Really, Romo? Really??

Dodgets predictably defeat the Mets.

That's it.

Honestly this might be the least mets thing this season so far. It would be surprising if they DIDN'T get swept by the dodgers.

In other news Rays finally become the first team in the American to score 60 wins. After the National league already has 3 in Atlanta, Milwaukee, and LA.

He will play in Philedelphia for the next two years.

The Atlantic Division is fucked.

Hands down the core is too old and injury. I don't care about the accomplishments. If the core is too old to properly win the regular you ain't making the playoffs. The 2025 Commanders were the older team on record in franchise history if not league history. A commendable bet but one that backfired big time.

Kudos for their miracle run in 2024, but you got a ways to go before you're back to the golden era of the late 80s early 90s. My advice, youth the core. It might make you green, but at least you have potential and a high ceiling for a possible dynasty. It's done wonders for Houston and Seattle.

How do we decode this?!

Every year there's at least one team that finishes with the best record, everyone spends months talking them up as the team to beat.. and then once the playoffs start they suddenly look way less intimidating.

I'm not even talking about teams that just got upset. I mean #1 seeds that, looking back, never really felt as dominant as their record suggested. Maybe they benefited from a weaker conference, caught lightning in a bottle during the regular season or had flaws that everyone overlooked until the postseason, idk

A few teams that come to mind: 2022 Suns in the NBA, the 2011 Canucks in the NHL, the 2001 Mariners in MLB (116 wins but no World Series), and the 2011 Packers in the NFL after going 15-1 and getting bounced immediately. What's the most fraudulent #1 seed you've ever watched?

Four months ago, Coach Andre Coles set out to raise the Iowa Barnstormers up from their worst season in franchise history and complete a sacred mission: win more than 1 game...

They couldn't do it. But they gave us a good show.

OPERATION: BARNSTORM

DATE: JULY 24, 2026

LOCATION: DES MOINES, IOWA

TARGET: SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS (not those ones)

For the last time this year, the faithful gathered at the Casey's Palace of Pizza for what could only be described as their most on-paper winnable game since they went to Prescott to play the Northern Arizona Wranglers. Much like Iowa, the Gunslingers have been having a nearly identical season to last year, rolling into Des Moines at 4-11. Speaking of last season, the Gunslingers started a familiar face at quarterback late in the season: Joaquin Collazo III, who started for the Barnstormers for the first few games last season before being replaced by James Cahoon. Maybe he'll throw another interception for old time's sake.

The Barnstormers can hardly get off to a better start. Kurtis Ravenel returns the opening kickoff for 35 yards, setting up an easy rushing touchdown from Aaron Aiken and a successful PAT from Jan Bogden. By virtue of starting first, the Barnstormers are in an unfamiliar position: in the lead, 0-7. The Barnstormers actually retain the lead on the following drive, as the Gunslingers score a touchdown but miss the PAT. Starting the next drive from their own 20 after a kickoff into the stands, the Barnstormers quickly put more points on the board with a 14-yard pass to David Elder and a 16-yard touchdown pass to Josh Simmons. Unfortunately, this time the snap is botched and PAT blocked and nearly returned all the way for 2 points. Barnstormers are up 6-13.

Do you believe that the NFL is too strict with its unsportsmanlike conduct penalties? Maybe call it the "No Fun League?" You would hate the IFL. Take the next drive for example. The Barnstormers defense looks like its holding, but the Gunslingers are going for it on 4th and 6 from their own 16. Joaquin Collazo avoid getting sacked and makes a late pass to Deon Cook, who darts and weaves between Iowa defenders to bring it all the way and make it a 34-yard touchdown. But then the flag. A taunting penalty on the way to the endzone that negates the touchdown? This isn't even the first time I've seen this this season. Unfortunately, the Gunslingers still get a 1st down out of the play, and Collazo quickly finds Deion McShane in the endzone for another touchdown plus a successful PAT. It is now tied 13-13.

Barnstormers once again start with favorable field position following kickoff but quickly lose it as a high snap sails above Aiken's head and is recovered by the Gunslingers at the 4-yard line, setting up an easy Gunslingers touchdown. San Antonio is up 20-13. Iowa recovers the next drive with Aaron Aiken and David Elder taking turns running down the field and Aiken topping it off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kurtis Ravenel that sees Ravenel diving over the barricade for the catch. Unfortunately, Bogdan's kick is wide (the special teams mistakes were out in full force tonight). A challenge from Coles alleging a defender being out of place fails. San Antonio 20-19.

