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I’ve long said that right behind Christmas, Halloween is my favorite holiday.
The crispness in the air as the weather cools down and fall sets in. The incredibly unhealthy amount of candy that I get to consume and feel less bad about because it’s “Halloween Candy.” Getting into the spirit by watching a scary movie every night of October and asking myself why I did so afterwards because every sound I hear while lying in bed spikes my blood pressure.
The only thing that I miss out on is that there aren’t too many trick-or-treaters in my apartment complex. I don’t get to put on a super scary costume and scare the pants off some nine-year old. That may sound mean, but I’d make up for it by giving out those king sized candy bars. I always thought the people who did that were the coolest.
Even if there are kids ringing the doorbell on Friday night, I’ll be at Penn High School covering Warsaw football’s sectional opener against Concord. So, since there will be no real-life trick-or-treating at the McCann household this year, we’re going to have to do it virtually. Breaking it up into two categories, I have decided on three figures in sports. Two that deserve treats, and one that… you get the idea.
Full disclaimer: when I was a kid, I never really got behind the whole “trick” part of the occasion. I was just happy to be dressed up as Darth Vader and get my candy. With that being said, let’s get right into the 2025 Can Connor Cover? Spooktacular edition.
TREATS
Will Klein, Los Angeles Dodgers reliever: When I came up with the idea for this column, there were two names I had in mind, one for each category. Klein is the first one, mostly because just a few days ago, I had no idea who he was. Now, I want to know everything about him.
I assume quite a few of you may have gone to sleep before the end of that 18-inning marathon between the Dodgers and Blue Jays on Monday night, and I don’t blame you if you did, the game ended at almost 3 a.m. But those who made it to the end of that instant classic of a game were introduced to Will Klein.
Some background on Klein: He was out of work in June, having played for four different teams over the last five years. After the Dodgers picked him up, he spent the rest of the year in Triple-A, and after the season ended, at the team’s spring-training complex. One emergency later, and all of a sudden, he’s on the World Series roster.
As the last guy in the bullpen, Klein was forced into action as Game 3 reached marathon status on Monday night. Having never thrown more than 30 pitches in any outing in his career, Klein went on to throw 72 pitches across four scoreless innings to earn the win, and legend status, in the process.
To top it all off, the one and only Sandy Koufax came to the locker room and gave him a handshake after the fact.
Watching it live, it was unbelievable. Here was this 25-year old kid that most people watching had never heard of doing the impossible in real time. I had been rooting for the Blue Jays for the entirety of the game, but I couldn’t stop myself from pulling for this kid and what he was accomplishing. When he got his final out of the night, a strikeout, and I saw the reaction from the Dodger dugout, I couldn’t help but get emotional.
Hats off to you Will Klein. No matter what you do for the rest of your career and life, you will forever be an October legend.
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts running back: I checked the NFL MVP odds the other day and was stunned to find that Jonathan Taylor was not in the top 10. That seems to have been corrected now, as he currently sits sixth.
I’d argue that’s still too low. What Taylor is accomplishing this season is nothing short of remarkable. He had another three touchdown game against the Titans on Sunday, his fourth of the season. That’s half of his games! He’s scored 86 points this season, the most in the NFL. Second most is Brandon Aubrey with 74, followed by 13 more kickers.
What Taylor has been able to accomplish this season is the biggest reason why the Colts are 7-1 and look like the best team in football. He has put the offense on his back every single week. I know Daniel Jones has been good and the passing game is definitely working, but Taylor is on another level.
A big part of that has been how dominant the Colts’ offensive line has been this season, which I’m not disputing at all. Indianapolis has put together a complete football team, and Taylor is at the center of it. It’s been a quarterback award for as long as I can remember, but there has been no player more valuable in the NFL this season than Jonathan Taylor.
TRICKS
Brian Kelly, unemployed rich guy: Brian Kelly got fired by LSU on Sunday. By all accounts, it couldn’t have happened to a better person.
Brian Kelly is not a nice guy. He is arrogant. He is mean-spirited. He is willing to do anything and step over anyone in order to fulfill his goal of winning a national championship, and he still has never come close.
He was never a good fit at LSU. From his first appearance at a basketball game with the horrendous fake southern accent he put on, it was pretty clear that it was never going to work. That fan base is too passionate and demands too much for a guy like Kelly to come in and not produce results right away. He was in his fourth year and things were getting worse. Now, with six years left and over $50M owed, the school is paying him to go away.
You can argue that he’s the real winner in that situation, getting paid all that money to do nothing. But his reputation is ruined. There is a very slim chance that any powerhouse program ever gives him a chance again. He will likely have to settle for an assistant coaching job at a top program or go back down a level to a lower-tier Power 4 school. With his ego, I bet that kills him. Let me go find the world’s smallest violin.
I know plenty of Notre Dame fans, Stef being at the top of that list, that don’t like him and never did. Now, we have some common ground between us. If Notre Dame fans and myself can come together and laugh at little Brian, who knows what else we can accomplish. So no candy for you this Halloween, Mr. Kelly. You get a pair of stinky socks and a subscription to Indeed Pro.
Time to make some picks. Another slow week with only two wins. I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a funk recently, so let’s snap out of it.
FAVORITE FAVORITE
San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) at New York Giants
I picked the Niners as my favorite underdog last week and that didn’t work out too well for me, but I like them to bounce back here. The Giants were a fun story for a few weeks but they have been absolutely decimated by injuries to their young talented skill players, most recently Cam Skattebo to a dislocated ankle last weekend. I think this might be another letdown week for them. Give me the Niners.
The Pick: 49ers -2.5
BIG DAWG GOTTA EAT
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans (-1.5)
This is actually kind of crazy, because I picked against the Texans as a slim favorite at home last week too. The underdogs just have not been performing too well this season, so I return here. Denver is the best team in the league that is not favored this week, aside from a team you’ll see later. For that reason and that reason alone, I’m going with Denver here.
The Pick: Broncos +1.5
BEAR DOWN
Chicago Bears (-3) at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bears suffered quite the stepback on Sunday, as the team lost to a Ravens team that was playing without Lamar Jackson. Chicago moved the ball well, but could not get it done in the red zone. It’s led to a lot of Caleb Williams discussion this week that I’d like to stay out of. The Bengals blew a game to the Jets in embarrassing fashion last week, so both teams need a win badly here. I expect this to be a high-scoring affair, but with Joe Flacco at 50-50 status this week, I have to go with the Bears in case he doesn’t play.
The Pick: Bears -3
THIS IS OUR COLTS
Indianapolis Colts (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers
This has become the easiest pick to make every single week. I get that this line is probably smaller than it should be, and that should raise some alarm bells, but I have to go with the Colts. They are crushing people every single week. Until I see otherwise, I’m locking Indy in.
The Pick: Colts -3
GAME OF THE WEEK
Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5) at Buffalo Bills
This was an easy choice to make, as you have arguably the two best quarterbacks in the sport facing off here. The Chiefs have looked scary good in recent weeks, and are probably on their way to yet another Super Bowl appearance. The Bills had looked shaky going into their bye week, but came off of it with a massive win over the Panthers. It feels like every year, the Bills win the regular season matchup before the Chiefs rip their hearts out in the playoffs. I think that trend continues with the Bills at home.
The Pick: Bills +1.5
Have a happy and safe Halloween.
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 2-3
Season Record: 22-18
