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.
Golf
The 84th Masters Tournament saw history made this past weekend, as Dustin Johnson turned in a record setting performance at Augusta finishing at 20 under par in 72 holes. The World No. 1 continued his hot run of play in this major and added his first green jacket and second major victory of his career.
Dustin Johnson wins the 84th Masters Tournament. #themasters https://t.co/aI2zjbuE7h— The Masters (@The Masters) 1605469912.0
Tiger Woods looked primed to defend his title after the first two rounds, limiting mistakes and playing with the careful consideration for every shot he's been known for throughout his career. He stumbled on day three, though, and only managed to shoot par which allowed Johnson to put pressure on Woods and the rest of the field heading into day four.
Woods took a 10 on the 12th hole on Sunday which knocked him out of contention, but then followed up with five birdies over the next six holes, which saved his round allowing him to finish with a four over 76. Tiger finished tied for 38th place at -1.
That's how you respond. 💪 Tiger Woods never stopped fighting. https://t.co/CGAH1vxWre— PGA TOUR (@PGA TOUR) 1605464386.0
Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im finished tied for second at -15. Justin Thomas took fourth place at -12. Rory McIlroy and Dylan Frittelli were tied at -11 to round out the top five.
MLB
The 2020 Major League Baseball awards have been handed out to spotlight this year's winners:
AL MVP
The American League’s best in 2020. José Abreu is the AL MVP. 👏 https://t.co/eWMVJpr74T— MLB (@MLB) 1605223338.0
Abreu led the AL in RBI (60), finished second in HRs (19), and fourth in BA (.317). He helped a young White Sox team to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. Providing a steady bat in the middle of an explosive lineup, Abreu benefitted from having protection around him for the first time in his career. A former Rookie of the Year, Abreu now sits atop the American League as its most valuable player.
NL MVP
Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves
#MVFree indeed. @FreddieFreeman5 is your 2020 NL MVP. 👏 https://t.co/FUBGRHnvy3— MLB (@MLB) 1605225131.0
Freeman put together an impressive campaign in the truncated season, finishing second in the MLB in OPS (1.102) and led the MLB in runs (51). Freeman also finished second in the NL in batting average (.341), on base percentage (.462), and slugging percentage (.640).
Although the Braves fell short of the World Series, Freeman's achievement, like Abreu's, represents a veteran leader helping the development of a talented young team around him. Expect a step forward for the Braves next year behind the reigning NL MVP.
AL Cy Young
Shane Bieber Cleveland Indians
UNANIMOUS! Congrats to 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber! 🏆 https://t.co/vOLku4Os3F— FOX Sports Cleveland (@FOX Sports Cleveland) 1605137196.0
For the first time since 2011, the AL Cy Young was awarded unanimously. Bieber had a historic season setting a league record for strikeout rate (41.1%) and recorded the lowest qualifying ERA (1.63) since 1969. Opposing batters averaged a paltry .167 against Bieber in 2020, which is also the best opposing BA since 1969. Considering the Indians are not in the business of keeping its talent once their payday comes due, enjoy him while you can Cleveland. Yankees, you're on the clock.
NL Cy Young
Trevor Bauer Cincinnati Reds
Name a better way to celebrate. You can’t. @budweiserusa https://t.co/9WxTXPC7C5— Trevor Bauer (@Trevor Bauer) 1605295731.0
Speaking of the Indians not retaining talent, the NL Cy Young winner is former Cleveland Indian, Trevor Bauer. Imagine if Cleveland was able to send out Bieber and Bauer on back to back nights this season with Bauer bringing his 1.73 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings. We can only speculate what the results would've been, but Bauer led a good pitching group in Cincinnati and brought them to the playoffs. Often outspoken, rarely outdueled.
AL Rookie of the Year
Kyle Lewis Seattle Mariners
Lewis burst onto the national scene with his five tool skills. He can hit home runs as well as rob them and is reminiscent of another transcendent talent that used to roam the outfields of Seattle.
Kyle Lewis x Ken Griffey Jr. (first 72 games) Lewis Griffey Jr. 17 HR 11 41… https://t.co/bPhJXlbweu— Danny Vietti (@Danny Vietti) 1600910043.0
NL Rookie of the Year
Devin Williams Milwaukee Brewers
Williams became the first reliever to win the ROY award since Craig Kimbrel in 2011. Williams posted a 0.33 ERA and struck out 53% of the batters he faced this season.
