2025 Week #4

Jay and I turned in winning weeks ATS last week. So why did it feel so bad? Well, there were quite a few games we both lost thanks to really screwy things, including special teams snafus and such, but we won the Eagles game that way, so there's that. I think we hated having a Lock-Off in such a blah game between the Cards and Niners, and it ended the way it should have, with the 2½-point favorite winning and still managing not to cover. But we should be thrilled that we went over .500. We'll try to keep the mo going this week, though Jay is crapping on my Lock because he thinks a hot 3-0 opponent (ClipperChargers) is the exact wrong time to put a rookie QB in the lineup, which is what Brian Daboll is doing in New York by starting Jaxson Dart and benching Russell Wilson. I say it's the exact right time. The Giants will rally around the kid, the D will get after Justin Herbert, and the G-Men will win straight up. And you can invest with confidence because I'm not betting on it. I'm taking a week off. Here are our NFL picks for Week 4, featuring seven head-to-head picks between Jay and me:

2025 Week #3

In a perverse way, this is what makes our picks fun: Jay and I independently took a random West Coast game with a backup QB that wouldn't normally get much attention from us, and we decided that one team was our Lock of the Week from that game. But he took one team, and I took the other. How?? It's so out of left field, and it's why the unpredictability of our picks is the secret sauce. We don't even know which way we're going to go sometimes. It's our first Lock-Off in some time, probably a couple years, and it's big because Jay is already up 1-0 and I don't want to go down two Locks, much less drop my first three of the year. We're battling on seven games total for the week, and not all early either. Here's the slate for NFL Week 3 against the spread:

 

2025 Week #2

Time for some Overreaction Theatre as always happens to some extent in picking NFL games in the second week of the season. I tried really hard to stick to my guns and not pick games based on last week, but in some cases you have to pay some mind because otherwise you might pick Bryce Young. And no one should pick Bryce Young after that crap in Jacksonville. Jay and I fight in the early window, differing on six games and singing Kumbaya on all the others. Here is the Week 2 slate:

2025 Week #1

It's a new era for our podcast here at IMLD. Tonight was our first picks show on our new platform, riverside.fm. There are pluses and minuses of course. The biggest minus is, there isn't a singular website where you can just go to a URL and poof, there's the show. You can subscribe to it on either Apple/iTunes or Spotify. Just search for In Much Less Detail. So there will be no link to the show on the weekly picks post here. The show is out there, you have to find it yourself but it's there. Jay and I disagree on seven games this first Sunday of the new NFL season, and we had some solid arguments for and against those picks, so if you really want a football breakdown before you make your investments, find our show and subscribe. Here is the Week 1 board:

Hall of Fame/Hall of Infamy: The Master List

Here is the long-promised list of all the previous Hall of Fame/Hall of Infamy inductions. I intend to update the list after every induction ceremony, so bookmark this blog post now!

Jay’s NFL Inductions

2011

Chris Hanson – P – Jaguars

Bert Emanuel – WR – Buccaneers

Phil Luckett – Ref

Frank Reich – QB – Bills

Freddie Mitchell – WR – Eagles

Rush Limbaugh – ESPN

Nick Harper – CB – Colts

Eugene Robinson – FS – Falcons

Bryant McKinnie – OT – Vikings

Sean Taylor’s Ghost – SS – Redskins

2013

Kim Etheredge – Publicist

Kevin Dyson – WR – Titans

Jimmy the Greek – Prognosticator

Charles Martin – DE – Packers

Darryl Stingley – WR – Patriots

2015

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Joe Namath’s Guarantee

Randy Moss’s Straight Cash Homey

Ricky Watters’s For Who? For What?

Bart Scott’s Can’t Wait

Ronnie Lott’s Boy Howdy

2017

Stanley Wilson Sr. and Jr. – Bengals/Lions

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Kurt Warner’s Dumplins

Darren Sharper – FS – Packers

Tommy Maddox – QB – Steelers

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Matt Hasselbeck’s We Want The Ball And We’re Gonna Score!

2019

Thurman Thomas’s Missing Super Bowl Helmet

Lance Easley & Derrick Rhone-Dunn – Fail Mary replacement refs

Vontae Davis – DB – Bills

Ron Mexico – Superhero alterego of Michael Vick

“Wild Cherries 5” – Porno telecast during Super Bowl XLIII

 2021

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Pac Man Jones' He Should Get A Grammy

Leon Lett -- DL -- Cowboys

"You Got Jacked Up!"

