Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
The Possible Implications of Sonya Deville's Return to NXT
The latest edition of NXT was the show's season premiere; first off, I want to say that I actually love the concept of a season premiere of a show that never has reruns. Secondly, I did enjoy Raw and SmackDown's season premieres as well, which saw a lot of shock returns, and shake-ups in the announce teams, with the clear indication that three-person booth will no longer be a thing. In the case of NXT, the interesting shake-up took place inside their Women's Division--more specifically, the top of it.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 5 Recap: Quarterbacks Be Trippin'
The theme of Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season seemed to be quarterback screw-ups, whether it's a series of bad decisions, or just one colossal foul-up. If there is one QB who really shifted things with his mental mistake, it has to be Kyler Murray. Oh man, this one hurts. A couple of months ago, I wrote a story about the Arizona Cardinals attempting to force a "homework clause" on Murray as part of his contract, which stated that he had to watch four hours of game film a day. Like a lot of fans, I thought it was insulting, because he's too talented to be subjected to this sort of thing.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
2022 Division Series Preview
I do love the Division Series, which once served as the opening round of the MLB Postseason. The League Division Series (LDS) officially debuted in the 1995 season, and has been played under a best-of-five format ever since. From 1995 until 2011, the Division Series marked the beginning of the postseason, with three wins advancing the two winners in each league to the League Championship Series (LCS). Since 2012, the LDS is the second round after the Wild Card Game (now the Wild Card Series), and the LDS means, as Jim Ross often says, "Business is about to pick up."
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 18 Recap: Giving Thanks
Week 18 of the CFL season saw the league celebrate the final holiday of the regular season: Canadian Thanksgiving. As we all know, in Canada, the Thanksgiving holiday falls on the second Monday in October, and similar to Americans, they do celebrate with turkey and football. Entering Canada's Thanksgiving Weekend, a few teams could lock up playoff spots and a first-round bye, while two others faced elimination. The scenarios for Week 18 were as follows:
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda
The New York Mets' 61st season was full of immense promise. They won 101 games this season, which was only their fourth 100+ win season in franchise history. The other seasons: 1969, 1986, and 1988. In those first two years, the Mets won the World Series, with 1969 being the famous "Miracle Mets" year where they came back from 10 games down in the National League East to win the division, while 1986 was the infamous Bill Buckner series; Mookie Wilson's walk-off RBI single going in between Buckner's legs in Game Six. The Mets did not win the pennant in 1988, but would win two more pennants in 2000 and 2015. 2016 was their last postseason until this year, and their journey would begin with the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: The Last Hurrah
Without question, the centerpiece of the St. Louis Cardinals' 2022 season was the return of their beloved legend, Albert Pujols. The Cards were coming off a 2021 season that saw them go on a winning tear in September to nab one of the National League's Wild Card spots. This year, the winning tear started about a month or so early, basically nabbing control of the National League Central from the Milwaukee Brewers, and never looked back. The Cardinals faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series, and Game One looked like it would be quiet, until Juan Tepez struck with a pinch-hit two-run HR in the sixth inning.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: It Was 8-1
Ooh, boy. Well...that happened. You know, as a fan of a division rival, I only save my actual hatred for the Boston Red Sox. I have no reason to hate the Toronto Blue Jays. I remain fascinated by their team history; joined the American League in 1977, won their first division title in 1985, and became an AL powerhouse throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, which led them to back-to-back World Championships in 1992 and 1993. Many moons passed before they would become a playoff team again, but the Blue Jays appear to be a perennial playoff team at the current moment.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Where's the Offense, Rays?!
In any postseason, it is never good to be the first one eliminated, but someone has to carry that burden. In the case of the 2022 MLB postseason, that unfortunate dishonor went to the Tampa Bay Rays, who were ousted in two games in the best-of-three Wild Card Series by the Cleveland Guardians. For the Rays, this is their second straight postseason appearance since their run to the World Series in 2020. 2021 saw the Rays win a franchise record 100 games and capture the American League East, but they were ousted in the Division Series by the Red Sox. This year, they had a strong campaign that saw them nearly capitalize on the New York Yankees' late-summer skid, but once the Yankees woke back up, the Rays fell off in September, going from the #4 seed (the home Wild Card position) to finishing as the #6 seed, but still qualifying.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
2022 Wild Card Series Preview
The MLB Postseason is here! I've always enjoyed baseball's playoffs, I love everything about it, even the little things, such as MLB using the word "postseason" instead of "playoffs." Out of the three leagues that use a series format, MLB has the shortest postseason; the quest to crown a champion takes under a month with very few days off. This year begins the modified postseason that was made official during the lockout in March and April of this year, which features the 12 best teams participating in this round robin tournament. The single-game Wild Card round that has opened the postseason since 2012 is now changed to a best-of-three Wild Card Series, with one series pitting the #3 seed (the lowest division champion) against the #6 seed (the lowest Wild Card), while the other series features the other two Wild Cards (seeded #4 and #5).
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Phillies Complete 2022 Postseason Field
When the Seattle Mariners ended their 21-year postseason drought on September 30, 2022, the Philadelphia Phillies ended up becoming the new owners of the longest current postseason drought in MLB...for three days. At the time of Seattle's clinch, the Phils were on their own path, and on October 3, 2022, it was completed. The Phillies defeated the Houston Astros, 3-0, to clinch the last overall remaining spot in the 2022 MLB Postseason, and end a drought that lasted 11 years.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 4 Recap: We Have to Talk About Tua
The NFL's proverbial elephant in the room? It had been there for decades, but it was ignored in the name of the shield and in the name of the sport. What transpired in the Miami Dolphins' Week 3 matchup with the Buffalo Bills would have been ignored if they had taken the right steps to protect the health and well being of their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Tua was lit up during the game, he had clear concussion problems, yet he was sent out there within an instant to finish the game. Even so, the right route in the few days leading to the Thursday night game that kicked off Week 4? Sit Tua. That's all they had to do.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 17 Recap: Jockeying For Positions
The CFL calendar has now turned to the month of October, which is always the final full month of the regular season. October features the last holiday of the season: Canadian Thanksgiving, which is always on the second Monday and has football scheduled. It is also the month where the last pieces of the Grey Cup Playoff puzzle are filled, and entering Week 17, two spots remain, as Week 16 saw the BC Lions, the Toronto Argonauts, and the Calgary Stampeders clinch playoff spots.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