AL Manager of the Year
Kevin Cash Tampa Bay Rays
It was a foregone conclusion that the Yankees would win the AL East this year, but the Rays came out of nowhere with a bunch of unknown players to take the division convincingly. Cash's trademark is player usage and tinkering with lineups. The mind of Kevin Cash is a big reason the Rays got to the World Series, but his decision to replace Blake Snell in Game 6 might have cost them a shot at a Game 7 against the Dodgers. Still, the Rays have a bevy of young talent under cost controlled contracts and they should continue to compete for the AL pennant for the foreseeable future.
NL Manager of the Year
Don Mattingly Miami Marlins
Mattingly became the fifth person to win both an MVP award and Manager of the Year award after leading the Marlins to the postseason in 2020. It was their first appearance in 17 years in what was supposed to be a transition year as they look to rebuild. Mattingly certainly got the most from his players and may be the kind of presence to make Miami a free agent destination if ownership is willing to spend.
Don Mattingly has been named the 2020 National League Manager of the Year. He is the 5th former MVP to win the awa… https://t.co/iGeZvpfyaA— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPN Stats & Info) 1605050970.0
NBA
Now that the league has set December 22 as the start date for the 2020-2021 season the offseason, which historically provides plenty of rumors and player movement, has been dramatically shortened. That will likely mean less transactions preseason, but may set us up for an exciting trade deadline.
That doesn't mean there aren't some interesting rumors floating around, however. A deal appears to be in place to send Dennis Schroder to the Lakers in exchange for Danny Green and the Lakers' 28th overall pick in the upcoming draft. This would provide the newly minted NBA Champions a versatile scoring guard that can play both on and off the ball. Schroder will be coming from Oklahoma City, where he played with Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who are both ball handlers.
Lakers and Thunder have agreement in principle on deal to send Dennis Schroder to Los Angeles, and No. 28 pick in W… https://t.co/tyH2iPPZZJ— Shams Charania (@Shams Charania) 1605459149.0
Having to share ball handling duties with LeBron shouldn't affect Schroder's effectiveness, and the playmaking LA will be losing in Rajon Rondo will likely be made up for by a veteran free agent signing later in the offseason.
The biggest trade rumor going around NBA Twitter right now involves the future of James Harden. Now that Mike D'Antoni and Daryl Morey have parted ways with the Rockets, Houston has a problem. It was just a year ago that the Rockets were thought to have the team and the plan to win an NBA title. Now they're looking for a new identity.
ESPN Sources with @RamonaShelburne and @ZachLowe_NBA: As Houston’s James Harden considers his future with franchise… https://t.co/Uf9k102itA— Adrian Wojnarowski (@Adrian Wojnarowski) 1605477080.0
Harden's preferred landing spot has emerged, and it's in Brooklyn. That would reunite him with former teammate Kevin Durant and form a backcourt of Harden and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn would likely have to send DeAndre Jordan and some players to match contracts up along with a slew of draft picks, but just the thought of this super team is making December 22 feel too far away.
NFL Quick Bites
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens fall on Sunday night to the Patriots. Baltimore falls to 6-3 and gives up some ground to Cleveland in the AFC North.
On Thursday night, the Colts dominated the Titans in an important division matchup. With the win the Colts draw even with the Tennessee at 6-3. The Titans have lost three of their last four games.
The Buccaneers get back on track with a 46-23 win over Carolina. Tom Brady made good use of his receivers in this one. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Antonio Brown all had at least six receptions in this game.
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins keep rolling with their fifth win in a row. They beat the Chargers 29-21 and are now 6-3.
Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins connected on a last second Hail Mary to beat the Bills 32-30. A contender for play of the year, and a competitive game that may have been a Super Bowl preview.
Drew Brees left the game against the 49ers with a rib injury. His status for Week 11 is uncertain. If he's unable to go Jameis Winston will be under center for the Saints.
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.
NFL
Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans outlasted rookie QB Jake Luton and the Jaguars on Sunday 27-25. Both teams entered 1-6, but the Texans' record doesn't reflect how they've been playing of late. Watson is good enough to will his team to some wins down the stretch and he has developed great chemistry with wideout Will Fuller. J.J. Watt recorded his 100th career sack in this game, and only four players have reached that mark faster than Watt.
100th career sack for @JJWatt 👏 📺: #HOUvsJAX on CBS 📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/ul5IFJEdQc https://t.co/UwOhGODeFT— NFL (@NFL) 1604868806.0
A new competitor has entered the arena in the fight for the NFC North. Minnesota are winners of their last two games, and as the Bears continue to slide, the Vikings could ride Dalvin Cook all the way to a wild card spot in the NFC. Cook was yet again fantastic on Sunday as he amassed 252 total yards and two touchdowns in a 34-20 win over the Lions.
