Tag: good odds

Shams Charania’s conflict of interest keeps swinging NBA gambling markets shams,charania,s,conflict,of,interest,keeps,swinging,nba,gambling,markets,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-free-agency

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Sports reporting has been irrevocably changed by insiders. Our 24-hour, social media-fueled society values being first over being right, and that necessitates a power dynamic in which insiders have agents on speed-dial, willing to share carefully crafted talking points over independent reporting.

It’s part of a job where insiders trade blows over scoops like a prize fight — constantly living in terror that missing a scoop will put them a step behind in the dominance race. The far too cozy relationship insiders have with agents and teams has led to them being classified in their own employment class, far away from the word “journalism.” That is even murkier now there’s significant financial stakes in their scoops, especially when the biggest names in news-breaking also have agreements with sports gambling companies.

NBA insider Shams Charania, who lists FanDuel as an employer on his LinkedIn, has been at the forefront of questions over his scoops — and this time it’s based on a tweet about Paul George ahead of the NBA Draft.

Only 11 days later, the Sixers signed George to a four-year, $212M deal. While it’s certainly possible the team just changed their mind, there’s strong reporting to the contrary. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne wrote a detailed account of Philadelphia’s pursuit of George, and at no point does it contain any of the “waning interest” that Shams tweeted out. In fact, Shelburne’s story indicates that the Sixers were so desperate for George that there was intense anxiety inside the organization that someone might jump them for his services, and their quest to land the All Star was “months” in the making.

“The LA Clippers star had always been Philadelphia’s No. 1 option, but before the Sixers could meet with him, they had to wait for him to actually become a free agent. For weeks they heard rumors that the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors would try to jump ahead of them by trading for George. For months they monitored the Clippers’ ongoing negotiations with George on an extension and wondered if they’d find a way to keep him in his hometown and continue his partnership with Kawhi Leonard.”

So, who are the “sources” that Shams spoke of when he reported that the Sixers were no longer interested? If he were a journalist we’d never ask him to divulge his sources because that’s one of the principles of journalism — but insiders have always been careful to never refer to themselves as “journalists” because of the grey area they operate in by being willing mouthpieces for those in power.

That makes it fair game to question who exactly told Shams the Sixers were cool on George? It speaks to the motivations of insider reporting, especially in light of the vast amount of money being wagered on sports betting, including futures bets on who will win the NBA title.

It’s also especially eyebrow-raising when the top reply to Shams’ tweet about the Sixers not being interested in Paul George is from FanDuel Sportsbook, bemoaning that we’ll never see Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey play together.

This report appears to have had a mammoth effect on gambling markets. As our own Liberty Ballers wrote, the futures odds on the Sixers to win the NBA Championship were impacted very heavily by the prospects of the team signing Paul George:

  • Sixers odds with Paul George rumors: +1000
  • Shams tweets the Sixers are “waning”: +1400
  • George signs with the Sixers: +800

So, in its most simple terms: Shams, who is partnered with a betting company, tweeted out something with no tangible source, it was parroted as fact by that betting company — causing futures odds to plummet, up until the point the team actually signed George.

The worst part is that it’s not the first time this has happened. Every shred of reporting from local and national journalists indicated that the Charlotte Hornets would select Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft — but hours before Shams had a “scoop” that nobody else did.

This led to massive shifts in betting markets, with so much money moving to Henderson as the No. 2 pick that he became the runaway favorite. After the draft it was apparent that Miller was always the Hornets’ guy, with there being very little debate over whether Henderson should be picked No. 2.

It led to major backlash from the sports betting community, who questioned whether Shams had an ulterior motive in trying to break the news, especially in light of his personal agreement with betting giant FanDuel. The company was also pressured to release a statement, saying FanDuel has no knowledge of Shams’ reports prior to him posting.

It doesn’t necessarily matter what the motivation for the tweet by Shams was when we know the effect. Whether it was manufactured to adjust betting lines or Shams was used by the Sixers to hide their intentions is immaterial, because people took his “reporting” as gospel, just as they did with the Scoot Henderson news last year.

If we look at this in the most positive light imaginable, that Shams was once again being used as a tool by a team, then it’s right to question a “first not best” style that rushes to parrot anything he’s told, whether or not it makes sense or contradicts previous reports. Even the most green reporter out of journalism school would get a tip like this and work to vet the info before sharing it, just to make sure they don’t mislead people.

Insiders continue to be happy to mislead people, however. After all, they’re very careful to ensure they don’t call themselves “journalists,” because that would open them up to annoying things like “standards” and “ethics.”

Astros had another moment on road vs. Mets that I cannot stop thinking is destiny astros,had,another,moment,on,road,vs,mets,that,i,cannot,stop,thinking,is,destiny,sbnation,com,front-page,mlb

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The Houston Astros are going to win the World Series. This is a fact.

