing in a lower pressure environment as he’s only 31 years old. The XFL will ride the coattails on a talent and comeback story that Gordon could have. If Gordon prevails and makes the jump back to the NFL, and can beat his past, he may be an asset as a third down receiver for a team willing to take a risk on him. If Gordon can’t succeed in the XFL, he may have to start filling out applications & just hope they don’t have a drug screen.

You have to wonder if the best way to see your city do well in a sport is by getting an expansion team. In the NHL, the city of Las Vegas was rewarded a franchise in 2016. It was the first major sports team the city of Las Vegas ever had. The Golden Knights in their first season ever went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals in the 2017-18 season. The Golden Knights lost to the Washington Capitals in their first ever finals in their first ever year in the league. The only year the Golden Knights did not make the playoffs was last season. The Vegas franchise right now is in first place in the Pacific division so they should rebound relatively quickly from the one year drought they encountered. Last season debuted another NHL franchise, the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken were not very Vegas-like their first inaugural season as they were in the bottom of the standings racking up 60 points as a team with a record of 27-49-6. This year the Kraken look like a playoff team in their second year. The Kraken as a team has racked up 63 points with a record of 29-15-5 which was tops in the Pacific division going into last weekend’s All-Star break. The Kraken already have two more victories than last year’s team with a full slate of games not even played yet. The second half started this week & the Kraken find themselves looking up at the other expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, who now surpassed them by one point as they have 64 points. The Kraken in year two – this team looks amazing and this Seattle fan base will see playoff hockey this Spring.

I was watching Seattle Kraken play my team, the Chicago Blackhawks, a few weeks ago and they put up 8 goals and made it look easy. I think 5 goals were in the net by the Kraken before I cracked open my first beer of the game. The Kraken as a team before All-Star weekend festivities is 5th in the NHL with 177 goals. How are the Kraken doing it? They have assembled a nice group of puck snipers to tally 177 goals so far this season. The Kraken’s 2021 number 1 pick, Matt Beniers, who was picked number two overall has arrived. The 20 year old only had three goals in first year in the NHL. This season Beniers has 17 goals and 19 assists as the youth has gone wild in the Emerald City. Seattle’s off-season free agent signing of veteran Andre Burakovsky has paid off. Burakovsky helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Lord Stanley Cup last season. Burakovsky has played in 48 games so far for Seattle and has 17 goals with 26 assists good for 39 points. Then they have castoff center Jared McCann who was taken by the Kraken in the expansion draft where teams make available players they don’t want any more or guys with higher salaries. McCann leads this Kraken team with 23 goals. The Kraken have 8 players already in double digits in goals. Plus, the team has 3 other players closing in on double digit goals on their roster.

The Seattle Kraken has been helter skelter at the goalie position. You wonder if the Kraken front office will try to improve their goal tending situation at the trade deadline. The Kraken starter who is a former San Jose Shark, Martin Jones, has done a decent job in net. Jones was a free agent pick up in the off-season for Seattle, and he has a winning record this season in 36 starts as he is 23-8-3. If Seattle upgraded and had a top goalie in the NHL, would this team be in the running for the Stanley Cup? It has been the defense that has helped Jones look even better than what he has done on the back of his hockey card. The Kraken defense have played solid all year & another veteran castoff, the Swede Adam Larsson, has elevated his defensive play. Larsson is a specialist at killing penalties like the A-team intro. If you know someone with a problem, if no one can help, and if you can find them… you can hire the A-team.

Larsson is called on when the Kraken have a problem with guys in and out of the penalty box. The Kraken defense is a tight unit that can bail their goalie situation out of boiling water by defending their net & their waters well enough to hold and not fold.

During Seattle’s 8 game winning streak, seven of those victories were on the road. The Kraken have had some signature victories during that 8 game win streak. The Kraken knocked out a very talented Toronto team at 5-1. Then the Kraken went into Boston who are the top team in the entire NHL and shut them out 3-0. It was the first regulation loss in Boston in 23 games as the Bruins have dominated their opponents on their turf. The Kraken have 4 solid lines which on any given night, one of them will beat you. It will be interesting if the team has one savvy move in them to improve this well-balanced roster at the trade deadline, or let it play out the way it has. The fan base in Seattle has been awesome for this team which I still can’t believe the basketball team the Sonics moved to Oklahoma as this city supports all their teams. I think by the end of regular season, the Kraken will have a top spot in the playoff tournament. I don’t think many teams will want to play them as well, because this team may be like the Golden Knights; a expansion team with teeth that can end your season and go deep into the lord Stanley cup playoffs.

