Let’s give a round of applause to Atletico Madrid, for the most batshit exit from the Champions League, as well as for signaling the end of an era for their club.

The Diego Simeone era very well may have run its course, as Atletico have looked more and more bereft of creative ideas which is no longer being balanced out by their customary defensive snarl and dedication. There was only so long that the club could revolve around and succeed by harnessing the power of Simeone’s figurative and sometimes literal middle fingers, and we may be there.

Atletico had to beat a mostly clueless Bayer Leverkusen to stay alive in the Champions League Wednesday. They were mostly awful throughout the match. They fell behind twice, though were able to Forrest Gump their way to tie it twice. The match’s last action was an Atletico corner, their last attempt to blow Bayer’s house down after 10 or 20 minutes of just balloon-handed huffing and puffing. It went by the wayside, and the final whistle blew, except VAR went searching for maybe the most ridiculous handball call in recent history:

Which meant the ref called everyone back onto the field for a penalty, which Atletico managed to blow three times.

Now that’s how you burn down all that’s left of what you’ve built over the preceding decade. No slow decay, full Nero, full Cersei. Chef’s kiss.

Man, time flies when you’re in the trenches of the NBA. Gordon is the last holdover from the Harden-era Rockets, and a few years removed from being one of the most feared guards off the bench. Yet, Gordon has been the consummate professional, never bitching about his role or the rebuilding direction of the team, and doing everything he can to help the Rockets’ new core develop. At 6-foot-3, Gordon has always been a little undersized, but made up for it with his high IQ on defense, playing his role in team schematics, and was reliable in crunch time for timely baskets coming off screens. He would be a fantastic fifth-or-sixth option for teams with their first and second stars locked down, but they are looking for bench scoring to balance younger rotations.

Best Contender Fits: Grizzlies, 76ers, Timberwolves

The Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Washington Commanders was far from Aaron Rodgers’ fault.

A muffed punt return by Green Bay in the first quarter allowed Washington to put three points on the board. And very little went right afterward, except for a pick-six by Packers LB De’Vondre Campbell to give his team a 14-3 advantage.

There were dropped passes, poorly timed penalties, and injuries, and the game turned into an anything that can go wrong can go wrong kind of day for Green Bay. Week 7 went the worst way possible for the road team as the Pack lost 23-21 to Washington.

Rodgers had every reason to be unhappy with how that game played out, as his squad fell to a 3-4 record. That being said, mentioning that his teammates are making far more mistakes than usual is not a common quarterback practice. That’s not how a QB1 typically approaches their weekly in-season appearances on a program, whether it’s local radio or a national podcast.

The Pat McAfee Show is far from the WEEI show that Tom Brady did while he was with the New England Patriots. McAfee is high energy, creative, and engaging. This former NFL punter does not host a hard-hitting interview podcast, but rather a place where players can feel comfortable giving honest responses knowing that he won’t follow up as voraciously as a traditional journalist. Also, his chumminess doesn’t feel as forced as can from a local sports-talk host. The candid talk is why people tune into Rodgers’ Tuesday appearances where he talks to his old buddy A.J. Hawk and ex-Indianapolis Colts punter McAfee.

If Rodgers’ comments on Tuesday were, at worst, that players who make too many mistakes need to be removed from the field, maybe it would come off like he’s pouting. But the truth would be easier to handle. Instead, when McAfee asked Rodgers how he evaluates the tape after a game like the loss to Washington, and how he felt about his own performance, the Packers’ QB let it be known that no one should blame him at all.

“This was my highest graded game by [Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements],” Rodgers said on the show. “Which people may be surprised to hear, but we probably didn’t execute. A lot of drops. A couple of missed throws, but mean we’re behind the sticks you know. It’s second-and-20, third-and-25, way too many penalties. Way too many drops. Not enough rushing attempts cause we were behind the sticks the whole time.”

As long as he’s not calling out teammates by name, I have no problem with him pointing out that they need to play better. It isn’t even necessary for Rodgers to fall on the sword every week and say, “Everything starts with me. I have to play better.” It’s disingenuous when all know that the best player is not the main problem.

But to take the extra step to point out that your new quarterback coach gave you the highest grade on a game this season came off as smug. Rodgers isn’t the main reason for Green Bay’s losing ways, but the signal-caller isn’t completely blameless for his team’s recent struggles. He is living off of screens, quick routes and shovel passes. Rodgers is famous for buying time and launching the ball like it came out of the world’s most accurate T-shirt cannon. That talent is why some believe that he is the greatest quarterback of all time. Those big plays are few and far between these days from a 38-year-old QB, even if he is not making the same boneheaded mistakes as his younger teammates. If he was playing better, they would be better.

For him to elevate himself above the team the way that he did will do little to curb any perception that he is arrogant. It’s one thing, to be honest, it’s another to wash your hands of a problem and say you’re kicking ass and everyone else needs to get it together. 

How much is an electric, but oft-injured pitcher worth? The two-time Cy Young winner is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, but given his numerous stints on the IL, the Mets’ righty likely won’t be worth as much on the market as his stats would indicate.

That makes deGrom the perfect signing candidate for any team willing to take a massive risk on a starting pitcher — aka any team in dire need of an ace or with enough depth to withstand him missing chunks of time. That screams the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and Toronto Blue Jays to me.

