Five topics from sports columnist Ben Frederickson that ºüÀêÊÓƵ sports fans should be discussing . . .
1. Is that McCarron's music?
During most of his interviews previewing the upcoming Battlehawks season, head coach Anthony Becht made a point to make it known there was no guarantee former B-Hawks starting QB A.J. McCarron would be back after latching on with the Cincinnati Bengals. Becht suggested a wide-open quarterback competition for the starting job. He praised potential QB contender Nick Tiano, who played admirably in an overtime win against Las Vegas when McCarron was injured. I thought Becht was trying to slow-play the news that McCarron was gone. Now I think I thought wrong.
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I think the former Alabama star is coming back to ºüÀêÊÓƵ. The Battlehawks have waived Tiano and are down to one QB on their roster. They're going to have to add two, and if Tiano is out it's probably smart to assume a clear-cut starter is being added before UFL rosters cement. Why would a quarterback like Tiano with what seemed like legitimate chance to win a starting job leave this late in an offseason, and why would you let him leave, if you weren't pretty confident in what you were about to add?
McCarron became a fan favorite for how quickly he embraced ºüÀêÊÓƵ and how much he relished getting a chance to play in front of his young children. This would be a big win for the B-Hawks, in terms of excitement stirred, if I'm reading the tea leaves correctly.
2. Kevin Demoff needs help
I'm not going to get too worked up over Kevin Demoff's latest shot at ºüÀêÊÓƵ other than to say I hope the Los Angeles Rams Chief Operating Officer has a good shrink. Someone really needs to help this guy work through his baggage. He's back in Los Angeles. He's still somehow cashing checks from Rams owner Stan Kroenke despite his role as the one of the lead regrettable quote producers featured in a lawsuit that led to a massive settlement being handed over to the STL region. In his eyes, I'm sure, he won.
And yet, Demoff can't move on. About once a year he finds some way to take a social media jab at ºüÀêÊÓƵ, this time over how . Kev, you could have helped with that, you know?
Demoff's eagerness to spar with ºüÀêÊÓƵ Rams fans on social media captures what he is. A small man with thin skin. If I'm Spags, the last person in the world I'm asking to be a reference for any future head coaching opportunities is Demoff, who commands little respect outside of the national NFL reporters who use him for information and access.
3. 30 and 19
With 30 regular-season games to go, the Blues have a 19 percent chance to make the playoffs, per the projection math used at . That's much better than the single-digit territory they were dwelling before their pre All-Star break surge, but going 2-2 over their last four games, including home dud against Columbus before the break, knocked them down a peg.
4. Predicting City SC's national narrative
I don't expect to see nearly as many City SC potshots this season compared to last when the so-called soccer experts referred to the new expansion team as undertalented and likely to finish last in the Western Conference.
Here's what you can expect to hear this season instead: Unsustainable.
A at did include City SC, defending Western Conference champs, but it was underscored with analytics that doubt what we watched last season can keep up in year two. It was a preview of the commentary that will come.
"Let’s outline two scenarios," wrote Jonatan Sigel at .
"1: The underlying numbers, those suggesting ºüÀêÊÓƵ overperformed in 2023, evolve from an analytics-centric talking point into a codified, can’t-deny storyline. We’re referencing how goalkeeper Roman Bürki posted a league-best 11.08 goals prevented (per TruMedia via StatsPerform). And how, per Opta, they scored 19.11 goals more than the expected goals suggested they would (64 goals; 44.89 xG)."
"Two: Those who doubt ºüÀêÊÓƵ, like they did last preseason, look dumb at season’s end when they’re raising MLS Cup."
"I believe, like most things in life, the truth lands somewhere in the middle. ºüÀêÊÓƵ, amid a historic expansion debut, showed signs of regressing to the mean (I know, everyone’s favorite phrase) – or at least losing some ruthlessness – after clinching the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed and as the calendar flipped to October. That Round One playoff exit to newfound Midwest rival Sporting KC will sting for a long time, too. But we, in the media, all learned our lesson."
There's no doubt City SC lost steam at the worst possible time in season one. That has emboldened calls that a step back is coming. This should motivate coaches, players and team officials to prove people wrong. Again.
5. Big game Bolton
Congratulations to former Mizzou linebacker turned Chiefs key defensive cog Nick Bolton on becoming the lead tackler in back-to-back Super Bowls. That's a pretty good recruiting pitch for Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz to use as he tries to recover from the Blake Baker departure. Bolton dislocated his wrist earlier this season. You could see during the Super Bowl win that he was playing with a massive tape/padding contraction on that left wrist. Tough dude.