Baseball: Guillorme’s 22 pitch at-bat. Kershaw start Opening Day. YouTube host MLB games. Boone doing well with pacemaker.
Basketball-NBA: Anthony #11 on All-time scoring list. Harden #34. Edwards highest scoring day of career. WNBA new logo. Pelicans get vaccine.
Basketball-NCAAM: March madness begins this week! Kansas out 3 players. Indiana & Penn St new HCs. ACC change transfer rules.
Football: Drew Brees is retired. NFL deals and more deals.
Golf: Justin Thomas is the new PLAYERS Champion.
Olympic Sports: Seavey wins Iditarod 5xs. NCAA T&F Meet. DJ out of Olympics. AUT slalom drought over. KEN Chepsoi charged with doping.
Baseball
- Think your Monday was long? How about this at-bat from Mets Luis Guillorme. He was finally walked after 22 pitches! He fouled 16 and 10 of the 22 were 99mph+. The poor pitcher, Jordan Hicks was back on the mound for the first time since 2019 after going through Tommy John surgery – he was taken out of the game after that at-bat. The Mets won the game against the Cardinals 7-5.
- Dodgers fans cannot be more excited for Opening Day, especially after the news that P Clayton Kershaw will be starting!
- YouTube will broadcast 21 of the MLB games this season for the 3rd in a row. The first game will be the Red Sox vs the Rays on 4/7.
- Yankees Manager Aaron Boone feels great going into week 2 on the bench after getting a pacemaker on March 3rd. His pacemaker is meant to keep his HR above 50 bpm and keep it from getting too high as well. This was after he had open heart surgery back in 2099 while he was still a player for the Astros to keep swelling in his aorta down.
- Do you love baseball? Want to know if you can actually attend a game? Check out this guide!
Basketball-NBA:
- Carmelo Anthony is moving his name up in the record books after passing Hakeem Olajuwon as 11th on the All-time scoring list. His total is 26,955 points (Olajuwon’s was 26,946 and next up is Elvin Hayes with 27,313).
- James Harden also made moves on the All-time scoring list as he passes Larry Bird by 1 point after the Nets game vs the Pistons. He also recorded a triple-double in that game. Harden now has 21,792 points, which is 34th on the list.
- SF Anthony Edwards had the best day of his career on Sunday vs the Trail Blazers, scoring 34 points and a nice dunk to lead the Timberwolves in their win 114-112. He is the youngest player in franchise history to score a 30 point game at the age of 19 (and 221 days).
- I don’t usually do WNBA news but this one is worth it. The league has gotten a new logo and uniforms in honor of their 25th The league hopes to be able to have a full schedule and be back in their home cities for their season this year. Schedules should be released over the next few weeks.
- Some of the Pelicans players have received their first COVID vaccine. This is as many states are opening up vaccines to more people and relaxing COVID restrictions.
Basketball – NCAAM:
- March Madness begins this week. The First Four games start Thursday but you can wait until after those to turn in your brackets (although check with your admin). All brackets are due by Friday as that’s when the full bracket action begins! And check out these posts if you need some help- March (COVID safe) Madness or March Madness – are you ready? !
- Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan are the 4 #1 seeds and are favored in that order by Vegas.
- If you want to make your own bracket
- Kansas announced that 3 players will not travel to Indy for the NCAA tournament after positive COVID tests. The Jayhawks are the #3 seed in the West and their first game is against Eastern Washington. David McCormack and Tristan Enaruna were already missing due to COVID but they can rejoin the team later in the week if all goes well.
- Indiana fired HC Archie Miller after going 12-15 this season and obviously missing the NCAA tournament. Miller had been with the Hoosiers for 6 years.
- The Penn St basketball program has hired Purdue assistant Micah Shrewsberry as its new HC. Remember their original HC Pat Chambers resigned in October due to inappropriate behavior allegations.
- The ACC will now allow its athletes to transfer within conference without having to sit out a year. While this gesture seems noble, the NCAA is currently looking at giving student-athletes a one-time transfer in any sport already.
Football:
- Drew Brees has officially announced his retirement from the NFL after 20 seasons (15 of which were with the Saints). He retires as a 13x Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champion & MVP in the 2009 season, Walter Payton Man of the Year and many many more accomplishments. He still holds the record for the most career passing yards, most career pass completions, most TD passes in a game (tied), highest completion percentage in a game (96.7%) and many more. He retires with 7,142 pass completions, 80,358 passing yards and 571 TDs. Not only is he an impressive player on the field, he is off the field as well. After not being heavily recruited after high school, Brees went to Purdue and still is an outspoken Boilermaker. He has 4 kids with his wife, Brittany, who he met in college. Don’t be surprised if the Saints retire the number 9. You will be missed, except maybe from your opponents!
