Spencer Dinwiddie is still trying to make the trip to Disney and play with his Brooklyn Nets teammates during the NBA’s restart.
At least at the beginning of the NBA’s restart of the 2019-20 season at Disney World, there won’t be a team with a more depleted roster than the Nets.
Brooklyn will be without Kevin Durant (right Achilles), Kyrie Irving (right shoulder), Nic Claxton (left shoulder) Wilson Chandler (elected to opt-out) and DeAndre Jordan (elected to opt-out after testing positive for COVID-19).
Like Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie also recently tested positive for COVID-19, but he didn’t decide opt-out right away. And it appears the point guard and Brooklyn’s leading scorer in 2019-20 will still try to make the trip.
On a call with reporters on Wednesday, Nets general manager Sean Marks told reporters, “I have no reason to believe that more players will opt out, but again, this is a very fluid time,” per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
Marks did state Dinwiddie’s status is “up in the air” per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, but the guard indicated on Twitter he still hopes to play:
Looking at 2020 MLB futures odds for how many games the New York Yankees will win in the 60-game MLB season.
How many games will the New York Yankees win in the 60-game 2020 MLB season? We look at the Yankees’ MLB futures odds, including their projected 2020 win total and Over/Under odds at BetMGM, and make our best bet.
New York Yankees 2019 recap
The 2019 Yankees played .636 baseball, going 103-59 en route to capturing the American League East flag by seven games (over the Tampa Bay Rays). The Bronx Bombers were the No. 2 seed in the AL Playoffs, eventually losing in a six-game AL Championship Series against the top-seeded Houston Astros. New York averaged an MLB-best 5.8 runs per game while allowing 4.56 runs per game.
Looking at some notable splits, the Yankees went 32-16 in games decided by five or more runs … 18-19 in one-run games … 38-22 over their first 60 games and 54-22 against AL East foes. The Over went 88-77-6 in Yankees games; that figure was buoyed by a 48-31-4 O/U record on the road.
New York Yankees offseason
New York lost reliever Dellin Betances to the New York Mets in free agency and starter CC Sabathia retired. Also gone are SS Didi Gregorius and DH Edwin Encarnacion.
The biggest plus on the addition side is right-handed starter Gerrit Cole, who will anchor a rotation with question marks and without RHP Luis Severino (Tommy John surgery). Other welcome “additions” would be healthy returns to action by the likes of OF Aaron Hicks (59 games in 2019), OF Giancarlo Stanton (18), OF Aaron Judge (102), and 1B Luke Voit (118).
New York Yankees 2020 schedule
The Yankees are slated to play in an all-East regional format, with the team playing each AL East foe 10 times — for a total of 40 games — and the remaining 20 games coming against NL East opponents. Looking at last year’s 54-22 divisional mark and taking away what were some lackluster trips to the Midwest and West Coast, the abbreviated “COVID-19 schedule” seems to set up well for New York.
Baseball season is finally here! Get some action on the 2020 season with an MLB futures bet at BetMGM. Bet now!
How many games will the New York Yankees win in 2020?
The Yankees O/U win total is tabbed at 37.5 with both the Over and Under carrying -110 odds. There isn’t a ton of upside value in the OVER play, but there’s enough there to include New York in a parlay of 4-5 teams.
New York Yankees World Series odds
New York is tabbed at +400 to win the Series. That’s a solid play for an organization with a ton of depth in a year where the 26th man (and perhaps the 46th man) will come into play more than any other.
New York Yankees playoff odds
The Yankees are listed at -323 to win the AL East. The win total and World Series odds have better value.
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Taylor Ewert is more than just one in a million. Learn more about this year’s Gatorade National Girls Track and field Athlete of the Year.
To say that Taylor Ewert is one in a million downplays how extraordinary the track and field standout from Beavercreek High School (Ohio) truly is—and it took about 30 seconds chatting with the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year to understand that.
An hour removed from getting a surprise she’ll never forget—when a seemingly simple interview turned into a celebration—Taylor found herself in territory alongside names like Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning and Abby Wambach. But the calm that resonated through the phone wasn’t what you’d expect, especially considering what she had just experienced:
“My mom said I had a casual interview with ESPN, so got on the Zoom call—I was doing the interview—and then all of a sudden, she was in the corner with the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year trophy,” Taylor explained to USA Today Sports.
