MLB Trade Deadline, Romelo Lukaku, UFC 240, German Grand Prix, 2019 NFL Hall of Fame Game

It was a somewhat slow week in sports although a major upset happened at the F1 German Grand Prix. However, although this past week was slow, there’s a lot to discuss about what will happen this week. On Thursday, the NFL Hall of Fame takes place, which means, yep, it’s football season!

Weekly Sports Update – July 29th Edition

Weekly Sports Update – July 29th Edition

Mets Acquire Stroman in First Major Move Before MLB Trade Deadline

On Monday morning, July 29, the Toronto Blue Jays shipped Marcus Stroman to the New York Mets for prospects. Stroman should most definitely help the New York team that plays in Queens. The Mets are 50-55. They’re 11.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

Although probably too far behind the Braves to win the division, the Mets are only 6 games behind the Cubs, Cardinals, and Nationals in the NL Wildcard Standings. New York can make a move for at least a wildcard.

The real question is whether the Stroman trade will jump start trades from now until Wednesday’s deadline. We’ve got to think that the AL New York team, the Yankees, want to acquire a top starting pitcher now that CC Sabathia is injured. Domingo German didn’t look good in his last start, allowing 3 runs in less than 6 innings to the rival Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees’ starting rotation ERA in July is 6.32. It was 3.50 in April and 4.07 in May. So, expect the next big move to come from NYY.

Man United’s Romelu Lukaku Possibly to Inter Milan, Bale’s Agent Angry at Real

Manchester United could be parting ways with Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian is United’s top striker. The EPL team left Lukaku off their squad when they traveled to Norway for a friendly against Kristriansand. Supposedly, Inter Milan is looking to make a move and acquire Lukaku. We’ll know more this weekend. Man U. battles AC Milan on Sunday at the International Champions Cup. If Lukaku is off the squad for that match, Inter Milan might be a step closer to grabbing the striker.

In other big news, Atletico Madrid dominated Real Madrid 7-3 on Sunday in an International Champions Cup match. That’s not a typo. Real allowed 7 goals. One of the reasons for Real’s ridiculous play? Gareth Bale’s relationship with Real Madrid is rocky.

Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, blames Real for a deal that fell through with Chinese Super League squad Jiangsu Suning. Per Barnett, Real Madrid changed their minds on a free transfer. What really irks Barnett is that Real would have saved 100 million euros in salary and taxes. The deal made sense for both Barnett’s client and Real Madrid.

In any case, Bale still plays for Real. RM showed zero, nada, heart against a La Liga rival in Atletico last Friday. La Liga’s new season starts on August 24. Right now, Real looks like a shell of the dominant squad they were only a couple of seasons ago.

Holloway Beats Frankie, Cyborg Considering Ending UFC Relationship

Legend Frankie Edgar didn’t have enough in the tank to upset Max Holloway this past Saturday at UFC 240. Edgar fought tough. He fell to Holloway via unanimous decision in the featherweight champions third title defense. Some are calling Holloway the greatest featherweight to ever enter the Octagon. It’s a valid argument to make. He handled one of the best ever this past Saturday.

On the undercard, Cris Cyborg won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Felicia Spencer. Cyborg won the fight, but Spencer fought extremely well. She opened a cut on Cyborg’s forehead. She also battled Cris hard.

After the fight, Cyborg said she’s not sure if she will reup her contract with UFC. She feels slighted because Dana White has been telling the press that Cyborg doesn’t want a rematch with Amanda Nunes. Nunes knocked out Cyborg in the previous bout.

The truth could be that White doesn’t want a Cyborg-Nunes rematch.

Nunes has been unbeatable in recent fights. She dominated Holly Holm, knocking out the former champ in the first round at UFC 239. Right now, Nunes might be UFC’s most marketable fighter. Why waste her talent against Cyborg? This is especially true because Amanda dominated Cris, knocking her out in 51 seconds in the first round in their bout last December 29.

White is a marketer before he’s anything. There’s not a ton of interest in a Cyborg-Nunes rematch. Dana could have Nunes fight Valentina Schevchenko for the third time, or Raquel Pennington again. The last time Nunes took on those two fighters, she fought into Round 5.

Verstappen Wins German Grand Prix, Hamilton Finishes Ninth

Max Verstappen took the checkered flag at the Formula 1 German Grand Prix this past Sunday. What’s crazy isn’t that Verstappen beat Sebastian Vettel. It’s that the Top 3 betting choices: Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, and Charles Leclerq, all finished off the board.

Lewis Hamilton had been winning everything. He was like a magnet for F1 trophies. Hamilton had won 7-of-10 previous F1 races. Two of the losses happened to Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

However, the third loss happened to Max Verstappen. So, in hindsight, maybe, backing Red Bull driver Verstappen to win the German Grand Prix was the smart move. Verstappen’s hot. He beat Hamilton in Austria three races ago, finished fifth at the Rolex British GP, and just won in Germany this Sunday.

On the current F1 Standings, Verstappen has 162 points. That puts him in third place behind Bottas with 184 points and Hamilton with 225 points. There are 10 races left on the Formula 1 Schedule. Max has plenty of time to jump into first place. This could be one of the most competitive F1 season finishes in a long time.

NFL Hall of Fame Game, Zeke Absent at Dallas Training Camp

The NFL officially kicks off their 2019-2020 Season with the annual Hall of Fame game on Thursday, August 1. This year’s HOF matchup pits the Denver Broncos against the Atlanta Falcons. The game is a celebration, but most everyone’s thoughts will be on other NFL News.

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas’ top offensive player, is holding out for a contract extension. He’s not the only one. The Chargers top offensive player, Melvin Gordon, is also a holdout. New Orleans’ best wide receiver, and, maybe, the best in the NFL, Michael Thomas, is holding out. So is Houston DE Jadeveon Clowney, and Jacksonville DE Yannick Ngakoue.

Washington could be in serious trouble if their top offensive lineman, Trent Williams, doesn’t report to camp. What do all the holdouts mean? Not much…yet. The Saints most definitely will make Thomas the top paid skill player outside of quarterbacks in NFL history. He’s that important.

Zeke should end up getting his contract extension. Clowney, Ngakoue, and Williams will get paid. The one wildcard is Melvin Gordon. Gordon is a touchdown scoring machine. However, up until last season he hadn’t cracked the 4.0 per carry average. Gordon rushed for 5.1 yard per carry last season. His previous best per carry average was 3.9. Was that because Gordon suddenly discovered how to play in the NFL, or was it because wide receiver Keenan Allen was healthy for an entire season?

The Bolts might want to take their chances with backup Austin Ekeler. Ekeler averaged 5.2 yards per carry and caught 39 passes. He’s also only 24-years-old while Gordon is 26. Two years of beating on a running back’s body means a lot in the NFL.

Have a great week!

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