Following a dreadful postseason, the NBA went wild with draft drama and trade talks aimed at building the next super-team. It may not be sustainable, but it’s a splendid show.
The swapping of draft picks, trade speculation and push for super teams may not be great for the NBA in the long run, but it’s all a splendid show.
Here is what’s out there on the trade front for the Golden Knights ahead of the expansion draft on Wednesday.
Source: Ex-Jets LB Harris agrees to join Pats
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Reds manager Bryan Price said the announcement of Luis Castillo as the starter for Friday’s game in Washington wasn’t intended as a message to other starters, but it could be a lesson. “If you don’t throw strikes on a consistent basis, you’ll never know if the stuff
Whew. And ouch. Sort of. What transpired – or didn’t – at last week’s U.S. Open would have crushed a few gamers in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO if not for the fact that only actual scoring and bonus points were measured. As noted last week and many times before, we can absorb a bad week when ShotLink is turned off so much better than when everything applies. It also didn’t hurt that so many notables failed to survive the cut at Erin Hills. Note that eight of the top 10 in my Power Rankings (see the Recap below) fell short. Plainly, and crudely, the majority of gamers were stung by the mass exodus, but likely experienced little impact in the overall standings and in private leagues. Segment 3 concludes at this week’s Travelers Championship. However, while starts for anyone available to you won’t be an issue, the full array of fantasy scoring is back, so it’s once again critical to get at least four to the weekend and avoid costly goose eggs. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the U.S. Open (in alphabetical order): Paul Casey Jason Day Rory McIlroy Brandt Snedeker Brendan Steele Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Daniel Berger; Tony Finau; Brian Harman; Charley Hoffman; Marc Leishman; David Lingmerth; Patrick Reed; Jordan Spieth Driving: Daniel Berger; Keegan Bradley; Graham DeLaet; Tony Finau; Zach Johnson; Marc Leishman; Kyle Stanley; Kevin Streelman; Bubba Watson Approach: Keegan Bradley; Chad Campbell; Graham DeLaet; Jim Furyk; Zach Johnson; David Lingmerth; Chez Reavie; Webb Simpson; Jordan Spieth; Kyle Stanley Short: Daniel Berger; Graham DeLaet; Harris English; Brian Harman; Marc Leishman; David Lingmerth; Seung-Yul Noh; Chez Reavie; Patrick Reed; Jordan Spieth Power Ranking Wild Card Webb Simpson … TPC River Highlands is in that next tier of reliable sites for us to consider plugging him in, regardless of concerns with his putting. He opened his record with six straight paydays before sitting out the 2014 and 2015 editions. Last year’s return resulted in a T34. Of his 28 trots around the place in competition, he’s signed for only three over-par scores. Twenty-two were in the red. His scoring average is 68.11. Launched his current streak of four consecutive cuts made with a T16 at TPC Sawgrass and a solo fifth at Colonial. Draws Zach Johnson … In ZJ we trust. His numbers on approach have declined since he turned 40 years of age 16 months ago, but TPC River Highlands is still the kind of joint where he’s expected to make the cut at worst. He’s done that in nine of his 11 trips and finished sixth just two years ago, but he’s likely overpriced in DFS because of the slower rollback that usually occurs with talents of his cachet. Now, what is concerning is how he’ll be performing when he shows up at the John Deere Classic in three weeks. If that tournament was this week, he wouldn’t be an automatic in as many fantasy formats as usual in that event. Jim Furyk … If we’re having fun with the common narrative, it’s fair to wonder how he chases a low round, albeit 10-and-a-half months later. His 58 in the finale of last year’s Travelers is a PGA TOUR record, of course, but he might settle for quad-68s this week. As noted too often in this column, it’s been a tough 2017 for the Ryder Cup captain, but TPC River Highlands sets the stage for a continuation of form found at Erin Hills of all places. The stats are irrelevant. Instead, approach him as a potential complement in any format where you can surround him with reliability. Given his penchant to contend, not to mention his feel for the track, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s in the mix. Kevin Streelman … The 2014 champ hasn’t skipped out on a trip since he was first eligible in 2008. While he’s missed the cut the last two years, he presents well on the strength of top 20s in his last two starts upon arrival. Chez Reavie … Loyal readers know that he’s been on my radar all season, even during the rough four-month patch earlier this year, so it’s rewarding (and reassuring) to see him put it all together in his last two starts. He chased a T4 in Memphis with a T16 at the U.S. Open, easily his best finish in 11 career starts in the majors. Co-leads the PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole and ranks