Burke Sports Talk

NCAAF Tulane 31, Memphis 17 I was all set last night to watch Game 4 of the ALCS. The rain in Cleveland was heavy and constant, so as the night carried on, the odds of playing dwindled. Alas, we were left with just college football for our viewing pleasure. Yesterday’s slate was solid, however, and…

NCAAF Oklahoma 27, (1) Texas 24 The Red River Rivalry consistently has one of the best atmospheres in college football. It’s the rare neutral-site affair that has the juice and energy of a big game played on campus. Oklahoma has been much maligned this season, mainly on offense. Not much changed on that end yesterday.…

NCAAF Jacksonville State 27, Kennesaw State 26 I relegated this contest to TV3 for the night, as postseason baseball took precedence. As such, I caught a few plays here and there, but wasn’t immersed into the flow of the game. Jacksonville State lost a close battle to Kennesaw State in the Conference USA championship game…

NFL Colts 30, Commanders 13 This was the first of several NFL games played in Europe this season. The idea is more radical than the league would care to admit, but the 9:30 a.m. ET kickoffs at least fill a morning void that would normally be occupied by pre-game shows and fantasy football lineup decisions.…

NCAAF (2) Georgia 38, Vanderbilt 14 Entering the season, this matchup was billed as a much bigger tilt than it actually was. Vanderbilt was coming off a program-defining 10-3 season, giving it enough momentum to flip hometown five-star quarterback Jared Curtis from Georgia. Between the Commodores’ rise, Curtis’ situation and Georgia being, well, Georgia, this…

NCAAF (23) Missouri 38, Kansas 21 The Border War is one of the most underrated rivalries in college sports. It means the world to Missouri and Kansas fans, but it hasn’t consistently captivated the attention of the nation. The 2007 rendition, which ruined Kansas’ undefeated season, was one for the ages. Chase Daniel and Danario…

NFL Seahawks 13, Patriots 10 The NFL is back! Some people complained about the season starting on a Wednesday, but I didn’t mind. I’ll take real football whenever I can get it. The Seahawks’ championship defense started off with a whimper, as Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury after attempting just two passes. The early…

MLB Guardians 9, Orioles 5 This was one of the most important games yesterday. Yes, the AL wild-card race is feeble, but the Guardians and Orioles each had the opportunity to improve their positioning. Advantage: Cleveland. The Guardians, thanks in part to a three-run homer by Travis Bazzana in the second inning, stormed ahead of…

NCAAF (7) Miami 45, Stanford 6 It’s still strange that this is an ACC game. Conference realignment — where few win besides TV executives. Speaking of the ACC, stopping the Darian Mensah to Malachi Toney connection this season will be akin to torture for the rest of its members. Mensah’s exit from Duke was sloppy…

NCAAF (21) Utah 66, Idaho 14 The post-Kyle Whittingham era started for Utah in last season’s Las Vegas Bowl, but it began in earnest last night. Despite the loss of the longtime head coach, expectations are still high in Salt Lake City. Yesterday wasn’t much of a test of that optimism, however. The FCS’s Idaho…

NFL Patriots sign TE Hunter Henry to two-year, $16 million contract extension The average NFL career lasts just three seasons. For those lucky players that sign a second contract, regression normally hits before the age of 30. Even if doesn’t, those select few don’t typically improve after reaching the wrong side of 30. Henry, to…

NFL Titans sign G Peter Skoronski to four-year, $100 million contract extension Extensions are being signed across the NFL everywhere you look. I suppose I was wrong one week ago ago when I suggested that contract talks across the league would cool after Matthew Bergeron, another guard, inked his deal. Skoronski is another player that’s…

MLB Angels 4, Orioles 1 There was speculation over whether the Angels would trade Zach Neto at the deadline. Los Angeles, sitting at 44-71, is all but eliminated from AL postseason race, and the idea that the club would benefit from exchanging its young shortstop for highly-rated prospects was floated. The notion never made a…

MLB Blue Jays 5, Astros 4 This game was rambling towards an obvious outcome. Entering the sixth inning, the Astros led 3-0 on the back of a no-hitter by Hunter Brown. Alas, Toronto roared to a three-run frame, thanks in part to a Jesus Sanchez home run. On a day in which both the Rangers…

NFL Falcons sign RB Bijan Robinson to three-year, $75 million contract extension This agreement felt inevitable, as Robinson has been a hold-in since the beginning of Falcons camp. Now, the star running back can get back to work and build on two straight phenomenal seasons. Robinson, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 draft,…

MLB Angels receive:SS Arjun NimmalaRF Eddie MichelettiSP Angel Rivero Blue Jays receive:SP Jose Soriano In recent seasons, we’ve seen clubs thread the needle of buying and selling around the trade deadline. The Blue Jays are doing just that, as Toronto recently shipped out Kevin Gausman and is now bringing in Soriano. The difference between the…

NFL Falcons sign G Matthew Bergeron to four-year, $96 million contract extension Training camps are off and running. The reality of live-action football naturally cools the spirit of contract negotiations. As such, we may see fewer and fewer extensions reached as the regular season approaches. For now, teams and agents continue to hammer out deals.…

NFL Browns sign S Grant Delpit to three-year, $48 million contract extension It’s been a busy week of business for the Browns’ front office. Training camp is underway, but that hasn’t stopped Cleveland from securing two stalwart defensive backs. First, it was Denzel Ward. The Browns made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history earlier…

NFL Eagles sign DT Jalen Carter to four-year, $152 million contract extension The Eagles are resetting the defensive tackle market with this extension. $106 million of the total package is fully guaranteed, making Carter the highest-paid player ever at his position in that respect, too. This is an odd gamble by the normally shrewd Eagles.…

NFL Dolphins sign LB Jordyn Brooks to three-year, $51.3 million contract extension The mantra for rebuilding organizations is to get younger, cheaper and, in many cases, worse. Over the course of the past year, the Dolphins have checked all three boxes. Miami should be dreadful this season. While charting a long-term strategy, the Dolphins have…