Weekly Update – February 28, 2022

Happy Birthday to me!

Baseball: MLB season looks like it will be delayed.

Basketball-NBA: Warriors lost a 19 point lead in the 4Q.

Basketball-NCAAM: #1 – #6 all lost on Saturday!

Football: Grambling St hired Briles. NCAA loosening marijuana testing and penalties. NFL Combine. Preseason games announced.

Golf: Straka wins 1st PGA title. Phil apologizes. ZJohnson Ryder Captain.

Olympic Sports: RUS out of FIFA WC.

Baseball:

• If the MLB and players cannot come to an agreement on the new CBA by the end of today, the season will be delayed. Player pay has decreased every year over the last 4 years that being said that the average major league salary is $4.17MM as of last year’s Opening Day.
  • What the players want: getting players paid earlier in their careers (more likely), fixing service-time manipulation (unlikely), prevent teams from losing on purpose (more likely), and removing restraints for free agency (no chance). Their only bargaining chip is money… that being said the players did offer to extend playoffs for 12 teams and opening up to on uniform advertising.

• Derek Jeter is stepping down as Marlin’s CEO after 4 seasons with the team. He had a 4% stake in the team that did make post season in 2020 but has the worst record in the NL over the last 4 years.
• The Mets have named Elizabeth Benn as Director of Major League Operations. She is now the highest ranking woman in the club’s history!

Basketball-NCAAM:

• NCAAM season. #10 Baylor barely made it passed Oklahoma St on Monday winning in OT. #9 Texas Tech and #8 Kansas both destroyed their opponents on Tues by ~20 points. #21 UConn had the first upset of the week beating #8 Villanova. After a no upset Wed, Thursday brought a loss for the #12 UCLA Bruins at the hands of Oregon. #15 Illinois was upset by fellow Big 10 #22 Ohio St. #16 USC needed OT to beat Oregon St (whose only won 3 games this entire season). Hold onto your hats with this one. Saturday brought on some craziness. #1-6 lost. No lie. #1 Gonzaga lost to #23 Saint Mary’s by 10 points same with #5 Kansas lost to #10 Baylor. #3 Auburn lost to #17 Tennessee and #6 Kentucky lost to #18 Arkansas. #2 Arizona and #4 Purdue lost to unranked teams. #7 Duke broke the top 10 losing streak. Although #9 Texas Tech also lost after a great week last week to TCU. On Sunday, only #22 Ohio St lost to unranked Maryland.

Basketball – NBA:

• The Warriors blew a 19 point lead in the 4^th quarter, which is the largest so far this NBA season. The SF team had ben winning by 21 points over the Dallas Mavericks at one point during the game until all started to fall apart in the final 12 minutes of the game. Dallas went on a 26-1 run starting at the 9:44 mark.
• Nuggets Porter Jr is on schedule to return to play in March as he has been cleared for on-court contact.

Football:

• Michigan extends Harbaugh’s deal for 5 more years. That means he will be sporting the big M until 2027. This was only a one-year extension on the deal he already signed last year. But this does come on the heels of his highly publicized interview with the Vikings.
• Grambling State HC Hue Jackson is under fire after hiring Art Briles as his OC. If you cant place that name bc its been a while, let me remind you. Briles was the HC at Baylor before he was fired for a campus-wide sexual assault allegations against his team.
• Finally the NCAA is relaxing rules and penalties against marijuana use by athletes. It will now take a higher dosage to test positive (from 35 nanograms to 150 nanograms) and the penalties have also been lessened. The old penalty had a player missing 50% of competitions for a positive test and a 2^nd positive test would be missing an entire season. Now the athlete would follow the school’s ‘mgmt plan and edu’ after a 1^st positive test; the second would cause sitting out 25% and the 3^rd being 50% all if the athlete is compliant with the first management plan.
  • All the big 4 pro sports leagues have loosened or done away with their marijuana testing and penalties.

• The NFL Combine is this week in Indy.
  • Thurs 3/3 – TEs, QBs, WOs
  • Fri 3/4 – OLs, RBs
  • Sat 3/5 – DBs, LBs
  • Sun 3/6 – PKs, DBs
• First game of the Bucs season will be held in Munich, Germany against TBA. The Packers will also play in London for the first time – they’re the only ones to not play there yet The Jags will also travel to London and the Cardinals will play in Mexico City during next season.
• There will be no expansion in CFP.