T33 in scrambling. He’s the definition of how keeping his ball in play at TPC River Highlands yields success, so look no further in his price range in DFS. The 35-year-old is perfect in five tries here since 2009 with a pair of top 25s. David Lingmerth … When he’s going good, he’s one of my favorites. It’s just that it occurs so infrequently, but that’s the nature of the beast for the rank and file. Quite simply, gamers can’t get enough of his confidence. The 29-year-old’s best weapon is his putter. It’s the reason why he’s been simmering of late. Strolls in for his third crack at TPC River Highlands with top 25s in four of his last five starts (preceded by a T14 at the two-man event in New Orleans). Seung-Yul Noh … We still don’t know why he called it quits after one round at Colonial, but he returned at TPC Southwind and placed T37. That relieves any doubt entering his sixth appearance at TPC River Highlands where he’s never missed a cut and has averaged 68.90 with a pair of top 20s. Beau Hossler … It was just a matter of time, and sooner than later at that, before he was going to make noise again in PGA TOUR-sanctioned competition. Last week’s runner-up finish on the Web.com Tour in Wichita, Kansas, secured status on that circuit for the remainder of 2017. That opens all kinds of doors, including the competitive freedom to parlay it into something special in his first look of TPC River Highlands. Ranked fourth at the Air Capital Classic in greens in regulation and ninth in scrambling. Both are keys to success this week. Fades Russell Knox … It’s been just under 11 months since he answered the winning putt with a cap throw for the record books. Alas, my confidence was greater two weeks ago in Memphis where he settled for a T37. Yet, it’s his second-best finish in the last five months. So, let the course history buffs among your competition nibble while you look elsewhere for a bite. Daniel Summerhays … Hasn’t recovered from fading to T10 at Muirfield Village to start the month, but that’s also nothing out of the ordinary for the occasional threat. He owns the same reputation at TPC River Highlands where he debuted with a solo 74th in 2011, followed with three missed cuts, and then hung up four red numbers for a T11 last year. Kevin Na … It’s too bad that his humor on social media wasn’t more obvious before I faded him outright for the U.S. Open. When watching him hack away in the fescue, it seemed like a joke, but it would have been irresponsible not to take him seriously in the absence of an obvious cue to express otherwise. Nevertheless, he’s manufactured only one top-30 finish in seven attempts at TPC River Highlands and it’s been 10 years since that. Without a strong run of form entering the week, there’s simply no reason to force him. Ryan Palmer … Given the value of confidence off the tee at Erin Hills last week, it’s an upset that he didn’t factor. Case in point, Tommy Fleetwood finished fourth with essentially the same profile of a guy who does work tee to green. Palmer can sustain form due to the confidence borne from lacing tee ball after tee ball. We’re reminded of this as he grinds through his current trough. He also hasn’t seen TPC River Highlands since 2009 and his only cut made in three starts was way back in his rookie season of 2004. Lucas Glover … Same goes for this guy. In retrospect, his proficiency tee to green should have played at Erin Hills, but he also missed the cut. It was the latest of three substandard efforts since a T6 at THE PLAYERS. With a 1-for-4 slate at TPC River Highlands since 2012, we can leave him alone this week. Byeong Hun An … Really liked his fit at Erin Hills but he missed the cut. Now that he has to throttle back in his debut at TPC River Highlands, it’s time to abstain. Returning to Competition Padraig Harrington … As promised, he’s returning from an injury suffered when an amateur clocked him in the left elbow during a corporate outing two weeks ago. The three-time major champion required stitches. He alerted followers on Twitter on June 16 that he’s “on track to play” the Travelers. TPC River Highlands has been good to him, so there’s an element of bewaring the injured golfer in play. However, even with just one missed cut in seven appearances, gamers don’t need to roll the dice given his recent brush with bad luck. Nicholas Lindheim … Back in action after an illness knocked him out of the FedEx St. Jude Classic after an opening 76. The PGA TOUR rookie is just 7-for-14 with one top 25. He’s 175th in the FedExCup standings. Notable WDs Si Woo Kim … Proven big-stage performer placed T13 at Erin Hills. His early exit from the Travelers is his third such decision of the season (Sony, Byron Nelson) to go with five mid-tournament withdrawals. If only he could stay healthy, he just might be eclipsing the crazy numbers he put up as a rookie in 2015-16. Power Rankings Recap – U.S. Open Sleepers Recap – U.S. Open Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR June 20 … Charles Howell III (38) June 21 … Matt Kuchar (39); William McGirt (38); Russell Knox (32); Sangmoon Bae (31); Julian Etulain (29) June 22 … Dustin Johnson (33) June 23 … Roberto Castro (32) June 24 … none June 25 … John Rollins (42) June 26 … Colt Knost (32)
