Weekly Update – Week of June 28, 2021

Baseball-MLB: Hector Santiago 1st P out for sticky substance. Naylor carted off. Astros 7 ASG finalists. Pitches hitting batters.

Baseball-NCAA: Final set: Mississippi St vs Vanderbilt. Championship Series begins tonight.

Basketball-NBA:  Playoffs continue. Young sprained ankle. MIL and PHX lead their series.

Golf: English > Hickok in 8 hole playoff at Travelers.

Hockey: Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 tonight! Canadiens vs Lightning.

Olympic Sports: Team USA for Gym, Athletics, Golf set. New W400h WR. Knighton beats Bolt’s U20 WR. TdF huge crash.

Tennis: Wimbledon has begun! Serena Williams out of Tokyo.

Baseball-MLB:

• Well we knew it would happen at some point and it first happened on Sunday, Mariners Relief P Hector Santiago is the first pitcher to be thrown out of a game for using a banned substance. He was thrown out in the bottom of the 5^th with the game tied against the White Sox. Santiago has denied using such a substance. He says the substance that seems to be in his glove was just sweat and rosin. TBD. Umpires checked Nationals P Max Scherzer 3xs during the game against the Phillies and tempers flared.
• The Cubs are the team to push the MLB into the record books. P Zach Davies and 3 other relivers all combined in a team no-hitter against the Dodgers for the league’s 7th of the season. That is the most ever before July in league history.
• Indians RF Josh Naylor and 2B Ernie Clement collided during their game on Sunday against the Twins and it was a scary moment. Naylor was carted off the field and we later learned that there was a broken bone somewhere by the Indians manager.
• The Astros have a new team best with 7 finalists on the All-Star Game finalists list. Those 7 are: C Martin Maldonado, 1B Yuli Gurriel, 2B Jose Altuve, SS Carlos Correa, 3B Alex Bregman, OF Michael Brantley, and DH Yordan Alvarez.
• Two pitches hit players and caused some damage. Phillies RF Bryce Harper did not play in Sunday’s game against the Mets after being hit by a pitch by deGrom in his calf. White Sox 1B Jose Abreau left their game on Sunday against the Mariners (incidentally the same one as the first story) after being hit by a pitch in the knee. After an Xray, it was determined to just be a deep bruise.

Baseball/Softball-NCAA: (since there is a slot going on)

• The College World Series Final starts tonight and its Mississippi St vs Vanderbilt for the title. Game 1 starts tonight. Last time these SEC rivals played, Vandy took the series.
  • Vanderbilt got revenge on NC St after losing Game 6 to them earlier in the CWS. They won both Game 11 against them before the elimination game was called a no contest dur to COVID protocols against the WolfPack. The Commodores were ranked #4 going into the CWS and last won the NCAA title in 2019. They have only been to the CWS 5xs but of those have won it all twice.
  • Mississippi St, ranked #7 going into the CWS, had to go through the Texas Longhorns, who also took it to 3 games to get the job done. The Bulldogs beat Texas 2-1 before losing 8-5 and winning the winner-take-all game 4-3. Mississippi St has never won the NCAA title. They have been to the CWS 12 times but only finished runner up in 2013.
  • Final

Basketball:

• NBA playoffs are now at the Conference Finals are continuing.
  • PHX leads their conference final 3-1 so if the Suns win tonight, then they will be in the Final.

• • The Bucks have taken the lead in the series for the first time with a W last night 113-102. Even better news for Bucks fans, Trae Young, the hot Hawks star and leading scorer, has sprained his ankle. TBD on whether he will play in the next game which is scheduled for Tuesday night.

Golf:

• Kramer Hickok and Harris English had a marathon playoff at the Travelers Championship yesterday, playing 8 extra holes before a winner was decided. It was 7 straight pars from the pair with some amazing putts but in the end Harris English made that last birdie to win his 4^th PGA Tour title and 2^nd this year. This would’ve been Kramer’s first PGA Tour win and the crowd seemed to favor him for that exact reason. This was the tied for the 2^nd longest playoff in history.

Hockey:

• Stanley Cup finals are here!! Game 1 is tonight and it’s the Lightning vs Canadiens (ironically both teams are spelled incorrectly). The Canadiens last Stanley Cup was back in 1992-93 season (I was 1) while the Lightning won the 2019-20 season. However the Canadiens have won 24 titles whereas the Lightning have only won 2. Granted the Lightning team was only founded in 1992, the last time the Canadiens won. How appropriate! The Lightning are the favorite for the title with a record of 36-17-3 vs 24-21-11. Game 7 (if needed) will be on Sunday 7/11.

