Weekly Update – Week of December 7, 2020 (COVID Week 39)

Baseball: RIP Dick Allen. Roberto Clemente Award. Bids ready in JPN for Sugano.

Basketball-NBA: Preseason Begins! James and Davis stay in LA. Westbrook goes to Washington. Harden holding out. Each team gets $30MM. Bam gives his mom a house.

Basketball-NCAAM: #1 Gonzaga shut down activities. Carter left Washington to go pro.

Case of the Mondays: 2 refs with balls to the face. F1 tire mix up.

Football-NCAAF: 6 Losses in Top 25. BYU ‘any team, any time, any place’. Indiana proves new QB can hang. Hirings/Firings. 11 bowl games cancelled.

Football-NFL: Steelers undefeated play tonight. Best Browns? Pats shut out Chargers. Jets’ DC costly mistake. Homeless man breaks into Brady home.

Golf: Hovland wins Mayakoba for 2nd PGA Tour title. DJ joined GameDay as guest picker.

Motorsports: F1 Screw up. Daytona hosted triathlon.

Olympic Sports: Breakdancing=Olympic sport. US criminalizes doping. RIP USA Dec champ Rafer. BLR Marina banned 4 yrs. Bach goes unopposed. Queensland bids 2032. SUI Marco wins GS. Speedskating and curling done for a while.

    

Baseball:

• Dick Allen, former Phillies and White Sox 1/3B, died at the age of 78. The 7x All-Star hit 351 HRs and was NL Rookie of the Year in 1964.
• The Roberto Clemente Award goes to the MLB player for community involvement and philanthropy every year and this year Cardinal RHP Adam Wainwright wins the award. Wainwright and Garth Brooks teamed up with Texas pitcher Kyle Gibson to raise $5.8MM for 94 charities in a Home Plate Project. The pitcher is a free agent this season after 15 seasons with the Cardinals. He is a 3x All-Star but is 39 years old.
• The MLB teams are ready to bid on JPN’s star pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano. Bidding goes from Tues at 8am ET through 1/7 at 5pm ET. Overall he is a 101-49 with a 2.32 ERA over his 8 years in JPN.
• The Angels picked up closer Raisel Iglesias from the Reds in exchange for RHP reliever Noe Ramirez, a TBD player and cash.

Basketball-NBA:

• LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be in LA for a while. They both signed new deals this past week. LeBron signed for $86MM for a 2 year extension. While Davis signed a 5 year contract for $190MM. Davis could leave after the 2023/2024 season while LeBron can leave after the 2022/2023 season. LeBron signed the longest contract he could without invoking the leagues’ ‘Over 38 rule’ which restricts players who are over 38 from making multiyear deals.

• Westbrook will now be wearing a Wizard’s uniform for the next season. The Rockets traded him for John Wall this past week. And it gets better for the Wizards. They’re a young team so they flat out said they expect Russell to set the tone and lead, well he sure started out strong as he showed up to the first practice early! Tone set Wiz.
• Harden is holding out on the Rockets and has not attended training camp. At first the reason for him not showing up was COVID protocols but that seems to not be the case anymore. Although he was at Lil Baby’s bday party in Atlanta and a bunch of clubs in Vegas according to his Insta. So far no disciplinary action has been taken against him for breaking COVID protocols.
• Speaking of cash… EACH NBA team will receive $30MM to help cover the losses from the pandemic (40% of the league’s revenue comes from ticket sales in a normal year). The $900MM was raised from selling NBA notes in the private placement market; the notes are 3-4 years and will be paid back with interest.

• Need a feel good moment in 2020? Bam Adebayo, a center for Heat, gave his mom a house for her bday after raising him as a single mom in a trailer. Bam did just sign a contract that could amount to $200MM. I think this was a great way to spend some of that hard earned cash! I’m not crying you’re crying!
• 3 Raptors tested positive for COVID on Monday.

Basketball – NCAAM:

• #1 Gonzaga has shut down basketball activities due to COVID and has canceled 4 games including their matchup against #2 Baylor. So far the earliest the team could return to action is 12/15. Their game against #3 Iowa is still on for 12/19 at this point.
• Washington Guard Nahziah Carter has left his school after his suspension was upheld for 2 separate sexual assault allegations. He will pursue a pro career as of now but hasn’t played basketball since October 15 due to his suspension.

