This was one of those weeks where it was difficult to decide what game to put on if you didn’t have multiple TV’s. You had a back and forth NBA Finals, an action-packed MLB playoffs slate, Top 25 college football, and not to mention a more spread out NFL schedule thanks to Rona. While the Finals culminated last night in unamusing fashion, weekday football looks to be the new norm, as the NFL will play Monday and Tuesday games. Here’s a recap of last week’s action and a taste of what’s to come for the next few days.
Crazy Head Kicks Highlight UFC
While the action was good throughout UFC’s fight night Saturday, the show was stolen early when Joaquin Buckley delivered one of the sickest knockouts you’ll ever see. In the second round of his fight against Impa Kasaganay, when he pulled off a ridiculous spinning leg kick to the head after Kasanganay grabbed his foot. The head kick KO’s did not stop there, however, as the main event saw Cory Sandhagen finish No. 1 contender Marlon Morales after clipping him with a roundhouse kick to the head. In other UFC news, Conor McGregor has reportedly agreed to fight again this year, so keep an eye out for that.
Lakers Clinch NBA Finals
(Image via CBS)
An entertaining 6-game NBA Finals concluded on Sunday night when LeBron earned his fourth ring after a 106-93 series-clinching victory. The last game mirrored the first game after 4 really competitive games in between, with the Lakers using a massive second-quarter run to help them be up 29 going into the fourth and cruise to the ‘Chip. LeBron’s stat line of 4x champion, 4x MVP, 4x Finals MVP has still not reached MJ levels, but get ready for the renewal of the incessant debate of who is the GOAT. I’m not saying the COVID-shortened season means this trophy deserves an asterisk, but I’d like to see what LeBron can do in the next couple of years before seriously considering him above Michael. Part of the reason MJ’s runs were so impressive is that he three-peated twice, so LeBron doing something similar would be the last thing to add to his resume in my book.
ALCS and NLCS get Started
I’m gonna be honest; As a Yankee fan, I probably won’t be able to watch baseball until next spring😥. An incredible back and forth series between the Yanks and Rays ended the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion for the Yankees, as Aroldis Chapman gave up a game-winning home run for the second consecutive postseason. This time the culprit was Mike Brosseau, who fought through a 10 pitch at-bat before taking a 3-2 pitch yard to left field. I find it hard to blame Chapman considering the only offense the lineup could muster through nine innings was an Aaron Judge solo shot, but I’ll question Aaron Boone’s management of the bullpen: Firstly, I don’t understand why Britton is the first guy out of the pen. I know it’s hard with Kahnle out and you’re expecting Chad Green to throw 200 pitches a night, but you have to trust someone else to be your bridge between Cole and the two closers. Adam Ottavino gets paid $9 million a year to watch from the bullpen. Someone else has to be able to get three outs so that you’re not left throwing Chapman into a pressure situation in the 7th and having him come back out in the 8th. Sorry, I forgot this wasn’t my therapy session. Apparently, the Rays beat the Astros last night and the Braves and Dodgers kick off tonight so tune in if you’re team didn’t already shit on your dreams this year.
Rafa Nadal wins record 13th French Open, Ties Federer with 20 Total Grand Slams
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Nadal winning the French Open. Rafa continued his clay domination with a convincing straight-sets victory over world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, tying him with former rival Roger Federer for the most career singles grand slam victories. Rafa’s won a ridiculous 65% of his grand slams at Roland Garros, which to me still gives Federer the edge in the greatest of all-time debate. You can be sure that so long as Rafa doesn’t retire before next year’s French Open, he’ll have a pretty decent shot at reaching 21, having won 13 of the past 16 French Opens.
Dak Goes Down and so do Games
The biggest news out of the NFL this weekend was Dak Prescott’s gruesome compound fracture of his right ankle. The stud QB who had been nothing short of historic the first few weeks of the season was dragged down on a scramble in the 3rd quarter and immediately pointed to his foot. There’s nothing you can say about the injury other than there is no way someone’s foot should ever look like that. Ironically, on the same day that we saw Alex Smith return from an equally horrific injury, it was a shame to see one of the League’s brightest young QB’s go down like that. Early news is that Dak should be good to go next season, whether for Dallas or another team, as Jerry Jones has a decision to make on the QB’s future. Players were sidelined for another reason this weekend, as a game was pushed back for the second week in a row with the Broncos-Patriots game being postponed. I for one am not confident the Titans and Bills will play on Tuesday, and I think we may see the NFL move to a more flexible schedule very quickly, where games are played on all days of the week and you could see one team have played two or three games more than another at certain points.
Marquee Matchup This Saturday
(Image via USA Today)
College football finally feels back in full force, as Saturday’s games provided anything and everything fans could want. Kellen Mond outdueled Kyler Trask in a thriller in College Station, the Red River Rivalry provided more drama as Oklahoma eventually squeaks out a win over Texas in 4OT, and the wheels continued to fall off for Coach O and LSU as they dropped out of the Top 25 with a loss to Mizzou. This week should provide the best matchup of the season though, as #3 Georgia and #2 Alabama do battle at Bryant Denny. Kirby Smart will look to be the first Saban assistant to knock off the illustrious coach, as Saban is an absurd 22-0 against former assistants after beating Lane Kiffin last week. Alabama will open as 5 point favorites (-5), and while I don’t know who I’m taking yet, I know I’ll be taking someone BIG in this game.
Please enjoy the crisp fall weather with some football this weekend and look out for new articles coming later this week.
B.T.B.
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