Baseball – MLB: JPN postponed opening day. Kopech debuts tomorrow. Calhoun’s jaw broken. Verlander pulled from spring game. Martinez’s King Guillermo.
Basketball – NBA: Battle for City of Angels. Luka PO about 3 hits. Celtics lose 4 home games.
Basketball – NCAAM: Selection Sunday on 3/15. Its conference championship week and the schedules are posted below! James Madison fire HC.
Football: Dak and the Cowboys. DE Ellison retires. Jets release CB Johnson.
Golf: Hatton takes Arnold Palmer. No one expect one beats par for the weekend. PLAYERS this weekend. Presidents Medal of Freedom: Player and Sorenstam.
Olympic Sports: Torch Lighting ceremony to be spectator-less. USA LJ cleared of positive test. LA Marathon winners: Teshager and Muriuki. Skiing World Cup up for grabs after all the cancellations.
Baseball – MLB:
- Japan has postponed their opening day which was to start March 20th due to concerns over COVID19. No definitive date was given but sometime in April has been discussed. J-League soccer has also been suspended in the country.
- White Sox RHP Michael Kopech is expected to make his debut tomorrow in the Cactus league after not pitching since 2018 due to Tommy John surgery.
- Rangers OF Willie Calhoun was hit in the jaw by a fastball thrown by Dodgers LHP Julio Urias. It fractured his jaw and he is expected to be out for quite some time. He will be evaluated further today.
- Astros RHP Justin Verlander was pulled in a spring training game against the Mets for sore triceps. TBD if he is hurt. He was previously dealing with tightness in his groin, but that problem seems to be behind him. On to the next one.
- The Cardinals have renewed Jack Flaherty’s contract for the 2020 season. He will be paid $600k but otherwise terms were not discussed.
- You don’t often get a baseball and horse racing story together but here goes. Former 5 time All Star, Victor Martinez’s horse named King Guillermo won the Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday. This brought in $351k of winnings and 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. King Guillermo was at 49-1 odds when he ran the mile and 1/16 race by almost 5 lengths.
Basketball – NBA:
- The battle for LA was contested on Friday night with the Clippers vs the Lakers game. And the Lakers came out on top scoring 112-103. Before this loss, the Clippers had won 6 games straight. The dangerous combo of David (who scored 30 points) and LeBron (who scored 28 points) was too much for Paul George (who scored 31) and the Clippers. Lakers reign supreme in the City of Angels for now.
- Luka Doncic was very upset (to put it mildly) with the refs during the game of the Mavs vs Pacers game. Luka got hit in the face 3xs of which 2 were not called as a foul. The Mavs lost that game in a close one 112-109 and Luka scored 36 points. He was kneed in the jaw and took a different shot which left him bleeding from the mouth.
- The Celtics are in quite a different position than they were in February (winning 14 of 17 games). They have now lost 4 home games in a row and all of those games they had been leading by double digits.
- Current Standings:
- Eastern:
- Atlantic: Raptors (clinched)
- Central: Bucks (clinched)
- SE: Heat
- Western:
- NW: Nuggets
- Pacific: Lakers (clinched)
- SW: Rockets
- Eastern:
Basketball – NCAAM:
- Selection Sunday is March 15th – Beware the Ides of March people!
- James Madison has parted ways with their basketball HC Louis Rowe. Lowe had been with the school for 4 years and overall record was 43-85.
Football:
- The Cowboys are in a rush to get QB Dak Prescott resigned. They had a $33MM/yr offer with $100MM guaranteed on the table but Dak didn’t take it. Russel Wilson is the highest paid QB with $35MM/yr. The Cowboys will most likely out an exclusive franchise tag on Dak if they don’t reach a deal by Thursday. Be on the look out for more on this!
- Giants TE Rhett Ellison is retiring after playing in the league for 8 seasons. He missed 6 games due to a concussion last year. He entered the draft in 2012 where the Vikings drafted him in the 4th
- The Jets will release CB Trumaine Johnson in the coming days. Johnson spent 6 seasons with the Rams and played under a franchise tag for 2 years.
Golf:
- Tyrrell Hatton won the Arnold Palmer invitational after a +2 final round. This was his first PGA Tour victory but 5th victory overall and his 2nd start after returning from wrist surgery. Tyrrell finished the weekend -4, which was only 1 of 4 players to be under par.
