December 23, 2025 • 24 mins
In this Christmas special episode of The Huddle Within, We once again delve various sports events, including the controversy surrounding AFL player Lachie Neale, the retention of the Ashes by the Australian cricket team, and previews for NBA and NFL games on Christmas Day. We also pivot to MLB with significant signing of star player Munetaka Murakami by the Chicago White Sox!
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Chapters00:00 Christmas Special Introduction01:23 Controversial News in AFL03:33 Australia Retains the Ashes05:59 Exciting NBA Christmas Day Games09:06 NFL Christmas Day Matchups12:36 Premier League Updates and Predictions16:21 MLB White Sox Sign a Star Player
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
What is going on everybody? And welcome to a Christmas
special of the Huddle Within podcast.
Merry Christmas to everyone thatis listening.
This will probably come out Christmas Eve, but a nice little
Christmas special for you guys. I'm wearing my ugly Homer
Christmas sweater for those thatare on the video today.
(00:21):
And I am also going to be obviously talking about all the
latest Sporting News, but also previewing the games that are
coming up. And if you know anything about
Christmas, we obviously celebrate the birth of Jesus
Christ. We celebrate the opportunity to
be with our families, open gifts, whether you're in the
(00:41):
snow around the world or whetheryou're in Australia on the hot
summer that we have or not, Melbourne, but everywhere else,
we're all celebrating that moment.
But there is a lot of sports. Obviously Christmas, that's
probably not the most important thing.
A sports bar. There is a shit tonne of sports,
especially Boxing Day. Lots of stuff for Australians
(01:02):
that have the Boxing Day matchesand then they're on Christmas
Day in America or in UK. But yeah, lots to get through.
It's a fun week once all the festivities are done, especially
on Boxing Day, you get to sit down and watch as many sports as
possible, which is probably the most exciting thing.
And yeah, really keen to addressthose for you guys.
And also, yeah, go through what's happened this week in in
(01:24):
the sporting world too. And we got to start on a sour
note and that is that Lucky Neilhas been caught basically
banging his Mrs Best mate, whichis which is quite shocking,
pretty fucked up if I'm honest. Captain of the footy club, two
time Brownlow medalist, back to back premiership player had a
(01:47):
family as well. I'm pretty sure his wife and him
had some kids as well. And even his wife's best friend
had a kid too. So it's quite, it's quite fucked
up the situation. And yeah, I think there's a real
big issue with footy players thinking that they're on top of
the world that can cheat on everyone.
And he's just like, I think losthis reputation big time because
he was someone that was well liked across a lot of people.
(02:08):
But now he's a cheater. So don't really think he's going
to be getting much love, especially from opposition fans,
but from anyone to be genuine. And you got to feel for the kid,
you got to feel for his ex wife.I think, I don't know if they've
officially filed for a divorce, but I'm sure that that will
happen. Got a feel for her and her
family and the stuff that now she needs to go through.
(02:28):
Even when it gets surfaced online, all the comments on what
people were saying and how they're reacting, She doesn't
have a chance to really process this, which which is quite sad.
And As for the girlfriends, well, the, the best friend that
was cheated on, like shame on you as well, I guess, for doing
that because you, you did that behind your, your best friend's
back, which is crazy. Like you wouldn't imagine your
(02:50):
best friend doing that. And I don't know how long
they've been cheating with each other for, but every time I see
like a close friend or a family member, you're talking back at
the Ryan Giggs situation. It kind of irks me as well
because of the like the loyalties lost there and the
fact that she's got a a husband too.
She also has a kid, like ruiningher, her life and her family's
life for a footballer. It just it goes both ways.
(03:11):
Don't get me wrong, it's just I'm looking at both sides.
I think both of them are, but I'm grave mistakes and I was
looking through Instagram seeingobviously all the photos and
stuff and yeah, she really did upload a lot of stuff with Lucky
Neil and her best friends. Yeah, it would have come as
surprise to anyone, but that's been the biggest news coming out
of the AFL. And yeah, I don't know what's
(03:32):
going to happen going forward for Lucky Neil in terms of his
footy career, but I'm sure he's going to a very big stain on his
vacancy, I think because. Yeah, not not good, not good at
all. Just wanted to take a moment to
thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of The Huddle
Within podcast. If you do enjoy episodes like
this or this episode specifically, be sure to leave a
(03:53):
comment and a five star review wherever you do get your
podcasts. It'd be also great if you could
like and subscribe wherever you do get your podcasts so we can
continue to show this out to people that see sports exactly
the way that you do. But without further ado, let's
get straight back into it. But we'll move on to some some
good news and some better news and that is the Aussies
(04:15):
retaining the Ashes officially three and oh, currently with two
games to go. We'll obviously talk about
Boxing Day when we get there. But Australia get the victory.
We had a batting master class from Alex Carey, another batting
master class from Travis Head. He just seems to own the
Adelaide Oval. And despite Steve Smith injured,
(04:36):
despite Mitchell Starr just tired and having bowling
warnings where we had to use Green, we had to use Lavashe and
Travis Head, despite a lot of Pat Cummings not being able to
bowl at the end and just insurance and outs to the team,
we still managed to get it done 3 nil.
And that goes to show how terrible England are at the
moment because there is no way that Australia should be winning
(04:57):
three nil in this series. It's not like the whole team has
been doing amazing. It's been a few individuals that
have just been performing reallywell.
I'm talking Kerry, I'm talking Travis Head, I'm talking Mitch
Stark and from a fielding possession you've got to give
Marnus Lavache a lot of credit. 4 catches from Sleeps,
unbelievable display as well. So just some small performances
all around. We've had players that have out
(05:17):
of form Inglis and Cameron Green, they're not been playing
well but still getting the dub. It's important and we look
towards Boxing Day, which I managed to secure a ticket for
day 2. So really excited to go there
and watch a test. That probably is not going to
mean much because if England were to win the third Test, it
would have been a very interesting game.
We could have potentially one at3 one or but it didn't happen.
(05:39):
And you know what, to be fair, fair play to England.
