For the third straight week, it was upset city in college football.
First Georgia, then Wisconsin and now Oklahoma. The Sooners fell at Kansas State as the defense let down.
Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State rolled on. Michigan was impressive in beating Notre Dame.
The NBA got underway and the Atlanta Hawks were a surprising 2-0 behind the play of Trae Young.
The World Series is set and it should be excitement galore.
The Astros and Nationals are evenly matched. Great pitchers like Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg will take the mound.
Young stars like Juan Soto, George Springer and Carlos Correa will be in the spotlight. Veterans like Jose Altuve and Ryan Zimmerman will go for glory.
It should be a great series to watch.
College football’s power teams continue to roll.
It was an interesting weekend in college football.
Clemson almost fell from the unbeatens. North Carolina took the Tigers to the wire, one week after losing to Appalachian State. Mack Brown’s team failed to convert a two-point attempt in the final minutes and Clemson escaped with a 21-20 victory.
Alabama and Oklahoma won easily again. Tua Tagliavoa and Jalen Hurts continued to put up impressive Heisman numbers. Justin Fields also impressed as Ohio State won at Nebraska.
In the NFL, the Chiefs got to the winner’s circle, edging an improved Lions team.
The Bucs got a big win over the Rams in Los Angeles. Bruce Arians’ offense went wild in the surprise.
It was a wild weekend in college football. Washington State QB Anthony Gordon threw nine TD passes and his team lost! UCLA rallied from a 49-17 deficit to beat the Cougars in Pullman, 67-63.
Arkansas lost to San Jose State. North Carolina lost to Appalachian State. Georgia beat Notre Dame in a tight battle of top 10 teams. Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State rolled. Wisconsin was impressive in a win over Michigan.
In the NFL, the Patriots and Cowboys moved to 3-0. The Jets and Dolphins fell to 0-3. The Lions won at Philadelphia to climb to 2-0-1.
There are several teams off to good starts in the NFL. Look at the Bills, Ravens and Niners among teams out of the gate 2-0.
The Dolphins have been woeful, giving up 40+ at home in consecutive weeks. The Giants fell to 0-2 as the offense struggled again.
The Steelers fell to 0-2 and lost Ben Roethlisberger to an elbow injury.
The US Open produced special tennis. Rafa Nadal had to work almost five hours to beat 23-year old Danil Medvedev. Raa got his 19th Grand Slam title, moving just one behind Roger Federer.
Serena Williams fell short of tying Margaret Court, missing on a 24th Slam. She lost to 19-year old Bianca Andreescu.
The first full week of the NFL season saw the Ravens obliterate the Dolphins. Patrick Mahomes had another big game, as did Dak Prescott.
I love going to the US Open.
You see the best of the best in action. Roger Federerenjoyed just another day in his tennis office; the guy is a Tennis Surgeon!
I shared a magical moment with GOAT Serena Williams, who I am hoping wins her 24th Grand Slam and makes tennis history . She deserves it and is one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports.
Handling tough moments for young phenoms a key in progressing: the support staff of Coco Gauff has to be at their BEST!
I have never seen such a multi-talented player in pro tennis a la Nick Kyrgios that has such a lackadaisical attitude. He picks spots and relies on his lethal 135 mph serve but plays so many loose points. Must be a nightmare to coach.
The big headline came Saturday when word came out that Colts QB Andrew Luck retired.
Over an injury-plagued career, Luck finally had enough, hanging up his cleats at age 29. He is a smart guy and will do well in the future.
College football started and Florida’s defensive line keyed a Gator win over Miami.
The wild card races continue to be intense. With a little more than a month left, it will create a lot of excitement.
NFL preseason is under way. A lot of young players are trying to impress to earn roster spots.
Tennis is getting ready to take center stage at the US Open next week. Madison Key boosted her confidence by winning in Cincinnati. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were upset.
The Indians have made a great run and are battling the Twins in the AL Central.
The Mets have made serious noise in the NL wild card race.
Rafael Nadal won the Rogers Cup men’s event. Serena Williams suffered back spasms and had to withdraw from the Rogers Cup women’s final.
Preseason NFL action began. I wish they would only play two games.
It was great to see the latest class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted. Names like Tony Gonzalez and Ed Reed earned their place in Canton.
It was an interesting stretch of the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.Tampa Bay dominated a series at Fenway. I have been so impressed with Kevin Cash.
The trade deadline passed and the Astros added several pitchers, including Zach Greinke. Putting him with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole to push a tough rotation.
Tom Brady got a contract extension. Guess he will be around for a while.
The baseball deadline approached and there were several deals for pitchers. The Twins added reliever Sergio Romo while the Mets picked up Marcus Stroman.