With the help of Taylor’s mom, Teri, the in-home presentation took on a feel-good moment that sometimes only the impromptu can create. Taylor laughed a bit, and then paused, when asked if the top secret operation went down without any hitches—”I’m not someone who is very big on surprises, she admitted, “I always know what’s going on, I always have a plan.”
In other words—mission: accomplished.
The honor came against a pinnacle of talent in girls track and field, with over one million student athletes in consideration. Of the 51 other finalists this year, seven were All-American honorees, 40 volunteered at multiple organizations, and 25 carried a 4.0 GPA (or higher!).
But Taylor topped them all, and now has an opportunity to win Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year in July. And when you look at the resume, there’s little doubt as to why she is in such prestigious company:
3.49 GPA (weighted)
Won the 1600-meter run (4:52.02) and the 3200-meter run (10:34.79) at the 2020 Division 1 indoor state meet.
Named The Gatorade Ohio Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.
Won the two-mile event at the University of Kentucky High School Invitational in March (10:18.94), which ranked as the a top-3 performance among prep indoor competitors.
Clocked U.S. Top 10 prep times in three indoor events in 2020 and U.S. Top 20 in three outdoor events in 2019.
The state champion in the 3200 last spring, she also won the 2000-meter steeplechase at the 2019 New Balance Nationals Outdoor, while placing second in the mile and the 4×800 relay.
Personal-best time in the steeplechase ranks seventh in prep history, and she’s also ranked in the all-time Top 35 for the indoor two-mile and the all-time Top 50 in the outdoor mile among high school girls.
She holds seven national high school records in race-walking as well as seven American U20 records in that sport.
“Taylor is one of a kind and an absolute joy to coach,” her Beavercreek High School distance coach Howard Russ said in a statement. “The quality that really makes her different from other athletes is her attention to details. She’s the most driven athlete that I’ve ever coached.”
And her off-field achievements and efforts, which are equally important to the Gatorade Player of the Year program, are just as impressive.
Behind the record-setting athleticism is a talented artist, one with an eye for detail. “I’m always working on art, little projects,” she explained as her tone turned to an excited reflection. “It’s a nice break from the running and training.”
When she’s not busy with training—which is in full force as she gets ready to head to the University of Arkansas in August—or working in watercolors, Taylor has also made time for the community. She’s been an altar server at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Chapel for six years, supported the homeless through AFB Chapel Youth Group, and has served as an inspirational speaker. Plus, she teaches a mini-class on racewalking, even taking time during the interview to lend a little advice: “Stretch before, racewalking puts a lot of strain on your hamstrings. So get in a good stretch.”
(Noted. And, thank you.)
Before our conversation ended, we talked briefly about her family. Her mom and dad (Brian) both were runners, and her two brothers (Ben and Connor) are also accomplished track and field standouts. So, of course, I had to know: Who would win the steeplechase?
Although it didn’t seem set in stone, Taylor placed herself at third, with her brothers ahead—”I think my form is better than theirs,” she clarified—followed by her mom, and then dad trailing last. “But,”—she stopped for a moment, the way you’d expect someone who’s searching for some positivity to do—”as long as you’re breaking a sweat, and you’re enjoying yourself…I think at the end of the day, that’s what counts.”
She’s more like one in two million.
(Special thanks to Taylor Ewert and Jason Belenke (Gatorade Player of the Year Program) for the interview. To see past winners and learn more about the Gatorade Player of Year check out the website here.)
On this day in 2017, the Boston Celtics signed All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum and center Ante Zizic to multi-year contracts.
On this day in 2017, Boston Celtics All-Star shooting guard Jayson Tatum was signed to the team for a rookie scale, four-year, $30,073,320 contract.
Tatum was drafted by the Celtics with the third overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, acquired by team president Danny Ainge by trading back from the first overall pick of the draft with the Philadelphia 76ers in one of the better trades of his career.
A product of the Duke Blue Devils, Tatum has since played two full seasons with Boston and nearly so his third, in which he won his first election to an All-Star game.
He has averaged 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists over his career with the Celtics.
