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By: Cristina Hauerstein The National Football League is back in session after the LA rams won the Super Bowl back in Feburary. These are the teams that are playing during week 1 of 18. Los Angeles Rams Vs Buffalo Bills (Thursday, September 9th) Detroit Lions Vs Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, September 11th) Chicago Bears Vs San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, September 11th) Cincinnati Bengals Vs Pittsburgh Stealers (Sunday, September 11th) Miami Dolphins Vs New England Patriots (Sunday, September 11th) Carolina Panthers Vs Cleveland Browns (Sunday, September 11th) Houston Texans Vs Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, September 11th) Atlanta Falcons Vs New Orleans Saints (Sunday, September 11th) New York Jets Vs Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, September 11th) Washington Commanders Vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday, September 11th) Minnesota Vikings Vs Green Bay Packers (Sunday, September 11th) Tennessee Titans Vs New York Giants (Sunday, September 11th) Los Angeles Chargers Vs Las Vegas Raiders (Sunday, September 11th) Arizona Cardinals Vs Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, September 11th) Dallas Cowboys Vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Monday, September 12th) Seattle Seahawks Vs Denver Broncos (Tuesday, September 13th) you can watch on: NFL, Prime Video, NBC, ESPN, siriusXM, NFL+, WestWood One Sports

By: Cristina Hauerstein The season is less than 2 months away and besides the excitment of watching one of the sports again after a pretty hot summer, some people are also wondering what this season is going to look like for each team, I put together a standing predicition of each team in the league. Be aware that this is mostly going to be bias and that hockey is one of the most unpredictable sports - examples like The Vegas Golden Knights and The Montreal Canadiens in 2021-22 - so don’t take this list too seriously. EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Toronto Maple Leafs Tampa Bay Lightning Detroit Red Wings Florida Panthers Boston Bruins Ottowa Senators Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens Metropolitan Division New York Rangers Carolina Hurricanes Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins Columbus Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils New York Islanders Philadelphia Flyers WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators Saint Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Dallas Stars Chicago Blackhawks Arizona Coyotes Pacific Division Edmenton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Calgary Flames Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights Anaheim Ducks San Jose Sharks Seattle Kraken Do you agree with this list? What changes would you make? Go to our forum and comment your opinions!

By: Cristina Hauerstein The New Jersey Devils have been struggling to build a playoff team since their last appearance in the playoffs in 2012. Despite having a few first round picks the last few years, they haven’t been able to build a consistent team. During the summer though, they made really important trades and signings within their team. They have aquired really special players like Ondrej Palat, back-to-back champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Palat played usually on the first line along with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. He was known as a team playmaker and he was basically there whenever you needed him. He has a total of 423 points in 628 games in his whole NHL career, all played in Tampa. Right before the trade deadline, they also aquired Dougie Hamilton, a defenseman who played for the Carolina Hurricanes, and in both teams he has proved his defense abilities He has a total of 331 points in 669 career games, which is still pretty good for a defenseman. The Devils are a younger team so aquiring older, veteran players, might be something that will help the younger players and create a better dynamic for the them to win more games. As for younger players, New Jersey signed Jesper Bratt last minute, but he had been one of the best players this past season. The young player has 73 points in 76 games played this year. He was only signed for a year, but if Bratt plays just as well or better this next season, he will likely to be signed again next year. Another important player is Dawson Mercer, this year’s rookie put up 42 points in 82 games which is really impressive for your first NHL year. Now, if players that the team is already familiar with like Jack Hughes, Nate Bastian, Miles Wood, Nico Hischier, Damon Severson, Ryan Graves and players play their best game this year, keeping their game consistant and never giving up, they’ll be close to be a playoff team or will be a playoff team. More updates to come on the Devils season as the year goes by!