The the tail end actually battered really well towards the
end, but it's it's really hard to get that many, that many runs
if that many wickets left, but they ended up only losing by 90
or so runs there. So a solid play for them
considering they haven't been inthe best of form.
I do very much think that the Boxing Day Test will be still
exciting nevertheless. But again, there's not much
(06:01):
stakes to it as Australia has officially retained the asset,
asset, asset, the Ashes asset. We have retained the asset.
The asset is the Ashes. We've retained it, which is the
most important thing. And again, exciting times ahead
for Boxing Day for me. Get to watch that and see how we
go in what will be a very good spectacle, I think.
And you know, it's always good to go to the Ashes.
(06:24):
I mentioned at the G, few drinksall day event, can't go wrong.
And cricket's been great this year.
It's been watched a lot. I think it's the most viewed
Ashes ever. So that's awesome and some of
cricket's great. There's still a lot of cricket
to be played. We've got BBL at the moment
going on. We've also got a few of the ODIs
and Twenty 20s coming up next year as well.
(06:44):
So after this Boxing Day and then after the ping test, I'm
hoping Australia can still get awhitewasher 50.
I'll be really good. But yeah, it's it's an ashes
retain for Australia and just continue to dominate the cricket
scene, which is which is always great to see.
But yeah, bring on Boxing Day. It's gonna be really exciting.
And that's on the the long list of sports you need to watch
(07:05):
because what else is coming up is the NBA, The NBA Christmas
Day is always the funnest time of the year having Christmas
games. You have the big schedules and
the big moments and it starts off at 4:00 AM Australian time
if you're keen for that. It is a daytime for for people
in in America, but it is the Knicks taking on the Cavs at
Madison Square Garden. I do expect the Knicks to get
(07:26):
the victory there in that one. We also have the Thunder and the
Spurs, so a nice little rematch of the NBA Cup semi final.
It's at Thunder's ground. So I do expect the Thunder to
win this one. The Warriors will take on The
Mavericks as well. I'm going to go for The
Mavericks on this. I reckon that we're seeing a a
Cooper flag special coming up. The Lakers and Rockets give me
(07:47):
the Rockets. I think the Rockets can take
this one down. It is at Staples, but I'm back
in the Rockets here. And finally to cap it off is the
Nuggets and the Timberwolves with I get the Nuggets beating
the Timberwolves here, despite the Timberwolves doing really
good as of late. They also take down the Oklahoma
City Thunder. We had Chris Finch getting
ejected and crashing, crashing out on the bench.
But I think it really motivated the team and and gave them some
(08:09):
spirits moving forward. So, yeah, all credit to them.
The Spurs are also in great form.
So this Christmas game is going to be really fun because it's
the second and first seed. If things do change by tomorrow,
which I suspect they probably won't, the Spurs will be taking
on the Thunder and they've won six in a row.
Yes, they they lost the NBA Cup to the New York Knicks.
Congratulations to them. We'll do a quick segment on on
(08:31):
them and and how they did well with Tyler Kolek, Mitch
Robertson and Jordan Clarkson carrying the victory.
Who would have thought that actually playing your bench and
trusting your bench could get you victories?
I think Tom Thibodeau could havelearnt a lesson from that for
sure. But yeah, the Knicks take on the
Spurs and beat them. But if you take that away,
again, congratulations to the Knicks for winning the NBA
(08:51):
regular season award for the NBACup.
The Spurs are 6 and O when it counts.
Their regular season performanceare sitting at 21 seven.
So they still have a chance to beat OKC, but I just don't
really see it happening. But again, this is gonna be
happening during the whole day, which is really exciting.
So once you have cricket on the background, if you're getting
checked out, you can jump onto MBA and watch that.
(09:12):
Just wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for tuning into
another episode of The Huddle Within podcast.
If you do enjoy episodes like this or this episode
specifically, be sure to leave acomment and a five star review
wherever you do get your podcasts.
It'd be also great if you could like and subscribe wherever you
do get your podcasts so we can continue to show this out to
(09:33):
people that see sports exactly the way that you do.
But without further ado, let's get straight back into it.
But to be honest, I think I'm more keen for the NFL games and
they're for the first time in a while, they're actually cross
checking with with NBA. We've got the Commanders and
Cowboys, the Vikings and the Lions and the Chiefs and the
(09:53):
Broncos. I'm excited and mainly the
reason why I'm excited is because I actually am in the
MNFL fantasy finals and I'm nervous because I've got Kenny,
shout out to Kenny. His team's looking really good.
But it starts here on Christmas Day with these match ups.
So I'm going to be heavily looking at the Cowboys for sure,
(10:15):
because I do have Brandon Aubreyas a kicker, the Vikings and
Lions. I'm I'm really looking at
obviously Jameson Williams, him as my wide out, and the Chiefs
and Broncos. I don't think I have anyone on
either of those teams. I did have Dobbins and I did
have Patrick Mahomes, but they've both been ruled out for
injuries and will be out for therest of the season.
So yeah, I don't really know what's going to happen there.
But in terms of victories, I've got the Cowboys, I've got the
(10:37):
Lions and I've got the Chiefs winning.
I know the Chiefs are out of theplayoffs, but they've got a home
game on Christmas. I feel like they're going to get
that one done just because it isat home.
But I could be wrong because they don't really have a
quarterback and I think they areshutting their season down.
But the Broncos took a a big loss last week to all this week
to the the Jaguars who Trevor Lawrence, I mentioned last time,
(10:59):
bowling out again, another unbelievable performance from
him, 279 yards for three touchdowns.
It's just impressive. And Etienne, who I've got on
fantasy as well, another solid performance to.
But yeah, they're they're just killing it at the moment.
The Jaguars and they they're looking to be primed for a big
playoff run if they do get there.
They obviously are in the AFC S they're leading at the moment
(11:23):
and looks like the Colts who just lost again today, I watched
that game as well, are probably going to be crashing out of the
playoffs. They've lost their last five.
They've got a 44 year old PhilipRivers, who he's been bawling
for his age considering, but he hasn't played in five years.
