General
Missouri lawmakers to consider sports betting, redistricting
Summer Ballentine, The Associated Press
Missouri lawmakers will consider whether to collect sales taxes on online purchases, allow sports gambling and overhaul legislative redistricting when they return for the start of the 2019 session. Actions by the U.S. Supreme Court and Missouri voters last year are dictating top issues for the Republican-led Legislature during the roughly five-month annual session, which starts Wednesday.
New York lawmakers return to take up pot, tolls, sports bets
David Klepper, The Associated Press
Legalized marijuana, sports betting and new traffic tolls in Manhattan are just some of the measures Democrats believe they can push through the New York Legislature in a 2019 session that begins this week with their party in control of both chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in a decade. Lawmakers swept into office in a backlash against President Donald Trump’s plan to fight back against his policies on immigration, the environment and health care, while also seeking to catch up to neighbors such as Massachusetts, which has already legalized marijuana, and New Jersey, which has approved sports betting.
NFL
John Harbaugh: No one can say what tomorrow will bring, but I plan to stay in Baltimore
Michael David Smith, Profootballtalk.com
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after his team’s postseason came to an end that he doesn’t think he coached his last game in Baltimore. Harbaugh was asked after the loss to the Chargers whether that was his last game, and he answered, “I don’t believe so. I don’t believe so.”
Chargers hold off Ravens rally for 23-17 wild-card win
Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times
The Chargers finished tied for the best record in the AFC, are one of four teams from the conference still in contention for the Super Bowl and just improved to 8-1 on the road. And, still, at one point during a 23-17 wild-card victory over Baltimore on Sunday, referee Clete Blakeman, speaking to a sold-out stadium and national television audience, called them “San Francisco.”
Double doink: Bears’ season ends and Eagles’ run continues on a cruel missed field goal
Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
The football spun end over end through the lakeside chill, off the right foot of Cody Parkey and toward an inanimate antagonist the Chicago Bears will curse until their final breath. Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles had executed another miracle, the Bears invincible defense had yielded to its suddenly potent offense and a loopy NFC first-round playoff game had distilled to the outcome of a flying football and, as cruel fate would have it, 25 feet of yellow steel and aluminum.
TurboTax returns for sixth consecutive Super Bowl
E.J. Schultz, Ad Age
TurboTax will run a Super Bowl ad for the sixth straight year as part of a new marketing investment parent company Intuit is making in the National Football League. Intuit struck a deal to make its TurboTax Live product the presenting sponsor of the AFC and NFC championship games played on Jan. 20.
Some Charter Customers Miss NFL Playoffs in Tribune Dispute
Gerry Smith, Bloomberg
NFL fans in some major TV markets like San Diego missed out on playoff matchups as a fee fight between Charter Communications Inc. and Tribune Media Co. dragged on into the weekend and blacked out local TV stations for some cable subscribers. Tribune operates stations in 24 markets where Charter has subscribers, including Denver and Cleveland, and has cut off broadcasts to that company’s pay-TV customers in those markets.
NBA
Kristi Toliver wants equal pay to coach in NBA, but under WNBA rules it’s not that simple
Ava Wallace, The Washington Post
Kristi Toliver has long been willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the big picture. In 2014, she made the wrenching decision to become a naturalized Slovak citizen to further her basketball career — the majority of which has been spent playing overseas — and gave up the dream of playing for Team USA.
LeBron James (groin) to miss another week before re-evaluation
ESPN
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will miss at least another week as he continues to recover from a significant groin strain. James sat out his fifth straight game, which the Lakers lost 119-112 to the New York Knicks, and has been ruled out for the Lakers’ upcoming two-game road trip.
Enes Kanter to Skip Knicks’ Trip to London, Citing Fear of Turkish Retaliation
Scott Cacciola and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times
Knicks center Enes Kanter said on Friday that he would not travel with the team to play the Washington Wizards in London on Jan. 17 because he feared retaliation for his public opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Kanter, who is Turkish, has been an outspoken critic of the president for years.
MLB
Yankees and Zach Britton Agree on a 3-Year Deal
Tyler Kepner, The New York Times
The Yankees retained one of their best relievers, reaching an agreement Saturday night on a contract with the left-hander Zach Britton. The deal guarantees Britton three years and $39 million.
Astros trade Davis to Mets for prospects
The Associated Press
The Houston Astros have traded infielder J.D. Davis and a prospect to the New York Mets for three minor leaguers. The teams announced the trade Sunday.
How the Troy Tulowitzki Signing Affects the Yankees’ Pursuit of Manny Machado
Billy Witz, The New York Times
If anyone thought the Yankees’ acquisition of Troy Tulowitzki, which was completed on Friday, was going to provide some clarity about the rest of their winter plans — particularly the pursuit of the infielder Manny Machado — well, good luck with that. General Manager Brian Cashman, in a conference call with reporters on Friday, said his scouts had been so impressed with Tulowitzki in two workouts that they plan to turn the shortstop job over to him until Didi Gregorius returns from Tommy John surgery, whether that is in June, July or August. Tulowitzki has not played since 2017.