By: Cristina Hauerstein The Nashville Predators will be hosting the 2023 NHL draft and the NHL award ceremony. The was already rumors earlier in the summer that this city was already being considered for this upcoming draft. Nashville had also hosted the 2021-22 season outdoor stadium series against the Lighting in the Nissan Stadium back in Feburary of 2022. It attracted large crowds from both teams and even fans from other teams due to the popularity of outdoor games in the NHL. There’s also a Winter Classic which this past year it was hoasted in Minneapolis at the Target field and the two teams that played where the Minnesota Wild and The Saint Louis Blues. Nashville is a great city to host these events despite being a southern location. It a super lively city and they take their events seriously, from the organizers to the people who attend it. The bridgestone arena is beautiful and the city is full of attractions like Broadway Street, The Grand Ole Opry and their own football team, the Tennessee Titans as well as other big events that happen during the year. Hosting these events in Nashville will likely increase NHL viewership on TV, and in person helping revenue and the possibility of a new team being created in the south for more competition. Specific dates are to come soon. Stay tuned!

BY LILY BELCHER Drew Rasmussen was just three outs away from making history as the first Ray to pitch a perfect game on Sunday. He settled for coming close though, after giving up a disappointing double in the top of the ninth. While the focus was on Rasmussen’s performance on the mound, Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the Orioles was a key win for the Rays as they extended their third place lead over Baltimore to 1.5 games with just 49 games left in the regular season. A third inning, three-run blast to left center field by Randy Arozarena and an RBI single by David Peralta in the fifth gave the Rays an early four run lead and buffer for Rays starter Drew Rasmussen. However, the right hander didn’t need the wiggle room, tossing eight perfect innings and retiring the first 24 batters with just 79 pitches. Rasmussen needed just seven strikeouts during his outing, relying on the infield to get putouts on Baltimore’s soft contact. But, with three outs to go in the ninth inning, Jorge Mateo snuck a double down the left field line to end Rasmussen’s bid for a perfect game. Mateo scored the Orioles only run off a wild pitch. Reliever Jason Adam came in for his starter for the final two outs of the game to claim the win in the rubber match against the O’s. With this season’s elimination of game 163, Sunday’s victory was an important one, giving the Rays a 10-9 edge in their record versus the Orioles this season.  If Tampa Bay and Baltimore’s records are tied at the end of the regular season, the playoff spot is awarded to the team with the winning head-to-head record. This year, thanks to Sunday’s win, a tie will go in the Rays’ favor. The Rays will continue to cling to the third wildcard spot as they face 14 games in the next 14 days. The Rays will travel to the Bronx with hope to chip away at the Yankees’ 11.5 game lead at the top of the AL East. In other news… Wander Franco took batting practice at the Trop, eyeing an end of August return after undergoing wrist surgery. Manuel Margot and Harold Ramirez inch closer to their return to the Rays lineup, as both are in the latter part of their rehab assignments. Brandon Lowe was out of Sunday’s lineup with a sore shoulder, but is not expected to go on the IL. The Yankees are showing their weakness, losing eight of their last 10 games. The Blue Jays lost seven of their last 10 also. Yarborough is expected to start against the Yankees Monday night with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm.

By: Cristina Hauerstein These past few years there has been a lot of talk about moving current NHL teams to other cities and expanding the league to more than 32 teams which is great because it grows the NHL viewership and support. Some cities have been in high demand by fans to have a hockey teams. 1- QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, CANADA Quebec has been the go-to city for most NHL fans when asked where they would want to see a new NHL team, especially since it used to have a team before it got moved to Colorado. It would be the 8th canadian team in the league currently and it would create great rivalries against teams like Toronto and Montreal. The team could also bring back their loved team name "the nordiques" as well the old logo. 2- HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA Houston is the runner up for Quebec. It would help expand the game of hockey in the south, joining teams like the lightning and the panthers as well as creating good rivalries against the predators and the stars. They have an hockey arena ready (toyota center) and Houston being one of the bigger cities in Texas it would gain a lot of comission and TV viewership which would also help the NHL. 3- MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA Milwaukee is a greate candidate as well though not as popular. This team could also create great midwestern rivarlies against teams like Chicago or Saint Louis and the city would have teams for the 4 major sports being, ice hockey, baseball, football and basketball, so the fanbase would be fast growing. Also considering it's a hockey state, it would increase youth hockey and opportunities for minor league teams that a closer to home. 4- ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA Orlando is a great option that isn't talked about much or at all. Another team in florida would have many benefits like stronger rivarlies and more engagment with the sport creating popularity in the south like mentioned for the team in Houston. Orlando also has a hockey ready arena and a large population would go to games, espcially games against Tampa or South Florida. 5- HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, USA Although Hartford is a small city in a small state, there is many teams - NHL and AHL - that would benefit from a team in this city. NHL teams would have more competition and AHL players have a team close to where they play like the Syracuse Chrunch though they are currently the Tampa Bay Lightning affilliate as of this year. It is also a nothern state where a winter sport like this one wouldn't be taken for granted. HONORABLE MENTIONS & AND MY FAVORITES: San Francisco, California San Diego, California Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Indianapolis, Indiana Cleveland, Ohio Montauk, Canada Halifax, Nova Scotia Cincinnati, Ohio Portland, Oregon Hamilton, Ontario Salt Lake City, Utah What teams do you seeing being a future addition to the league? What teams are moving? Check out the forum with these questions and answer! CREDIT: I used 2 different sources to help with this article. "top potential expansion cities for the NHL" By Kevin Braeunie (ginohard.com) "past and future NHL expansion" (prostockhockey.com)

