Weekly Update – Week of October 14th, 2019

Baseball – MLB: Astros/Yankees tied. Nationals up 2-0. Angel’s director sold Skaggs drugs.

Football – College: OU/TX. Playoff implications. SEC battles. #3 goes down to unranked SC.

Football – NFL: Jets and Steelers get 1st win. Patriots are only undefeated team. Dolphins only win-less team left.

Golf: Griffin wins Houston Open – 1st PGA Tour win. PGA Tour takes Korea.

Olympic Sports: Sub 2 hour marathon is humanly possible! Simone Biles the GOAT. Doping scandals – Oregon Project and Conor Dwyer. Federer plans to play in Tokyo 2020.

Baseball – MLB:

• The Championship games are heating up!
  • The American league series is tied 1-1
  • 
    • Carols Correa gave the Astros a much needed win with a walk off HR in the 11^th Correa also had a brilliant save in the 6^th inning to stop a run from the Yankees.
    • OF Giancarlo Stanton is battling a quad strain and is left as a day-to-day decision for the rest of the American league series. He did not play against the Astros in Sunday’s game 2.
    • One of the Astros employees was hit by a foul ball while standing in the dugout and was taken to the hospital He is in stable condition. Houston has already expended their foul ball netting but there is no protection for the dugout.
  • 
  • The Nationals lead the National league series 2-0.
    • Nationals OF Adam Eaton claimed to channel Seinfeld’s George Castansa’s ‘opposite’ instinct. Eaton said his instincts had been leading him wrong so he did the opposite and it worked! Eaton was 0-3 at bat before he employed this thought process. He hit a double with 2 men on base to win the game.
    • Nationals’ closer Daniel Hudson was not at the 1^st game in the championship series since he was at home with his wife witnessing the birth of his daughter. This has sparked a national debate between fatherhood/sports/parental duties, etc. But for Hudson there was no choice, he was going to spend his baby girl’s first day with her not at the game.
  • Angels’ communications director Eric Kay admitted to selling and using recreational drugs (oxycodone) with Tyler Skaggs before his death from an opioid overdose in July. However he claims that Skaggs also did a line of some pink drug as well that night that Kay did not provide. Kay also dropped the names of 5 other Angel players who were abusing the drug. The other bombshell, Kay claims that 2 team employees knew Skaggs had an opioid addiction.

Football – College:

Losses in the Top 25
Visitor	Home	Day	Time (CT)	TV	Score
South Carolina	3. Georgia	Sat 10/12	11:00 AM	ESPN	20-17
7. Florida	5. LSU	Sat 10/12	7:00 PM	ESPN	28-42
6. Oklahoma	11. Texas	Sat 10/12	11:00 AM	FOX	34-27
10. Penn St	17. Iowa	Sat 10/12	6:30 PM	ABC	17-12
Louisville	19. Wake Forest	Sat 10/12	6:30 PM	ACC	62-59
20. UVA	Miami	Fri 10/11	7:00 PM	ESPN	9-17
23. Memphis	Temple	Sat 10/12	11:00 AM	ESPN2	28-30
1. Alabama	24. Texas A&M	Sat 10/12	2:30 PM	CBS	47-28

• 8 teams lost in the Top 25 including undefeated #3 Georgia in OT to South Carolina (no one saw that one coming!) This was the biggest upset in the SEC since 2014 with South Carolina being 21 point underdogs.
  • Another SEC East team lost with Florida losing 28-42 to LSU. That makes big ripples in the CFP decision. Both Alabama and LSU are undefeated in the SEC West – everyone is waiting for that game with baited breathe on Nov 9^th!
  • Oklahoma beat Texas in the Red River Rivalry game in Dallas. Although the score was close, Oklahoma dominated with Texas’ QB Sam Ehlinger ending the game with negative rushing yards and got sacked 9xs. The biggest takeaway from this game, the Oklahoma defense has improved significantly and they might be a national championship team!

