This Week in Sports Talk: October 13, 2019

This Week in Sports Talk (TWIST) is our weekly roundup of top headlines and sports news, plus a preview of what’s up next. Heading into the week of October 13, 2019, here’s the top sports news, with a twist. Skim it, and you’ll be good to go all week.

This Week in Sports Talk: October 13, 2019

We begin with some short takes in sports news heading into the week of October 13, 2019.

WNBA Finals

The Washington Mystics are the WNBA champions for the first time in franchise history. Thursday night they defeated the Connecticut Sun, 89-78 in a thrilling Game 5. 

Fu Minshew

Minshew Mania is sweeping the nation, and leading to arguments at home. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that many dudes are growing Fu Manchu mustaches as a homage to the one being rocked by Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Their wives and girlfriends are not having it, though. “I don’t want him to have a mustache,” said one girlfriend of her beau’s new look. “He’s not even a Jaguars fan.” To which the boyfriend replied: “She’s not appreciating the beauty of the ’stache.”

Just a heads-up, ladies: November is “Mo-vember,” when guys are encouraged to grow facial hair to support research to cure prostate cancer. So this can only get worse. You might have to get your Delilah on before Thanksgiving dinner with the fam.

More Antonio Brown!

Because we know that the world (and you, dear readers) just cannot get enough Antonio Brown (AB) news, here’s a fresh installment. During an Instagram Live video this week, AB implored his 3.7 million followers to get in touch with the New England Patriots and convince the team to sign the free agent receiver. His rationale is that if the Pats are still going to pay him, he might as well earn the money. ESPN reports that Brown hopes to have his playing status cleared up in the next few weeks, before signing with an NFL team.

In related news, last week AB filed eight grievances against the Oakland Raiders and Patriots, a source told ESPN. He is seeking $39.775 million in lost salary, bonuses and guaranteed money.

NCAA college football recap

In Week 7, in a stunning upset, unranked South Carolina defeated No. 3 Georgia in a double-overtime victory, 20-17. No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson both won, and No. 8 Wisconsin won a fourth shutout this season with a 38-0 victory over Michigan State. And in the annual Red River Showdown, the Oklahoma Sooners and quarterback Jalen Hurts (a potential Heisman Trophy winner) beat the Texas Longhorns, 34-27.

Simone Biles wins gold

Simone Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in world championships history — male or female. Yesterday, the 22-year-old picked up her 24th and 25th world medals, both gold, at the gymnastics world championships. She broke a record that had held since the 1990’s by Belarussian Vitaly Scherbo. Biles is a five-time world all-around champion and the reigning Olympic all-around champion. And the G.O.A.T. Get it, girl!

Top Sports Headlines heading into the week of October 13, 2019

Now that we’re warmed up, here’s everything else you need to know about sports heading into the week of October 13, 2019:

1. MLB

Must Know:

The playoffs continue, and it’s down to 4 teams. Here’s the summary of the division series round, and an update on the two league championship series so far.

NLDS Wrap-Up

There will be a new NL pennant winner this postseason, as the LA Dodgers lost their chance of winning it for the third straight year. They suffered an ignominious defeat in Game 5 against the Washington Nationals.

Sadly, Clayton Kershaw’s playoff demons reared their heads again. The Dodgers were winning Game 5 until the eighth inning, when Kershaw gave up home runs to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto. Then with a 3-3 score, Dave Roberts decided to bring Joe Kelly to the mound. The Nationals’ game-winning grand slam by Howie Kendrick in the tenth inning ended the series in thrilling style. 

The results of the other NLDS Game 5 were almost as shocking. The Atlanta Braves were embarrassed at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards scored 10 runs in the first inning and finished the series with a 13-1 win. 

Now the Nationals face the Cardinals in the NLCS, with the winner of that seven-game series claiming this year’s NL pennant. 

ALDS

Meanwhile, one of the ALDS match-ups ended quickly. The Minnesota Twins have now lost 16 straight playoff games. The New York Yankees swept them in three games. The Yankees have won every playoff game ever played at Target field in Minneapolis. Dang, that has to hurt.

It took until Game 5 for the Houston Astros to earn the second slot in the ALCS. The Tampa Bay Rays put up a great fight against the team currently favored to win the World Series. Astros ace Gerrit Cole pitched eight innings and struck out 10 in Game 5, sending Houston on to the AL pennant race against the Yanks.

Nice to Know:

With the two league championship matches underway, it will be interesting to see how the television ratings turn out. On its face, it appears that the NLCS will be a ratings disappointment. Media companies were rooting for a match-up between LA and Atlanta, and instead they got St. Louis versus Washington DC.

However, from a viewership perspective, the ALCS is a dream. A dramatic re-match between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros (Houston beat the Yanks in the ALCS in 2017).

ALCS 

The Houston Astros have home field advantage against the New York Yankees in the ALCS, and that was expected to be a big deal, given that the Astros went 60-21 in the regular season at Minute Maid Park. However, last night in Game 1, it didn’t turn out to matter. The Yankees shut out the Astros 7-0. Gleyber Torres drove in five runs, while Masahiro Tanaka continued his pitching brilliance. One exuberant announcer proclaimed “It’s Gleyber Day!!!” Game 2 is tonight in Houston.

NLCS

The St. Louis Cardinals’ offense failed to deliver in Game 2 of the NLCS, as the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer held them without a hit for the first six innings.  Washington went on to beat St. Louis 3-1 at Busch Stadium.

The Nationals now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which moves to Washington for Game 3 on Monday night.

Extra Credit:

Despite the questionable calls he made in Game 5 of the NLDS, the LA Dodgers’ Dave Roberts apparently isn’t going to lose his job. He is under contract through 2022, and reports are that he’ll be back next season.