They've got no quarterback. They're in big trouble and the
Texans have won their last seven.
They're in top form. They they had another really
(11:43):
good win today as well and theirdefence is just off the charts
right now. So yeah, I don't see the Colts
getting out, but I do see the Juguars taking it out unless the
the Texans have something to sayabout it, which you never know,
they might. They did beat the Raiders in a
close game, but that was nevertheless good.
But the games are the round. There's so many.
We had the the Seahawks and the Rams ended on a on a 2 point
(12:07):
conversion to win an OT, which is awesome.
Puka had a legacy game, 32 touchdowns for over 200 yards.
I had him in fantasy as well. But Seahawks take out the
division and that division's really, really open.
I think that's the hardest division to say who's going to
get out because the 49ers just won today and yeah, they're in
big trouble. The Rams, you'd think they
wouldn't be based on their record, but currently they're
(12:28):
sitting at 3rd and the Seahawks have just locked in their their
playoff spot. So whether they take out the
division or whether they take out the cut spot, they're
definitely going to be in playoffs next season.
So it's up to the 49ers and the Rams who are both sitting at
11:00 and 4:00. And I don't know when they play
next. I don't know if they play next,
but if they were to play the last game, I don't think they
(12:48):
will be where it's not. It's not.
I've just had a look at it. It's 49ers and Seahawks, which
is going to be big. So I can see the Rams edging
this one out. But they still have a tough test
next week because they are goingto be taking on, as I look for
it, the Falcons at home. And Falcons are not easy.
They probably want to play spoiler there.
(13:10):
But the Panthers, because I'm going right straight to the NFC
South. The Panthers get a victory
against the Buccaneers and they're in a prime position to
take out the NFC South. And another team that's in the
NF S are mine, New Orleans Saints, who are on fire at the
moment. Tyler Show is the guy, he's the
guy. We have found our quarterback.
(13:31):
I don't care at this point. We don't need to tame for picks.
We have found our quarterback for the future. 308 yards, one
touchdown, Crystal larvae. Best game I've seen him playing
yonks. 2 touchdowns for 148 yards.
I know it's against The Jets, The Jets are shit but we put
belt arse on them. So I'm, I'm happy with that
because not only did I beat TJ in fantasy in the semifinals to
(13:52):
get to the final, freaking Saints put Bell to us on The
Jets as well, which is awesome. And you know what, every week
games, I know they don't matter,but just shows that Tyler Shock
knows how to win games. And that guy is the future, man.
We've got our future quarterbackplayer, which I'm just so
excited to, to, to say because we've got the Titans next week,
I'm assuming I'm going to put Bell to us on them again and
(14:15):
that'll be awesome. But yeah, 3 Christmas games
headlined after then by the Falcons and Rams, and then the
Bills and the Eagles 2. And might I just finally talk
about DJ Moore's reception at the end against the Green Bay
Packers? The Bears are just flying at the
moment, honestly flying. And look, I have DJ Moore in my
fantasy, so I was extra happy when that happened.
(14:36):
But what a catch, what a reception.
One of the plays of the season by far.
I think it was about a 50 yard, a 45 yard reception for DJ Moore
to catch it and ice out the game.
And Kaylee Williams didn't need to do that.
It was balls of steel. All he had to do really was just
go for a field goal and take thegame out.
But he decided to go for the touchdown and it was an awesome
play. And Kayla Williams, in his
(14:57):
second season, he's doing reallygood.
He didn't have the best rookie season, but he's having an elite
sophomore season and the sophomore slump rumours are
gone. Just especially for Caleb's
Williams sake. But everyone else I think is is
struggling on that front. But yeah, NFL has been awesome
again. Wish me luck for the NFL
playoffs. I've got Kenny this week in the
finals making quick work of TJ, which is awesome.
(15:19):
He won the last two and now I have a chance to take it out and
be an NFL champion. Last year I told you I lost by
less than one point, so hopefully that doesn't happen
again. I have a chance to bounce back
and potentially take out the NFLfantasy and I'm the only Aussie
in there. So wish me wish me the best of
luck there for me please, as we enjoy this Christmas, 1
(15:40):
Christmas, wish Santa, give me afantasy win.
Give me a fantasy win, Santa on Christmas.
That would be that would be awesome.
But we'll wrap up with some Premier League stuff as well.
Again, not the big Boxing Day schedule, but we do have the New
Year's Eve and the midweek schedule as well.
So there's going to be a lot of football coming up.
I do miss the Boxing Day games, but you know how to take on
(16:01):
Newcastle at home. Look, we lost to Aston Villa.
Well, obviously Aston Villa in fucking top form and they're
killing at top three at the moment.
Some are holding out one nil as they always do away from home
and Men City making quick work of West Ham.
Liverpool taking on Brighton I mean, or Tottenham and winning
21. Brighton taking on Sunderland
(16:21):
and nil nil and that kind of headlines most of the main
games. Newcastle and Chelsea was 2/2 as
well. I don't know why I have
Sunderland noise in my head at the moment.
But yeah, some awesome, awesome game this week.
Wolves in trouble. And next week we turn to some
Boxing Day or some late night 27th games with it is a Boxing
Day night actually with United and Newcastle to start the
(16:45):
Nottingham Forest demand. City After that then we have
West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Wolves,
Arsenal, Brydon, Burnley, Everton, Chelsea, Villa,
Sunderland, Leeds, Crystal Palace, Tottenham.
So I'll do a quick rapid fire predictions.
I've got draw for United, Newcastle only because
Newcastle's away record still sucks.
Nottingham Forest, City. I think City will win that one.
(17:06):
West Ham, Fulham, draw. Brentford, Bournemouth.
I'm going to go Brentford. I think Bournemouth haven't been
in really good form as a lay andI think Brentford can get him.
Liverpool, Wolves, I would dreamfor Wolves to win dream but it's
not going to happen, so Liverpool probably going to take
that one out. Arsenal, Brydon, I'm going to
go. Controversially a draw for this
one. I think Arsenal will drop points
here. I think Brydon are solid and are
(17:26):
a good team and I think they'll catch them.