You can be mad if you want to, but I am merely the messenger for this Very Important information. Consider that destiny has smiled upon them in the exact same way that it did the last time they hoisted the coveted piece of metal.

Confused? I got you.

The Astros beat the Mets on the road on June 29th and that means a lot

Cards on the table here I am a Houston Astros fan. I cover the Dallas Cowboys here at SB Nation (shout out to Blogging The Boys the GOAT) and that upsets people. Yes, last year’s ALCS was very awkward for me. This is who I am and you will accept me for that or else (I don’t really have an else in mind).

To the point I loved the 2022 Houston Astros because they won the World Series. That season was such vindication and sweet sports honey in every single way and a big part of the journey was a summer trip that took them to New York for road series contests against both the Yankees and Mets.

At the time the New York teams were the most dominant in baseball and yours truly had a great time tweeting about the Astros rolling through Queens and the Bronx relatively untouched. Also let me remind you like my tweet does that Houston’s trip through New York then featured a combined no-hitter from the team led by Cristian Javier, a feat they would replicate in the World Series against the Phillies.

THIS BRINGS US TO JUNE 29TH. OF 2022.

Why does that day matter so much? I’m so glad you asked.

Wednesday, June 29th, 2022 was the final day of that particular Astros/Mets series and it was kind of a super boring game. I remember it very well.

But why do I remember it well? You see in the top of the ninth inning Jason Castro hit a two-run homer for the game’s first runs. Houston won 2-0 and Castro didn’t play at all the rest of that season. My guy walked it off in epic fashion.

You obviously know (because I told you) that the Astros would go on to win the World Series that year and did so against the Phillies as mentioned. Beating Philadelphia was significant as it put an end to Houston’s inability to take down NL East teams in the playoffs (aka the World Series). 2019 saw the Astros lose to the Washington Nationals and 2021 the Atlanta Braves… the NL East was terrifying and the break in the dam was first made by Castro with his home run against the Mets.

I recognize that this is silly but this is sports where things like this matter a lot and basically determine history. These are the rules, I didn’t make them. The June 29th win on the road against the Mets served as the catalyst for the Astros in a significant way that season.

THIS BRINGS US TO JUNE 29TH. OF 2024.

You will recall that last week featured the Yankees and Mets tangoing with one another in the latest edition of the Subway Series. Both New York teams are hot. Things aren’t quite as intense in that sense as they were two years ago, but they are the relative toast of MLB’s town.

The Astros visited Queens last weekend riding a 7-game winning streak themselves which saw them get to .500 for the first time this season (lol). Momentum was up and a loss on Friday night was no big deal given that we are still on the front side of the All-Star break.

Houston and New York squared off on Saturday, June 29th with the Astros looking for a win and unfortunately they fell down early and things were looking rather bleak. This is when a Crazy Sports Thing happened that is clearly and undeniably this year’s Jason Castro moment.

At the top of the eighth inning the Astros were trailing 4-6 and looked set to fall a couple of games below .500. It was a tough scene. Jake Meyers and Jeremy Peña both walked, but then Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubón upped the pressure by failing to do anything. Jake and Jeremy both advanced to put runners on second and third.

This is when My New Guy entered in Trey Cabbage. Pinch-hitting in a big spot, Cabbage needed to do something special in order to keep this rally alive.

Do you ever wonder how certain things happen in sports? Not amazing things, dumb things.

With a full count Cabbage took a pitch for a ball… that the umpire improperly counted. Seriously. We are making counting errors in the year 2024. He mistakenly called it ball 3.

Cabbage was able to rightfully take first base and shortly after a wild pitch sent Jake Meyers home to narrow the deficit to a single run. Jose Altuve walked to load the bases again and then Alex Bregman broke it open. Houston added to their lead in the top of the ninth for more breathing room and got back to .500 on the season.

Baseball is notorious for producing wild and crazy things and these two happened on the same day between the same two teams in the exact same spot on earth. Destiny!

In case you aren’t already convinced… what if I told you that this year’s win in 2024 (the Trey Cabbage game) at Citi Field was the first time that the Astros won there since the 2022 game with Jason Castro?????

THE HOUSTON ASTROS ARE GOING TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES AGAIN.

JaMarcus Russell facing lawsuit over missing donation to high school football program  jamarcus,russell,facing,lawsuit,over,missing,donation,to,high,school,football,program,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl

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Former first-overall NFL Draft selection JaMarcus Russell is facing a lawsuit over a check written to him in the summer of 2022, and allegations that the former NFL quarterback misappropriated donation funds for weight-room equipment at the school where Russell was a football coach for his benefit.

As first reported by WKRG it is alleged that Russell approached Chris Knowles seeking a donation for the football program at his alma mater, Williamson High School, where the former LSU passer was a volunteer coach. According to court documents obtained by WKRG and reviewed by SB Nation Knowles wrote a check to the retired quarterback, which he deposited at Navigator Credit Union (NCU) in July of 2022.