LA Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who gave up two home runs in the 8th inning of that fateful Game 5, on consecutive pitches, is not in a great place at the moment. Kershaw, who is one of the best regular season pitchers ever, just doesn’t always deliver in the clutch. This week he said he might “never get over” this most recent loss. Meanwhile, angry Dodgers fans were seen driving their cars over his jersey. Ugh.

2. NFL

This is Week 6 of the NFL season.

Must Know:

The Thursday night football game was a bit more exciting than fans might have expected. But the New York Giants and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones ultimately lost to the New England Patriots, 35-14. Given that the Giants were without offensive stars Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram, who are both hurt, they put up a good fight. The defense was very good for both teams, while the offense for both teams was uneven on a windy night in Massachusetts. The Giants ended the game with 3 interceptions, 1 blocked punt and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

The Pats (6-0) remain one of only two undefeated teams this season. The San Francisco 49’ers are 5-0 on the season after embarrassing the Cleveland Browns, 31-3, on Monday night. And then less than a week later, defeating the LA Rams, their NFC West rivals in week 6.

This other spotlight games in week 6 include the Detroit Lions at the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

In a Sunday game between two currently terrible teams, the Washington Redskins (1-5) defeated Miami (0-5). The match-up was referred to colloquially as “the Toilet Bowl” before it started. In the end, it was a better game than expected, with a photo-finish. The final score was 17-16. So Washington finally has its first win of the season. And the Miami Dolphins are officially the worst team in the NFL.

With quarterback Sam Darnold finally back on the field, the New York Jets (1-4) won their first games of the season. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-22.

Nice to Know: 

The Redskins fired their head coach, Jay Gruden, on Monday after an 0-5 start to the season. Bill Callahan, the Redskins assistant head coach and offensive line coach, has been named interim head coach. Reports are that team owner Dan Snyder wants Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for the job.

In a show of solidarity, Gruden’s big brother Jon, who is head coach of the Oakland Raiders, commented “My dad got fired, I got fired, and now he got fired – welcome to the club bro!” Jon was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008, and currently has a 10-year contract with the Raiders. Everyone expects that little brother Jay will be picked up by another team, but perhaps not until next season.

Week 5 Recap

Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts defeated Patrick Mahomes and the previously-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Since Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, they have never scored fewer than 26 points, until Week 5 when the Indianapolis Colts pulled off the 19-13 upset victory at Arrowhead Stadium.

Teddy Bridgewater tied his career-high, with four touchdown passes during the New Orleans Saints’ 31-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Running back Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers is generating serious buzz as an MVP candidate for the 2019 season. A running back hasn’t been named league MVP since Adrian Peterson’s 2,000-yard rushing season in 2012. If only McCaffrey’s team were playing better. Since losing quarterback Cam Newton to a foot injury after Week 2, the Panthers are 3-2. They’ve won their last 3 games, though – watch this space for further updates.

After last Sunday’s victory, the New England Patriots became the first team since 1921 (and one of three teams in NFL history) to average 30.0 points per game or more and hold their opponents to 7.0 points per game or fewer through the first five games of the regular season. As of last Sunday, the Patriots hadn’t allowed a passing touchdown in five games, becoming the first team to do that in 30 years. 

Extra credit:

Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, has surpassed Peyton Manning as the #2 all-time NFL passing leader. Now he just has to outlast fellow “ageless wonder” quarterback Drew Brees.

Former New England Patriot Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski has joined the Fox Sports broadcasting team. Reports are that he still hasn’t filed his retirement papers with the NFL, and there’s some speculation that he might return. He was in the broadcast booth for Fox in  Foxborough for Thursday Night Football, where his former team prevailed.

Bonus round:

Frustrated fans who are not members of Patriots Nation would like to point out that the defending Super Bowl champions have a much easier schedule than many other teams. Feel free to discuss among yourselves.

And in Super Bowl half-time news, superstar Rihanna now says that she turned down an invitation to headline the show in support of Colin Kaepernick. Are J-lo and Shakira just sloppy seconds? Also feel free to discuss among yourselves.

3. And in other sports . . . 

Must Know:

The NBA is facing criticism from all sides as it deals with the fallout of China’s attempt to punish the league after Houston Rockets’ general manager Daryl Morey posted a supportive Tweet about the Hong Kong protesters.

The LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are headed home after two preseason games in China. Throughout their time in the country, no players were allowed to speak to the press. Meanwhile, back at home, Rockets’ owner Mark Cuban remained mum on the issue for several days. He broke his uncharacteristic silence only to say “I have never commented on the policies of a foreign country in my entire life and I’m not going to start now.” 

Some fans are vocal that the league is being hypocritical for saying it stands for diversity and fairness, but not relinquishing its ties to the lucrative China market in the face of pro-democracy protests. Profiles in courage? Stay tuned.

Nice to know:

Also in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo – aka “The Greek Freak” – is on fire this preseason. Based on last week’s performance, he seems to be in mid-season form already.

Extra Credit:

Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya ran 26.2 miles in a once-inconceivable time of 1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds. In becoming the first person to cover the marathon distance in less than two hours, Kipchoge, 34, has achieved a sports milestone granted almost mythical status in the running world.

The New York Times reports that after crossing the finish line in Prater Park in Vienna, Kipchoge said: “Together, when we run, we can make this world a beautiful world.” We are totally lacing up our shoes and heading out for a run right now. Thanks for the inspiration!

This Week in Sports News October 13, 2019

That’s it. You’re good to go with the top headlines and coming attractions heading into the week of October 13, 2019. Have a good one, and see you next week. Go Lions!!!

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