Baseball: Marlins have 13 cases of COVID which has led to some postponed games. Verlander out with forearm injury. Ohtani 20 min pitching fail.
Basketball: NBA is back this week! Irving to help pay WNBA players who chose to sit out. Clippers Williams in 10 day quarantine. Missing test = 1 day quarantine punishment.
Football: NFL training camps open this week! Rosas released.
Golf: Thompson wins 2nd tournament: 1st time in 7 years.
Hockey: NHL is back!
Olympic Sports: Ryun awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jipcho dies. Qatar 2032 Olympics? Olympic rings drawing goes for EUR 185k. ASU to redshirt all swimmers/divers.
Baseball:
- The Marlins have postponed their first home game against the Orioles which was supposed to be tonight due to the rising number of COVID cases on the team. 11 players and 2 coaches have tested positive over the last week. The team remains in Phili and will continue to test and monitor the situation. The Phillies home game against the Yankees has also been postponed as the Marlins just finished a series in Phili.
- Astros P Justin Verlander is out with a strained right forearm. Verlander came out to correct 2 sources that said he would be out for the season, saying he will make a quick recovery and be back soon. After winning the team’s opener on Friday where he pitched 6 innings allowing 2 runs and 3 hits, Verlander got an MRI. His agent said they will shut it down for a few weeks and then reevaluate.
- Angels P sensation, Shohei Ohtani, did not have a single out in Sunday’s game and was only on the mound for 20 minutes. He recorded 3 walks, 3 singles and charged with 5 earned runs. The Angels lost to the A’s 4-6.
Basketball:
- The NBA is back!
- Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5MM to help pay for WNBA players who opted not to compete this season. The top salary in the league is only $200k so this $1.5MM will go a long way.
- Clippers’ G Lou Williams will be on a 10 day quarantine after being pictured with a famous rapper at a strip club. And although the rapper, Jack Harlow, claimed it was an old photo, the photo had Williams’ NBA issued mask in it… Williams will miss the 1st 2 games back during the restart.
- 2 players have been issued 1-day quarantines after forgetting to go to their designated locations for their daily corona test. Mav’s Kristaps Porzingis and Nuggets’ Paul Millsap.
Football:
- NFL training camps are set to open this week! Football will be back as scheduled! However NFL players who get COVID through ‘high-risk’ activities can lose pay. Basically if they disobey the rules and then get covid, a player could be put on a ‘non football’ injury list which would then qualify that player to not be paid. High risk activities are going to indoor places with more than 15 people (besides just picking up food) and religious services occupied more than 25% capacity. Players must test negative 2xs before they are allowed to start training at facilities for camp. After that, if they test positive it would be considered a football injury.
- NY Giants have released Aldrick Rosas, their Pro Bowl K, due to his arrest for 3 misdemeanors (hit and run, reckless driving and driving while suspended/revoked for DUI). He was driving erratically over double yellow lines and over 100mph when he ran a red light T-boning a Ford truck. This release comes just days before the Giants are set to report to training camp. It wasn’t a good year for Rosas last year anyway with only making ~70% of his FG attempts. The Giants’ new plan is to sign former Jets kicker Chandler Catanzaro to a one year deal.
Golf:
- Michael Thompson won his 2nd victory on the PGA Tour on Sunday at the 3M Open after birding 2 of the last 3 holes. He finished 19 under and 2 shots ahead of Adam Long who took solo 2nd. Thompson’s last win on the Tour was the 2013 Honda Classic. Last time he won, he was married but had no kids and now he’s part of a family of 4. His family was not at the tournament (obviously) but his wife cried immediately when he facetimed her. 3rd place was crowded with 9 players at 16 under including Tony Finau, CH3 and Alex Noren. Finau was one of the only 5 top 30 in the world players to make the weekend.
Hockey:
- The NHL is back! Games start on 8/1!
Olympic Sports:
- Jim Ryun, a former Rep Kansas congressman and the first high schooler in the US to break the 4 minute mile barrier, was awarded the Presidential medal of Freedom on Friday. Ryun won the silver medal in the 1500m at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and went to 2 other Olympics. He was 1966 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and broke the WR in the mile that year with a time of 3:51.3.
- In relation to this story, Ben Jipcho died on Friday at the age of 77. He was known for this upset of Jim Ryun at the 1968 Olympic Games. Jipcho was the rabbit for fellow Kenyan runner and teammate Kip Keino. The two set out at such a pace that Ryun could not keep up and would not have energy for his signature kick. Keino ran a time of 3:34.91, which was the WR until 1984. Jipcho also won the silver medal at the 1972 games in the 3000m steeplechase.
- Qatar is looking to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games. For those of you who don’t follow that closely, this would be for the Summer games after the 2020 Tokyo, 2024 Paris and 2028 LA. They are about to host the 2022 World Cup and this would be the first Olympics to be in the Middle East. Although there is still allegations of corruption on how Qatar got the World Cup bid in the first place during the FIFA vote in 2010.
- The first drawing of the Olympic rings logo by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913 sold for 185k EUR to a Brazilian collector at an auction in Cannes. The first games to use the logo was in 1920 at Antwerp.
- Arizona State has issued a redshirt to all of its swimming and diving teams for the 2020-2021 season. Season usually runs from Sept – March and in an effort to avoid missing 2 national championships, the team and coach Bob Bowman thinks this is the best idea. You might recognize Bob Bowman from the Olympics as he was Michael Phelps’ person coach for his entire Olympic career. Bowman has said that the swimmers/divers will concentrate on the Olympic prep and the 2021/2022 season.