Case of the Monday’s:

• There were a couple of great candidates this week.
  • Two passes hit 2 referees in the head in one college football weekend. One by Kansas St and the other by Texas A&M
  • Also in F1 race: Mercedes was on pace to finish 1-2 with Russell (a last-minute replacement for F1 champion Hamilton out for COVID) and Bottas until a huge mix-up occurred in the pits. After a Safety Car came onto the track and both Mercedes men decided to pit (normal), the pit crew switched their tires sending Russell out on Bottas’ tires, then realized it after he was gone when they looked to put on Bottas tires and they weren’t his so they replaced the old tires and Russell had to come straight back into the pits. You are not allowed to run someone else’s tires as you have a certain tire allotment per racer per round. After the mix-up Russell worked his way back up to 2^nd before getting a nail in the tires forcing him to put for the 4^th He got 15^th but is under investigation for running one lap with someone else’s tires…

Football – NCAAF:

• This week 6 teams lost in Top 25 including the “we’ll take any team at any time” #13 BYU team who stepped in to play on College GameDay vs Coastal Carolina when Liberty backed out due to COVID issues. Well obviously, you cant beat any team any time when they lose to #18… #15 Oklahoma St couldn’t win despite 5 turnovers for TCU. #16 Wisconsin got beat by #12 Indiana with a new QB who played his butt off. The Pac 12 self-imploded this weekend with both #22 Washington and #23 Oregon losing. And most surprising undefeated #21 Marshall got SHUT OUT by Rice who had only 1 win all season (and even that is surprising). Marshall’s QB Wells threw 5 interceptions. Rice is notoriously one of the worst football programs every year.
  • Ohio St plays Michigan in perhaps the most lopsided match up between these two legendary football programs in years. The Buckeyes opened as 30 point favorites… GameDay will be at the Navy Army game.
• Hirings/Firings:
  • South Carolina has hired a new HC after firing Muschamp earlier this season. The rumors have been confirmed Oklahoma Assistant HC and TE coach Shane Beamer. He is the son of the legendary VTech coach Beamer.
  • Kentucky has fired their OC Eddie Gran and QB coach less than 24 hours after their last regular season game.
  • Watch out for the Texas job to become open soon. Rumors are already swirling and Herbie filleted the culture of the Horns on GameDay on Saturday.
    • Go to 1:43:50
• Texas has halted all football activities after 5 positive tests post their win against K St on Saturday. TBD if the Kansas game will happen this weekend.
• 11 bowl games have been canceled due to the COVID pandemic. The Bahamas Bowl, Celebration Bowl, Fenway Bowl. Hawaii Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Motor City Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, RedBox Bowl and the Sun Bowl are all cancelled. The Sun bowl has been played for the last 86 years. Just another tradition to be marred by the virus. Also the Inaugural LA Bowl (between the Mountain West and Pac 12) has been canceled. Basically if you think of doing anything in the state of California, better think again.

Football – NFL:

• The Ravens and the Steelers finally got the play their game…on Wednesday. Lamar Jackson is scheduled to be back from COVID in time for tonight’s game! Its only happened a handful of times in NFL history. And again the Steelers remain undefeated. The Steelers play again tonight. The Giants handed the Seahawks a stunning loss. Mayfield had an old-glory days Sooner like day with the Browns beating the Titans 41-35. The Browns are now 9-3! The Patriots destroyed the Chargers. How destroyed? 45-0… there was a blocked FG attempt for a TD, a punt return TD, 2 interceptions and a 45 yard FG miss by the Chargers.
• Usually when a DC makes a mistake, it might result in a TD or so and is not that big of a deal. The opposite can be said for Jets DC Gregg Williams who was fired after his blitz call on the final play against the Raiders. The Jets were on the verge of their first win of the season, wining by 4 with 13 seconds left, when the Jets ran a blitz on QB Derek Carr who chucked the ball from the 50 yard line to the waiting arms of WR Henry Ruggs III. Many people (and Twitter) are theorizing that Williams sacrificed himself so the Jets can get the #1 draft pick to get Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence… intriguing.
• A random man broke into Tom Brady’s mansion in Massachusetts while no one was home and made himself comfy on the couch. No one from the Brady family was home as now Brady lives in Florida, playing for the Bucs. The man who broke in was a 34-year-old homeless man and the alarm company called the cops when the alarms sounded and they spotted the intruder. Police have arrested the man.
• Cowboys Zack Matin looks like he will be out for the rest of the season with a calf strain from the Thanksgiving game. If he misses the remaining 3 games, he will double his total games missed ever due to injury in his 8-year career in the league (currently 3 total).
• The Panthers have closed their facilities due to 8 players testing positive for COVID. Good thing it’s a bye week!