Olympic Sports:

• Team USA for Athletics is set! Here are some of the highlights:
  • Sydney McLaughlin set a new WR in the 400h on her way to punch her ticket to her 2^nd She beat the previous WR holder and Olympic Champion, Dalilah Muhammad to do it. Every time these ladies compete it is a race to watch!! Sydney is the first woman ever under 52 seconds.
  • Brittney Reese won her 4^th Olympic Trials (2008-2021) in the LJ as she heads to Tokyo. She was the Olympic Champion in London 2012 and runner-up in Rio 2016.
  • Noah Lyles may have won the 200m at Trials and made his Olympic team but it was Erriyon Knighton that stole the show. He broke Usain Bolt’s U20 WR with 19.88 in the semifinals and then made the team getting 2^nd in the final. He is the first high schooler to make the 200m Olympic team since the 70s.
  • Gabby Thomas ran 3 PRs to make her first team in the 200m and set a new US Olympic Trials record. Allyson Felix got 5^th in her final 200m trials.
  • JuVaughn Harrison made the team for Tokyo by winning the M HJ but he also won the LJ in the first double like that in a looong time. Like Jim Thorpe in 1912 long time. He won the double at NCAAs for LSU 2 weeks prior and Trials were no different.

• Team USA for Gymnastics is set! I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that Simone Biles won the Trials in dominate fashion.

• The Tour de France started this weekend and there has already been some drama. This lady held out a sign when the cyclists passed her and caused a huge pile up! The TdF is saying they are looking to identify her and will most likely sue.
• Some athletes who aren’t having a good Monday:
  • GBR Mo Farah has failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in the 10k for the first time since before the 2008 Beijing games. He is the reigning 2x Olympic Champion in both the 5000m and 10,000m. He will not be back to defend his double in Tokyo! Mo Farah is also knighted, so technically its Sir Mo Farah.
  • SWE swimmer Therese Alshammar will not be at her record setting 7th Olympics after she failed to qualify as part of Team Sweden in the 4x100m Free Relay. Therese is 43 years old and has competed in 6 Olympic games starting with 1996 Atlanta. She is the only female swimmer to have ever reached 6 games, although 2 men have also done so.
  • CHN Sun Yang has been banned for 4 years for failing his 2nd anti-doping trial so he will not be allowed to compete in Tokyo. He can however be in Paris in 2024. Yang won the 200m Free in 2016 Rio and 2 golds in London in the 1500m Free and 400m Free. If this sounds familiar to you, that’s because this is actually Yang’s 2nd ban. In 2014, he was banned but never actually missed an event due to bad communication between the Chinese Swimming Association and WADA. It was a whole to do but athletes we not impressed that he has been banned before and was still allowed to compete. Well they wont have to worry in Tokyo.
  • USA CeCe Telfer, a transgender 400m hurdler, was declared ineligible for US trials after failing to meet female qualifications. No specifics were given on what those qualifications were but the 400h has been decided.
• Tokyo officials are nervous as 2 members of the Ugandan Olympic team have now tested positive for COVID (Delta variant). At the airport, only a coach tested positive and the rest of the team was allowed to travel to their training camp in Osaka before another member tested positive. All officials and drivers in contact with the team have been forced to quarantine. This continues to raise concerns with an already nervous country and city.

Tennis:

• Wimbledon starts today with the first round. Championship games will be on 7/10 and 7/11 and will be at full capacity!
  • Men’s Bracket
    • Djokovic has already punched his way onto the 2^nd If Djokovic wins, he will tie Federer and Nadal with most majors in history. Federer withdrew from the French Open to concentrate here. He is going for his 9^th Wimbledon title but first since 2017.
  • Women’s Bracket
    • The women’s side is wide open. #1 AUS Barty, CAN Andreescu, USA Gauff, GER Kerber, USA both Williams sisters are all ready to go on a run. American Stephens is already onto Round 2 after an upset of beating #10 CZE Kvitova in straight sets. One name missing from this list: Naomi Osaka.
• Serena Williams announced that she will not be playing in Tokyo for a multitude of reasons.

What to watch this week

Baseball-MLB:

• Tues 6/29
  • Giants vs Dodgers @ 9pm on ESPN
    • Gausman vs Buehler
• Thurs 7/1
  • Giants at Diamondbacks @ 8:40pm on ESON
    • Cuerto vs Kelly
• Sat 7/3
  • Padres at Phillies @ 3:05pm on FS1
    • Darvish vs Howard
  • 2 games depending on location @ 6:15pm on Fox
    • Red Sox at As
      • Richards vs Irvin
    • Astros at Indians
      • Odorizzi vs Morgan
    • Dodgers at Nationals
• Sun 7/4
  • Padres at Phillies @ 12:05pm on TBS
    • Snell vs Velasquez
  • Giants at Yankees @ 6pm on ESON
    • Eickhoff vs Taillon
• Mon 7/5
  • White Sox at Twins @ 6pm on ESPN
    • Rodon vs Berrios
  • Red Sox at Angels @ 8:30pm on ESPN
    • Perez vs Heaney

Baseball/Softball–NCAA:

• Mon 6/28 – Championship Series Game 1
  • Vanderbilt vs Mississippi St @ 6pm on ESPN2
• Tues 6/29 – Championship Series Game 2
  • Vanderbilt vs Mississippi St @ 6pm on ESPN
• Wed 6/30 – Championship Series Game 3 – If needed
  • Vanderbilt vs Mississippi St @ 6pm on ESPN2