BY LILY BELCHER A Saturday afternoon 6-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians showed how temperamental this year's Rays offense really is. After losing the first game of the series, scoring just one run off Guardians pitchers, a shaken up lineup against Saturday's starter Zach Plesac proved to be the spark needed for a victory. Kevin Cash led with Ji-Man Choi, followed by fellow left-hander Luke Raley, who continued his hot streak with a walk and base hit in his three plate appearances. As expected, Cash batted mostly left handers, as Plesac typically does worse against them, and it certainly worked. After Raley's first inning walk, Brandon Lowe sent a two run homerun deep into right centerfield to give the Rays an early lead. A second-inning RBI double gave the Rays a three run lead and another two run homer by Yandy Diaz in the fifth brought the Rays to five runs. Former Cleveland pitcher Corey Kluber started for the Rays and dominated through his first five innings, giving up just five hits and one run, while striking out nine of the 20 batters he faced. After 72 pitches through five, Kluber put two Guardians on for Andres Gimenez, who hit a three run home-run to bring the score to 5-4 going into the final three innings. Now, with a narrow lead, the Rays handed the ball to Jason Adam, who pitched three quick outs in the seventh. Colin Poche faced four batters, letting Gimenez take second with a double before stranding him. Brett Phillips tacked on the Rays' sixth and final run of the game with a rare basehit to score Josh Lowe from third, before Pete Fairbanks took the ball to close out the ninth. While Cleveland batters threatened, Fairbanks struck out Jose Ramirez (who doubled twice Saturday) with two on for the final out. The Rays win was certainly less than spectacular, but much needed as Cleveland is just 2.5 games behind Tampa Bay in the Wild Card race. The Rays are now 17-5 against the Ohio team since 2018 and 41-15 when scoring first this season. They also scored all six of their runs with two outs. For a team that is obviously struggling to keep their confidence, making lazy attempts in the field and failing to put balls into play, the shaken up lineup could be the next tool for Cash to encourage his offense. The Rays played in front of over 22,000 at Tropicana Field (many of whom sported the Devil Rays basketball jersey giveaway), which may have contributed as well. Cash will put All-Star Shane McClanahan in charge of building the Rays a winning streak in the rubber match against the Guardians on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1:40.