Now the big question is who will take Brees’ place as QB? Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill. Or someone not yet known… Intriguing.
- There were some deals in the NFL this week:
- G Kevin Zeitler picked up and moved from the Giants to the Ravens with a 3 year deal for $22MM.
- The 49ers have extended FB Kyle Juszczyk in a 5 year $27MM deal. He’s been with the team since 2017.
- RB Aaron Jones renewed with the Packers with a 4 year $48MM deal. He’s also been with the team since 2017.
- The Texans got Texas native RT Marcus Cannon from the Patriots in exchange for later round drafts picks. Cannon did not play in the 2020 season as he is a bib-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor. Sticking with the Texans, they also acquired LB Shaq Lawson from the Dolphins for LB Benardrick McKinney (along with swapping 1 draft pick).
Golf:
- After a couple of rough months, Justin Thomas finally has something to celebrate. He is the 2021 PLAYERS champion and only the 4th player ever to win a major, the PLAYERS, the FedEx Cup and World Golf Championship. He has won 14 PGA Tour titles in 7 straight years. JT said an anti-gay slur on TV and was dropped by some of his sponsors then his grandfather, who he was very close to, died. The rough time showed in his play as he hadn’t placed in the Top 10 since the first tournament of the year, an unusual stretch for him. His $2.7MM prize money and knowing his game is back on track ought to help.
Olympic Sports:
- Not really an Olympic Sport but still worth mentioning. Dallas Seavey has tied the most wins ever by a musher after he won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race today! This is his fifth title at the age of 34. He and his 10 dogs ran a time of 7 days, 14 hrs, 8 min and 57 seconds. But if this time seems quick to you, its because the course was shortened by ~850 miles due to COVID. Of the 46 mushers to start the race, 10 dropped out.
- The NCAA track meet was this weekend and lets go over the records that went down this weekend. The ladies did some work on the Indoor records.
- The biggest story has to be JuVaughn Harrison from LSU who became the first man to double in the HJ and LJ at the same NCAAs. He jumped 7’6.5” in the HJ and 8.45m in the LJ (27’ 8.75”)
- Abby Steiner from Kentucky beat the W 200m record with a 22.38.
- Tyra Gittens from Texas A&M beat the Pentathlon record with 4,746 points.
- Kemba Nelson, Oregon, broke the W 60m record with a time of 7.05 – man that’s fast!!
- Tara Davis of Texas jumped an astounding 22 ft 9 inches in the W LJ.
- World #1 golfer, Dustin Johnson, has announced once again he is passing on the Olympics. Due to the schedule of the Olympics being just 11 days after the Open and the conclusion of the competition being 4 days from a WGC event and then 2 weeks following that, the FedEx Cup playoffs, he is going to concentrate on the PGA Tour. We most likely will see others follow suit. Such a shame….
- AUT 6 year drought of a women’s slalom win is over thanks to Katharina Liensberger. She won the slalom event on Saturday ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin by 0.72 seconds. Shiffrin had a 0.19 second lead going into the final run.
- Florence Jepkosgei Chepsoi is the 1st female athlete from Kenya to be convicted of doping in a criminal court. Doping became a criminal offense in 2016 in KEN. Chepsoi tested positive for a banned substance in China 2017. She then lied to the Kenyan anti-doping agency and falsified documents; she is sentenced with a year of community service. Chepsoi finished 2nd at the 2019 Jakarta Marathon.
