Welcome to Screen Shots! This is where I tell you what sporting events you should watch on TV every week! Make sure you subscribe, so it comes straight to your inbox! Have your own suggestions? Shoot me an email at [email protected]!

The most entertaining college football show in the world is back and better than ever with a new name to boot! Watch as me and P.D. break down this season’s national title contenders, talk about whether another College Football Playoff expansion is needed, and discuss geriatric coaches!

Now, to the sports!

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, I made my annual pilgrimage to the A to see the Dodgers on Tuesday. The Braves won, and my dear friend, Brett, was accosted by a drunk Braves fan as we were leaving. He handled it well so I didn’t have to help him beat anyone’s ass, and fate rewarded it immediately by causing the man’s even drunker wife to fall down the stairs. Be on the lookout for a lady in a neck brace, wearing a hideous Braves skirt, and missing one of, if not both, of her wedges.

Look, if Pitt can’t win their first national title this season, then I don’t know what to tell you. The Panthers have made the Final Four 5 consecutive seasons, and add somewhat-controversial Penn State transfer Izzy Starck to a stacked lineup that includes back-to-back National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock. The closest cross-sport comparison I can think of is the Phi Slama Jama Houston Cougars of the early ‘80s. They looked like a team on a mission in their season-opening win against then-#3 Kentucky. Can they keep it up against the Jayhawks?

We’re still waiting to see how long the Aces will be without NaLyssa Smith after she suffered a knee injury in Las Vegas’ win over the Tempo on Sunday. While Smith mostly makes headlines for her dating life, the 2022 2nd overall pick has carved out a nice role for the Aces, including being tied for the league lead in field goal percentage at the time of her injury. Who will step up in her place? Also, this is the last televised game for each team before the FIBA World Cup break.

Liverpool appeared headed for an L on opening day before a boneheaded foul in the box allowed them to salvage a draw via PK in the 9th minute of stoppage time against Newcastle. Hell of a start as we try to decide on a Premier League team to follow. If we get half as much excitement in this one, it’ll be well worth College GameDay forcing Pat McAfee’s music on us!

Opening up the college football season in Ireland! We touched on the absurdity of Bill Belichick still coaching in the episode above, but I cannot get over how this whole thing should be a heartwarming story. A grumbly old NFL coach who we thought wasn’t sentimental comes out of retirement to take a job because that’s where his dad coached when the grumbly old NFL coach was a toddler is a lovely story. It’s honestly pretty similar to Michael Jordan’s foray into baseball. It’s a testament to the ridiculousness of it all that it’s more akin to a Bravo reality show than a Disney movie. Take a sip of Guinness every time they show his girlfriend on the broadcast!

The Spartans have some of the best names in college football, led by Trajan Sinatra and Sirr Bible. Not really sure what else you could want?

A couple of FCS programs who each won 10+ games last season. When I was looking for more interesting facts to share with you, I was unable to get past Tarleton State QB Braedyn Locke. I refuse to believe that I am older than him. At first glance, I thought it was Saul Goodman. If Locke’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he used to be the starting QB at Wisconsin. Whether that was in 2024 or during Ron Dayne’s 1999 Heisman season is still unclear.

It feels like Washington has been near the top of the NWSL table since we started following the league here, and this season is no different. The 2nd place Spirit are led by one of the most famous American soccer players we have in Trinity Rodman. She’s currently the only player in the league with 10+ goals and 5+ assists. Tap in and see what the hype is about!

Phenix City, Alabama’s Kinley Rasmus has been getting her Shohei on all tournament long, setting records on the mound and at the plate. Her dominance coinciding with the inaugural season of the WPBL just feels right. I’m curious to see if more options for girls and women to play between Little League and the WPBL pop up to close that very important gap. For now, let’s see if Rasmus can lead her team to an unprecedented title!

As a certified Pete Crow-Armstrong hater, it pains me to say that he’s probably headed towards NL MVP honors. This asshole crushes at the plate, plays elite defense at an important position, and isn’t Shohei Ohtani. Why is that important? MLB’s Kinley Rasmus has reached the point where he’s no longer measured against his peers. Instead, we put Shohei up against the standard that he’s set for himself. After back-to-back seasons of 50+ HRs and 100+ RBI, Ohtani is on pace for just 37 HRs and 98 RBI this year. However, news of Shohei returning from injury to pitch this very same day could throw a wrench in PCA’s MVP plans. This was supposed to be about Pete Crow-Armstrong, but it pains me to say nice things about him. They should say plenty during the broadcast, though, so tap in!

Somehow, the Marlins are still alive in the Wild Card race. If they want to play postseason baseball, they’re going to have to figure out how to win games on the road, where they’re an abysmal 26-39 at the time of this writing. The Nationals are the perfect team to help with this because they’re pretty bad wherever they play!

Ya know what? Maybe I’ll say nice things about PCA if he helps the Cubs chase down the Brewers in the NL Central. Probably not, but maybe.

I’m not sure anybody embodies the optimism of my youth quite like Jevon Kearse. It was easy to see why I chose him to model my game after as I embarked on my own football career. Kearse starred collegiately at Florida before becoming an instant sensation in the NFL. Nicknamed “The Freak” due to his unreal athleticism, Kearse earned 1st Team All-Pro honors as a star defensive end for the Tennessee Titans. He recorded double-digit sacks in each of his first 3 seasons. Sadly, a foot injury in his 4th year was the first of many that limited his effectiveness for the remainder of his career. He’s still a legend to me, damnit.

My own football career ended after two practices. I was dragged off the field during Practice 1 after vomiting during warm-up laps. Practice 2 was ended after I broke my arm on a tackling dummy. Which calls to mind this quote from one of my favorite movies.

As always, thank you for reading! Make sure you’re subscribed so you get this in your inbox first thing Thursday mornings! Also, share with your friends! See you next week!