NEW YORK – In the beginning, Billy Horschel thought his wife was just having fun. A little too much fun at times, perhaps, but what the heck? Brittany Horschel wasn’t the first person to have one too many cocktails — and she wouldn’t be the last, either.   “I thought, she’s just drinking, having a good time with friends,â€� Billy says. “A lot of people don’t know when to stop type thing. No big deal.â€� When he started finding plastic water bottles filled with vodka stashed around the house, though, Billy knew something was seriously wrong. Fifths of Grey Goose and SKYY turned up in the oddest places, too. “That’s when I thought there may be an issue,â€� Billy says. The witty, winsome woman he had married in 2010 all but became a stranger to him. The more Brittany drank, the less engaged she became in the life the two college sweethearts had made together. “One thing he would always say to me is, in the morning, you’re great,â€� Brittany says. “But by the evening, it’s like you’re a different person.â€� Billy said it became hard to even hold a conversation with his wife. Sometimes they were talking about something as simple as what to fix for dinner that night. Or maybe he’d turn serious and try to tell her what a toll her drinking was taking on their marriage. Twenty minutes later, though, in her alcoholic fog, Brittany had already forgotten what they’d discussed. “That frustrated me, and then I went into a shell a little bit of not wanting to communicate with my wife at night,â€� Billy says. He was never sure which Brittany would show up. He calls it a “was she drunk or was she sober type of deal.â€� Brittany finally found the strength to stop drinking. It took years of soul-searching, perseverance and an intervention, but she did it. And on May 22, a day after her husband won the AT&T Byron Nelson, which was his fourth PGA TOUR title, Brittany went public with their private struggle. She hadn’t had a drink in 366 days. “I will keep this simple: ‘I am an alcoholic,’ â€� she wrote in the statement posted on Facebook and Twitter. “I say that now without shame. Admitting that to myself, family and friends has saved my life and saved my marriage.â€� i would like to share why yesterday’s win had some extra emotions for my hubby, @BillyHo_Golf xo pic.twitter.com/2yDyhm8kRR— brittany horschel (@britt_horschel) May 22, 2017 Billy and Brittany first met at a junior golf tournament at Doral in 2004. He was 18; she was a year younger. His cap with the University of Florida logo caught her eye because that’s where she was going to play golf in college.  “I didn’t know who he was, so I thought he was a wannabe Gator,â€� Brittany recalls. “But I thought he was cute, so I kind of followed him around.â€� She introduced herself to Billy on the practice range prior to the final round. The two ran into each other at several other junior tournaments that summer, then started dating when they got to Gainesville. The first 2-1/2 years of their relationship were on-again, off-again. By the second semester of their junior year, though, Billy and Brittany were serious. They moved in together as seniors. “We made our families very nervous,â€� Brittany says with a smile. In truth, theirs was a perfect match. Billy found the independent, strong-willed woman he was looking for in Brittany. He also found a kindred spirit in the golfer, who had pro aspirations of her own that were curtailed by a series of wrist injuries. “Still to this day she understands that I may practice for eight hours at the course and she gets it,â€� he says. “She understands it. Obviously, there’s time where she goes, hey, can you help me out here, can you work your practice around this schedule type deal? “But she understands this is the way we make our living. This is our life.â€� But Brittany, who played at Florida from 2005-09, never was able to realize her own dream and turn pro. Three surgeries on her wrist prevented her from putting in the time on the range needed to reach the next level. “So, my whole self-being and what I thought I was good at and what I thought I was here on this earth to do, I couldn’t do it,â€� the petite blonde says. “I think that’s the beginning of when I started to feel lost and I never got myself back on track.â€� So Brittany started drinking. First, it was white wine. Then it became vodka. That’s when the problem turned serious. The white liquor was easy to camouflage and difficult to smell. It was no longer social drinking. She was now hiding it. “When I look back now, that’s when I see that it was really unhealthy drinking,â€� she says. “I wasn’t drinking to enjoy a glass of wine. It was by myself.