According to Simone Eli of WKRG, Knowles stopped payment on the $74,000 check when “ … Russell wouldn’t provide a receipt of the donation and quit returning his phone calls.” NCU then filed a Complaint against Russell in the Circuit Court for Mobile County in March of 2023, alleging that Russell breached the terms and conditions of his demand deposit account. Specifically, NCU alleges that Russell “ … breached the agreement by failing or refusing to comply with its payment terms and conditions and by specifically drawing a check on his account with [NCU] for which payment was stopped.”

The lawsuit filed by NCU against Russell — Case No. CV-2023-900559.00 — is seeking $56,826.08 in specific damages, plus “attorney fees, punitive damages, and costs.”

Russell, in his Answer to the Complaint which was obtained by WKRG and reviewed by SB Nation, generally denied the allegations set forth by NCU in the lawsuit. While admitting that he deposited the check, Russell, through counsel, asserted that he did not stop payment on the check. Russell has also demanded “strict proof” of the allegations set forth by NCU in their Complaint.

Furthermore, Russell has since filed a Third-Party Complaint against Knowles and Selwonk Enterprises, asserting that Knowles “ … stopped payment on the check causing substantial losses” to the retired QB.

The matter is set for a trial in October of this year.

According to WKRG Russell lost his volunteer position with Williamson High School last fall. “JaMarcus Russell was relieved of his volunteer coaching duties at Williamson High School during the fall of last year,” Mobile County Public School officials confirmed to WKRG.

WKRG also reports that Williamson High School “never saw any of the money.”

Rickie Fowler, PGA Tour players lurking for survival, spot in playoffs rickie,fowler,pga,tour,players,lurking,for,survival,spot,in,playoffs,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

There are six normal events, a major championship and the Olympics until the FedEx Cup Playoffs are here. Only the Top 70 get into the Aug. 15-18 FedEx St. Jude Championship.

While there is still plenty of time to gain much-needed FedEx Cup points, the clock is ticking for some of these guys.

Last year, the PGA Tour moved the playoff number from 125 to 70 for its first event. From there, only the Top 50 survive to play in the BMW Championship. To cap off the three-week playoff, the top 30 make it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta, where a FedEx Cup champion will emerge.

Let’s take a way too early look at those on the outside looking in that need a solid finish to the regular season so they can live to fight another day in the playoffs.

Notable PGA Tour Players outside the Top 70

*as of July 1, 202

— Nicolai Højgaard (No.74)
— Justin Rose (No. 75)
— Keith Mitchell (No. 76)
— Nick Dunlap (No.87)
— Rickie Fowler (No. 93)
— Joel Dahmen (No. 103)
— Daniel Berger (No. 123)
— Webb Simpson (No. 131)
— Matt Kuchar (No. 140)

These are just a handful of players that will currently not make the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Rickie Fowler could miss the playoffs if he does not go on a solid run in the next few weeks. He has just two Top 25s on the season and has missed five cuts in 18 starts.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy finished T31 last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Fowler finally got his second Top 25 at the Travelers as he was T20.

His best finish came at the RBC Heritage, a T18.

Nicolai Højgaard is another name that is interestingly outside the Top 70. He has a runner-up finish, a top 10, and two top 25s. The former Ryder Cup member has missed five cuts this season, though.

He has not completed a tournament inside the Top 20 since the Masters, where he was T16. Since that week, Højgaard missed three cuts, and his best finish came at the RBC Canadian Open in a T35.

However, he is still close enough with a strong stretch of golf and could see himself in Memphis for that first playoff event.

Justin Rose, who is ranked No. 75, is another who could make the playoffs.

It has not been the Englishman’s best season, with just one Top 10 and two Top 25s. He did finish T6 at the PGA Championship but missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

There is a lot of golf left for players to earn FedEx Cup points and a spot in the playoffs. Nonetheless, time is not on these golfers’ side, as they need a momentum boost to push their way into the Top 70.

ICYMI: Top stories across professional golf

Check out these stories:

U.S. Senior Open: Golfer makes mind blowing consecutive holes-in-one that will make your jaw drop

Cameron Davis wins Rocket Mortgage Classic thanks to Akshay Bhatia’s 3-putt

Former World No. 1s Ruoning Yin, Atthaya Thitikul prevail in LPGA team event

DP World Tour’s Italian Open sees ‘Comeback King’ Marcel Siem triumph in playoff

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Akshay Bhatia leads tournament, best dressed players

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

U.S. Senior Open final round suspended due to bad weather u,s,senior,open,final,round,suspended,due,to,bad,weather,sbnation,com,golf,golf-champions-tour,golf-news

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A little after 3:00 p.m. ET, the United States Golf Association (USGA) suspended play at the U.S. Senior Open as dangerous storms rolled into the Newport, Rhode Island area.

