Baseball:Balkovec first female to coach in minors.
Basketball-NBA: Nowitzki #41 retired. Comebacks of Irving and Thompson. Porter redeems himself.
Basketball-NCAAM: Lots of losses in Top 25 including #2 and #3. NCAA updates COVID guidelines. Smith #2 retired.
Football-NCAAF: National Championship tonight. OU’s new QB.
Football-NFL: Week 18 for the first time ever. Roethlisberger’s last home game. TJ Watt’s record tie. Jags upset Colts. 49ers win in OT. As does Raiders>Chargers in crazy game. Vegas could’ve lost millions. Washington’s new logo revealed Feb 2.
Golf: Cam Smith win Sentry ToC with record under par score.
Olympic Sports: Chen wins 6th nationals. Bell wins women’s side. Olympic teams are named.
Tennis: Djokovic stopped from entering AUS.
Baseball:
- Yankees have promoted Rachel Balkovec to manage the Tampa Tarpons, the low-A team of the Yankees. She is the first female to be skipper in an MLB affiliated team. She started her MLB career in the Cardinals association as a strength and conditioning coach. Rachel was a softball player at Creighton and New Mexico.
Basketball-NCAAM:
- NCAAM season. #23 Wisconsin upset #3 Purdue 74-69 to start off the week. #21 LSU had a good week, beating #16 Kentucky and #18 Tennessee. #16 Providence got their ass kicked by unranked Marquette, getting out scored by 20 points in the 1st They ultimately lost 88-56. #25 Texas Tech bounced back from their loss to #11 Iowa St on Wed by beating #6 Kansas on Saturday. This is the Red Raiders 8th straight win over top 10. #13 Ohio St lost to Indiana 67-51 on this BA dunk. 7 ranked teams lost on Saturday alone! Unranked Oklahoma beat #11 Iowa St 79-66 with their best shooting percentage in 25 years vs top 25 team. Miami pulled off a late upset beating #2 Duke 76-74. Oklahoma St outscored #14 Texas in both halves to win 64-51. #15 Alabama lost by 6 to a bad Mizzou team. #20 Colorado St had a game canceled due to COVID earlier in the week and then lost to San Diego St by 30. #1 Baylor continues to roll beating both Oklahoma and TCU this week who are both sitting with at least 10 wins.
- The NCAA changed their COVID guidelines for winter sports. Fully Vaccinated now refers to athletes that have their 1st shots and a booster or athletes who have had COVID in the last 90 days. Quarantine has been shortened to 5 days if there are no symptoms or symptoms have ‘significantly improved.’ After those 5 days, the athlete can be around others (with the exception of athletic activities) following a negative test. If athletes are fully vaccinated and have had close contact with someone with COVID, they are not required to quarantine but must wear a mask.
- Louisville has retired #2 in honor of Russ Smith. Smith led the Cardinals to the 2013 national championship (eventually that was vacated) and was the 5th highest scorer. 4 other numbers have been retired by the school including # 8, 31, 35 and 42. There is a current players that wears #2 but he will have to change after this season.
Basketball – NBA:
- The Dallas Mavericks retired Dirk Nowitzki’s number 41. Bonus is that the Mavs won that night too!
- There were 2 comebacks this week.
- Kyrie Irving returned to the court on Wednesday for the Nets against the Pacers and scored 22 points. KD commented how his return takes a lot of pressure off of him (he scored 39 points).
- Last night, Klay Thompson made his much anticipated return after 2 years and multiple bad knee injuries. He was out for 31 months since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals aka 177 straight games. Thompson came back to score 17 points in the 20 minutes that he played. During the game, Thompson hit 12,000 career points and 1,800 3 pointers.
- After being suspended for a game, Rockets Kevin Porter Jr hit a 3-pointer with only 0.4 time left on the clock to beat the Wizards on Wednesday. Talk about a comeback to the court.