The NFL training camps opened and there were several noteworthy injuries to wide receivers. AJ Green and Sterling Shepard went down.
Brooks Koepka was impressive in winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
Manny Pacquiao had something to prove at age 40. He went into the ring in Las Vegas and knocked down Keith Thurman in round one en route to a split decision. Pac Man handed Thurman his first loss.
The British Open saw a number of brilliant performances. Shane Lowery was incredible, winning by six strokes.
Wimbledon gave us plenty of special moments.
Coco Gauff made noise as a 15-year old. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer gave us a three-hour semifinal for the ages.
In the end it was Simona Halep and Novak Djokovic winning championships. Serena Williams fell short of her 24th Grand Slam. Roger Federer lost in a fifth set tiebreaker after almost five hours…wow!
The NBA also continued to make news this off-season. The Rockets acquired Russell Westbrook from the Thunder for Chris Paul. It will be interesting to watch James Harden reunite with Westbrook.
Another great week of sports.
It has been a wild off-season in the NBA.
The latest rumblings came from Los Angeles and it was not the Lakers, who already added Anthony Davis to join LeBron James.
Steve Ballmer’s team added Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Now the Clippers are the favorites to win the NBA title.
Major League Baseball hit the All-Star break. Most of the division races are not close so fans will concentrate on the wild card. The NL Central has been the most competitive division.
If you want to define MENTAL TOUGHNESS and ability to perform on the big stage, just look at the USNWT as they win a fourth World Cup. Amazing that they have been undefeated in a record 17 World Cup matches.
Major League Baseball put on a show in London as the Yankees battled the Red Sox.
The Bronx Bombers had the hot bats, putting up 29 runs in sweeping the two-game series. DJ LaMahieu has been a legit AL MVP candidate and he remained on fire.
The NBA free agency period started. The Nets made big noise with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signing. The Celtics landed Kemba Walker. The Pelicans inked JJ Redick. Damian Lillard signed a supermax extension.
The Knicks lost out on several free agents, ouch.
Wow it is already a wild off-season.
While Zion Williamson dominated the NBA Draft, and a to of big names did not get called, the Yankees have been on fire in baseball.
Now that Didi Gregorius, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are all back, watch out. Guys like Cameron Maybin, Gio Urshela and DJ Lemehieu have stepped up and put the Yankees in great shape.
Aaron Boone and Brian Cahman have done great work this season despite many injuries. The Bronx Bombers look solid.
Here are some thoughts on the 2019 draft:
WINNERS
New Orleans. Starting with Zion Williamson, the Pelicans had a lot to gain. The Anthony Davis trade turned into a haul of draft picks. Adding a young, big talent in Jaxson Hayes will pay dividends in the long run. Nickel Alexander-Walker provides an outside scoring threat.
Atlanta. The tandem of DeAndre Hunter and Cam Reddish will help up front, adding defensive help. Bruno Fernando is a nice pickup in round two. If Reddish can consistently contribute, he will be a big plus.
Boston. Brad Stevens may lose Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier, so they stockpiled guards Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters. All three were stars on their college teams. Then add solid forward Grant Williams, the SEC Player of the Year and this is a nice group.
New York. RJ Barrett will be a star in the Big Apple. He can score, rebound, pass and defend. Iggy Brazdeikas has potential down the line.
Washington. A sleeper pick adding Rui Hachimura and Admiral Schofield. They also kept Brad Beal.
San Antonio. Luka Samanic was a factor in the combine. I love Keldon Johnson at 29 as a steal. Quanndary Weatherspoon is a nice second round choice.
Memphis. Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke will be instant impact players.
LOSERS
Houston. No picks in this draft.
EARLY SURPRISE
Cameron Johnson to Phoenix at 11. An experienced player and outstanding shooter with good range. Thought he would go around 20.
LATE SURPRISES
Nassir Little to Portland at 25. A lottery pick type of talent. Only averaged 18 minutes a game last season, he will blossom.
Keldon Johnson to San Antonio at 29. Spurs get another star late.
Bol Bol to Denver at 44. He has something to prove and you cannot teach height.
WHAT HAPPENED?
As usual, a number of early-entry players did not get picked. Teams stash foreign players and that cuts the number of youngsters chosen.
Think about some of these players who starred in college and did not hear their name called: Naz Reid from LSU, Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett of Syracuse, Shammorie Ponds of St. John’s, Moses Brown and Kris Wilkes of UCLA, Louis King of Oregon, Luguentz Dort of Arizona State, Jonta Porter of Missouri, Dedric Lawson of Kansas, and Zach Norvell of Gonzaga.