Tournament officials tried to get ahead of the weather, scheduling final round tee times to begin at 8:20 a.m. ET. But fog delayed play by two hours, putting the field in Mother Nature’s hands.

The USGA also hoped to resume the final round on Sunday, but storms dampened the course, and humid conditions called for more thundershowers later in the evening. As a result, the USGA called the shot to restart the final round on Monday morning, but an official starting time is TBD. The forecast calls for more rain in Rhode Island on Monday afternoon.

Hiroyuki Fujita holds a three-shot lead over LIV Golf’s Richard Bland, as Fujita sits at 16-under. Richard Green is 12-under, while Steve Stricker, the 2019 U.S. Senior Open champion, is at 11-under.

Players faced challenging conditions during the final round as a stiff breeze blew off the Atlantic Ocean and across Newport Country Club. But the one contender who thrived on Sunday was Bland, who won the Senior PGA Championship last month at Harbor Shores in Michigan. Bland birdied his first three holes to soar into contention and was 4-under through 10 holes when officials called players off the golf course. He owned one of the best rounds on Sunday, as only Ernie Els had a better day. The South African is 5-under through 15 holes but 10 back of Fujita.

The leaderboard follows below:

1. Hiroyuki Fujita -16 (10)
2. Richard Bland -13 (10)
3. Richard Green -12 (10)
4. Steve Stricker -10 (10)
T5. Vijay Singh -7 (15)
T5. Paul Stankowski -7 (10)
T5. Bob Estes -7 (10)
T8. Ernie Els -6 (15)
T8. Stephen Ames -6 (14)
T8. Thongchai Jaidee -6 (12)
T11. Padraig Harrington -5 (14)
T11. Y.E. Yang -5 (12)
T11. Steven Alker -5 (11)

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

LPGA: Dow Championship sees pair of former World No. 1s win title lpga,dow,championship,sees,pair,of,former,world,no,s,win,title,sbnation,com,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

LPGA Dow Championship sees pair of former World No 1s
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Although Nelly Korda currently occupies the top spot in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, Ruoning Yin and Atthaya Thitikul looked like the best players on the planet on Sunday.

Yin and Thitikul, both 21, briefly held the World No. 1 moniker last fall but have since given that distinction to Korda. Yet, these two players, who hail from China and Thailand, respectively, carded an 8-under 62 in best ball format to win the Dow Championship by one.

The Dow Championship is not unlike the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour, which employs a two-man format with two rounds of Alternate Shot and two rounds of Best Ball. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won this year’s event at TPC Louisiana, marking McIlroy’s 25th career win on the PGA Tour and Lowry’s third.

Ruoning Yin (left) and Atthaya Thitikul (right) Thailand take a selfie with the trophy after winning the Dow Championship.
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Sunday’s win for Yin and Thitikul marked their third career LPGA victory, as they defeated 54-hole leaders Jennifer Kupcho and Ally Ewing by a stroke.

Kupcho and Ewing began Sunday’s final round at 15-under, while Yin and Thitikul sat at 14-under. The Americans went on to shoot a 6-under 64, but it was not enough. Kupcho and Ewing made pars over the final three holes, while Thitikul stuffed one inside of 10 feet on the par-3 18th hole. She then made the birdie putt for her and Yin, which proved to be the difference in the end.

The LPGA will have one week off before the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major of the season. France’s Celine Boutier won this title last year at the Evian Resort Golf Club, which sits along Lake Geneva on the French-Swiss border. Surely, Yin and Thitkul will arrive in France for the Amundi Evian Championship as two of the favorites.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

F1 Austrian Grand Prix results: George Russell’s victory caps off three stunning weeks for Mercedes f,austrian,grand,prix,results,george,russell,s,victory,caps,off,three,stunning,weeks,for,mercedes,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one

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“It’s not over, until it’s over.’

Those were the words of Mercedes driver George Russell, as he spoke with his team just moments after taking the checkered flag at the Austrian Grand Prix in stunning fashion. One might be excused for believing there was some bewilderment behind Russell’s comment, given how the race stood just minutes prior. Russell was running in third, behind the climactic fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, but he kept himself in striking distance, giving himself a chance to capitalize if something happened at the front.

Something did happen, a collision between Norris and Verstappen that ended the McLaren driver’s day and saw Verstappen limp back to the pits with a puncture of his own. The door was open for Russell, and the British driver barged through, capturing the second Grand Prix win of his Formula 1 career, and the first for Mercedes this season.

“It was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race,” said Russell to David Coulthard trackside immediately following his stunning victory. “The team has worked so hard, we’ve made so many strides since the start of the season. The last three races have been incredible, and there’s more to come … what an exciting time for us.”

Indeed it is an exciting time for the Silver Arrows. Mercedes struggled out of the gate this season, and arrived in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix just a few short weeks ago languishing in fourth place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings.

