Burke Sports Talk

MLB Pirates 8, Blue Jays 1 I mentioned Paul Skenes and Jared Jones yesterday as Pirates starters captivating attention, but Mitch Keller deserves to be mentioned with those two. In fact, Keller has been effective as a Pirate for longer than both Skenes and Jones, and is arguably better than ever in 2024. In this…

NBA Pelicans defer Lakers’ first-round pick to 2025 Due to this deferral, Los Angeles will keep the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft, while New Orleans now owns the Lakers’ unprotected 2025 first-round selection. This is the right call by the Pelicans. For starters, it’s typically better to hold an unprotected first-round pick than…

NFL Dolphins sign WR Jaylen Waddle to three-year, $84.75 million contract extension The wide receiver market is getting at least a bit out of control, and regression feels possible at some point, but clearly not yet. This is … a lot …. of money for Waddle, a talented 25-year-old pass catcher, but not in contention…

NFL 49ers sign WR Jauan Jennings to two-year, $15.4 million contract Jennings was initially tendered as a restricted free agent, so this contract serves as a replacement for that. Both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are up for contract extensions, so it’s interesting that San Francisco opted to address Jennings’ situation first. The 26-year-old recorded…

NCAAB 2024 SG Egor Demin commits to BYU The Kevin Young era is off to a good start in Provo. BYU doesn’t normally attract high-profile commits, but Demin certainly is one — a tall, offensive-minded guard that could be a top-10 pick in 2025. When considering fit, Demin should play well with Dallin Hall, a…

MLB Orioles 11, Red Sox 3 Baltimore’s lineup is unrelenting. The Orioles consistently get contributions from the usual suspects — Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman — but there are many other threats up and down the order. Kyle Stowers is just getting back into action for the O’s, but he’s made his mark, including a…

NBA Mavericks 116, Timberwolves 107 Minnesota had the league’s best defense this season, but as it turns out, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are the perfect antidote to an elite stop unit. I predicted the Timberwolves to win this series in seven games — a fair battle between two seemingly evenly-matched foes — but this…

NCAAF 2025 four-star CB Mark Zackery commits to Notre Dame It’s always important for programs to protect their turf and win recruiting battles for in-state players. Zackery, the No. 135 prospect for 2025 and an Indiana native, fits that goal for the Fighting Irish, who edged out Michigan and Cincinnati for the cornerback’s services. Notre…

NCAAB North Florida transfer SG Chaz Lanier commits to Tennessee Let’s get this out of the way — there’s no player in college basketball that Tennessee could add to fully replace Dalton Knecht. The one-year Volunteer was a shooting star for Tennessee, averaging 21.7 points per game on his way to being named a first-team…

NBA Cavaliers fire head coach J.B. Bickerstaff This decision seems to be about the organization taking the next step. Bickerstaff lifted the Cavaliers from the lows of the John Beilein era to an above average team in less than two years, a feat surely appreciated by the organization, but not enough for it to search…

MLB Cardinals 3, Orioles 1 MLB has been flush with excellent closers in 2024, and Ryan Helsley is right there with the best of them. St. Louis’ closer throws absolute heat, freezing helpless batters on a consistent basis. Helsley recorded save No. 15 in this game, a contest postponed to yesterday due to inclement weather.…

NFL RB David Johnson retires Johnson obviously won’t be enshrined in Canton, but the former Cardinal, Texan and Saint was arguably the best back in the league in 2016, uplifting an underachieving 7-8-1 Arizona team. The Northern Iowa product could do it all with his rushing and receiving abilities, consistently weaving his way through and…

NCAAB Texas transfer PF Dillon Mitchell commits to Cincinnati Mitchell becomes the Bearcats’ second quality addition via the portal, joining Connor Hickman. The Texas transfer is a high-upside forward that should propel Cincinnati into the top 25 to begin next season. Mitchell averaged 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 2024.

NCAAF Colorado transfer CB Cormani McClain commits to Florida McClain returns to his home state, where he probably should’ve began his college career. At first, Colorado’s shine stood out to the talented cover man, but a lack of stability within the program led to McClain’s departure. The Gators are in a tough spot as a…

NFL Buccaneers sign S Antoine Winfield Jr. to four-year, $84.1 million contract extension This extension makes Winfield Jr. the highest-paid defensive back in league history, and while the 25-year-old is a phenomenal player, this deal is a bit rich, especially for a safety. The market for the position is down, as opposed to wide receiver…

NFL Cardinals sign WR Zay Jones to one-year, $4.25 million contract The reporting of NFL contracts has become very misleading. This deal for Jones is worth up to $4.25 million, so it’s unlikely the 29-year-old will see the full amount of this pact. This new player-friendly style of reporting is perhaps most advantageous to agents,…

NBA Hornets hire Charles Lee as head coach Lee has been a hot coaching name in NBA circles for several years now, and his recent work with the Celtics has landed him the Charlotte job. The Hornets are in the midst of a rebuild — a practically perpetual state for the franchise since joining the…

NFL Titans sign WR Tyler Boyd to one-year, $4.5 million contract $4.5 million is the maximum value of this contract. Tennessee hasn’t made the sharpest of moves lately, but the Titans’ resource allocation is making it clear the team is doing everything in its power to make sure Will Levis doesn’t fail. Boyd, one of…

NCAAF Arkansas transfer OT Andrew Chamblee commits to SMU Chamblee should step in for the Mustangs and replace Marcus Bryant, a First Team All-AAC performer last season. SMU will face stiffer competition in its inaugural season in the ACC in 2024, but led by Preston Stone, the Mustangs should push for a bowl berth this…

NFL Dolphins sign WR Odell Beckham to one-year, $8.25 million contract This contract is incentive-based and could be worth less than the amount listed. The Ravens overpaid for Beckham’s services last season, but the Dolphins are avoiding the same mistake by making Beckham earn all of the money this pact has to offer. Beckham isn’t…