Before Michael Jordan came onto the scene in the Chicago sports landscape, things had quieted down at Chicago Stadium, which is home to the Bulls and Blackhawks. The entire sports landscape during most of the 1970’s and a few years into the 1980’s, was all quiet on the home front. Some teams had their moments, but it was not like the 1960’s and early 1970’s when the Golden Jet skated the ice of Chicago Stadium. Number 9 Bobby Hull and his wicked slap shot heard around the world that could reach up a speed of 118 MPH. The Golden Jet at the time made goalies sweat with fear, not wearing a mask at the time, & seeing something come at you with the speed of light could make anybody in the net uneasy. Hull put 610 goals into the net in his entire NHL career which had 15 seasons wearing the Indian sweater. Hull was the Michael Jordan of the 1960’s in Chicago before Walter Payton became the Chicago Bears. It was all about the blonde bomber skating on the ice at a high speed with a shot that rocketed off his stick helping the Blackhawks hoist the Stanley Cup in 1961. Hull passed away this week at the age of 84 years old. The House of Madison the Chicago Stadium was the house that Hull built, like Jordan’s house he built was the United Center. Both Jordan and Hull at their time playing in Chicago were the best at their game. Legends!! The bigger they are, the harder they fall in life as their legacy becomes tarnished after their careers. For Jordan, it was The Last Dance when you learned the darker side of your Airness. Hull’s legacy was tarnished in a 2002 documentary ESPN made. These stories were always out there about Hull. Some fans will always deny anything their heroes did off the ice or court, field etc etc.

On the ice we will start, and Bobby Hull was one of best players in the NHL and to wear the Indian Head sweater. The Golden Jet Hull was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. The Blackhawks retired his jersey number 9 in 1983 at the old Chicago Stadium, now hanging at the United Center. Hull was the first NHL player to score 50 something goals in a season as he did that in the 1965-66 season with 54 tallies that season. Hull would reach 50 goals or more, four more times after doing it first ever in the NHL. Hull’s 604 goals is still the tops in the Blackhawks organization. Hull still holds the Blackhawks record for most hat tricks ever with 28. That’s a lot of hats flung on to the ice. Hull ranks third in points for the Blackhawks as his teammate Stan Mikita and Patrick Kane are ahead of him. Hull was a three time winner of the Art Ross Trophy 1960-62-66 for the league’s top goal scorer. Hull has won the Hart Memorial trophy twice in 1965 and 1966 which is the league’s MVP. Hull also won the sportsmanship award in 1965 which is the Lady Byng Memorial trophy. Hull played 15 seasons with the Blackhawks & then left the NHL to play for the Winnipeg Jets in the WHA, World Hockey Association. Hull would score 303 more goals in the WHA. Hull then returned to the NHL and played two more seasons with the expansion teams the Winnipeg Jets and the Hartford Whalers.

Like many great Chicago athletes over the years, players leave because suddenly the relationship goes sour with the player and ownership. To be honest it always comes down to money. Bobby Hull signed with the Jets because they were offering him a ton of money as he hoped the Blackhawks ownership would have paid him. Instead, Hull left the Blackhawk organization like many players have left Chicago teams complaining, griping, and with a few bad words muttered out the door. The relationship becomes sour and at the time there’s no way to repair or rekindle any kind of return in the future. Chicago is notorious for cheap owners wanting all the money, as they were mostly greedy business men. After Bill Wirtz, one of the worst owners in sports passed away, his son Rocky would reconnect with the Blackhawks legend in 2008. Rocky signed Hull up to be an ambassador and threw in statue out in front of the United Center of the Golden Jet. The relationship is rekindled.

In The Last Dance, the documentary showed Michael Jordan as the ultimate competitor. It also showed how any little thing slighted against him, or loss in a card game, or a mention of a name that could compete with your Airness… something would snap in Jordan’s mind. Jordan would have to win that card game or die trying. Jordan would have to slay that name on the court to prove he was the basketball God. In Bobby Hull’s case, it’s different as womanizing comes into play with domestic abuse. Hull is not the first legend in a sport to not get along with his wife, girlfriend, or mistress. In 1986 living in Willowbrook, Illinois, Hull was charged with battery. Hull’s wife Deborah, at the time, did not testify so charges were dropped. Hull did plead guilty to swinging his fists at the Police officers. In the 2002 ESPN documentary are details of all the other allegations of spousal abuse and the women that he needed. Some guys need a different woman like a change of underwear. In Hawaii, he and his wife at the time, Joann McKay, got into an argument. Hull beat her up and threw her off the balcony, but held on to her then pulled her in as she thought she was going to die. Hull went off the rails as his drinking became a problem and his true colors came out with racist remarks. Hull once told the Moscow times that Adolf Hitler had some good ideas. Hull would say the Russian newspaper writer at the time misunderstood what he said at the time. Eventually the Blackhawks took away his ambassador status in 2022.