They were a staggering 180 points behind first-place Red Bull, and 156 points behind Ferrari.

But then came signs of life. The first signs came at the Canadian Grand Prix when Russell captured pole position, and while he could not hold off at the front of the race he secured the team’s first Grand Prix podium of the year with a third-place finish, to go with a second place from Lewis Hamilton in the F1 Sprint Race at the Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton matched Russell’s P3 with one of his own in Barcelona.

Then came Sunday.

With Russell’s win and a fourth-place finish from Lewis Hamilton — along with their results from Saturday’s F1 Sprint Race — Mercedes banked another 45 points in the standings. Making them the hottest team on the grid over those three race weekends.

Here is what the teams at the top of the grid have done over this period:

Red Bull: 79
McLaren: 84
Ferrari: 39
Mercedes: 100

That has seen Mercedes cut not only into Red Bull’s lead over them, but pull to within 95 points of Ferrari up in second place.

A stunning turnaround for the Silver Arrows.

“Incredible! That’s the only way I can describe it. We had a tough fight in the early stages to make sure we held on to P3. That would prove crucial at the end,” said Norris in the team’s post-race report. “I could see that Max [Verstappen] and Lando [Norris] were having a big battle. We were only just over ten seconds behind the pair of them, which is really encouraging pace-wise.

“I knew there was a possibility that they could come together, even if it was only a slim chance. You have to be there at the end to pick up the pieces and that’s exactly where we were. I am so proud to be back on the top step of the podium.”

“It is a great feeling to get back on to the top step of the podium. It is a fantastic reward for the hard work and efforts of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth. We have taken good steps forward in recent races, and we are excited about what is still to come,” described Team Principal Toto Wolff. “We knew our outright pace today wouldn’t quite be enough to challenge for victory. We therefore made sure we [maximized] our race and were able to pick up the pieces, should anything happen. We enjoyed some good fortune but that is motor racing.”

On the other side of the garage Hamilton — whose fourth-place finish added another 12 points to that tally for the team — hailed the effort these past few weeks from the entire organization.

“Congratulations to George and the team. Everyone at Brackley and Brixworth really deserves this result,” offered Hamilton. “They have worked so hard to bring performance to the car and we are starting to get us closer and closer to the very front. We put in so much effort so to get a result like this is a well-deserved reward for everyone’s efforts.”

The grid now shifts home for Mercedes, for next weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. While the fight at the front — and the collision between Norris and Verstappen that opened the door for Russell in the first place — will likely dominate the headlines the surge from Mercedes is absolutely worthy of note.

A year ago it was McLaren who pulled off a surge of their own, rocketing up the Constructors’ Championship to ultimately finish fourth. Their turnaround showed its first signs of life in Austria, where Russell just captured Mercedes’ first win of the season.

The Silver Arrows showed their own signs of a turnaround a few weeks earlier than that. So it might be fair to ask: Just how high can Mercedes climb this year?

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Will Zalatoris suddenly withdraws mid-round rocket,mortgage,classic,will,zalatoris,suddenly,withdraws,mid,round,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Will Zalatoris came into Saturday’s round at 7-under and just six shots off the Rocket Mortgage Classic leaders.

However, after eight holes, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon withdrew from the tournament. Zalatoris was 3-over through eight when he chose to pull out.

The PGA Tour communications team cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal. However, CBS Sports analyst Amanda Balionis reported that Zalatoris’ hip caused him to withdraw from the tournament.

He told her he felt a “pop” in his hip on his “good side.” Zalatoris told her he felt like playing four weeks in a row caught up to him. The No. 42 golfer in the world played in the Memorial, U.S. Open, and Travelers Championship.

His agent, Allen Hobbs, released a statement about Zalatoris’ departure, per Jeanna Trotman, a Detroit sports anchor.

“Will experienced some discomfort after a swing today and out of utmost precaution, made the tough decision to withdraw,” the statement read. “It’s important that he listens to his body and gets some rest. He hates to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and looks forward to getting back out on the course soon.

He has won one PGA Tour event in his short career — the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. Zalatoris had a microdiscectomy in April 2023 for herniated disks in his back, which caused him to sit out the remainder of the season.

Zalatoris cited earlier this year that Tiger Woods helped him cope with the back injury during his rehab.

The Dallas resident played in 15 events this season and made 11 cuts. He finished tied ninth at The Masters but has not finished inside the top 40 in the eight starts since. Zalatoris withdrew from the Byron Nelson in March when the back injury flared up, so this is not the first time he has chosen to be safe about it.

