This Week in Sports Talk: May 10, 2020

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 May 10, 2020 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: May 10, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day, sports fans! Having watched it snow rather heavily yesterday afternoon in New York (that would be on MAY NINTH, in case you’ve lost track of time), we’re ready for pretty much anything the world decides to send our way at this point.

For now, though, here are the top 10 stories in sports news heading into the week of May 10, 2020.

1. golf is back on in all 50 states

The New York Times reports that 88% of all golf courses in the U.S. are now open. But getting a tee time? Well, that’s a challenge, as safeguards include limiting capacity, increased time between intervals leaving the first tee, and in some cases mandatory temperature checks upon arrival.

Carts cannot be shared with anyone who’s not a family member, so lots of players are on foot. Which kind of feels right, actually. Is the game still a good walk spoiled? Not right now, no siree. 

2. but sadly, tennis is still on lockdown

Tennis players want to know why the golfers have been set free, but they remain captive. At least in New York. On Thursday the Eastern Section of the United States Tennis Association sent a letter of appeal to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asking that the state consider reopening courts. Courts are open under varying levels of restriction – like singles play only – in many other states.

3. two nba teams open practice facilities

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers are the only two NBA franchises to take the league up on the offer to open practice facilities for up to four players at a time.

After two months of shutdown due to COVID-19, about half of the 30 teams in the league could have reopened. The Toronto Raptors will limit entry to just one player and one coach at a time when they open their practice facility tomorrow. Mark Cuban, who always has something to say about almost everything, this week said that his team – the Dallas Mavericks – will not be opening their facilities at this time.

Commissioner Adam Silver said on a conference call hosted by the Player’s Association that he’s willing to go past the original June 1 deadline for determining whether the rest of the 2019-20 season will be played. The NBA is considering resuming the season without fans and at designated neutral sites. Locations under consideration include Orlando, where between Disney World and other resorts there’s an ample supply of indoor courts and hotel accommodations for players, staff, media and families. Las Vegas is the other potential city under consideration.

4. the ufc is open for business

Last night, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held its UFC 249 event in an empty stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The mixed martial arts organization is the first major North American sport to resume after the mandatory lockdown due to the coronavirus.

5. us women’s soccer faces more challenges

It was another tough week for the US Women’s Soccer team. Last week, a judge ruled against the women, saying that U.S. Soccer did not violate the Equal Pay Act with regard to the team’s pay versus their male counterparts. ESPN reports that the team filed a motion Friday to appeal, and also filed a motion to postpone the trial scheduled to begin June 16. 

In other news, Megan Rapinoe said she thinks the postponement of the 2020 Olympics for a year probably means that she will miss her window for playing in the Olympics one last time.

On a far brighter note, though: teammate Alex Morgan gave birth this week, just in time for Mother’s Day!

6. 2020-21 NFL schedule announced

The regular-season schedule for the 2020-21 NFL season is out, with 17 weeks on the schedule. While all international games have been moved back to the U.S., the plan is otherwise pretty much as expected, with no allowances for the impact of COVID-19 on the starting date.

Week 1 highlight: Chiefs host the Texans

For now, the big games in the first week include the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs playing on September 10, 2020 at home against the Houston Texans. The Chiefs will unveil their Super Bowl LIV championship banner in front of the team that had the best chance to keep them out of the game in the first place. The Texans held a 24-0 lead in the second quarter of the AFC Divisional round game earlier this year. And the Chiefs went on to win the game 51-7.

Also in Week 1: brady faces off against brees

Another HUGE game in Week 1? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady meet the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees in NOLA. The teams will meet again in Week 9, when the Saints visit Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Football. At issue? Just the small matter of who’s the best quarterback. Brees has the most passing yards (77,416) and touchdowns (547) in NFL history. Brady is second in both categories (74,571 yards, 541 touchdowns). Both will surely end up in the Hall of Fame. But who will have the best record at the end of their career?

