Hello everyone, Shanna McCarriston here, back with all the sports news you need for this Wednesday morning. Thank you all for your fantastic suggestions for places to go in Charleston, it was much appreciated and I felt like a local knowing all the top spots.
Today we have some breaking news to cover. The entire 2021 NFL schedule will be released later tonight on NFL Network at 8 p.m., but below are the Week 1 games (all times ET). Be sure to follow our schedule release live blog today to stay updated on everything happening.
Thursday, Sept. 9
- Cowboys at Buccaneers, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Sept. 12
- Steelers at Bills, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Jets at Panthers, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Jaguars at Texans, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Cardinals at Titans, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Chargers at Washington, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Eagles at Falcons, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Seahawks at Colts, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Vikings at Bengals, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- 49ers at Lions, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Browns at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Dolphins at Patriots, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Broncos at Giants, 4:25 p.m.(Fox)
- Packers at Saints, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Bears at Rams, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 13
If you've read newsletters from me before, you know the NFL season is what I most look forward to, so I can't wait for the year to start. Based on the schedule above, which team do you think will impress the most in Week 1? Head to my Twitter to give your prediction.
Now let's get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Today we have the Oakland A's threatening to leave town, the latest with the Preakness Stakes, some good news about the Red Sox and much more.
What are we waiting for, let's get to it.
📰 What you need to know
1. The Oakland A's are threatening to relocate ⚾
Oakland already lost the Raiders and Warriors, and now another team has one foot out the door. The Oakland A's may leave town if the city does not approve plans for a new stadium.
On Tuesday, Major League Baseball made the suggestion that the team think about moving from the Oakland Coliseum, which they've called home since 1968, if they do not get the approval needed from the local government. The team has proposed a new ballpark, Howard Terminal Stadium, to replace the rather weathered looking park they are in now.
MLB in a statement: "The Oakland Coliseum site is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball. We have instructed the Athletics to begin to explore other markets while they continue to pursue a waterfront ballpark in Oakland. The Athletics need a new ballpark to remain competitive, so it is now in our best interest to also consider other markets"
If the team does end up packing up and leaving town, here are five potential landing spots for them:
- Las Vegas
- Portland
- Montreal
- Nashville
- San Jose
Howard Terminal Stadium isn't exactly moving along swiftly, with three massive redesigns in four years and little progress being made. MLB's statement expressed the concern with how little has been done to give the team a new home.
The team's current 10-year lease at the Coliseum expires in 2024, but the original plan was to play at Howard Terminal by 2023.
2. Medina Spirit is running in the Preakness Stakes 🏇
After a lot of controversy, Medina Spirit, the horse who won the Kentucky Derby and then failed a drug test, will be running in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Medina Spirit's trainer Bob Baffert, who has a history of training horses that fail drug tests, insists that his team did nothing illegal and there is a mistake on another end.
Baffert's attorney Craig Robinson said on Tuesday that an agreement was made with "several conditions" in place, including drug tests ahead of the event, that will allow the horse to run in the Preakness Stakes.
The horse was flagged for an an excessive amount of the steroid betamethasone. Baffert did say he will not be attending the event in Baltimore, as he would feel like a "distraction."
The Preakness Stakes draw when down on Tuesday afternoon following a 24-hour postponement while the track figured out how to handle the Baffert situation. Here are the latest Preakness Stakes odds and below are the results of the draw:
- 1: Ram
- 2: KeepMeInMind
- 3: Medina Spirit
- 4: Crowded Trade
- 5: Midnight Bourbon
- 6: Rombauer
- 7: France Go De Ina
- 8: Unbridled Honor
- 9: Risk Taking
- 10: Concert Tour
3. The Red Sox are legit ⚾
In the words of Michael Scott: Well, well, well ... how the turn tables.
Since winning a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox (I worked with the team, but let's pretend I earned the jewelry by making a real impact) the team has been a bit of a disappointment to Boston. From the best record in baseball to an embarrassing display strung between questionable front office decisions, the Red Sox weren't exactly the most fun to watch for a minute there.
But alas, the City of Champs did what the City of Champs does, and only let their fans suffer for a short amount of time. Am I obnoxious yet? You guys can tell me.
The team currently has the best record in baseball and, don't look now Sox fans, but are legitimate playoff contenders. Someone cue up "Sweet Caroline."
Here are three reasons why they are an actual team to watch right now and likely aren't going anywhere any time soon:
- Early season performance: Getting off to a hot start is never a bad thing and, not only did the team put up wins early on, they also were greatly outscoring their opponents. The team has the second-best per-game run differential behind the White Sox
- Fixable weaknesses: Every team has their issues, but luckily for Boston, theirs aren't beyond repair. The team's major weaknesses are in its outfield, first base and pitching staff. The pitching staff has been more valuable than originally expected and they could be getting some help soon to balance the issues
- Help is on the way: While Bryan Mata, Tanner Houck and Connor Seabold -- three of the team's top pitching prospects -- are out injured, they could be getting assistance in other areas. The team could look to the trade market or the farm system for the extra players they need as the season goes on
4. Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan dead at 37
Former Hawaii quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan died at 37, his father Terry Brennan confirmed on Tuesday. Colt was at a hotel on Monday when he ingested a substance laced with fentanyl and became unconscious, leading to paramedics being called. He never regained consciousness and died at Hoag Hospital in Newport, Calif a day later.
Terry said that Colt tried to go to a detox facility in California earlier on Monday, but the location did not have space for him.
Colt had a stellar career at Hawaii:
- In 2007, he finished in sixth place in Heisman Trophy voting and had 58 touchdowns as a junior, which broke the single-season touchdown passing record previously held by Houston's David Klingler
- He has the best career percentage in FBS history with 70.4% and is tied at the top of the FBS record books for most career passing games of 400+ yards with 20. He also has the most seasons of 4,000 or more passing yards with three
After his college career, Brennan was taken in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by Washington. After spending two years in Washington, he was signed by the Oakland Raiders and was cut ahead of the 2010 season. He eventually retired from football in 2014.
- Former Hawaii coach June Jones to CBS Sports: "It caught up to him, you know? So sad. He could have owned the whole world over here."
📝 Odds & Ends
- Michael Jordan shared the last text message exchange between himself and Kobe Bryant
- Former and current NFL players are divided about the Jaguars signing Tim Tebow
- The Chiefs waived tight end Sean Culkin, who wanted his salary in Bitcoin
- The Yankees are dealing with COVID-19 issues on their coaching staff
📺 What to watch tonight
⚾ Orioles vs. Mets, 12:10 p.m. | NYM -177 | TV: SNY
🏒 Oilers vs. Canadiens, 5 p.m. | MTL -112 | TV: NHL Network
🏀 Trail Blazers vs. Jazz, 9:30 p.m. | UTA -4.5 | TV: ESPN
Best thing I saw on the internet 🏅
Senators' Tim Stützle scored his first ever hat trick and the neighborhood kids celebrated accordingly, making for a very sweet moment.