It is uncertain when his next event will be, but it seems the choice to withdraw was precautionary.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

UFC 303: 30 tidbits, facts and storylines for Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 ufc,tidbits,facts,and,storylines,for,alex,pereira,vs,jiri,prochazka,sbnation,com,front-page,mma,ufc,ufc-events-ppv

UFC 303 30 tidbits facts and storylines for Alex Pereira
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After an entertaining UFC Saudi Arabia event in which Robert Whittaker showed Ikram Aliskerov that there are “levels” to mixed martial arts (MMA), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns home to Las Vegas, Nev., for its massive yearly International Fight Week event, UFC 303.

In the pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight championship against Jiri Prochazka. In the co-main event, two-time Featherweight title challenger, Brian Ortega, takes on surging Diego Lopes (in a 155-pound showdown).

UFC 303 has several fun fights, and the atmosphere should be incredible because it is a giant card. So, before it all goes later this evening (Sat., June 29, 2024) on PPV and ESPN/ESPN+, let’s checkout some random storylines, tidbits, and statistics ahead of showtime.

Pain.

You all know by now that UFC 303 was supposed to be the highly-anticipated return of Conor McGregor. However, a toe injury ruined everything (seriously). Now, everyone has to wait longer for McGregor versus Michael Chandler, which hopefully will go down later this year.

Rematch

Pereira vs. Prochazka are running it back this weekend, and let’s be honest, they can fight every two weeks and fight fans will be just fine. The two light heavyweights first met inside the iconic arena Madison Square Garden at UFC 295 for the interim 205-pound championship. “Poatan” knocked out Prochazka in the second round.

Kind Of Short Notice …

Yes, Pereira vs. Prochazka is a short-notice fight. They were planned to collide in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, over Israel Adesnya vs. Dricus Du Plessis in August. So, they knew about the matchup and were training for each other, although Pereira was in Australia when he signed the contract.

Win-Win

Pereira is in the ultimate win-win scenario. Not only is he even more of a legend for helping UFC once again (more on that soon), but MMAmania.com has heard, per sources, that he is granted an immediate rematch in New York City later this year if he loses.

Phenomenal ‘Poatan’

Pereira’s Octagon run has been absolutely stunning thus far. In eight UFC fights, Pereira became a UFC champion in two divisions, headlined Madison Square Garden (twice), defeated four former UFC champions, headlined (and saved) UFC 300, and now he saved “International Fight Week.”

When you think about it, those accolades are genuinely incredible, especially since most of his combat sports career was in kickboxing.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

Jeez, Jiri

Pereira’s UFC accomplishments are unreal, but so is Prochazka’s UFC resume. Thus far, he is the only fighter to knockout Aleksandar Rakic and Volkan Oezdemir, submit Glover Teixeira, and finish former Bellator Light Heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov.

The guy is special.

Mexican Grapple-fest With Stakes

Ortega vs. Lopes is UFC 303’s new co-main event. The fight is one of the best matchups in the Featherweight division that could be made because both men are excellent grapplers and extremely exciting. On top of that, it very well could be for a No. 1 contender.

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway is the fight that should be made, but if that fight falls apart, the winner of Lopes vs. Ortega could step in. Or, they could wait around for the winner of Topuria vs. Holloway.

Weigh-In Day Change

During UFC 303’s early morning weigh-ins, UFC announced that Ortega vs. Lopes will now take place at Lightweight.

Ortega was planning on moving to the 155-pound division, but because of the short-notice call, he had his plans (and weight) on hold.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

To The Moon

Since Lopes entered UFC, he has been shot out of a rocket … and deservingly so. And with a win at UFC 303, he will go from No. 14 to No. 3 in the rankings.

Talk about a springboard.

While he lost his UFC debut to Movsar Evloev, he has finished everyone in since in the first round and is coming off a win at UFC 300 against Sodiq Yusuff.

Same Card Luck

Pereira and Lopes have been on the same card twice (UFC 295 and UFC 300), and both have received technical knockout finishes.

Switch-Up Mania

The featured bout between Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze looks completely different from what the initial bout was supposed to be.

Indeed, the original fight was former Light Heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill, taking on Khalil Rountree Jr. However, Rountree Jr. failed a drug test, so the fight was changed to Hill versus Carlos Ulberg. Next, Hill got injured, and then Smith stepped in, making it Smith vs. Ulberg. Well, Ulberg suffered an injury, and now the final matchup (knock on wood) is Smith vs. Dolidze.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

Moving Up

Dolidze will be moving back up to Light Heavyweight to face Smith.

10 vs. 10

Both Smith and Dolidze are ranked No. 10 in there respective divisions (Middleweight and Light Heavyweight).

Polar Bear In The Desert

UFC 303’s new main card (that is being held together with duct tape) looks pretty awesome; however, there is one fight that sticks out like a sore thumb: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Silva competed for a title in her last fight, but it was a horrible fight and performance.

No disrespect, but that women’s Bantamweight fight is not UFC 303 PPV main card-worthy, especially for “International Fight Week.” Two obvious fights could take its place: Talbott vs. Ghemmouri or Swanson vs. Fili.