• During the OU/TX game, a flag was thrown before the game even started and every player on both teams was issued a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. This is important because the next one gets the player thrown out of the game. This after a controversial article was written about how the Oklahoma players (or any other team that plays the longhorns) will no longer be allowed to thrown the ‘horns down’ symbol without being penalized 15 yrds. This has been a hot topic since West Virginia vs Texas game last year and it continued into the Big 12 championship game. No OU player did the horns down during the game – so no yardage was awarded.
• USC/Notre Dame game was a close one for the fighting Irish and there was some controversy here too. During the final minutes of the game, USC scored and kicked an onside kick to try to get the ball back with 1:04 to go in the game. Notre Dame recovered the ball, however Notre Dame’s coach was on the field at the time. USC’s coach wanted to re-do the kick but the play was not review-able.
• Texas Tech also had a bone to pick with the officials in their game against Baylor. In the 1^st OT, Baylor’s C snapped the ball which was then recovered by Texas Tech, however a false start was called instead of a turnover. The Big 12 has acknowledged that this call was incorrect. The Bears went on to win in 2OT and are still undefeated. Baylor was Texas Tech’s 3^rd straight ranked team.
• This weekend we have 3 top 25 match ups while SMU (favored by 7) and Baylor (favored by 3.5) get tested outside the Top 25.
  • Gameday is in State College, PA for the Penn St/Michigan game.

Football – NFL:

• The Jets got Sam Darnold back after he was sick with mono and got their 1^st win against the Cowboys no less in 24-22 thriller. The Jets never trailed in the game. The only redeeming thing about the game for the Cowboys was their kicker Brett Maher hits a 62 yrd FG and a 50 yrd FG in the first half alone. That being said, the Cowboys are still tied with the Eagles for the top spot in the NFC East. That changes this weekend as the Cowboys face the Eagles head to head in Dallas.
• The Steelers manage to get their 1^st win as well even with their 3^rd string QB, Devlin Hodges against the Chargers 24-17. This was Hodges’ first career start and his nickname which you will now hear a lot is ‘Duck.’ Steelers’ starting QB Ben Roethlisberger is out (elbow injury) along with their 2rd string rookie QB Mason Rudolph (concussion protocol).
• The Houston Texans beat the Chiefs 31-24 in a showdown of QB talent. DeShaun Watson got the last laugh this time over KC stud Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill has returned to play for the Chiefs but it just wasn’t enough.
• The Titans were shut out against the Broncos 16-0 and Mariota was benched in the 3^rd TBD if that change is permanent.
• The Dolphins remain win-less after a close game against the Redskins 16-17. Both teams were win-less heading into Sunday’s game.
• The Patriots are the only undefeated team left in the league.

Golf:

• Lanto Griffin won the Houston Open on Sunday by 1 stroke over Harrington and Hubbard, who were both on the KF Tour with Griffin last year and all 3 had never won a PGA Tur event. Griffin can’t say that anymore.
• The PGA Tour goes abroad to Korea to play the CJ Cup, where defending champ Brooks Koepka will look to defend his title.

Olympic Sports:

