| | | | | | | Presented By Vinovest | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Nov 01, 2022 | | π Happy Tuesday! Thanks to rain, there was no Sports Equinox last night after all. But now we get one on Thursday, and maybe another on Sunday. Today's word count: 1,649 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚾️ Rain shakes up World Series |  | | | Photo: Drew Hallowell/MLB Photos via Getty Images | | | | Game 3 of the World Series was postponed Monday due to rain in Philadelphia, pushing each game in the series back a day, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. The intrigue: This Thursday, originally an off day, will now feature Game 5 in Philly and Texans-Eagles in Houston for "Thursday Night Football." Quite a night for those two cities. The big picture: MLB intentionally avoided scheduling World Series games on Sunday, which belongs to the mighty NFL. Now, a potential Game 7 would go head-to-head with "Sunday Night Football." - That's not great news for TV ratings, which are fighting years of decline.
- Neither is the Thursday conflict, which will see plenty of viewers choose America's obsession over its pastime.
New schedule: All games are scheduled for 8:03pm ET on Fox. - Tuesday: Game 3 in Philadelphia
- Wednesday: Game 4 in Philadelphia
- Thursday: Game 5 in Philadelphia
- Saturday: Game 6 in Houston (if necessary)
- Sunday: Game 7 in Houston (if necessary)
Wild stat: Philly and Game 3s have a rain-soaked history, with interruptions in each of the last four Fall Classics they've hosted. - Game 3, 1993: Delayed by rain.
- Game 3, 2008: Delayed by rain.
- Game 3, 2009: Delayed by rain.
- Game 3, 2022: Postponed by rain.
State of play: Something's gotta give tonight, following the first World Series postponement since 2011. Philly is undefeated at home (5-0) this postseason, and Houston is undefeated on the road (3-0). Go deeper: Postponement could give Phillies pitching boost (WashPost) |     | | | | | | 2. π Average NHL team worth $1B |  Data: Sportico; Table: Axios Visuals The average NHL team is worth $1.01 billion, crossing the 10-figure mark for the first time, per Sportico's annual valuations. By the numbers: Average franchise value by league, per Sportico's latest valuations: - NFL: $4.14 billion (as of 2022)
- NBA: $2.58 billion (as of 2021)
- MLB: $2.31 billion (as of 2022)
State of play: Franchise valuations are surging across all sports leagues. Why? It's at least partially due to simple supply and demand, writes Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen. - "More billionaires are being produced every single year, and the supply of teams is relatively flat."
- "Another plus for these trophy assets: most turn profits now after years of just scraping by or losing money."
| | | | | | | | 3. π Two legends: Bill passes George |  | | | George Halas in 1961 and Bill Belichick in 2015. Photos: Lee Balterman/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images; Ronald Martinez/Getty Images | | | | Bill Belichick won his 325th career game on Sunday (including playoffs), passing Bears legend George Halas for second on the all-time list, Jeff writes. By the numbers: Belichick reached 325 victories in 485 games, while Halas needed 506 games to get to 324. - Nearly 10% of Belichick's victories have come in the postseason. His 31 playoff wins are a record — by a wide margin.
- In fact, the gap between Belichick and second-place Tom Landry (20 playoff wins) is equal to the gap between Landry and the six coaches tied for 19th.
The big picture: Halas was integral to the formation and evolution of the league that Belichick has since mastered. Halas (1920–67) ... The former college football star began running his company team — the Decatur Staleys — in 1920. Later that year, the Staleys became a founding member of the NFL, and by 1922 Halas had moved them to Chicago and renamed them the Bears. - "Papa Bear" was a player (until 1928), coach and owner in Chicago, and his family still owns the team nearly 40 years after his death in 1983.
- His legacy is everywhere, having pioneered many now-standard practices like film study and broadcasting games on radio.
Belichick (1991–present) ... He moved into coaching immediately after graduating from Wesleyan in 1975, spending 15 years in assistant or coordinator roles with the Colts, Lions, Broncos and Giants. - His first head coaching gig came with the Browns in 1991. Nine years later, after a few years as an assistant with the Patriots and Jets, Robert Kraft hired him in New England.
- Fun fact: Belichick was technically the Jets' head coach twice (1997 and 1999), but never coached a game for them.
Between the lines: Despite coaching during vastly different eras, the two men share quite a few similarities, including their no-nonsense demeanor. But their biggest similarities are their football genius and innovativeness. - Halas perfected the T-formation in the 1930s, which was the first to feature the QB taking the snap from under center and deciding to drop back or hand it off. That fueled his Bears to their historic 73-0 championship victory in 1940.
- Belichick is constantly zigging while the rest of the league zags through both roster-building and schemes. It's how he built a dynasty in a league designed for parity. And yes, Tom Brady helped, too.