‘MVP’ Gets His Shot

Michael “Venom” Page (MVP) will look to snag Ian Garry’s No. 7 Welterweight ranking later this evening to crack UFC’s Top 10 rankings.

“MVP” made a gigantic splash in the promotion when he upset Kevin Holland in his UFC debut earlier this year at UFC 299. He is riding a two-fight win streak.

Unappealing

Garry doesn’t care about his upcoming fight with “MVP.” At UFC 303 media day, he flat-out said, “I have no interest in it.” It makes sense because he was gunning for former three-time title challenger, Colby Covington.

Garry is fighting down in the rankings and was only taking the fight to stay active and compete on the same card as McGregor.

Welp.

Time Is A Construct

Garry made his professional mixd martial arts (MMA) debut on Feb. 16, 2019, the same night that Page fought Paul Daley at Bellator 216. Garry fought James Sheehan at Cage Warriors 101.

They both won.

Rebound

Joe Pyfer looks to rebound from his first UFC main event loss against Jack Hermansson. It was also his first “L” in the promotion. Pyfer had a rocket ship put on his back when he received a contract on Contender Series, and it still feels that way.

He is given a pretty picture-perfect matchup against Marc-Andre Barriault, and he should get a highlight-reel knockout and put himself back into the UFC Middleweight picture.

Triple Retirement?

Three UFC veterans could lay down their gloves in the Octagon on Saturday: Cub Swanson, Andrei Arlovski and/or Michelle Waterson.

Both Arlovski and Swanson are already 40 years old, and Waterson is 38. It just makes sense because it is “International Fight Week,” and they are fighting in front of a sold-out Las Vegas crowd. And Swanson has not fought in front of a crowd since before the global COVID-19 pandemic (an utter crime).

Arlovski is fighting Martin Buday, Waterson is fighting Gillian Anderson and Swanson is fighting Andre Fili, which should be a banger.

Time To Step Up, Kid

Payton Talbott is fighting outside the UFC Apex for the first time this weekend and is primed to be the one everyone talks about from the “Prelims.”

Talbott had the whole MMA world talking about him after he demolished Cameron Saaiman in his last outing earlier this year, and because of that, he got placed on UFC 303.

He holds an 88 percent finish rate and is one of the flashiest fighters in UFC at the moment.

Biggest Favorite Ever?

While Talbott isn’t the biggest betting favorite … yet — that belongs to Bo Nickal (-2200). But, by fight night, Talbott could surpass that if money keeps coming in on him. He is currently a -1600 favorite, by far the biggest favorite on UFC 303. He faces Yanis Ghemmouri.

Welcome To UFC!

Only one fighter makes his UFC debut this weekend, Rei Tsuruya (9-0). Tsuruya scored a UFC contract by winning the “Road To UFC” Flyweight finals (he finished Jiniushiyue).

Tsuruya holds an 88 percent finish rate with four knockouts and four submissions. He faces Carlos Hernandez.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Curtain Jerker

The first fight of UFC 303 is a banger as former Top 10 Bantamweight, Ricky Simon, takes on Vinicius Oliveira, who is coming off a “Knockout of the Year” contender.

While this fight definitely deserves to be higher on the card, the matchmakers know precisely what they’re doing: start UFC 303 off with a bang.

UFC 303 Fight Leader

The fighter with the most career fights competing at UFC 303 is Arlovski (57).

UFC 303 Fight Rookie

The fighter with the least amount of career fights competing at UFC 303 is Talbott (eight).

UFC 303 Knockout King

The fighter with the most amount of career knockouts competing at UFC 303 is Prochazka (26).

UFC 303 Submission Savant

The fighter with the most amount of career submissions competing at UFC 303 is Smith (15).

Winners And Losers

Thirteen fighters are coming off wins and 13 are coming off losses.

Multi-Divisions

Here are the divisions that will be on display this Saturday:

  • One Heavyweight fight
  • Two Light Heavyweight fights
  • One Middleweight fight
  • One Welterweight fight
  • Three Featherweight fights
  • Two Bantamweight fights
  • One Flyweight
  • One women’s Strawweight
  • One women’s Bantamweight

Beta Dog

According to DraftKings, the “biggest” underdog at UFC 303 is Ghemmouri at +900.

UFC 303 Poster

LIVE! Watch UFC 303 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

’McGREGOR-FREE MAIN EVENT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 29, 2024, without its biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor, after the Irish sports star delayed the “greatest comeback of all-time” because he broke his pinky toe (seriously). Coming the rescue once again is Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, agreeing to rematch former division champion, Jiri Prochazka, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. In UFC 303’s co-headliner, top-ranked Featherweight contender, Brian Ortega, will attempt to halt the rise of red-hot surging 145-pound prospect, Diego Lopes. UFC 303’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze and Ian Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page and so much more. It’s must-watch action! UFC 303 start time scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (Prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC 303 fight card and rumors click here.

