General
‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund, an iconic voice of pro wrestling, dies at 76
Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN
“Mean” Gene Okerlund, the iconic WWE backstage interviewer who played a role in some of the biggest moments in pro wrestling history, died Wednesday, his family announced. He was 76.
Sports betting will be no home run for state budgets
Wayne Parry and Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press
The race to legalize sports betting is on now that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed it in all 50 states, but will it provide enough extra tax revenue to make much of a difference for schools, roads or pension debt? Don’t bet on it.
Oneida sports betting deal with Caesars could become Seneca model
Tom Precious, The Buffalo News
A central New York Native American tribe is partnering with Caesars Entertainment to offer sports gambling at three casinos it runs in the region. The Oneida Indian Nation said the sports books will begin operations once New York issues regulations to govern the industry and after the tribe’s plan is approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
In Texas, the Land of Football, It’s Rugby to the Rescue
Ken Belson, The New York Times
Raymond Kitchen had other places he would rather have been than in a big, empty football stadium at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. But there he was, three days before Christmas, with 450 other high school football coaches, attending a two-hour lecture on tackling at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
NFL
Giants’ General Manager Is Noncommittal on Eli Manning’s Future
Zach Schonbrun, The New York Times
Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman gave a rousing endorsement of Coach Pat Shurmur, stood behind his decision to draft running back Saquon Barkley and laughed off suggestions that the team might trade receiver Odell Beckham Jr. But Gettleman, in his first news conference with reporters since the summer, remained surprisingly noncommittal on Wednesday about quarterback Eli Manning’s future with the Giants, leaving the door open for the organization to potentially move on from its two-time Super Bowl most valuable player this off-season.
Antonio Brown saga: What happened, Steelers’ next move, trade chances
Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
The only certainty with Antonio Brown’s career with the Pittsburgh Steelers is his place in the record books. Tony Toe Tap might be ready to place two feet in another locker room, a notion coach Mike Tomlin sounds open to embracing.
ESPN’s Booger McFarland will move to the booth for the NFL wild-card game
Cindy Boren, The Washington Post
The cart or, as it is also known, that %$^(&@%I*# cart, is being left behind in the regular season. The bane of some “Monday Night Football” viewers, the sideline vehicle occupied by Booger McFarland this season will be dispatched to wherever carts go to die for the Indianapolis Colts-Houston Texans playoff game Saturday afternoon.
Modern NFL makes it harder for D to lead way to title
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
From Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain in the 1970s to Chicago’s Monsters of the Midway in the ’80s to Seattle’s Legion of Boom more recently, dominant defenses have often been the story of the NFL postseason. High-powered offenses might generate the highlights, the fantasy points and victories in the regular season.
Trick plays are now ‘the norm’ in NFL playbooks, and they’ll be on display this postseason
Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
On the first offensive play of his head coaching career, Matt Nagy called “Papa Bear Left.” Back on the opening Sunday night of this NFL season, the Chicago Bears lined up in a T formation, with three running backs in a line behind quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, a relic from the days of leather helmets and George Halas.
NBA
Warriors’ DeMarcus Cousins nearing ‘finish line’ of Achilles rehab
Monte Poole, NBC Sports
DeMarcus Cousins has entered the anxious stage of his rehabilitation, which means he so badly wants it to end that he is scrimmaging as often as he can, for as long as he can, because he can sense his Warriors debut is near. “We’re nearing the finish line,” general manager Bob Myers said on Monday.
Sources: Heated Grizzlies team meeting results in physical altercation between Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi
Shams Charania, The Athletic
After their eighth loss in the past 10 games, the Memphis Grizzlies’ team meeting in the post-game locker room on Wednesday night turned physical with an altercation between veterans Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi, league sources told The Athletic. The Grizzlies fell to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, 101-94, for their third straight defeat. Memphis coaches and players gathered for a team meeting in the locker room after the game, questioning each other about their effort and what each can do to improve, league sources said.
The Raptors Traded for One Most Valuable Player and Got Two
Ben Cohen, The Wall Street Journal
Danny Green woke up early one morning this summer to a buzzing phone that had been set to Do Not Disturb mode. There were several missed calls and one voice mail from Gregg Popovich.