Football-NCAAF:
- The National Championship is set Georgia vs Alabama rematch on Monday in Indianapolis on ESPN.
- OU has a QB and I doubt you’d heard of him. Dillon Gabriel was previously at UCF but was prepared to transfer to UCLA flipped to the Sooners. TBD whether Williams will come back. I won’t really go over all the transfer portal news because it can get a little crazy but this is important because we are seeing a different age in college football. There is no penalty for transferring anymore and it is definitely setting the trend that you can transfer if you’re slightly unhappy.
- USC QB Dart declared for transfer portal.
Football-NFL:
- Week 18 recap: The 49ers upset the Rams in OT after being down 17 at half. That win plus the Cardinals loss to the Seahawks put the SF team into the playoffs. The Texans out up a good fight against the AFC top seed Titans losing 28-25. The Lions got their third win by scoring a TD in the last 2 mins of the game upsetting the Packers 37-30. The Detroit team sat QB Aaron Rodgers in the 2nd half just as a precaution for playoffs. The Jags were almost 2 TD point underdogs but beat the Colts 26-11 to ruin the Indy team’s playoff hopes. The Patriots blew the last play of the game leading to a Dolphins TD. Granted they were winning anyway but it was still ugly. The Bucs put away the Panthers early winning 41-17. The Cowboys did the same with their rivals the Eagles winning 51-26. The Chiefs nearly avoid the upset scoring 11 points in the 4th quarter to win 28-24 over the Broncos.
The showdown between the Chargers and the Raiders winner-goes-to-the-playoffs game did not disappoint. The Chargers needed a TD to take the game into OT at the 2-minute warning. But it got more complicated than that, turns out if the Chargers and Raiders game ended in a tie then Steelers would be out of playoffs and both teams would go! The Chargers had to get 2 successful 4th downs to do it but they got the TD as time expired. Then we went to OT. The Raiders won the toss and wanted the ball first. They only managed a FG. Then chargers got another 4th down to end their possession with a FG. Next score of any kind wins the game. The Raiders ran down the clock once they got in FG range and kicked the game winner FG to take them and the Steelers to playoffs. This was the 6th time this season that the Raiders had a walk off win, that’s the most in NFL history since the AFL/NFL merger in the 70s. The Raiders are also only the 4th team in league history to make playoffs with a different HC than they started the season with. Raiders K Carlson made 93% of his FGs this season (2nd best % in 80 years of Ks that kicked over 40 FGs).
- #GFHint: Due to NFL OT rules, most teams that win the coin toss want the ball first. This is in direct contrast to college football. Because in the NFL, if the team that gets the ball first scores a TD, then the game is over without the opponent getting a chance to posses the ball. If the coin-toss winning team only scores a FG then the other team gets it. If the extra time runs out (10 mins) without a lead then the game ends in a tie. Also in contrast with college, NFL rules have the teams start with a touchback so they play the full field.
- Also to complicate this game, Vegas was shaking in their boots about this ending. If they game ended in a tie, Sportsbooks would’ve lost multimillion dollars. Less than 1% of games have ended in a tie since 1974 but with both teams being able to make playoffs with a tie, the incentive to do so increased. The most common parlay bet was the Jags win and a Chargers/Raiders tie. If you bet $1,000 on that you could’ve walked away with $115k.
- Steelers LB TJ Watt tied Michael Strahan’s record of NFL single-season sacks with 22.5 (granted this season was 18 weeks for the first time ever vs Strahan’s 16 but hey a record is a record). He also had a .5 sack negated in the 2Q after the whistle was blown for unnecessary roughness. That would’ve let TJ have the record all to himself. The Vikings, Bears and Dolphins have all fired their HCs.
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- Last week on Monday, Ben Roethlisberger won what looks to be his final home game, his 98th win at Steelers home field. He tied 3rd as the most wins in one venue by a QB.
- Washington will reveal their new logo on Feb 2. We do know that the Wolves and Redwolves will not be the name after the team president mentioned trademark issues.