Chiefs Pro Bowl DL Chris Jones he ‘won’t play’ this season under franchise tag
Well, this is something. Arguably the top young talent on the Chiefs’ defense is taking a stand…and saying he’ll sit out the season if he doesn’t get a long term deal.
Jones was kept off the free-agent market this offseason with the franchise tag. If he and the team don’t agree to a long term deal by July 15, he will either have to sign his franchise tag or choose to sit out the season.
The team is said to have offered him a contract worth $20 million per season, which would make him the third highest-paid interior defensive linemen in the league, but Jones has balked at the offer.
Fans like to go after players who hold out a better deal are “in it for the money,” but they aren’t often privy to the details of these contracts and as they say, the devil is in the details. NFL contracts in particular are only as good as the guaranteed money in them.
Regardless of how good the offense is in Kansas City, the Chiefs can’t really afford to be without a talent like Jones and his 24.5 sacks, 49 QB hits, and 27 tackles for loss over the past two seasons. His absence could make things interesting for a lot of AFC teams looking to gain some ground on the reigning champs. Especially their division rivals like the Raiders, Chargers, and Broncos.
NFL Network analyst Mike Rob on the Buffalo Bills, AFC East, Cam Newton, New England Patriots.
Over the course of the NFL offseason and really recent memory, NFL Network’s Mike Rob has been a big Buffalo Bills backer. Many have jumped on the Bills’ bandwagon this offseason, but now all of a sudden, some are starting to look for the exit.
The reason is Cam Newton. The Patriots added the former Panthers quarterback and some are predicting the Pats are now the favorite to win the AFC East once again. For most of this offseason, it’s been the Bills as the favorite.
Among those certainly not looking for the exit on the bandwagon is Rob. The NFL Network analyst went head-to-head with two others from the outlet, Mike Garafolo and Brian Baldinger. In a recent segment, those two went on to pick the Pats, but Rob insisted otherwise.
“Hell to the no,” Rob said. “No, no, no, no… no, and no again. The Buffalo Bills will still win the AFC East. C’mon, Bills Mafia, I know you’re out there with me.”
Rob goes on to credit three members of the Bills as the reasons why Buffalo will have the edge on New England and Newton. Player-wise, it’s safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Then Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott, who spent numerous years with Newton in Carolina, is also mentioned as a reason the Bills have the edge.
Check out the full segment from NFL Network’s NFL Total Access here:
Are the @Patriots favorites in the AFC East with Cam Newton at QB? 🤔
The Atlanta Falcons kicked off the 2020 offseason by moving on from 2019 sack leader, Vic Beasley, and replacing him with free-agent defensive end Dante Fowler.
The Atlanta Falcons kicked off the 2020 offseason by moving on from 2019 sack leader, Vic Beasley, and replacing him with free-agent defensive end Dante Fowler.
Many view this single move as an upgrade for Atlanta, but there’s some uncertainty at the other outside spot after the team declined Takk McKinley‘s fifth-year option. Will McKinley prove his worth during what essentially becomes a contract year in 2020, or will the Falcons find another EDGE replacement in next year’s draft?
Pro Football Network’s latest mock draft, which has Atlanta picking at No. 13, is projecting the team to select Clemson DE Xavier Thomas in 2021:
A team can never have too many legitimate pass-rushers. Xavier Thomas hasn’t shown a high volume of production to date, but the talent and traits are present.
In two seasons with Clemson, Thomas has showed an ability to get pressure off the edge, racking up 60 tackles (28 solo), 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Here’s Thomas (No. 3) playing against North Carolina last season.
In the second round of Pro Football Network’s mock, the Falcons select Alabama running back Najee Harris, a name many fans are familiar with. Harris was a popular selection for Atlanta in 2020 mock drafts, but he opted to return to school.
While he may regret that decision now with the NCAA season up in the air, Harris has NFL RB written all over him. In 2019, he averaged nearly six YPC, rushing for 1,224 yards, 13 touchdowns. Harris also added 304 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions.
The Falcons signed Todd Gurley, however, his one-year deal and uncertain health makes running back a possible need in 2021. Check out Harris rushing for 136 yards and two scores against Michigan below:
