Happy Thursday, everyone. I hope you will be fine.
Let’s get to it.
Good morning everyone but especially…
NFL fans
The NFL is back! Kind of (kind of good enough for me!) Jaguar And The raiders Face off tonight in the Hall of Fame game, marking the start of the preseason. Both teams look a lot different than they did at the end of last year.
- Hired by the Jaguars. Doug Pederson After as their head coach Urban Mayor The disaster that was last season. While last year’s no. 1 overall pick, QB Trevor Lawrence, will not play tonight, we can see this year’s number. 1 pick, OLB Travon Walker.
- Meanwhile, the raiders were hired. Josh McDaniels and brought in several big-name veterans, including Deonte Adams And Chandler Jones. They are trying to make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 2000-02.
- These teams were selected to play in the Hall of Fame Game because of former Jaguars tackles. Tony Bocelli and former Raiders wide receiver Cliff Branch Being inducted into the Hall of Fame over the weekend. You can view the entire class. Here.
Listen, this won’t be the highest quality football you’ll ever see. Teams have only been in training camp for a few weeks, and most of the starters (in fact, maybe all of the starters) and even some of the established backups won’t be playing. But, hey, there’s NFL football on TV for the first time since February. I will take
Honorable mention
And not such a good morning for him…
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Pagebookers, Uken Huskies and college basketball as a whole
UConn women’s basketball will be without its brightest star, and women’s college basketball will be worse for it. Paige Bueckers Tore his ACL in a pickup game on Monday. and will miss the entire 2022-23 season.
- Rising junior Missed a key part of last season. After suffering a tibial plateau fracture in December.
- She returned later in the year and helped lead UConn to the national title game, where the Huskies lost. South Carolina.
- As a freshman in 2020-21, Bueckers averaged 20.0 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds and became the first freshman to win AP Women’s Player of the Year. He also won the Naismith Award.
Bueckers is an absolute joy to watch, and when she gets around offensively, she’s nearly impossible to stop thanks to her silky-smooth mid-range shooting, great handle and ability to pass and knock down the 3-pointer. In the Elite 8 — one of the best games of the year — the Bakers scored 27 points on just 15 shots as UConn topped NC State in double overtime.
This is undoubtedly a huge loss for UConn and women’s basketball as a whole. Bueckers is truly irresistible in every sense of the word.
Not so honorable mention.
NFL appeals Deshaun Watson’s suspension What happens next? 🏈
The NFL has. An appeal has been filed. Deshaun Watsonwas suspended for six games. Handed over to Monday By Disciplinary Officer Sue L. Robinson.
- The ability to appeal is guaranteed in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Watson and the NFLPA said before the ruling that they would not appeal and urged the NFL to do so.
- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will decide who will hear the appeal. Goodell can choose himself.
- The NFL will find one. Indefinite suspension of at least one yearAccording to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.
- According to reports, the NFLPA is preparing to sue the NFL in federal court following the league’s appeals decision. The NFLPA has two business days to file a response to the appeal.
Here’s a key quote from the NFL’s statement:
- “Under the 2020 NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (‘CBA’), the disciplinary officer’s factual findings are binding and not appealable. Judge Robinson found that Mr. Watson Violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy on multiple occasions. And suspended him for six matches.”
Robinson finds Watson engaged “Sexual assault; conduct that poses a real threat to the safety and well-being of another person; and conduct that undermines or threatens the integrity of the NFL.” While the NFL has sought an indefinite suspension of at least one year, Robinson wrote that he “Bound to standards of fairness and consistency of treatment among similarly situated players.”
There is no specific timetable for a decision on Goodell or his appointment.
LIV Golfers Sue PGA Tour ⛳
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You thought LIV Vs. Is the PGA drama over? Think again. Phil Mickelson The LIV Golf League is in the 11-player group. Filing an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour With a possible goal of rebounding through the PGA Tour. Here are the important details:
- The PGA Tour Suspended players who left for LIV Golf. Back in June. There was the PGA Tour. Mickelson was suspended back in March. Following his comments about Saudi Arabia and LIV Golf.
- The PGA Tour typically allows three waivers per season to allow members to play on other tours. This was not the case with the LIV events.
- According to reports, LIV has been preparing for this lawsuit for some time. Saying that the PGA Tour has a monopoly on the golf market. And using that power to prevent a startup league from joining the market.
- Players like Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka And Dustin Johnson — who resigned from the PGA Tour — are not part of this case.
There is a possible solution. — at least in the short term — for all of them, writes our golf expert Kyle Porter.
- Porter: “Whether the players are allowed to play both tours remains to be seen, but we should get a quick answer on whether players are allowed to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs next week. There is recent precedent here as well. . Ian Poulter And there were two other golfers. Despite the DP World Tour ban, he was allowed to play in the Scottish Open.. The stay was granted just before the start of the tournament. Perhaps the same may apply in this situation.”
Will Juan Soto Be MLB’s First $500 Million Man? ⚾
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Now that the dust has settled. Juan Soto Joining the Padres — he debuted his team last night — we turn our attention to the biggest long-term question: What kind of contract will he get?
Remember, Soto Declined a 15-year, $440 million extension from the Nationals. earlier this season, which led to Washington hearing trade offers in the first place. That $440 million would have made Soto the highest-paid player in MLB history by total money. Does that mean he’s headed for the once-unthinkable $500 million mark?
Our MLB expert Dan Perry has it. Four reasons why that might beincluding…
- Perry: “Soto’s career OPS+ of 160 is the fourth-highest ever for a player 23 or younger and at least 500 games played. … When a player combines excellence with youth – especially as free agency progresses – he’s going to make a lot of money. That’s because he already promises an established level of high performance, and he figures to maintain that level at or near it for many years to come. When you’re as young as Soto, there’s also the possibility that he’s still on the rise. Teams will pay for it.“
What are we watching on Thursday 📺
🏀 Mercury in Sunon ESPN 2 at 7 p.m
⚾ Rays on Tigerson FS1 at 7:10 p.m
🏈 Hall of Fame Game: Jaguars vs. Raiderson NBC at 8 p.m