Golf:
- While a round of 67 on the PGA Tour is considered a solid round, not this week! Cam Smith won the Sentry Tournament of Champions with the lowest score to par ever (of 4 round golf) of -34. Although that’s the lowest score to par, Smith only won by 1 over Jon Rahm. Of the 4 golfers to ever finish with a score of -30, Smith was the closest to losing the lead. The other 3 golfers won by at least 8 when they shot those scores. Rahm did not shoot over a 66 all week and didn’t win. This is Smith’s 4th PGA Tour title and it moves him to World #10.
Olympic Sports:
- US Figure Skating Nationals was this weekend which means that the US Olympic Figure Skating Team was named as well.
- On the men’s side, Nathan Chen, King of the Quad, won his 6th National title. He landed 4 quads and fell on his face in a step sequence. It didn’t matter though, he still won nationals by 26 points including a US figure skating record score in the short program of 115.39. He needs one more to tie Dick Button who won 7 straight in the 40s and 50s. And if you’re thinking there was no drama, you’re wrong. Runner-up at nationals was Ilia Malinina, a 17 year old but he passed over for the Olympics for Zhou and Brown. Guess the committee wanted experience > bright future.
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- Mariah Bell won the women’s title after Alysa Liu tested positive for COVID despite being vaccinated. Karen Chen got second. Both women shared a dias with Liu but tested negative and were allowed to compete. Liu is considered the best hope for a US Olympic medal as she is one of the only ones that can land a triple axel, the hardest jump for women.
- Speedskating trials was also this weekend so that team is also set. Erin Jackson gets to go due to Brittany Bowe giving up her spot in the 500m (she qualified in other events 1000m). Jackson, the fastest skater in the event, slipped, getting 3rd and failing to qualify. Bowe won and knew she could bow out and the spot would go to her friend. Jackson was the first black woman to win a WC event earlier this year and then won 4 of the 8 WC races in the 500. Bowe has said this will be her final olympics and she didn’t want to go without Jackson, who is from the same hometown. All the good feels!
Tennis:
- Hold on to your hats. This story has some twists and turns. World #1 Novak Djovokic received a medical exemption to play in the Australian open. The exemption allows him to play in the open regardless of being vaccinated; all players are required to be vaccinated to play. This Grand Slam title would be the one that breaks the tie with Federer and Nadal. He was then delayed in Melbourne due to a visa issue. He was denied entry into the country despite having an exemption to play in the Open and was held in a hotel in lieu of being deported. However lawyers got involved and he was cleared on Sunday and will be able to play. To be clear he was given the exemption as he had COVID last month. And he wasn’t the only one, the same thing happened to a female CZE athlete as well. Let’s see if he can overcome all this drama and be able to concentrate on the tournament.
