SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And whatever else might be happening in a busy week and busy times, we get to say, and now it's time for sports.
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SIMON: Football. Football. Football - college and pro - this weekend. No time for cornhole. ESPN's Michele Steele joins us from one of the most celebrated venues in pro football. You're in Kansas City, right, Michele? Arrowhead Stadium?
MICHELE STEELE: Yeah. Good morning, Scott. I love the smell of barbecue in the morning.
SIMON: Ah, Kansas City barbecue. Listen. You're there for the Chiefs v. Houston Texans. The Chiefs are 13-1. They are two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Why do they have so many doubters this year?
STEELE: Yeah, call it the perils of heightened expectations, Scott, when you win back-to-back Super Bowls. If there is a downside, maybe it is that. They won games this year, of course. But they haven't won them in perhaps as dominant a fashion as you might expect from a 13-1 team. They've won multiple games this year on the very final play of the game. And, of course, they've been injured on offense, as well. Most notably Patrick Mahomes, who is nursing a mild...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...If it can be called that - mild high ankle sprain this week. But you know what, Scott? Injuries that would sideline other players for weeks don't seem to have the same effect on Mahomes, for whatever reason.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: He is the most important player on this team. He's going to be playing today. And with the 1 seed in the AFC on the line. I wouldn't be shocked if they notched their 14th win today. They just need to keep him upright.
SIMON: (Laughter) Yeah. That's right.
STEELE: (Laughter).
SIMON: Take the hike. Listen, the first-ever expanded college football playoffs. And last night, Notre Dame beat Indiana 27-17. Indiana has not won in South Bend since 1890 (laughter).
STEELE: Oof (laughter).
SIMON: Yeah. You'd think they'd say, oh, no, it's all right. I - there's no need to go through with this game. The streak continues, doesn't it?
STEELE: (Laughter) Yeah. It's been a rough century, century-plus for the Hoosiers as far as facing the Irish. You wouldn't know it, though, if you heard Indiana coach Curt Cignetti on the pregame show yesterday, where he said, and I quote, "we don't just beat up top 25 teams. We beat the blank out of them." You know, you'd think a guy that talks such a big game...
SIMON: Oh, my word.
STEELE: Yeah. Yeah. You'd think a guy that talks such a big game wouldn't punt down 17 with 11 minutes left in the game.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: You know, if you're going to talk the talk, you got to...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Coach to win.
SIMON: Right. The man's an educator, after all, right?
STEELE: Yeah.
SIMON: Well, yeah, exactly. Listen. Other games today - Clemson at Texas, SMU at Penn State and Tennessee at Ohio State. What are you keeping an eye on?
STEELE: Yeah, football palooza today, right?
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: Between the NFL and college football. These games are going to be freezing cold. With the exception of Texas, all of these games today are going to be played in the 20s. But the seats under two of these coaches may not be very cold. In fact, they might be heating up, depending on what happens. I'm talking about Penn State head coach James Franklin and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. There has been some speculation that while these teams are in the playoff, these coaches may be playing for their jobs, and for similar reasons - you know, not coming through in big games.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: James Franklin is 3-24 against top-10 teams. Ryan Day has lost to their biggest rival, Michigan, four years in a row, Scott. And if you're Ohio State and you're a big fan of the Buckeyes, you're not too happy about that.
SIMON: Right.
STEELE: If Ohio State trails early in the game today against Tennessee, I'm going to be listening for the Blue Birds coming out in Columbus. Yeah.
SIMON: Listen. I have to ask you, finally - there's a baseball story, a Christmas miracle. After 20 years, Sammy Sosa has finally said, I'm sorry. Maybe I did do something wrong. And the Chicago Cubs have said, ah, what's past is past. Come on over here and let us give you a hug.
STEELE: Yeah, right. Kumbaya. Except this time, it's real. It's sincere.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: And it's pretty cool to see. You know, I was in Chicago 1998 - magical summer. Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire locked in a home run chase right for the ages. A lot of people thought it'd saved baseball, Scott.
SIMON: Absolutely, yes, following the strike. Yeah.
STEELE: Absolutely. And, you know, while both of those stars were, of course, tainted later by allegations of steroid use, Sosa put out a statement this week that essentially acknowledged that he made mistakes. He said, I'm sorry. And the owners of the team put out a statement right away saying that the Cubs' all-time home run leader is welcome back at the 2025 Cubs Convention.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: And everybody's ready to move forward. He's still a fan favorite.
SIMON: Yep.
STEELE: And I don't know how you feel, but I'm happy to see Sosa and the team on the same page.
SIMON: Yeah. Yeah, I am, too. I - best smile in sports.
STEELE: Oh, yeah.
SIMON: Well, yours is great, too. ESPN's Michele Steele.
STEELE: (Laughter).
SIMON: Stay warm during the game today. Thanks so much for being with us, and you'll be there for a great game.
STEELE: Yeah. Happy holidays, Scott.
SIMON: Happy holidays. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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