Burnley and Everton, I'm going to go a draw there.
Leaning towards Everton to get the result but I'm going to be
safe on the draw. Chelsea and Aston Villa I will
go a draw to to be safe, leaningmore towards Aston Villa to get
a win, but I'm going to go draw Sunderland, Leeds, I'll go
(17:47):
Sunderland and then Crystal Palace.
Tottenham, I expect Crystal Palace to win that one there.
Tottenham just a shit show at the moment, not performing well.
And yeah, that's all I can say about them.
But we also follow up with some New Year's Eve stuff which we
might break down next week if wedo have the chance.
But there'll be a midweek, midweek games week as well for
the Premier League, which is exciting.
(18:07):
But yeah, again, Christmas, Premier League, NFL, cricket,
basketball, it's just endless and it's a great time to be
alive as well. Just wanted to take a moment to
thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of The Huddle
Within podcast. If you do enjoy episodes like
this or this episode specifically, be sure to leave a
(18:28):
comment and a five star review wherever you do get your
podcasts. It'd be also great if you could
like and subscribe wherever you do get your podcasts so we can
continue to show this out to people that see sports exactly
the way that you do. But without further ado, let's
get straight back into it. In other news that I want to
talk about, just a quick one, because I've been seeing on the
(18:53):
news a lot now, I do not follow the MLB at all.
I have a team by default and that's why I'm talking about
this today. It's the White Sox.
I yeah, I support the White Sox.And for those that do know the
MLB or don't, the White Sox are,I would say, the shittest
(19:14):
American franchise ever. I think right now.
And the reason why that's normally the case is because I'm
like NFL and unlike NBA, there'san unlimited salary cap in
baseball. And what that means is you
normally see the top teams win. And while they're in that sort
of competing stage, that's when they start signing big players.
That's why you see the Dodgers. That's why you see the Yankees
(19:37):
always competing and getting bigplayers.
And today or the other day was is a different day because the
Chicago White Sox who have signed a player and A2 time MVP
home run record breaker in Japan.
Look, I don't know nothing aboutthis guy, but all I know is that
(19:59):
from what I've seen with Shume, the Dodgers player, unbelievable
MVP GOAT up there with one of the best on a crazy lucrative
contract. These Japanese baseballers are
something else and they're coming fast.
And now the White Sox have met and signed Muntaka.
(20:20):
Murakami, again, two time MVP inthe Japanese league, know
nothing about him, but all he did was sign a five year
75,000,000 contract. He secured the bag.
It's the largest contract signedby a White Sox franchise ever.
And this might change the tail in White Sox franchise history.
(20:41):
And the reason why I'm talking about that is because, as I
said, the White Sox have been shipped for so long and now
they've come out and signed a massive free agent, which you
never would have expected. So the White Sox are really
trying to change their fortunes around.
So maybe next year might be the year I actually start jumping on
the baseball waggon and start watching this ball ball.
(21:02):
If he does. And if he if he does, we might
see the White Sox not last in their conference anymore.
Like that would be pretty cool. That would change some things up
that would shape the league thatwould don't get out of the
shadow of the Cubs. And it's it's an interesting
watch, but look out for that because the Japanese boy
Munetaka Murakami has signed with the White Sox and and I've
(21:25):
seen that everywhere. He's also, yeah, an MVP elite.
It was, it's officially A2 year 3034 million.
The the five year 75,000,000 contract apologies was from
Andrew Benitendi, which was the largest, but this is like their,
yeah, their current biggest one at the moment.
So now it's two years. So one or two things can happen
(21:50):
here. Now he either changes the
franchise and balls out, gets the White Sox to the playoffs
for the first time in God knows when.
I don't know because I don't follow baseball like that and he
resigns on a fat deal or the latter happens and I think most
likely this probably will happen.
Now there's two years the White Sox suck, this guy carries the
(22:12):
team and then someone else just signs into a fuck tonne of money
and we lose this player. But again, it's big news coming
out of the White Sox can. And I'm excited to see how he
goes. And hopefully we can sit there
and say that he's changed the franchise.
And then we're going to have a conversation to suggest what are
they feeding these baseball players in Japan?
Because they're coming out and bowling hard.
(22:32):
And you know, Japan, national city, great pride, great
traditions in the World Cup for football, do pretty well in
World Cups, are starting to get a really good baseball
reputation and they love baseball.
For those that don't know Japanese culture, baseball's
massive there. But just having more players in
the MLB has opened the door for some potential tides changing
(22:53):
there. Because you've got shiny Otani,
you've got some few other Japanese people that I don't
know. Like I said, not a big baseball
guy, but now siding this guy could change the White Sox
forever or could just get himself a bigger bag.
We'll have to wait and see. But again, it's been your boy
Daniel. A nice quick episode of The
Huddle within a Christmas special for you guys.
Thank you very much for tuning in as you always do.
(23:14):
If you do like the episode, onceagain, feel free to subscribe
wherever you do get your podcasts, leave a five star
rated review wherever you do getthem.
It means a lot to me. Yeah, really keen to, yeah,
celebrate Christmas and get on all these sports.
And we'll reveal back next week and we'll sort of recap 2025 and
going to 2026. And we've almost hit a year of
(23:37):
the huddle within, which is crazy.
I feel like times fly episode 46now, I believe we're very close
to that 50. And I, I really want to do
something special for episode 50.
Again, if you have any suggestions on what I should do
for episode 50, please let me know because my door is open and
I think it's deserving of something special. 50 episodes
(24:01):
to do something cool. Wouldn't we?
It would be awesome. But yeah, it's been your boy
Daniel. You listen to another episode of
The Huddle Within Podcast. Thank you very much for tuning
in and I'll catch you guys next week.
Cheers. So that's a wrap for this weeks
episode of the Huddle Within podcast.
I appreciate you for tuning in and being part of this community
where we go beyond the game and into what really matters.
