Weekly Update – Week of January 18, 2020

Baseball: Red Sox deals. Many 1-year deals. ValleyCats sue Astros and MLB. Stewart buys half Coliseum.

Basketball-NBA: Hawke’s jersey blessed by Pope. Harden to Nets. Irving Questionable. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says get the vaccine!

Basketball-NCAAM: Michigan lost leaving 2 undefeated teams. Duke AD stepping down. Iowa St COVID issues. Pitt F Hugley suspended. UNLV out indefinitely with stress fracture.

Football-NCAAF: Bama wins natty. Tennessee fired HC.

Football-NFL: Championship Sunday this weekend. Brees retires? New coaching hires. Texans in trouble.

Golf: Na wins Sony. JT dropped by Ralph Lauren.

Olympic Sports: US Figure Skating Championships. Skating pays $1.45MM in sexual abuse settlement. US yacht capsized. 3 Dutch cyclists injured in car crash. World hockey championships moved to Latvia.

Soccer: Men’s qualifying tournament is set.

Baseball:

• LHP Martin Perez will return to the Red Sox for another year with a 1-year deal for $5MM. The deal also includes an option for a second year in 2022. Previously he was with the Twins and 7 seasons with the Rangers.
  • The Red Sox have also agreed to a $4.575MM 1-year deal with 3B Rafael Devers.
• Another one-year deal was reached between the Orioles and RF Trey Mancini for $4.75MM. Mancini missed the 2020 season as he was recovering from Stage 3 colon cancer. OF Anthony Santander still hasn’t signed with the team due to salary arbitrations.
• The Yankees are finalizing a one-year deal with RHP Corey Kluber for $11MM to bring him from the Rangers to the Bronx. Kluber hasn’t played since May 2019 due to a tear in his right shoulder. It would’ve cost Texas $18MM for an additional year.
• The Tri-City ValleyCats filed a lawsuit for $15MM against the MLB and the Astros. The lawsuit comes after the MLB’s decision to drop 42 minor league teams. The ValleyCats played in the NY-Penn League and an affiliate for the Astros for 18 seasons. The team claims that the loss of affiliation greatly hurt the franchise who has won the NY-Penn League 3xs and brings in 4,000 fans per game from 2008-2018.
• Former P for the A’s, Dave Stewart put a bid in to buy Oakland’s share of the Coliseum for $115MM. The Warriors and Raiders used to both use the cite and now its just the A’s left. Stewart would own half of the Coliseum along with the A’s owning the other half. The A’s are currently planning a new stadium 7 miles uptown from the Coliseum but Stewart says he is open to developing a new stadium if the plans for Howard Terminal ballpark fall through.

Basketball – NBA:

• The Hawkes have a special jersey for today’s game honoring MLK. And if that weren’t special enough, Pope Francis blessed them! Good luck to the Timberwolves who play then today…
• James Harden finally got what he wanted, a contract with the Nets! His first game was on the 16th against the Magic, where he scored 32 points. He is under contract through 2022-2023 for $40MM.
• Kyrie Irving is still questionable against the Bucks and has already missed 6 games. But questionable is an improvement since Jan 5th! If he plays today, it will be the first time the team will have KD, Kyrie and James Harden on the court together.
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar urges the public to go get the COVID-19 vaccine after he got it today.

Basketball – NCAAM:

• And then there were 2… Michigan was handed their first loss by #24 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers didn’t just squeak out the W either, they won 75-57 after Dickinson was held to a season low of only 9 points.
  • Gonzaga and Baylor are the only 2 undefeated teams left.
    • Baylor has beaten #5 Illinois, #15 Texas Tech but have #6 Kansas, #4 Texas and #13 West Virginia (twice) coming up.
    • Gonzaga has beaten #6 Kansas, #11 West Virginia, #3 Iowa, #16 UVA but have no ranked opponents coming up.
• Duke AD Kevin White is stepping down in August after 13 years on the job. He has been responsible for 8 NCAA championships at Duke (2 NCAAM, 1 Women’s tennis, 3 Men’s Lacrosse, 2 Women’s golf). Before Duke, White was AD for Notre Dame.
• Iowa State is having COVID problems and has postponed their game against #6 Kansas. Kansas is coming off their first loss to OSU and play #2 Baylor tonight in the a Big 12 showdown. 5 teams in the Big 12 are ranked in the Top 25.
• John Hugley, Pitt F, has been indefinitely suspended after being charged with 3 felonies after a car was stolen last summer (2 felonies for criminal conspiracy and 1 for receiving stolen property). His prelim hearing is set 2/18.
• UNLV has lost their starting PG Marvin Coleman for the rest of the season due to a stress fracture on his right leg. Coleman has already missed 2 games after he tested positive for COVID.

