TWIST: This Week in Sports Talk is our weekly recap of what you need to know to talk sports this week without having to fake it. If you’re not a sports fan, or you’re just starting to learn about sports, here are your talking points for the week of November 18, 2018.
we begin this week with the match
It’s Tiger Woods versus Phil Mickelson in The Match on pay-per-view next weekend. Originally, people thought the terms of engagement were that the loser paid the winner $10 million. Now it appears that the winner will get $9 million from the sponsor. So it’s a wee bit less interesting. At $19.95, the sports world is watching to see how many fans tune in.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson
is PPV the future of sports?
Some are predicting that this is a harbinger, and that all major sporting events will eventually go to pay-per-view. You’d pay to see the Super Bowl, right?
Also, NBA star Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors (who is a good golfer) says he wants a shot at Tiger in golf once The Match is over. Who needs Mayweather-McGregor when you could see that instead?
the three things you should know this week
For Those Who Do Not Follow Professional Sports, here are the happenings that you should know about for the week of November 18, 2018:
1. National Football League (NFL) news.
NFL Must know:
The best teams in the NFL right now are the LA Rams, the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots. They’re all likely to make the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers lost to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, leaving the Pack with a hard road to the playoffs. The Tennessee Titans crushed the Pats last weekend, which has sparked a round of “the Pats are dead” and “Tom Brady is an old man who is washed up” chatter. We strongly suggest that you ignore that.
Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints
NFL Nice to Know:
It’s Week 11, and the game that NFL fans are likely to be talking about is the Chiefs (9-1) at the Rams (9-1). They’re the leaders in the AFC and the NFC, respectively. They were supposed to play in Mexico City, but Shakira had a concert and the combination of her fans celebrating and a couple of rainstorms rendered the field unplayable. The Chiefs are unhappy because now the Rams will have home field advantage. Many fans are angry because they had travel tickets to Mexico that can’t be refunded. Nevertheless, this is the biggest game of the week (maybe of the season) – this could be a preview of the Super Bowl.
The LA Rams
NFL Extra Credit:
Le’Veon Bell didn’t report to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room last weekend after all, and he won’t play the rest of the season. He’d been holding out all season, and he will likely go somewhere else next season. Head coach Tomlin said “we want people who want to play for us, not hostages.” Meanwhile, Bell’s teammates were shown taking all his stuff out of his locker – “thanks for the shoes Le’Veon” – when he didn’t report. Really, dudes?
NFL Bonus Round:
New York-area NFL fans are in a deep funk. The New York Giants, led by Eli Manning, are 2-7 after eking out a victory on Monday night against the San Francisco 49’ers (who are also now 2-7). And yet, Odell Beckham Junior (OBJ) said this week that his team will win out, win the wild card game, and go on to win the Super Bowl. Don’t stop believing. The New York Jets are 3-7, and despite all the hype and hope around top draft pick Sam Darnold as their rookie quarterback, it’s been a disappointing season. The Jets were crushed by the Buffalo Bills last weekend, and our Sports Desk says it’s just a matter of time until head coach Todd Bowles is fired.
2. NCAA college football news.
Must know: It’s Week 12. Last week turned out to be the very definition of an uneventful weekend in the NCAA. For the first time ever, the pre-weekend top 10 teams in the rankings and the post-weekend top 10 teams in the rankings didn’t change. That’s never happened before. Nice to know: In the game of the week, #3 Notre Dame played #12 Syracuse at Yankee Stadium and won decisively, 36-3. They remain undefeated, and may make it to the National Championship series. Extra credit: The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated The Citadel this weekend, 50-17.
3. NBA News: Warriors at War?
NBA Must Know:
Golden State Warriors (GSW) teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green had a big argument this week. Green even dared Durant to leave the team. Some are worried that the Warriors will lose both players. Green was suspended 1 game without pay because of this dispute, and speculation is on the rise that Durant will leave at end of year when he becomes a free agent.
NBA Nice to Know:
LeBron James (LBJ) surpassed Wilt Chamberlain to become the 5th – highest scoring player in NBA history. He did it against the Portland Trailblazers, who are quietly having a great season.
NBA Extra Credit:
All-Star Jimmy Butler was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Philadelphia 76’ers. He’s a good player and should make the 76’ers better – he really wanted out of Minnesota. Carmelo Anthony has been released by the Houston Rockets after playing only 10 games. The question is whether another team will pick him up or if Melo will retire. He came into the league around the same time – and is about same age – as LBJ, but unfortunately, his skills have significantly diminished.
want more?
Major League Baseball.
The regular season MLB award winners turned out almost uniformly as predicted. The one exception was that Shohei Ohtani (aka “Baby Ruth”) won AL Rookie of the Year, beating out Yankees 3rd base phenom Miguel Andujar. The argument was that Andujar is a regular everyday player who led his team in hitting and through the playoffs, while Ohtani is that very rare combination of pitcher and designated hitter.
The other winners? For AL MVP: Mookie Betts; NL MVP: Christian Yelich; AL CY Young: Blake Snell; NL CY Young: Jacob deGrom. The NL Rookie of the Year is Ronald Acuna Jr.
The free-agency marketplace is open in baseball, and last week Bryce Harper, 26, turned down a 10-year, $300 million contract offer from the Washington Nationals. Harper and Manny Machado, also 26, are poised for rich contracts – the New York Times reports today that the Yankees may be interested. Watch this space for further updates.
thanksgiving approaches
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, the TWIST will be taking a short holiday this coming weekend (cooking, hosting, and shopping – what can we say?) Here are the games your NFL fan friends and family are likely to want to watch on Turkey Day: 12:30 EST Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions; 4:30 EST Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys; 8:20 EST Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints. Plan your celebrations accordingly.
That’s it. You’re good to go. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We’ll see you in two weeks.
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