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Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
Judgment Day (NFC Week 18)
We made it, folks! The 18th and final week of the 2025 season is upon us. The final week is always interesting and gives us some thrilling moments that sees teams really scratch and claw into playoff spots and division titles. Of course, this is the 16th season of the "all divisional game" final week schedule, as the change was made because too many final week games lacked drama and enthusiasm, as well as a proper playoff storyline. With all division games in the final week, it makes even the least relevant games thrilling, because you want to really beat your division foe. Also, we've seen a number of head-to-head division title games over the years since this format was born.
By Clyde E. Dawkins15 days ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 17 Recap: Not Resolved Yet
When I wrote the description for this recap, I was thinking, "It's amazing. Decades ago, the NFL season ended on the final weekend of the year with the championship." The NFL calendar has adapted, along with the league itself, but the final weekend of the calendar year continues to be pivotal, because that is when the penultimate week of the regular season takes place. Five games already took place in Week 17, and the final 11 games occurred on Sunday and Monday. For perspective, the focus will only be on the playoff relevant games.
By Clyde E. Dawkins15 days ago in Unbalanced
Caleb Williams: The Quarterback Redefining Expectations in the NFL. AI-Generated.
Few athletes enter professional football with as much anticipation as Caleb Williams. Widely regarded as one of the most talented quarterbacks of his generation, Williams’ journey from college football sensation to NFL centerpiece has captivated fans, analysts, and communities alike. His story is not just about arm strength or athleticism — it’s about expectations, identity, and the evolving role of young stars in modern sports.
By Asad Ali16 days ago in Unbalanced
Islam Makhachev Turns Down Welterweight Title Defense at UFC 324
Islam Makhachev has never been known for chasing headlines. Instead, the reigning UFC lightweight champion has built his reputation on discipline, dominance, and carefully chosen challenges. That is why recent reports that Islam Makhachev turned down a welterweight title defense at UFC 324 have sparked intense debate among MMA fans and analysts alike.
By Waqar Khan16 days ago in Unbalanced
The Legend of Mikheil Khergiani
He was buried in a closed casket. When I asked his cousin's son, who was giving me a tour of Mikheil's house in Mestia, Svaneti, how the Italians had managed to retrieve his body, my guide replied honestly, "I don't know. I was five when he died. I don't think anyone knows, and I don't want to think about how badly his body was damaged. He plummeted from 600 meters of Mount Su-Alto in the Italian Alps. I do know it took days for his body to be retrieved. His funeral was almost three weeks after he died, hence the closed casket."
By Lana V Lynx16 days ago in Unbalanced
Unbalanced
M Mehran Callum Ward never noticed the imbalance at first. Balance is like gravity—when it works, you don’t think about it. When it fails, you fall. He used to be steady. The kind of man who woke up before his alarm, ironed his shirt twice, and brewed coffee like a ritual. He believed if you organized the outside world, the inside would follow. But life doesn’t always agree. Sometimes it throws its weight on one side until everything tilts. For Callum, that tilt began the day his wife disappeared. The Tilt The police asked the usual questions. When did you last see her? Did she seem upset? Did you two fight? Callum answered honestly. He didn’t remember fighting. He didn’t remember much of anything anymore. That, apparently, made them suspicious. Grief does strange things to a mind. It fogs it, warps it, forces it to replay moments like broken film. The house felt uneven without her—rooms too quiet, chairs misplaced, doors slightly open like someone had just left. It wasn’t just the sadness. It was the guilt. Because the truth that Callum never said out loud was simple: he felt her leaving long before she actually left. Conversations that didn’t reach their endings. Dinners eaten in silence. A growing distance that could have swallowed oceans. One night, two weeks after she vanished, Callum heard footsteps upstairs. Not loud. Not violent. Just… footsteps. Familiar in rhythm, like someone pacing. Like someone thinking. He picked up a flashlight and climbed the stairs. Halfway up, the light flickered. The footsteps stopped. He whispered her name. Silence answered. But on the landing, he noticed something new: her necklace, hanging on the doorknob. The same gold chain she wore every day. He hadn’t seen it since the night she disappeared. Callum’s legs nearly gave out. The Unbalance Grows People in the neighborhood started talking. They called him “unstable,” “off,” “not right since she left.” Someone reported that he was wandering the street at midnight, as if searching for something he couldn’t name. Another swore they saw him talking to the empty air on his porch. Callum didn’t deny it. He heard her voice sometimes—soft, like she was speaking from another room. He smelled her perfume in the hallway. Sometimes, he even felt the mattress shift beside him, the weight of a second body settling into the bed. Callum knew grief had gravity. It pulled. It dragged. It distorted. But this