What to watch this week
Baseball:
- None on tv this week
Basketball-NBA:
- Mon 3/15
- Knicks at Nets @ 7pm on ESPN
- Lakers at Warriors @ 9:30pm on ESPN
- Tues 3/16
- Jazz at Celtics @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Pelicans at Trail Blazers @ 9pm on TNT
- Wed 3/17
- Bucks at 76ers @ 6pm on ESPN
- Clippers at Mavericks @ 8:30pm on ESPN
- All other games are on NBATV
Basketball – NCAA: (rankings correspond to their seed now)
- Thurs 3/18
- Texas Southern vs Mount St. Mary’s @ 4:10pm on truTV
- Drake vs 11. Wichita St @ 5:27pm on TBS
- Appalachian St vs 16. Norfolk St @ 7:40pm on truTV
- UCLA vs 11. Michigan St @ 8:57pm on TBS
- Fri 3/19
- VTech vs 7. Florida @ 11;15am on CBS
- Colgate vs 3. Arkansas @ 11:45am on truTV
- Drexel vs 1. Illinois @ 12:15pm on TBS
- Utah St vs 6. Texas Tech @ 12:45pm on TBS
- Oral Roberts vs 2. Ohio St @ 2pm on CBS
- Hartford at 1. Baylor @ 2:30pm on truTV
- Georgia Tech vs 8. Loyola Chicago @ 3pm on TBS
- Oregon St at 5. Tennessee @ 3:30pm on TNT
- Liberty vs 4. Oklahoma St @ 5:25pm on TBS
- Wisconsin vs 8. UNC @ 6:10pm on CBS
- Cleveland St vs 2. Houston @ 6:15pm on truTV
- North Texas vs 4. Purdue @ 6:25pm on TNT
- Rutgers at 7. Clemson @ 8:20pm on TBS
- Syracuse at 6. San Diego St @ 8:40pm on CBS
- Morehead St vs 3. West Virginia @ 8:50pm on truTV
- Winthrop vs 5. Villanova @ 8:57pm on TNT
- Sat 3/20
- Georgetown vs 5. Colorado @ 11:15am on CBS
- UNC Greensboro vs 4. Florida St @ 11:45am on truTV
- Eastern Washington vs 3. Kansas @ 12:15pm on TBS
- St Bonaventure vs 8. LSU @ 12:45pm on TNT
- TBD vs 1. Michigan @ 2pm on CBS
- UCSB vs 5. Creighton @ 2:30pm on truTV
- Iona vs 2. Alabama @ 3pm on TBS
- TBD vs 6. USC @ 3:30pm on TNT
- Grand Canyon vs 2. Iowa @ 5:25pm on TBS
- Maryland vs 7. UConn @ 6:10pm on CBS
- Ohio vs 4. UVA @ 6:15pm on truTV
- Mizzou vs 8. Oklahoma @ 6:25pm on TNT
- TBD vs 1. Gonzaga @ 8:20pm on TBS
- TBD vs 6. BYU @ 8:40pm on CBS
- Abilene Christian vs 3. Texas @ 8:50pm on truTV
- VCU vs 7. Oregon @ 8:57pm on TNT
- Sun 3/21 – 2nd Round
- TBD vs TBD @ 11am on CBS
- TBD vs TBD @ 1:30pm on CBS
- TBD vs TBD @ 4pm on CBS
- TBD vs TBD @ 5pm on TNT
- TBD vs TBD @ 6pm on TBS
- TBD vs TBD @ 6:30pm on truTV
- TBD vs TBD @ 7:30pm on TNT
- TBD vs TBD @ 8:30pm on TBS
Golf:
- Thurs 3/18 – The Honda – Round 1 @ 1pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 3/19 – The Honda – Round 2 @ 1pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 3/20 – The Honda – Round 3
- @ 12pm on Golf Channel
- @ 2pm on NBC
- Sun 3/21 – The Honda – Round 4
- @ 12pm on Golf Channel
- @ 2pm on NBC
Hockey:
- Mon 3/15
- Flyers at Rangers @ 6pm on NBCSN
- Tues 3/16
- Bruins at Penguins @ 6pm on NBCSN
- Wed 3/17
- Flyers at Rangers @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Oilers at Flames @ 9pm on NBCSN
- Thurs 3/18
- Penguins at Devils @ 6pm on NBCSN
- Sun 3/21
- Golden Knights at Kings @ 5pm on NBCSN
Motorsports:
- Tues 3/16
- Supercross – Dallas @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
- Sat 3/20
- Supercross – Dallas @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
Olympic Sports:
- Mon 3/15
- Sailing: America’s Cup @ 10pm on NBCSN
- Tues 3/16
- Biathlon: Single Mixed Relay @ 12am on NBCSN
- Skiing: World Championships @ 11am on NBCSN
- Skiing: Freeski Slopestyle Aspen @ 12:30pm on NBCSN
- Snowboarding: Big Air @ 2:30pm on NBCSN
- Wed 3/17
- Sailing: America’s Cup @ 12:30am on NBCSN
- Skiing: M & W Downhill @ 11:30am on NBCSN
- Thurs 3/18
- Sailing: America’s Cup @ 12am on NBCSN
- Boxing: Ring City USA @ 8pm on NBCSN
- Sailing: America’s Cup @ 10pm on NBCSN
- Fri 3/19
- Skiing: M&W Super-G @ 6am on NBCSN
- Skiing: World Cup Finals – Team Event @ 8pm on NBCSN
- Biathlon: Women’s 7.5km Sprint @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
- Sun 3/21
- Skiing: Women’s Slalom @ 12:30am on NBCSN
- Skiing: Women’s Giant Slalom @ 11pm on NBCSN
Soccer:
- Mon 3/15
- Mexico Primera Division: Chivas de Guadalajara vs America @ 12pm on NBCSN
- Premier League: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool @ 3:55pm on NBCSN
- Fri 3/19
- Premier League: Fulham vs Leeds United @ 2:55pm on NBCSN
- Sun 3/21
- Premier League: Ashton Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur @ 2:25pm on NBCSN
