Happy Friday! We've got a big weekend ahead of us. Not only is it crunch time for holiday shopping (in a stunning turn of events, I've been done with mine for a while already) but it's also a MONSTER weekend of college football with conference championships on the line. Is that enough pressure for you?
We're also bearing down on another NBA season so hopefully you can enjoy the calm before the inevitable storm of craziness next week. We'll tackle some NBA in just a bit so buckle up for that.
As for myself, I'll be on my eSports grind this weekend, jumping into a competitive best-of-seven "NHL 21" series starting tonight. If that tickles your fancy, feel free to tune in on Twitch. Otherwise, you can find me spewing random sports nonsense and the occasional Christmas movie commentary on Twitter. (I think both "Home Alone" movies will be on the schedule this weekend (we don't recognize "Home Alone 3" in this household.)
OK, let's finish this week out strong.
📰 What you need to know
1. Justin Herbert shines in Chargers' OT win 🏈
Those who have been watching Justin Herbert in his rookie season with the Chargers know that the kid is a pretty special talent. He's got a cannon for an arm and he's starting to pick up new fans with each passing week -- even on a thoroughly mediocre Chargers team.
Last night may have been Herbert's best showcase so far, and it came in an overtime win against the Raiders in primetime. In the win, Herbert set an NFL rookie record with his seventh 300-yard game. Also, his 27 passing TDs on the year are now tied with Baker Mayfield (2018) for the most by a rookie in NFL history.
Let's get some takeaways from our Tyler Sullivan:
Why the Chargers won
- L.A. made a bunch of mistakes, but Herbert (314 passing yards and three total touchdowns) helped erase those errors
- The Chargers' defense made some big plays down the stretch. They came up with an interception on a threatening Raiders drive late in regulation, then came up with a red zone stop to keep Las Vegas out of the end zone in overtime
- Herbert made a great goal line extension on a QB sneak in OT to score the winning touchdown
Why the Raiders lost:
- Derek Carr went down with a groin injury in the first quarter, forcing Marcus Mariota into the game at QB. Mariota actually played really well for the most part, but did throw a costly interception late in the fourth
- The Raiders' defense failed again. They allowed Herbert to carve them up and took too many costly penalties
- Cornerback Trayvon Mullen was especially bad and the Chargers exploited him all night
Even though the Chargers came out on the winning side last night, I came away feeling like Anthony Lynn would be lucky to last another week in that head coach's chair. He made some really questionable decisions again last night -- the biggest of which came when he played for a field goal at the end of regulation despite the fact that his kicker, Michael Badgley, has been pretty bad this year and had another tough night last night.
It felt like the Chargers were trying to give the game away, but Herbert was just too good to let them, and that's the mark of a star quarterback in the making. I just hope that Lynn doesn't clip the kid's wings with some of his reckless play calling.
I also hope that somebody points Herbert in the direction of a real barber at some point because, man, that new haircut is still TERRIBLE.
2. Why Josh Gibson won't become baseball's official home run king ⚾
As we mentioned in yesterday morning's newsletter, Major League Baseball is finally recognizing the Negro Leagues under the "Major League" status. One of the greatest players to ever do it in the Negro Leagues was Josh Gibson -- a power-hitting catcher who has some incredible lore attached to his name.
Gibson was known for hitting monster blasts -- several that traveled over 500 feet -- and hitting lots of them. Some claim he hit around 900 homers over the course of his career. With that in mind, will we have a new official home run king on our hands? Not exactly.
Our Matt Snyder has provided some info explaining why Barry Bonds' home run throne is safe ... for now.
- According to Negro Leagues box score research, Gibson's official home run total presently stands at 238 (via Seamheads.com.) Only nine Negro Leagues hitters even touched triple-digits
- Though Gibson likely hit way more home runs than that official total, many of them came in unofficial (or "exhibition") games, so they don't technically count toward his stats
- In addition to his work in Negro Leagues, Gibson also played in the Cuban League, Mexican League and Puerto Rico
- Baseball researcher Scott Simkus estimates that Gibson's actual home run total is around 643, which would put him 7th all-time on the MLB record books
Obviously, that estimated total is still insane even if it won't show up in official record books. But even if you can't slap an official number on Gibson's name to fully encapsulate his legacy, he's recognized by many as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. The fact that this week's decision to recognize Negro Leagues stars has brought his name back into the discussion of the greatest home run hitters ever is pretty damn cool.
