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.
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.
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
Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