BY LILY BELCHER Wednesday night's 10-inning 6-4 win over the Orioles snapped a four game skid for the Rays, who continue to battle through injuries. Before the game, relief pitcher Matt Wisler joined Jalen Beeks and Josh Fleming on the 15-day IL with a neck strain, becoming the 17th player on the IL for the Rays. The Rays currently have seven of their relief pitcher and four key starting pitchers out, leaving AAA callups responsible for defending whatever lead the Rays offense can put together. Drew Rasmussen started on the bump in the bottom of the first with a two-run buffer, thanks to a two-run homer by Ji-Man Choi in the first half of the inning. After a quick three-up, three-down ten-pitch inning, Luke Raley tacked on another run with a solo shot against Orioles starter Taylor Wells. Raley, who is still batting just .194, has had an impressive few days, picking up two singles, two doubles, and two homers in the first three games of the Baltimore series (not to mention the homerun robbing snag in right field Tuesday night). After a less than impressive first half of the season, he may be looking to prove his value at the plate as the Rays cling to a wildcard spot. Rasmussen gave up a run in the second, third, and fifth, allowing Baltimore to threaten the Rays 4-3 lead before being pulled after 75 pitches and 4.2 innings. Three relief pitchers held the Orioles bats through the eighth, but it was Colin Poche who let Jorge Mateo tie it up in the bottom of the ninth (in true Colin Poche fashion.) A two RBI double by Rays hero Randy Arozarena in the top of the tenth gave Tampa the edge in the third game of a three game series in Baltimore. The win proved two things: The Rays still have the ability to put together runs, but the lack of experience in the starting lineup is dangerously close to spelling the end of the Rays season. The trade deadline will be interesting. Injury notes: Earlier this week, Mike Zunino took a seat on the 60-day with plans to undergo season-ending thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and fellow catcher Francisco Mejia took his spot on the 10-day with shoulder impingement. Kevin Kiermaier will undergo season-ending hip labrum surgery as fans question his future with the team. The 32-year-old, injury-prone centerfielder has stepped into the role as team captain since Evan Longoria left back in 2017, but has failed to play On a more positive note, Manuel Margot could be making his return soon. The outfielder has been on the 60-day with a right knee sprain since June 20. He began running again yesterday. The Rays have certainly missed his offense and experience in the outfield, so his return could be the spark the Rays need to make the post season push. Relief right-handers JT Chargois and Nick Anderson will begin their rehab assignments Friday and Jalen Beeks is set to return at the beginning of August after a short 15-day stint on the IL with a leg injury.

BY: Cristina Hauerstein Desperate times calls for desperate measures and that's what Calgary did after loosing Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudrau had a total of 115 points this past 2021-22 season in the 82 games he played and Tkachuk had 104 points (highest in his career so far) also in 82 games, making both of them Calgary's star players this year. Johnny Gaudreau asked to leave Calgary when free agency started despite Calgary offering him a 12 million dollar deal. The New Jersey Devils also offered Gaudreau a 11 million dollar deal before he decided to take The Columbus Blue Jackets offer of 7 million a year. After that, Tkachuk wasn't happy with the move so he requested for a trade himself out of Calgary. Many teams were contenders for Tkachuk, like the Saint Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators but he ended up going to south Florida to play for the Florida Panthers, while Jonathan Hurberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar went up north to Calgary. As good of a player Matthew Tkachuk is, he has had one amazing season compared to Hurberdeau and Weegar who have been in the NHL for a long time and have continued to prove their worth year after year. If Calgary keeps Jonathan Hurberdau and and Mackenzie Weegar, they can become serious cup contenders, especially if Calgary learns to build around them. As for Florida, they lost two of their best and most beloved players, despite gaining a good addition to the team. Despite different people having different opinions, this was one of the biggest trades of this year's off-season along with Gaudreau leaving and rejecting not one but two huge deals, both Ryan Mcdonagh and Ondrej Palat being traded of to Nashville and New Jersey, the Chicago Blackhawks loosing most of their best players and Patrick Kane wanting to leave the team and also the crazy 2022 draft that left everyone shocked - especially Shane Wright.

