Saturday’s 6-pack:
Six highest-paid major league managers:
$4.2M— Terry Francona, Indians
$4M— Joe Maddon, Angels
$3.6M— Joe Girardi, Phillies
$2.5M— Bob Melvin, A’s/Dave Martinez, Nationals
$2.4M— Don Mattingly, Marlins
$1.5M— Bud Black, Rockies/Craig Counsell, Brewers
Quote of the Day
“When you deal with the things up there (New England), it’s a little bit strenuous and nobody likes it in the locker room. That’s to be honest — nobody. Nobody likes it!”
Former NFL DB Darrelle Revis, who won a Super Bowl in his one year with the Patriots
Saturday’s quiz
In 1976, the ABA folded, and four teams were absorbed into the NBA. Which four?
Friday’s quiz
Montreal Expos drafted Tom Brady in 1995, as a catcher.
Thursday’s quiz
Wayne Gretzky finished his NHL career with the New York Rangers.
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Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Friday
13) Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury tested positive for COVID, will miss Sunday’s game in Cleveland.
Cardinals also traded a 5th-round pick and a cornerback to Philly for TE Zach Ertz, who caught a TD pass for the Eagles Thursday night. Ertz isn’t eligible to play for Arizona Sunday.
12) Houston 5, Boston 4:
— Jose Altuve hit his 20th career postseason home run.
— Kike Hernandez has 13 hits in his last four games.
— Both teams used eight pitchers.
— Astros lead series, 1-0.
11) Boston’s JD Martinez has knocked in 100+ runs four times in his career; he knocked in 99 runs this year, hitting a league-high 42 doubles. Very good hitter.
Back in 2013, Martinez played for an Astros team that went 51-111; they were terrible. Houston released him in spring training the next year, flat out released him, and he went to Detroit, where his career began to blossom.
How does a team that loses 111 games release a hitter who winds up being this good? Houston wound up making the playoffs two years later, beginning their great run, but they also had Kike Hernandez in 2014, and traded him to Miami, not getting much in return.
10) Dodgers don’t have home field edge in the NLCS, but they’re still -190 to win the series, the biggest favorite in an LCS without the home field advantage since the ’86 Mets were -175 over Houston in 1986. Mets won in six games that year.
9) 42.7% of runs scored in the major leagues this season came via a home run, so basically, out of every seven runs that scored, three came via a home run.
8) Clemson 17, Syracuse 14:
— With 0:40 left, Syracuse tried a 47-yard FG, instead of going for it on 4th-and-1.
— Clemson is 4-2; they’ve scored only 14.8 ppg in five I-A games.
7) Oregon 24, California 17:
— Ducks outscored Cal 14-0 over last 12:00 of game.
— Oregon outgained Cal 459-409; Cal was +2 in turnovers.
— Last four years, Cal is 11-1 ATS as a road underdog.
6) Kentucky Wildcats are 8-3-1 ATS last dozen times they were a double digit underdog, like they are tomorrow between the hedges at Georgia.
5) Aaron Rodgers became Green Bay’s starting QB in 2008; since then, Chicago Bears have started 16 different starting quarterbacks. Rodgers has missed 18 starts in 13+ seasons as the #1 guy in Green Bay.
4) Thursday night in Los Angeles, Kings’ Anze Kopitar scored three goals, had two assists in the Kings’ 6-2 win over Las Vegas.
Kopitar’s five points are tied for second in any players’ season opener (since 1966); back in 1990, Kevin Stevens had six points in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ season opener.
3) San Diego State 19, San Jose State 13, OT
— Neither team scored a touchdown in regulation.
— Spartans outgained San Diego State, 340-240.
— San Jose threw an awful INT in the end zone in the 2nd OT.
— This game ended at 2:29am here in the east.
2) Zion Williamson has a foot injury, will miss the start of the New Orleans Pelicans’ season. This is Williamson’s third year in the NBA; he played 89 of a possible 144 games (61.8%) in his first two seasons. Pelicans need him to play more; he’s scored 25.7 ppg when he’s been in there.
1) Miami Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa will start for Miami Sunday, in their game against the Jaguars in London; Tagovailoa (ribs) hasn’t played since Week 2.
Most teams that play in London have their bye week the next week, but the Dolphins go home and play the Falcons next week, against a Falcons team that has this week off after playing in London last week.