- Only 1 player broke par on Saturday and that honor belongs to Max Homa.
- Matt Fitzpatrick was the only player to break 70 on the weekend! Brooks Koepka even had his highest round ever on the PGA Tour with an 81 (+9).
- The ‘5th major’ is being contested this weekend at the PLAYERS. Watch for the 17th green which is an island and the most entertaining spot.
- The PGA Tour has renewed its media deal. The Golf Channel will stay with CBS and NBC with CBS getting 2xs the events. In 2022, each network will have all 3 FedEx events and then alternate years. ESPN+ will have the rights to PGA Tour Live.
- Annika Sorenstam will be honored by receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump along with Gary Player. They will get the medal on March 23rd.
Olympic Sports:
- The Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch lighting ceremony will be held with no spectators. This isn’t the first time either, the torch lighting for the 1984 LA Olympics were also without spectators. On Sunday, Greece banned all spectators from sporting events for the next 2 weeks. The handover ceremony in Greece will be on March 19th.
- American long jumper Jarrion Lawson has had his 4 year ban cleared. He tested positive on a doping test after he ate contaminated beef. He was unanimously cleared by all 3 judges after not competing for 20 months in a Diamond League event in London. Lawson was able to prove that he ate beef from a restaurant that used trenbolone (a steroid used in the US to grow cattle that is banned in the EU), which the Russian athletes used during the 2014 Olympics. This is good news for the US as Lawson is the 2017 World Championship silver medalist.
- LA Marathon winners are ETH Bayelign Teshager and KEN Margaret Muriuki. Teshager won with a time of 2:08.25 in his marathon debut. Muriuki lead from start to finish with a time of 2:29.57.
- After the canceled Super-G World Cup races due to weather and coronavirus, there are only 2 races and 200 points left up for grabs and it’s a 3 way battle for the title. NOR Kilde leads FRA Pinturault and then NOR Kristoffersen. On the women’s side, Brignone holds a lead over Mikaela Shiffrin by 153 points.
What to watch this week
Basketball – NBA:
- Tues 3/10
- Mavericks at Spurs @ 7pm on TNT
- Clippers at Warriors @ 9:30pm on TNT
- Wed 3/11
- Nuggets at Mavericks @ 7pm on ESPN
- Pelicans at Kings @ 9:30pm on ESPN
- Thurs 3/12
- Celtics at Bucks @ 7pm on TNT
- Rockets at Lakers @ 9:30pm on TNT
- Sat 3/14 – Warriors at Bucks @ 7:30pm on ABC
- Sun 3/15
- Rockets at Trail Blazers @ 2:30pm on ABC
- Nuggets at Lakers @ 8pm on ESPN
Basketball – NCAA:
- Mon 3/9
- San Francisco vs 2. Gonzaga @ 8pm on ESPN
- Saint Mary’s vs 15. BYU @ 10:30pm on ESPN2
- Thurs 3/12
- TBD vs 11. Creighton @ 11am on FS1
- Michigan at Rutgers @ 11am on BTN
- Clemson/Miami vs 7. Florida St @ 11:30am
- TBD at 18. Iowa @ 1:25pm on BTN
- OSU/Iowa St at 1. Kansas @ 1:30pm
- TBD at 12. Duke @ 1:30pm
- Oregon St/Utah vs 13. Oregon @ 2pm on Pac12
- Purdue at 19. Ohio St @ 5:30pm on BTN
- TCU/Kansas St at 4. Baylor @ 6pm
- TBD at 14. Villanova @ 6pm on FS1
- Notre Dame/Boston College vs 22. UVA @ 6pm
- Nebraska/Indiana vs 20. Penn St @ 7:55pm on BTN
- TBD at 10. Louisville @ 8pm
- Marquette vs 8. Seton Hall @ 8:30pm on FS1
- Fri 3/13
- TBD at 3. Dayton @ 11am on NBCSN
- Michigan/Rutgers vs 24. Wisconsin @ 11am on BTN
- Atlantic 10 tourney @ 11am on NBCSN
- Alabama/Tennessee vs 6. Kentucky @ 12pm on ESPN
- TBD vs 23. Illinois @ 1:25pm on BTN
- Purdue/Ohio St vs 16. Michigan St @ 5 :30pm on BTN
- Missouri/Texas A&M vs 17. Auburn @ 6pm on SEC
- ACC Semi @ 6pm
- Big 12 Semi @ 6pm on ESPN/ESPN2
- TBD vs 21. Houston @ 6:30pm on ESPNU
- TBD vs 9. Maryland @ 7:55pm on BTN
- ACC Semi @ 8pm
- Big 12 Semi @ 8pm on ESPN/ESPN2
- Pac 12 Semi @ 8pm on Pac12
- Pac 12 Semi @ 10:30pm on FS1
- Sat 3/14
- Big 10 Semi @ 12pm on CBS
- SEC Semi @ 12pm on ESPN
- Big 10 Semi @ 25 min after other semi on CBS
- SEC Semi @ 25 min after other semi on ESPN
- Big 12 Championship Game @ 5pm on ESPN
- ACC Championship Game @ 7:30pm on ESPN
- Pac 12 Championship Game @ 9:30pm on FS1
- Sun 3/15
- TBD vs TBD @ 11am on ESPN2
- TBD vs TBD @ 12pm on CBS
- SEC Championship @ 12pm on ESPN
- TBD vs TBD @ 1pm on ESPN2
- TBD vs TBD @ 2:15pm on ESPN
- Big 10 Championship Game @ 2:30pm on CBS
Football – XFL:
- Sat 3/14
- Houston Roughnecks at NY Guardians @ 1pm on ABC
- Louis Battlehawks at Tampa Bay Vipers @ 4pm on FS2
- Sun 3/15
- Dallas Renegades at DC Defenders @ 3pm on FS1
- LA Wildcats at Seattle Dragons @ 6pm on ESPN2
Golf:
- Thurs 3/12
- PLAYERS – Round 1
- 12-6pm on Golf Channel
- PLAYERS – Round 1
- Fri 3/13
- PLAYERS – Round 2
- 12-6pm on Golf Channel
- PLAYERS – Round 2
- Sat 3/14
- PLAYERS – Round 3
- 1pm – 6pm on NBC
- PLAYERS – Round 3
- Sun 3/15
- PLAYERS – Round 4
- 1pm – 6pm on NBC
- PLAYERS – Round 4
Hockey:
- Mon 3/9 – Capitals at Sabres @ 6pm on RSN
- Tues 3/10 – Bruins at Flyers @ 6pm on NBCSN
- Wed 3/11
- Sharks at Blackhawks @ 7pm on NBCSN
- Canadiens at Oilers @ 8pm on RSN
- Thurs 3/12 – Flyers at Lightening @ 6pm on NBCSN
- Fri 3/13 – Bruins at Sabres @ 9pm on RSNE
- Sat 3/14
- Wild at Flyers @ 12pm on RSN
- Maple Leafs at Bruins @ 6pm on RSN
- Canadiens at Flames @ 9pm on RSN
- Sun 3/15
- Oilers at Flyers @12pm on RSN
- Predators at Wild @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Canadiens at Canucks @ 7pm on RSN
Olympic Sports:
- Tues 3/10
- Cycling: Paris-Nice 2020: Stage 2 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Biathlon World Cup: Women’s 12.5km Mass Start @ 1pm on NBCSN
- FIS Ski Jumping: Men’s Individual @ 2pm on NBCSN
- Speed Skating: Day 2 @ 3pm on NBCSN
- Wed 3/11 – Cycling: Paris-Nice 2020: Stage 3 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Thurs 3/12 – Cycling: Paris-Nice 2020: Stage 4 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Fri 3/13
- Cycling: Paris-Nice 2020: Stage 5 @ 1am on NBCSN
- FIS Skiing World Cup: Women’s Giant Slalom @ 4pm on NBCSN
- Sat 3/14 – Cycling: Paris-Nice 2020: Stage 6 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Sun 3/15
- Cycling: Paris-Nice 2020: Stage 7 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Gymnastics World Cup: Apparatus Finals – Day 2 @ 10pm on NBCSN
Soccer:
- Wed 3/11
- Premier League: Manchester City vs Arsenal @ 2:35pm on NBCSN
- SheBelieves Cup: USA vs JPN @ 7pm on ESPNEWS
- Sat 3/13
- Premier League: Watford vs Leicester City @ 7:25am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Manchester City vs Burnley @ 9:55am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Aston Villa vs Chelsea @ 12:25am on NBCSN
- Sun 3/14
- Premier League: West Ham United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers @ 8:55am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur vs ManU @ 11:25am on NBCSN
