Baseball: Cabrera hits 500th HR. Orioles lost 18th straight game. Giannis invested in Brewers. Little League WS ends this weekend. MLB Standings.
Football: College Football is back this weekend for week 0. Preseason rankings out. NFL begins Sept 9 but preseason is here. Some schools require vaccines or neg test to attend games. Covid forfeit policies. McCarron out for season.
Golf: FedEx Cup Playoffs are here but Northern Trust delayed due to Henri.
Olympic Sports: Paralympics begin tomorrow. Prefontaine Classic: Sha Carri vs JAMs. Mu dominated. Lyle is back. AVP set record by Claes/Sponcil. Final Tokyo Medal count.
Soccer: Ronaldo benched til 60.
Baseball-MLB:
- Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera hit his 500th HR, making him the 28th player in MLB history to do so. That 500th HR also tied the score of the Blue Jays game, which the Tigers went on to win 5-3 in extra innings (11). He is the first Tiger to make the list. The VEN player has been in the league for 19 seasons with the Marlins (4 years) and then the Tigers since 2008.
- The Orioles lost their 18th straight loss when they lost to the Braves on Sunday. This is the longest skid since the Royals in 2005. The team is only 3 losses away from the AL record of 21 straight set by the team in 1988. They play the Angels tomorrow.
- The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, bought a stake in the Milwaukee Brewers. He is the first new investors since 2005.
- The Little League World Series began on the 19th and will conclude this weekend. Semifinals are on Saturday with the Championship game on Sunday. Teams still on the winners side of the bracket are Hawaii, Michigan, Texas, California, Oregon and South Dakota. Here is the whole bracket!
- NJ, WA, NE, NH, OH & LA are all in the losers bracket but are still in as well.
- MLB Regular season ends on Oct 3 so I will now include the standings on the weekly basis.
- American League: Rays, Astros & Yankees/White Sox (tied)
- National League: Giants, Dodgers & Brewers
- These 3 are significantly ahead of the next 3 teams whereas the AL is a much tighter race with 6 teams at or over 70 wins.
Football: This will be the last week that this will be combined.
- College football season begins next weekend but this weekend is ‘Week 0’ with a couple of games going on. College Gameday will be in Atlanta for the Alcorn St vs NC Central game.
- If you’re wondering where College Gameday may go (and remember this is early), here are the games that ESPN thinks will be some of the best games week by week.
- Preseason rankings are out! 18 of the top 25 in the preseason rankings were teams that were in the final ranking at the end of last season. Sorry while I roll my eyes that Penn St, LSU, Wisconsin and Oregon are all in the rankings when they had mediocre years last year. Oregon made the biggest jump being left out of the final Top 25 ranking last year all the way up to #11 preseason ranking.
- Oregon only played 6 games but at least had a winning record. LSU went 5-5 last year and somehow they’re ranked preseason, please! Wisconsin also had a 3-3 record while Penn St had a losing record of 4-5…
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- To put this in perspective, 10 of the teams in last year’s preseason ranking did not finish in the Top 25 and of those teams were the 4 I mentioned.
- NFL season begins Sept 9th with the DAL Cowboys vs TB Buccaneers. Preseason has started and is in the last week. So that’s why you’re seeing football on TV already.
- Oregon and Oregon St are the first teams to require vaccines or proof of a negative COVID test to attend football games. This follows Tulane, who also requires proof of vaccination in accordance to NOLA rules. Hawaii announced they will not have fans for home games.
- The Big 10 and the ACC announced that they will force teams to forfeit games where they do not have enough players to play as a result of COVID. This is now the final conference in the Power 5 to announce this policy. If both ACC teams are unable to play, they will both be credited with a loss in conference play! The Big 10 was not so harsh, saying that if both teams cannot play for COVID reasons, it will be deemed a ‘no contest’. However if there is an instance where multiple teams are in contention for the championship, then the covid no contest would be counted as a loss.
- The NCAA pronounced that unvaccinated athletes will be tested weekly and wear masks; vaccinated athletes will not be tested as routinely.
- Falcons QB and former Bama QB, AJ McCarron is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the preseason. It happened on this play during their loss to Miami on Sunday. Feleipe Franks took his spot after McCaron went down. But for all of you confused as to where Matt Ryan is, he just hasn’t played any preseason games.
- #GFHint: NFL Preseason games realllllly don’t matter. This is a time for teams to give other players playing time that need snaps. Thus why you wont see the normal starters, especially the older QBs play in any of these games. I know in sports its hard to believe that games don’t matter but in this case, it’s true.