NHL
4 Reasons the Tampa Bay Lightning Have Dominated the N.H.L.
Andrew Knoll, The New York Times
At the midway point of the N.H.L. season, the Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in a position that is pleasantly familiar: the top of the league. Tampa Bay’s 66 points are the most in the N.H.L., as its 61 points were at the same time last season.
Soccer
D.C. United extends Coach Ben Olsen through 2021
Steven Goff, The Washington Post
D.C. United and Coach Ben Olsen have agreed to a contract extension, avoiding possible off-field friction in what would have been the last year of his previous pact. Multiple people familiar with the talks confirmed the deal Friday but requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter.
Wayne Rooney’s arrest for public intoxication due to mixing sleeping pills and alcohol
BBC
Wayne Rooney’s arrest for public intoxication was a result of feeling “disorientated” after taking sleeping tablets on a flight while drinking, says his spokesman. The former England and Manchester United captain was arrested on 16 December at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after returning from a one-day trip to Saudi Arabia.
FIFA Soccer Buzz Helps EA Score Rebound From Last Year’s Bottom
Kamaron Leach, Bloomberg
Electronic Arts Inc. stock climbed the most in almost a year as it rebounds from its 2018 bottom in late December. Earlier, the video-game maker’s FIFA 2019 Ultimate Team was mentioned positively at M Science after the company announced nominees this week.
Racing
Ganassi closes Xfinity team after FBI raid on sponsor
The Associated Press
Chip Ganassi Racing has shuttered its Xfinity Series team because of a sponsorship issue that arose after the FBI raided DC Solar’s headquarters and the home of the company owner. The Ganassi team won six races last season with three different drivers and had committed to a full season in 2019 with Ross Chastain, a watermelon farmer who caught the eye of DC Solar owner Jeff Carpoff.
Golf and Tennis
Schauffele ties course record and wins at Kapalua
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
Xander Schauffele tied the Plantation course record with an 11-under 62 on Sunday, and he needed every shot to beat Gary Woodland by one shot and win the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Schauffele started the final round five shots out of the lead and opened with a bogey.
As Men’s Team Tennis Events Rise, the Coed Hopman Cup Is Left in Limbo
Ben Rothenberg, The New York Times
When Serena Williams and Roger Federer played against each other for the first time, on Tuesday night at the Hopman Cup, it was the ultimate expression of an event that has brought the best men and best women in tennis together for more than three decades. But despite the power of seeing Williams and Federer on opposite sides of the net, the future of the Hopman Cup is uncertain, with a new men’s team event set to eclipse it, part of a trend of realignment and reinvention in tennis.
College Sports
Cal defensive back Bryce Turner dies after collapsing during workout
Cindy Boren, The Washington Post
Nearly a week after he experienced a “medical emergency” during a non-team workout, 20-year-old University of California defensive back Bryce Turner died. The death of the redshirt sophomore from Lakewood, Calif., was announced Saturday by the school.
The Rivalry That Shouldn’t Be: How Clemson Competes With Alabama
Rachel Bachman and Brian Costa, The Wall Street Journal
In December 2015, a young man in the Clemson University athletic department received a surprising email. It came from a staff member at Manchester United, the world-famous English Premier League team.
Running games overshadowed by QBs in national title game
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
In four years at Alabama, Damien Harris has shared the backfield with several runners who either have or will play in the NFL. From Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake in 2015, to Bo Scarbrough the next two years, to his current running mates Najee Harris and Joshua Jacobs, the top-ranked Crimson Tide (14-0) have always had a variety of running threats to fuel their offense.
Esports
First, a fast-rising female esports star was threatened. Then she quit. Then she didn’t exist.
Noah Smith, The Washington Post
In December, a minor league esports team thought it had signed a fast-rising, highly ranked female player who played under the nickname of Ellie. As the news of the signing reverberated around the Internet, Ellie shared screen captures of threats from online attackers and less than two weeks later, Overwatch Contenders team Second Wind tweeted that she left the team, “due to some unforeseen reactions.”
Envy Gaming Raises $20M from External Investors
Ben Fischer, The Esports Observer
Dallas-based esports team organization Envy Gaming Database-Link-e1521645463907 has raised $20M USD in external capital, adding new fuel to its attempts to monetize its fan base across the Overwatch Database-Link-e1521645463907 League and eight other titles. Envy did not disclose the identity of the investors, other than to describe them as “a mix of prominent local investors and Texas families, as well as a select set of national investors.”
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Deep in Winter, Let’s Discuss the Stifling of Starting Pitchers
Michael Powell, The New York Times
Can we talk starting pitchers or, more to the point, their ritual sacrifice on the altar of Major League Baseball analytics? I put this question to Leo Mazzone, the former pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves and the custodian of one of baseball’s greatest rotations of starting pitchers: Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, Hall of Famers all.
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