was something else. One evening, when the sun was dying into a bruised purple, someone knocked on his door. Detective Rana Hale. She looked tired in a way that went beyond sleep deprivation. “We found something,” she said. The world tilted. The Truth That Isn’t Down at the station, they showed him a photograph. Callum’s wife. But not the woman he remembered—no soft smile, no warm eyes. Her hair was cut short. Her expression was sharp, like a blade disguised as a face. She was standing beside a man Callum had never seen. The detective spoke calmly. “There are signs she may have left by choice. We believe she was involved in something… dangerous. You may not have known her as well as you thought.” Callum stared at the photo. His chest tightened, breath catching like a snagged thread. That was the moment he understood: the imbalance wasn’t an accident. It was a message. His wife hadn’t vanished from life—she’d vanished into another one. “You think she ran away?” he asked. Rana nodded. “We think she’s hiding. And Callum… we think she may come back for you.” A strange relief washed through him. Not fear. Not anger. Hope. If she left by choice, maybe she could return by choice. Maybe the world could even out again. He went home that night with a spine full of static and a heart split down the center. When the Scale Breaks At 3:14 a.m., the footsteps returned. This time, they were not gentle. Callum didn’t reach for the flashlight. He didn’t hide. He walked toward the sound. Down the hall, through the open door, into the bedroom where it all began. His wife sat on the edge of the bed. She looked real. More real than memory. More real than grief. Her eyes were tired, frightened, alive. “Callum,” she said. Her voice cracked like old paint. “I need you to listen. I didn’t leave you. I ran from them. And now—they’re coming.” The room swayed. The world tilted. Every ounce of balance he had left snapped like a pulled thread. “Who?” he asked. She trembled. “The man in the photograph. I wasn’t supposed to survive. But I did. I’ve been trying to get back ever since.” He crossed the room, sat beside her. He didn’t touch her, afraid she’d disappear like fog. “Why come back now?” Her eyes lifted to his. “Because the only place I’m safe is with you.” And just like that, the imbalance didn’t vanish. It became something new. Not steadiness, not order—shared weight. Epilogue They didn’t sleep that night. They packed bags. They planned. They prepared for a world that was no longer straight, no longer stable, no longer kind. Callum learned something in that moment: Balance isn’t the absence of chaos—it’s choosing who you stand with when the world tips. He had spent months trying to regain equilibrium, not realizing that maybe life isn’t meant to balance perfectly. Maybe it’s meant to be held, together, even when it shakes. Especially when it shakes.
By Muhammad Mehran16 days ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 17 Christmas Weekend Recap: Out of the Picture
The 17th and penultimate week of the 2025 NFL season kicked off with the second annual Christmas Day doubleheader on Netflix, though the first game was a meaningless battle that saw the already eliminated Dallas Cowboys finish off the already eliminated Washington Commanders, to move one win away from a .500 season. The real game, at least for me, was the NFC North battle between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings, which saw the former needing to fight for their lives.
By Clyde E. Dawkins17 days ago in Unbalanced
Somers Too Big for John Jay in 73-59 Loss
See Photos Below Last year, John Jay swept Somers in the regular season, and the Tuskers were likely looking for revenge. An 18 point third quarter lead said as much. Still, the Wolves got the lead down to eight in the closing moments of the quarter. But the elephants dug in and refused to leave without stomping out the home team
By Rich Monetti17 days ago in Unbalanced
Tasmania JackJumpers: Rising Stars of Australian Basketball. AI-Generated.
The Tasmania JackJumpers, a professional basketball team hailing from the island state of Tasmania, have quickly become one of the most talked-about franchises in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL). Founded in 2020 and making their debut in the 2021–22 season, the JackJumpers have captured the imagination of basketball fans, not just in Tasmania but across the nation. With their unique team spirit, community engagement, and on-court performance, they are redefining basketball culture in a region traditionally overshadowed by mainland teams.
By Fiazahmedbrohi 19 days ago in Unbalanced
Somers Basketball Previews
See action and crowd shots at end of article Somers Basketball Ready to Rebound from Last Year with Energy The 2024-25 girls basketball season didn’t return a lot of wins last year and the attempt to turn around the ship maybe isn’t such a great place to be. But new Coach Kevin Rogers disagrees.
By Rich Monetti19 days ago in Unbalanced
A Green and Gold Christmas (NFC Week 17)
Similar to the AFC, the National Football Conference could see everything completed before the regular season ends. It's been quite chaotic in the NFC; teams who are usually not in it are suddenly deep in the picture. Scenarios are insane and wild in the NFC, it's been that way in the conference for a long time, and this year is no exception. Out of the seven spots in the NFC, five of them are locked in, leaving two remaining and three divisions up for grabs.
By Clyde E. Dawkins20 days ago in Unbalanced