I don’t like speaking ill of the dead. I only know about Bobby Hull from reading about him or being told stories about him from people that saw him play. I love sports history and the Hull family is very interesting. Bobby’s brother Dennis played in the NHL with his brother back in the 1960’s as they were teammates a few seasons on the Blackhawks. Dennis played in the NHL 13 seasons and scored 303 goals as he played 12 years with the Blackhawks & then finished his career in 1977 with the Detroit Red Wings. Then Bobby’s son Brett played 19 seasons in the NHL mostly with the St. Louis Blues. Brett was like father, like son, scored 741 goals, & was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009. It’s a shame when some of these guys you root for are very different off the ice & off the court. I really don’t like to know much about sports legends or movie stars about their personal life because most likely I’ll hate their guts. I make sure I don’t buy a complete douche bag’s jersey to wear, that’s for sure. Sometimes wait 5 years after they retire to buy a jersey so their skeletons don’t come out of the closet and bite you on the rear. The 1961 Blackhawks had other great guys on that Stanley Cup team beside Hull. Hull you can’t deny was something special for the city of Chicago when he played at Chicago Stadium during the 1960’s as he started in 1957. Hull scored his first goal of his career against the Bruins. If you could only freeze time to that magic moment like a snow globe and enshrine Hull as a hockey player only. I’m sure he, Bobby Hull, had great moments off the ice as a father, friend, and a husband. Life is hard. I’m sure he wanted to take some things back like many people would love to have a do over from time to time in their lives. We are all human, so rest in peace Bobby.

PIC ELI APPLE PIC BUMBLE IN THE MIDDLE AND PIC VONTASE AND PIC BURROW

The Cincinnati Bengals got a taste of their own medicine after they suffered a loss in the AFC Championship on Sunday versus the Chiefs. The Bengals came in 3-0 in AFC Championship games as a franchise. Very impressive record but to only make it that far three times is pathetic. All eyes were on the impressive record Joe Burrow had over the Kansas City Chiefs which was 3-0 over Patrick Mahomes, which no other guy & no other team could say that. The Mayor of Cincinnati even said that Burrow could be Mahomes’ father. Indeed we will get right on that with a paternity test. This was the kind of nonsense that was going on with the hype of this AFC Championship rematch from last year. Mahomes came away with an ankle injury from the divisional round versus the Jaguars. That injury was like blood in the water as the Bengals were king of the jungle and the Chiefs were “Who Dey,” what the fans like to chant. Suddenly the trash talking of the Bengals amplified. It all came crashing down as the Bengals defending their AFC title has come to an end.

What comes around goes around when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals went from a team you root for to the sour cream that spoiled in your fridge. Last year, Joe Cool Burrow wowed you as he got the Bengals back to the Superbowl. The Bengals have been a complete disaster of a franchise for decades before Burrow arrived. All those losing seasons. One of the longest playoff droughts by any team in the league. When they did make the playoffs, there were all those early exits that Andy Dalton and head coach Marvin Lewis had not getting out of the first round. I think of all those teams that wore the black and orange stripes guys like Pac-Man Jones who appeared in the Police blotter more than the Pro Bowl. It seems anything good the Bengals had, got spoiled by something stupid they did on the field.

‘Football stupid’ seems to follow this Bengal franchise. On Sunday, Bengals linebacker Joseph Ossai chased down Patrick Mahomes after the gimpy quarterback went out of bounds. Ossai proceeded to knock him down to draw the flag from the referees to get the 15 yard unnecessary roughness call that set up the Chiefs for the game winning field goal.

That hit instantly brought up the ghost of Bengal past. The flash back of the 2015 Wild Card game between the Bengals and the Steelers at the time. The Bengals were winning the game in the last minute. The Steelers were down to their last play of the game. Then the Bengals linebacker, Vontase Burflict, went head hunting on Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

The ball was over thrown & if Burflict had avoided this huge mental mistake, the Bengals would have made it to the second round of the playoffs. Instead Burflict wanted to put the final dagger into Brown’s coffin, not the Steelers as a team. No wonder Brown acts the way he does. The Steelers were set in prime real estate on the field, kicked the field goal, and moved on to the next round of the playoffs.

