Who do you think will win the Cup championship Sunday in Miami and why? Dustin Long: I’m sticking with the pick I made before the playoffs of Denny Hamlin winning the title. Two wins and six top-five finishes in the playoffs shows this team is strong enough to win the title and Hamlin has erased any doubts of him handling the pressure on such a big stage. Come Sunday, NASCAR will celebrate another first-time Cup champion. Daniel McFadin: Denny Hamlin. His hiccup at Texas aside, it’s felt like momentum’s been on his side this year starting with his Daytona 500 win, propelling him to his best season in nearly a decade. Hamlin just feels at ease this year, no matter what’s thrown at him. His performance on Sunday exemplified that. Jerry Bonkowski: Denny Hamlin. If there’s been one hallmark this season, it’s that he’s risen to the occasion when he needed to the most. I just get the feeling that after so many shortcomings in his career, this will … [Read more...] about Bump and Run: Who will win the Cup championship trophy?
Uncategorized
NASCAR America at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN: Phoenix recap
Today’s episode of NASCAR America airs from 5-6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and reviews the weekend’s racing at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. Jeff Burton will be joined by Steve Letarte and Dale Jarrett. If you can’t catch today’s show on TV, watch online at http:/nascarstream.nbcsports.com. If you plan to stream the show on your laptop or portable device, be sure to have your username and password from your cable/satellite/telco provider handy so your subscription can be verified. Once you enter that information, you’ll have access to the stream. Click here at 5 p.m. ET to watch live via the stream. … [Read more...] about NASCAR America at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN: Phoenix recap
NBC to again have multi-network coverage of Cup championship race
For the fifth consecutive year, NBC Sports will deliver multi-network coverage of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship, this Sunday, November 17 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. As a complement to NBC’s primary broadcast of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race from Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sunday’s NASCAR Hot Pass telecast on NBCSN will offer simultaneous live coverage hyper-focused on each of the Championship Four drivers. From the green flag to the checkered, NBCSN’s multi-window telecast will provide viewers with an isolated in-depth look at Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. as they battle for the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series title. NBC Sports veteran motorsports announcer Leigh Diffey will call NASCAR Hot Pass coverage on NBCSN alongside analyst and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett, who won the 1999 … [Read more...] about NBC to again have multi-network coverage of Cup championship race
Adam Wainwright agrees to a one-year deal with the Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals just announced that they and Adam Wainwright have agreed to hitch their wagons to one another for a 15th season, agreeing on a one-year deal. Wainwright, 38, re-signed with the Cardinals on an incentive-laden one-year, $2 million contract this time last year. In 2019 he went 14-10 with a 4.19 ERA and a 153/64 K/BB ratio across 171.2 innings. Due to reaching all possible incentives in that deal, he ended up making $10 million in all this past season. The Cards did not immediately say how much the new deal is for, but one suspects that its similarly-structured to his 2019 pact. One more year for Waino! We have agreed to terms with free-agent pitcher Adam Wainwright on a one-year contract for 2020. pic.twitter.com/ZzKnVUKly1 — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) November 12, 2019 Follow @craigcalcaterra … [Read more...] about Adam Wainwright agrees to a one-year deal with the Cardinals
Rays’ Erik Neander named Executive of the Year
At the GM meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona on Monday, Rays GM Erik Neander was named the recipient of Major League Baseball’s Executive of the Year Award for the 2019 season. The Yankees’ Brian Cashman was the runner-up while the Athletics’ Billy Beane and the Twins’ Derek Falvey tied for third place. Neander has worked for the Rays since 2017 but has operated in his current role since November 2016, taking over for Matthew Silverman who was promoted to president of the Rays alongside Brian Auld. The Rays had, by far, the lowest payroll in baseball at $53.5 million, according to USA TODAY. Neander’s peers voting him Executive of the Year on the same today the league had to curtail its awarding of a prize belt to the team that suppressed salaries the most in arbitration is… certainly interesting timing. At any rate, Neander’s Rays went 96-66 in 2019, finishing in second place in the AL East behind the 103-59 Yankees. The Rays claimed the second … [Read more...] about Rays’ Erik Neander named Executive of the Year
Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees exceeded competitive balance tax threshold in 2019
Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees exceeded the competitive balance tax (more colloquially known as the luxury tax) threshold for the 2019 season, set at $206 million. It will rise to $208 million for the 2020 season and $210 million in 2021. Teams that exceed the CBT threshold pay a penalty on the overage, which is compounded depending on how consistently they have exceeded the threshold. The base penalty is 20 percent. If a team has exceeded it in a second consecutive year, the penalty rises to 30 percent. Three or more consecutive seasons yields a 50 percent tax on the overage. Furthermore, teams that exceed the CBT threshold by $20-40 million see an additional 12 percent tax. Above $40 million brings a 42.5 percent penalty which rises to 45 percent if the team exceeds the CBT by more than $40 million in a consecutive year. The luxury tax has acted as a de facto salary cap. Front offices typically have gone out of their way not to … [Read more...] about Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees exceeded competitive balance tax threshold in 2019
