Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
Conference Championship Recap: Blown Opportunities
Conference Championship Sunday: the last stop before the big game. For the 53rd year, the American and National Football Conferences take one solitary Sunday to decide which teams will play in the Super Bowl, and for the second year, these games took place on the final Sunday in January. I myself am old enough to remember when the Super Bowl occupied the last Sunday in January, but I digress. Every year, the conferences rotate time slots, and this year, the NFC went first, which featured the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the San Francisco 49ers.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Flyers: The Black Sheep of Philadelphia
It's amazing what's going on (or what's been going on) in sports in Philadelphia. The 76ers are continuing to be one of the superpowers in the NBA's Eastern Conference, boasting a pair of absolute superstars in James Harden and Joel Embiid. The Phillies coming off their National League pennant and are looking to get back to the World Series in this upcoming season. The Eagles are kicking a lot of ass and could be headed to the Super Bowl in what has been a dream season for them.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
State of the Colorado Avalanche Address
To any and all of my fellow Colorado Avalanche fans...well...we made it. As we all know, the only thing harder than winning the Stanley Cup is defending it. Every team's ultimate drive is winning the Stanley Cup, but once you've won it, you want to do it again that following year. That is immensely difficult. Yet in the last decade, we've seen the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning go back-to-back. So why can't the Avalanche do it? Even though the team lost Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, and Darcy Kuemper this offseason, the Avs still have a lot of those big game players that led this team to the Stanley Cup last year. Even after those losses, I said, "We're repeating this year."
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Women's Royal Rumble: 5 Years Later
The 2023 Royal Rumble event will take place on the exact five-year anniversary of the very first Women's Royal Rumble match. Hard to believe that this historic and amazing phenomenon happened five years ago; it seems like yesterday that this announcement was made and I was nearly in tears of joy when I heard it. I had been wanting a Women's Royal Rumble match for years, and on January 28, 2018, we finally got it. It was perfect for this fan; women's wrestling and the chaos of the Royal Rumble match all in one fell swoop.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look Back: Victoria and Christy Hemme's Brief Feud
It's been a while since I wrote about a wrestling feud, and I thought I'd break my hiatus with a women's wrestling angle that I remember very well. Of course, back then, the storylines and feuds in women's wrestling were usually brief and didn't get a lot of good attention as compared to now, but even so, there were a lot of good moments, and this short feud between Victoria and Christy Hemme in 2005 was one of them. I remember this storyline very well, and I also recall the weird moment that led to this happening. But without further ado, the players involved:
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the Boston Bruins' Historic Pace...and What the Result May Be
You know, I'm used to takes and predictions aging badly. After all, I've usually been the one to disprove said takes and poke holes in them. However, we are all capable of big errors, and I am no exception. After the last NHL season ended, I made my share of predictions. Some are on pace to come true, some...not so much. One take I was certain would be a certainty was this: I said that the Boston Bruins would not make the playoffs in 2022-23. I based that prediction on the fact that the famed Perfection Line (Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak) was seemingly carrying the team, as well as their first round exit in the most recent Stanley Cup Playoffs. Add the fact that Marchand would start this season on the IR, and it seemed like Boston would be on the low end of the Eastern Conference standings.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Divisional Playoff Recap: 99 Problems, and McCarthy is #1
I do love Divisional Playoff Weekend, and I have my reasons. For one, it's the last chance we have to enjoy Saturday NFL action, and secondly, it serves as a hotbed for surprising upsets. The Divisional Playoff once served as the opening playoff round when the leagues merged in 1970, but it has been the second round since 1978, when a second Wild Card was added and resulted in the debut of the Wild Card Playoff. It's the last stop before the Final Four, aka the Conference Championship, and regarding this year, it was quite tame following Super Wild Card Weekend.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Pros and Cons: Saraya and Toni Storm's Heel Turn
All Elite Wrestling's third Dynamite episode of 2023 came a week after their annual New Year's Smash event, which featured Saraya and Toni Storm against Britt Baker and AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter. That match was weeks in the making, as Saraya made the challenge a few weeks after she defeated Britt in her first match in just over four years. All Saraya needed was a partner, and after weeks of keeping us in the dark, Saraya revealed her partner during an interview with Renee Paquette.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Super Wild Card Weekend Recap: The Comeback Reboot
This year's Super Wild Card Weekend marked the observed 30-year anniversary of "The Comeback." We all know about that by now; the infamous Wild Card Playoff contest between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers, which saw the Oilers up 35-3 during the midpoint of the 3rd quarter. However, in a span of a quarter and a half, the Bills' 32-point deficit disappeared, as after sixty minutes of game time, both teams had 38 points. The Bills won it with a field goal, completing what was the largest comeback in NFL history until the Minnesota Vikings came back from a 33-0 deficit on December 15, 2022. It still remains the largest playoff comeback in league history, but comebacks like that are rare.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Not Done Yet: A Look at Mickie James' Knockouts World Championship Win at Hard to Kill
What can I say about Mickie James that hasn't been said already by other passionate women's wrestling fans who have watched her in action? Mickie's wrestled all over: WWE, NWA, Impact Wrestling, you name it, and she has blazed a trail like no one's business. She's won so many championships in her lengthy Hall of Fame career, and has been involved in so many moments and rivalries in the process. Adding another title would only boost an already impressive legacy, yet despite this, Mickie's latest win stood out over the others.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Jaw-Dropping Career of Connor McDavid (So Far)
I am a Colorado Avalanche fan. I am also a Connor McDavid fan. These things can happen. When the name Connor McDavid is mentioned, I think about what he's done so far and I just shake my head. I don't do it out of shame, mind you. My head shaking is out of incredulousness. I always ask the one word question: "How?" How is he doing all of this? How is he just racking up points at will? I've said many times, "McDavid's not human." His offense is absolutely and deliciously monstrous. It's insane that he's doing this at such a crazy pace, and just think, he was nearly a Buffalo Sabre.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
3 Teams I Want to Win Super Bowl LVII, and 3 Teams I Don't Want to Win
I absolutely love the NFL playoffs, always have. I remember back when ABC had Monday Night Football, they also had the Wild Card Saturday coverage, and back then, those games were on early in West Coast--at the same time as the Saturday morning cartoons. I loved my Saturday morning cartoons back then, but I also enjoyed that one day a year that I would wake up to playoff football back then. Of course, the playoff format and broadcasting schedule has changed since then. This is the second year of this current format, which will begin with six Wild Card Playoff games, followed by the Divisional Playoff (which will introduce the bye week teams to the fray). The Conference Championship is the last stop, and then it's the Super Bowl, and this year, Super Bowl LVII is in Arizona and will air on Fox.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