Golf:

• This weekend was the last PGA Tour tournament of the year: the Mayakoba Classic. Viktor Hovland won his 2^nd PGA Tour title with a birdie on the final hole to seal the deal. Not to mention his beautiful par save on the 16^th where he nailed a 40 yard putt. We should be used to this kid by now as he won his first title with a 30-foot birdie putt at the Puerto Rico Open. The OSU Cowboy got the better of the Oregon Duck Aaron Wise, who shot a 63 to close out the tournament. Both men were looking for their second title. Want a bow on top? Hovland actually had his first start on the PGA Tour as an amateur at the Mayakoba in 2018, just 2 years later he wins the whole thing and is already a PGA Tour winner. Get used to the Norwegian name.

• Dustin Johnson was the guest picker on College GameDay. He went on wearing the green jacket and a Masters tie AND went 8-2. The Coastal Carolina graduate was the only one to go with the Chants and it paid off. Herbie even complimented DJ’s knowledge of college football.

Motorsports:

• Formula1 had one of the last races of the season this weekend and it was a thriller. Racing Point’s racer Sergio Perez was hit by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the first lap and looked to be pretty much out of it when he dropped to 18^th. However he worked his way back to take his first win in his 190 race career. If you skipped it, check out Case of the Monday’s above to see what other s*** went down.
• Daytona International Speedway was the scene of 100 of the world’s best triathlon-ers end to the 2020 season. The triathlon combined of a 2km swim set in the lake in the center of the course, 80km bike ride around the oval and 18km run around the circuit to finish and earn $1.15MM in prize money. CAN Paula Findlay won the women’s race and NOR Gustav Iden won the men’s.

Olympic Sports:

• The newest Olympic sport is officially breakdancing (although itll be called breaking). As of today, in the 2024 Paris Olympics, breakdancing will be contested. Also confirmed were skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. In with the new and out with the old. There will be 329 medal events in Paris and to make room for the new events, the Paris committee got rid of 4 weightlifting medals. Mainly weightlifting was targeted due to its significant doping prevalence.
  • Parkour organizers have been asked that they be left out of the Olympic bid. The International Gymnastics Federation is ‘misappropriating their sport.’ Paris is anxious to add it as it was the place parkour is credited to being invented in the 1990s. The FIG is planning to host the first parkour world championships in March together with Parkour Earth in Japan. It will have events in parkour speed and freestyle.
• The US has signed a bill into law that will criminalize international doping conspiracies by allowing US prosecutors to go after doping schemes at international events that American athletes, sponsors or broadcasters were involved. The law is called the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act after the whistleblower from the Moscow lab that uncovered the doping scandal at the Sochi Olympics. Punishments can be fines up to $1MM and 10 years in prison.

• Olympic Decathlon gold medalist from the USA, Rafer Johnson, died at the age of 86 at his home in LA. He won the gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. He also won silver at the 1956 Melbourne games. His list of accomplishments is not a short one. He played bball and ran track for UCLA and was student body president. He starred in movies with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and James Bond. He set 3 different records in the Dec and helped light the torch at the Coliseum in 1984 LA Olympics. Oh ya and he helped subdue JFK’s assassin! NBD

• Belarus 800m champion, Marina Arzamasova, has been slapped with a 4 year doping ban which will end on 7/28/2023 for testing positive for Ligandrol. This drug is used to build muscle with less side effects than steroids. She claims she did not know she took it and it must’ve been in her over-the-counter supplements. She will be 35 when the ban ends. She won the 800m at 2015 Worlds, 2014 Euro Championships and was 7^th at the Rio games.
• Current IOC President Thomas Bach is running unopposed for reelection. His final term will begin after the Tokyo Olympics and run through 2025.
• Marco Odermatt ended SUI’s 9 year draught of a World Cup Giant Slalom event. He edged out USA Tommy Ford by 0.73 seconds.
• Queensland, AUS will put their name into the hat for the 2032 Olympics.
• The Long-track speedskating championships in Utah have been cancelled due to COVID. USA Curling will have no events through May.

