Locker Room Talk

Hello Spotify! We kick off today's episode with a recap of Week 8 in the NFL. Topics include the Steelers officially having a firm grip on the AFC North, Joe Burrow and the Bengals pull off the upset, Tua's first win, Dalvin Cook goes ballistic, the Eagles lead the NFC East, and the Bucs squeak out of Metlife with a win. We then welcome on former QB for the Temple Owls, Frank Nutile. He talks about his high school career at Don Bosco, his decision to play at Temple, what it was like to be a starting quarterback in Division I football, and some phenomenal stories along the way (28:00 - 1:10:32). We wrap it up with a rant from Tom about a new protocol in junior hockey, trending twitter topics, and Espo can't stop with the outro music.

Week 7 of the NFL gave us a ton of storylines, some good and some bad. On the good side, we discuss the Chiefs with Le'Veon Bell, Tom Brady is still the GOAT, and DK Metcalf is half man + half gazelle. On the flip side, the Cowboys are a disaster, the Jets are the Jets, and the Falcons can't buy a win. We also dive into Baker Mayfield's performance and if he can keep the momentum going. College football was also chaos, starting with our alma mater. Rutgers has their first Big 10 win since 2017, and we are buzzing. We also touch on Trevor Lawrence, the Penn State / Indiana ending, Ohio State's superiority in the Big 10, and Lane Kiffin getting in trouble on social media. We welcome on a very special guest, as former professional hockey player Colin Mulvey joins us. He talks about his story of deciding to play hockey, his journey through the ECHL, his brief stint in Germany, and tons of stories with a ton of laughs. We wrap it up with a quick reaction to Game 4 of the World Series and trending twitter topics.

Very special episode as the boys start off with recapping all the headlines of Week 6 in the NFL. Topics include the Titans hot start, the Giants actually won a game, Tampa dominating Green Bay, and Tua being named the starting QB for the Dolphins. Week 7 of college football is in the books as well. Alabama is an absolute wagon, UNC takes the upset loss to Florida State, Trevor Lawrence is the best QB prospect we have ever seen, and South Carolina keeps on rolling. We then welcome on a very special guest, as former NFL TE Ryan Malleck joins us. He talks about his background coming from Point Pleasant, his college decision to attend Virginia Tech, and what it was like to be a player in the NFL (47:47 - 1:27:12) We wrap it up with trending twitter topics and an interesting new outro.

Not our usual upload day, but we are back with another jam packed episode. We start with the breaking news of Le'Veon signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Tom has some great stats about his time with the Jets. Week 5 was a hectic one, with some big performances from Chase Claypool and a huge upset from the Raiders over the Chiefs. We discuss that and more. The Lakers have won the 2020 NBA Finals, we congratulate them and get into a great debate about Jimmy Butler compared to other top notch players in the league. Tom breaks down all the NHL free agency news, and Joe does his usual slander of the Rangers. Our college football picks have been red hot, we discuss those along with the Texas / Oklahoma game. We wrap it up with Joe discussing his battle with Covid-19 (officially a certified survivor) and our usual ending segment, Trending Twitter Topics.

Another episode with tons to get to, starting with NFL Week 4. Our usual Jets talk, the Browns offensive clinic, and Tom Brady looking like his old self. We also touch on Justin Herbert impressing again, Philly coming away with a shocking win in San Francisco, and our current MVP as it stands. The Lakers officially have a 3-1 lead in the Finals, as we discuss the dynamic of the series before Game 4 tipped off. Of course, had to talk about the Bronx Bombers who are looking like the Yankees of old. We then were honored to have on Jake Dadika, former Rutgers basketball player and graduate assistant with the program, spanning from 2014-2020. He talks about his background, his unbelievable high school career, his time at Rutgers as a player + assistant and much more. (28:44 - 52:36) We wrap up with instant NHL Draft reaction to the Rangers #1 pick, our college football picks, and our best effort at trending twitter topics.

Loaded episode this week as the boys start off with recapping Week 3 of the NFL. The Jets and Giants, it can't get any worse for us. We touch on the Falcons collapse, Josh Allen, Cowboys/Seahawks, Aaron Rodgers, and Chiefs/Ravens. The NBA Finals are set, and we break down our predictions for who comes out of the bubble as champions. Speaking of champions, the NHL has crowned theirs, and it is the Tampa Bay Lightning! We touch on how they did it in such a crazy season. We then welcome on a very special guest, Archers Lacrosse Club's newest player Christian Mazzone. He talks about his story, his time at Rutgers, and what it's like to be a professional lacrosse player. (39:32 - 1:16:29) We wrap up with playoff baseball starting and a couple trending twitter topics.