MLB
Why the baseball world is waiting on Manny and Bryce
Jeff Passan, ESPN
In November 2017, when baseball free agency ground to an unexpected halt, teams claimed that there was no nefariousness to the industry’s sudden sheepishness in signing players. They were simply waiting for Shohei Ohtani to pick his destination and Giancarlo Stanton to be traded to a new one.
Yusei Kikuchi finalizes $56M, 4-year contract with Mariners
Tim Booth, The Associated Press
Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has finalized four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners that guarantees $56 million and incudes club options that would be make it worth $109 million over seven seasons. Seattle announced the agreement Wednesday, just ahead of the deadline for the 27-year-old to sign with a major league club or be forced to return to Japan for another season.
Yankees Taking a Chance on Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki
Billy Witz, The New York Times
There was a time when the Yankees landing Troy Tulowitzki would have been trumpeted — an All-Star shortstop treading the same patch of Yankee Stadium dirt as his boyhood idol, Derek Jeter. Now, though, the union carries more pragmatism than pomp.
NHL
Alex Ovechkin to skip NHL All-Star Game, will be suspended one game
Isabelle Khurshudyan, The Washington Post
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has informed the NHL that he will not attend the All-Star Game in San Jose later this month, after fans voted him the Metropolitan Division captain. Ovechkin said he wants the extra rest, with the league’s all-star break bleeding into the Capitals’ bye week, which would give him more than a week off.
P.K. Subban to star in his own show called ‘The PK Project’
Stan Temming, Yahoo
P.K. Subban may lead one of the most interesting lives in the NHL. Whether he’s meeting Tom Brady after New England Patriots games or training with Terrell Owens during the offseason, the 29-year-old Nashville Predators blueliner brings his smile and engaging personality along with him.
Soccer
Soccer exchange: How a super-agent and a Chinese billionaire planned to trade in players
Tom Bergin and Cassell Bryan-Low, Reuters
In early 2016, Europe’s most powerful soccer agent, Jorge Mendes, stood dressed in his trademark dark suit and white shirt alongside Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang at a luxury hotel in Shanghai. They were there to launch a new partnership in front of an audience of soccer glitterati, including former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho and bosses from major European clubs.
Racing
The newest esports league might be the future of stock car racing
Owen S. Good, Polygon
Three years ago, NASCAR was on life support as a video game. Today, it’s the next esports league, and that may be its future as a spectator sport.
Golf and Tennis
As new rules take effect on PGA Tour, players ponder the benefits and drawbacks
Evin Priest, Golf.com
Dustin Johnson’s rules drama at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont is the poster child for the 2019 rule change that waives the one-shot penalty for a player who accidentally moves his or her ball on the green. But another incident is far more prominent in Bubba Watson’s mind.
College Sports
A bigger college football playoff faces series of obstacles
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
When talking about the possibility of expanding the College Football Playoff, the word momentum gets tossed around a lot. Expansion seems inevitable.
Houston hires coach Dana Holgorsen away from West Virginia
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
Houston hired West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen as its coach Wednesday, ending his eight-year run with the Mountaineers. Holgorsen was 61-41 and 33-30 in the Big 12 as he helped guide West Virginia through the transition from the Big East.
Esports
The 10 Highest-Earning Esports Organizations of 2018 by Total Winnings
Andrew Hayward, The Esports Observer
Plenty of prize money was up for grabs in the esports in 2018, with more than $130M USD awarded between just the top 10 highest-prizing games. Unsurprisingly, many of the world’s premier esports organizations were up for the challenge of fighting for a chunk of that cash. According to data pulled from Esports Earnings, the top 10 winningest teams (by total prize earnings) each secured more than $3M from tournaments and leagues in 2018.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Two months into the offseason, MLB appears to still be in a high-stakes waiting game
Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post
By the time 2019 was just one day old, the New York Yankees had already landed a highly decorated, free agent shortstop via free agency. But while the signing of Troy Tulowitzki, a once-great player limited by injuries to just 66 games the past two seasons, is of minimal importance on its face, the rest of the industry enters the new year wondering what it all means for Manny Machado.
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