Until now, Tom Brady’s team has been the odds-on favorite in 74 consecutive games. Now, though, it seems that streak is going to be broken. Currently, Vegas favors the Saints by 6.5. It’s a whole new world . . . 

Adding to the rivalry between the two teams? The quarterback that Brady replaced in Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston, has a one-year contract with the Saints. It’s gonna be good.

degrees of difficulty 

In terms of difficulty, the consensus for the New York teams is that the Jets have one of the toughest schedules and the Giants have one of the easiest. Pats fans argue that their team has the hardest schedule in the NFL this year. Their bye in week 8 is not considered propitious.

7. There’s More TB mischief

What’s happening in Tampa Bay, you ask? We know that will be the weekly query from almost everyone from now until the end of the season. This week’s answer: Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are in trouble again. 

First, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said Brady was the one who lured his former teammate out of retirement and was adamant that the team trade for him. Then in a separate interview, Gronk mentioned casually that he had already had the Tampa Bay playbook for 4 weeks before he signed. That’s against the rules and if true, would constitute tampering.

Meanwhile, there’s a very active market in trademark filings around the Buccaneers and their dynamic duo: so far, petitions include “TB – TB“; “Tompa Bay“; and “Tompa Bay Gronkaneers.” Yeah. We can totally see that on a T-shirt.

Expect to see a lot of Tampa Bay on TV this season: the Bucs have 5 prime-time games on the schedule, far more than last season. Hmmm . . . wonder why?

8. Don Shula, legendary coach, passes away

This week saw the passing of our cover star Don Shula, who died at the age of 90. Shula holds the record for the most wins of any head coach in NFL history. He achieved 347 victories (regular season and postseason) over the course of 33 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Colts, winning two Super Bowls with the Dolphins in 1972 and 1973. Including an undefeated 17-0 campaign with Miami in ’72 — still the only NFL team to finish with a perfect season.

Many NFL fans are hoping that the annual ritual of the members of the ’72 Dolphins hosting a champagne toast when the last undefeated team loses each season will come to an end with Shula’s passing. It’s getting a little old, dudes. Just sayin’. 

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick currently holds third place in the leaderboard, with 273 regular-season wins. That puts him 45 behind George Halas and 55 behind Shula. It’s possible that Belichick will surpass him before he retires (although that’s going to be a lot harder without quarterback Tom Brady) – estimates are that he could break the record in the 2026 season. Stay tuned. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that there was no love lost between the two legendary coaches: Shula once called Belichick “Beli-cheat.” Dang, that hurts.

9. Dallas Cowboys aim for leverage with Dak

After the Cincinnati Bengals drafted quarterback Joe Burrows in the first round of the NFL draft, they released Andy Dalton. Jerry Jones – owner of the Dallas Cowboys – swooped in and signed the Texas native for a guaranteed $3 million for one year – with incentives, Dalton could earn as much as $7 million.

Jones is still negotiating with Dak Prescott, the starting quarterback. The team franchise tagged him for $31 million, but he hasn’t signed yet because he wants a long-term extension that would place him among the top 3 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. The Cowboys now have a bit more leverage in that negotiation.

10. No Mets for J-Rod

Say it ain’t so! Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have reportedly ended their bid to buy the New York Mets.

The local press reports that part of the reason for this breakdown in talks happened because of stubbornness on the part of the Wilpons, the team’s current owners. The family is reluctant to give up SportsNet New York (SNY), the New York Post reports. They believe they’ll be able to sell the team without giving up the sports network. However, the shutdown of sports due to the coronavirus has lowered the value of the franchise, so anyone who wants to start making their money back from the purchase will likely want SNY to offset the early losses. Watch this space for further updates.

This Week in Sports News May 10, 2020

That’s it. You’re good to go with the top headlines and coming attractions heading into the week of May 10, 2020. Stay safe and healthy out there, dear reader. See you next week.

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