If this episode resonated with you, make sure to subscribe,
(24:24):
leave a review, and share it with someone who sees sports
just the way that we do. And hey, I'd love to hear from
you. Connect with me on my social
medias, which will be linked below, send in your thoughts and
even be part of a future episode.
Until next time, keep that passion alive, stay in the
huddle, and remember it's alwaysdeeper than the game.
Cheers.
What is going on everybody? And welcome to a Christmas
special of the Huddle Within podcast.
Merry Christmas to everyone thatis listening.
This will probably come out Christmas Eve, but a nice little
Christmas special for you guys. I'm wearing my ugly Homer
Christmas sweater for those thatare on the video today.
(00:21):
And I am also going to be obviously talking about all the
latest Sporting News, but also previewing the games that are
coming up. And if you know anything about
Christmas, we obviously celebrate the birth of Jesus
Christ. We celebrate the opportunity to
be with our families, open gifts, whether you're in the
(00:41):
snow around the world or whetheryou're in Australia on the hot
summer that we have or not, Melbourne, but everywhere else,
we're all celebrating that moment.
But there is a lot of sports. Obviously Christmas, that's
probably not the most important thing.
A sports bar. There is a shit tonne of sports,
especially Boxing Day. Lots of stuff for Australians
(01:02):
that have the Boxing Day matchesand then they're on Christmas
Day in America or in UK. But yeah, lots to get through.
It's a fun week once all the festivities are done, especially
on Boxing Day, you get to sit down and watch as many sports as
possible, which is probably the most exciting thing.
And yeah, really keen to addressthose for you guys.
And also, yeah, go through what's happened this week in in
(01:24):
the sporting world too. And we got to start on a sour
note and that is that Lucky Neilhas been caught basically
banging his Mrs Best mate, whichis which is quite shocking,
pretty fucked up if I'm honest. Captain of the footy club, two
time Brownlow medalist, back to back premiership player had a
(01:47):
family as well. I'm pretty sure his wife and him
had some kids as well. And even his wife's best friend
had a kid too. So it's quite, it's quite fucked
up the situation. And yeah, I think there's a real
big issue with footy players thinking that they're on top of
the world that can cheat on everyone.
And he's just like, I think losthis reputation big time because
he was someone that was well liked across a lot of people.
(02:08):
But now he's a cheater. So don't really think he's going
to be getting much love, especially from opposition fans,
but from anyone to be genuine. And you got to feel for the kid,
you got to feel for his ex wife.I think, I don't know if they've
officially filed for a divorce, but I'm sure that that will
happen. Got a feel for her and her
family and the stuff that now she needs to go through.
(02:28):
Even when it gets surfaced online, all the comments on what
people were saying and how they're reacting, She doesn't
have a chance to really process this, which which is quite sad.
And As for the girlfriends, well, the, the best friend that
was cheated on, like shame on you as well, I guess, for doing
that because you, you did that behind your, your best friend's
back, which is crazy. Like you wouldn't imagine your
(02:50):
best friend doing that. And I don't know how long
they've been cheating with each other for, but every time I see
like a close friend or a family member, you're talking back at
the Ryan Giggs situation. It kind of irks me as well
because of the like the loyalties lost there and the
fact that she's got a a husband too.
She also has a kid, like ruiningher, her life and her family's
life for a footballer. It just it goes both ways.
(03:11):
Don't get me wrong, it's just I'm looking at both sides.
I think both of them are, but I'm grave mistakes and I was
looking through Instagram seeingobviously all the photos and
stuff and yeah, she really did upload a lot of stuff with Lucky
Neil and her best friends. Yeah, it would have come as
surprise to anyone, but that's been the biggest news coming out
of the AFL. And yeah, I don't know what's
(03:32):
going to happen going forward for Lucky Neil in terms of his
footy career, but I'm sure he's going to a very big stain on his
vacancy, I think because. Yeah, not not good, not good at
all. Just wanted to take a moment to
thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of The Huddle
Within podcast. If you do enjoy episodes like
this or this episode specifically, be sure to leave a
(03:53):
comment and a five star review wherever you do get your
podcasts. It'd be also great if you could
like and subscribe wherever you do get your podcasts so we can
continue to show this out to people that see sports exactly
the way that you do. But without further ado, let's
get straight back into it. But we'll move on to some some
good news and some better news and that is the Aussies
(04:15):
retaining the Ashes officially three and oh, currently with two
games to go. We'll obviously talk about
Boxing Day when we get there. But Australia get the victory.
We had a batting master class from Alex Carey, another batting
master class from Travis Head. He just seems to own the
Adelaide Oval. And despite Steve Smith injured,
(04:36):
despite Mitchell Starr just tired and having bowling
warnings where we had to use Green, we had to use Lavashe and
Travis Head, despite a lot of Pat Cummings not being able to
bowl at the end and just insurance and outs to the team,
we still managed to get it done 3 nil.
And that goes to show how terrible England are at the
moment because there is no way that Australia should be winning
(04:57):
three nil in this series. It's not like the whole team has
been doing amazing. It's been a few individuals that
have just been performing reallywell.
I'm talking Kerry, I'm talking Travis Head, I'm talking Mitch
Stark and from a fielding possession you've got to give
Marnus Lavache a lot of credit. 4 catches from Sleeps,
unbelievable display as well. So just some small performances
all around. We've had players that have out
(05:17):
of form Inglis and Cameron Green, they're not been playing
well but still getting the dub. It's important and we look
towards Boxing Day, which I managed to secure a ticket for
day 2. So really excited to go there
and watch a test. That probably is not going to
mean much because if England were to win the third Test, it
would have been a very interesting game.
We could have potentially one at3 one or but it didn't happen.
(05:39):
And you know what, to be fair, fair play to England.
The the tail end actually battered really well towards the
end, but it's it's really hard to get that many, that many runs
if that many wickets left, but they ended up only losing by 90
or so runs there. So a solid play for them
considering they haven't been inthe best of form.
I do very much think that the Boxing Day Test will be still
exciting nevertheless. But again, there's not much
(06:01):
stakes to it as Australia has officially retained the asset,
asset, asset, the Ashes asset. We have retained the asset.
