Hello everyone, but especially to…
GOLF LOVERS
The Presidents Cup starts today, and I couldn’t be more excited to have team golf back on my TV. It’s been a dramatic year for the sport and the Presidents Cup, which pits the United States against the rest of the world without Europe, is no exception.
As in recent months, who’s not there will be a major talking point because no LIV Golf members allowed. This means that big names such as Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann and Brooks Koepka will not participate.
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As to who is there, our golf expert Kyle Porter ranked all 24 players in Quail Hollowand — without giving too much away — the United States practically swept the top 10. As a result, writes Kyle, this one might not be close at all as the United States goes for its ninth direct victory.
- Carry: “Every player on the U.S. side is ranked higher in the Official World Golf Rankings than all but three golfers on the international team. … Sure, you don’t win championships on paper, but this American team has enough experience to snuff out hope even if it starts bubbling up in the locker room across from theirs. Only Sam Burns, Billy Horschel, Cameron Young and Max Homa are new to the American side, and they have combined to win six PGA Tour events since last year’s Ryder Cup.”
Fellow golf guru Patrick McDonald even went so far as to say this could be one of the best President Cup teams ever assembled. If the United States is to live up to those expectations, it must start today in the quartets. Here are the matches:
- Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele vs. Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama
- Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas vs. Corey Conners and Sungjae Im
- Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa vs. KH Lee and Tom Kim
- Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler vs. Cameron Davis and Si Woo Kim
- Tony Finau and Max Homa vs. Mito Pereira and Taylor Pendrith
As for everything you need to know about the event:
Honorable Mentions
And not such a good morning for…
DAYTON MOORE
Dayton Moore once built a champion. Now he is unemployed. The The Royals have fired Mooretheir President of Baseball Operations who has been with the team since 2006. Team Owner John Sherman cited a desire for a more modern, data-driven approach.
- Moore, 55, built a 2014 pennant winning team then a 2015 World Series winning team. It was the second World Series title in franchise history, coming in 1985. Since 2015, however, the Royals have the fourth-worst record in MLB. and haven’t posted a season above .500.
- GM JJ Piccolo will now be the primary voice of baseball operations.
The fall has been slow for Moorewrites our MLB expert Dayn Perry.
- Pear: “While impressive young talent has emerged from the long rebuilding process — Bobby Witt Jr., in particular – the trajectory was not enough to spare Moore. They’ve graduated a number of promising prospects to the majors, but their recent failure to develop young pitchers has been a notable weakness in terms of player development.”
Not so honorable mentions
Celtics coach Ime Udoka faces suspension for consensual relationship with staff member 🏀
Details are slim at this point, but last night it was reported that Ime Udoka is supposedly face disciplinary action, including a potential “significant” suspension, for having a consensual relationship with a staff member. By entering into a relationship with the staff member, the head coach violated Boston’s code of conduct.
Udoka, 45, is entering his second year coaching the Celtics after leading the team to an NBA Finals appearance last season. We don’t think his job is in danger.
You can follow this story here as more details become known.
Robert Sarver to sell Suns and Mercury following workplace misconduct scandal
Robert Sarver announced on Wednesday that he was start the sales process both the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. Last week, NBA banned Sarver for a year and fined him $10 million — the large amount of money authorized — following a workplace misconduct investigation.
- Among the conclusions of the investigation was it Sarver used the N-word several timesmade inappropriate comments to and/or concerning womenengaged in inappropriate physical conduct towards male employees and engaged in degrading and harsh treatment of employees.
- Sarver released a not-so-apologetic statement when announcing his sale, saying in part, “In our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that [making amends] is no longer possible – that everything good that I have done, or that I could still do, is counterbalanced by things that I have said in the past.”
Sarver owns a 35% stake in the Suns, which he bought for $401 million in 2004. The franchise is currently valued at $1.8 billion according to Forbes. For what it’s worth, the Timberwolves was recently sold for $1.5 billion.
NFL Week 3 Picks: Does anyone want to win the AFC North? 🏈
AFC North is not the best division in football, but it is perhaps the most restless.
We should get a little more clarity tonight when the Steelers visit the Brownstwo teams with disappointing quarterback options: Mitch Trubisky and Jacoby Brisset. Let’s go!
Still, Pittsburgh hasn’t finished below .500 since 2003, and Cleveland is looking to stay afloat with its running game and defense until Deshaun Watson Return. These are the types of games you need to win. Who will do it? In his week 3 pickssays our NFL expert, John Breech…
- Cylinder head: “If I’ve noticed one thing about the Steelers this season, it’s that they basically show up every week with no offensive game plan and then make it up as they go. … At the rate he’s going, Matt Canada could be coaching in Canada by the end of the season. … For two weeks the Browns and Steelers each played two games and those four games were decided by three runs or less, so obviously I’m not going to predict an explosion, but I’m going to predict an upset. The choice: Steelers 16-13 against Browns.“
Over the weekend, one of the best games is another division battle: Dolphin Bills — which are two of the six remaining undefeated teams. But Pete Prisco says this one won’t be close.
- Price: “It’s one of the best games of the week, with two 2-0 teams that can score. The Bills are playing on the road in a short week, which is an advantage for Miami. But this Buffalo team is going high The Dolphins defense was not good last week, unlike the Bills defense. Choose: Bills 30, Dolphins 20“
Here are our expert picks:
John Breche | Pete Prisco | TylerSullivan
Aaron Judge watches: Two doubles, but no 61st HR ⚾
With a buzz of anticipation unprecedented in recent memory – and ticket prices are soaring to exorbitant amounts — Judge Aaron had another great game…but didn’t homer in the Yankees‘ A landslide 14-2 win over the pirate.
Judge finished 2 for 4 with two doubles, a walk and two runs scored. He remains at 60 home runs for the season, a tying behind Roger Maris‘AL record.
Of course a game like this won’t hurt Judge’s other hunting: He is topped all three categories in the AL Triple Crown and may be just the second winner in the past 50 years, joining Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Our Dayn Perry explored Judge’s impressive season story.
What we’re watching on Thursday 📺
⚾ The Red Sox at the Yankees7:15 p.m. on FOX
🏈 West Virginia at Virginia Tech7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Steelers at Browns8:15 p.m. on Prime Video