Charlie Voelker

Heading into the 54th season as the NFL's prime time television staple, Monday Night Football's first game of the 2023 season will feature two of New York's biggest stars.

Aaron Rodgers has some history to put in the past for Gang Green fans. It was January 12, 1969 when New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath disappeared into the locker-room waving his one index finger after defeating the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, 16-7.

As most of the Buffalo Bills players arrived on Monday, ready for business with their Offseason Training Activities, their All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen may have been think about "free agency."

From Green Bay to New York, from darkness retreats, now to politics, future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers always seems to have something to say. This time, the soon-to-be Jets QB hopes to influence the 2024 Presidential elections.

There are plenty of reasons to question the Fédération Internationale de Football Association or FIFA, the governing body of professional soccer. The organization has been riddled controversy for decades. In 2015, more than two dozen FIFA officials were implicated in a 24-year corruption scandal that reached the highest levels of FIFA management. Bribery connected to the awarding of hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup to Russia and this year's 2022 World Cup to Qatar were big factors in the corruption. Now, two days prior to the start, fans are told they can not buy beer with alcohol in the stadium. What?

It was a long road just to choose a destination for Dior Johnson and his on-court talents. ESPN ranked him amongst the best 40 freshman college basketball players in the nation coming into the season. Four high schools and three college commitments may have been a troublesome sign for some programs. However, University of Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel was confident that his team was a good fit for Johnson. Now, that all could be in jeopardy for the one-time Syracuse University commit.

Well, for many Mets fans Sunday night was not an evening to remember. New York lost in their Game 3 elimination match-up with the San Diego Padres. However, for one University at Albany alum, it was probably another cool experience on an incredibly impressive resume. What makes this Great Dane so special that she was throwing out a first pitch prior to the biggest Mets game of the year, in front of a national TV audience?