Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Sports this 'n' that

 "In the end, there can be only one."---Tag line from the Highlander TV & movie series.

It was announced earlier this morning that the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Tour will merge to form one global golf entity. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will be the financial entity in charge of the newly expanded tour, ending more than a year of acrimony and litigation. Players who left the PGA Tour for LIV will apply for reinstatement to the former next year at the earliest.

I can't say for sure, but I'd imagine the ratings for the LIV broadcasts on CW are nowhere close to what they would be for the PGA on NBC, ABC, CBS, and their accompanying cable & streaming partners (i.e. ESPN, Peacock). Can't think of any other reason for the merger, other than bringing the two groups together for the sake of the game.
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Former Mets ace Jacob deGrom was moved to the 60 day injured list by the Texas Rangers on Monday. The surprising Rangers have found out the hard way that deGrom's injury problems have not been left behind when he left the Mets for Arlington in the off-season.

Apparently, without deGrom, the Rangers are continuing to struggle to sell tickets at Globe Life Field, despite the team's early success. Stay tuned.
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The Vegas Golden Knights, in their 6th season, lead the Florida Panthers, 2-0 in games, in the Stanley Cup Finals after blitzing the Panthers, 7-2, on Monday. The Knights have reached the postseason in 5 of its 6 seasons, very rare for an expansion franchise.

Their early success, one can assume, became the impetus for the NFL Raiders to abandon Oakland for the 2nd time, and relocate to Las Vegas, and now, as previously reported, there are rumors of the Oakland A's seeking to move to Vegas as well. "Sin City" also has the WNBA's Aces, and it probably is inevitable that a NBA team will be placed there, too.

To think that a generation ago, sports in Las Vegas meant college basketball, and little else. Times have changed.
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The next time you see this man, he may be wearing a new uniform.


The Mets designated catcher Tomas Nido for assignment on Monday, clearing a roster spot for fellow receiver Omar Narvaez, one of the team's free agent acquisitions last offseason. Narvaez was activated from the IL on Monday, and should see action as the Mets visit Atlanta, starting tonight. Narvaez will share time with rookie Francisco Alvarez, who has added some much needed punch to the position with 8 homers, although Toronto shut down Alvarez & the Mets over the weekend. The Mets have 10 days to decide what to do with Nido, and it appears that they are open to trading him. An early season slump, coupled with injuries and the emergence of Alvarez, sealed Nido's fate.
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It's just a curious coincidence, but a Boston Celtics fan is convinced that singer Taylor Swift's current tour is jinxing some NBA teams, including the Celtics.

Swift's current tour has seen her in Atlanta, where the Hawks were dusted in an early round by Boston. Same thing with Philadelphia last month. However, the Celtics were, in turn, eliminated by Miami in the Eastern Conference finals soon after, setting up the current finals vs. Denver, with the series tied at a game apiece with game 3 set for tomorrow in Miami.

Swift's "Eras" tour hits Denver next month, long after the finals end. The fact that Miami is not yet on Swift's tour itinerary has some folks believing the Heat will win the title. Maybe, maybe not. Stay tuned.

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