| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Feb 24, 2021 | | π Good morning! Let's sports. Today's word count: 1,568 words (6 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⛳️ The latest on Tiger Woods | | Photo: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Tiger Woods was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Tuesday in which his SUV ran off the road, causing him leg injuries that required emergency surgery. What we know: Woods underwent surgery to repair damage to his right leg and ankle, his team said in a statement late Tuesday night. - "He is currently awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room" at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, according to the statement.
- Anish Mahajan, the hospital's chief medical officer and interim CEO, said Woods had comminuted fractures (i.e. the bone broke into more than two fragments) affecting the upper and lower portions of his right tibia and fibula.
- The bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia, and additional injuries to the foot and ankle bones were stabilized using pins and screws, added Mahajan.
Photo: Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The crash: The incident happened around 7:15am PT on Hawthorne Boulevard, near the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, a coastal Los Angeles suburb. - Woods was on his way to meet Drew Brees and Justin Herbert for a photoshoot at Riviera Country Club, about 25 miles north of the crash location, per ESPN.
- He was driving a 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV, which had been loaned out to him. Last week, he hosted the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational.
- The crash occurred on a winding two-lane road with a speed limit of 45 mph. Woods was traveling at a "greater speed than normal," but did not seem impaired, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
- Sheriff's Deputy Carlos Gonzalez said crashes in the area are common because the road quickly descends and features an "S" curve. "That specific stretch of roadway is one of our trouble spots," he said.
The scene: Woods "left his lane, crashed into a sign on the median ... crossed into the southbound lanes, skipped a curb and went into a nearby field, where his vehicle hit a tree and came to a stop," per WashPost. - He was found pinned in the driver's seat of his car, which had deployed its air bags. He was wearing his seatbelt, which may have saved his life.
- The fire department used a pry bar and an ax to free Woods, who was unable to walk and immediately rushed to the hospital.
- "I spoke to him," said Gonzalez, the first officer on the scene. "I asked him what his name was. He told me his name was Tiger. ... He seemed lucid and calm."
π₯ Watch: Helicopter footage (AP) |     | | | | | | 2. ⚾️ Albert Pujols' place in the record books |  Data: Baseball Reference; Photos: Getty Images; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios Albert Pujols' wife suggested on Instagram that 2021 will be the future Hall of Famer's final MLB season, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. - She's since walked back that statement, but given Pujols' age (41), contract status (final year) and recent performance decline, this could very well be it for him.
Why it matters: He won't end his career as the all-time leader in any primary counting stats, but Pujols could still climb farther up the charts in what may be his farewell season. The backdrop: Pujols' value has declined significantly in the past decade, but his counting stats have remained passable while averaging 137 games and 582 plate appearances in the four full seasons prior to 2020. - During that time, he averaged: 24 HR (1 every 24 PA); 94 RBI (1 every 6); 57 R (1 every 10); 134 H (1 every 4.3); 226 TB (1 every 2.5).
- Note: He had an ugly 39-game sample in 2020, but even some in-their-prime stars struggled in the shortened season. Not putting much stock in it.
The projection: Let's assume Pujols plays 120 games and logs 510 PA this season, but his production drops from those aforementioned rates. - His 2021 total could look like this: 17 HR (1 every 30 PA); 64 RBI (1 every 8); 39 R (1 every 13); 102 H (1 every 5); 170 TB (1 every 3).
The results: If those are his exact numbers — in which case, I need to buy a lottery ticket ASAP — here's where he'd end his career: - HR: 679 (still fifth place, 17 shy of Alex Rodriguez)
- RBI: 2,164 (still third place, 50 shy of Babe Ruth)
- R: 1,882 (up three spots, tied for 13th with Tris Speaker and six shy of Lou Gehrig)
- H: 3,338 (up five spots, passing Paul Molitor for 10th and 81 shy of Carl Yastrzemski)
- TB: 6,093 (up three spots, passing Willie Mays for third and 41 shy of Stan Musial)
Good luck, Albert. | | | | | | | | 3. π NBA All-Stars: Selections, snubs |  | | | Illustration: AΓ―da Amer/Axios | | | | The NBA All-Star reserves were announced Tuesday, rounding out the East and West rosters ahead of the 70th NBA All-Star Game next Sunday. East: - Starters: Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid
- Reserves: Jaylen Brown, James Harden, Zach LaVine, Julius Randle, Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Vucevic
West: - Starters: Stephen Curry, Luka DonΔiΔ, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola JokiΔ
- Reserves: Anthony Davis, Paul George, Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Zion Williamson
Biggest snubs ... Devin Booker, Mike Conley, Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, Khris Middleton, Trae Young, Tobias Harris, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Go deeper: | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Local news for Denver, Tampa, and more! | | |  | | | | We're helping you stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting your hometown — including sports — with Axios Local. See what cities are available now. | | | | | | 4. π Inside the NFL's media negotiations |  Data: Sports Business Journal; Table: Axios Visuals The NFL's TV deals expire after the 2021 and 2022 seasons, so the league has begun negotiating extensions with NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN. Driving the news: ESPN, which is the only network whose deal expires after next season, has balked at the NFL's early demands, per Sports Business Journal's John Ourand. - The NFL asked for $3.5 billion per year for "Monday Night Football," which would be a 75% increase over ESPN's current rate.
- ESPN countered with $2.4 billion per year, a 20% increase.