Max Verstappen seizes victory in F1 Sprint at Austrian GP, but Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris made him earn it max,verstappen,seizes,victory,in,f,sprint,at,austrian,gp,but,oscar,piastri,and,lando,norris,made,him,earn,it,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one

On: By: admin


For the opening laps of Saturday’s F1 Sprint Race at the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen’s rear-view mirrors matched the color that filled the grandstands at the Red Bull Ring.

A whole lot of orange.

That orange in Verstappen’s rear-view mirrors, of course, was the color of both Oscar Piastri’s MCL38 and that of Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris. Over the first few laps of the race Norris was right on Verstappen’s rear wing, and the British driver managed to overtake Verstappen for the lead.

But only for a moment, because Verstappen took the lead back, and the battle between the two friends opened the door for Piastri to execute his attack, and when the dust settled it was Verstappen up in P1, with Piastri in second ahead of his teammate Norris:

And that is how the field finished, with Verstappen pulling away from the two McLarens at the end to capture victory in the F1 Sprint at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen once again handled the challenges that the field offered up to him, specifically the dual MCL38s of Piastri and Norris, fending them off as he has done so many times before throughout his already legendary Formula 1 career. His effort on Saturday showed that Verstappen remains in control when it comes to the Drivers’ Championship, as he gained two more points on Norris, his closest challenger.

But when it comes to the Constructors’ Championship, as we will discuss in a moment this was a solid session for McLaren. Verstappen and Red Bull remain the favorites in that fight as well, but the Woking-based team is coming, and coming fast. As Norris noted when speaking trackside with Alex Wurz, they could have even more for Red Bull on Sunday. “We’re there, and we can definitely give them a fight tomorrow,” said Norris after the F1 Sprint Race.

Whether Verstappen and Red Bull can fend them off in that Constructors’ fight is a much more open question.

Here are some quick winners and losers, as well as the full results, from Saturday’s F1 Sprint Race at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Winners: McLaren

Lando Norris led Saturday’s F1 Sprint Race for a brief moment, but the big points are handed out on Sunday.

And given where McLaren finished today — with Piastri in second and Norris behind him in third — the team is primed for an even bigger Grand Prix after what Norris called a “good load of points” in the F1 Sprint Race.

Norris’ late lunge by Verstappen will give his friend and budding rival a lot to think about in the overnight hours, which could create even more opportunities should the two lock horns again in the Grand Prix. But perhaps more importantly for McLaren is the fact that both Norris and Piastri demonstrated impressive race pace throughout the F1 Sprint on Saturday. Getting both Piastri and Norris on the podium saw McLaren add another 13 points to their account, inching them closer to both Ferrari and Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.

Piastri noted that haul when speaking with Alex Wurz trackside after the sprint. “Yeah, some things to look out for this afternoon and for tomorrow’s race, but we’ll definitely take the points,” described Piastri. “A really good haul compared to the other teams around us.”

All told, the 13 points for McLaren moved them four points closer to Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings, and seven points closer to second-place Ferrari. Those might not seem like massive numbers — and again the big points are handed on on Sunday — but in an F1 season that is looking tighter than ever, every single point counts.

Losers: Alpine

Both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly advanced to SQ3, and after a failure for Charles Leclerc in the closing minutes of that segment of F1 Sprint Qualifying, both Alpine drivers qualified ahead of Leclerc, putting Alpine in a position for points on Saturday.

They saw the session end without anything to show for their effort.

Both Alpines were shuffled back in the order, with Ocon coming across the line 11th and Gasly behind him in 12th. That might signal that when it comes to longer runs and race pace, Alpine still has some questions to answer.

In addition, there were a few close calls between the teammates as they wound around Red Bull Ring, moments that probably saw Team Principal Bruno Famin’s heart rate spike a bit, given what happened at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix just a few short weeks ago.

Those moments also led to the producers on F1TV cutting to Famin watching on … with Jack Doohan alongside him.

Make of that what you will.

Winner: Charles Leclerc

Starting tenth was not the way Charles Leclerc wanted to begin his F1 Sprint Race.

But given where he began, finishing seventh — and inside the points — was an impressive performance.

During the third segment of qualifying for the F1 Sprint Race on Friday, Leclerc’s SF-24 went into anti-stall along pit lane, costing him precious moments as the seconds ticked down. Leclerc was able to get his car rolling and onto the circuit, but he could not post a lap in time, and as a result, started outside the points on Saturday.

Despite that, Leclerc rocketed off the line after the lights went out, picking up multiple spots to work inside the top eight. Among those he was able to overtake? Sergio Pérez in the RB20.

That might speak volumes about what we see on Sunday.

As for what we might see this afternoon, however, a seemingly frustrated Leclerc hinted at some more aggression regarding the upcoming qualifying session:

h boy …