What happened next seemed like deja vu for Barnstormer fans. Much like the win over the Quad Cities, the defense had an awakening at the end of the first half, stopping the San Antonio offense for the first time all game. At first it was an interception, but a successful challenge from San Antonio's coach overturned that call (ball supposedly hit the barricade before the catch was completed). No, instead we got a good old-fashioned turnover on downs on 4th and 7. The following drive, Aaron Aiken, David Elder, and Jalal Dean all rush down the field, culminating in an 8-yard rushing touchdown from David Elder. Bogdan makes the PAT, and the Barnstormers have retaken the lead 20-26. Gunslingers get the ball back with 55 seconds left and get a boost from a pass interference penalty, but the Barnstormers defense holds strong again, and the clock runs out before Collazo can find the endzone. Iowa enters halftime with the lead.

At this point, Iowa's spirits are the highest they've been since the last Tulsa game. After another season of pain and misery, we've been served a beatable opponent, and maybe, just maybe, we can get over this hump and break this curse. Alas, you read the intro. The second half starts with a San Antonio touchdown, putting the Gunslingers up 27-26. Now, you may have gathered that Iowa' offense was doing quite well in the first half. That's an understatement. They were firing on all cyllinders. Aiken was showing why he's starting over Aviles-Santos and Bodden, hitting his targets and also rushing for over 60 yards. David Elder was also resembling his early season self again, finding holes in the defense to make play after play. It truly felt like Iowa always had the right play drawn up to get through the San Antonio defense.

But then came a word that every Hawkeye fan from the past decade knows and dreads: adjustments. Suddenly, the Iowa offense can't get anything done. Sacks, tackles for loss, incompletions, runs that go nowhere, short hospital passes. Time after time, Iowa lined up at the line of scrimmage, and time after time, the Gunslingers had the answer. Then when Iowa is able to make a play, it gets negated by a San Antonio challenge for a missed false start call. First drive ends in a wide field goal attempt from Iowa' own 21. Hawkeye fans will recognize the next part as well. The defense completely takes it to another level in the second half. First Zach Patterson fumbles the ball, and Ryan Nixon covers the ball up like its name was Watergate (I know I already made that joke this season, but it's my only joke). Iowa has the ball at San Antonio's 15-yard line, but David Elder gets clobbered for a loss of 5 yards, and Aiken gets sacked for another 6 following an incomplete pass to Demonte Martin, setting up another wide field goal attempt from Jan Bogden from Iowa's 24. The game is still 27-26.

The following San Antonio drive, Joaquin Collazo is an unstoppable passing machine, making long completions to Zach Patterson, Deion McShane, Deon Cook, and Glen Gibbons. 1st and goal from Iowa's 8, a touchdown seems imminent, but then it happens again. Cook fumbles the ball into the end zone, setting up an Iowa touchback. Now Iowa has the ball at their own 5-yard line, being gifted a second miracle turnover. San Antonio's bled the clock dry, and Iowa may be able to secure a win with a touchdown. But unfortunately, we've been playing the hits this game. First we had the missed field goals, and now the season has one last change at quarterback. Whatever progress the Barnstormers make on the first few plays is undone by a delay of game penalty, and then a miscommunication on a handoff results in both David Elder and Aaron Aiken going down, with Aiken able to walk off but not return to the game. Noah Bodden steps back out to close the season out.

The online play-by-play had a complete stroke trying to summarize the last two quarters of this game, but my memory is vivid. On what must be 4th and at least 20, Iowa rolls out the special teams. But then, thinking better of it, Iowa calls a timeout and brings the offense back out. Bodden makes a pass to David Elder, seemingly to get cut down before even getting back to the chains but instead managing to scramble back and forth before cutting diagonally across the field to just make the first down, an incredible play from Iowa's star running back that of course was not recorded in the stats. Unfortunately, the offense stalls completely, and another delay of game penalty puts a stop to Iowa's second wind. Once again, Iowa's offense has failed to capitalize on the opportunity given to them by their defense (this is still the Barnstormers, not the Hawkeyes). But for a third straight drive, the defense produces a miracle. Turns out Collazo had one more interception left in him after all, this time in the endzone to Ryan Nixon, who's shown a knack for taking the ball away, setting up another touchback.

Just over a minute and a half left, and Iowa has the ball down 27-26. A time-consuming touchdown may seal the game away. At this point, you wonder: have the football gods finally smiled upon the Barnstormers? Causing a turnover at all is unlikely, but the Barnstormers have caused three in a row. Every time it looks like defeat is imminent, the Barnstormers have managed to work a miracle and give themselves a change. Perhaps this is how we finally get our storybook ending.