Between the lines: Disney, which owns ESPN and ABC, is asking for double-header Monday night games, with one on ABC, per CNBC's Alex Sherman. Of note: The NFL wants to add an 18th week as soon as next season, which would mean an extra game for each broadcast partner. | | | | | | | | 5. π When "The System" fails |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | The Greenville University men's basketball team uses a fast-paced, high-scoring style of play known simply as "The System," Jeff writes. The problem: This year, the system is failing the tiny, D-III program in central Illinois. The Panthers have yet to win a game and are allowing a comical 156 points per contest. Results: Greenville has played just seven games due to COVID-19, and four were against D-I opponents. Still, these scores boggle the mind: - Samford (D-I): 99-174
- Kansas City (D-I): 97-138
- Murray State (D-I): 95-173
- Illinois State (D-I): 108-177
- DePauw (D-III): 102-148
- Concordia (NAIA): 101-135
- Spring Arbor (NAIA): 124-148
Screenshot: Google Maps The backdrop: David Arsenault developed "The System" in 1989 at D-III Grinnell College. - It worked beautifully, fostering an explosive offense and turning guys like Jack Taylor — who recorded 100-point games in consecutive seasons last decade — into folk heroes.
- Other schools have since replicated it, including Greenville, which scored 200 points last year in the highest-scoring D-III game ever.
How it works: The general idea is to apply a full-court press, constantly hunt for steals and shoot as much as possible. The core tenets: - Shoot as soon as you see an opening, with threes preferred over twos.
- Allowing uncontested layups is better than forcing a shot clock violation.
- Always double team the ball handler.
- Every player except the shooter crashes the offensive glass. If secured, the ball should immediately get kicked back out to the three point line.
Yes, but: Simple doesn't necessarily mean effective. For this system to work, you need good shooters and, ideally, more steals than turnovers. - That hasn't been the case for Greenville this season. Not even close.
- They've recorded nearly twice as many turnovers (147) as steals (88), while shooting an abysmal 27% from deep.
π Coming up ... Greenville plays Webster University tonight in the Panthers' first game in over a month. How will the system fare? | | | | | | | | 6. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images | | | | ⚾️ Pic du jour: Normally, this area between the Red Sox's two spring training fields would be bustling. But this year, no fans are allowed. π The Washington Football will change its name ahead of the 2022 season, and the process will be documented through a new website. ⚽️ Champions League: Chelsea beat AtlΓ©tico Madrid, 1-0; Bayern beat Lazio, 4-1. ... Today, 3pm ET: Atalanta vs. Real Madrid; MΓΆnchengladbach vs. Man City. ♟ Chess.com has quietly built a streaming empire on Twitch, where users watched 18.3 million hours of chess content in January — nearly as much as they consumed throughout 2019. Go deeper. πΏ Now streaming: "Pele" on Netflix. Highly recommend. I also thoroughly enjoyed this article. | | | | | | | | 7. π Look: High School All-Americans | | The 2021 McDonald's All-American game won't be played this year due to the pandemic, but the rosters were still unveiled on Tuesday.  Table: Axios Visuals Boys: Michigan leads the way with three signees in the game, while No. 1 prospect Chet Holmgren leads a group of six uncommitted prospects.  Table: Axios Visuals Girls: South Carolina leads the way with four signees in the game, while UConn and UNC have three each. | | | | | | | | 8. π Feb. 24, 1932: Land speed record at Daytona |  | | | Photo: ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images | | | | 89 years ago today, Sir Malcolm Campbell set a new land speed record in his signature Bluebird car, reaching 253.96 mph on the hard sands of Daytona Beach, Florida. Legacy: Campbell was hardly the only driver to speed his way along the sands of Daytona Beach, and by the late 1930s and 1940s, the 3.2-mile long course regularly hosted races. - After WWII, car repair shop owner Henry France — who'd helmed and participated in many of those races — saw the need for more organization to ensure drivers weren't getting grifted out of their earnings from promoters.
- By 1948, after numerous meetings at the nearby Streamline Hotel, France's idea became NASCAR.
- In 1959, the newly-built Daytona International Speedway hosted the inaugural Daytona 500.
π₯ Watch: Footage of Campbell's record drive (YouTube) | | | | | | | | 9. π NFL trivia |  | | | Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images | | | | Only two NFL teams have not had a QB selected to the Pro Bowl this century. - Question: Who are they?
- Hint: Same division.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. π₯ Tuesday's top plays |  | | | Olivier Giroud, my goodness! Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images | | | - ⚽️ Olivier Giroud!
- π Luka for the win!
- π What a block!
- π What a dunk!
- π What a deflection!
Watch all 5. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Local news for Denver, Tampa, and more! | | | | | | | | We're helping you stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting your hometown — including sports — with Axios Local. See what cities are available now. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Wear your seatbelt" Baker Trivia answer: Jets (last Pro Bowl QB was Vinny Testaverde in 1998) and Dolphins (Dan Marino in 1995) π Thanks for reading Axios Sports. Follow me on Twitter for updates throughout the day, and refer friends using your link below. | | Invite friends to follow Axios Sports Use your personal link to track how many readers you bring into the community  You currently have 00 referrals. Share with a friend For questions email referralsupport@axios.com. Participation in the Axios Sports Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the Axios Terms and Conditions of Use, which can be viewed here. | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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