January 2025 Year In Review

 2026 will be here before you know it so what better time for a year in review. This is something I do every year and it's fun looking back at what has transpired the past 12 months. I used to do the full year in one extremely long report but I have found that people like a summary rather than a thesis. I will tell you what went down and I will do it one month at a time throughout the rest of this month. These events are not in chronological order but they did occur in the month I'm writing about in this case...

January

Jayden Daniels has a historic rookie season as QB of the Washington Commanders, he could've went legend had the Commanders defeated the Eagles and went to the Superbowl but he made Washington relevant again.

Khloe Kardashian launches a podcast with her brother in law Scott Disick. We don't need anymore podcast but if she wanted instant ratings she should've invited her ex-husband Lamar Odom as a guest? I'd pay to hear that...

Ohio State wins the first 12 team college football playoff. The Buckeyes dominated Notre Dame for most of the Championship game. Ohio having four 1000 yard performers on the team may have helped a little.

Jimmy Butler was trying to complain and pout his way out of Miami. "I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball" will go down in infamy. Dude, you get your joy every Tuesday when they hand you a game check.

Speaking of infamous...a woman was scammed for $800,000 when someone used AI to create images of Brad Pitt in the hospital. She apparently sent "Brad" money to help with medical expenses. 

Cooper Flagg was nearing the end of his incredible collegiate career with Duke averaging 25.4 point per game.

Last Christmas during the Beyonce Bowl, yes that was a real event, she announced that she would have a huge announcement on Jan 14...it never happened due to the wildfire situation that would break out.

Speaking of pop singers, Katy Perry decided to donate a portion of the sales of her new album '143' to the victims of the wildfires. Unfortunately, the album didn't sell all that well or have much interest as it is considered a flop.

Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia are voted into the Hall of Fame, they would go on to be inducted later in the year. CC got 86% of the votes needed but Ichiro nearly went unanimous...one dork errr one voter didn't pick him as a first ballot hall of famer and that voter knows where they can go. 

Finally, NY Giants GM Joe Schoen creates a monster when he decides to pay Daniel Jones and trade Saquon Barkley to the Eagles. All Saquon did was rush for over 2000 yards averaging 180 rushing yards per game...he also lead the Eagles to the Superbowl against the Chiefs...more on that in the month of February.

'Fans egging my house crossed the line' says Philadelphia Eagles coach

 Thanksgiving just passed and I said how thankful I was for my wife and kids and my family's health and well being among other things. Christmas is fast approaching and I got a glimpse of my present early. I'm thankful for the eight games scheduled on Christmas day. Three NFL games and five NBA games, I'm just hopeful they're good games and not trainwrecks. Nothing is as it should be with a Thursday game in the NFL. Inevitably, some fourth string receiver is going to go off and wreak havoc on your fantasy lineup. It's like bizarro world on Thursday night football where good players suddenly are hit by kryptonite and start getting outplayed by bench players. In the NBA every game is a tossup, LeBron just got outplayed by Dillon Brooks...I give up trying to make sense of it.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is going to be shopping for a pressure washer after the Eagles' Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears. The Moorestown police say that fans vandalized Patullo's home with eggs and that there's video on social media and that the investigation is ongoing. 

My question for the police is are you sure it was fans and not the owners of the Eagles? I mean the Eagles are paying the most for their offense this year and that offense ranks in the bottom third of the league across the board. Bottom third in yards (24th), passing (23rd), rushing (22nd), and scoring (19th). Quite frankly, I'm surprised they're 19th in scoring, I was thinking dead last. This is the year of inconsistency in the NFL, unless you're a fan of the Broncos. Sean Payton doesn't win pretty but he gets the job done.

Patullo said, "When you talk about what happened, ultimately you want to be able to separate job from your family. That line was crossed. It was an unfortunate incident and that was the part that happened. Us as a family, we know we've got to stick together. We've had a great experience here in Philadelphia. It's a very special, unique place to work and I look forward to all the more games we have and finishing strong in the season."

It's nice that dude is remaining positive after a personal attack but these are the same fans that booed Santa Claus and cheered loudly as Michael Irving was severely injured. I remember visiting Philadelphia as a teenager and going to Franklin Mills Mall and being told I can't wear my Dolphins jacket inside because 'we don't need any drama'. In college I had a chart of fan tolerance which I should bring back and update...LA and Miami are still the most tolerant, in other words it's not big deal if you wear an opposing jersey. I would strongly advise against that at Raiders and Eagles games, Eagles fans are not above vandalizing their own coaches. 

 

Coach Kiffin blasted for leaving Ole Miss right before playoffs

When I say college football what immediately comes to mind? I think of leadership, brotherhood, competitiveness, heart, determination, basically I can see the team winning the championship and carrying the coach off the field in celebration. Ole Miss is an excellent team this year, they're 11-1 which means they're in the 12 team college football playoffs. Ole Miss is in, their former coach Lane Kiffin is not. Instead of preparing his guys for the playoffs he was inking his name on a $91 million dollar contract with LSU. 

There's a way to do things and a way not to do things. LeBron's infamous decision comes to mind when he had Cleveland and the nation wait until prime time to announce he was ripping their hearts out and heading to Miami, to this day I still can't believe that happened. Well, coach Kiffin's decision was even worse. It's so bad that it is unprecedented in the college football world. Sure, coaches leave schools all the time for larger contracts but this is the first time a coach pulls the rip cord on his team right before the playoffs.

That meeting was must see, they could've put it on pay per view. Can you see coach Kiffin walking up to his guys at Ole Miss like everyone shut up, I've got something to say...come over here gather around...alright men, it was fun while it lasted, I'm gone! And the guys like ha ha so funny coach where are you going? And coach Kiffin saying, 'To the bank!' Well, LSU and then the bank.

Dude is obviously a good coach I mean he got Ole Miss to 11-1 that's why LSU's paying him $91 million over seven years. But the athletic director at Ole Miss had to know this could happen. Coach Kiffin pulled this same stunt with Tennessee. Now that was a spectacle to behold. Dude left in the middle of the night and when the students found out they were burning mattresses around campus and I'm sure much worse.

I don't know if that's going to go down at Ole Miss, they seem to be taking it better than Tennessee did...so far, but how do you talk to these young men before each game preaching loyalty, all for one, no one is above the team? What does this message send to young impressionable minds? I guess coach Kiffin said at the end of the day gentleman it's all about C.R.E.A.M. Cash Rules Everything Around Me right coach?Didn't know the coach was a Wu-Tang fan.  

Kiffin said, "This was a very challenging, difficult day. We went through a lot last night with AD Keith Carter trying to figure out a way to make this playoff run work and be able to coach the team. And at the end of the day, that's his decision and I totally respect that. I understand that decision." Ole Miss's AD had made the decision to part ways ahead of the playoffs with coach Kiffin but make no mistake this is on the coach, dude could've signed after the season was over and led these young men possibly to a championship.

Coach Kiffin also said, "I just totally wish the team the best of luck, wish that I was coaching...I just hope they play really well and go win the national championship." Ole Miss promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding as the new head coach.

This is the second time dude has walked out on his players and it will probably happen again because he keeps being rewarded with a huge contract. I just wish these coaches were straight up with the players who they demand be accountable everyday. At the end of the day its not about loyalty, or respect, or love for the team...at the end of the day it's all about the benjamins.