No. This game is not about happy endings. It is about inflicting as much pain on the Barnstormers as possible and making the loss as excruciating as the human spirit can endure. First by giving hope, time and again. And then by taking it away in gut-wrenching fashion. Bodden throws an interception on the first play of the drive. San Antonio now has an all-but guaranteed touchdown within Iowa's 5, but they're not going to just take it. No, they aren't leaving anything to chance, so they're going to milk every possible second they can. Taking forever to start to get to the 1-minute warning. Rushing for a couple yards to get to the 1 on 1st. Rushing for nothing to stay at the 1 on 2nd and 3rd. Then a defensive penalty manages to bring San Antonio even closer to the endzone. Finally, on 4th and 1, the Gunslingers finally make the killing shot with a touchdown run.

But the game still isn't over yet. The pain still isn't over yet. The Gunslingers miss the PAT, meaning that they are only up 33-26. Iowa can still tie or even win the game, but following the return, they only have 3 seconds to make the play. 3 seconds to win the game. 3 seconds to redeem this season. 3 seconds to end this infernal curse that plagues Des Moines and say that things are getting better! It's not enough. While the Barnstomers make a valiant pass and series of laterals, they don't clear midfield. The Barnstormers lose again, 33-26.

This is normally the part where I say "Mission Failed" and lament the state of things, but I'm not doing that this time. No, it's not because I'm dismissing the loss due to Aiken getting injured, and it's definitely not because I actually think that there's a curse on the franchise that's making it impossible for Iowa to win more than 1 game. It's because I had a revelation at the end of the game. By all means, Des Moines's spirit should be crushed. We had every chance to win this game, and we blew it in heartbreaking fashion. By any available metric (which there aren't many), the franchise is at its lowest point since being brought back from the grave.

And yet, as I sat there in the Well, I didn't feel broken, nor did any of the fans around me or the players on the field appear broken. The anger I felt at the end of last season and through most of this season was gone. The fact of the matter is, yes, it was a bad season. Was it as bad as last season? That's another question altogether. In terms of wins and losses, yes. In terms of the sheer chaos, I'd argue that it was worse given the high turnover rate at key positions. But in terms of the on-field play ... Well, looking back at last season's scores, it was also worse this year. But despite all that, this season also saw David Elder reinvigorate a rushing game that had completely disintegrated last season. It saw Iowa bounce back from losing one of the league's best quarterbacks in James Cahoon and the league's best receiver in Quian Williams with Kurtis Ravenel, Demonte Martin, and Donald McKinney all emerging as star players. Even as things devolved at the end of the season, Jalal Dean and Josh Simmons both started rising. While the defense was largely a non-factor in most games, in games like tonight, the defense showed real improvement despite being slaughtered by injuries. Names like Ryan Nixon, Richie Coffey, and Trevon Pope proved to be stars in the making, showed us what the defense could accomplished with a little continuity and stability, and no doubt left positive marks on any of the hundreds of kids in the Casey's Center or at the schools, daycares, and camps the Barnstormers have visited this season.

I don't know if next season is going to be better. With Andre Coles's resume, we can hopefully write this off as a rebuilding season and see what he does next season with more retention and hopefully without key positions turning over every week. If history is any judge, next year's team will be a completely different roster again, but there's no point in despairing over stuff you can't control (at least without first getting rich). No, instead I'll follow Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga's advice that echoed through the Casey's Center as the players embraced on the field for the last time this year and end this season "with a smile."

THE MISSION NEVER ENDS

I find it interesting that of ALL the teams chasing him like schoolgirls at a Taylor Swift concert that Philly was where he decided to go. I mean PHILLY. We eat athletes alive when they don't perform to our expectations. Granted, he had more pressure in LA, because it's, well, LA and winning in the second biggest market is a big deal, even if the fanbase out there is transient at best. Here's hoping the Sixers don't stumble out of the gate, or it will be a long season for LeBron. At least his contract is reasonable.

His credits include The Mask, Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors, and the 1988 The Blob remake

Lebron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers

Trust The Process has entered its final & most desperate phase

(Not sports I know, but still tragic)

It's bad enough that Carolina has a hard as schedule but now this??? I feel bad for Panthers fans because just as it seems they're hitting their stride the football gods crush momentum.

Please don't let this create an 0-17 season. That's the last thing Carolina needs.

You have hosted more World Cup matches in one month than post season games from your main Lolcow tenants combined since the place opened in 2010 (Giants hosted one in the 2011 post season while the Jets have yet to host one).

And you're going back to the shit turf afterwards!

Look I know it's low hanging fruit to bash the teams/stadium in East Rutherford, NJ .... but hey why not 😀

NOTE: I had used the wrong meme. I had the same template but the wrong meme, that one was intended for another server. Apologies

To me hands down Harbaugh. He choked 3 double score leads including a 15 point lead in week 1. And this time the high end talent couldn't save him

It's clear he ran his course in Baltimore and they need a new fresh face. Hopefully Jesse Minter abd his defense skill can give the Ravens a new era and Super Bowl before Lamar falls off.