Burke Sports Talk

NBA Lakers 128, Raptors 111 By trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, the Raptors committed to at the very least a retool, but losing 14 games in a row this season probably wasn’t a part of the plan. In the short term, Toronto can stand to improve its defense, as the Raps have surrendered…

NCAAB Oklahoma State hires Steve Lutz as head coach For a power conference program, this is a risky hire, as Lutz doesn’t have much head coaching experience, but there’s really nowhere to go but up for the Cowboys. Despite his lack of years spent as a head man, Lutz has plenty of promise, and has…

NFL Eagles receive: 2026 conditional third-round pickJets receive: Haason Reddick The situation with Riddick in Philadelphia fizzled out, and this isn’t a bad return for the Eagles, given the draft pick acquired can become a second-round selection if Riddick meets certain benchmarks. 27 sacks across two seasons won’t be easy to replace, but the Eagles…

NCAAB Duquesne promotes Dru Joyce to head coach This is the logical decision for the Dukes, as Joyce will have the opportunity to continue what Keith Dambrot built in Pittsburgh. Another bonus: Joyce is just 39. Grade: A- Drake transfer SF Tucker DeVries commits to West Virginia This transfer became a mortal lock once Darian…

NFL Titans sign CB L’Jarius Sneed to four-year, $76.4 million contract This deal, replacing the franchise tag, places Sneed’s cap hit near the top of the cornerback market — a somewhat fair price for a great corner in his prime. Ideally, Tennessee would get away with paying Sneed a bit less, but after trading for…

MLB Rangers sign SP Michael Lorenzen to one-year, $4.5 million contract Versatility is the name of the game with Lorenzen, and that skill serves him well with any club. For the Rangers, Lorenzen should start — a role that Texas is getting him at a bargain for. Throughout the free agency period, Lorenzen either overplayed…

MLB Dodgers 5, Padres 2 With Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman at the top of the batting order, it’ll be tough for opponents to outscore the Dodgers this season. In this game, the three stars combined for four hits. Yu Darvish was fine in this contest for San Diego, and it’s only March,…

NFL Saints sign EDGE Chase Young to one-year, $13 million contract Throughout his career, Young has been inconsistent with both his production and durability, but the former No. 2 overall pick is capable of elite flashes at times. The Saints are cash-strapped, but adding a talented edge rusher like Young on a modest one-year deal…

First Four 16 Wagner vs. 16 Howard10 Colorado State vs. 10 Virginia16 Grambling vs. 16 Montana State10 Colorado vs. 10 Boise State First Round 16 Stetson vs. 1 Connecticut9 Northwestern vs. 8 Florida Atlantic12 UAB vs. 5 San Diego State13 Yale vs. 4 Auburn11 Duquesne vs. 6 BYU14 Morehead State vs. 3 Illinois10 Drake vs.…

NFL Texans sign K Ka’imi Fairbairn to three-year, $15.9 million contract This pact makes Fairbairn the league’s highest-paid kicker, but Houston probably shouldn’t have paid this much. Sure, letting one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers test free agency would’ve been risky, but allocating this amount of money per year to Fairbairn isn’t a good…

NFL Texans sign TE Dalton Schultz to three-year, $36 million contract Schultz was scheduled to hit free agency next week, but the Texans are wisely making sure he doesn’t test the market. C.J. Stroud put together an incredible rookie season in 2023, and it could’ve impeded his progress if one of his top weapons was…

NFL Buccaneers sign WR Mike Evans to two-year, $52 million contract Evans, even at 30, is arguably the league’s most consistent wide receiver, so it makes sense that Tampa Bay is willing to pay him $26 million per year. A sharp decline is always possible, but if the Buccaneers can get Baker Mayfield back, Evans…

NBA Cavaliers 110, Pistons 100 It hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Cavaliers since the All-Star break, but the Pistons are a good opponent to get things right against. Cleveland probably won’t reach its ceiling unless Evan Mobley is a bigger part of its attack, and one way for that to happen is to increase…

NCAAF Massachusetts to join the MAC in 2025 Massachusetts was a MAC member from 2012-2015, so this won’t be uncharted territory for the Minutemen. Despite this, besides the increase in football revenue from joining a conference, this move probably won’t boost Massachusetts’ athletics programs. Football is king though, which is why this move was made.…

MLB Pirates sign SP Mitch Keller to five-years, $77 million contract extension Keller’s performance tailed off in the latter part of last season’s All-Star campaign, but the 27-year-old is a building block at the front of Pittsburgh’s rotation. Keller and 2023’s No. 1 overall pick, Paul Skenes, should be a formidable duo for the Pirates…

NBA Nets fire head coach Jacque Vaughn and replace him with Kevin Ollie Vaughn is better suited as an assistant coach than a head coach, so the decision to terminate him makes sense for the Nets. For the sake of Nets fans, hopefully the franchise doesn’t view Ollie as a long-term replacement. Grade: C Timberwolves…

NCAAB South Florida 90, Florida Atlantic 86 Amir Abdur-Rahim is an incredible program builder. First, he turned a dead Kennesaw State program into an NCAA Tournament team, and now he has South Florida at 19-5 and atop the AAC in his first year in Tampa. It remains to be seen if the Bulls have staying…

NBA Heat to sign PG Delon Wright to one-year contract This pact is contingent on Wright, recently bought out by the Wizards, clearing waivers. The 31-year-old isn’t a high-end bench guard anymore, but he should still help Miami, especially with his defense. Grade: B MLB Phillies sign 2B Whit Merrifield to one-year, $8 million contract…

NCAAB Ohio State fires head coach Chris Holtmann It was about time for this change to occur. Holtmann got off to a decent start in Columbus, never missing the NCAA Tournament in his first five years in charge, but the wheels came off starting last season. This isn’t an elite job, but it’s arguably one…

MLB Giants sign RF Jorge Soler to three-year, $42 million contract This is a pretty decent match between team and player. Last season, Soler slugged 36 longballs, and would certainly boost San Francisco’s lineup, which finished No. 19 across MLB in home runs in 2023. Lifted by his power, Soler had one of his better…