The Weekly Assist: 10/19 to 10/25
Oct 26 | 2020
As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast.
If you don’t stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it. Here we’ll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We’ve already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
MLB
The World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays kicked off last Tuesday night. The Dodgers took the first game 8-3 behind a strong pitching performance from Clayton Kershaw. Mookie Betts homered and added two stolen bases and 3 RBI in the contest. Tyler Glasnow was lit up for six runs over 4 1/3 IP and took the Game 1 loss for the Rays.
Last time @mookiebetts played in the World Series was against the Dodgers. Boston beat LA in his MVP year in 2018.… https://t.co/62VYtwzsti— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1603308376.0
Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin went in Game 2. Snell went 4 2/3 IP and took a no hitter into the fifth inning striking out nine batters. Brandon Lowe homered twice for the Rays. Joey Wendle had a two run double and a sacrifice fly to match Lowe’s three RBI on the day. Corey Seager mashed his seventh home run of the postseason in Game 2. Chris Taylor and Will Smith also went yard. The Dodgers dropped Game 2 by a score of 6-4 to draw the World Series even at a game a piece.
Game 3 went to the Dodgers 6-2 behind a fantastic outing from Walker Buehler who struck out 10 over six innings with one earned run surrendered. Austin Barnes and Justin Turner led the way offensively for LA with home runs. Randy Arozarena hit his eighth home run of the postseason which tied him with Barry Bonds, Carlos Beltran, and Nelson Cruz for most all time in a single playoff season.
Game 4 was not only an all-time installment of the Fall Classic, but we also were treated to some history from both teams. Randy Arozarena broke the all time record for home runs in a single postseason hitting his ninth homer of the 2020 playoffs. For the Dodgers, Justin Turner became the franchise’s all time leader in postseason home runs with 12 surpassing Duke Snider.
The game itself saw three lead changes over the last four innings and included one of the craziest plays to end a World Series game in history as Brett Phillips singled to center field which tied the game scoring Kevin Kiermaier, but a routine grounder was bobbled by the Dodgers’ Chris Taylor. This allowed Randy Arozarena to make a run for home. The Dodgers quickly recovered and got the relay in to the cut off man well ahead of Arozarena. Will Smith went for the tag too early and never secured the ball allowing Arozarena to make it home for the game winning run! Rays take Game 4 in a walk off win 8-7 to even the series at 2.
Randy Arozarena and Brett Phillips, your heroes: https://t.co/DBZroYipHK— Mike Monaco (@Mike Monaco) 1603600678.0
Randy Arozarena has had one of the most historic playoff seasons in history and Sunday night he became all time hits leader in a single post season (27). Unfortunately for the Rays, that was about the only good takeaway from Game 4. Clayton Kershaw was solid again as he struck out six over 5 2/3 IP earning his second win of this World Series.
Locked in. The most hits EVER in a single #postseason. The legend of Randy Arozarena continues to grow. https://t.co/Po5Pphoqa7— MLB (@MLB) 1603675667.0
Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger got to Tyler Glasnow early and after two frames the Dodgers’ three runs were enough to allow them to never trail in this one. Blake Treinen came in and struck out two on his way to earning the save. Los Angeles is now just one win away from winning their seventh championship and first in 32 years.
Projected starters for Tuesday night’s Game 6 are Blake Snell (2-2, 3.33 ERA) for Tampa Bay and Tony Gonsolin (0-2, 9.39 ERA) for Los Angeles.
NBA
Stan Van Gundy has agreed to coach the New Orleans Pelicans. He will assume the responsibility of developing last year’s number one overall pick, Zion Williamson. David Griffin is one of the best general managers in the NBA and has four picks in the upcoming draft (13, 39, 42, 60) that could be used to move up and land a more impactful player. There aren’t a lot of glaring holes for them and they’re young at their core.
Nate Bjorkgren is set to be head coach of the Pacers. Bjorkgren is a former assistant with Toronto. These recent hires add to Ty Lue becoming the new Clippers coach, Billy Donovan to the Bulls, Steve Nash coaching Brooklyn, Doc Rivers to Philadelphia, and Tom Thibodeau to the New York Knicks.
Bucks “won’t trade Giannis” if he turns down the max extension Milwaukee is expected to offer him once free agency begins later this year. Antetokounmpo is still under contract for one more year whether he agrees to a deal this offseason or not.
Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are just 4 out of 30 teams that would like… https://t.co/ncZ6kwp7n6— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 1603156496.0
The reigning back-to-back MVP may force the team into a game of Russian roulette if there is uncertainty about his intentions as the trade deadline approaches next season. If the Bucks feel that Giannis may sign elsewhere, they may have no other choice than to trade him. It would be better to get some assets or free up cap space in a trade than to lose the Greek Freak for nothing.
UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje with a second round submission on Saturday to move to 29-0-0 in the UFC. He is one of the best pound for pound fighters of his generation and dominated the Lightweight division over the course of his career.
