Burke Sports Talk

NCAAF (23) Missouri 38, Kansas 21 The Border War is one of the most underrated rivalries in college sports. It means the world to Missouri and Kansas fans, but it hasn’t consistently captivated the attention of the nation. The 2007 rendition, which ruined Kansas’ undefeated season, was one for the ages. Chase Daniel and Danario…

NFL Seahawks 13, Patriots 10 The NFL is back! Some people complained about the season starting on a Wednesday, but I didn’t mind. I’ll take real football whenever I can get it. The Seahawks’ championship defense started off with a whimper, as Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury after attempting just two passes. The early…

MLB Guardians 9, Orioles 5 This was one of the most important games yesterday. Yes, the AL wild-card race is feeble, but the Guardians and Orioles each had the opportunity to improve their positioning. Advantage: Cleveland. The Guardians, thanks in part to a three-run homer by Travis Bazzana in the second inning, stormed ahead of…

NCAAF (7) Miami 45, Stanford 6 It’s still strange that this is an ACC game. Conference realignment — where few win besides TV executives. Speaking of the ACC, stopping the Darian Mensah to Malachi Toney connection this season will be akin to torture for the rest of its members. Mensah’s exit from Duke was sloppy…

NCAAF (21) Utah 66, Idaho 14 The post-Kyle Whittingham era started for Utah in last season’s Las Vegas Bowl, but it began in earnest last night. Despite the loss of the longtime head coach, expectations are still high in Salt Lake City. Yesterday wasn’t much of a test of that optimism, however. The FCS’s Idaho…

NFL Patriots sign TE Hunter Henry to two-year, $16 million contract extension The average NFL career lasts just three seasons. For those lucky players that sign a second contract, regression normally hits before the age of 30. Even if doesn’t, those select few don’t typically improve after reaching the wrong side of 30. Henry, to…

NFL Titans sign G Peter Skoronski to four-year, $100 million contract extension Extensions are being signed across the NFL everywhere you look. I suppose I was wrong one week ago ago when I suggested that contract talks across the league would cool after Matthew Bergeron, another guard, inked his deal. Skoronski is another player that’s…

MLB Angels 4, Orioles 1 There was speculation over whether the Angels would trade Zach Neto at the deadline. Los Angeles, sitting at 44-71, is all but eliminated from AL postseason race, and the idea that the club would benefit from exchanging its young shortstop for highly-rated prospects was floated. The notion never made a…

MLB Blue Jays 5, Astros 4 This game was rambling towards an obvious outcome. Entering the sixth inning, the Astros led 3-0 on the back of a no-hitter by Hunter Brown. Alas, Toronto roared to a three-run frame, thanks in part to a Jesus Sanchez home run. On a day in which both the Rangers…

NFL Falcons sign RB Bijan Robinson to three-year, $75 million contract extension This agreement felt inevitable, as Robinson has been a hold-in since the beginning of Falcons camp. Now, the star running back can get back to work and build on two straight phenomenal seasons. Robinson, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 draft,…

MLB Angels receive:SS Arjun NimmalaRF Eddie MichelettiSP Angel Rivero Blue Jays receive:SP Jose Soriano In recent seasons, we’ve seen clubs thread the needle of buying and selling around the trade deadline. The Blue Jays are doing just that, as Toronto recently shipped out Kevin Gausman and is now bringing in Soriano. The difference between the…

NFL Falcons sign G Matthew Bergeron to four-year, $96 million contract extension Training camps are off and running. The reality of live-action football naturally cools the spirit of contract negotiations. As such, we may see fewer and fewer extensions reached as the regular season approaches. For now, teams and agents continue to hammer out deals.…

NFL Browns sign S Grant Delpit to three-year, $48 million contract extension It’s been a busy week of business for the Browns’ front office. Training camp is underway, but that hasn’t stopped Cleveland from securing two stalwart defensive backs. First, it was Denzel Ward. The Browns made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history earlier…

NFL Eagles sign DT Jalen Carter to four-year, $152 million contract extension The Eagles are resetting the defensive tackle market with this extension. $106 million of the total package is fully guaranteed, making Carter the highest-paid player ever at his position in that respect, too. This is an odd gamble by the normally shrewd Eagles.…

NFL Dolphins sign LB Jordyn Brooks to three-year, $51.3 million contract extension The mantra for rebuilding organizations is to get younger, cheaper and, in many cases, worse. Over the course of the past year, the Dolphins have checked all three boxes. Miami should be dreadful this season. While charting a long-term strategy, the Dolphins have…

NFL Packers sign DT Devonte Wyatt to three-year, $57 million contract extension In most cases, securing starting-caliber players for the remainder of their prime is good business. Franchises normally get a hometown discount when doing so, thus incentivizing them to proactively offer contract extensions. The Packers may have gone too far here. Wyatt, 28, is…

MLB Orioles sign SP Kyle Bradish to five-year, $90 million contract extension The Orioles continue to spend. Since David Rubenstein took over as majority owner in 2024, Baltimore’s payroll has spiked. The club’s annual player tab ran around $65 million earlier this decade, which ranked toward the bottom of MLB. Now, the Orioles’ payroll is…

NFL Ravens sign C Ethan Pocic to one-year, $4.5 million contract This agreement is worth up to $4.5 million. The base value is almost certainly worth a bit less than that amount. Nobody ever said replacing Tyler Linderbaum was going to be easy. Baltimore inked fellow interior offensive lineman Danny Pinter to a slightly smaller…

MLB Reds sign SP Chase Burns to seven-year, $105 million contract extension In a season lacking much joy, yesterday was a day to celebrate for the Reds. Burns, 23, is one of MLB’s best young starters, and he’s now tied to Cincinnati through 2033. The right-hander was previously controlled through 2031, so this extension buys…

MLB’s Home Run Derby was last night. It’s fairly standard for me not to watch, though it appears I missed an entertaining event. For as long as I can remember, it’s aired on ESPN. This year it moved to Netflix, and that didn’t exactly elevate my interest. I’m not looking forward to several big regular-season…