Astros bring on another ace, acquire GreinkeAstros bring on another ace, acquire Greinke
The Houston Astros have acquired former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for four prospects.
Day: July 31, 2019
Best of Wednesday at training camps: Thomas resets WR market, Rosen gains in QB derbyBest of Wednesday at training camps: Thomas resets WR market, Rosen gains in QB derby
Michael Thomas signs a record-breaking deal and more from training camps around the nation. Check out photos, videos, quotes and notes from the NFL.
Source: Astros add another ace, acquire GreinkeSource: Astros add another ace, acquire Greinke
The Houston Astros have agreed to a blockbuster trade to acquire former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.
Second of Bob Baffert’s horses dies at Del MarSecond of Bob Baffert’s horses dies at Del Mar
Three horses have died at Del Mar less than two weeks into the meet season. Bowl of Soul, a 3-year-old filly, was euthanized following an injury.
Cubs pull off last-second deal for Nicholas Castellanos as trade deadline passesCubs pull off last-second deal for Nicholas Castellanos as trade deadline passes
The Cubs made a big move right as the deadline passed.
Astros get Greinke in deadline blockbusterAstros get Greinke in deadline blockbuster
The Houston Astros landed Zack Greinke in big trade with Arizona Diamondbacks that came down just under the wire.
Reds beat Pirates 4-1, both teams behave day after brawlReds beat Pirates 4-1, both teams behave day after brawl
Clint Hurdle and David Bell had little interaction while exchanging lineup cards one day after their teams fought on the field, and the Pirates and Reds were on good behavior Wednesday during Cincinnati’s 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh behind a strong performance from Luis Castillo. Bell and three
Braves egde rivals, get closer Green from TigersBraves egde rivals, get closer Green from Tigers
Atlanta added another bullpen piece by acquiring closer Shane Greene from Detroit – and also kept him away from the Nationals.
Simpson, Spieth hope to make Presidents Cup teamSimpson, Spieth hope to make Presidents Cup team
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Webb Simpson was disappointed when his second-place finish at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational didn’t give him a big boost in the standings for the United States team for the Presidents Cup. He had started the week 11th but only jumped one spot. So, with just three weeks remaining to play his way into the top eight automatic qualifiers, Simpson decided to call U.S. Captain Tiger Woods. “I thought I was going to move up more and I didn’t, and he told me to play better, so that was funny,â€� Simpson recalled Wednesday with a grin. “I said, Fair enough.â€� Simpson is currently 149 points out of the No. 8 spot held by Gary Woodland – and none of the players ranked higher than him are competing this week at the Wyndham Championship in the regular season finale. The team will be finalized after the BMW Championship. Woods will then make his four Captain’s Picks after the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, which will be played Oct. 28-Nov. 3 in Shanghai. But Simpson, who has a win and two other top-three finishes at the Wyndham Championship, wants to go ahead lock down his spot. The Presidents Cup will be played Dec. 9-15 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. It will be the 13th time the biennial event has been contested with the Americans holding a 10-1-1 advantage. “You want to qualify because from BMW to HSBC, that’s a long waiting period and that gives guys who are maybe not quite on his radar a chance to play their way onto the team,â€� Simpson said. “So yeah, I’m thinking about it a lot. I want to make it. “That was my first team event in 2011 in Melbourne and I can’t imagine how cool it would be to play for Tiger, the guy that we all grew up watching. Yeah, I hope I’m there.â€� Jordan Spieth also has Presidents Cup aspirations – and he comes to the Wyndham Championship with a much taller task in front of him. He’s ranked 27th in the U.S. standings after two uncharacteristically quiet seasons that have seen Spieth post a combined total of just eight top-10s finishes. Spieth, who lost in a playoff at the 2013 Wyndham Championship in his only other appearance at the event, isn’t assured of a spot in the first two Playoff events, either. He’s currently 67th in the FedExCup and only the top 70 make to the BMW Championship, being played this year at historic Medinah Country Club. Spieth has played in every Presidents Cup since Fred Couples picked him as a rookie in 2013, as well as every Ryder Cup. Making the U.S. Team is a “massive goalâ€� for the three-time major champion, who calls the international match play events the “most fun weeks of the year.â€� “I understand that as of now I’m pretty far out of it, but I’m not going to think much about it,â€� Spieth said. “The best way for me to, you know, deserve a pick is to take care of my own business over the next few weeks. … “With this many years, I’m aware of when I’m close and I’m aware when I’m not. So, I’m just trying to stay as patient as possible, give myself as many birdie putts, greens in regulation being an important stat for me over the next few weeks, and should work my way up and have a chance.â€�
Shooting 59, winning Wyndham Championship ‘was really special’ for Snedeker familyShooting 59, winning Wyndham Championship ‘was really special’ for Snedeker family
Mandy Snedeker had just dropped her two children, Lily and Austin, off at school near their home in Nashville. Her husband, Brandt, was in Greensboro, North Carolina, playing in the Wyndham Championship. He was in one of the morning’s featured groups, paired with Billy Horschel and Hideki Matsuyama, so she could follow the PGA TOUR Live coverage of his round as she ran errands. “And then all of a sudden, I don’t know what hole it was, but they started mentioning that there was a chance that he could shoot 59,â€� Mandy recalls. “I kind of went, errrk, pulled over in a parking lot, and watched the rest of it.â€� Mandy sat in that parking lot for a good hour on that Thursday morning a year ago, watching the final four holes or so on her cell phone. So, she saw the 20-footer he made on the Sedgefield’s ninth hole, his last of the day, to become just the ninth player in PGA TOUR history to shoot a 59. “Oh, my gosh, I screamed and just went crazy,â€� Mandy says. And then her telephone started virtually blowing up with text messages. In relatively short order, she had probably 40 or 50; her husband’s phone pinged with roughly double that amount – all meaningful in their own way. “We have a lot of friends that are in the music industry … and obviously are huge golfers,â€� Mandy says. “So, they were all texting me. I thought that was cool. “I don’t know if I have anyone that (stood out); it was just so many at one time I couldn’t believe it because I wasn’t sure if everybody knew. It was a Thursday, Thursday morning. So, I was texting people all morning. Brandt shot 59. Brandt shot 59. It was crazy.â€� Of course, her first text was to Brandt. He was whisked away to interviews after he signed his scorecard but called as soon as he could. “He was so excited,â€� Mandy recalls. “You know, golf, it’s crazy. It’s like up and down and he hadn’t been playing that great. But out of nowhere he shoots 59. So, it’s just how the sport rolls.â€� Then came the hard part. At least for Brandt. Take that four-stroke lead he had accrued with the 59, play three more rounds and try to win a golf tournament. “Fifty‑nine was such a cool moment and such a great place, has such a great place in my memory and the history of the game obviously, but doing it on Thursday when you’ve got three more days to deal with, A, all the questions, B, all the kind of attention you draw on yourself, and then most importantly, the expectations you have on yourself,â€� Brandt says. “You have a … four‑shot lead after the first day, play that kind of round of golf, you can’t really think of anything other than messing it up from there, to be honest with you. So, it’s hard to kind of deal with that, try to get over it and make sure you get back into what made you successful that first day.â€� The internal pressure was one thing. After all, Brandt had already won eight times on the PGA TOUR. But the 2018 Wyndham Championship was the first time his kids, who were 7 and 5 years old at the time, really understood what was going on. “The second he (shot 59) it was, Dad are you going to win the tournament? Dad are you winning?â€� Mandy recalls with a smile. “We flew in Saturday; we go upstairs to the player dining. Dad, are you leading still? Dad are you leading? Are you going to win? I was like, oh my goodness. Stop. “So, we had joked if he can win with that pressure of the kids constantly reminding him, you know, he’s got it. He’s got it.â€� Steve Holmes, who is chairman of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Destinations, had sent a private jet to Nashville to pick up Mandy and the kids. Wyndham has sponsored Brandt since shortly after he won the 2007 tournament at Sedgefield, which was his first PGA TOUR victory. Holmes was the one who presented Brandt with the Sam Snead Cup that year. “It just so happened he was coming up to New York for the first playoff event right afterwards and he offered me a ride up on his plane,â€� Brandt remembers. “And so, I hop on the plane. We celebrated and talked and just kind of grew from there and Steve’s one of the best human beings in the world. Spending that little time with them on a plane, I realized what a quality guy he was and what they stood for. “Just always have been very fortunate in my career, surround myself with really good people and make sure I have the right partnerships and it all started with him and them because they are a bunch of great people and do stuff the right way.â€� So, Brandt wasn’t at all surprised that Holmes flew Mandy and the kids in for what turned out to be another Sunday celebration with Lily and Austin racing onto the 18th green to jump into their dad’s arms. “They’ve been dear friends of ours for a long time,â€� Mandy says. “That’s what made it so special, too. It’s not just shooting the 59 … it was just like a storybook book setting. I mean, with it being Wyndham and his sponsor and just all the years that we’ve been with them and stuff. “So yeah, it was really special.â€