Adam Wainright is likely headed into retirement, and while St. Louis has a lot of talented starters, the Cards don’t have anyone who changes the game. Nobody in that rotation strikes fear into opposing batsmen. The deGrominator would change that. That said, St. Louis’ focus will likely be on re-negotiating Nolan Arenado’s contract (more on him later) and the Cardinals aren’t known for making massive moves in free agency anyway. The Red Birds acquired both National League MVP favorites Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt via trade.

Toronto has three great starters in Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah, and Ross Stripling, but free agent splash Jose Berríos didn’t turn out how the team hoped. Even if deGrom ends up missing more time in 2023, the Blue Jays would be fine with banking on a bounce-back from the former Minnesota Twin. However, deGrom would be that ace in the hole that would cover all their bases, if he stays healthy. That said, there haven’t been any links between the Blue Jays and the four-time All-Star. That’s not the case for the final team.

Around the middle of the season, ESPN insider Buster Olney tweeted that the Mets’ NL East rival would be the favorite to land deGrom should he opt out of his contract. Well, it seems that deGrom will do so, and Atlanta makes perfect sense. Do the Braves need the former Rookie of the Year? No. Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Charlie Morton, and Spencer Strider are a fearsome foursome. There’s almost no room for the 34-year-old. He would put the Braves over the edge, however. A rotation of that magnitude hasn’t been seen from any team other than the Dodgers — they have three to four aces every year — since the 2011 Phillies trotted out Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee, and Vance Worley (he was good at the time). Given the mutual interest, Atlanta seems the most likely option.

Prediction: deGrom goes down to Georgia

This week on the Real Golf Pros of Saudi Arabia, Rory McIlroy says the feud between the PGA and LIV Golf is “out of control.” The new world No. 1 was asked yet again about the upstart competitor and, as he always does, didn’t shy away from warning fans that this fissure will soon become unfixable — as if it’s not already.

In an interview with The Guardian, the Northern Ireland golfer said, “This ‘us vs. them’ thing has gotten way out of control already.

“If the two entities keep doubling down in both directions, it is only going to become irreparable. We are going to have a fractured sport for a long time. That is no good for anyone.”

Well, that’s not entirely true. You could argue that McIlroy has benefited more than any other golfer despite not taking a pallet of money to defect to Saudi Golf. As mentioned in the intro, McIlroy is the new world No. 1 after winning the CJ Cup in South Carolina on Sunday and playing well last season. He took home the FedEx Cup to end the year and had four top-10 finishes at the majors, including second at the Masters and third at The British Open.

It’s definitely been a resurgence for the 33-year-old golfer with four career major wins, though none since 2014. If he maintains this form, he’ll surely break that drought, but it’s hard to tell whether this success is coming from a rekindled alpha approach stemming from this Saudi golf stuff, or if he’s enjoying the weaker competition.

To be honest, it’s likely a mixture of both. Cam Smith was the world No. 2 after he won The Open Championship, and with the way he was golfing, it’s perfectly reasonable to say he could just as easily be No. 1 had he not opted to sully his career playing glorified Top Golf for Greg Norman and crew.

McIlroy has been the most outspoken voice against the Saudi Tour. As refreshing as it is though, we’re entering a territory where he’s bordering on giving the enemy free press. I know reporters have to ask him about it, and right now it’s one of the easiest stories to write about, with both sides chirping like petty schoolchildren trying to get the last barb in.

Here are a couple more quotes from McIlroy’s interview over the weekend.

“I think it is the first time in my life that I have felt betrayal, in a way. You build bonds with these people through Ryder Cups and other things. Them knowing that what they are about to do is going to jeopardize them from being a part of that ever again?

“I would like to think the Ryder Cup means as much to them as it does to me. Maybe it does. But knowing what the consequences could be, I just could never make that decision.”

OK, man, I get it. The Ryder Cup is special, but is this the first time in your life you’ve ever felt betrayed? This is no Red Wedding. At its core, the Ryder Cup is a team-building function among co-workers. That tournament is cool because the gallery actually gets to show emotion — and that’s about it. Ask a non-golf nerd who’s won the past five Ryder Cups, and they’d have as much success as a kid taking a true-false test not having studied.

“I feel like the place where they have been able to build their legacy and build their brand, they have just left behind,” McIlroy continued.

“If people felt so aggrieved about some things, I’d rather be trying to make those changes from inside the walls than trying to go outside and be disruptive.”

While all valid points, a certain level of complicity falls on the PGA and its payout policy that irked so many players but has been boosted since the defections started (a clear direct response to them). At this juncture, the PGA guys should stop commenting on the Saudi golf league, and not in a “Please don’t talk about this because I’m about to jump ship way,” that Brooks Koepka and others did.

If you’ve noticed — and you probably haven’t because the events are basically broadcast on the dark web — nobody really gives a shit about these Saudi tourneys. They don’t have a TV partner, and refuted reports that they’re going to pay Fox Sports to air their radioactive product. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone hit a hole in one, and they didn’t have enough witnesses to get it printed in a newspaper.

The best thing to do is let the Saudi defectors toil away in obscurity until they realize that the purses are as hollow as the league itself. Rory can keep answering questions, but in a blunt, terse manner that would make Bill Belichick proud. Droning on about betrayal, irreconcilable differences, legacy, etc. keeps these ass clowns in the headlines. And if we know anything about the Saudi tour’s biggest fan and sponsor, staying in the headlines only serves to legitimize people who absolutely shouldn’t be. Let’s test the theory that if you shoot a career low, and no one bothered to watch, does it make a golf league?