What to watch this week

Basketball – NBA:

• Fri 12/11
  • Kings at Trail Blazers @ 9:30pm on ESPN
• Sun 12/13
  • Clippers at Lakers @ 7:30pm on ESPN

Basketball – NCAA:

• Tues 12/8
  • Creighton at 5. Kansas @ 4pm on ESPN
  • Colorado at 12. Tennessee @ 5pm on SEC
  • UNC at 3. Iowa @ 6:30pm on ESPN
  • Ohio St at Notre Dame @ 6:30pm on ESPN2
  • Nicholls at 2. Baylor @ 8pm on ESPN+
  • Penn St at 15. VTech @ 8pm on ESPNU
  • Illinois at 10. Duke @ 8:30pm on ESPN
  • Syracuse at 21. Rutgers @ 8:30pm on ESPN2
• Wed 12/9
  • Rhode Island at 13. Wisconsin @ 3:30pm
  • Northern Iowa at 19. Richmond @ 5pm on ESPN+
  • Robert Morris at 11. West Virginia @ 6pm on ESPN+
  • Abilene Christian at 17. Texas Tech @ 6pm on ESPN+
  • Sam Houston St at 7. Houston @ 7pm on ESPN+
  • Texas St at 13. Texas @ 7pm on LGHN
  • Michigan St at 18. UVA @ 8:15pm on ESPN
  • Indiana at 20. Florida St @ 8:15pm on ESPN2
• Thurs 12/10
  • SDSU at 23. Arizona St @ 9pm
• Fri 12/11
  • Villanova at Georgetown @ 4pm
  • Omaha at 5. Kansas @ 6pm on ESON2
  • Nebraska at 8. Creighton @ 6pm on BTN
  • Iowa St at 3. Iowa @ 8pm on BTN
• Sat 12/12
  • Florida at Florida St @ 10am on ESPNU
  • Cincinnati at 12. Tennessee @ 11:30am on SEC
  • Rice at 7. Houston @ 1pm on ESPN+
  • Charleston Southern at 10. Duke @ 1pm
  • Texas A&M CC vs 17. Texas Tech @ 1pm
  • Illinois at Mizzou @ 7pm
• Sun 12/13
  • Oakland at 4. Michigan St @ 11am
  • Tarleton at 5. Kansas @ 12pm on ESPN+
  • Richmond at 11. West Virginia @ 12pm on ESPN
  • Texas at 2. Baylor @ 2pm on ESPN
  • Cleveland St at 22. Ohio St @ 3pm
  • Arizona St at Grand Canyon @ 6pm

Football-NCAAF:

• Tues 12/8 – CFP Top 25 Ranking Show @ 6pm on ESPN

Top 25
Week 15
Top 25 Games
Visitor	Home	Day	Time (CT)	TV
20. UNC	9. Miami	Sat 12/12	2:30 PM	ABC
Army	Navy	Sat 12/12	2:30 PM	CBS
25. Wisconsin	19. Iowa	Sat 12/12	2:30 PM
7. Cincinnati	18. Tulsa	Sat 12/12	3:00 PM	ESPN2
*GameDay is in bold*

Football – NFL:

• Mon 12/7
  • Cowboys at Ravens @ 4pn on FOX
  • Seahawks at Eagles @ 7:15pm on ESPN
• Sun 12/13
  • 7 games @ 12pm on FOX/CBS depending on your geographical location
    • Texans at Bears
    • Cowboys at Bengals
    • Chiefs at Dolphins
    • Cardinals at Giants
    • Vikings at Bucs
    • Broncos at Panthers
    • Titans at Jaguars
  • Colts at Raiders – or – Jets at Seahawks @ 3:05pm on CBS
  • 4 games @ 3:25 on FOX
    • Packers at Lions
    • Saints at Eagles
    • Falcons at Chargers
    • Washington at 49ers
  • Steelers at Bills @ 7:20pm on NBC
• Mon 12/14
  • Ravens at Browns @ 7:15pm on ESPN

Olympic Sports:

• Wed 12/9
  • Triathlon: Challenge Daytona replay @ 6pm on NBCSN
• Fri 12/11
  • Triathlon: Challenge Daytona replay @ 12:30pm on NBCSN
  • Biathlon: Men’s 10km Sprint @ 5:30pm on NBCSN
  • Ski Jumping: World Cup HS240 @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
• Sun 12/13
  • Skiing: World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom @ 9pm on NBCSN
  • Skateboarding: Road to Tokyo @ 10pm on NBCSN
  • Skiing: Cross Country Skiing Women’s 10km @ 11pm on NBCSN

Soccer:

• Thurs 12/10
  • International Friendly: USA vs ESA @ 6:30pm on ESPNNEWS
• Fri 12/11
  • Premier League: Leeds United vs West Ham @ 1:55pm on NBCSN
• Sat 12/12
  • Italian Serie A: Crotone vs Spezia @ 8am on ESPNNEWS
• Sun 12/13
  • Premier League: Southampton vs Sheffield @ 6am on NBCSN
  • Premier League: Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur @ 8 :10am on NBCSN
  • Premier League: Fulham vs Liverpool @ 10:25am on NBCSN
  • Premier League: Arsenal vs Burnley @ 1:10pm on NBCSN