Football – NCAAF:

• Alabama is the CFP National Champions! In a surprise to no one expect maybe Ohio St fans, Bama opened up some whoop ass in the championship game. Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith put on a show in the first half with 3 TDs, tying the record for a championship game. Bama went 13-0 this season after playing only SEC opponents. HC Nick Saban won his #7 national championship breaking the tie with the great Bear Bryant. It didn’t help that Ohio St lost RB Trey Sermon on the first play of the game.
• Tennessee Volunteer HC Jeremy Pruitt has been fired after potential recruiting violations. That also means his $2MM left on his contract is in jeopardy. As if that weren’t enough for the school, AD Phillip Fulmer, is scheduled to retire.

Football – NFL:

• Divisional Championship weekend is here! The AFC Championship game is between the Bills and the Chiefs. The NFC is between the Packers and the Bucs.
  • The Chiefs beat the Browns 22-17 and it came down the the final minutes. The excitement didn’t end there as QB Patrick Mahomes left the game in the 3rd quarter due to a concussion. Chad Henne came in and scrambled for 13 yards to set up 4th and inches which put the game away. Mahomes was in a good mood after the game tweeting: “#HenneThingIsPossible” TBD if Mahomes will be able to play against the Bills this weekend.
  • The Bills beat the Ravens handily on Saturday night 17-3. The Packers beat the Rams 32-18.
  • You know what’s next! The Super Bowl is the week after!

• Drew Brees may have played his last snap in the Saints defeat by the Bucs 30-20 in NOLA. Brees turned 42 on Friday and although he hasn’t officially announced his retirement, he spent quite a bit of time on the field after the game including throwing the football with his kids and rival, Tom Brady. Brees threw 3 interceptions (of the Saints 4 turnovers) in the game on Sunday and seemed to not be able to throw long passes due to his rib injury. TBD on when he will announce!

• Urban Meyer has returned to coaching! And back in Florida as the Jaguars new HC. Urban Meyer’s collegiate record was 187-32 through Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State (this record was impressive at 83-9). Meyer is the 6th new HC in 27 seasons. The Jags went 1-15 this past season and will likely get the #1 draft pick.

• Sticking with coaching hires:
  • The Chargers have hired Brandon Staley has their new HC from the Rams DC position. Although the Rams lost in the postseason to the Packers, they went 10-6 and beat the Seahawks in the wild card round.
  • The Lions are expected to hire the Saints assistant HC and TE coach Dan Campbell as their new HC now that the Saints are out of the postseason.
  • The Falcons are also going to poach someone from the Saints as well. The team is expected to hire Terry Fontenot as their new GM. Fontenot has also taken interviews with the Broncos, Lions and the Jags.
• It is no secret that the Texans have gone through a lot this year and now the rumor mill is spinning with the fact that QB Deshaun Watson may be leaving the team. Many of the players have expressed their concern with where the team is going and their frustration including JJ Watt. The team has at least hired a new GM, Nick Caserio. No HC hire yet. TBD on what the team is going to look like going forward.

Golf:

• Kevin Na has won his 4th season in a row at the Sony Open this weekend in Hawaii. Na came from 3 shots back in the final 6 holes to win by 1. 2nd place went to Chris Kirk but it was a comeback story. Kirk left the tour in 2019 because of alcoholism and depression and was playing in his final event of his medical extension on the PGA Tour when he shot a 65 to finish one shot behind Na.

• Remember last week when I reported what Justin Thomas muttered after he missed an easy putt? Well that came back to bite him in the butt. Ralph Lauren Polo, who is his clothing sponsor, announced this week that they are dropping Thomas due to what he said. Ralph Lauren has been his sponsor since 2013. His other sponsors are Titleist, FootJoy, NetJets and Citi.