The asset is the Ashes. We've retained it, which is the
most important thing. And again, exciting times ahead
for Boxing Day for me. Get to watch that and see how we
go in what will be a very good spectacle, I think.
And you know, it's always good to go to the Ashes.
(06:24):
I mentioned at the G, few drinksall day event, can't go wrong.
And cricket's been great this year.
It's been watched a lot. I think it's the most viewed
Ashes ever. So that's awesome and some of
cricket's great. There's still a lot of cricket
to be played. We've got BBL at the moment
going on. We've also got a few of the ODIs
and Twenty 20s coming up next year as well.
(06:44):
So after this Boxing Day and then after the ping test, I'm
hoping Australia can still get awhitewasher 50.
I'll be really good. But yeah, it's it's an ashes
retain for Australia and just continue to dominate the cricket
scene, which is which is always great to see.
But yeah, bring on Boxing Day. It's gonna be really exciting.
And that's on the the long list of sports you need to watch
(07:05):
because what else is coming up is the NBA, The NBA Christmas
Day is always the funnest time of the year having Christmas
games. You have the big schedules and
the big moments and it starts off at 4:00 AM Australian time
if you're keen for that. It is a daytime for for people
in in America, but it is the Knicks taking on the Cavs at
Madison Square Garden. I do expect the Knicks to get
(07:26):
the victory there in that one. We also have the Thunder and the
Spurs, so a nice little rematch of the NBA Cup semi final.
It's at Thunder's ground. So I do expect the Thunder to
win this one. The Warriors will take on The
Mavericks as well. I'm going to go for The
Mavericks on this. I reckon that we're seeing a a
Cooper flag special coming up. The Lakers and Rockets give me
(07:47):
the Rockets. I think the Rockets can take
this one down. It is at Staples, but I'm back
in the Rockets here. And finally to cap it off is the
Nuggets and the Timberwolves with I get the Nuggets beating
the Timberwolves here, despite the Timberwolves doing really
good as of late. They also take down the Oklahoma
City Thunder. We had Chris Finch getting
ejected and crashing, crashing out on the bench.
But I think it really motivated the team and and gave them some
(08:09):
spirits moving forward. So, yeah, all credit to them.
The Spurs are also in great form.
So this Christmas game is going to be really fun because it's
the second and first seed. If things do change by tomorrow,
which I suspect they probably won't, the Spurs will be taking
on the Thunder and they've won six in a row.
Yes, they they lost the NBA Cup to the New York Knicks.
Congratulations to them. We'll do a quick segment on on
(08:31):
them and and how they did well with Tyler Kolek, Mitch
Robertson and Jordan Clarkson carrying the victory.
Who would have thought that actually playing your bench and
trusting your bench could get you victories?
I think Tom Thibodeau could havelearnt a lesson from that for
sure. But yeah, the Knicks take on the
Spurs and beat them. But if you take that away,
again, congratulations to the Knicks for winning the NBA
(08:51):
regular season award for the NBACup.
The Spurs are 6 and O when it counts.
Their regular season performanceare sitting at 21 seven.
So they still have a chance to beat OKC, but I just don't
really see it happening. But again, this is gonna be
happening during the whole day, which is really exciting.
So once you have cricket on the background, if you're getting
checked out, you can jump onto MBA and watch that.
(09:12):
Just wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for tuning into
another episode of The Huddle Within podcast.
If you do enjoy episodes like this or this episode
specifically, be sure to leave acomment and a five star review
wherever you do get your podcasts.
It'd be also great if you could like and subscribe wherever you
do get your podcasts so we can continue to show this out to
(09:33):
people that see sports exactly the way that you do.
But without further ado, let's get straight back into it.
But to be honest, I think I'm more keen for the NFL games and
they're for the first time in a while, they're actually cross
checking with with NBA. We've got the Commanders and
Cowboys, the Vikings and the Lions and the Chiefs and the
(09:53):
Broncos. I'm excited and mainly the
reason why I'm excited is because I actually am in the
MNFL fantasy finals and I'm nervous because I've got Kenny,
shout out to Kenny. His team's looking really good.
But it starts here on Christmas Day with these match ups.
So I'm going to be heavily looking at the Cowboys for sure,
(10:15):
because I do have Brandon Aubreyas a kicker, the Vikings and
Lions. I'm I'm really looking at
obviously Jameson Williams, him as my wide out, and the Chiefs
and Broncos. I don't think I have anyone on
either of those teams. I did have Dobbins and I did
have Patrick Mahomes, but they've both been ruled out for
injuries and will be out for therest of the season.
So yeah, I don't really know what's going to happen there.
But in terms of victories, I've got the Cowboys, I've got the
(10:37):
Lions and I've got the Chiefs winning.
I know the Chiefs are out of theplayoffs, but they've got a home
game on Christmas. I feel like they're going to get
that one done just because it isat home.
But I could be wrong because they don't really have a
quarterback and I think they areshutting their season down.
But the Broncos took a a big loss last week to all this week
to the the Jaguars who Trevor Lawrence, I mentioned last time,
(10:59):
bowling out again, another unbelievable performance from
him, 279 yards for three touchdowns.
It's just impressive. And Etienne, who I've got on
fantasy as well, another solid performance to.
But yeah, they're they're just killing it at the moment.
The Jaguars and they they're looking to be primed for a big
playoff run if they do get there.
They obviously are in the AFC S they're leading at the moment
(11:23):
and looks like the Colts who just lost again today, I watched
that game as well, are probably going to be crashing out of the
playoffs. They've lost their last five.
They've got a 44 year old PhilipRivers, who he's been bawling
for his age considering, but he hasn't played in five years.
They've got no quarterback. They're in big trouble and the
Texans have won their last seven.
They're in top form. They they had another really
(11:43):
good win today as well and theirdefence is just off the charts
right now. So yeah, I don't see the Colts
getting out, but I do see the Juguars taking it out unless the
the Texans have something to sayabout it, which you never know,
they might. They did beat the Raiders in a
close game, but that was nevertheless good.
