How will NFL handle Pederson?
How will NFL handle Pederson?
And they want to legalize wagering on this stuff?
Good morning all! Hope your week is going splendidly.
By now you know the mockery that Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson made of Sunday night’s NFL game against The Washington Football Team:
Benching several starters
Disdaining a game-tying FG late in the third period
Using his third-string quarterback in the fourth quarter with the game on the line
All of this, of course, with a playoff spot at stake for two teams. If Washington won, they would make the post season. If Philadelphia won, the New York Giants would be in.
How Philadelphia lost with the questionable coaching moves, has left some players upset, according to several stories. Meanwhile, the optics are an embarrassment for the NFL, which is supportive of the states’ move to legalized betting on their games. Was Pederson tanking to get a better draft choice? Was he tanking to screw another NFC East rival, the Giants? Will somebody take a bet on these two questions?
Several outlets have suggested the Eagles and/or Pederson should be fined, that draft choices should be forfeited, etc. If Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to make a major statement, he should banish Pederson from the game. Better yet, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie should police his own program, before Goodell steps in, and fire Pederson. There’s not much on the line here; only the integrity of the game.
Major League Baseball has a TV problem
Major League Baseball has a television problem. It cannot find a network to carry its weekday baseball games. With the pandemic and the nation’s sports fans changing their viewing habits, networks are dialing back on rights’ fees for sporting events. For example, none of the networks seem interested in Thursday Night Football, when the current deal expires. Now word has emerged that with ESPN opting to only carry Sunday Night Baseball, MLB is finding it difficult to locate another network to carry the weekday package ESPN once held.
Look for Amazon Prime, You Tube or even Twitter to make a move to pick up the slack, although the money MLB is seeking may not be what these entities are willing to fork over.
Is DJ LeMahieu headed to the Dodgers?
Maybe it’s just me, but I will be surprised if DJ LeMahieu returns to the Yankees, no matter how much he enjoyed his two years in the Bronx. Reportedly, the Bombers and the free agent are $25 million apart on a new contract. Another free agent, Justin Turner, wants a four-year deal from the Dodgers. Throw in the fact San Diego, with a core group of some of the best players in the game, made a big push over the holidays to dethrone their division rivals by trading for pitchers Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, and you have the makings of another splash by the Dodgers.
If you predicted today that the defending World Champions will sign both LeMahieu and free agent pitcher Trevor Bauer, you would be hard pressed to get an argument from me.
Dan’s Wednesday links…
Don’t know what the last link has to do with sports, but this might explain the Houston Astros cheating scandal in 2017; out of this world.
Well that is it for today. As always, thank you for your support and continue to have a great week.
SPORTSCASTER DAN