Olympic Sports:

• US Figure Skating Championships was this weekend and Nathan Chen took home his 5th straight US championship. This hasn’t been done since Dick Button in 1946-1952. Although he had a rough start to his free skate after putting his hands down and stepping out of a quad lutz, his competition couldn’t stay up either. Chou got second and Brown finished 3rd.
  • Bradie Tennell took the women’s title for the 2nd time.
  • Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier won pairs. Both had won previous US titles but with other partners. Knierim won 2 titles with her husband, who retired this past season and Frazier won with Haven Denney.
• Sticking with skating, US Figure Skating has paid $1.45MM in a settlement for sexual abuse allegations against coach Richard Callaghan. Adam Schmidt claimed he suffered numerous sexual assaults after the federation had already dismissed allegations against Callaghan.

• The US yacht challenger American Magic capsized after leading the Italian challenge Luna Rossa. The maneuver they attempted got caught up in a blast of wind and tipped over on the port side. None of the 11 crew were injured. In a great show of sportsmanship, rival teams rushed to help out the American team. Competing boats will be available for Wednesday’s race although no damage was done to the boat.
• Wilco Kelderman and 2 teammates were hospitalized after a car crashed into their training group in Italy. 2 of them had fractured vertebrae and another had a concussion.
• The hockey world championships has officially been moved from Belarus after sponsors threatened boycotting. After Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected, there were peaceful demonstrations by popular opponent Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters that claimed the election was fraudulent. The demonstrations, although peaceful were followed by mass arrests. The tournament will be hosted by Latvia alone now.

Soccer:

• The Men’s US Olympic soccer team has failed to qualify for the Olympics in both London 2012 and Rio 2016. This year’s Olympics qualifying tournament is set for March 18-30 in Mexico for North and Central American countries. The US is in Group A with Mexico, Costa Rica and the DR. The Olympic soccer tournament is now set for 7/21-8/7.
  • On the women’s side, the US and Canada have already qualified as their tournament was completed before the pandemic.

What to Watch This Week

Basketball-NBA:

• Mon 1/18
  • Suns at Grizzlies @ 4pm on TNT
  • Bucks at Nets @ 6:30pm on TNT
  • Warriors at Lakers @ 9pm on TNT
• Wed 1/20
  • Celtics at 76ers @ 6pm on ESPN
  • Suns at Rockets @ 8:30pm on ESPN
• Thurs 1/21
  • Lakers at Bucks @ 6:30pm on TNT
  • Pelicans at Jazz @ 9pm on TNT
• Fri 1/22
  • Celtics at 76ers @ 6:30pm on ESPN
  • Nuggets at Suns @ 9pm on ESPN

Basketball-NCAAM:

• Mon 1/18
  • St. John’s at 25. UConn @ 1:30pm on FOX
  • Florida St at 16. Louisville @ 6pm on ESPN
  • 6. Kansas at 2. Baylor @ 8pm on ESPN
• Tues 1/19
  • Purdue at 21. Ohio St @ 5:30pm
  • Maryland at 7. Michigan @ 6pm
  • 10. Tennessee at Florida @ 6pm on ESPN
  • South Carolina at 17. Mizzou @ 6pm on SEC
  • Penn St at 14. Illinois @ 7:30pm
  • Seton Hall at 3. Villanova @ 8pm on FS1
  • 19. Duke at Pitt @ 8pm on ESPN
• Wed 1/20
  • 24. Saint Louis at UMass @ 5pm on ESPN+
  • 12. Clemson at Georgia Tech @ 6pm on ACCNX
  • Tulsa at 11. Houston @ 7p, on ESPN+
  • 15. Texas Tech at TCU @ 7pm on ESPN+
  • Providence at 8. Creighton @ 8pm o FS1
  • Northwestern at 9. Wisconsin @ 8pm
  • Xavier at 25. UConn @ 7:30pm on CBSSN
• Thurs 1/21
  • Indiana at 5. Iowa @ 8pm
• Fri 1/22
  • 7. Michigan at Purdue @ 6pm
• Sat 1/23
  • 13. West Virginia at Kansas St @ TBD
  • 14. Illinois at Michigan St @ TBD
  • Iowa St at 15. Texas Tech @ TBD
  • 6. Kansas at Oklahoma @ 11am
  • Cincinnati at 11. Houston @ 11am on CBS
  • 20. VTech at Syracuse @ 11am on ACCNX
  • 2. Baylor at Oklahoma St @ 1pm
  • Maryland at 23. Minnesota @ 1pm
  • 25. UConn at 8. Creighton @ 1:30pm on FOX
  • 12. Clemson at Florida St @ 2pm on ABC
  • 21. Ohio St at 9. Wisconsin @ 3pm
  • 19. Duke at 16. Louisville @ 3pm on ESPN
  • 4. Texas at TCU @ 5pm on ESPN2
  • St. Bonaventure @ 24. Saint Louis @ 6pm
  • Providence at 3. Villanova @ 7pm
  • Georgia Tech at 18. UVA @ 7pm on ACC
  • 17. Mizzou at 10. Tennessee @ 7:30pm on SEC
  • Pacific at 1. Gonzaga @ 9pm
  • Oregon St at 22. Oregon @ 9:30pm