But the games are the round. There's so many.
We had the the Seahawks and the Rams ended on a on a 2 point
(12:07):
conversion to win an OT, which is awesome.
Puka had a legacy game, 32 touchdowns for over 200 yards.
I had him in fantasy as well. But Seahawks take out the
division and that division's really, really open.
I think that's the hardest division to say who's going to
get out because the 49ers just won today and yeah, they're in
big trouble. The Rams, you'd think they
wouldn't be based on their record, but currently they're
(12:28):
sitting at 3rd and the Seahawks have just locked in their their
playoff spot. So whether they take out the
division or whether they take out the cut spot, they're
definitely going to be in playoffs next season.
So it's up to the 49ers and the Rams who are both sitting at
11:00 and 4:00. And I don't know when they play
next. I don't know if they play next,
but if they were to play the last game, I don't think they
(12:48):
will be where it's not. It's not.
I've just had a look at it. It's 49ers and Seahawks, which
is going to be big. So I can see the Rams edging
this one out. But they still have a tough test
next week because they are goingto be taking on, as I look for
it, the Falcons at home. And Falcons are not easy.
They probably want to play spoiler there.
(13:10):
But the Panthers, because I'm going right straight to the NFC
South. The Panthers get a victory
against the Buccaneers and they're in a prime position to
take out the NFC South. And another team that's in the
NF S are mine, New Orleans Saints, who are on fire at the
moment. Tyler Show is the guy, he's the
guy. We have found our quarterback.
(13:31):
I don't care at this point. We don't need to tame for picks.
We have found our quarterback for the future. 308 yards, one
touchdown, Crystal larvae. Best game I've seen him playing
yonks. 2 touchdowns for 148 yards.
I know it's against The Jets, The Jets are shit but we put
belt arse on them. So I'm, I'm happy with that
because not only did I beat TJ in fantasy in the semifinals to
(13:52):
get to the final, freaking Saints put Bell to us on The
Jets as well, which is awesome. And you know what, every week
games, I know they don't matter,but just shows that Tyler Shock
knows how to win games. And that guy is the future, man.
We've got our future quarterbackplayer, which I'm just so
excited to, to, to say because we've got the Titans next week,
I'm assuming I'm going to put Bell to us on them again and
(14:15):
that'll be awesome. But yeah, 3 Christmas games
headlined after then by the Falcons and Rams, and then the
Bills and the Eagles 2. And might I just finally talk
about DJ Moore's reception at the end against the Green Bay
Packers? The Bears are just flying at the
moment, honestly flying. And look, I have DJ Moore in my
fantasy, so I was extra happy when that happened.
(14:36):
But what a catch, what a reception.
One of the plays of the season by far.
I think it was about a 50 yard, a 45 yard reception for DJ Moore
to catch it and ice out the game.
And Kaylee Williams didn't need to do that.
It was balls of steel. All he had to do really was just
go for a field goal and take thegame out.
But he decided to go for the touchdown and it was an awesome
play. And Kayla Williams, in his
(14:57):
second season, he's doing reallygood.
He didn't have the best rookie season, but he's having an elite
sophomore season and the sophomore slump rumours are
gone. Just especially for Caleb's
Williams sake. But everyone else I think is is
struggling on that front. But yeah, NFL has been awesome
again. Wish me luck for the NFL
playoffs. I've got Kenny this week in the
finals making quick work of TJ, which is awesome.
(15:19):
He won the last two and now I have a chance to take it out and
be an NFL champion. Last year I told you I lost by
less than one point, so hopefully that doesn't happen
again. I have a chance to bounce back
and potentially take out the NFLfantasy and I'm the only Aussie
in there. So wish me wish me the best of
luck there for me please, as we enjoy this Christmas, 1
(15:40):
Christmas, wish Santa, give me afantasy win.
Give me a fantasy win, Santa on Christmas.
That would be that would be awesome.
But we'll wrap up with some Premier League stuff as well.
Again, not the big Boxing Day schedule, but we do have the New
Year's Eve and the midweek schedule as well.
So there's going to be a lot of football coming up.
I do miss the Boxing Day games, but you know how to take on
(16:01):
Newcastle at home. Look, we lost to Aston Villa.
Well, obviously Aston Villa in fucking top form and they're
killing at top three at the moment.
Some are holding out one nil as they always do away from home
and Men City making quick work of West Ham.
Liverpool taking on Brighton I mean, or Tottenham and winning
21. Brighton taking on Sunderland
(16:21):
and nil nil and that kind of headlines most of the main
games. Newcastle and Chelsea was 2/2 as
well. I don't know why I have
Sunderland noise in my head at the moment.
But yeah, some awesome, awesome game this week.
Wolves in trouble. And next week we turn to some
Boxing Day or some late night 27th games with it is a Boxing
Day night actually with United and Newcastle to start the
(16:45):
Nottingham Forest demand. City After that then we have
West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Wolves,
Arsenal, Brydon, Burnley, Everton, Chelsea, Villa,
Sunderland, Leeds, Crystal Palace, Tottenham.
So I'll do a quick rapid fire predictions.
I've got draw for United, Newcastle only because
Newcastle's away record still sucks.
Nottingham Forest, City. I think City will win that one.
(17:06):
West Ham, Fulham, draw. Brentford, Bournemouth.
I'm going to go Brentford. I think Bournemouth haven't been
in really good form as a lay andI think Brentford can get him.
Liverpool, Wolves, I would dreamfor Wolves to win dream but it's
not going to happen, so Liverpool probably going to take
that one out. Arsenal, Brydon, I'm going to
go. Controversially a draw for this
one. I think Arsenal will drop points
here. I think Brydon are solid and are
(17:26):
a good team and I think they'll catch them.
Burnley and Everton, I'm going to go a draw there.
Leaning towards Everton to get the result but I'm going to be
safe on the draw. Chelsea and Aston Villa I will
go a draw to to be safe, leaningmore towards Aston Villa to get
a win, but I'm going to go draw Sunderland, Leeds, I'll go
(17:47):
Sunderland and then Crystal Palace.
