It certainly is FIRE SEASON! The once annual Wildfire Season has now become year round. We see record setting wildfires burning not just on the U.S. West Coast, but in Canada, the Southwest U.S., Hawaii, the Amazon, and even Europe. But now…we’re looking at the FIRE SEASON IN SPORTS!
…Well….the FIRE surrounding Nolan Arenado’s possible trade has finally been put out. The Cards are sending him to Arizona along with $30m +/- for a RHP, Jack Martinez, a 2025, 6th round draft pick out of Arizona State. Martinez, 22, pitched at the collegiate level last spring for the Az State Sun Devils. In 15 starts for ASU, the 6-foot-4 right-hander had 110 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings and a 5.47 ERA. Basically, the Cards “bought their way” out of the Arenado contract. It seems to me to be a complete “dump” to get rid of his contract. This rookie pitcher, IF he makes the Cards roster(which I don’t think he will), has a long way to go. A 5.47 ERA in college competition has to make one wonder. I hate to say it…but his arrival to the roster seems very similar to several of the pitchers acquired from Boston…all are hard firing pitchers with 90+mph fastballs who have a lot to prove with their control & effectiveness. But, all are very young with very meager salaries(key point for current Cardinal management) reflecting their experience.
…what do the betting experts think about the 2026 Cardinals team currently? Well, according to major sportsbooks like BetMGM and BetOnline, the Cards are predicted for 73 wins next year. That means that the Cards record is forecast in 2026 to be 73-89 …not much to get FIRED UP about!
…I wish someone would light a FIRE under the Blues! Halfway through the 25-26 season, the Blues are in 7th place in their division. It’s hard to point out a single weakness. The Blues are last in the Western Conference in goals (117) and meanwhile, have allowed 161 goals (2nd most in the entire NHL, only 1 less than Vancouver’s 166-the last place team in Pacific division). That’s a bad combination. I’m not a hockey expert by a long shot but it seems to me that the Blues don’t have sustained attacks in the offensive zone very often.
… the FIRE burns heavily each year to make trades to “upgrade” their team. Rumors are very common. Very, very few players are “untouchables” throughout their entire career. The Blues have kicked around offers for Faulk, Schenn, Kyrou & Binnington while the Blues have suffered through some tough times on the ice in the first half of the 25-26 season. But now, even Robert Thomas’ name has entered on a trade board (for the 1st time)! Hockey Writer for the Athletic, Chris Johnston, ranks him #11 on the list of the Trade Board. Other Blues on the “Trade Board” are Justin Faulk @ #9 (surprisingly high to me) Binnington @ #18, Schenn@#25 & Kyrou @#35. The others have been there since the poor start to the 25-26 season. It’s Thomas’ first time being listed. It appears to me that the Blues are considering dumping the salaries of any highly paid players, no matter their skill level.(Please, don’t tell me that they want to follow the Cards DUMP mode)! When you do that…you’re trading away your best players and weakening your team. Thomas (6th year) & Kyrou (5th year) of their identical 8 year contracts @ $8.125m yearly! Thomas’ offensive numbers in 25-26 are lower than expected. He has 10 goals & 30 points in 40 games(about 1/2 of season) this year. That is far beneath his point-per-game pace of the past 2 seasons. Trading someone who’s having a “down” season diminishes the “return” in the trade. Forget the trade talk in 25-26 season, reevaluate his skills post-season (am I being hopeful or what?) in the off season, THEN make a determination.
…At the conclusion of the 2025 College football season, there was a WILD FIRE of Head Coaches being FIRED. Take a look at the changes at the “big time” schools—Michigan–Sherrone Moore (18-8, 2 seasons);Washington State- Jimmy Rogers (Hired by Iowa State); Kentucky-Mark Stoops (82-80, 13 seasons); Michigan State- Jonathan Smith (9-15, 2 seasons); UCLA- DeShaun Foster (5-10, 2 seasons); LSU-Brian Kelly (34-14, 4 seasons); Florida-Billy Napier(4 seasons); Auburn-Hugh Freeze (15-19, 3 seasons); Arkansas-Sam Pittman (32-34, 6 seasons); Penn State (James Franklin);Stanford-Troy Taylor (6-18, 2 seasons); Oregon State-Trent Bray (5-14, 2 seasons); Oklahoma State-Mike Gundy (170-90, 21 seasons-fired Sept 23). Brent Pry (Virginia Tech), Trent Dilfer (UAB), Jay Norvell (Colorado State), Jonathan Smith (Michigan State) were also terminated.
…My supposition is that the BIG, BIG MONEY involved in college football now demands constant winning seasons. Hence, coaches are scheduling several cupcake games in their non-league schedule to make their record “look good and keep their job” even if it means playing D-2 teams. e.g. Mizzou. With the NIL money now floating around like mosquitoes on a summer night, it’ll be extremely difficult to sign Freshman, develop them for a couple years & play them as Juniors & Seniors. The NIL money demands WINNING..and winning BIG each and every year.