What to Watch this Week
Baseball:
- Mon 7/27
- Diamondbacks at Padres @ 3pm on ESPN
- Weaver vs Lucchesi
- Mets at Red Sox @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Wacha vs Osich
- Diamondbacks at Padres @ 3pm on ESPN
- Tues 7/28
- Yankees at Phillies @ 5:05pm on FS1
- Happ vs Arrieta
- Dodgers at Astros @ 8:10pm on FS1
- Buehler vs Valdez
- Yankees at Phillies @ 5:05pm on FS1
- Wed 7/29
- Rockies at A’s @ 2:40pm on ESPN
- Marquez vs Montas
- Dodgers at Astros @ 6:10pm on ESPN
- Mariners at Angels @ 9:10pm on ESPN
- Dunn vs Heaney
- Rockies at A’s @ 2:40pm on ESPN
- Thurs 7/30
- Indians at Twins @ 6:07pm on FOX
- Clevinger vs Berrios
- Red Sox at Mets @ 6:07pm on FOX
- Perez vs Matz
- Padres at Giants @ 8:45pm on FS1
- Indians at Twins @ 6:07pm on FOX
- Fri 7/31
- Rangers at Giants @ 8:10pm on ESPN2
- Sat 8/1
- Reds at Tigers @ 5:10pm on FS1
- Miley vs Fulmer
- Astros at Angels @ 6:15pm on FOX
- Greinke vs Canning
- Red Sox at Yankees @ 6:15pm on FOX
- Reds at Tigers @ 5:10pm on FS1
- Sun 8/2
- Mets at Braves @ 12:10pm on TBS
- Red Sox at Yankees @ 6pm on ESPN
- Hall vs Happ
Basketball:
- Wed 7/29
- WNBA: Liberty vs Wings @ 7pm on CBSSN
- WNBA: Dream vs Aces @ 9pm on CBSSN
- Thurs 7/30
- WNBA: Seattle Storm vs Washington Mystics @ 5pm on ESPN
- Jazz at Pelicans @ 5:30pm on TNT
- Clippers at Lakers @ 8pm on TNT
- WNBA: CT Sun vs LA Sparks @ 9pm on ESPN
- Fri 7/31
- Celtics at Bucks @ 5:30pm on ESPN
- WNBA: IN Fever vs DAL Wings @ 7pm on CBSSN
- Rockets at Mavericks @ 8pm on ESPN
- WNBA: LV Aces vs PHX Mercury @ 9pm on CBSSN
- Sat 8/1
- Heat at Nuggets @ 12pm on ESPN
- Jazz at Thunder @ 2:30pm on ESPN
- Pelicans at Clippers @ 5pm on ESPN
- Lakers at Raptors @ 7:30pm on ESPN
- Sun 8/2
- WNBA: PHX Mercury vs NY Liberty @ 12pm on ESPN
- Trail Blazers at Celtics @ 2:30pm on ABC
- WNBA: DAL Wings vs LV Aces @ 5pm on ESPN2
- Bucks at Rockets @ 7:30pm on ABC
Golf:
- Thurs 7/30
- WGC: FedEx St. Jude – Round 1 @ 1pm on Golf Channel
- Barracuda Championship – Round 1 @ 6pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 7/31
- WGC: FedEx St. Jude – Round 2 @ 1pm on Golf Channel
- Barracuda Championship – Round 2 @ 6pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 8/1
- WGC: FedEx St. Jude – Round 3
- 11am on Golf Channel
- 1pm on CBS
- Barracuda Championship – Round 3 @ 6pm on Golf Channel
- WGC: FedEx St. Jude – Round 3
- Sun 8/2
- WGC: FedEx St. Jude – Round 4
- 12pm on Golf Channel
- 2pm on CBS
- Barracuda Championship – Round 4 @ 6pm on Golf Channel
- WGC: FedEx St. Jude – Round 4
Hockey:
- Tues 7/28 – NHL Preseason: Penguins vs Flyers @4pm on NBCSN
- Wed 7/29
- NHL Preseason: Hurricanes vs Capitals @ 3pm on NBCSN
- NHL Preseason: Blues vs Blackhawks @ 5:30pm on NBCSN
- Sat 8/1
- Rangers at Hurricanes @ 11am on NBCSN
- Blackhawks at Oilers @ 2pm on NBC
- Panthers at Islanders @ 3pm on NBCSN
- Candiens at Penguins @ 7pm on NBC
- Jets at Flames @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
- Sun 8/2
- Coyotes vs Predators @ 1pm on USA
- Flyers at Bruins @ 2pm on NBC
- Blues vs Avalanche @ 5:30pm on NBCSN
- Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs @ 7pm on NBCSN
- Wild at Canucks @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
Motorsports:
- Sun 8/2
- F1: British GP @ 8:10am on ESPN
- NASCAR: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 @ 2pm on NBCSN
Soccer:
- Mon 7/27
- MLS: Real Salt Lake vs San Jose Earthquakes @ 7:30pm on FS1
- MLS: LA FC vs Seattle Sounders @ 10pm on FS1
- Tues 7/28
- Italian Serie A: Parma vs Atalanta @ 12:30pm on ESPN
- MLS: Columbus Crew vs MN United @ 7pm on ESPN
- MLS: Portland Timbers at Cincinnati @ 9:30pm on ESPN
- Wed 7/29
- Italian Serie A: Sassuolo vs Genoa @ 12:30pm ESPN
- Italian Serie A: Fiorentina vs Bologna @ 2:45pm on ESPN2
- Thurs 7/30 – MLS: Phili Union vs Sporting KC @ 7pm on ESPN
- Fri 7/31 – MLS: 2nd Quarterfinal: Teams TBA @ 6:30pm on FS1
- Sat 8/1 – MLS: Quarterfinals @ 7pm on ESPN2
- Sun 8/2 – Mexican Primera Division Soccer: Santos Laguna vs Guadalajara @ 7pm on FS1
