Playoff push: Cincy stays red hot, plus current postseason bracketPlayoff push: Cincy stays red hot, plus current postseason bracket
The Reds keep winning and making their case for a spot in the playoffs. Here’s the latest on the postseason picture.
Day: September 22, 2020
Bubbles, buy games and bid worries: Inside the frenzy to save college basketball’s nonconference seasonBubbles, buy games and bid worries: Inside the frenzy to save college basketball’s nonconference season
The NCAA cleared a path for the 2020-21 college basketball season to begin with last week’s announcement. Now comes the tough part.
NHL bubble confidential: Go inside the Toronto and Edmonton playoff hubsNHL bubble confidential: Go inside the Toronto and Edmonton playoff hubs
From on-site amenities (or lack thereof) to playing without fans to recreational substances of choice, here’s the inside scoop from those who lived it.
Same coach, different approach: Grillo trying to become next Como student to win on TOURSame coach, different approach: Grillo trying to become next Como student to win on TOUR
Emiliano Grillo was at a Caribbean resort while Bryson DeChambeau was bashing his way to a U.S. Open victory on Sunday. Winged Foot, where DeChambeau was the only player to finish under par, is one of the game's most stressful tests. The venue for this week's Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship is a stark contrast, an idyllic setting with six holes that run along the Caribbean Ocean. RELATED: Como's living room shows how technology can change players' games The contrast in their locales last weekend parallels the different styles of these two PGA TOUR winners. "(Bryson) is very intense. He's 200% into everything about golf," Grillo says. "I'm more of a relaxed, easy person. I'll work hard but I'm not going to put in the extra time that Bryson does. That got him to where he is at the moment, and I just have a different way of seeing my job at different times." They do share one thing in common: a swing coach. Both work with Chris Como, the Dallas-based instructor whom DeChambeau effusively praised Sunday for guiding him through the radical transformation of his body and game. Como's ability to assist one of the game's most obsessive tinkerers, and another student with a more laid-back approach, is credit to an under-appreciated aspect of coaching. It's not just what you know, but how you convey the information to your students. Como can be give DeChambeau the data he craves or tailor his teaching to Grillo, as well. "Chris is always 100% into it. He adapts to your personality," Grillo says. "I'm super different to Bryson and we both really match well with (Chris). That's what makes him very special." Grillo said he isn't planning a Bryson-esque transformation - "I enjoy a lot of other things, and I don't think adding weight for my job is a priority," he says - but he has been helped by Como's instruction. Whereas DeChambeau loves to rely on Trackman readings and his background in physics, it has been a simple key from Como that has benefitted Grillo. "It's actually very simple," Grillo said. "I'm hitting the ball with my right hip, creating space for the club (to travel through impact). It was a feeling that I was trying to do and find it, and he did it super easy for me." Grillo and Como started working together at this year's PLAYERS Championship, the last event before the season was paused by the coronavirus pandemic. Grillo had made the cut in just one of his six starts before arriving at TPC Sawgrass. The lone exception was a third-place finish at the Puerto Rico Open, a tournament that's played a big part in his career. He was a non-member when he finished second there five years ago, a finish that qualified him for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, then won his first start as a PGA TOUR member, the Safeway Open. Como didn't see a need for a dramatic overhaul of Grillo's swing. He just needed to help him get back to his old ways. Grillo finished third in Strokes Gained: Approach in 2019 and 20th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. "He was in a little bit of a funk. I just said, ‘You're a great ball-striker. We just need to figure out what you've done when you hit it well because your good is one of the best out here,'" Como says. "He just had some excess body motion that he didn't have when he played his best. His setup changed. He got too squatty in his knees. His head would pull away from the ball, and the club would come down from the inside compared to his preferred path." Grillo's struggles continued after the Return to Golf. He missed the cut in four of his first six starts after the season resumed, and his best finish was T39. Grillo was 122nd in the FedExCup, and in danger of missing the Playoffs for the first time in his career, in late July. But he responded with top-10s at the 3M Open and Barracuda. He finished third at 3M thanks to a 64-65 weekend. This new season is off to a promising start. He was in the top 10 through the first three rounds of the season-opening Safeway Open before a final-round 73 dropped him to T29. He finished the week ranked fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach and third in greens in regulation. Now, he'll try to follow another Como student into the winner's circle. He'll take a different approach to get there, however.
Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus early fantasy finds for each teamWeek 3 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus early fantasy finds for each team
Dion Lewis could be getting big work soon, Cam Newton seems like a QB1 again and Jonnu Smith is turning into a favorite option for the Titans.
Gronk’s ultimate Florida road trip: A guided tour with festivals, mermaids and manateesGronk’s ultimate Florida road trip: A guided tour with festivals, mermaids and manatees
The peerless Florida Man is a 6-foot-6, 268-pound force of nature who vibes so hard. Here’s where he should visit in his new state.
Sleeper Picks: Corales PuntacanaSleeper Picks: Corales Puntacana
Sepp Straka ... In his only prior trip, he sat T5 entering the final round, closed with 74 and landed at a forgettable T26. That was in 2019 and he was a PGA TOUR rookie at the time. Now in his second event of his third season and with a T14 at Silverado already on the board, he arrives equipped to consider finishing the job. The strength of the 27-year-old from Austria is his balance throughout the bag, and now he has experience. And since a T8 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in early July, he's 5-for-7 with four top 20s. Sam Ryder ... Never found a rhythm in 2019-20 - let's face it, few could - but he still turned just 12 cuts made into a third consecutive Playoffs appearance. Despite that career-low total, he established a (modest) career best with four top 25s including in two of his last five starts of the season. When he's in a groove, all cylinders are firing and for extended stretches, so now that he's three months into a steady pace of competition and with the new season serving as a reset, perhaps he'll rekindle the kind of all-around game that yielded ranks of T54 in greens hit and 23rd in Strokes Gained: Putting with which he ended his sophomore season of 2018-19. Patton Kizzire ... The lanky 34-year-old is making his tournament debut. He should find Corales to fit his game nicely. He completed 2019-20 ranked 25th in Strokes Gained: Putting, 15th in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, T42 in putting: birdies-or-better and inside the top-third on TOUR in par-5 scoring. Seamus Power ... Not only is the Irishman a great fit, he's already proven why. In the inaugural edition in 2018, he tied for fifth while leading the field in par-4 scoring and ranking T8 in putts per GIR. That remains his career-best finish in individual competition. Concluded last season with three cuts made in five starts, two going for a top 15. Although he didn't qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, he finished the season slotted T34 in greens hit, T15 in proximity, T24 in putts per GIR and T21 in par-5 scoring. Justin Suh ... Remember when he was poised to be the fourth horseman of 2019? Hey, everyone progresses at his own pace, but that he was in the same conversation with Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland just 15 months ago underscores just how much damage that trio has done in the interim. Suh is 23 now and he's taking advantage of playing time on the LOCALiQ Series. In the first four events, he's recorded three top 10s and a T33, and those chased a T21 at the Barracuda Championship. He's foregoing the fifth event on that mini-series in favor of a sponsor exemption at Corales. A good showing likely will trigger the addition of the Southern Cal product to the new Rookie Watch. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.
Brees: Job is to direct Saints, not rack up air yardsBrees: Job is to direct Saints, not rack up air yards
After a 34-24 loss to the Raiders on Monday Night Football, Saints quarterback Drew Brees laughed off questions about the growing narrative that he is showing signs of decline, noting, “My job is to execute the offense … not to have the most air yards.”
Where has Tyler Seguin gone?Where has Tyler Seguin gone?
We discuss Tyler Seguin’s disappointing postseason and wonder whether or not the Dallas Stars can win the Cup without getting much from their star centre.
Athletics clinch first AL West title since 2013Athletics clinch first AL West title since 2013
Move over Houston, there’s a new king in the American League West. The A’s officially dethroned the defending three-time division champs on Monday.