Bierman’s Six Pack: Issue #5

Welcome to this week’s Six Pack! Each week, I’ll share a mix of thoughts – some sports-related, some not – and I’d love for you to jump in with your reactions, ideas, or recommendations in the comments. Here’s what’s on my mind this week.

𝟏. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲

In a surprising announcement right before the Super Bowl, the NFL named Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen as league MVP, nudging out Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, who many thought had it locked up. Both QBs are incredible, and while I think Lamar probably should’ve taken home the award, I get why Allen got it. Not only did he post great stats – 3,731 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a 101.4 QB rating – but he also led his Bills past Jackson and the Ravens in the playoffs on their way to the AFC Championship.

All this QB talk got me thinking: Who are the five best QBs in the league 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘? If I want to win a Super Bowl 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍, this is the order I’m drafting these guys. And maybe it’s a surprise (or maybe not), but four of the five are in the AFC:

1. Lamar Jackson

2. Josh Allen

3. Jalen Hurts

4. Patrick Mahomes

5. Joe Burrow

Yes, I know Hurts and Mahomes have Super Bowl rings, and the others don’t. But if I’m building a team from scratch tomorrow to win it all next year, and the first pick is my QB, this is the order I’m going in. And if I’m looking 3-5 years out and not just next year, Jayden Daniels would likely be in my top 3. Let the debate begin.

𝟐. 𝐀 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 & 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥

I’ve got some buddies who are obsessed with mafia movies. And almost everyone I know will tell you 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬 is an all-time classic. Well… I can’t get on board. I’ve seen it twice, and honestly, it just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve never been a big Ray Liotta guy so maybe that’s the problem, but it has just never hooked me. Frankly, most movies in this realm don’t really interest me.

That said, my wife and I rewatched 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 and The 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈𝐈 recently, and wow – I forgot how much I enjoy those movies. The quotes, the complex storylines, the betrayals, the loyalty, the spiral into darkness… and the acting? Pure cinematic perfection.

A couple random thoughts while it’s fresh in my mind:

• As much as I love The Godfather, I think I actually like Part II even more. Yeah, it’s long (three hours and 20 minutes), and there are a few scenes that probably could’ve been cut. But I love how it jumps between young Vito’s rise – De Niro crushes it – and Michael’s slow, ruthless descent. And the scene where Michael orders Fredo’s death is simply brutal.

• I think the most interesting character though, is Tom Hagen. Robert Duvall absolutely nails it. Even though Tom isn’t a Corleone by blood, his loyalty never wavers. Michael respects him and treats him like a brother most of the time, but there’s always this weird distance between them that sometimes stings. Still, Tom’s calm strength and unwavering commitment always stood out to me.

𝟑. 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐔𝐭𝐚𝐡 𝐇𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛: 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞

I’m not a big hockey guy, but once or twice a year, we’ll head up to Columbus and catch a Blue Jackets game and we always have a good time. Recently, I read that the NHL’s newest team in Utah is letting fans vote on their official name. The final three options are: Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth, and Utah Outlaws. Outlaws just replaced the Wasatch as the third option.

The early favorite was actually 𝐘𝐞𝐭𝐢, and most fans seemed to love it. But, apparently, the team couldn’t get permission from Yeti Coolers to use the name, so they had to scrap it. Which kinda sucks because the 𝐔𝐭𝐚𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐭𝐢 sounds pretty cool. Plus, if I’m Yeti Coolers, I gotta believe there are a ton of co-branding and advertising opportunities here. But alas it wasn’t meant to be.

That leaves three pretty sub-par options. Mammoth just doesn’t roll off the tongue, and don’t even get me started on Utah Hockey Club. Ugh. I know some people like that whole soccer-style vibe, but to me it’s just plain boring. We already suffered through Washington Football Team for a couple years, and now we might have to endure Utah Hockey Club for more than just this season? I really hope this isn’t a trend that continues because I want a little more creativity when it comes to sports team naming please.