The Fog Bowl

Doug Flutie -- QB -- Bears/Bills/Chargers

2023

Jovan Belcher -- LB -- Chiefs

Blair Walsh -- K -- Vikings

Week 12 2020 Saints-Broncos: The COVID Era

Pat Tillman -- DB -- Cardinals

"Playmakers"

2025

Xaviar Babudar -- "Chiefsaholic" -- Superfan/bank robber

Steve Gleason -- S/ST -- Saints

Blake Martinez -- LB -- Packers

Manti Te'o, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, and "Lennay Kekua" -- Trio of catfish

Jeff Saturday -- "HC" -- Colts

Dre’s NFL Inductions

2012

Scott Norwood – K – Bills

Lyle Alzado – DL – Raiders

William Perry – DT – Bears

Ben Dreith – Ref

Brett Favre’s Unholy Trinity – Cell Phone, Wristwatch, Crocs

2014

Rae Carruth – WR – Panthers

Mark Chmura – TE – Packers

Doug Williams – QB – Redskins

Jeff Blake and Carl Pickens – QB/WR – Bengals

The 2004 Chargers

2016

Tim Tebow – QB – Broncos

Steve McMichael – DT – Bears

Lawrence Phillips – RB – Rams

The 2005 Backup Colts

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Dennis Green’s They Are Who We Thought They Were

2018

The Tools of Terrell Owens

Aaron Hernandez – TE – Patriots

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Herm Edwards’s Hello? You Play To Win The Game

Sam Hurd – WR – Cowboys

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Brady Quinn’s Now I’m Done

2020

Wendell Davis - WR - Bears

Chris Zorich - DL - Bears

Danyelle Sargent - Broadcaster

Kellen Winslow II - TE - Browns

Janet Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction

2022

Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson - Murder victims of O.J. Simpson (if he did it)

Leonard Little - LB - Rams

Jeremy Green - Former ESPN podcaster

Jim Mora Wing of Quotes: Joe Namath's I Wanna Kiss You

Orchids of Asia Day Spa - Robert Kraft's building of happy endings

2024

Johnny Manziel - QB - Browns

Andre Rison - WR - Falcons

Jim Mora Wing Of Quotes: Bill Parcells' Groceries

Chris Henry - WR - Bengals

Ray Rice - RB - Ravens

Dre’s Baseball Inductions

2017

Luis Salazar – IF – Cubs

Neifi Perez – SS – Rockies

Aaron Rowand – OF – Phillies

Dickie Thon – SS – Astros

Two-Way Pioneers Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, and Brian Jordan

2019

Bill Buckner – 1B – Red Sox

Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry – SP/OF – Mets

Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga – Ump and SP – Tigers

Joaquin Andujar – SP – Cardinals

The 2005 Congressional Steroid Hearing

2021

Albert Belle -- OF -- Indians

Yuri Sucart -- A-Rod's Fake Dominican Cousin

Wing of Quotes: Earl Weaver Manager's Corner

Jim Abbott and Curtis Pride -- Inspirational Big-Leaguers

Milton Bradley -- OF -- A whole mess of teams

2023

Tom Emanski -- Baseball skillz guru

Steve Howe -- RP -- Yankees

Wing of Quotes: Rick Sutcliffe's Drunken Booth Visit

Jose Canseco -- OF -- Athletics

2003 NLCS Game 1

2025

Cindy Sandberg -- Wife of Ryno

Ozzie Guillen and Larry Bowa -- SS -- White Sox and Cubs, respectively

The Thing, or The Yips -- Career killer

Luis Polonia -- OF -- Yankees

Lee Elia Wing of Quotes: Pedro Martinez's Call The Yankees My Daddy

Jay’s Baseball Inductions

2017

Dave Dravecky – SP – Padres

A cheese grater

John McSherry – Ump

Tuffy Rhodes – OF – Cubs

Robin Ventura – 3B – White Sox

2018

Wing of Quotes: Lee Elia’s Rant

The Law Firm – Tony Womack, Doug Glanville, and Jermaine Dye

Don Denkinger – Ump

Dino Laurenzi, Jr. – Urine Collector

Jeffrey Maier – Orioles Fan

2020

Curt Flood – OF – Cardinals

Disco Demolition Night

The dove that Randy Johnson murdered

William Ligue, Jr. & William Ligue III – White trash White Sox fans

Tommy John – SP – Yankees

2022

The Shea Stadium Black Cat

Matt Holliday's Untouched Home Plate

Harry Chiti -- Mets

Brant Brown -- OF -- Cubs

Lee Elia Wing of Quotes: Thom Brennaman's Apology

2024

Mario Mendoza -- IF -- Mariners

Danny Almonte -- SP -- Bronx Little League

Morganna The Kissing Bandit -- Buxom Fan

John Rocker -- RP -- Braves

"Tungsten Arm" O'Doyle -- Made-Up SP -- Akron Groomsmen

2025 MLB Hall Of Infamy Inductions

Welcome to my baseball Hall of Infamy Class of 2025. There's a wide variety of inductees this year. I recognize some real characters as players and managers, a fun quote, a frightening baseball trend, and of course, as I always find, some horrible human beings. Let's get started.