Where it stands: Belichick, 70, is 23 victories away from passing Don Shula (347 wins) for the most in NFL history. | | | | | | | | A message from Vinovest | | How to invest in wine | | |  | | | | Vinovest pairs master sommeliers with thousands of data points to build you a robust investment portfolio of wines. What's in it for you: Fine wine has returned 10.6% per year over the past 30 years, outperforming the global equities market during the same span. Join 150,000+ users | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Logos: Courtesy of the XFL | | | | π XFL 3.0 reveal: The eight teams for 2023: Arlington Renegades, D.C. Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Orlando Guardians, San Antonio Brahmas, Seattle Sea Dragons, St. Louis Battlehawks, Vegas Vipers. ⚾️ A's latest: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred isn't confident that Oakland will be able to keep the Athletics from relocating. "It just doesn't look like it's going to happen," he said. ⚽️ Ukraine wants Iran ban: Ukraine has called on FIFA to ban Iran from the World Cup, citing the country's alleged support of Russia in the ongoing war. π Roquan to Ravens: The Ravens traded a second- and fifth-round pick in 2023 to the Bears on Monday for LB Roquan Smith, who leads the NFL with 86 tackles. | | | | | | | | 5. π Another "meh" primetime NFL game | | Source: Giphy The Browns beat the Bengals, 32-13, in a blowout on "Monday Night Football." You're forgiven if you fell asleep. The big picture: A startling number of NFL primetime games this season have been either non-competitive or just plain boring. - MNF: The average margin of victory has been 12.8 points, and only one game has seen both teams score 20+ points (Chiefs 30, Raiders 29).
- SNF: The average margin of victory has been 10.1 points, and the tightest game was an 11-10 snoozer between the Broncos and 49ers.
- TNF: The average margin of victory has been a respectable 6.9 points, but fans are still scarred from back-to-back 12-9 and 12-7 games a few weeks ago.
| | | | | | | | 6. π More heartbreak for Hamlin |  Data: FiveThirtyEight, Racing Reference; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios "Best to never win a championship" is a classic sports debate, and Denny Hamlin just took another step towards holding that ignominious title, Jeff writes. By the numbers: Among drivers without a NASCAR Cup Series title, Hamlin's 48 wins are the second-most ever, and his average finish (13.2) is the best since the modern era began in 1972 (min. 200 races), per FiveThirtyEight. The latest: Even for someone who's made a habit of falling just short — with eight career top-five finishes, including four straight — Sunday's heartbreak was especially cruel. - Hamlin was moments away from qualifying for the championship race, but Ross Chastain used one of the craziest moves ever to pass him at the last minute and steal his spot in the final four.
- Seriously, watch that again: See the No. 11 FedEx car that Chastain passes about 50 yards from the finish line? That's Hamlin. That's the difference between moving on and going home.
The big picture: Hamlin, 41, isn't finished yet, but he may have just missed his last best chance at winning that elusive championship: He's roughly the age when drivers' performance often falls off a cliff. | | | | | | | | 7. π The world in photos | | L to R: Daria Kasatkina, Maria Sakkari, Iga ΕwiΔ
tek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka, Caroline Garcia. Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images FORTH WORTH, Texas — The top eight singles players pose with the Billie Jean King trophy ahead of the 2022 WTA Finals, which began Monday. Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Image ST. GEORGE, Utah — An aerial view of bikers during the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Photo: Dustin Satloff/International Skating Union via Getty Images MISSISSAUGA, CANADA — Australia's Holly Harris and Jason Chan perform during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images GOTLAND, Sweden — Over 3,000 riders competed in the 38th Gotland Grand National, the world's biggest enduro motorcycle race. | | | | | | | | 8. πΊ Watchlist: Group D showdown |  | | | The Orange VΓ©lodrome, home of Olympique Marseille. Photo: Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images | | | | The final matchday of the Champions League group stage kicks off today, headlined by two games in Group D, where all four teams are still alive. - Sporting vs. Frankfurt (4pm ET, Paramount+): Both advance with a win, while Sporting could also advance with a draw as long as Marseille doesn't beat Tottenham.
- Marseille vs. Tottenham (4pm, Paramount+): Tottenham is through with a win or draw, while Marseille needs a win.
Where it stands: 12 teams have already advanced to the Round of 16, and the fate of four others — AC Milan, Salzburg, Leipzig and Shakhtar — will be determined when they play tomorrow. More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. π NBA trivia |  | | | Photo: Ronald Cortes/Getty Images | | | | DeMar DeRozan scored his 20,000th point on Friday, becoming the seventh active NBA player to reach that mark. - Question: Who are the other six?
- Hint: Four guards, two forwards.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. ⛳️ 1 island thing: What a hole |  | | | Photo: Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour via Getty Images | | | | This past weekend's Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was played at Thailand's Amata Spring Country Club, which features an epic island green on the par-3 17th hole. State of play: With a Masters bid on the line, players had to take a literal boat to the green, which can't be reached any other way. Naturally, the hole ended up playing a key role in the outcome. Me looking at that green... - In my dreams: I flush my iron, land my ball three feet from the pin, barely react because it's not even a big deal, and spend the boat ride admiring the scenery and feeling like the absolute legend that I am.
- In reality: I splash my ball in the water because I forgot to make the adjustment I'd been making perfectly on the range, then skip the boat ride altogether and bail on the hole out of rage. "I'll be in the cart."
| | | | | | | | A message from Vinovest | | An asset proven to protect your portfolio during recessions | | |  | | | | Stop letting turbulent markets wreak havoc on your wallet. How it's done: With Vinovest, diversify and protect your wealth with fine wine. Not only has fine wine outperformed the S&P 500 over the past four recessions, but it also has a fraction of the risk and volatility. Uncork your wealth today. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Smile, Bill!" Baker Trivia answer: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry π Have a great day! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Bryan McBournie for copy edits. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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