Las Vegas on Kentucky football’s SEC chances as baseball bets on the universal DH
Odds-maker figures chances of Mark Stoops’ Wildcats winning the SEC if there is a college football season. Major League Baseball is trying to get approval for a shortened football season. Rick Pitino, Mike Leach, Mike Krzyzewski and more on this Tuesday morning.
Kentucky’s odds of winning SEC football title
The website @LVSuperBook has posted its conference title odds for SEC teams. Here you go:
Alabama 5-4
Georgia 7-2
Florida 4-1
Texas A&M 10-1
LSU 12-1
Auburn 14-1
Tennessee 40-1
Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina 80-1
Arkansas 500-1
Vanderbilt 2,000-1
So Kentucky can keep playing the no-one-respects-us card and with good reason.
▪ Another UK football note: Safety Quandre Mosely was listed among Pro Football Focus’ breakout candidates for 2020.
▪ And Kentucky has reportedly closed the field hospital at the Nutter Field House.
▪ Louisville football found a way to make a positive ending to 2019.
Here comes the designated hitter
It looks like Major League Baseball could be the first team sport to stick its toe in the waters. The league’s owners reportedly approved a plan that would start spring training in June and an 82-game season in July. Games would be played in the home parks allowed by states. There would be less travel and more inter-league play.
The players must agree first, however. And if they do, there would also be a universal designated hitter. For simplicity sake, because of the increase of National League vs. American League games, designated hitters would be used in all games. That would appear to be a disadvantage for National League teams that did not plan in the offseason for such a change.
Ben Walker of the AP writes, “To many NL fans, the scribble of ‘‘DH’‘ on the lineup card sullies the whole stadium. To lots of AL fans, the sight of a pitcher touching a Louisville Slugger is a total affront to the diamond.
“No matter, that’s part of the proposal MLB owners are making to players — a full-time DH in the National League, same as the AL. This year, only.
“Jim Riggleman has managed and coached in each league and seen both sides.
‘”’During this abbreviated season I’m OK with it,’” he wrote in an email Monday.
We just want baseball, even if it is baseball without fans.
▪ My friend Mark Liptak, a broadcaster for Idaho State and fan of the Chicago White Sox, is adamant that it’s not going to happen.
“This is all ludicrous, pure nonsense,” Mark tweeted Monday. “Just cancel the damn season and start fresh in February. Common sense and science needs to be the driving force here not money.”
▪ As well, I subscribe to Joe Sheehan’s excellent baseball newsletter. He thinks the owners are up to something when it comes to the reduced salaries they want for 2020.
“By the way, owners can *say* it’s only for 2020 all they want, but don’t think for a second they won’t be back in 2021, with projected leaguewide attendance down maybe 60-70% from 2019, making the same case. Read a book.”
▪ Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the revenue-sharing proposal won’t be appreciated.
And now to the links
▪ Rick Pitino skates again while Louisville sweats in broken NCAA justice system.
▪ Coach K is likely to be deposed in the Zion Williamson lawsuit.
▪ The NCAA is overhauling its NET computer rankings for college basketball.
▪ Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach went on an elementary school Zoom call.
▪ Florida football is preparing as if the season will go off as scheduled.
▪ Former Georgia running back signee Zach Evans instead enrolls at TCU.
▪ New LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini says transition is going well despite football shutdown.
▪ Dr. Anthony Fauci told Peter King that an NFL season could be feasible by fall.
▪ Mississippi State basketball signs a Louisiana transfer.
▪ Major League Soccer is proposing that all 26 teams come to Orlando, Fla., to finish its season.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 8:47 AM.