• History has been written! Eliud Kipchoge does the impossible and runs a marathon in under 2 hours! 1:59.40 was the official time set in Vienna. This is not a new World Record however due to certain non-regulation aspects. Kipchoge had a group of rabbits who were helped by a pace car with a laser beam projecting the ideal position on the street. The Prater Park even offers long straightaways that are protected from the wind. Don’t worry I did the math for you, Kipchoge averaged a 4:33.5 mile pace for 26.2 miles. Kipchoge attempted the sub 2 hour marathon one other time on a F1 track in Italy back in May 2017 but was 26 seconds short.
• Simone Biles just solidified her #GOAT status. If you needed more convincing, Biles broke the record of most medals at a world championships after her 24^th medal on beam and another on floor to make the new record 25 (of those 25, 19 are gold). She beat the previous record of 23 held by Belarus gymnast Vitaly Scherbo (12 golds). Biles won the floor exercise by a full point with a score of 15.133 with a step out of bounds. Simone Biles took how 5 gold medals from this world championships (team, all-around, vault, beam and floor). Biles’ only blemish was her 5^th place finish on the uneven bars securing that she would not repeat sweeping the events as she did in 2017.
• In other marathon news, Brigid Kosgei won the Chicago marathon in 2:14.4 to break the world record in the event! This record stood for 16 years before Sunday’s race, where the previous world record holder watched her record get broken.
• Nike is closing its Oregon Project track and field program that was run by Aleberto Salazar after Salazar was found guilty of doping and will serve a 4 year doping ban. Salazar ran experiments with supplements and testosterone that was funded by Nike. The athletes of the Nike Oregon Project were not found guilty yet. Prominent Oregon Project runners include Jordan Hasay, Galen Rupp and Mo Farah (until 2017). Quite a scandal for the long distance track world!
• Roger Federer plans to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Rumors had been flying about the Swiss great retiring before the games. However Federer will need an exemption to be eligible to play in Tokyo as he has not played at any Davis Cup events to qualify. This is not forseen as a problem as he has been to 4 previous Olympics and won 3 medals for Switzerland. He was injured during Rio 2016.
• Olympic gold medalist Conor Dwyer is now retired as announced on Friday after he was given a 20 month doping ban for having testosterone pellets inserted into his hip. Dwyer’s doctor claimed to clear the procedure with the USOPC and USADA but it turns out no one cleared it. Dwyer is 30 and won 2 gold medals for relays in 2012 and 2016 along with a bronze in 2016 for the 200m IM.
• Cycling legend Eddy Merckx was sent to the hospital after crashing while riding with his friends. He is regarded as the best cyclist of all time having won the Tour de France 5xs with a record setting 34 stages. He also won the Giro d’Italia 5xs and 1 Spanish Vuelta.

What to watch this week:

Baseball – MLB:

• Mon 10/14
  • National League – Game 3
    • Cardinals at Nationals @ 6:38pm on TBS
      • Nationals lead 2-0
      • Flaherty vs Stratsburg
• Tues 10/15
  • American League – Game 3
    • Astros at Yankees @ 3:08pm on FS1
      • Series tied 1-1
      • Cole vs Severino
  • National League – Game 4
    • Cardinals at Nationals @ 7:05pm on TBS
      • Hudson vs Corbin
• Wed 10/16
  • National League – Game 5 if necessary
    • Cardinals at Nationals @ 3:08pm on TBS
  • American League – Game 4
    • Astros at Yankees @ 7:08pm on FS1
• Thurs 10/17
  • American League – Game 5 if necessary
    • Astros at Yankees @ 7:08pm on FS1

• Fri 10/18
  • National League Championship – Game 6 if necessary
    • Nationals at Cardinals @ 7:08pm on TBS
• Sat 10/19
  • American League Championship – Game 6 if necessary
    • Yankees at Astros @ 3:08pm on FS1
  • National League Championship – Game 7 if necessary
    • Nationals at Cardinals @ 7:08pm on TBS
• Sun 10/20
  • American League Championship – Game 7 if necessary
    • Yankees at Astros @ 6:38pm on FS1

Basketball – NBA preseason:

• Wed 10/16
  • Hawks at Knicks @ 7pm on ESPN
  • Warriors at Lakers @ 9:30pm on ESPN

Football – NCAA:

Week 8
Top Games of the Week
Visitor	Home	Day	Time (CT)	TV
12. Oregon	25. Washington	Sat 10/19	2:30 PM	ABC
Temple	19. SMU	Sat 10/19	2:30 PM	ESPN2
18. Baylor	Oklahoma St	Sat 10/19	3:00 PM	FOX
17. Arizona St	13. Utah	Sat 10/19	5:00 PM	PAC12
16. Michigan	7. Penn St	Sat 10/19	6:30 PM	ABC
*GameDay indicated in bold*

• Gameday is in State College, PA for the Penn St/Michigan game.