BREAKING: Khabib Nurmagomedov announces his retirement from MMA. #UFC254 https://t.co/JtLGvh36ds— UFC on BT Sport (@UFC on BT Sport) 1603572948.0
He shocked the world by announcing his retirement following the win. Khabib will retire as an undefeated champion and has earned the respect of everyone including Dana White.
Dana White Reacts to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Retirement After UFC 254 – MMA Fightingwww.youtube.com
NFL
Antonio Brown has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and may join the team as early as Week 9 after serving his eight game suspension imposed by the league.
Antonio Brown’s one-year deal with Tampa has a max value of $2.5 million, per source. It includes a $750,000 bonus… https://t.co/9YNEai5g8i— Adam Schefter (@Adam Schefter) 1603632102.0
The Pittsburgh Steelers come out of Week 7 the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. The Steelers defeated the Titans in a battle of the undefeated 27-24. The Steelers are now 6-0 sitting atop the AFC North, and the Titans fall to 5-1 on the year.
The other undefeated team entering Week 7, the Seattle Seahawks, lost to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday night in OT 37-34. Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray were both outstanding and finished with numbers typically reserved for Madden games. Murray finished with 360 yards and three scores through the air along with 67 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Wilson had 388 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with 84 yards on the ground.
Both quarterbacks led their teams in rushing, but it came down to three uncharacteristic interceptions thrown by Wilson that made the difference. The last of which allowed the Cardinals to seal the win with a field goal after missing one prior to that interception.
The Seahawks (572) and Cardinals (519) featured 1,091 combined total yards, the most in a regular-season NFL game s… https://t.co/vck9ocNTVH— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPN Stats & Info) 1603686445.0
Todd Gurley scored a late 4th quarter TD but appeared to want to fall short to keep running clock. Instead he fell across the goal line and the Lions got the ball back with about a minute left to play.
Todd Gurley tried to stop himself from scoring on this run… It didn’t work out. https://t.co/u0hahQ0IQf— FOX Sports: NFL (@FOX Sports: NFL) 1603655964.0
A deep pass to Kenny Golladay set up the eventual game tying touchdown to TJ Hockenson. The extra point won it for Detroit 23-22.
TJ HOCKENSON. FOR THE WIN. ON #NationalTightEndsDay! #OnePride #DETvsATL https://t.co/IgPI0pOLGy— NFL (@NFL) 1603656690.0
In another thriller, Joe Burrow looked poised to celebrate a fourth quarter comeback win against the Browns. Baker Mayfield drove his team down the field and Donovan Peoples-Jones caught the game winning touchdown, stealing a win on the road. The Browns improve to 5-2 behind Baker Mayfield’s five touchdown passes.
string(24932) ""As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast.
If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it. Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
MLB
The World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays kicked off last Tuesday night. The Dodgers took the first game 8-3 behind a strong pitching performance from Clayton Kershaw. Mookie Betts homered and added two stolen bases and 3 RBI in the contest. Tyler Glasnow was lit up for six runs over 4 1/3 IP and took the Game 1 loss for the Rays.
Last time @mookiebetts played in the World Series was against the Dodgers. Boston beat LA in his MVP year in 2018.… https://t.co/62VYtwzsti— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1603308376.0Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin went in Game 2. Snell went 4 2/3 IP and took a no hitter into the fifth inning striking out nine batters. Brandon Lowe homered twice for the Rays. Joey Wendle had a two run double and a sacrifice fly to match Lowe's three RBI on the day. Corey Seager mashed his seventh home run of the postseason in Game 2. Chris Taylor and Will Smith also went yard. The Dodgers dropped Game 2 by a score of 6-4 to draw the World Series even at a game a piece.
Game 3 went to the Dodgers 6-2 behind a fantastic outing from Walker Buehler who struck out 10 over six innings with one earned run surrendered. Austin Barnes and Justin Turner led the way offensively for LA with home runs. Randy Arozarena hit his eighth home run of the postseason which tied him with Barry Bonds, Carlos Beltran, and Nelson Cruz for most all time in a single playoff season.
Game 4 was not only an all-time installment of the Fall Classic, but we also were treated to some history from both teams. Randy Arozarena broke the all time record for home runs in a single postseason hitting his ninth homer of the 2020 playoffs. For the Dodgers, Justin Turner became the franchise's all time leader in postseason home runs with 12 surpassing Duke Snider.
The game itself saw three lead changes over the last four innings and included one of the craziest plays to end a World Series game in history as Brett Phillips singled to center field which tied the game scoring Kevin Kiermaier, but a routine grounder was bobbled by the Dodgers' Chris Taylor. This allowed Randy Arozarena to make a run for home. The Dodgers quickly recovered and got the relay in to the cut off man well ahead of Arozarena. Will Smith went for the tag too early and never secured the ball allowing Arozarena to make it home for the game winning run! Rays take Game 4 in a walk off win 8-7 to even the series at 2.
