SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
I wait all week to say it's time for sports.
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SIMON: The NFL back, and the Chiefs still might be in charge. And the U.S. Open finals finally include some Americans. Howard Bryant of Meadowlark Media joins us. Howard, thanks so much for being with us.
HOWARD BRYANT: Hello, Scott Simon. How are you?
SIMON: Fine. Thank you. Let's begin with the NFL, 'cause the Kansas City Chiefs, of course, back-to-back Super Bowl championships, just won by a toe - 27 to 20 - disputed call over the Baltimore Ravens. Are they still the team to beat? They looked a little vulnerable.
BRYANT: They are always the team to beat until somebody beats them, in my humble opinion. As we say about champions, they don't just walk off the stage. You got to take them out. And when you have Patrick Mahomes and you've won two Super Bowls in a row, and you're going after a threepeat, which no team has ever done in the Super Bowl era, you're highly motivated. You still have a great team.
And Baltimore put on a great show because you look at Lamar Jackson. And as a player, everyone's waiting for him to be the one to knock off the Chiefs and get to a Super Bowl himself - two-time MVP, still never played in a Super Bowl. So there's a lot of motivation out there in the AFC. Not a lot of great teams out there, though. So it'll be very interesting to see who challenges Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
SIMON: New rookies and some new rules. I'm not sure I understand the new kickoff rules. Essentially means you stay still, turn around three times, put your hands...
BRYANT: (Laughter).
SIMON: ...Over your eyes, and I don't know. What is it?
BRYANT: There's that. And then there's also - let's not forget that it's a Saturday morning, and they played a football game last night in Brazil. So...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...I think the other thing is that Roger Goodell announced that they want to play 16 international games, as well. So the NFL is constantly trying. Well, the rules are always the same, Scott. There's - the baseline of all of it is to make sure that their - the kickoffs aren't as violent. And so...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...I think, last year, it was - they've gone too far. They're just tweaking all these things, but the collision is still what the game is all about.
SIMON: U.S. Open last night. Taylor Fritz became the first American man since Andy Roddick to make the U.S. Open final. That was way back in 2006. But he's got to play Jannik Sinner.
BRYANT: The No. 1 player in the world.
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: And yes - and it was a great battle last night between Francis Tiafoe and Fritz. And it looked like, once again, Tiafoe ran out of gas after making the semifinal two years ago, as well. So he's on the cusp. But Taylor Fritz - he was a steadier player. And this is exactly sort of the moment where we've got a changing of the guard on the men's side.
And I always make the distinction, Scott, because, you know, I try very hard not to be so nationalistic when it comes to tennis. I don't watch tennis that way. It's a men's problem. It's not an American problem when it comes to tennis because the women have been dominating tennis. Just look at Serena Williams and the rest of them for the last, you know, 20 years.
But on the men's side, yeah, it's interesting, finally, to see. Andy Roddick made a Wimbledon final in 2009, another 2006. He won it a couple of years before that. But other than that, this is the first. So it's a very exciting moment for folks who love American tennis. But you're going up against Jannik Sinner, No. 1 player in the world, who has essentially dominated this tournament for the last two weeks.
SIMON: And in the women's final, another American, Jessica Pegula, will play Aryna Sabalenka. Now, Jessica Pegula, of course, is from Buffalo. Probably close enough for a New York crowd, wouldn't you say?
BRYANT: I would say. And also, if you're a football and hockey fan, the daughter of the billionaire Terry Pegula, owner of the Bills and the Sabres. So very well-accustomed to being on the sporting stage. Yeah, this is a great moment for Pegula, as well. She's been trying to break through for years. She was a doubles partner with Coco Gauff, as well. This is her moment.
Sabalenka is a two-time major winner. Sabalenka is going to be a huge favorite, not a crowd favorite at all, as she's mentioned the fact that the fans do not - have not rooted for her because she had to play another American, Emma Navarro, in the semifinal. But she would be the favorite. But this would be a huge win for Pegula. She's a very, very good player. She's simply - you know, she's one of those grinding players that isn't gonna beat you with one weapon, like Serena with a huge serve, or Sabalenka and blow you off the court...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...With all that power. But when you get in these tight moments and these championships are really stingy and you're this close to it and you're on your home floor, time to go get it. But Sabalenka is a great, great player, and she's going to be a favorite.
SIMON: Yeah. Well, certainly, Meadowlark Media's Howard Bryant, thanks so much for being with us. We're going to look forward to that - both those finals. Thanks so much.
BRYANT: Yeah, good stuff. Thank you, Scott.
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