â€� By 2012, Billy realized his wife’s drinking had gone beyond the oops-I-had-one-too-many stage. Even so, Brittany managed to quit cold turkey when she was pregnant with their first child, Skylar, who was born two days after Billy won the FedExCup in 2014. “Looking back, I think it’s because I felt like I had another purpose in my life, you know, and that was to keep this child healthy,â€� says Brittany, who had suffered a miscarriage the previous year that both she and her husband feel, in retrospect, contributed to her issues with alcohol. Her new-found sobriety would be short-lived, though. A few glasses of wine led to a few more and a few more and suddenly Brittany was self-medicating again. Billy pleaded with his wife to stop. Even a couple of weeks on the wagon would be a good start, he told her. And then Billy would find another one of those water bottles. “At the beginning I would get upset,â€� he says. “Towards the end, it was just sort of like I couldn’t get upset because I was beyond that. It was a frustration. “I would tell her, I love you. You are such an unbelievable woman. You are a great mother. You have so many great skills. And I tried — when we had conversations, when I would find the bottle, I would try towards the end to reiterate that to her. “It just wasn’t getting through.â€� As things escalated, Billy even went so far as to threaten to divorce Brittany. Six times, in fact. Not that he wanted to – his love for her was too strong. His commitment too deep. “But I just was trying anything I could to break her out of the funk,â€� he says. Brittany just kept drinking. Her self-esteem was at rock bottom. She convinced herself Billy didn’t love her. She thought her friends didn’t care, either. “That was all my distorted views of everybody from the what the alcohol had done,â€� she says. “I had gotten myself into a depression. Really, I felt I was a tiny, tiny person in a corner all by myself. “So our relationship definitely (suffered) — I wouldn’t even call it a relationship. Just two people living together.â€� Eventually, Brittany got to the point that she would have a drink, usually vodka and orange juice, as soon as she would get up in the morning. She would continue to drink all day, “almost to numb myself,â€� Brittany says.  “I remember the professionals, the counselors, the therapists, everybody saying that she had to drink because she had a level she had to maintain,â€� Billy recalls. “If she got below that level, she felt bad. Her body sort of like didn’t know how to function without the alcohol.â€� Finally, though, Brittany got scared. That’s why the intervention worked. from my journal 1 year ago today…”why would you give up everything for one thing, when you can give up one thing for everything?”— brittany horschel (@britt_horschel) May 26, 2017 It was May of 2016. The week after THE PLAYERS Championship. Brittany had just returned from a trip with several girlfriends, who came back and told Billy they thought she might have a problem. Within 24 hours, Billy had set everything up. Brittany’s traveling companions were there, along with a doctor and another friend who is a licensed therapist. “I needed somebody,â€� Billy says. “… I needed some more backing, really, from people that cared about her, people that she cared about as well, to sort of help me help push through that wall to get to Brittany.â€� Billy doesn’t remember how he got Brittany to the intervention that night. But once they walked in the door, she knew what was about to happen. She was at peace with it, too. “I was ready,â€� Brittany says. “They all had their little speeches, for lack of a better word. And I think one person got through theirs and I was on board.â€� Billy said he’d actually sensed for a month or so that his wife wanted help. “I kept saying, ‘Hey, there’s something you are not telling me’,â€� Billy recalls. “’Is there something you need to tell me? I’m here for you, I’m going to love you no matter what. We can figure anything out.’ “I was trying to get her to open up and tell me that she was an alcoholic. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to. So, the intervention, it was great because she was not defensive at all and she was ready to go.â€� Brittany was hoping to find a treatment center near their home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, so she could be close to her family. But the couple eventually settled on a rehabilitation facility in southeastern Florida.  The therapy was intense and included family members as Billy and his wife learned communication skills and how to rebuild their relationship. She was there for two months with only one visit home. “It was the hardest thing to do to leave Skylar but it was also the best possible thing I could have done,â€� Brittany says. Happy Daddy’s Day @BillyHo_Golf. We love you so much. Thank you for everthing you do for us. #FathersDay pic.twitter.com/Ych04RRuvW — brittany horschel (@britt_horschel) June 18, 2017 Billy, meanwhile, took on the role of Mr. Mom. Skylar was his No. 1 priority, of course. He also paid the bills and did laundry. He even moved the family into a new home. His dad, who basically came to live with him while Brittany was in rehab, was a huge help. Billy rarely had time to practice or hit the gym — and he was good with that. His family came first. “I was in a different realm than I’ve ever been,â€� he explains. “It goes from waking up and going to work out and practice every day, to waking up to take care of my daughter.