Golf:

• AUT golfer Sepp Straka won the Honda on the final hole. He was tied going into 18 with IRE Shane Lowry but when he birdied the hole, he took the Honda title despite the downpour. This was his 1^st PGA Tour title!
• Phil apologies for his comments last week after he made some inflammatory comments about the new Saudi League and PGA Tour (mainly how he is willing to overlook how scary the human rights violations and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape how the PGA Tour operates). This new league is said to be poaching PGA Tour players, who many have come out to stand with the PGA Tour. Mickelson has been rumored to lead the split with some of the players. Greg Norman is set to be commish already of the new league that will supposedly have 10 USA tournaments set to start this summer. Players who play the Saudi league will not be allowed to play on the PGA Tour as the commissioner of the Tour has made very clear.

• Zach Johnson has been named the Ryder Cup Captain for the USA. This also means that the current qualifying system, selection and points will continue through 2023.

Olympic Sports:

• The IOC has called to further condemn the ROC by excluding athletes and officials from international events in light of the UKR invasion. Each sports body will make its own decision. FIFA is now free to exclude Russia from World Cup qualifying which has a match against POL on 3/24 that the Poles are refusing to play. BLR has been added to the exclusion due to the country letting Russia launch their attack from their country. FIFA so far has not banned Russia from playing but they will now have to play under the name of the Football Union of Russia (bc that’s worked so well during the Olympics…). As a reminder the World Cup is set for 11/21.
  • * As I was writing this post, Russia has been kicked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by FIFA. Also the UEFA has canceled its sponsor with Gazprom, a Russian energy company which is responsible for €40MM/yr.
• The Paralympics open on Friday! Tune in at 5:30am on USA.
  • For the full schedule of what to watch, when, click here.

What to watch this week

Basketball-NBA:

• Tues 3/1
  • Hawks at Celtics @ 6:30pm on TNT*2 playoff teams
  • Mavericks at Lakers @ 9pm on TNT*2 playoff teams
• Wed 3/2
  • Knicks at 76ers @ 6:30pm on ESPN
  • Trail Blazers at Suns @ 9pm on ESPN
• Thurs 3/3
  • Grizzlies at Celtics @ 6:30pm on TNT *2 playoff teams
  • Lakers at Clippers @ 9pm on TNT *2 playoff teams
• Fri 3/4
  • Bucks at Bulls @ 6:30pm on ESPN*2 playoff teams
  • Knicks at Suns @ 9pm on ESPN
• Sat 3/5
  • Warriors at Lakers @ 7:30pm on ABC*
• Sun 3/6
  • Nets at Celtics @ 12pm on ABC *2 playoff teams
  • Suns at Bucks @ 2:30pm on ABC *2 playoff teams
  • Raptors at Cavaliers @ 6:30pm on ESPN
  • Knicks at Clippers @ 9pm on ESPN

