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Jeff Mezydlo

A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for parts of four decades. He was an integral member of award-winning sports sections at The Times of Northwest Indiana (Munster, Ind.) and Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, where he covered the NFL, PGA, LPGA, NCAA basketball, football and golf, Olympics and high school athletics. Jeff most recently spent 12 years in the editorial department at STATSPerform, where he also oversaw coverage of the English Premier League. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Jeff's work has also appeared on such sites at Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA.com. However, if Jeff could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High School and Grand Lakes University

EXPERTISE:

NCAA football, NCAA basketball, PGA/LPGA, international soccer, sports history, rock music, film history

The 20 greatest sophomore albums of all time

While the first time is a charm for some, the second can be even better. Spanning all genres, here's our list of the greatest sophomore albums in music history.

The definitive Cars playlist

More than 40 years after the release of their smash debut album, Cars classics can still be heard with regular frequency. Here's our list of the 20 best songs from this widely celebrated Hall of Fame band.

The definitive Iron Maiden playlist

Iron Maiden has influenced countless hard rock and metal acts, from Kiss to Nirvana. In the band's honor, here's our list of the best songs that helped make up the Iron Maiden legacy.

The definitive Beastie Boys playlist

Following Adam Yauch's 2012 death from cancer at age 47, Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond eventually decided to retire the Beastie Boys, though their music is eternal. Here's our list of their 20 best tracks.

The definitive Weezer playlist

Guided by the complex mind of lead singer and principal songwriter Rivers Cuomo, Weezer is still making relevant music today. Here's our list of Weezer's 20 best songs.

The 20 greatest roles of Arnold Schwarzenegger's filmography

We can argue for days about who is the greatest action film star of all time. Certainly, Arnold Schwarzenegger is near the top of the list. Here's a look at our favorite Schwarzenegger roles.

The best Kate Winslet roles of all time

Since establishing herself in the early 1990s as a promising young actress, Kate Winslet has never stopped. Here are our rankings of her 20 best performances.

The best solo albums from singers of legendary bands

Being part of a successful band is one thing. Doing the same as a solo artist is quite the double play. Here's our list of the 25 notable solo records from singers of the biggest bands in the world.

The best made-for-TV sports movies

Some of the best sports movies of all time weren't released on the big screen. The made-for-television concept was wildly popular in the 1970s, '80s, and even into the '90s. Here's our ranking of the top 20.

The best recurring characters from 'Friends'

We know Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey, and Ross made Friends into a massively popular sitcom for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. Here's a look at some of the best recurring characters from Friends.

The best Seth Rogen characters

While his stock continues to rise as a writer, producer and director, Rogen remains one of Hollywood's most notable actors. Here's why.

The best Jack Nicholson roles of all time

The versatility that Jack Nicholson has shown during his legendary acting career has been one of the highlights of his entertainment legacy. In celebration of the three-time Oscar winner, whose last movie came out in 2010, here's our list of Nicholson's 25 best film roles.

Robert Duvall's most memorable cinematic roles

Since the early 1960s, Robert Duvall has been one of Hollywood's most versatile and depending actors. And like any legend, he seems to get better with age. Here's our rankings of his 25 best roles. 

The best Leonardo DiCaprio roles of all time

Leonardo DiCaprio just seems to be getting better with age. Here are our 20 favorite roles from DiCaprio's filmography. 

The best Paul Giamatti roles

Whether the big screen or on television, Giamatti has built himself into one of Hollywood's top actors. Here's our rankings of his best roles.

The definitive Lynyrd Skynyrd playlist

Lynyrd Skynyrd is branded as a great Southern rock band, but it's simply a great rock and roll band. Here's our ranking of the top 20 songs within the Lynyrd Skynyrd catalog.

The 25 most memorable characters from Martin Scorsese films

Legendary director Martin Scorsese is responsible for some the most popular and beloved classic films of all time. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, just to name a few. Here's our rankings of his 25 best.

The most intriguing & mysterious bands of all time

When it comes to music, intrigue and mystery can be just as important as lyrics and notes. Here's our list of 20 bands, past or present, that fit the bill.

The greatest 'Law & Order' characters of all time

Let's face it: one can flip on basic cable, any time of day, and there's a good chance one version of Law & Order will be on some channel. Picking the 25 best characters in the history of the franchise can be a chore, but we'll give it a shot. 

2022 Open Championship storylines

Here's a look at 18 rather interesting Open Championship pre-match stories to keep in mind.

2022 Open Championship Odds

Here are 20 golfers with the best odds, courtesy of DraftKings, to win the 2022 Open Championship. Odds (in parenthesis) are current at the time of publication and subject to change.

The definitive R.E.M. playlist

The three-time Grammy Award winners were inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame in 2007. R.E.M.'s legacy lives on strong in the music, which we'll highlight with our 25 best R.E.M. songs of all time.

The most memorable Val Kilmer roles

Kilmer has given us some great performances in film and on television. Here's our list of his top 20 roles.