Football – NFL:

• Mon 10/14 – Loins at Packers @ 7:15pm on ESPN
• Thurs 10/17 – Chiefs at Broncos @ 7:20pm on FOX
• Sun 10/20
  • 8 games at 12pm on CBS and Fox
    • Rams at Falcons
    • Dolphins at Bills
    • Jaguars at Bengals
    • Vikings at Lions
    • Raiders at Packers
    • Texans at Colts
    • Cardinals at Giants
    • 49ers at Redskins
  • Chargers at Titans @ 3:05pm on CBS
  • Saints at Bears – or – Ravens at Seahawks @ 3:25pm on FOX
  • Eagles at Cowboys @ 7:20pm on NBC
• Mon 10/21 – Patriots at Jets @ 7:15pm on ESPN

Golf:

• Wed 10/16 – CJ Cup – Round 1
  • 10pm – 2am on Golf Channel (played in Korea)
• Thurs 10/17 – CJ Cup – Round 2
  • 10pm – 2am on Golf Channel
• Fri 10/18 – Houston Open – Round 3
  • 10pm – 2am on Golf Channel
• Sat 10/19 – Houston Open – Round 4
  • 10pm – 2am on Golf Channel

Hockey:

• Tues 10/15 – Lightening at Canadiens @ 7pm on NBCSN
• Wed 10/16
  • Avalanche vs Penguins @ 7pm on NBCSN
  • Flyers at Oilers @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
• Thurs 10/17 – Rangers at Devils @ 7pm on NBCSN

Olympic Sports:

• Sat 10/19
  • Figure Skating: ISU Grand Prix: Ladies Short Program @ 12am on NBCSN
  • Rugby World Cup: Quarterfinals: ENG vs AUS @ 3am on NBCSN
  • Rugby World Cup: Quarterfinals: NZ vs IRE @ 2:30pm on NBCSN
  • Figure Skating: ISU Grand Prix: Men’s Free Skate @ 6pm on NBCSN
• Sun 10/20
  • Figure Skating: ISU Grand Prix: Ladies Free Skate @ 1am on NBCSN
  • Rugby World Cup: Quarterfinals: FRA vs Wales @ 6am on NBCSN
  • Rugby World Cup: Quarterfinals: JPN vs RSA @ 2:30pm on NBCSN

Soccer:

• Mon 10/14 – UEFA Euro Championship: UKR vs POR @ 1:45pm on ESPNNEWS
• Tues 10/15
  • UEFA Euro Championship: SWE vs ESP @ 1:45pm on ESPNNEWS
  • NCAAM: 1. UVA vs James Madison @ 6pm on ACC
• Fri 10/18
  • NCAAW: 7. South Carolina vs 21. Tennessee @ 6pm on SEC
  • NCAAW: 9. Vanderbilt vs LSU @ 7pm on SEC
  • NCAAW: 12. Texas A&M vs Arkansas @ 7:30pm on SEC
• Sat 10/19
  • Premier League: Everton vs West Ham @ 7:25am on NBCSN
  • Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur vs Watford @ 9:55am on NBCSN
  • MLS: Real Salt Lake vs Portland Timbers @ 9pm on ESPNNEWS
• Sun 10/20
  • Italian Serie A: Sassuolo vs Internazionale @ 5:30am on ESPNNEWS
  • Premier League: ManU vs Liverpool @ 11:25am on NBCSN
  • US NWSL: NC Courage vs Reign FC @ 12:30pm on ESPN2
  • US NWSL: Chicago Red Stars vs Portland Thorns @ 2:30pm on ESPN2
  • NCAAW: Georgia vs Mississippi St @ 4pm on ESPNU
  • MLS: Minnesota United vs LA Galaxy @ 7:30pm on ESPN