Football-NFL:

• Sun 1/24
  • NFC Championship: Bucs at Packers @ 2:05pm on FOX
  • AFC Championship: Bills at Chiefs @ 5:40pm on CBS

Golf:

• Thurs 1/21 – Amex: Round 1 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Fri 1/22 – Amex: Round 2 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Sat 1/23 – Amex: Round 3 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Sun 1/24 – Amex: Round 4 @ 2pm on Golf Channel

Hockey:

• Mon 1/18
  • Blue Jackets at Red Wings @ 11am on NBCSN
  • Bruins at Islanders @ 4pm on NBCSN
  • Sabres at Flyers @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
  • Coyotes at Golden Knights @ 9pm on NBCSN
• Tues 1/19
  • Capitals at Penguins @ 6pm on NBCSN
• Wed 1/20
  • Oilers at Maple Leafs @ 6pm on NBCSN
  • Wild at Ducks @ 8:30pm on NBCSN
• Thurs 1/21
  • Lightnings at Blue Jackets @ 6pm on NBCSN
  • Canadiens at Canucks @ 8:30pm on NBCSN

Motorsports:

• Tues 1/19
  • Monster Energy Supercross Houston @ 11am & 9:30pm on NBCSN
• Sat 1/23
  • Monster Energy Supercross Houston @ 8:30am and 7pm on NBCSN

Olympic Sports:

• Tues 1/19
  • Bobsled: World Cup 2 Women Sled @ 12am on NBCSN
• Thurs 1/21
  • Sailing: Americas Cup Prada Challenger Series @ 11:30pm on NBCSN
• Fri 1/22
  • Sailing: Americas Cup Prada Challenger Series 2021 @ 8pm on NBCSN
• Sat 1/23
  • Skiing: World Cup Women’s Downhill @ 3:30pm on NBCSN
  • Skiing: World Cup Men’s Downhill @ 5pm on NBCSN
  • Snowboarding: World Cup Slopestyle @ 6pm on NBCSN
  • Sailing: Americas Cup Prada Challenger Series 2021 @ 10pm on NBCSN
• Sun 1/24
  • Snowboarding: World Cup Halfpipe @ 12am on NBCSN
  • Skiing: Wold Cup Women’s Super-G @ 5:30pm on NBCSN
  • Bobsled: Wold Cup: 2 Women sled @ 7pm on NBCSN
  • Luge: World Cup @ 8pm on NBCSN
  • Snowboarding: World Cup Mixed Team @ 9pm on NBCSN
  • Biathlon: World Cup Women’s 4x6km Relay @ 10pm on NBCSN

Soccer:

• Mon 1/18
  • Premier League: Arsenal vs Newcastle United @ 1:55pm on NBCSN
• Tues 1/19
  • Premier League: Leicester City vs Chelsea @ 2:10pm on NBCSN
• Wed 1/20
  • Premier League: Manchester City vs Aston Villa @ 11:55am on NBCSN
  • Italian Supercoppa: Juventus vs Napoli @ 2pm on ESPN2
  • Premier League: Fulham vs ManU @ 2:10pm on NBCSN
• Thurs 1/21
  • Premier League: Liverpool vs Burnley @ 1:55pm on NBCSN
• Fri 1/22
  • Women’s International Friendly: USA vs COL @ 6pm on ESPN2
• Sun 1/24
  • Italian Serie A: Juventus vs Bologna @ 5:30am on ESPN2