• Cindy Sandberg - Wife of Ryno. Infamous for: Getting to know her hubbie's teammates intimately. The baseball world suffered the loss of an '80s icon, Chicago Cubs HOF 2B Ryne Sandberg, during the '80s purge from a couple weeks ago that also saw the demise of Ozzy Osbourne, Theo from The Cosby Show, and Hulk Hogan. But Sandberg suffered infamy way back in the 1980s and '90s during his playing days thanks to his very popular wife Cindy. The rumors were that she was having affairs with players on his team, including young All-Star Rafael Palmeiro, who was surprisingly traded after the 1988 season, and OF Davey Martinez, also dealt in '88 after a couple seasons in Chicago. She was also rumored to be partying in Wrigleyville with fans on occasion. Ryno shocked the world on June 13, 1994, announcing his retirement abruptly at age 34 and coming off signing the richest contract in the sport only a couple years prior. The talk of the press conference was Cindy's choice of attire, a bright yellow dress adorned all over with large corncobs.

What did that dress represent? Was it Cindy's goodbye to the Midwest? Was it a shout out to all the, ahem, corncobs she enjoyed over the years? There is a podcast out there in which a former Wrigley Field ballboy claims that whatever that dress signified, she didn't have any drawers on underneath, but I digress. Ryno divorced Cindy and came out of retirement a couple years later, but the legacy of Cindy lives on. She's no Annie Savoy from Bull Durham, but she is one of if not the most infamous baseball wives of all time.

• Ozzie Guillen and Larry Bowa - shortstops - Chicago White Sox and Cubs. Infamous for: Wildly entertaining and quotable managerial and commentary careers. Ozzie and Larry had rather nondescript playing careers: Guillen was a light-hitting All-Star for the White Sox in the 1980s and '90s, and Bowa was a light-hitting veteran presence on the '84 Cubs, who broke a 39-year playoff drought in winning the NL East. It was their forays after their playing days that gave them new presence and the ability to provide something to talk about. Guillen of course went all the way to the top, managing the White Sox to the 2005 World Series championship while offering quotables seemingly every day, from calling the rats in Wrigley Field "big as a pig" to calling Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti "a fag" in 2006 to declaring love and respect for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro as Miami Marlins manager in 2012, which is the exact wrong thing to do in a city full of Cubans who immigrated from Cuba because of Castro. Bowa was always known as fiery and aggressive; he forced the trade from Philadelphia to the Cubs in 1982 because he felt like the Phillies didn't want him anymore. The Cubs asked Philly to throw in a kid in the trade named Ryne Sandberg, and the rest is history. But Bowa wore out his welcome everywhere--in Chicago, in San Diego where he got his first managerial gig and lost it in a year and a half, in Philly where he managed from 2000 to 2004, and in the media, where he has worked for ESPN, SiriusXM Radio, and MLB Network. Always quick to voice his opinions, Bowa even wrote an autobiography, appropriately titled Bleep!  Both Guillen and Bowa have forged reputations as passionate voices of baseball who tell it like they see it no matter the consequences. Their antics have at times been costly, but they both wouldn't have done it any other way.

