Burke Sports Talk

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…

NCAAF UCLA hires DeShaun Foster as head coach It’s become increasingly clear that all was not right between UCLA and Chip Kelly. First, Kelly left the Bruins to take the Ohio State offensive coordinator job — a conspicuous move for a sitting Big Ten head coach. Now, UCLA is hiring Foster, a former member of…

NCAAF Boston College hires Bill O’Brien as head coach Boston College is a hard place to win, so it’s hard to see any hire the program makes ending in success, but O’Brien at least has a slim chance of winning in Chestnut Hill. For starters, he has ties to the area, being born in Boston…

NBA Pistons receive: Troy Brown, Shake Milton and a second-round pickTimberwolves receive: Monte Morris Rostering Morris and his expiring deal didn’t make much sense for Detroit other than the veteran serving as a mentor for Detroit’s young guards, so moving him isn’t a terrible idea. Brown and Milton have a place in the NBA, but…

NFL Giants hire Shane Bowen as defensive coordinator This is an uninspiring hire. Entering what could be his final season as the Giants’ head coach, Brian Daboll probably wasn’t flush with great options to fill this role, thus causing him to turn to Bowen, who served as the Titans’ defensive coordinator the past three seasons.…

NFL Saints hire Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator There’s a strong trend in the NFL — and across all of football in general — to hire young offensive coordinators. For the most part, this philosophy has worked, but eventually, like a lot of trends in sports, it’ll probably go too far. Kubiak will be a…

NFL Commanders hire Dan Quinn as head coach It’s hard to dispute Quinn’s exploits as a defensive coordinator, but his head coaching record (43-42) is less stellar. Head coaching records can be situational, though, and the situation Quinn faced with the Falcons changed from advantageous to difficult over time. With Washington, Quinn will surely face…

NFL Seahawks hire Mike Macdonald as head coach Macdonald has been a fast riser throughout the coaching universe at just 36, but with three seasons of experience as a defensive coordinator — two with the Ravens — he should be ready to take on this position. Seattle is making a massive transition from Pete Carroll,…

NFL Steelers hire Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator Smith took his fair share of heat as the Falcons’ head coach, but he did an excellent job as the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. Returning to that same role in Pittsburgh, Smith is set up with similar personnel and overall organizational philosophy. This isn’t…

NFL Chargers hire Joe Hortiz as general manager Part of the reason Jim Harbaugh’s tenure ended in San Francisco was his fractured relationship with Trent Baalke, the 49ers’ general manager when Harbaugh was the head coach. The Chargers, with this hire, are working to ensure that won’t be the case again, as Hortiz has extensive…

NBA Wizards 118, Pistons 104 The 5-40 Pistons are, of course, horrendous, but allowing just 104 points in a win is a good start for Brian Keefe’s tenure as the Wizards’ interim head coach. Knicks 125, Heat 109 You could argue that since trading for OG Anunoby, no team has been playing better than the…

NFL Falcons hire Raheem Morris as head coach Morris did an excellent job the past three seasons as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, but it hard to ignore his 21-38 mark as the Buccaneers’ head coach from 2009-2011. Morris is likely aware of the mistakes he made in Tampa Bay and will be better with the…

NCAAF 2024 five-star WR Ryan Williams commits to Alabama It’s no secret Alabama has been hit hard with departures following Nick Saban’s retirement, so the Crimson Tide must be relieved that Williams, 2024’s No. 6 prospect, opted to stay home. Williams should play a huge role in Kalen DeBoer’s pass-happy offense. NBA Bucks hire Doc…

YES votes in bold Bobby AbreuJose BautistaCarlos BeltranAdrian BeltreMark BuehrleBartolo ColonAdrian GonzalezTodd HeltonMatt HollidayTorii HunterAndruw JonesVictor MartinezJoe MauerAndy PettitteBrandon PhillipsManny RamirezJose ReyesAlex RodriguezFrancisco RodriguezJimmy RollinsGary SheffieldJames ShieldsChase UtleyOmar VizquelBilly WagnerDavid Wright