It’s not a “team” sport we had been highlighting in recent days. But the biennial Ryder Cup golf battle between the USA and Europe will be delayed one year because of the corona virus outbreak.
An official announcement is expected today. Sources told ESPN Tuesday night that the 2020 Ryder Cup set for September 25-27 at Whistling Straits (Wisconsin) will be postponed until late September 2021. That will also push the Presidents’ Cup back a year to 2022, with those popular international team events alternating years from that point forward.
Global golf tours have restarted with relatively few positive tests. But events are still being held without spectators. Most golf fans agree that boisterous crowds enhance the Ryder Cup experience. Better to wait a year and hopefully play in front of a big crowd than compete on an empty course.
One factor may be that Wisconsin currently has the worst “rate of transmission” for covid in the country at 1.39. It’s overtaken Nevada in recent days. That lessened the chance that Whistling Straits might have been cleared for live attendance. It takes aggressive mitigation to get a number that high below the target of 1.0, even with this much lead time. A few cities are even attempting shutdowns at the moment.
MLS TWEAKS SCHEDULE, BUT READY FOR KICKOFF
Major League Soccer was forced to postpone another game because of positive tests. Nashville vs. Chicago has been moved from tonight to an undetermined date. Nashville’s team received multiple positive test results, but not enough to force it to withdraw. Dallas has already been removed from the “MLS is Back” tournament.
(Note that Toronto vs. DC United has been moved back from Friday to Sunday because of Toronto’s late arrival in Orlando.)
Here’s a fresh schedule for the next few days (all times ET)…
Wednesday: Orlando City vs. Miami (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Thursday: NYCFC vs. Philadelphia (ESPN, 8 a.m.), Montreal vs. New England (TUDN-formerly Univision, 7 p.m.)
Friday: Seattle vs. San Jose (ESPN, 8 p.m.)
Saturday: Atlanta vs. NYC Red Bulls (FOX, 7 p.m.), Cincinnati vs. Columbus (FS1, 9:30 p.m.)
And, updated odds for tonight’s opener from Circa Sports…
Three-way: Miami plus 128, Orlando plus 209, draw plus 232
Goal Line: Miami -0.5 goals (plus 128), Orlando plus 0.5 goals (-148)
Over Under: 2.5 goals (Over -140, Under plus 120)
For those of you interested in building a goal supremacy chart as lines settle through the groups, bookmaker.eu is still pegging Miami as about a 0.2 goal favorite. (Orlando plus 0.25 goals costs -140 on the money line. Some shops offer a “quarter goal” line that puts half the stake at pick-em, and half the stake at half a goal).
Be sure you watch or listen to VSiN through the day for game-day analysis and selections from our hosts and guests.
PRINCE, DINWIDDIE, DURR TO MISS SUMMER HOOPS
Players on the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty announced Tuesday that they wouldn’t be able to play during NBA and WNBA restarts in Florida later this month.
Taurean Prince (positive test), Spencer Dinwiddie (same), and Asia Durr (enduring a “complicated and arduous” month-long recovery) will stay home.
One other NBA personnel note from Tuesday: Bradley Beal of Washington will sit out the summer as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
Major announcements regarding opt outs or new cases are likely to continue through the month. Be sure you’re adjusting your team power ratings as needed. If you’re considering futures bets, focus on teams with quality depth that have a better chance of overcoming player absences.
Here’s a quick look at odds to win the NBA Championship from Circa Sports. Note that all odds are “plus” for each team. A $100 bet on the Lakers would earn a profit of $260 should they go the distance.
NBA Champions (Circa Sports)
*Favorites: Bucks (260), Lakers (260), Clippers (305).
*Threats: Celtics (1600), Rockets (1800), Sixers (2200), Raptors (2400), Nuggets (2400), Heat (3000).
*Dark horses: Mavericks (4000), Jazz (5000), Thunder (7000), Blazers (7000), Pelicans (7000), Pacers (10000).
*Longshots: Nets (15000), Magic (50000), Grizzlies (100000), Spurs (200000), Kings (200000), Suns (300000), Wizards (300000).
The NBA restart begins July 30 with the Jazz playing the Pelicans and the Lakers colliding with the Clippers.
COVID FATALITY COUNTS UP TUESDAY FROM HOLIDAY BACKLOG
The U.S. posted its highest fatality count in almost a month Tuesday with 994 corona virus deaths according to worldometers.com. You have to go back to June 9 (1,093) to see a higher total.
Important to note that deaths may still be trending downward. Hard to know for sure because there are serious surges all over the country. But Tuesday’s tall number partially resulted from a holiday backlog that saw lower than usual numbers Saturday and Sunday.
Fatalities the past seven days are still lower than the prior seven:
Fatalities Last 7 Days: 3,855
Fatalities Prior 7 days: 4,022
There’s evidence that the nation as a whole is playing better defense against worst-case scenarios. But that could change soon because there’s a natural lag between initial case counts and ultimate fatalities.
More Stories of Interest
*NFL players submit resolution to cancel full preseason (NFL Network)
*NFL owners ask that 35% of player salaries be put in escrow (NBC Sports)
*San Francisco Giants suspend workouts awaiting test results (KPIX)
*Joel Embiid not a fan of NBA restart (Sports Illustrated)
*Louisville halts voluntary basketball workouts (Louisville Courier-Journal)
*If Orlando bubble bursts, forget football (Orlando Sentinel)
*British study raises concerns about covid-linked brain damage (Reuters)
VSiN Clips/Tweets on Betting Restarts
*Mad Dog Chris Russo talks MLB with Pauly Howard (Follow the Money)
*Jason Weingarten discusses MLB betting strategy with Gill Alexander (A Numbers Game)
*Vinny Magliulo provides “behind the counter” perspective on NBA restart to Danny Burke and Michael Lombardi (Lombardi Line)