Golf:
- Tropical Depression Henri is reeking havoc on the final round of the first of the FedEx Cup playoff, the Northern Trust. Final round should play today but the start has already been delayed 4 hours due to rain. We will see if this will actually finish today. The PGA Tour did change the rules, which previously stated that the final round of any tournament must conclude on a Monday and just end with however many holes the players could get through. Now, the tournament will be allowed to go on to Tuesday. However that makes the next FedEx Cup Playoff complicated as the BMW is still set to start on Thursday and with only a pro-am on Wednesday, that would mean that most players would not get a practice round in. Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm are leading as of the conclusion of the 3rd round at -16. The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup points after this tournament move onto the next playoff tournament, the BMW Championship, in Maryland next week.
- Reigning FedEx Cup champ and 3x winner of the Northern Trust, Dustin Johnson, had some driver trouble before the first round on Thursday. Moments before stepping onto the first tee, Johnson noticed that his driver had a crack in it and therefore he was not allowed to play that club. He still shot an even par round but this course is not friendly without a driver and he did ultimately miss the cut (-1).
Olympic Sports:
- Paralympics begin Tuesday and run through Sept 5th.
- For Team USA, Melissa Stockwell (3x paratriathlon) and Chuck Aoki (3x wheelchair rugby) will be the flagbearers at tomorrow’s opening ceremonies.
- The Afghanistan flag will be on display during the Opening Ceremonies despite the country not having any athletes participating.
- Track athletes did not have a lot of time off after the Olympics. The Prefontaine classic was this weekend and it was amazing. Most races had at least one Olympic medalists, if not the whole podium. And more importantly, it had a packed stadium. This meet was apart of the Diamond League and was the only US stop on tour this year.
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- Sha’Carri Richardson got her chance to compete against the Tokyo podium (remember the JAM sweep) in the 100m and frankly got her ass kicked. She got last in the race but we still interviewed her and it was interesting to say the least. She reminded all of us this is not the last we will see of her. And although she lost, she took a month off after trials and had been through making the team, being removed from the team and the loss of her biological mother (although she did not have a relationship with her).
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- Athing Mu continued to dominate in the 800m, setting a new PR and set a new American record with a time of 1:55.04. she destroyed the field.
- Noah Lyles, who took the Bronze in Tokyo in the 200m despite losing 1 race all year, looked much more like himself running 19.52 to win that race. That time is .02 off his PR, a new meet record and the world leading time. It also would’ve won gold in Tokyo. He just needs the fans!
- Tokyo Gold Medalist in the 200m Andre De Grasse ran a 9.74 (wind aided) 100m to beat a field that had the silver medalist Fred Kerley and Olympic champion and 3x Olympian Justin Gatlin in it.
- USA Olympians Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil broke the AVP tour record for longest set in their quarterfinal at the Manhattan Beach Open yesterday. The set went to 39-37 against Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss in the first set of the game! The Olympic team won the 2nd set 21-15 before losing to Tokyo Olympic Gold Medalists April Ross and Alix Klineman in the Semifinals.
- Final Tokyo Olympic Medal count:
- Total: USA 113, CHN 88, JPN 58
- Golds: USA 39, CHN 38, JPN 27
- Philippines won first ever gold medal in the Olympics thanks to Hidilyn Diaz in W weightlifting.
- San Marino won 3 Olympic medals. That’s an average of a medal for every 11,310 people. That’s the most per capita of any country.
- Most expensive Olympics on record costing $20Bn. Postponement was estimated to be responsible for $6Bn of that.
- Youngest Olympians were 12 years old SYR table tennis Hend Zaza and JPN skateboarder Kokona Hiraki.
- Oldest Olympian was AUS equestrian rider Mary Hanna at 66.
- Next summer Olympics is Paris 2024 but we only have to wait a couple of months before you her the Olympic hymn again as the Beijing Winter Olympics begin on Feb 4th!
Soccer:
- Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo was benched for Juventus’s game against Udinese in their opener on Sunday. Ronaldo did not go in until the 60th minute and then got a yellow card for excessive celebration on a goal that was eventually recalled by VAR due to being offsides. The final score was 2-2.