…The Chicago Cubs off-season has been ON FIRE! The Cubs have acquired two strong assets. The Cubs signed free-agent, Alex Bregman, to a 5-year, $175 million contract. At Boston last year (similar to Wrigley field in its “friendliness” to batters), Bregman batted .273 (1 point over his lifetime average of .272), 18 home runs, 62 RBI’s in his 114 games. He should be a valuable contributor beyond his numbers. In addition to the leadership he’ll bring to the Cubbies, he adds an experienced middle-of-the-order bat, a strong glove at 3b, and invaluable postseason experience. That made me wonder… who are the Cardinal leaders in 2026?
…In my opinion, the BIGGEST FIRE centered for Chicago in the off-season was the Cubs trading 4 top prospects for starting pitcher, Edward Cabrera. This 27 year old RHP, Miami’s ace, according to most experts, is stepping into his prime years as an MLB hurler. He was 8-7 last year with a 3.53 ERA . In his 26 starts for the worst team in the NL. He struck out 150 batters in 137 innings!! From my view, with this addition, the Cubs have separated themselves from the rest of the NL Central Division. I’m afraid that the sleeping giant in Chicago is waking up!! 😊
…Maybe the FIRE of winning will come back to the Cardinals. I’m thrilled to see that Yadi Molina will become a part owner ($300m) of the Cardinals. I only wish he was the SOLE owner…but heck, let’s be grateful that we have a real “baseball man” in the upper echelon of the Cards brass!! We don’t know Yadi’s goal but I’m hoping that it’s a start of the end for the DeWitts. Let’s hope it “works out”
…The Billikens are on FIRE on the court thus far! SLU jumped out to a comfortable 44-24 halftime lead over LaSalle (5-12) in an A-10 conference game. With just 8 minutes remaining in the contest, the Billikens still held a 24 point lead. LaSalle kept playing hard and by games end had cut the margin to 12 points as the final score was SLU 84 LaSalle 72 but the game really wasn’t that close. The Billikens shot 56.9% from the field for the game. You don’t have those type of numbers unless you shoot quality shots.
….Don’t get burned by the FIRE of notoriety, huge money, tons of big money in college, etc.! But, only the very most talented college players reach the NFL. In fact, only, about 0.4-0.5% (that’s less than ½ of 1%) make it to the NFL rosters. So, the more I see the development of the NIL money expanding and the less & less college degrees sliding away from these athletes, I get concerned. The vast majority of these athletes will NOT be playing in the NFL! So, develop young adults for the “real world” that follows college. Provide them with the skills necessary to “make it” in life w/o football.
…On the other side of it… a NEW FIRE is beginning. Notre Dame lit the FIRE in a big way as they declined all bowl offers. Their idea is that if you don’t make the National Championship Bowls… why play at all? I look for more…many more… schools to follow their lead. I mean spring practice starts in mid-March. Giving up Christmas break to practice a couple extra weeks for a meaningless bowl isn’t anything too special for these Big-Time schools, players, or coaches(recruiting time).
…In a sign of the FIERY times in College sports, 2 players from Alabama have transferred to Ohio State. With the NCAA removal of the 1 year waiting period after transferring and no doubt, a rich “financial bonus”, these players are moving from a team that was 11-4 and won the 1st round of the College Football playoff. James Smith played in all 15 games during the 2025 season, starting 12 of them, and recorded 28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Qua Russaw, despite injuries in 2025, showcased his potential in earlier seasons, including a standout 2024 campaign with 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Both players were praised by Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack for their unique talents, with Russaw described as “the freakiest athlete on the defense” and Smith noted for his explosiveness. It seems obvious to me that Ohio State went out and “bought them” to strengthen their already powerful team. This seems like a very bad, rocky road to me. In time, only the 2 largest conferences(SEC & Big 10) will be D1. Which other schools, and their boosters, can pay out such large sums of money to procure “star” players” as the teams in those 2 conferences? Will the NCAA ever devise a system of grouping teams by the total expenditures of their NIL money to these professionals?
…The NCAA will remove all the FIRE about a “voted” champion in football with their formation of the Championship Bracket. I love that the NCAA Football will now have a “real” NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPION. All the bluster, BS, & FIRED up boosters that claimed w/o a championship game, that their team was the #1 for decades team, must now step subside-Thankfully!! The Championship will be won on the field!! It’s making so much money for the NCAA that it will become an 8 team tournament very shortly. Then, in a few years a 12 team tournament, and then it’ll become a 16 team tournament. Money talks! Meanwhile, the extensive Bowl system will take a “real hit”.
…Thanks for your read! I hope that I’ve FIRED UP some emotion in you in some of these topics above. YOUR comments are ALWAYS invited..just put them directly on my Facebook page or send to me. You can’t be wrong, they are YOUR opinions. Bob
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