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| Presented By Yieldstreet |
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| Axios Sports |
| By Kendall Baker ·Sep 24, 2021 |
| ๐ Happy Friday! Another sports-filled weekend is just around the corner. Today's word count: 1,199 words (5 minutes). Let's sports... |
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| 1 big thing: ⛳️ USA vs. Europe, Round 43 |
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| A view from the 11th hole of Whistling Straits. Photo: Gary Kellner/PGA of America via Getty Images |
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| The 43rd Ryder Cup has arrived, pitting the U.S. and Europe against each other on the shores of Lake Michigan, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write. How it works: 12 golfers per team battle for pride in a three-day, 28-match competition at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Haven, Wisconsin. - Scoring: Each match is worth a point, so 14.5 points wins. A 14-14 tie would see the defending champion (Europe) retain the Cup.
- Format: Rounds are match play, so holes won — rather than cumulative score — is what matters. Match types: Four-ball (two-on-two, everyone plays a ball, best score wins the hole), foursomes (two-on-two, teammates alternate shots) and singles.
Storylines: - Beware the endgame: Course designer Pete Dye, who passed away last year, likes to challenge golfers at the end of rounds. Keep an eye on Pinched Nerve, the par-3 17th, and Dyeabolical, the par-4 18th.
- Hometown favorites: Team USA is a -200 favorite, per Caesars, despite Europe winning nine of the last 12 Ryder Cups. The Americans have, however, won three of the past five on their home soil.
- World rankings: Team USA has 12 players ranked in the top 21 of the world golf rankings, while Team Europe only has four.
- Order vs. chaos: The Europeans appear calm, cool and collected, while the Americans must contend with the never-ending Brooks-Bryson saga and the pressure of having lost in 2018.
- Team bonding: Golfers usually compete as individuals, not on teams. To help build chemistry, captain Steve Stricker divided Team USA into four-man "pods" this week and had them do everything together.
What to watch: Carson Daly, the Tiger Woods of hosting music-related television shows, is giving a pep talk. This is big... Go deeper: |
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| 2. ⚾️ MLB snapshot: Nine days left |
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| The Cardinals (12 straight wins) might never lose again. Photo: John Fisher/Getty Images |
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| The MLB season ends in nine days, and the NL East, NL West and both Wild Card races should come down to the wire, Jeff writes. NL East: Atlanta's going for four straight division titles, Philly's looking for its first since 2011, and they play each other next week. - Braves (80-71): 3 at SD; 3 vs. PHI; 3 vs. NYM
- Phillies (79-74, 2 GB): 3 vs. PIT; 3 at ATL; 3 at MIA
NL West: It could take 105 games to win this division — and the loser could go home one game later thanks to the fickleness of the Wild Card. - Giants (99-54): 3 at COL; 3 vs. ARI; 3 vs. SD
- Dodgers (98-55, 1 GB): 3 at ARI; 3 vs. SD; 3 vs. MIL
NL Wild Card: The Cardinals' 12-game win streak couldn't have come at a better time — unless you're a Reds or Phillies fan. - Dodgers (98-55, +14.5)
- Cardinals (83-69): 4 at CHC; 3 vs. MIL; 3 vs. CHC
- Phillies (79-74, 4.5 GB)
- Reds (78-75, 5.5 GB): 3 vs. WSH; 1 vs. PIT; 2 at CWS; 3 at PIT
- Padres (77-75, 6 GB): 3 vs. ATL; 3 at LAD; 3 at SF
AL Wild Card: The Sox and Yanks begin a three-game series tonight at Fenway, with New York trailing Boston by two games for the top spot — and the Blue Jays breathing down their necks. - Red Sox (88-65, +2): 3 vs. NYY; 3 at BAL; 3 at WSH
- Yankees (86-67): 3 at BOS; 3 at TOR; 3 vs. TB
- Blue Jays (85-68, 1 GB): 3 at MIN; 3 vs. NYY; 3 vs. BAL
- Mariners (84-69, 2 GB): 3 at LAA; 3 vs. OAK; 3 vs. LAA
- Athletics (82-71, 4 GB): 3 vs. HOU; 3 at SEA; 3 at HOU
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| 3. ๐ Top 25 NBA players |
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| Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images |
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| The NBA season tips off in 25 days. To celebrate, here are my top 25 players in the league (excluding the injured Kawhi Leonard). - Kevin Durant
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- LeBron James
- Stephen Curry
- Nikola Jokiฤ
- Luka Donฤiฤ
- Joel Embiid
- Damian Lillard
- Anthony Davis
- James Harden
- Devin Booker
- Jayson Tatum
- Bradley Beal
- Paul George
- Chris Paul
- Trae Young
- Jimmy Butler
- Kyrie Irving
- Khris Middleton
- Donovan Mitchell
- Zion Williamson
- Bam Adebayo
- Jrue Holiday
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Ja Morant
Thoughts? DM me on Twitter or reply to this email, I'm ready to debate. |
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| A message from Yieldstreet |
| How to diversify your portfolio like the ultra-wealthy |
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| 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |
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| Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images |
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| ⚾️ Welcome back, Chris: Less than a month after he was struck by a 100-mph line drive that required facial surgery, A's starter Chris Bassitt returned to the mound Thursday and pitched three scoreless innings. ๐ฎ๐น Americans in Italy: Italy's oldest soccer team, Genoa, has been bought by Miami-based 777 Partners. Six of Serie A's 20 clubs are now American-owned (AC Milan, Fiorentina, Spezia, Roma, Venezia). ๐ Iowa's new sport: Iowa will become the first Power 5 school to offer women's wrestling. The team will start competing in 2023. |
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| 5. ⚽️ Standing could return to English soccer |
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| Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images |
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| Standing-only sections have been prohibited at English soccer games since the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, but the ban is being lifted, Jeff writes. The backdrop: Throngs of fans used to crowd into sloped, concrete areas for a cheaper, and often more fun matchday experience. - But the practice was outlawed in 1989 after 96 fans died in a human stampede at Hillsborough Stadium, a tragedy that haunts the nation.
- Now it's coming back, with new safety measures like folding seats and metal rails. Teams in England's top two divisions can apply now to add standing areas in January.
Fans being crushed at Hillsborough Stadium minutes before many of them died. Photo: David Cannon/Allsport ๐ Coming up: Manchester City vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 7:30am ET) headlines this weekend's Premier League slate — a rematch of the 2021 Champions League final. |
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| 6. ๐บ๐ธ America in photos |
| Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images HOUSTON — The good news for the Panthers? They beat the Texans, 24-9, to improve to 3-0. The bad news? They lost two of their biggest stars in RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) and CB Jaycee Horn (foot). Photo: Ron Vesely/Getty Images CLEVELAND — The White Sox clinched their first AL Central title in 13 years with a 7-2 win over the Indians on Thursday. This will be Tony La Russa's 15th trip to the postseason in his 35-year managerial career. Photo: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images PHOENIX — The Mercury survived the Liberty, 83-82, and the Sky cruised past the Wings, 81-64, in Round 1 of the WNBA playoffs. Round 2 is Sunday: No. 5 Mercury vs. No. 4 Storm; No. 6 Sky vs. No. 3 Lynx. |
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| 7. ๐ Sept. 24, 2006: A win for Heather |
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| Photo: Tom Jenkins/Getty Images |
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| 15 years ago today, Darren Clarke led Team Europe to an emotional Ryder Cup victory months after losing his wife, Heather, to cancer. Sports, man... |
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| 8. ๐ The Ocho: Red Bull Imagination |
| Courtesy: Red Bull Red Bull Imagination, a motocross competition featuring the world's best riders, just completed its second annual event in Fort Scott, Kansas. Courtesy: Red Bull Freeriding is a form of motocross that combines creativity with natural terrain, far removed from the mainstream racing scene. Courtesy: Red Bull 12 riders turned a newly-built course into their dream playground, with nine-time X Games medalist Axell Hodges taking the crown. ๐ฅ Watch: Highlights (YouTube) |
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| 9. ๐ NFL trivia |
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| Photo: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images |
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| With Justin Fields starting Sunday, the NFL will have four rookie first-round QBs starting in Week 3 for just the second time this century (2012). - Question: Who were the four QBs in 2012?
- Hint: Only one is still active.
Answer at the bottom. |
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| 10. ⚾️ Stat du jour: Full Nelson |
| Nellie Fox, 1955. Photo: Hulton Archives/Getty Images Joey Gallo needs 17 strikeouts in the Yankees' final nine games to achieve the "Full Nelson" — more HRs and Ks in a season than Hall of Famer Nellie Fox had in his entire 19-year career. - Gallo (2021): 38 HR, 200 strikeouts in 584 plate appearances
- Fox (1947-65): 35 HR, 216 strikeouts in 10,351 plate appearances
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| A message from Yieldstreet |
| Now you can invest like the ultra-wealthy |
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| Enjoy the weekend, Kendall "Come on Gallo, you got this" Baker Trivia answer: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden ๐ Thanks for reading. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter: @thekendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. |
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