NCAA CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT kicks off this week’s episode of Joe Fan.  We’re a year removed from major conference shake ups.  While done mainly for football reasons, this has had a huge affect on college basketball and the Big East.  Are we on a road of no return or is there a path back?  What does the future of NCAA conferences look like?

NBA FIRST HALF IS IN THE BOOKS!  What storylines are you looking forward to in the second half?  Teams on the bubble?  Teams that are looking a postseason push?  Our Joe Fan panel dives into it.  Plus, no week in sports is ever complete without a little drama… This week’s drama comes to you courtesy of DeMarcus Cousins and Charles Barkley.  Our Guest Fan has some choice words for Sir Charles.

THE 2014-15 CLIPPERS IN REVIEW.  That’s our featured team this week and the favorite team of our Guest Fan Charles Darden.  Charles has an interesting connection to the Clippers that’s a bit unique.  We get into a little Clippers’ history (yes, the Clippers DO have a history), plus all things Clippers: playoff expectations, Clippers’ future, the Ballmer era, and their rivalry with cross-town Lakers.

THE NFL COMBINE is fast approaching.  Admit it, as a football fan you either love it or…well…maybe not hate, but don’t care for it.  How much does Marcus Mariotta have to prove following his disastrous playoff game?  The Joe Fan panel weighs in on how much the Combine matters.  Plus, an interesting related NFL discussion about wide receivers’ Combine performances and how much it really matters.  Numbers say not much.  What do you say?

THE GRAB BAG covers a variety of topics:

• Daytona 500 and a big week in racing.  Love the intensity of racing?  Or, think it’s just traffic and you deal with that enough during your daily commute?
• Usain Bolt’s upcoming retirement and Michael Phelps’ decision to return to the Olympics.
• The Cubans are coming!  More and more Cubans are entering MLB.  What does the Joe Fan panel see as changes to the international signing rules?  Could we eventually see an international draft?

Q & A, as always, concludes this week’s episode.  The Joe Fan panel answers your questions:

• What does US Women’s Soccer’s 2-0 loss to France mean for the World Cup?
• Will Adrian Pederson or Ray Rice be in an NFL camp this summer?
• It’s the 25th anniversary of Buster Douglas taking down Iron Mike Tyson.  Will there ever be another heavy weight like Tyson?
• Four years, $75 million for James Shields.  The Padres continue to make a splash.  Good contract or too much?
• What’s the best baseball stadium?