So, there’s a lot going on in Sports…

Where do I start?… Baseball, NBA, NFL NHL… PGA, MLS, NASCAR… so much to discuss… let's do a post that encompasses several sports, instead of sticking to just one sport… After all, there are so many different stories and events happening in the sports world, despite the fact that currently, we have very little live sports to watch and enjoy…

Lets begin with the PGA… Bryson Dechambeau put on a show this weekend at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit this weekend with a 3-shot victory. He is getting a lot of press recently because of his bulked-up body and his diet which apparently includes 6 protein shakes per day and his consistent 350+ yard drives every time he pulls out the driver. He has received plenty of criticism over the years for his “nerd” & ”Analytic” approach to the game of golf. All of his clubs have the same shaft length and he has become famous for using math and science in his approach to the game of golf. Because of this, he has been the recipient of many a criticism and eye-rolls on the PGA tour, shunning the feel and finesse of most golfers on tour. He has added 20 pounds in the offseason to add mass and yards to his game, and after this past weekend, it seems to have paid off. It seems to have worked, but with all of that success, criticism still comes his way. Personally, I HATE this guy… Not since David Duval or Brooks Koepka have I disliked a player more than Bryson… he has no respect for tradition, no respect for the feel of the game, and from I can see, he has no respect from his fellow pros. Bryson needs a fine dish of humble pie, and in my opinion, once he gets to the majors, he will be served that pie with a side dish of shut the hell up…

Next up is NASCAR… this past week it was announced that 7-time champion Jimmy Johnson was diagnosed with COVID-19. He was forced to sit out the Brickyard 400 this past weekend at Indianapolis, allowing Justin Allgaier to fill in for him. Justin’s day was short-lived as he was caught up in a major wreck on pit road at lap 15. With that being said, it appears that the top 2 drivers in this year's NASCAR series is going to be Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Harvick got the better of Hamlin this week as with 8 laps to go, Hamlin blew a right-front tire, allowing Happy Harvick to take the checkered flag, securing his third career win at Indy. I watched the last hour or so of this race, while also multitasking during my show The Sports Nerds, and it was a good race. With not much else going on at the moment in the sports world, I have been watching a lot more NASCAR and for the most part, I have enjoyed it. Still hate the staged racing, but it is better than watching replays of past Super Bowls or World Series on ESPN, MLB network, or NFL Network… It’s live sports and I am all in on this.

MLB continues to have issues with the start of the season. Schedules were released today, but as I see the number of players and administration personnel contract COVID the more I am concerned with not only the start of the season but the promise of a World Series continues to fade. When you have the major stars in MLB decide to opt-out (David Price) of playing this season the more I feel that it is going to be a shit-show of a season in MLB this year. If Mike Trout decides to opt-out of playing this year, that will send ripples throughout the entire league as to whether it is worth it or not to play a 2020 season. The other major issue hitting Major League Baseball is with social justice being a huge issue, the Indians are now following the lead of The Washington Football team in looking at the possibility of changing their name. If the Indians do decide to change, what does that say about teams like the Braves, who have stated that they will not cave to the PC culture and change their name. As an Indians fan, I am torn between the impact the name has on our Native American population and tradition. The Indians are contemplating and looking at a change, and should they decide to change, I am all for it. The question is, what do they change it to? currently, the leading replacement for the Indians are the Spiders, Naps, Guardians, Buckeyes, Dobys, Wild Things, and the Blue Sox. Personally, I prefer them to go with Tribe, thus maintaining the history and colors, but I know that may be as controversial as Indians, but I like it.

The NBA is set to resume their season in Orlando later this month in a “bubble” on Disney property… As they ramp up to resume camp, leading to the resumption of the season, there are still instances of players and administration people coming down with COVID. Florida has seen an extreme increase in cases of COVID in the last few weeks, mainly because of the short-sided view of the governor of Florida. He seems to think along the same lines as 45 does… well it's here we have to deal with it, let's open up the state anyway and see what happens. The way I see it unless the NBA can unequivocally guarantee that the players will not contract COVID in the bubble, the season should not move forward. It’s dangerous, it’s risky and I have a feeling that eventually the season will be canceled because the number of cases that will rise within the league and the precautions put in place will not be enough to prevent spread of this horrible disease…

Finally the NFL… Today is a day that will be remembered in the history of the league that no-one will forget. The reigning Super Bowl MVP and 2018 NFL MVP got PAID today. Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year contract extension today that will provide him the opportunity to earn $503 million dollars, the richest contract in NFL history. Now, this contract is in fact incentive-based and tiered depending on how he performs over the course of the contract, but the mere size of the deal is far beyond what the league has ever seen in its history. I am reminded of the contract that Joe Namath signed in 1965, $425,000 for three years, unheard of at that time. Namath’s contract was the catalyst that created the future of the NFL when it comes to how players are paid. I congratulate “future hall of famer” Patrick Mahomes on this record-setting contract, by all means, GET PAID SON!!, you are only as valuable as the contract you are under, and he is the highest-paid player in NFL history. Good for him, I have no problem with him getting what he feels he is worth, and if KC is willing to pay him that much, then it is on them to pay him. This has an impact on another QB looking to sign a big deal in Dallas… Dak Prescott has still not signed a new deal with Dallas, instead, he has decided to play on the franchise tag for 2020 in the amount of $31.409 million for the 2020 season, where does that leave him for 2021 and beyond… Mahomes and the Chiefs set the bar… only time will tell if Jerry is willing to belly up close enough to pay Prescott what he fees he is worth. He may not get Mahomes $$$, but he is going to be paid… His 2020 performance will determine just how much the Cowboys feel he is worth…

Bring on sports… we are hungry and can't wait for it to come back….

take care… and be good to each other…

WEAR YOUR MASK!!!!!!

Scott “The Sports Nerd”

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