The New York football teams are officially in shambles, and we are here to break it all down from a fan perspective. Tom and Espo get into it from the Jets side, and Mar takes the Giants. Week 2 was filled with injuries, but we focus on the positives of the slate with all the highlights from a fun day of football. The Stanley / Corona Cup is in full force, as we discuss the series being at a 1-1 tie heading into Game 3. Some quick NBA talk with the conference finals getting more entertaining by the day. We wrap up the show with Twitter Trends, another fun one that goes completely off the rails.

Lots of fun this episode as we get back into the 3 man groove. Espo has a lot of explaining to do coming off a 1 episode suspension for his antics on the Kentucky Derby episode. Tons of NFL Week 1 to discuss with a breakdown of each game. The first team has clinched their spot in the Stanley (aka Corona) Cup as the Stars upset the Golden Knights. We briefly touch on college football Week 2 and how the ranked teams looked in their first appearance before wrapping it up with a new segment called "Twitter Topic" as Tom reads us a trending, non-sports related topic and we have to guess what it is all about!

Tons to discuss on this episode, as we start by breaking down all things NHL. The Lightning are a wagon, Vegas bounced back in a big way, and Tom has some things to say about the most recent awards handed out. We then discuss the new contracts signed by DeAndre Hopkins and Jalen Ramsey and how we felt about both deals. NEW SEGMENT ALERT called "Prayers Up" for Von Miller and Ryan Shazier. Next up we have a ton of fun doing a mini fantasy football draft, with insight into reasons for drafting each player in our format. We wrap it up with some props to the Miami Heat and their impressive run to the Eastern Conference Final, along with the question all baseball fans are asking. What the hell is going on with the Yankees?

Change of pace this episode as we welcome a very special guest in Greg Forca. He has been betting horses since he was in diapers, and he joins us to discuss the upcoming Kentucky Derby. We discuss his pick to win, some exacta + trifecta boxes, and everything you need to know regarding the biggest race of the year. Word of advice - do NOT take any of Joe's picks.

After dealing with some reception issues to begin and Mar's power going out midway through the episode, we were able to gain our composure and put together a fun one. We start with someone who didn't deal with composure very well in Earl Thomas, who is now a free agent after recent allegations off the field. We also discuss the NBA playoff landscape and how amazing Luka Doncic has been in the bubble. Tom's 76ers pick did not work out, shocking. We also dive into the NHL playoffs and how disappointing the Blues were, along with predictions for how the conference finals will shake up. We wrap it up by talking about the news that Lionel Messi will be leaving Barcalona and how impactful it is to the game of soccer. 

Lots of catch up on for our Monday 8/17 episode! We discuss the rise of Dame Lillard in the bubble, the gross 90 seconds of basketball between the Nuggets and Jazz, and our picks for the quarterfinal matchups. Tuukka Rask has opted out of the playoffs for the Bruins. We dive into that along with what teams we have been most impressed with in the "Covid Cup." We finish with some breaking news from NFL training camps and our usual BS at the conclusion.

The Rangers got the #1 pick in this year's NHL Draft, and the boys are BUZZING. Topics include the future of the Rangers franchise along with NHL series previews + predictions. Then Joe Esposito hops on to discuss the Ben Simmons injury, NBA playoffs preview, and why college football needs to figure out this season ASAP. We wrap it up with Bill Simmons trying to make headlines and dissecting what he actually meant about Luka Doncic

The most cringe video of all time has surfaced on the internet, so naturally the boys talk about to break the ice. Topics include the Rangers being swept by the Hurricanes + their future, NFL players opting out, Chris Paul's amazing season, and the PGA Championship. Can't forget all the gambling talk as well, which is sprinkled in throughout this episode!

It felt like a national holiday on Saturday as every sport made a communal return, and the boys discuss it all. Judge is on an absolute tear, the Mets are a disaster again (shocking), Zion vs. Ja for the rookie crown, and of course some NHL with our Rangers slumping at the wrong time. Follow Tom's blog at makingsofavarsityathlete.weebly.com for all his picks / articles, he's on a gambling heater!

Welcome to Makings of a Varsity Athlete! In our premier, we talk lots of hockey as we break down the Eastern Conference play-in games for all 4 matchups. Spoiler alert, we are big Rangers fans so that portion is a little longer than the others. We then dive into the latest in the NFL and our opinion on college sports, specifically football!

Back with another MLB playoff update as Joe breaks down his mindset as a Yankees fan heading into Game 4 on Thursday night. We also touch on the Nationals and their impressive sweep over the Cardinals. We break down the new AP Top 25 and debate who should be contenders or not as the season progresses. Lastly, we talk about the Rutgers head coaching search and who we would like to see win the job

Lots to discuss as we dive right into the Week 6 slate for college football and give our thoughts on the results on some key results. Florida finally flashed their top 10 upside, Ohio State is a wagon, and we are cancelling UCF for the rest of the season. Joe gives his glowing review of the Yankees sweep with Minnesota, then we preview the 2 huge Game 5s in the NLDS. Lastly, Joe rants for the first time in a while about Kevin Durant