Six highest-paid major league managers:
$4.2M— Terry Francona, Indians
$4M— Joe Maddon, Angels
$3.6M— Joe Girardi, Phillies
$2.5M— Bob Melvin, A’s/Dave Martinez, Nationals
$2.4M— Don Mattingly, Marlins
$1.5M— Bud Black, Rockies/Craig Counsell, Brewers
Quote of the Day
“When you deal with the things up there (New England), it’s a little bit strenuous and nobody likes it in the locker room. That’s to be honest — nobody. Nobody likes it!”
Former NFL DB Darrelle Revis, who won a Super Bowl in his one year with the Patriots
Saturday’s quiz
In 1976, the ABA folded, and four teams were absorbed into the NBA. Which four?
Friday’s quiz
Montreal Expos drafted Tom Brady in 1995, as a catcher.
Thursday’s quiz
Wayne Gretzky finished his NHL career with the New York Rangers.
*******************************
Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Friday
13) Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury tested positive for COVID, will miss Sunday’s game in Cleveland.
Cardinals also traded a 5th-round pick and a cornerback to Philly for TE Zach Ertz, who caught a TD pass for the Eagles Thursday night. Ertz isn’t eligible to play for Arizona Sunday.
12) Houston 5, Boston 4:
— Jose Altuve hit his 20th career postseason home run.
— Kike Hernandez has 13 hits in his last four games.
— Both teams used eight pitchers.
— Astros lead series, 1-0.
11) Boston’s JD Martinez has knocked in 100+ runs four times in his career; he knocked in 99 runs this year, hitting a league-high 42 doubles. Very good hitter.
Back in 2013, Martinez played for an Astros team that went 51-111; they were terrible. Houston released him in spring training the next year, flat out released him, and he went to Detroit, where his career began to blossom.
How does a team that loses 111 games release a hitter who winds up being this good? Houston wound up making the playoffs two years later, beginning their great run, but they also had Kike Hernandez in 2014, and traded him to Miami, not getting much in return.
10) Dodgers don’t have home field edge in the NLCS, but they’re still -190 to win the series, the biggest favorite in an LCS without the home field advantage since the ’86 Mets were -175 over Houston in 1986. Mets won in six games that year.
9) 42.7% of runs scored in the major leagues this season came via a home run, so basically, out of every seven runs that scored, three came via a home run.
8) Clemson 17, Syracuse 14:
— With 0:40 left, Syracuse tried a 47-yard FG, instead of going for it on 4th-and-1.
— Clemson is 4-2; they’ve scored only 14.8 ppg in five I-A games.
7) Oregon 24, California 17:
— Ducks outscored Cal 14-0 over last 12:00 of game.
— Oregon outgained Cal 459-409; Cal was +2 in turnovers.
— Last four years, Cal is 11-1 ATS as a road underdog.
6) Kentucky Wildcats are 8-3-1 ATS last dozen times they were a double digit underdog, like they are tomorrow between the hedges at Georgia.
5) Aaron Rodgers became Green Bay’s starting QB in 2008; since then, Chicago Bears have started 16 different starting quarterbacks. Rodgers has missed 18 starts in 13+ seasons as the #1 guy in Green Bay.
4) Thursday night in Los Angeles, Kings’ Anze Kopitar scored three goals, had two assists in the Kings’ 6-2 win over Las Vegas.
Kopitar’s five points are tied for second in any players’ season opener (since 1966); back in 1990, Kevin Stevens had six points in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ season opener.
3) San Diego State 19, San Jose State 13, OT
— Neither team scored a touchdown in regulation.
— Spartans outgained San Diego State, 340-240.
— San Jose threw an awful INT in the end zone in the 2nd OT.
— This game ended at 2:29am here in the east.
2) Zion Williamson has a foot injury, will miss the start of the New Orleans Pelicans’ season. This is Williamson’s third year in the NBA; he played 89 of a possible 144 games (61.8%) in his first two seasons. Pelicans need him to play more; he’s scored 25.7 ppg when he’s been in there.
1) Miami Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa will start for Miami Sunday, in their game against the Jaguars in London; Tagovailoa (ribs) hasn’t played since Week 2.
Most teams that play in London have their bye week the next week, but the Dolphins go home and play the Falcons next week, against a Falcons team that has this week off after playing in London last week.