Tottenham, I expect Crystal Palace to win that one there.
Tottenham just a shit show at the moment, not performing well.
And yeah, that's all I can say about them.
But we also follow up with some New Year's Eve stuff which we
might break down next week if wedo have the chance.
But there'll be a midweek, midweek games week as well for
the Premier League, which is exciting.
(18:07):
But yeah, again, Christmas, Premier League, NFL, cricket,
basketball, it's just endless and it's a great time to be
alive as well. Just wanted to take a moment to
thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of The Huddle
Within podcast. If you do enjoy episodes like
this or this episode specifically, be sure to leave a
(18:28):
comment and a five star review wherever you do get your
podcasts. It'd be also great if you could
like and subscribe wherever you do get your podcasts so we can
continue to show this out to people that see sports exactly
the way that you do. But without further ado, let's
get straight back into it. In other news that I want to
talk about, just a quick one, because I've been seeing on the
(18:53):
news a lot now, I do not follow the MLB at all.
I have a team by default and that's why I'm talking about
this today. It's the White Sox.
I yeah, I support the White Sox.And for those that do know the
MLB or don't, the White Sox are,I would say, the shittest
(19:14):
American franchise ever. I think right now.
And the reason why that's normally the case is because I'm
like NFL and unlike NBA, there'san unlimited salary cap in
baseball. And what that means is you
normally see the top teams win. And while they're in that sort
of competing stage, that's when they start signing big players.
That's why you see the Dodgers. That's why you see the Yankees
(19:37):
always competing and getting bigplayers.
And today or the other day was is a different day because the
Chicago White Sox who have signed a player and A2 time MVP
home run record breaker in Japan.
Look, I don't know nothing aboutthis guy, but all I know is that
(19:59):
from what I've seen with Shume, the Dodgers player, unbelievable
MVP GOAT up there with one of the best on a crazy lucrative
contract. These Japanese baseballers are
something else and they're coming fast.
And now the White Sox have met and signed Muntaka.
(20:20):
Murakami, again, two time MVP inthe Japanese league, know
nothing about him, but all he did was sign a five year
75,000,000 contract. He secured the bag.
It's the largest contract signedby a White Sox franchise ever.
And this might change the tail in White Sox franchise history.
(20:41):
And the reason why I'm talking about that is because, as I
said, the White Sox have been shipped for so long and now
they've come out and signed a massive free agent, which you
never would have expected. So the White Sox are really
trying to change their fortunes around.
So maybe next year might be the year I actually start jumping on
the baseball waggon and start watching this ball ball.
(21:02):
If he does. And if he if he does, we might
see the White Sox not last in their conference anymore.
Like that would be pretty cool. That would change some things up
that would shape the league thatwould don't get out of the
shadow of the Cubs. And it's it's an interesting
watch, but look out for that because the Japanese boy
Munetaka Murakami has signed with the White Sox and and I've
(21:25):
seen that everywhere. He's also, yeah, an MVP elite.
It was, it's officially A2 year 3034 million.
The the five year 75,000,000 contract apologies was from
Andrew Benitendi, which was the largest, but this is like their,
yeah, their current biggest one at the moment.
So now it's two years. So one or two things can happen
(21:50):
here. Now he either changes the
franchise and balls out, gets the White Sox to the playoffs
for the first time in God knows when.
I don't know because I don't follow baseball like that and he
resigns on a fat deal or the latter happens and I think most
likely this probably will happen.
Now there's two years the White Sox suck, this guy carries the
(22:12):
team and then someone else just signs into a fuck tonne of money
and we lose this player. But again, it's big news coming
out of the White Sox can. And I'm excited to see how he
goes. And hopefully we can sit there
and say that he's changed the franchise.
And then we're going to have a conversation to suggest what are
they feeding these baseball players in Japan?
Because they're coming out and bowling hard.
(22:32):
And you know, Japan, national city, great pride, great
traditions in the World Cup for football, do pretty well in
World Cups, are starting to get a really good baseball
reputation and they love baseball.
For those that don't know Japanese culture, baseball's
massive there. But just having more players in
the MLB has opened the door for some potential tides changing
(22:53):
there. Because you've got shiny Otani,
you've got some few other Japanese people that I don't
know. Like I said, not a big baseball
guy, but now siding this guy could change the White Sox
forever or could just get himself a bigger bag.
We'll have to wait and see. But again, it's been your boy
Daniel. A nice quick episode of The
Huddle within a Christmas special for you guys.
Thank you very much for tuning in as you always do.
(23:14):
If you do like the episode, onceagain, feel free to subscribe
wherever you do get your podcasts, leave a five star
rated review wherever you do getthem.
It means a lot to me. Yeah, really keen to, yeah,
celebrate Christmas and get on all these sports.
And we'll reveal back next week and we'll sort of recap 2025 and
going to 2026. And we've almost hit a year of
(23:37):
the huddle within, which is crazy.
I feel like times fly episode 46now, I believe we're very close
to that 50. And I, I really want to do
something special for episode 50.
Again, if you have any suggestions on what I should do
for episode 50, please let me know because my door is open and
I think it's deserving of something special. 50 episodes
(24:01):
to do something cool. Wouldn't we?
It would be awesome. But yeah, it's been your boy
Daniel. You listen to another episode of
The Huddle Within Podcast. Thank you very much for tuning
in and I'll catch you guys next week.
Cheers. So that's a wrap for this weeks
episode of the Huddle Within podcast.
I appreciate you for tuning in and being part of this community
where we go beyond the game and into what really matters.
If this episode resonated with you, make sure to subscribe,
(24:24):
leave a review, and share it with someone who sees sports
just the way that we do. And hey, I'd love to hear from
you. Connect with me on my social
medias, which will be linked below, send in your thoughts and
even be part of a future episode.
Until next time, keep that passion alive, stay in the
huddle, and remember it's alwaysdeeper than the game.
Cheers.
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The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.