What to watch this week
Baseball-MLB:
- Tues 8/24
- Dodgers at Padres @ 9pm on ESPN
- Urias vs Weathers
- Dodgers at Padres @ 9pm on ESPN
- Wed 8/25
- Dodgers at Padres @ 9pm on ESPN
- Buehler vs Snell
- Dodgers at Padres @ 9pm on ESPN
- Sat 8/28
- Little League World Series Semifinal @ 11:30am on ABC
- Little League World Series Semifinal @ 2:30pm on ABC
- Red Sox at Indians @ 3:05pm on FS1
- Eovaldi vs Quantril
- Padres at Angels @ 8:07pm on FS1
- Sun 8/29
- Giants at Braves @ 12:20pm on TBS
- Little League World Series Championship Game @ 2pm on ABC
- Yankees at A’s @ 6pm on ESPN
- Montgomery vs Blackburn
Basketball:
- Sat 8/28
- BIG3 Playoffs @ 2pm on CBS
Football- NCAAF:
- Sat 8/28
- Nebraska at Illinois @ 12pm on FOX
- UConn at Fresno St @ 1pm on CBSSN
- Hawaii at UCLA @ 2:30pm on ESPN
- Southern Utah at San Jose St @ 9pm on CBSSN
Football-NFL Preseason:
- Fri 8/27
- Vikings at Chiefs @ 7pm on NFL
- Sat 8/28
- Packers at Bills @ 12pm on NFL
- Bears at Titans @ 6pm on NFL
- Chargers at Seahawks @ 9pm on NFL
- Sun 8/29
- Jaguars at Cowboys @ 12pm on NFL
- Dolphins at Bengals @ 3pm on CBS
- Raiders at 49ers @ 3pm on NFL
- Patriots at Giants @ 5pm on NFL
- Browns at Falcons @ 7pm on NBC
Golf:
- Mon 8/27
- Northern Trust – Final Round (postponed from Sunday)
- @ 11:30am (delayed) on Golf Channel – maybe??
- @ 12pm on CBS
- Northern Trust – Final Round (postponed from Sunday)
- Thurs 8/26
- BMW Championship – Round 1 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 8/27
- BMW Championship – Round 2 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 8/28
- BMW Championship – Round 3
- @ 11am on Golf Channel
- @ 2pm on NBC
- BMW Championship – Round 3
- Sun 8/29
- BMW Championship – Final Round
- @ 11am on Golf Channel
- @ 1pm on NBC
- BMW Championship – Final Round
Motorsports:
- Sat 8/28
- NASCAR – Coke Zero Sugar 400 @ 6pm on NBC
- Sun 8/29
- F1: Belgian GP @ 8am on ESPN
Olympic Sports:
- Tues 8/24
- Paralympics – Opening Ceremonies @ 6am on NBCSN
- Replay @ 6pm
- Paralympics – Swimming, BBall, Rugby & Cycling @ 9pm on NBCSN
- Paralympics – Opening Ceremonies @ 6am on NBCSN
- Wed 8/25
- Paralympics – Swim, Rugby, Cycling @ 2am on NBCSN
- Beach Volleyball – AVP Pro CA @ 5:30pm on NBCSN
- Paralympics – Bball, rugby, cycling, goalball @ 7pm on NBCSN
- Thurs 8/26
- Paralympics – Swim, Bball, rugby, cycling @ 2am on NBCSN
- Track & Field – Diamon League Lausanne @ 1pm on NBCSN
- Paralympics – T&F, Tennis, rugby, cycling, goalball @ 8pm on NBCSN
- Fri 8/27
- Paralympics – Swim, T&F, bball, rugby, judo @ 2am on NBCSN
- Paralympics – bball, rugby @ 11pm on NBCSN
- Sat 8/28
- Paralympics – Swim, T&F, bball, goalball @ 2am on NBCSN
- Track & Field – Diamond League Paris @ 6pm on NBCSN
- Sun 8/29
- Paralympics – Rugby Final, Swim, T&F, Tennis, Rowing @ 12am on NBCSN
- Paralympics – Highlights @ 11am on NBC
- Swimming – International Swimming League @ 11am on CBS
- Triathlon – Collins Cup @ 2:30pm on NBCSN
- Paralympics – Highlights @ 6pm on NBC
- Paralympics – Rugby Final, Tennis, Table Tennis @ 8pm pn NBCSN
Soccer:
- Mon 8/23
- Premier League: West Ham vs Leicester City @ 1:55pm on NBCSN
- Thurs 8/26
- NCAAM: 3. Pitt at Duquesne @ 7pm on ACC
- NCAAW: 23. Ole Miss vs Middle TN @ 7pm on SEC
- Fri 8/27
- MLS: Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati @ 5:30pm on ESPN
- MLS: Orlando City vs Inter Miami @ 7:30pm on ESPN
- Sat 8/28
- Premier League: Brighton vs Everton @ 8:55am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Liverpool vs Chelsea @ 11:30am on NBC
- NCAAW: 9. Texas A&M vs 7. Clemson @ 7pm on SEC
- Sun 8/29
- Premier League: Burnley vs LeedsU @ 7:55am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs ManU @ 10:25am on NBCSN
- NCAAW: NC St vs 17. South Carolina @ 12pm on ACC
- NCAAW: 18. Vanderbilt vs 6. Duke @ 2pm on SEC
- NCAAM: 7. Wake Forest vs Bucknell @ 6:30pm on ACC
- NCAAW: Texas vs 11. Georgetown @ 7pm on LGHN
- MLS: Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers @ 9:30pm on ESPN
