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Table of Contents:
What I Watched Last Week
Deep Dive: Premier League Booklet
What I Am Watching This Week
What I’m Reading
What I Watched This Week
MLB
Hitter of the Week: Freddie Freeman
Remember when Ronald Acuña went down with a season-ending ACL tear and everyone wrote off the Braves? Their bats have performed admirably in his absence, scoring the 4th highest runs per game since July 11th.
The Braves’ front office acted decisively at the deadline, adding Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall, and Eddie Rosario. None have been more vital to the NL-East leading Braves’ pennant hopes than star first baseman Freddie Freeman. Since the All-Star break, he has slashed .378/.449/.605 with a .336 xBA and .566 xSLG. This week’s hitter of the week put together an all-around performance solidified by hitting for the cycle in 6 innings!
Likely, this week’s milestone as HotW foreshadows a second consecutive MVP award.
Pitcher of the Week: Max Fried
The Harvard-Westlake product pitched amazingly this week. The anchor of the Braves rotation went a combined 15 innings without surrendering a single run. His recent hot streak has seen Fried reduce his slider usage and lean more heavily on his curveball and sinker. The streaking Braves’ bats continue to surprise everyone, but any postseason success will rely on Fried continuing to pitch well down the stretch.
Soccer
Manchester City 5
Norwich City 0
Manchester City looks as deadly as ever. New signing Jack Grealish scored his first goal for Man City and fit into the team seamlessly. Expect Man City to roll through inferior competition with ease and gaudy scorelines.
Leeds United 2
Everton 2
A back and forth affair. My Premier League primer mentions watching Leeds whenever they are playing. A statement rang true with their performance vs Everton. A superb Raphinha curler tied it up.
Arsenal 0
Chelsea 2
Chelsea outclassed Arsenal at every facet of the match. Romelu Lukaku looked fantastic and showed precisely why Chelsea purchased him for a club-record fee. He scored a tap-in and almost a header but, more importantly, was at ease holding up the ball and playing his teammates in.
Udinese 2
Juventus 2
Udinese and Juventus played a thrilling match, which appeared done and dusted. Keeper Wojciech Szczęsny gifted away a goal to Udinese that seemed to have sealed a draw. Then, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a winner in the 94’ that was ultimately deemed offside.
Goal of the Week
NFL
Yes, it is preseason, but I have been clamoring to talk about the NFL.
Some Quick Hitters:
Zach Wilson looks fantastic and has made some great throws
Among the rookie QB’s, Wilson and Mac Jones have performed the best, while Justin Fields has shown some flashes
Corey Davis looks like a steal at his current ADP for fantasy football, receiving a lion’s share of targets
Ceedee Lamb is poised for a breakout year: “Lamb played 75% of the snaps out of 12 personnel after only playing 6 of 79 snaps in the formation in 2020”1
Mitchell Trubitsky exacted revenge on the Bears, hitting numerous quick-hitter passing patterns en route to a 221-yard day
QB battle in Denver? Teddy Bridgewater performed flawlessly, opening the door to a conversation on whether he or Drew Lock should start week 1
The Raiders may have picked a steal in the 5th round as cornerback Nate Hobbs looks fantastic
UFC
Jared Cannonier def. Kelvin Gastelum via DEC (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
In the main event, Cannonier got the edge over Gastelum landing more powerful punches. The Killa Gorilla did a great job of maintaining distance throughout the fight. For Kelvin, it’s a tough loss to swallow and by the narrowest of margins. He can hold his head high as he showed off his unreal chin and shifty footwork. However, the fact remains that there are no moral victories in this sport, and it adds another loss to his poor streak. Yes, he has fought tough competition, but he is 1-5 in his last 6 fights; where does he go from here?
Deep Dive: Premier League ‘21/’22 Breakdown
The button above will take you to my Premier League breakdown for this upcoming season. Feel free to send the PDF to any friends! I hope you all enjoy it and look forward to the NFL edition dropping in two weeks.
*Please let me know if there are any issues downloading the PDF off of Dropbox*
What I’m Watching This Week
Monday
West Ham vs Leicester City at 3:00 PM on Peacock
Yankees vs Braves at 7:20 PM on MLB Network
Jaguars vs Saints at 8:00 PM on ESPN
Mariners vs Athletics at 9:40 PM on MLB.TV
Tuesday
Mariners vs Athletics at 3:37 PM on MLB.TV
White Sox vs Blue Jays at 7:07 PM on MLB Network
Yankees vs Braves at 7:20 PM on MLB Network
Reds vs Brewers at 8:10 PM on MLB.TV
Wednesday
White Sox vs Blue Jays at 7:07 PM on MLB Network
Reds vs Brewers at 8:10 PM on MLB.TV
Dodgers vs Padres at 10:10 PM on ESPN
Thursday
Reds vs Brewers at 2:10 PM on MLB.TV
White Sox vs Blue Jays at 3:07 PM on MLB Networ
Yankees vs Athletics at 9:40 PM on MLB.TV/YES
Dodgers vs Padres at 9:10 PM on MLB.TV
Friday
Dortmund vs Hoffenheim at 2:30 PM on ESPN+
Eagles vs Jets at 7:30 PM on NFL Network
Yankees vs Athletics at 9:40 PM on MLB.TV/YES
Saturday
Manchester City vs Arsenal at 7:30 AM on Peacock
Liverpool vs Chelsea at 12:30 PM on NBCSN
Bears vs Titans at 7:00 PM on NFL Network
Sunday
Wolves vs Manchester United at 11:30 AM on Peacock
Dolphins vs Bengals at 4:00 PM on CBS
Patrios vs Giants at 6:00 PM on NFL Network
Yankees vs Athletics at 7:08 PM on ESPN
*All times are EST*
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What I’m Reading
Sports
Kemba Walker’s ‘unreal feeling,’ a Knicks homecoming, Evan Fournier takes MSG and my final thanks *
Should footballers let a family member be their agent? **
Be more Dortmund and less Tottenham: How to spend a record transfer fee ***
NFL 100: At No. 21, Aaron Rodgers has overcome the doubters every step along his Hall of Fame path ***
The emergence of Andrew Velazquez: Five-borough representative and real-life American dreamer **
Business
Bloodthirsty Capitalists: An Interview with Chris Sacca ***
China, Semiconductors, and the Push for Independence - Part 1 ***
‘No one wants to go back’: Covid scuttles IPO and debt roadshows **
A ‘Flash Recession’ Might Be Looming. Here’s What That Means. *
Big Tech Is in a Perilous Moment. The Stocks Are Unstoppable. **
European stocks end higher but log worst week in 6 months *
A hedge fund revival? Industry hopes a dismal decade is over ***
Half a trillion dollars wiped from China markets in a week as clampdowns shatter confidence *
Dollar holds firm as risk aversion hammers Canadian dollar, Aussie *
*** Must Read
** Very Good
* Recommended
https://www.pff.com/news/fantasy-football-recap-2021-nfl-preseason-week-2