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- So long, farewell; A Remix Retrospective
So long, farewell; A Remix Retrospective
Ben Remis
January 01, 2026
Good Morning! Today is Thursday, January 1st. For one final time, please enjoy the Remix…
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are ready to tackle the exciting opportunity of a fresh calendar year. Would it have made more sense to send this out yesterday? Perhaps. But it wouldn’t be The Remix if we didn’t stick to our publishing schedule. Plus we would have missed the chance to shoutout Miami! Almost no one expected the Hurricanes to upset the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes last night at the Cotton Bowl… anyway, let’s dive in:
TOP FIVE REMIXES
The entire Remix archive will remain on the website, but let’s start this morning with a more focused trip down memory lane. Here are five of my all-time favorite Remixes, in no particular order:
Live from Cincinnati… it’s Tuesday’s Remix! August 20, 2024
On the road at the Cincinnati Open, I decided to share a sort of play-by-play of the men’s final. It was the first time I witnessed Jannik Sinner’s otherworldly ability to dominate a tennis match in person.
A Super Bowl Remix! February 9, 2025; 2025 MLB Season Preview March 27, 2025
I was really proud of these… not because I predicted everything (or really anything) accurately, but due to the the sheer amount of words written and the genuine excitement those words conveyed.
The Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions; It's our one-year anniversary! June 18, 2025
You have to celebrate the milestones! I won’t repeat everything I wrote back in June, but it’s amazing to see how the Remix is grown since the beginning. Everything I wrote to celebrate the one-year anniversary remains true today. Also– it’s pretty crazy that both baseball and hockey had back-to-back champs during the Remix era
Allen, Curry, and a new face in Curling November 17, 2025
In the early days I tried to recap every moment from every game. That’s not the case anymore– I think this issue shows off the best of the later versions of the Remix: football puns and curling!
Au revoir, Paris! August 12, 2024
A memorable Olympics for many reasons, I’ll always treasure the challenge of covering each and every sport. Pretty fun to look back at my all-Remix Olympic team, too.
Honorable Mention: Summer of Soccer/MLB at Rickwood Field June 21, 2024; While the first few issues went out to less than 10 people, this was the first Remix to be widely delivered. Looking back, it was a pretty crazy time in sports! The Celtics had just won the NBA title and Grimace had debuted as a good luck charm for the Mets. Remember those 2024 Euros? What a fantastic tournament… this was also the day the Lakers officially hired JJ Redick. There’s also very prescient shoutout in that morning’s issue about Jack Draper.
FIVE PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Next week, the St. Louis Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners for a package of prospects including switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. I get very excited by the novelty of Cijntje’s ability, even though he is clearly better with one arm than the other.
England wins the World Cup this summer. The US falls to the eventual champs in the quarters after a controversial call leads to penalty kicks. As the team with the closest result against the winners, certain fans of the US go on to claim that they are actually the best in the world and technically won.
Oklahoma City and San Antonio split the next four NBA titles. Their dominance, combined with a reshuffling required by expansion teams created in Seattle and Vegas, cause the league to end the separation of Western and Eastern conferences– playoffs are seeded by overall best record 1-16.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz meet in the finals of each of the 2026 Grand Slams and three of the four in 2027. No other man wins a Grand Slam in tennis until the 2028 US Open.
I never find a better use for the iPhone shortcut button– you know the one of the top left side of our phone? Right now, it takes me straight to my Remix notes doc. Not sure what the replacement is going to be.
TOP FIVE SPORTS MOMENTS (FROM THE LAST 18 MONTHS)
Honorable Mention: The entire Blue Jays vs Dodgers 2026 World Series; Houston and Duke miss their moment, Florida wins March Madness; Shohei’s “perfect” game at the plate against the Marlins; A’ja Wilson wins yet another MVP; Travis Hunter’s two-way Heisman; Tyrese Haliburton and Cal Raleigh and Amanda Anisimova; Canada vs USA at the Four Nations tournament; So many great memories, this list could probably keep going and going… but let’s get to the top five:
ICYMI: Freddie Freeman walks it off October 26, 2024
I was so over the moon when Freddie hit that grand slam… I believe this is the only time I’ve published an issue on a Saturday morning.
Superstar stunner: Luka traded to LA February 3, 2025
I heard from one member of the Remix community that the Luka trade remains his worst memory from reading this publication… sorry Will!
Steph Curry’s Golden Three August 12, 2024
There were so many fantastic moments at the Paris Olympics– Noah Lyles, Raygun, Mondo Duplantis, and Ilhona Maher stand out– but none was more magical than Steph’s shot to seal a gold medal.