Basketball – NCAAM: Only Top 25 on TV are listed

• Mon 2/28
  • Northwestern at 24. Iowa @ 7pm on BTN
  • 3.Baylor at 21. Texas @ 8pm on ESPN
  • Kansas St at 12. Texas Tech @ 8pm on ESPN2
  • 17. UCLA at Washington @ 10pm on ESPN2
• Tues 3/1
  • 9. Providence at 11. Villanova @ 5:30pm on FS1
  • 13. Tennessee at Georgia @ 5:30pm on SEC
  • Ole Miss at 7. Kentucky @ 6pm on ESPN
  • Nebraska at 23, Ohio St @ 6pm on BTN
  • 4. Duke at Pitt @ 7pm on ACC
  • 6. Kansas at TCU @ 7pm
  • 8 Purdue at 10. Wisconsin @ 8pm on ESPN
  • Cincinnati at 14. Houston @ 8pm on ESPNU
  • 2. Arizona at 16, USC @ 10pm on ESPN
• Wed 3/2
  • Texas A&M at 25. Alabama @ 6pm on SEC
  • 18. UConn at Creighton @ 7:30pm on FS1
  • 5. Auburn at Mississippi State @ 8pm on SEC
  • LSU at 14. Arkansas @ 8pm on ESPN2
• Thurs 3/3
  • Temple at 14. Houston @ 6pm on ESPN2
  • Penn St at 20. Illinois @ 6pm on FS1
  • Michigan St at 23. Ohio St @ 6pm on ESPN
  • TCU at 6. Kansas @ 7pm
  • Stanford at 2. Arizona @ 8pm on ESPN2
  • 24. Iowa at Michigan @ 8pm on FS1
• Fri 3/4
  • TBD at 22. Murray St @ 7pm on ESPNU
• Sat 3/5
  • 11. Villanova at Butler @ 11am on FOX
  • 14. Arkansas at 13. Tennessee @ 11am on ESPN
  • 25. Alabama at LSU @ 11am on CBS
  • South Carolina at 5. Auburn @ 12pm on SEC
  • 7. Kentucky at Florida @ 1pm on CBS
  • Indiana at 8. Purdue @ 1pm on ESPN
  • 12. Texas Tech at Oklahoma St @ 2pm
  • 21. Texas at 6. Kansas @ 3pm on ESPN
  • Cal at 2. Arizona @ 4pm
  • DePaul at 18. UConn @ 4pm on FOX
  • Iowa St at 3. Baylor @ 5pm on ESPN2
  • UNC at 4. Duke @ 5pm on ESPN
  • 16. USC at 17. UCLA @ 9pm on ESPN
• Sun 3/6
  • 14. Houston at Memphis @ 11am on CBS
  • Michigan at 23. Ohio St @ 11:30am on FOX
  • Nebraska at 10. Wisconsin @ 1pm on BTN
  • 24. Iowa at 20. Illinois @ 6:30pm on FS1

Golf:

• Thurs 3/3
  • Puerto Rico Open – Round 1 @ 9am on Golf Channel
  • Arnold Palmer Invitational – Round 1 @ 1pm on Golf Channel
• Fri 3/4
  • Puerto Rico Open – Round 2 @ 9am on Golf Channel
  • Arnold Palmer Invitational – Round 2 @ 1pm on Golf Channel
• Sat 3/5
  • Arnold Palmer Invitational – Round 3
    • @ 11:30am on Golf Channel
    • @ 1:30pm on NBC
  • Puerto Rico Open – Round 3 @ 1:30pm on Golf Channel
• Sun 3/6
  • Arnold Palmer Invitational – Final Round
    • @ 11:30am on Golf Channel
    • @ 1:30pm on NBC
  • Puerto Rico Open – Final Round @ 1:30pm on Golf Channel

Hockey:

• Wed 3/2
  • Blues at Rangers @ 6:30pm on TNT
  • Predators at Kraken @ 9pm on TNT
• Thurs 3/3
  • Bruins at Golden Knights @ 8pm on ESPN
• Sat 3/5
  • Blackhawks at Flyers @ 2pm on ABC
• Sun 3/6
  • Stars at Wild @ 3pm on TNT

Soccer:

• Tues 3/1
  • German DFB Pokal: FC Union Berlin vs St Pauli @ 1:45pm on ESPNU
• Wed 3/2
  • German DFB Pokal: Hannover 96 vs RB Leipzig @ 11:30am on ESPNU
• Fri 3/4
  • German Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen @ 8:30am on ESPN2
• Sat 3/5
  • Premier League: Leicester City vs LeedsU @ 6:30am on USA
  • Premier League: Burnley vs Chelsea @ 9am on USA
  • Premier League: Liverpool vs West Ham @ 11:30am on NBC
• Sun 3/6
  • Premier League: Manchester City vs ManU @ 10:30am on USA
  • MLS: Austin FC vs Inter Miami CF @ 3pm on ESPN

Olympic Sports:

• Fri 3/4
  • Paralympic Opening Ceremonies @ 5:30am on USA
  • Gymnastics: Michigan at OU @ 8pm on ESPN2
  • Paralympics: Alpine Ski & Biathlon @ 8pm on USA
  • Paralympics: Alpine Ski, Biathlon @ 8pm on NBC
• Sat 3/5
  • Paralympics: Alpine Ski @ 1am on USA
  • Paralympics: Alpine Ski, CC Skiing, Snowboard Cross @ 8pm on NBC
  • Paralympics: CC Ski, Snowboard Cross @ 8pm on USA
• Sun 3/6
  • Paralympics: CC Ski @ 1am on USA
  • Paralympics: CC Skiing, Snowboard Cross @ 11am on NBC
  • Paralympics: CC Ski, TBD @ 8pm on USA