The NFL kicked off their preseason this past week. Already, things are starting to come into focus. In addition to the NFL, Team USA is getting ready to light up the international basketball community in the FIBA World Cup. Check out our weekly sports update for August 12!
Weekly Sports Update – August 12th Edition
Team USA Readies for FIBA World Cup
The 2019 FIBA World Cup starts on August 31 and ends on September 15. Although none of the highest-profile players, LeBron, Kawhi, The Beard, and both Splash Brothers are sitting the tournament out, Team USA is a major favorite to win the trophy.
Led by Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, preparations are currently under way for Team USA to show that even without their top star players, they’re good enough to win a championship. This year, winning the World Cup could be tough. Serbia boasts one of the top players in the NBA in Nikola Jokic.
Team USA will have to earn the title. That’s fine for the squad’s players who relish the chance to show they are just as talented as their more well-known peers in the National Basketball Association.
Indians-Twins and Cubs-Cardinals-Brewers Battling in MLB Central Divisions
The New York Yankees are running away with the AL East Division. The L.A. Dodgers are running away with the NL West Division. Houston? The Astros are dominating the AL West while the Braves, although not dominating, are ahead of the Washington Nationals in the NL East by 6.5 games.
In Major League Baseball, the Central Divisions are where the drama is at. In the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs are 2 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and 2.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. Over in the AL Central Division, the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians are tied 71-47 as of August 11.
Both Central races could come down to the final day of regular season play. In the AL Central, Cleveland has the pitching while Minnesota has good pitching and great hitting. It’s impossible to make a definitive decision on which team is better in the NL Central among the Brew Crew, Cubbies, and Cards.
As we head into the final stretch of the MLB Regular Season, definitely keep an eye on the American League Central and National League Central. That’s where the real drama lies.
Favorites Win their First English Premier League Matches
Based on what happened in the first games, the English Premier League figures to follow the script this season. Defending champion Manchester City dominated Wolverhampton 5-0, Liverpool beat Norwich 4-1, Manchester United turned Chelsea from blue to red with a 4-0 spanking, and Tottenham took down Aston Villa 3-1.
In addition to the favorites playing great, the stars also dominated on the pitch. Tottenham’s Harry Kane scored 2 goals. Marcus Rashford knocked in a penalty kick and scored a break away goal in Man U’s domination over the Blues. Man City’s Raheem Sterling got the hat trick while Sergio Aguero kicked in a penalty.
Mohamed Salah had a goal for Liverpool. The fact that 4 different players scored the 4 goals over Norwich for Pool tells us that the defending Champions League title holders are ready to add an EPL trophy to the case. Liverpool gave up a goal while Man City didn’t, but they showed excellent balance in their attack. Manchester City leaned exclusively on Sterling.
If Manchester United gels even more, they could challenge this season. United is the youngest team by average age in the English Premier League. Rashford looked great as the squad’s number 10 while Paul Pogba made great decision after great decision when leading Man U’s attack. The key for United could be fullback Harry McGuire. He’s a leader in the defense and has a real knack for setting up the defense to help Pogba and Rashford get the counter going.
If United keeps it up, that’s 4 teams in EPL that can win the championship. Just like in 2018, the English Premier League is deep.
NASCAR: Harvick Wins at Michigan International Speedway
Kevin Harvick took his second checkered flag in the last 4 NASCAR events on Sunday when he won at Michigan International Speedway. On July 21, Harvick also took home the trophy for the winner at New Hampshire.
In addition to winning twice in the last four races, Harvick finished sixth at Pocono and seventh at Watkins Glen. All bets are off once the NASCAR Playoffs start, but, for now at least, Harvick’s the hottest driver on the track. He’s in sixth place behind Joey Logano, Bred Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., and NASCAR Monster Energy Cup leader Kyle Busch.
This Saturday, NASCAR heads to Bristol for the Brass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. Will Harvick continue his roll? Stay tuned for our specific write up on the battle.
Raiders WR Antonio Brown Ruffling Feathers in Bay Area
Antonio Brown just can’t help himself. A future NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver, Brown got himself into a world of hurt, literally, after giving himself frostbite. AB put his foot into a cryotherapy machine.
Maybe, he’s causing issues for the Oakland Raiders this past week to deflect from the fact that he gave himself a debilitating injury. Or, maybe, he really does mean it when he says he’s not wearing the new helmet this season. Whatever the case may be, the Raiders can’t be feeling good that their most high-profile player has been nothing but trouble since taking his pads to the Bay Area from Pittsburgh.
Everyone thought the Steelers accepting third and fifth round picks for Brown meant they settled. Turns out, Pittsburgh wanted whatever they could get for the rabble rousing AB.
Antonio Brown is a star player. He does Oakland no good if he can’t get onto the field. Jon Gruden’s spending a lot of sleepless nights wondering if the Raiders are going to be worse this season than they were last season. A difficult Antonio Brown doesn’t help.
NFL Preseason Week 1 Gets the Ball Rolling
NFL Preseason Week 1 got the stone rolling down the hill. Wouldn’t you know it? After only the first NFL Preseason game, some things have come into focus:
The Ravens are legit contenders to win the AFC North – Baltimore held the Jaguars to 0 points while scoring 29 in Week 1. Sure, it’s only a single preseason game, but the Ravens looked to be on point. Every player seemed to have bought in to John Harbaugh’s coaching style, which is what you want from rookies. Baltimore sure looks legit.
We still don’t know how good AZ quarterback Kyler Murray is – Murray went 4-for-4 on his only drive. He looked good, but let’s be honest about it. Kliff Kingsbury allowed Murray to find success, dink and dunk, on the drive. He didn’t give Murray too much to handle. That tells us we have no idea how effective Murray will be in the NFL.
Kids gloves are off for Dwayne Haskins – The Redskins threw Dwayne Haskins to the wolves. Haskins completed 8-of-14 for 117 yards. He threw 2 interceptions. Although he made a lot of mistakes, no doubt the Redskins believe he’s the quarterback of the future.
In NFL Preseason Week 2, the Cardinals take on the Raiders. If Kingsbury truly wants to start Murray, he had better give him more time than a single series. Baltimore takes on Green Bay. The Packers must continue getting everyone on the same page offensively. If the Ravens’ defense can temper Matt LaFleur’s offense, Baltimore must really be spoken about in the same breadth as the Steelers and Browns when discussing who wins the AFC North.
Have a great week!
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