Rory McIlory: Masters Champion April 14, 2025
“A weekend filled with ups and downs and wild swings ended with one of the greatest golfers of his generation achieving a lifelong dream… The putt went in and we witnessed a great athlete fall to his knees, the enormous weight of expectations and missed opportunities finally lifted from his shoulders. Rory McIlory had entered ten April weekends in Augusta with the goal of completing the career Grand Slam. And on his 11th try, despite all the mistakes and missed chances and the worry you could sometimes see etched into his face, Rory got it done.”
Sinner vs Alcaraz in a French Open final for the ages June 9, 2025
Amidst a thrilling NBA Finals and a Stanley Cup Finals rematch, nothing captivated the sports world this summer like the duel at Roland Garros. Their rivalry has become appointment television in a rare and unique way reserved for only the true greats
FIVE SPORTS MEDIA RECOMMENDATIONS
Joe Blogs, Joe Posnanski writes about baseball (and sometimes other things). He’s one of the best! Check it out!
The Bounce, solid and steady daily basketball updates from The Athletic
Red Light Newsletter, Sean McIndoe is one of the most entertaining writers out there… even if you don’t like hockey, read his work at The Athletic
JM Baseball, Especially during the offseason, the JM crew make fun videos. It’s a great way to nerd out, learn a bit of trivia, and remember some guys
The Tennis Channel App, can’t spill the details yet but big things are coming soon! And keep an eye on Pickleball TV, too!
FIVE MORE PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers win the Stanley Cup next June, ending one of the greatest droughts in sports. However, it takes the Cubs another 108 seasons to win a World Series.
The CBA negotiations are resolved, JuJu Watkins enters the league, women’s basketball capitalizes on the momentum of the LA Olympics, and the WNBA begins a new golden era in 2027.
Chris Paul becomes the next head coach of Wake Forest basketball and the Demon Deacons finally return to March Madness. Sorry, I forget this was a prediction section and not wishful thinking. The NCAA folds by 2032, and college sports as we know it cease to exist. The replacement is pretty awesome and everyone grows to love it, but we remember how it used to be and it’s not the same. Also Chris Paul is named the next coach of Wake Forest basketball. Please.
My kickball team makes a glorious run to the championship game at the end of January. Always bet on yourself! Especially when you’re avoiding making a Super Bowl pick, because I have zero clue who’s going to win this year.
I will seriously miss writing the Remix. Next March when someone drains a buzzer-beater… dissecting the rosters at the World Baseball Classic… the first day of Spring Training… watching speed skating at the Winter Olympics… all the times that Victor Wembanyama or Coco Gauff or Shohei Ohtani or Caitlin Clark or some other incredible athlete will blow our minds… the second day of Spring Training… LeBron’s eventual retirement announcement… Indiana vs Alabama at the Rose Bowl later today! During the highest highs, the lowest lows, and all those quirky, indescribable sports moments in between, I will feel the urge to write something up and send it out. For the rest of my life, I know this to be true.
And that, my friends, is how you guarantee that your last prediction will be correct. Going out on top!
For those who don’t know the origins of this project, The Remix was born during a time in my life where I barely knew anyone in my city, didn’t have a full-time job, and was searching for a purposeful way to spend my days. Little did I know that I’d end up writing over 350 posts and hundreds of thousands of words, sharing the wonderful world of sports with an eager community of readers on a daily basis. Safe to say this has been an incredible experience!
Of course, I could not and would not have wanted to do this alone. I want to thank Ted for his business expertise– I don’t know if he ever actually signed up to be my advisor, but he was always there when I needed direction. Thank you to my parents for your endless support, for helping me channel my passion, and for happily providing feedback whenever I requested it… no matter the time of day or night. Thank you to everyone who referred a friend! That still amazes me! I’ve learned one of the greatest feelings as a writer is when someone else shares your work for you. No one referred more people than my sister, Sami– I cannot overstate how lucky I am to have you in my corner. Thank you to my guest writers who filled in while I was in Madrid. Thank you to everyone who replied to a Remix with an email or text, for keeping the conversation going and reminding me this wasn’t just a newsletter, but something much more personal. You made each morning better, waking up late on the west coast to see how you engaged with something I wrote. Please, please continue to reach out… just because I’m no longer hitting publish doesn’t mean I’m not still watching every game.
From the bottom of my heart, to each and every one of you, thank you. I will forever be grateful for The Remix, this wonderful little experiment that was loved and supported by so many. Here’s to whatever comes next!
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