Assessing Ricciardo’s options for 2019Assessing Ricciardo’s options for 2019
With mounting speculation about Daniel Ricciardo’s next move beyond 2018, we look at and analyse the options open to him for next year.
Day: April 25, 2018
NFL failure to NFL factory: How Nick Saban created football’s best assembly lineNFL failure to NFL factory: How Nick Saban created football’s best assembly line
Nick Saban’s biggest football failing has proven a blessing for the NFL. Proof comes every time a game is played. Saban’s own time in the league is remembered primarily for his unsuccessful stint as Dolphins head coach in 2005 and ’06. It’s actually in the aftermath where Saban has made
One & Done: Zurich Classic of New OrleansOne & Done: Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Because you’re reading this, you’ve already positioned yourself ahead of your competition. See, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a two-man team competition and you’re selecting only one golfer, so this is either a free play for a cornerstone or a “two-and-done” version of the same game, however you’d like to think of it. For example, whatever Justin Thomas totals in FedExCup points, teammate Bud Cauley does as well. Same goes for Jordan Spieth, Kevin Kisner and Jon Rahm for teammates Ryan Palmer, Scott Brown and Wesley Bryan, respectively. Take your cue from Ben and Mark. Why burn Jason Day, who both Experts will continue to holster, when Ryan Ruffels will yield the same reward? How do I know that your competition who has not made time for this reminder will miss out. Easy. Consider that last year, partners Cauley and Thomas were started by the identical number of gamers to rank T7 in ownership percentage. Cauley is a viable talent to be sure, but Thomas won twice later in the season en route to five total victories, the FedExCup title and Player of the Year honors. After they recorded a T5 in NOLA, Cauley managed only one more top 10 the rest of the way. The non-winner was easily the better choice at TPC Louisiana. Need another? Chase Koepka’s shares at the Zurich totaled 0.2 percent while brother-teammate Brooks slotted 10th overall at 3.4 percent. They also tied for fifth. Using his top-10 exemption at the Wells Fargo Championship the following week, Chase missed the cut and has since played abroad. All Brooks did later was prevail at the U.S. Open. Just like last year, some partnerships at TPC Louisiana this week boast two headliners, both of whom will warrant selection at some point. If you’re eyeing the likes of Patrick Reed or Patrick Cantlay, Justin Rose or Henrik Stenson, and Bubba Watson or Matt Kuchar, your next step is to review Future Possibilities below for additional planning. However, the format encourages you to swerve around all. Best ball and alternate shot in stroke-play competition dances around the proverbial vagaries of matchup and momentum in match play, but the dynamics are still different when you’re not playing only for yourself. Consider that the following teams missed the cut in the inaugural edition of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last year: Stenson-Rose, Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele, Day-Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau-Daniel Summerhays, Kevin Chappell-Gary Woodland and Daniel Berger-Thomas Pieters. Meanwhile, no matter your current rank, one potential turnoff for the finicky is that FedExCup points distributed are shared. Each member of the winning team gets “only” 400 points instead of 500 points reserved for winners of individual competitions in non-majors and -World Golf Championships. If there’s a solo runner-up duo, each guy will receive 162.5 points (instead of 300). And so on. This wrinkle is further motivation to invest in Cauley, Palmer, Brown or Bryan. Even after sifting through all of that, you’re still left with a smorgasbord of opportunity. With half the season behind us and bunches of terrific connections, ownership dispersion should be widespread. It’s a great week to bust a move. Now, about that walk-up music … FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2017-18. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … St. Jude (1; two-time defending); Travelers (2) Kevin Chappell … St. Jude (5); WGC-Bridgestone (2); Dell Technologies (3) Jason Day … PLAYERS (13); U.S. Open (2); Canadian (11); WGC-Bridgestone (9); PGA Championship (1); THE NORTHERN TRUST (8); Dell Technologies (5) Jason Dufner … Fort Worth (2); Memorial (3; defending); U.S. Open (4); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (7) Tony Finau … Memorial (3); Greenbrier (2); Canadian (4) Jim Furyk … Memorial (7); U.S. Open (8); Canadian (3); WGC-Bridgestone (2); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9); TOUR Championship (4) Sergio Garcia … PLAYERS (5); Open Championship (1); TOUR Championship (4) Charley Hoffman … Fort Worth (4); Travelers (2); Canadian (3) J.B. Holmes … Wells Fargo (7); Greenbrier (5) Billy Horschel … St. Jude (1); TOUR Championship (4) Zach Johnson … Fort Worth (2); John Deere (1); Open Championship (5); WGC-Bridgestone (6); TOUR Championship (8) Chris Kirk … PLAYERS (3); Fort Worth (2) Russell Knox … PLAYERS (8); Dell Technologies (7) Brooks Koepka … St. Jude (3); U.S. Open (1; defending); Open Championship (4); WGC-Bridgestone (6); PGA Championship (2) Matt Kuchar … PLAYERS (11); Fort Worth (6); Memorial (2); Canadian (3); WGC-Bridgestone (7); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9) Martin Laird … Barracuda (1) Graeme McDowell … WGC-Bridgestone (3) William McGirt … Memorial (4) Ryan Moore … Travelers (2); John Deere (3); TOUR Championship (6) Kevin Na … Memorial (10); John Deere (9); Wyndham (3); THE NORTHERN TRUST (11) Louis Oosthuizen … U.S. Open (5); PGA Championship (4); Dell Technologies (3) Ryan Palmer … Fort Worth (2); St. Jude (6) Scott Piercy … John Deere (6) Patrick Reed … Travelers (5); PGA Championship (8); Wyndham (7); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9); Dell Technologies (2) Justin Rose … Wells Fargo (4); PLAYERS (9); Memorial (6); Open Championship (8); WGC-Bridgestone (7); TOUR Championship (2) Charl Schwartzel … Memorial (4); U.S. Open (5); Open Championship (6); WGC-Bridgestone (2) Adam Scott … PLAYERS (5); U.S. Open (10); Open Championship (8); WGC-Bridgestone (3); Dell Technologies (9); TOUR Championship (6) Brandt Snedeker … Fort Worth (11); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (6); Canadian (3); Wyndham (4) Jordan Spieth … Fort Worth (2); Travelers (6; defending); John Deere (7); Open Championship (9; defending); WGC-Bridgestone (10); TOUR Championship (4) Brendan Steele … Wells Fargo (7); Travelers (3) Henrik Stenson … Open Championship (6); WGC-Bridgestone (4); PGA Championship (7); Wyndham (8; defending); Dell Technologies (9); TOUR Championship (2) Justin Thomas … Wells Fargo (9); Dell Technologies (6; defending); TOUR Championship (3) Jimmy Walker … Greenbrier (8); Dell Technologies (7) Bubba Watson … Memorial (6); Travelers (5); Greenbrier (8); WGC-Bridgestone (1); TOUR Championship (4) Gary Woodland … Wells Fargo (5); Barracuda (1); Dell Technologies (3)
Trevor Bauer is speaking his mind — and that’s a good thingTrevor Bauer is speaking his mind — and that’s a good thing
From his opinions to his drones to his 69 days of giving, Bauer is … unique. Here’s how an outsider found his place in the Indians clubhouse.
How Joe Maddon, MLB’s oldest manager, stays young at heartHow Joe Maddon, MLB’s oldest manager, stays young at heart
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It’s ‘Trust the process’ time for BostonIt’s ‘Trust the process’ time for Boston
The Bruins have let a 3-1 series lead slip away and are now facing the prospect of being eliminated on home ice against Toronto’s suddenly red-hot goalie.
Four best Kawhi Leonard trades we’d like to seeFour best Kawhi Leonard trades we’d like to see
Trade discussions could heat up if the Spurs and Leonard don’t see eye-to-eye on a new contract. Our NBA Insiders give four deals that work.
‘If I don’t, who will?’: Can Kamathi Holsey tweet his way into the NFL?‘If I don’t, who will?’: Can Kamathi Holsey tweet his way into the NFL?
Just getting on the radar of NFL scouts is half the battle for lesser-known prospects from small colleges, which is why some are increasingly leveraging social media to sell themselves Chances are you’ve never heard of Kamathi Holsey. His name doesn’t spark a memory of any can’t-miss highlight
Ex-NFL cheerleaders offer to settle for $1 in exchange for meeting with commissioner Roger GoodellEx-NFL cheerleaders offer to settle for $1 in exchange for meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell
SportsPulse: Josh Rosen, the most polarizing quarterback in this year’s draft, discusses the “millennial” narrative, details what he wants in a coach, reacts to former coach Jim Mora’s comments and more. Two former cheerleaders who filed recent discrimination lawsuits against the NFL
Early Bird Report 4/25: The Falcons’ biggest NFL Draft need; Gronkowski to play in 2018Early Bird Report 4/25: The Falcons’ biggest NFL Draft need; Gronkowski to play in 2018
Will McFadden AtlantaFalcons.com FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Today’s Early Bird Report includes the Falcons’ draft needs – with one position clearly at the top – as well as Rob Gronkowski’s decision to return to the Patriots in 2018.  Enjoy! FALCONS HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AJC: The Falcons