So yeah, I guess I’m all in on Outlaws by default. What about you, Sandman Nation? Outlaws, Mammoth, Hockey Club… or something completely different?

𝟒. 𝐘𝐞𝐭𝐢 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐲?

Speaking of Yeti, I have to say I’m a big fan of the brand. I’ve got a few smaller coolers that are perfect for golf, beach trips, or just general travel. And admittedly, I’m a sucker for their tumblers. Between my wife, kids, and me, we probably have a dozen of them scattered around the house. Which is probably at least a half dozen too many, but somehow they seem to multiply.

I know Stanley is also ultra-popular these days, and for good reason. Their stuff is high-quality too, no doubt. But for me, I prefer Yeti. The tumblers are the perfect size, plus, these things work really well. I have on several occasions left a mug of coffee in my car all day and when I come back, it’s still warm enough to drink. It impresses me every time.

Yeti certainly isn’t cheap, but I guess you get what you pay for. The durability, performance, and just all-around solid design make it worth it. I’ve dropped mine on pavement several times and still going strong.

So yeah, I’m a Yeti guy. And I’ll probably be a brand lifer.

𝟓. 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞?

I like baseball but it isn’t what I would call my favorite sport. The season is long, and honestly, my hometown Reds have struggled for so long that it’s tough to get too excited as the season drags on.

That said, my wife and I still love taking our kids to a few games each year. It’s not cheap, but we always have a fun time. Shoutout to the Reds for their 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 days, too. Taking Finley to the ballpark last year with us was a blast, and we’ll definitely be back for that again this season.

A couple of months ago on the podcast, we talked about bucket list sports trips. While spring training wouldn’t crack my top five (or even top 10), I have to admit – I’ve never been, and I’d really love to check it out. The Reds have been in Arizona for 15 years now, and while Florida is a bit easier to get to, I keep telling myself I need to prioritize a trip to Goodyear for a few days.

It all sounds very nice: laid-back atmosphere with games that don’t really matter, players who are probably friendlier and more social than during the regular season, and oh yeah, sunshine and warmth in February.

I might seriously have to make this happen for 2026. For those of you who’ve done spring training – would you recommend it? Any tips? Let me know!

𝟔. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐫. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

Since it’s President’s Day, I thought I’d share some random, lesser-known facts about U.S. presidents that I recently stumbled upon. I found some to be fairly interesting.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

• Martin Van Buren, our eighth president, was the first president to be born in the United States. Every president before him was born a British subject.

• Woodrow Wilson was the first president to give a radio broadcast address.

• Herbert Hoover holds the distinction of being the first president born west of the Mississippi River.

• Ronald Reagan broke new ground as the first divorced president.

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬

• At 5’4″, James Madison was our shortest president. On the flip side, Abraham Lincoln stood at 6’4″, making him the tallest.

• William Henry Harrison’s presidency lasted only 31 days – the shortest in U.S. history. Legend has it he gave a lengthy inauguration speech without wearing a coat, caught pneumonia, and tragically passed away weeks later.

• Prior to Donald Trump, Grover Cleveland was the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms. He won in 1884, lost in 1888, and came back in 1892 for round two.

𝐅𝐮𝐧 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐝) 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚

• Rutherford B. Hayes started the Easter Egg Roll at the White House in 1878, and it’s been a popular tradition ever since.

• Lyndon B. Johnson is the only president to be sworn in on an airplane – sadly, this happened after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

• James Garfield was our first left-handed president.

• James Buchanan is the only president to have never married.

• George W. Bush is the only president who’s also the father of twins.

• The “S” in both Ulysses S. Grant and Harry S. Truman? It stands for… nothing. Neither man had a middle name.

Thanks for checking out this week’s Six Pack, Sandman Nation! I’d love to hear your thoughts: what resonated with you, what you disagree with, or your own takes on these topics. Drop your comments and let’s keep the conversation going. Have a great week and take care!