3. Our latest NBA Power Rankings 🏀
Want to hear something incredible? The next time I wake you up with a newsletter in your inbox, we'll be one day out from the start of the NBA season. Then, no more slow sports nights during the work week from there on out. How does that sound?
It's all quite exciting, and I figure this is a good time for us to check in with the Power Rankings and see who's sitting at the top of the league as we head into a new season. Here's our Colin Ward-Henninger's top five right now:
- Lakers - The reigning champs still have LeBron and AD but they've also got some improved depth this year with the additions of Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder, who finished 1-2 in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, respectively. Talen Horton-Tucker and Kyle Kuzma have had a promising preseason as well
- Bucks - Milwaukee bolstered its roster in an attempt to persuade Giannis to stick around ... and it worked! Now we'll have to see what the Greek Freak can accomplish with the key additions of Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis
- Heat - Miami is ready to run it back. They've got pretty much everyone returning except Jae Crowder, but Moe Harkless is a solid replacement and they've got the flexibility to make a big mid-season splash
- Clippers - Tyronn Lue will have to find a way to make this squad mesh consistently in a way that Doc Rivers couldn't, and then maybe they'll be able to deliver on the high expectations they set when they landed Kawhi and PG
- Nets - Brooklyn's offense should be an absolute force. But will this Kyrie-KD tandem be able to coexist over the course of a long season, and will first-year coach Steve Nash be able to manage egos in addition to games?
You can find the full list of Power Rankings right here.
4. James Harden trade rumors are starting to heat up 🏀
The way things are going right now, we can't talk about the NBA without mentioning James Harden. Everyone wants to know whether Harden is going to stick with the Rockets or be traded in a blockbuster deal, and the rumors and speculation continue to fly. We know he wants to get traded to the Nets, but Brooklyn doesn't exactly appear to be leaping at the opportunity.
So, what's the latest? (You know, other than everyone making fun of Harden for looking a little chubby after showing up to work late.)
- Multiple playoff teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences are reportedly talking to Houston about Harden and are getting comfortable in making a deal without him committing to a contract extension first
- The 76ers are gaining steam as a possible destination and, according to ESPN, they're willing to discuss Ben Simmons in a possible deal
- Daryl Morey, former Rockets boss and new president of basketball ops for the 76ers, has denied the rumors that he'd be willing to deal Simmons to acquire Harden
Part of me hopes that the Rockets fail to find a suitable trade for Harden this season just so that we can all enjoy the spectacle of a disgruntled Harden not caring about anything and trying to force a trade. Imagine how much fun we'd all have watching Harden unapologetically throw up jumpers when he's not skipping practices/meetings and ripping up contract extensions? I'd give it a little over a month before he got his jersey retired at another strip club.
📝 Odds & Ends
📺 What to watch this weekend
Friday
🏀 Brigham Young vs. No. 18 San Diego State, 5 p.m. | SDS -7 | TV: CBSSN
🏈 Oregon vs. No. 13 USC, 8 p.m. | USC -3 | TV: Fox
Saturday
🏀 No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 3 Iowa, 12 p.m. | TV: CBS
🏈 No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 2 Notre Dame, 4 p.m. | ND + 10.5 | TV: ABC
🏈 Bills vs. Broncos, 4:30 p.m. | DEN +6 | TV: NFLN
Sunday
🏈 Patriots vs. Dolphins, 1 p.m. | MIA -1.5 | TV: CBS
🏈 Chiefs vs. Saints, 4:25 p.m. | NO + 3 | TV: CBS
📝 Top scores from last night
🏈 Chargers 30, Raiders 27 (OT)
The Chargers (5-9) snapped a nine-game losing streak against AFC West opponents.
💵 Winning wagers: LAC +159, Over (52.5)
🏀 No. 5 Kansas 58, No. 14 Texas Tech 57
Ochai Agbaji hit the go-ahead layup with 13 seconds remaining to seal the win for Kansas.
💵 Winning wagers: KU +137, Under (135.5)
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