• The Thing, or The Yips. Infamous for: Derailing promising careers for years and years. It can happen to anyone at any time: You lose the ability to do what has come natural to you for your entire career. It happens to golfers' swings, it happens to basketball player's jumpers, and it happens to baseball players who throw the ball for a living. It can be a fielder, a catcher, or a pitcher, but when you get The Thing, you rarely get over it. There's a very long list of guys who got The Thing. Here I will list the most infamous ones in our lifetimes. Back in the 1970s an All-Star Pirates pitcher named Steve Blass lost his control and had to retire. A Mets catcher named Mackey Sasser lost the ability to throw a pitch back to his pitcher and was never the same. A couple of 2nd basemen got The Thing in front of major markets: Steve Sax of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chuck Knoblauch of the New York Yankees. Imagine making wild throws in front of those crowds. Braves closer Mark Wohlers lost his command in the 1990s, trashing a promising career. Longtime veteran SP Jon Lester could not throw the ball to 1st base; in fact, when fielding grounders later in his career, he often rolled the ball to 1st, and he hardly ever threw pickoff attempts. The most infamous case of the Thing has to be Rick Ankiel, who was a highly regarded SP when his Cardinals made the playoffs in 2000. He threw five wild pitches in Game 1 of the NLDS, he sailed multiple pitches over his catcher's head in his next start in the NLCS, and he walked 25 batters in 24 innings the next year before being sent to the minors. Ankiel was never a major league starting pitcher again, although he did make it back to the majors as a designated hitter, slugging homers and serving as an inspirational story. But he will always be remembered for that terrible WP spree that ended his pitching career before it could really get started. He and the other players that have fallen victim to The Thing will always serve as cautionary tales to other athletes to never take your talent for granted because you never know when it will disappear.

• Luis Polonia - outfielder - Yankees. Infamous for: Being imprisoned in the middle of his career due to jailbait. August 17, 1989 was a shocking day for a Yankees player who thought he just got lucky. Luis Polonia was arrested in Milwaukee that night and later freed on bail after the 24-year-old picked up a girl after a ballgame and took her to the Pfister Hotel. He claimed he thought the girl was 19, which is icky enough. She turned out to be only 15. He was sentenced in October to sixty days in jail. At the time Polonia said: "I'm a human being and anyone could have made the mistake I made." Umm. Polonia was regarded as a good enough player that the Yankees had just acquired him in June '89 along with some pitching in exchange for a guy you may have heard of, Rickey Henderson. But after the incident in Milwaukee, the Yanks dealt him to the California Angels less than a month into the 1990 campaign. He had some good years stealing bases and vying for the league lead in triples, but he never got over his tarnished reputation and bounced around for years, including a controversial brief return to the Yankees as a free agent. Polonia serves as a warning for anyone who believes their celebrity status will protect them from punishment when they swim in all the excess: Sometimes, the excess is too excessive. Just ask Wander Franco.

• Lee Elia Wing Of Quotes: Pedro Martinez's "Call The Yankees My Daddies." Infamous for: Giving the most obnoxious fan base in baseball a new catchphrase.

Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez wasn't used to getting knocked around when he pitched. He already had three Cy Young Awards and a slew of All-Star selections when he gave up six runs to the New York Yankees on September 24, 2004, as a member of the Boston Red Sox. At the time, the Red Sox and Chicago Cubs were the jokes of baseball, neither having won a World Series since before the invention of television, and maybe that led to Martinez giving serious sonning vibes in his postgame comments (seen above). The sight and sound of such a dominant pitcher calling another team his papa was shocking, and it gave the Bronx fanbase a rallying cry when Pedro came in to Yankee Stadium during that subsequent 2004 ALCS. (I play that sound in the podcast.) But the Game 7 shouting from the Yankee fans had an air of desperation because New York had led that series three games to nothing over the Red Sox before the most unbelievable, unprecedented comeback in baseball history. Boston was leading New York by a lot in Game 7 when Martinez was brought in as sort of a 7th-inning closer to make sure the Yankees wouldn't mount a miracle comeback of their own. And the fans let him have it full throat. Martinez lost Game 2 of that series in New York, and also gave up a run in this appearance, but it didn't matter. Eventually Boston closed out New York and became the only baseball team to win a seven-game series after being down 3-0. They went on to end their 86-year drought and win the World Series. Pedro returned to Yankee Stadium in 2009 for one last round of "Who's Your Daddy?" chants, this time as a Phillie in the World Series, which the Yanks won. But all those chants, helpfully urged along of course by the Yankee organist, originated with the Pedro quote after getting beat up in that regular season game. Who knew that a tossed-off statement in defeat would haunt him for years afterward. Who's your daddy, indeed.

Super Duper Bowl LIX

We have made it to the Big Game with the least amount of drama possible as it pertains to our picks. Jay is what we poker players call pot-committed and has to take the Chiefs because it's his preseason prediction and he has talked so much about how it would kill him to pick the Eagles and watch Kansas City find a way to win again. So he's stuck with KC. I will take the team that on paper is better, Philadelphia. They also play their best when they have their swagger, and in sonning their rival Commanders in the NFC title game, they walk in to the Superdome with as much swagger as they could hope to have. With all that, Jay has the Chiefs winning by 3 and I have the Eagles winning by 2, so clearly, neither of us think our pick is the strongest of all time. Here is the official pick:

 

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