Josh Allen won a showdown with fellow MVP candidate Russell Wilson on Sunday, throwing for 415 yards and three touchdowns and added another touchdown on the ground. Wilson was stumped by the Buffalo defense for much of the first half, and it wasn't until the second half did the Seahawks start to get anything going offensively. A 17 point fourth quarter by the Bills kept the game out of reach and serves as a statement win for the Bills and a career defining moment for Josh Allen.
"Russell Wilson came in as the assumed MVP and top QB in the league. @JoshAllenQB came out and threw for 415 yards,… https://t.co/mCdysnqSNq— GMFB (@GMFB) 1604929977.0
The Steelers escaped with a win against the struggling Cowboys in Week 9. Thought to be a candidate for a blow out, instead we were treated to some good football between two of the league's most historic franchises. Dallas got some better play at the quarterback position from Garrett Gilbert, but it was the Cowboys' defense that impressed as they looked significantly better in this game than any other on the year.
The Dallas Cowboys are up double digits on the Pittsburgh Steelers https://t.co/x49Kzrz559— PFF (@PFF) 1604873865.0
The dedication to getting Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard involved in the offense seemed to be effective at both keeping the chains moving and dictating the pace of play. A strategy that should have been implemented from the outset of the season. The Cowboys brought a 10 point lead into the final quarter, but that lead was erased with the Steelers eventually winning the game 24-19.
The New Orleans Saints handed Tom Brady and his Buccaneers an embarrassing loss on Sunday night. The Bucs were excited to see what the offense looked like with Antonio Brown, making his debut and Chris Godwin coming back from injury. What they got was a huge plate of disappointment with a side of eight rushing yards, eight!
Live look at the Buccaneers trying to get their offense going https://t.co/baP5vXIt6C— FOX Sports: NFL (@FOX Sports: NFL) 1604888854.0
This is undoubtedly not how Tampa Bay envisioned this game going, but this isn't the first time this season they hit a bump in the road. They're still uber talented, but every opponent left on their schedule either has a winning record or is trending in the right direction of late including the Vikings and Falcons twice.
NASCAR
Chase Elliott became the NASCAR Cup Series champion on Sunday night becoming the third youngest driver to accomplish the feat at just 24 years old. His father, Bill Elliott, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and 1988 NASCAR champion was there to celebrate his son's greatest achievement.
Chase grew up around race tracks and the legends of the sport were "uncles" and mentors including Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson. Being the son of one of the most popular drivers in his era has been both an advantage and a curse as the family name brings both attention and expectations.
BURN IT DOWN, CHAMP! @chaseelliott gets it done in 2020! https://t.co/P7CFJkj134— NASCAR (@NASCAR) 1604876976.0
Just a few weeks shy of his 25th birthday, Elliott now sits atop the sport that he was born to be a part of. It's often easy for young prodigies to overlook the steps necessary to get them where they are, but that's not the case for Elliott. After his win he referred to the team of people that helped him get to this point.
"I just think about all of the people who worked so hard to get me to this point today," Elliott continued, "I think about my family, all of the crew members who built all of those race cars for me, Rick Hendrick for hiring me. Jimmie Johnson, who ran his last race tonight, and Jeff Gordon, both of whom took me under their wings as teammates and mentors. There were a lot of people that supported me. Even when there were a lot of people who didn't."
UFC
At UFC Vegas 13 this past Saturday, 41 year old Glover Teixeira defeated Thiago Santos convincingly with a third round submission to end it. Santos rocked Teixeira a couple times throughout the fight but was unable to finish him, and Glover dominated the fight on the mat which allowed him the window to apply the fight winning chokehold.
Teixeira has now won his last five fights and now owns the record for most finishes and most submissions in UFC history by a light heavyweight. Jon Jones, who is currently believed to be making a transition up to the heavyweight division has defeated both Santos and Teixeira in the lightweight division but was impressed with Teixeira's performance at UFC Vegas 13.
I’m proud to have beat this guy, I like him 🤙🏾— BONY (@BONY) 1604814825.0
Although it was previously believed that Israel Adesanya would move up to take on light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, but even the champ himself had a message for Teixeira following the Santos fight.
Great fight and incredible run by @gloverteixeira. You totally deserve to fight for the title and get taste of the… https://t.co/xrAUwcT5On— Jan Blachowicz (@Jan Blachowicz) 1604815414.0
If the Adesanya and Blachowicz super fight falls through in the immediate future, it appears that Glover Teixeira would be next in line for another title shot due to his excellent recent form. When Dana White was asked about Teixeira calling for the title shot his response was simply, "He's not wrong."
Golf
Carlos Ortiz became the first Mexican player to win on the PGA Tour in 42 years on Sunday at the Houston Open. Ortiz held off Hideki Matsuyama and top ranked player in the world Dustin Johnson to take the final tournament before the Masters. Ortiz finished at 13 under and this victory qualifies him for the Masters tournament next year.