Basketball-NBA:

• Mon 6/28 – West Conference Championship
  • Game 5: Clippers at Suns @ 8pm on ESPN
    • PHX leads 3-1
• Tues 6/29 – East Conference Championship
  • Game 4: Bucks at Hawks @ 7:30pm on TNT
    • MIL leads 2-1
• Wed 6/30 – West Conference Championship
  • Game 6: Suns at Clippers @ 8pm on ESPN
    • If necessary
• Thurs 7/1 – East Conference Championship
  • Game 5: Hawks at Bucks @ 7:30pm on TNT
• Fri 7/2- West Conference Championship
  • Game 7: Clippers at Suns @ 8pm on ESPN
    • If necessary
• Sat 7/3 – East Conference Championship
  • Game 6: Bucks at Hawks @ 7:30pm on TNT
    • If necessary
• Mon 7/5 – East Conference Championship
  • Game 7: Hawks at Bucks @ 7:30pm on TNT
    • If necessary

Golf:

• Thurs 7/1
  • Rocket Mortgage – Round 1 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Fri 7/2
  • Rocket Mortgage – Round 2 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Sat 7/3
  • Rocket Mortgage – Round 3
    • @ 12pm on Golf Channel
    • @ 2pm on CBS
• Sun 7/4
  • Rocket Mortgage – Round 4
    • @ 12pm on Golf Channel
    • @ 2pm on CBS

Hockey:

• Mon 6/21
  • Stanley Cup Final – Game 1: Canadiens at Lightning @ 7pm on NBCSN
• Wed 6/30
  • Stanley Cup Final – Game 2: Canadiens at Lightning @ 7pm on NBCSN
• Fri 7/2
  • Stanley Cup Final – Game 3: Lightning at Canadiens @ 7pm on NBC
• Mon 7/5
  • Stanley Cup Final – Game 4: Lightning at Canadiens @ 7pm on NBC

Horse racing:

• Sat 7/3
  • Horse Race TBA @ 4pm on NBC
• Sun 7/4
  • Breeder’s Cup : John A Nerud Stakes @ 4pm on NBCSN

Motorsports:

• Sat 7/3
  • NASCAR: Henry 180 Qualifying @ 11am on NBCSN
  • NASCAR Xfinity Race @ 1:30pm on NBC
  • Motocross: Redbud National @ 4pm on NBCSN
  • IndyCar: 200 at Mid-Ohio Qualifying @ 7pm on NBCSN
• Sun 7/4
  • NASCAR Race – WI @ 1:30pm on NBC

Olympic Sports:

• Mon 6/28
  • Cycling: Tour de France – Stage 3 @ 6:30am on NBCSN
    • Replay @ 7pm
• Tues 6/29
  • Cycling: Tour de France – Stage 4 @ 6:30am on NBCSN
• Wed 6/30
  • Cycling: Tour de France – Stage 5 @ 5:30am on NBCSN
• Thurs 7/1
  • Cycling: Tour de France – Stage 6 @ 6:30am on NBCSN
• Fri 7/2
  • Cycling: Tour de France – Stage 7 @ 6:30am on NBCSN
• Sat 7/3
  • Cycling: Tour de France – Stage 8 @ 6:30am on NBCSN
  • World Strongest Man @ 1pm on CBS
• Sun 7/4
  • Cycling: Tour de France – Stage 9 @ 6:30am on NBCSN
  • Track & Field: Diamond League @ 8pm on NBCSN

Soccer:

• Mon 6/28
  • UEFA Euro 2020: CRO vs ESP @ 11am on ESPN
  • UEFA Euro 2020: FRA vs SUI @ 2pm on ESPN
• Tues 6/29
  • UEFA Euro 2020: ENG vs GER @ 11am on ESPN
  • UEFA Euro 2020: SWE vs UKR @ 2pm on ESPN
• Fri 7/2
  • UEFA Euro 2020 – Quarterfinals: Teams TBA @ 11am on ESPN
  • UEFA Euro 2020: BEL vs ITA @ 2pm on ESPN
• Sat 7/3
  • UEFA Euro 2020: CZE vs DEN @ 11am on ESPN
  • UEFA Euro 2020 – Quarterfinals: Teams TBA @ 2pm on ABC
  • MLS: Columbus Crew vs New England Revolution @ 4pm on ESPN
  • USL: San Diego Loyal vs Sacramento Republic @ 6pm on ESPN2

Tennis:

• Tues 6/29
  • Wimbledon – Round 1 @ 5am on ESPN & @ 10:30pm on ESPN2
• Wed 6/30
  • Wimbledon – Round 2 @ 5am on ESPN
• Thurs 7/1
  • Wimbledon – Round 2 @ 5am on ESPN
• Fri 7/2
  • Wimbledon – Round 3 @ 5am on ESPN & @ 10:30am on ESPN2
• Sat 7/3
  • Wimbledon – Round 3
    • @ 7am on ESPN
    • @ 10:30am on ESPN2
    • @ 1pm on ESPN