Half way through July already? Not that I'm fully complaining as I'm not a huge fan of Summer, especially down in Texas but I wouldn't mind a slight slow down on time. On to my thoughts.

1. Bears Training Camp kicks off this week, with rookies set to report on the 19th. Seemed like last week we were watching the NFL draft. A large question mark still looms over the 2nd round rookies as they have yet to sign (30 of 32 across the league have yet to do so) due to the pursuit of guaranteed money after the Texans set the precedent by fully guaranteeing Jayden Higgins contract. I personally don't think the "dispute" will impact all too much, from every report the 2nd rounders have been fully invested in off season activities. All that said it's going to be fun getting hyped over camp footage once again.

2. The Cubs wrapped up a 57-39 first half by taking the last 2 against the Yankees in pretty convincing fashion behind the elite pitching of Matthew Boyd of Shota Imanaga. Maintaining their 1 game division lead over the Brewers, who simply refuse to lose. The good news is according to strength of schedule the Cubs have the easiest second half in the league, where as the Brewers are in the top 10 hardest (I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I recall 8th.) If the Cubs only manage to go .500 the rest of the way, this is still a 90 win ball club.

3. That Quinshon Judkins stuff is crazy. Obviously innocent until proven guilty. But it's insane to me someone would jeopardize their future, something they have been working towards for so long, over something like this. I'll reserve full judgement until all the details are out but I just can't imagine myself EVER being in that situation, let alone when you're risking millions and a life long dream.

4. TJPW (Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling) hit Texas this weekend and I went to their Sunday Dallas show. Words cannot express the talent and ability these women have. Every match was fantastic and presented in the typical Joshi way. They even opened up the show with a performance by the The Up Up Girls an Idol group made up of 3 wrestlers from the promotion. They held a meet and greet afterwards and it was really cool meeting the women behind the entertainment. Excited for their next trip here.

   1. Check out some pictures I shared: here, here, and here.

   2. You can also follow the TJPW here.

5. I got to meet Maki Itoh, one of my favorite wrestlers, as well. She even remembered a tweet I had made and that she liked and made good on her word. She was extremely personable and friendly, so glad I got to meet her. She was the main event with Mizuki, who is the current Princess of Princess Champion (the highest title in the promotion). it was a physical match that often spilled out into the crowd. At the end of the day the champion prevailed, took the high road and told Maki that she loved her. In true Maki fashion she grabbed the mic and said "FUCK YOU, PUSSY!" ありがとうございます Itoh-Chan! Follow Maki's hijinx here.

6. But it was Yuki Kamifuku that stole the show for me. Who was in a fantastic tag match that went nearly 20 minutes. She had such a natural grace to her heel work, it wasn't a cheapness that made you boo her, it was almost and air of elite smugness in her move set that told us the type of villain she was. Check out the "Casual Beauty" here.

7. Moving on to the WWE. Iyo Sky put on a 5 star match with Rhea Ripley during the all women's PLE Evolution over the weekend. Iyo may be my favorite women's wrestler of all time. Technically sound and a "genius of the sky", Iyo has been captivating me since she was going by Io Shirai in NXT. The 7th women's grand slam champion unfortunately dropped the Women's World Championship to Naomi who cashed in her money in the bank contract to steal the title from her.

8. In the same realm, pretty sobering news regarding Seth Rollins who suffered a knee injury at Saturday Night's Main Event. He is slated to miss 5-6 months. Really feel for the guy, who's had on and off injuries in his career but has battled through a lot of them. Seth is the current men's money in the bank contract holder, so you really have to wonder what plans this injury through a wrench in. Rollins is a rabid Bears fan and is most widely known for his trolling job he did announcing the Ozzy Trapilo pick during the 2025 draft. Get well soon, Seth and burn it down when you're back.

9. I went to a restaurant called Rosa's Café & Tortilla Factory that seems to be a small chain down in the area. It's food is similar to Taco Bell, in that it is very "Americanized" Mexican food, but with Tex-Mex influence. It was okay, however they give you freshly made tortillas with every order. And that 100% was the highlight of the trip. Reminded me of growing up with my step mom making tortillas and frijoles Saturday mornings. Worth the trip alone just for that. 10/10 tortilla.

10. Finally been putting in ALOT of work in the project I got spooling up for CFB26, I'm about 90% of where I want to be there. Stay tuned for information about that here and on Twitter, it should be a lot of time. A lot of fictional world building has gone into it, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoy doing it.