What to watch this week
Basketball-NBA:
- Wed 1/12
- Mavericks at Knicks @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Nets at Bulls @ 9pm on ESPN
- Thurs 1/13
- Warriors at Bucks @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Trail Blazers at Nuggets @ 9pm on TNT
- Fri 1/14
- Warriors at Bulls @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Mavericks at Grizzlies @ 9pm on ESPN
Basketball – NCAAM: Only Top 25 on TV are listed
- Mon 1/10 – no ranked games
- Tues 1/11
- 5. USC at Stanford @ 4pm on ESPN2
- South Carolina at 22. Tennessee @ 5:30pm on SEC
- 19. Texas Tech at 1. Baylor @ 6pm
- 18. Kentucky at Vanderbilt @ 6pm on ESPN
- 15. Iowa St at 9. Kansas @ 7pm
- 25. Illinois at Nebraska @ 7:30pm on BTN
- Oklahoma at 14. Texas @ 7:30pm on LHN
- 4. Auburn at 24. Alabama @ 8pm on ESPN
- Wed 1/12
- 14. Villanova at 17. Xavier @ 5:30pm on FS1
- 8. Duke at Wake Forest @ 6pm on ACC
- Minnesota at 10. Michigan St @ 6pm on BTN
- 12. LSU at Florida @ 6m on ESPN2
- Thurs 1/13
- 20. Seton Hall at DePaul @ 4pm on FS1
- 16. Ohio St at 13. Wisconsin @ 6pm
- Oregon at 3. UCLA @ 8:30pm on ESPN
- BYU at 2. Gonzaga @ 10pm on ESPN2
- Oregon St at 5. USC @ 10pm on ESPNU
- Colorado at 6. Arizona @ 10pm on FS1
- Fri 1/14
- Nebraska at 7. Purdue @ 5:30pm on FS1
- Michigan at 25. Illinois @ 8pm on FS1
- Sat 1/15
- Northwestern at 10. Michigan St @ 11am on BTN
- Creighton at 17. Xavier @ 11am on FOX
- 19. Texas Tech at Kansas St @ 11am on ESPN2
- 20. Seton Hall at Marquette @ 11am on FS1
- 22. Tennessee at 18. Kentucky @ 12pm on ESPN
- West Virginia at 9. Kansas @ 12:30pm on CBS
- 21. Texas at 15. Iowa St @ 1pm
- UConn at 23. Providence @ 1pm on FS1
- Arkansas at 12. LSU @ 1pm on ESPN2
- Oklahoma St at 1. Baylor @ 4pm on ESPN
- 24. Alabama at Mississippi State @ 5pm on SEC
- Utah at 6. Arizona @ 7pm on Pac12
- 11. Houston at Tulsa @ 7pm on ESPN2
- 4. Auburn at Ole Miss @ 7:30pm on SEC
- Oregon St at 3. UCLA @ 9:30pm on PAC12
- Oregon at 5. USC @ 10pm on FS1
- Sun 1/16
- Butler at 14. Villanova @ 11am on FS1
- Penn St at 16. Ohio St @ 11am on BTN
Football- NCAAF:
- Mon 1/10 – CFP National Championship: Alabama vs Georgia @ 7pm on ESPN
Football-NFL: Wild Card week!
- Sat 1/15 – AFC Wild Card games
- Raiders at Bengals @ 3:30pm on NBC
- Patriots at Bills @ 7:15pm on CBS
- Sun 1/16
- NFC: Eagles at Buccaneers @ 12pm on FOX
- NFC: 49ers at Cowboys @ 3:30pm on CBS
- AFC: Steelers at Chiefs @ 7:15pm on NBC
- Mon 1/17
- NFC: Cardinals at Rams @ 7:15pm on ABC & ESPN
Golf:
- Thurs 1/13
- Sony Open – Round 1 @ 6pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 1/14
- Sony Open – Round 2 @ 6pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 1/15
- Sony Open – Round 3 @ 6pm on Golf Channel
- Sun 1/16
- Sony Open – Final Round @ 5pm on Golf Channel
Hockey:
- Wed 1/12
- Canadiens at Bruins @ 6pm on TNT
- Maple Leafs at Coyotes @ 9pm on TNT
- Thurs 1/13
- Flyers at Bruins @ 6pm on ESPN
Olympic Sports:
- Fri 1/14
- Women’s Gymnastics: OU at Utah @ 12pm on ESPN2
- Women’s Gymnastics: Georgia at Kentucky @ 6pm on SEC
- Women’s Gymnastics: Auburn at Arkansas @ 7:30pm on SEC
- Sun 1/16
- Women’s Gymnastics: Alabama at Florida @ 2pm on ABC
Soccer:
- Tues 1/11
- Premier League: Everton vs Leicester City @ 2pm on USA
- Fri 1/14
- Premier League: Brighton vs Crystal Palace @ 2pm on USA
- Sat 1/15
- Premier League: Newcastle vs Watford @ 9am on USA
- Sun 1/16
- Premier League: Liverpool vs Brentford @ 8am on USA