By: Cristina Hauerstein As a hockey writer, it's hard to write about any other sport, but one of the biggest MLB events happened this past week and it's a good spot to start writing about the sport. Now, if you're reading this, I hope you are also another hockey fan willing to learn the amazing world of baseball. If you're a baseball fan, sit back and enjoy my dumbed down version of the All-Star game. The 92nd all-star game took place at the Dodger's Stadium in Los Angeles on July 19th. The American League (AL) won just by 3-2 against the National League (NL). It is the AL's 9th straight win and they are also 47-43 against the NL, according to the MLB website showing which teams have dominating players this past decade. Giancarlo Stanton, who plays for the New York Yankees as a Right Fielder (aka, defenseman) and designated hitter (two-way player), was the All-Star MVP this year. Stanton hit the ball at 111.7 MPH. For those who are more familiar with hockey, Victor Hedman, defenseman for the Tampa Bay Lightning, recorded a 103.2 MPH slapshot in the 2022 All-Star Weekend for the NHL and an average slapshot in hockey is right under 90 MPH, so yeah, a 111.7 MPH hit is pretty fast. Other star events were how Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols were at the All-Star game for the 12th and 11th time per David Adler. They were elected by MLB, rather than fan vote, because of their history in the game and future Hall of Fame status. They both got to play in the game. There was a tribute pre-game for Jackie Robinson (MLB legend and all of famer), and also for his wife, Rachel Robinson where she turned 100 years old on Tuesday. A few of the boys were also mic'ed up during the game, you can find it in the MLB's website and on YouTube, I recommend watching it. Overall the 92nd all-star was a success in many areas. Any hot takes on the game? Go to the forum and comment them. Remember to subscribe to comment it.

BY LILY BELCHER In a disappointing 4-2 loss, the Rays drop two out of three games against the Royals, who have the second fewest wins in the AL. Jeffrey Springs, making his first appearance after a two-week stint on the IL with a calf injury, tossed 78 pitches over 4.1 innings. While he only struck out two, the pop-out pitcher held the Royals to just two runs with only one being earned. Royals' star rookie Bobby Witt Jr. picked up an RBI single as Whit Merrifield scored from third to give Kansas City an early first inning lead. Michael Taylor scored in the second off a sacrifice fly to Rays centerfielder Roman Quinn. Leadoff hitter and DH Yandy Diaz hit a solo shot 434 feet into centerfield in the third to attempt to close the gap early. Diaz doubled and scored the tying run in the sixth, thanks to a Luke Raley sacrifice to deep leftfield. Rays relievers Brooks Raley and Shawn Armstrong each gave up a run in the seventh and eighth, respectively. The seventh inning RBI single by Hunter Dozier scored Merrifield and an eighth inning RBI double by MJ Melendez scored Taylor, giving Kansas City a win. The Rays will face the Orioles Monday at 7:05 in Baltimore. Corey Kluber is set to take the mound against fellow right hander Austin Voth. Miscellaneous thoughts: It was one of the hottest weekends at Kauffman Stadium, despite Rays trainer Mike Sandoval best efforts to cool off the team with a misting hose that looked more like he was spraying the team with a pressure washer. Springs' son, who was hospitalized with a spinal fluid infection, left the hospital on Sunday. The Rays did as much as possible to accommodate Springs and his family, flying Springs up to Boston to pitch just once at the beginning of July and then back to be with his family. The Rays pitcher admitted that staying in the hospital with his son has been both physically and mentally exhausted, but it really didn't show in his outing. Both Quinn and Yu Chang had the opportunity to show off their skills this weekend. Most notable, Quinn's fast triple in Saturday's game. Kevin Cash may be playing slightly less aggressive to ease his team back into the second half. There are still four games to go on the short road trip as the Rays face Baltimore this week. The Rays return to the Trop this weekend to host the Guardians.

AL-American League ALCS-American League Championship Series-best-of-seven games to determine which AL team goes to the World Series (playoff round of two teams in each league) ALDS-American League Divisional Series-two rounds of best-of-five to determine which two teams go to the ALCS (playoff round of four teams in each league) DH-Designated Hitter-a batter who bats instead of the pitcher ERA-Earned Run Average-the number of runs a pitcher allows the other team to score per nine innings MLB-Major League Baseball MLBPA-Major League Baseball Players Association-players union NL-National League NLCS-National League Championship Series-best-of-seven games to determine which NL team goes to the World Series (playoff round of two teams in each league) NLDS-National League Divisional Series-two rounds of best-of-five to determine which two teams go to the NLCS (playoff round of four teams in each league) RBI-Runs Batted In-when a batter gets a hit that allows another runner to score WHIP-Walks and hits per innings pitched-how many times a pitcher allows a batter from the other team to get a walk or a hit