Burke Sports Talk

NBA Pelicans sign C DeAndre Jordan to one-year, $3.6 million contract The Pelicans have a litany of injuries at center, most notably to Kevon Looney and Yves Missi. Although Missi is on the mend, New Orleans still needs help up front. Enter Jordan. The 37-year-old has been washed for years, but he’s still a valuable…

MLB Giants hire Tony Vitello as manager This is an outside-the-box hire, as Vitello hails from the college ranks and has zero professional — coaching or playing — experience. Familiarity with the game’s highest level isn’t a be-all, end-all, but it alleviate some risk. In this case however, the Giants are assuming plenty of it,…

NCAAB 2026 five-star SF Anthony Thompson commits to Ohio State Ohio State needed this talent infusion. The Buckeyes haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2022, and a player like Thompson can help the program return to that level. Of course, with Thompson hailing from Ohio, it would’ve been a bad miss if he committed elsewhere.…

NBA Nuggets sign SG Christian Braun to five-year, $125 million contract extension Due to the free-agency departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Braun took on an elevated role last season. He thrived in it, averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The swingman’s game is somewhat limited — his jumper and creation skills need…

Eastern Conference Western Conference Play-In Tournament (8) 76ers vs. (7) Pistons(10) Raptors vs. (9) Pacers(9) Pacers vs. (8) 76ers (8) Clippers vs. (7) Spurs(10) Grizzlies vs. (9) Mavericks(9) Mavericks vs. (7) Spurs Playoffs (8) 76ers vs. (1) Cavaliers(7) Pistons vs. (2) Knicks(6) Celtics vs. (3) Bucks(5) Hawks vs. (4) Magic (5) Hawks vs. (1) Cavaliers(3)…

NCAAF (1) Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 0 Welcome to the forefront of the Heisman race, Julian Sayin. The sophomore quarterback has been playing at a high level all season, but Ryan Day & Co. let him air it out yesterday. Consequently, Sayin’s abilities shined, as he went 36-of-42 for 393 yards and four touchdowns. There…

MLB Astros sign SP Nate Pearson to one-year, $1.35 million contract This is a major-league pact for Pearson, a 2017 first-round selection that has struggled to gain footing at the game’s highest level. Thus, the Astros handing him this deal, even at minimal cost, is eyebrow-raising. Heading into 2026, Houston has an obvious need in…

NBA Bucks sign SG A.J. Green to four-year, $45 million contract extension Spacing is one of the most important ingredients for an effective NBA offense. It affords drivers room to operate, and in many cases, create open opportunities for shooters. In Milwaukee, it’s especially critical, as the Bucks — for now — roster one of…

NFL Bengals receive:QB Joe Flacco2026 sixth-round pick Browns receive:2026 fifth-round pick Intradivisional trades are rare, let alone swaps involving a quarterback. In 2010, the Eagles shipped Donovan McNabb to the Redskins, and while this transaction isn’t that seismic, it still shakes up the AFC North. The Bengals, to no surprise, rolled with Jake Browning following…

NFL Browns receive:OT Cam Robinson2027 seventh-round pick Texans receive:2026 sixth-round pick Back in March, Robinson inked a one-year, $12 million contract with Houston. After just four games — the last of which Robinson was inactive — the Texans were ready to pull the plug. That’s an obvious indictment on Houston’s front office, but also on…

American League ALWCS Guardians 2, Tigers 1Yankees 2, Red Sox 1 ALDS Yankees 3, Blue Jays 1Mariners 3, Guardians 2 ALCS Yankees 4, Mariners 2 National League NLWCS Dodgers 2, Reds 0Padres 2, Cubs 0 NLDS Padres 3, Brewers 0Phillies 3, Dodgers 2 NLCS Phillies 4, Padres 1 World Series Phillies 4, Yankees 2MVP: Kyle…

MLB Nationals hire Paul Toboni as head of baseball operations This news broke during the Nationals-Braves game yesterday. Interesting timing? Sure, but it was prudent of Washington to identify its lead decision maker prior to the offseason. After all, the organization has been run in a messy manner for years, so the sooner the franchise…

NCAAB Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl retires and is replaced by Steven Pearl There were whispers in the industry that Pearl would retire. However, this decision is still stunning. With 706 career victories, the former Southern Indiana, Milwaukee, Tennessee and Auburn head coach was one of the best active coaches, and will be nearly impossible…

MLB Guardians 3, Tigers 1 Are … the Guardians going to run down the Tigers?! Detroit comfortably led the AL Central for the majority of this season, but after a Cleveland sweep, the Tigers’ lead is just 3.5 games. Normally, that would be a solid cushion with just over a week remaining, but Detroit travels…

MLB Braves 6, Nationals 3 This was a September makeup game between two teams out of the postseason picture, and well, the crowd was indicative of it. The paid attendance was 15,584, but the audience on TV looked significantly smaller. During late-inning rain showers, even less people were watching. Nationals Park has never been known…

NBA Hawks receive:Cash considerations Nets receive:PG Kobe Bufkin After just two seasons, the Hawks are cutting bait on Bufkin. The No. 15 overall selection in 2023, Bufkin has looked overmatched in his 27 career games. Normally a move like this would be shocking, but the Michigan combo guard was overdrafted. Bufkin averaged 5.3 points, 2.1…

NFL Cowboys sign G Tyler Smith to four-year, $96 million contract extension This agreement is the largest for a guard in NFL history, surpassing the deal the Chiefs gave Trey Smith earlier this year. Smith, 24, is already one of the best guards in the NFL, so it was expected that the Cowboys would ink…

MLB Cubs 6, Rays 4 Matthew Boyd has offered up several uneven starts of late, and yesterday’s outing continued the downward trend. The Cubs will need the southpaw to start in a likely wild-card series, but time is running out for the All-Star to right the ship. Five innings of four-run ball — Boyd’s output…

NFL Packers 27, Commanders 18 After both of these teams won in Week 1, this game became an opportunity for the winner to assert itself in the NFC race. For the Packers, it would be a sign that the Micah Parsons trade was a success. For the Commanders, it would be a sign that the…

NFL Vikings 27, Bears 24 Did you hear that crash? That was the odds of the Bears winning the NFC North slamming into the ground. Chicago has struggled in divisional games for years, and it appears that monkey is still on the back of the franchise. This contest, however, was more about the Vikings. Minnesota,…