â€� While Billy had planned to take a complete sabbatical from the game, several friends who are also addicts encouraged him to play. If he didn’t, they warned, Brittany might feel guilty. So, Billy played twice, tying for 32nd at the U.S. Open at Oakmont and missing the cut at the Open Championship at Royal Troon. But he skipped four other events that he usually played, events that he usually plays well in. “In a two-month span, besides playing two events, I only maybe practiced five or six days in a 64 or 67-day span,â€� Billy says. “It was really strange for me. “But at the same time, it was the right thing to do to be there for my little one, make sure my home life was running, do everything I could to make sure Brittany had everything she needed when she came home.â€� And Billy, one of the more gregarious and open players on TOUR, still managed to keep what was going on his life private.   “It was no one’s business for the time being,â€� he says. “So that’s the way it was.â€� Still, Billy’s absence didn’t go unnoticed. Scott Vail, a good friend who caddies for Brandt Snedeker, texted him during the FedEx St. Jude Classic to see what was up. TOUR veteran Scott Piercy also was worried. Billy finally told both what had happened. And once Brittany posted on Facebook and Twitter last month, there were no more secrets. Her husband was gratified by the support he felt the following week at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. “Listen, the PGA TOUR is a big family,â€� Billy says. “When anyone is going through something, whether it was Brittany’s alcoholism, Stewart Cink’s wife’s cancer, whatever players deal with out there, players and their families do a really good job of showing support to that individual.â€� Brittany’s revealing social media posts were completely her idea. She wanted to explain why her husband had been so emotional as he broke that three-year victory drought. She wanted to come clean about the off-course struggles to which he had alluded in his post-round interview. “To get emotional that way, in a way I’ve never done before in my previous three wins,â€� Billy says. “I knew what that day meant. It was a year to that day that we had the intervention. It was a year to that day that Brittany had taken her last drink.â€� So she emailed Billy and his agent, Sherry Whay, and asked them to look at the statement. Her husband expressed some reservations, but she told him she was ready to go public in hopes that her story would help others. “So it was a big step, it was an encouraging step by her,â€� Billy says. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. People have reached out to Brittany from all over the world. When he signs autographs after a round, fans tell Billy about their own struggles. “A mom or a dad may say, Hey, that was really unbelievable what your wife did,â€� he says. “…  And they are like, I want to let you know, I’m five years sober or I’m 10 years sober or my son or my daughter is sober as well.â€� “I think you find most people can connect to somebody that’s an alcoholic, either their family, friends,â€� Brittany notes. Chris Herren, a highly touted high school basketball player in the mid-1990s who fell victim to drug abuse, even reached out to the Horschels via Twitter. He has been clean since 2008 and now helps guide addicts toward sobriety through The Herren Project. Brittany and Billy had been thinking about starting a foundation, as well, and now they have their cause. They were in New York on Wednesday doing a series of interviews with national media outlets, including an appearance on “Good Morning America.â€� “We want … to help young families and women struggling with addictions,â€� Brittany says. “And then I would love to keep doing speaking engagements and just be somebody that’s available to people to talk to and reach out for help.â€� Brittany, who knows her battle for sobriety will be on-going, stops short of saying she’s surprised by how far she’s come during the last 13 months. But she is proud of the woman she has become. “I’ve gained my self-confidence back, my self-worth,â€� she says. “So, no, I’m not surprised. I knew I could do it.â€� At the same time, she will admit to being a little surprised that Billy stuck by her. She knows she tested every ounce of his commitment. She knows she embarrassed him – although he won’t say so – and she’s forever grateful for his help. “I kept apologizing to him down at recovery,â€� she says. “(But) one thing that he said to me is just the respect he had for me for getting help and fighting this. … “And I gained so much respect and love for him for everything that he stuck through. I love him even more for getting me help because I couldn’t do it for myself.â€�
David Harris is joining the team he tried to topple for the past decade. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the New England Patriots are signing the former New York Jets linebacker.
Maclin played with torn groin; cut via voicemail