Randy Arozarena and Brett Phillips, your heroes: https://t.co/DBZroYipHK— Mike Monaco (@Mike Monaco) 1603600678.0Randy Arozarena has had one of the most historic playoff seasons in history and Sunday night he became all time hits leader in a single post season (27). Unfortunately for the Rays, that was about the only good takeaway from Game 4. Clayton Kershaw was solid again as he struck out six over 5 2/3 IP earning his second win of this World Series.
Locked in. The most hits EVER in a single #postseason. The legend of Randy Arozarena continues to grow. https://t.co/Po5Pphoqa7— MLB (@MLB) 1603675667.0Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger got to Tyler Glasnow early and after two frames the Dodgers' three runs were enough to allow them to never trail in this one. Blake Treinen came in and struck out two on his way to earning the save. Los Angeles is now just one win away from winning their seventh championship and first in 32 years.
Projected starters for Tuesday night's Game 6 are Blake Snell (2-2, 3.33 ERA) for Tampa Bay and Tony Gonsolin (0-2, 9.39 ERA) for Los Angeles.
NBA
Stan Van Gundy has agreed to coach the New Orleans Pelicans. He will assume the responsibility of developing last year's number one overall pick, Zion Williamson. David Griffin is one of the best general managers in the NBA and has four picks in the upcoming draft (13, 39, 42, 60) that could be used to move up and land a more impactful player. There aren't a lot of glaring holes for them and they're young at their core.
Nate Bjorkgren is set to be head coach of the Pacers. Bjorkgren is a former assistant with Toronto. These recent hires add to Ty Lue becoming the new Clippers coach, Billy Donovan to the Bulls, Steve Nash coaching Brooklyn, Doc Rivers to Philadelphia, and Tom Thibodeau to the New York Knicks.
Bucks "won't trade Giannis" if he turns down the max extension Milwaukee is expected to offer him once free agency begins later this year. Antetokounmpo is still under contract for one more year whether he agrees to a deal this offseason or not.
Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are just 4 out of 30 teams that would like… https://t.co/ncZ6kwp7n6— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 1603156496.0The reigning back-to-back MVP may force the team into a game of Russian roulette if there is uncertainty about his intentions as the trade deadline approaches next season. If the Bucks feel that Giannis may sign elsewhere, they may have no other choice than to trade him. It would be better to get some assets or free up cap space in a trade than to lose the Greek Freak for nothing.
UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje with a second round submission on Saturday to move to 29-0-0 in the UFC. He is one of the best pound for pound fighters of his generation and dominated the Lightweight division over the course of his career.
BREAKING: Khabib Nurmagomedov announces his retirement from MMA. #UFC254 https://t.co/JtLGvh36ds— UFC on BT Sport (@UFC on BT Sport) 1603572948.0He shocked the world by announcing his retirement following the win. Khabib will retire as an undefeated champion and has earned the respect of everyone including Dana White.
Dana White Reacts to Khabib Nurmagomedov's Retirement After UFC 254 - MMA Fightingwww.youtube.com
NFL
Antonio Brown has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and may join the team as early as Week 9 after serving his eight game suspension imposed by the league.
Antonio Brown’s one-year deal with Tampa has a max value of $2.5 million, per source. It includes a $750,000 bonus… https://t.co/9YNEai5g8i— Adam Schefter (@Adam Schefter) 1603632102.0The Pittsburgh Steelers come out of Week 7 the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. The Steelers defeated the Titans in a battle of the undefeated 27-24. The Steelers are now 6-0 sitting atop the AFC North, and the Titans fall to 5-1 on the year.
The other undefeated team entering Week 7, the Seattle Seahawks, lost to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday night in OT 37-34. Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray were both outstanding and finished with numbers typically reserved for Madden games. Murray finished with 360 yards and three scores through the air along with 67 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Wilson had 388 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with 84 yards on the ground.
Both quarterbacks led their teams in rushing, but it came down to three uncharacteristic interceptions thrown by Wilson that made the difference. The last of which allowed the Cardinals to seal the win with a field goal after missing one prior to that interception.
The Seahawks (572) and Cardinals (519) featured 1,091 combined total yards, the most in a regular-season NFL game s… https://t.co/vck9ocNTVH— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPN Stats & Info) 1603686445.0Todd Gurley scored a late 4th quarter TD but appeared to want to fall short to keep running clock. Instead he fell across the goal line and the Lions got the ball back with about a minute left to play.
Todd Gurley tried to stop himself from scoring on this run... It didn't work out. https://t.co/u0hahQ0IQf— FOX Sports: NFL (@FOX Sports: NFL) 1603655964.0A deep pass to Kenny Golladay set up the eventual game tying touchdown to TJ Hockenson. The extra point won it for Detroit 23-22.
TJ HOCKENSON. FOR THE WIN. ON #NationalTightEndsDay! #OnePride #DETvsATL https://t.co/IgPI0pOLGy— NFL (@NFL) 1603656690.0In another thriller, Joe Burrow looked poised to celebrate a fourth quarter comeback win against the Browns. Baker Mayfield drove his team down the field and Donovan Peoples-Jones caught the game winning touchdown, stealing a win on the road. The Browns improve to 5-2 behind Baker Mayfield's five touchdown passes.