When the Bengals took down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the first AFC championship when these two teams met, people were happy. The Chiefs who are becoming the replacement dynasty of the Patriots in the AFC. What a great story that the Bengals were in the Superbowl after beating Mahomes in the AFC Championship. Many hope to see the Bengals beat the Rams in the Superbowl, but LA prevailed. This season the Bengals thought they won something last year, which was not the Superbowl I was watching. The Bengals talked a great game as they looked like a team that was going to talk the talk and walk the walk. After the Bengals beat the Bills, the trash talking got worse & even the Mayor of Cincinnati was involved in throwing his two cents into the ring. The Bengals even renamed Arrow Head stadium to Burrow Head stadium. Last Sunday, all that trash talking blew up in the Bengals’ faces like a pot of that famous Cincinnati chili exploding, as burnt noodles all over local faces. The Chiefs would prevail over the Bengals in a rematch of that same AFC Championship a year ago. It was a game where the ghost of Bengal past came back to haunt them playing ‘football stupid.’ In the modern age of social networking, the people all over the world chimed in and blasted the Bengals for talking trash on every social platform the internet has. Under those orange and white uniforms are just the same bumbles as this team will never change it’s stripes, because they play stupid and talk like they have won six titles.

After the win, the Chiefs did the talking. The best tight end in the game right now, Travis Kelce, blasted the Bengals and Cincinnati’s mayor. “BURROWHEAD MY ASS,” as Kelce grabbed the microphone shouted out as Patrick Mahomes was doing an interview after prevailing over the striped cats. Kelce would also say that Arrow Head is Mahomes’ house, not Burrow’s.

In the trophy ceremony, Travis Kelce would call the mayor of Cincinnati a jabloni – a term used in pro wrestling. Kelce would basically tell Aftab Pureval to stay in his lane. Kelce also said the former mayor of Cincinnati did a better job than the jabloni running their town now. Patrick Mahomes would make a dig at quarterback Joe Burrow about not having a cigar to smoke after the win. Joe Cool likes to enjoy a good smoke after a big win as he let everyone know that in the past. Other Chief players were very outspoken making comments about all these Bengal trash talkers.

The Bengals were absolutely roasted on social media and they should have been. Guys like Joe Mixon, a guy that punched a girl back in his college days. No wonder he wears orange and plays for the Bengals. Then where is Eli Apple? Apple took social media after the win against the Bills and roasted players on the Bills. Rubbed their noses in the loss like a dog getting their nose rubbed into the carpet they made a mess on. Players like Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen and even the injured Damar Hamilin. This upset Bills defensive lineman Shaq Lawson who said he will get into a fight with Apple talking about Hamlin that way. Apple suddenly said he did not mean any bad comments on Hamlin. Like we trust a total cancer in the locker room when he was on the Giants after being drafted in the first round and is a bust. You look on YouTube videos and can see many clips of Apple being toast trying to defend the opposing team receivers. Apple was torched by Cooper Kupp in the Superbowl.

Apple will still cause trouble on social media as he made comments about the Chiefs as well. What happened to Annie Apple? Eli’s mother is another person that gets lippy on social media. After the Bengals lost, the Apples were attacked on every platform of social media. Poor Annie had to shut down her Twitter.

The Bengals are going to say they were slighted by the league as they were not in the conversation of the championship game being played on a neutral site. If the Bengals would have lost to the Bills, then the game would have been played in Atlanta. The Bills and Bengals game during regular season was never rescheduled. The Bengals beat the Chiefs & had the lead on the Bills before that injury occurred with Damar Hamlin, which cancelled that game. I can see their point which is good motivation. I think the Bengals Head Coach, Zac Taylor, can’t keep his house in order letting his guys make bulletin board material for opposing teams in the playoffs. Act like you belong there. When “Sweetness” Walter Payton scored a touch down, he handed the ball to the referee. Not his first rodeo to be acting like a clown, which the Bengals are. After the game, Ja’Marr Chase complained about the referees’ bad calls during the game as the league is rigged. Yes, the league passes out the scripts to all the players before the game with the final of every score. Too bad Chase did not do his homework to know his team was only going to get this far this season. Maybe next year the writers will pencil the Bumbles in for the next Super Bowl. I’m not a Chiefs fan as I will probably root for the Eagles in the Andy Reid bowl. The Bengals’ actions and that kind of team, I will root against as the Bengals showed me their true stripes.