His first PGA TOUR victory 🏆 Carlos Ortiz wins the Houston Open! https://t.co/IZMT247pAW— Golf Channel (@Golf Channel) 1604868688.0
As for Johnson, he will go into this year's Masters tournament on a hot streak. He hasn't finished outside of the top six in his last six tournaments and has earned two wins and two runner-up finishes in that timeframe. That's bad news for the rest of the field, as the world's best golfer is playing his best golf right before the most important major on the schedule.
MLS
The field is set for the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Eastern Conference had 10 teams qualify for postseason play, so they will have two play-in matches to determine the final seeding. The New England Revolution (8) will play the Montreal Impact (9) and Nashville SC (7) takes on Inter Miami CF (10). The winners will either face Philadelphia (1) or Toronto FC (2) with Philadelphia getting the lower-seeded play-in winner.
The rest of the field looks like this.
Eastern Conference
(1) Philadelphia Union vs lower-seeded play-in winner
(2) Toronto FC vs higher-seeded play-in winner
(3) Columbus Crew SC vs (6) New York Red Bulls
(4) Orlando City SC vs (5) NYCFC
Western Conference
(1) Sporting Kansas City vs (8) San Jose Earthquakes
(2) Seattle Sounders vs (7) LAFC
(3) Portland Timbers vs (6) FC Dallas
(4) Minnesota United vs (5) Colorado Rapids
BRACKET = SET @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs coming up! 🍿 https://t.co/prkYibJDec— Major League Soccer (@Major League Soccer) 1604886632.0
This week, we gear up for another star-packed field for round two at Muirfield Country Club in Dublin, OH.
If the Workday Charity Open taught us anything last week, it was that elite ball strikers are who you should be putting your money on this week. If not for an errant drive by Justin Thomas in the 3rd playoff hole last Sunday, he might be looking for a repeat this week. He'll be the favorite heading into the tournament on Thursday. Let's take a look at some favorable odds, as well as a couple of long shots to take a chance on.
First, you need to head over to Fanduel and create an account for their sports book. It should be noted that Fanduel Sports book is only available in PA, NJ, IN, WV, and CO. If you are outside one of these states, you will be unable to place a bet.
Gregory Shamus
Justin Thomas +1200
Thomas was three shots up with three holes to play last week in the Workday Charity Open, but a late push by Colin Morikawa and a bogey-par-bogey finish was enough to push the duo to a playoff where Thomas ultimately fell. Thomas should be right near the top of the leader board again this week. His ball striking and form are top notch right now which is what Muifield requires to be in contention. Thomas is a good bet to be in contention on Sunday.
GETTY IMAGES
Viktor Hovland +2200
Hovland started last week strong, but ultimately fizzled out after a number of missed putts. Hovland has all the tools to score well at a course like Muirfield this week, but it all rides on the flat stick when it comes to his finish. If he can work out some of the putting issues that plagued him last week, he should have a great shot at being at the top of the leader board when Sunday comes to a close. At +2200 on Fanduel's Sport Book, he could be a money maker this week.
GETTY IMAGES
Patrick Cantlay +1200
The 2019 Memorial Champ posted a T7 finish last week in the Workday Charity Open. He knows the course well, and his form the last three times he's been here has been impeccable. As long as he can keep the driver in play this week, he will be in a good spot.
Long Shots:
Icon Sportswire
Ian Poulter +8000
A T5 finish in last week's Workday, the odds makers didn't give him much of a bump coming into the Memorial this week. Poulter put together a solid four days in last week's tournament and could be a sneaky underdog play this week considering his recent form and his finish last week. If not for Thomas and Morikawa running away from the field last week, he would have been right in the mix late on Sunday.
Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Jason Day +5000
Day, a previous winner of this tournament, had one of his worst career showings at Muirfield last week, missing the cut for the first time in his last eight appearances at the course. He had won or finished in the top 10 the last seven times he had played their. His course history is too hard to ignore this week, even with his hiccup at the Workday Charity Open last week. I look for Day to refocus and bounce back this week looking for some redemption.
Would you normally be clinging to an NBA Finals future ticket right about now?
Perhaps you'd be buried under a mountain of stats, while trying to set the best lineup for daily fantasy baseball? Well, as we're all aware, COVID-19 had different plans for our favorite pastimes and suddenly a huge chunk of the limited betting universe revolves around golf. That's right. Golf. It's a sport played in the open air that makes socially distancing easy AND it isn't run by a gang of malevolent billionaires intent on crying poverty, negotiating in bad faith, and underpaying the talent, who're the ones willing to take on the health risks of competing through a global pandemic? You better believe it!
Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning
