A Five Sport Week
Source: Kentucky Baseball via X
Five-sport week
For those who can’t get enough of watching sports, this is your week. This is the one week where the stars align and all five major sports (MLB, MLS, NFL, NBA and NHL) are in action, with the finals going on in basketball and hockey NFL teams start mandatory spring workouts, MLS schedule and baseball. And that doesn’t even count the US Open golf, which tees off Thursday at Pinehurst #2. Good week for couch and TV surfing.
Even when she’s not playing…
Caitlin Clark is still a media magnet, this time for what she’s NOT doing. Apparently, she is NOT going to be on the US Olympic team for women’s basketball, much to the chagrin of fans. Is she one of the top 12 players in the league right now? She’s certainly got her shooting eye back after a slow start. But it’s hard to argue against the expected lineup for a national team that hasn’t lost an Olympic game since 1992 and hasn’t lost a game in any tournament since 2006. Clark is saying all the right things, and truth be told, she probably would benefit from the rest, since she has played as many games as possible the last two seasons in Iowa, going to the finals each year. Yes, more people probably would watch the women’s Olympic team if she were on it, but it’s the Olympics. Looking at the long game, the three-week break will probably be best for Clark-and the WNBA.
The college season isn’t over yet
With the College World Series heading to Omaha, the SEC is dominating the eight-team field. LSU won’t be defending its title, but plenty of other SEC reps will be there, including Kentucky, Florida and overall top seed Tennessee. The Vols and Florida are in the MCWS for a second straight year, and Texas A&M is in for the second time in three years. Kentucky is there for the first time ever. Look for Tennessee to avenge 2022’s upset loss to Notre Dame in the Super Regional and its loss to eventual 2023 champ LSU last year and take this year’s title.
Ben’s best bet...
There’s Scottie Scheffler, and then there’s the field. Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, has shaken off the effects of the kerfuffle with police at the PGA Championship and was able to hang on Sunday for a one-shot win at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament. He’s now won five tournaments already this season and hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in any tournament. He’s a prohibitive favorite to win at Pinehurst at 11-4 early in the week, with Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau all at 10-1. Tiger stands at 125-1 at the event he’s won three times. Even against the field, Scheffler is a no-brainer for the Open.