“What were the Texans thinking?,” is the question most sports fans are asking themselves today. Houston traded star receiver DeAndre Hopkins along with a fourth-round draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals, in return for running back David Johnson, a 2nd round pick, and a 2021 fourth-rounder.

Houston not only lost one of the best receivers in the game, but they also took on a struggling running back in David Johnson, with a contract of over $10 million for the coming season. The Texans lost their first-round pick in an earlier trade, and their mid second-round pick acquired from Arizona has no chance of coming close to replacing Hopkin’s talent.

The Arizona Cardinals picked up one of the best receivers in the game to go along with longtime stud Larry Fitzgerald and rising wideout Christian Kirk. Hopkins had 8,602 receiving yards in seven seasons with Houston and gives the Cardinals the addition they need to form one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.

Although we have yet to see how the trade will pan out, for now, it seems that the Cardinals are the clear winners. With all professional sports being canceled indefinitely, this head-scratching deal leaves fans with plenty of time to analyze it.

The post Texans Trade Away DeAndre Hopkins in Shocking Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Willie Calhoun went down after being hit by a pitch in the bottom of the first inning in a 9-8 win over the Dodgers. The Texas Rangers’ outfielder was in visible pain and stayed on the ground for about 10 minutes until an equipment car took him off the field and to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

Calhoun was expected to be the Rangers starting left fielder after improvements the past couple of years. Tests revealed a fractured jaw which could mean missing significant playing time for Calhoun, in which case Texas could go with a few different options to fill in for him.

Calhoun was hit by Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias who was teammates with him in the Dodgers organization in 2017. Urias clearly didn’t intend to hit him and was visibly upset afterward, prompting general manager Dave Roberts to pay a mound visit to calm him down.

The post Calhoun Fractures Jaw After Being Hit By Pitch appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The NFL head coaching shakeup continues as the Washington Redskins named Ron Rivera their new head coach for the 2020 season. Immediately after the announcement, Rivera brought in Jack Del Rio as the defensive coordinator.

Rivera, 57, coached the Panthers for nine seasons before being fired on December 3 with a 5-7 record. Despite his recent firing, he was instrumental in turning around the Panthers after the 2010 season and finished with a 76-63-1 record, including four trips to the playoffs and a Super Bowl appearance in 2015.

Del Rio has been an ESPN analyst, but was also the defensive coordinator for some of the top defenses in football during the few years he held that position (Panthers in 2002, and Broncos from 2012-14). He was also the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-2011 and the Oakland Raiders from 2015-2017.

The Redskins fired coach Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start in his 6th season in Washington. Rivera will become the 7th head coach for the Redskins since 2000, and will inherit a very talented, young team set to get the 2nd overall draft pick and will have much potential in the coming seasons.

The post Redskins Hire Ron Rivera as Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

No team has ever come back from 3-0 in the World Series and the Houston Astros didn’t want to be the first team to try to do that. Behind clutch hitting and great pitching from Zack Greinke and the bullpen, they made winning the series much more doable by putting the series at 2-1.

After leading the majors with 107 wins and putting together one of the most complete teams in baseball history, Houston looked very beatable in Games 1 and 2 with Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander losing at home.

While Houston made a couple of critical fielding errors and couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position in the first 2 games, it was Washington who copied those mistakes in Game 3. Juan Soto, celebrating his 21st birthday, made a couple of defensive miscues, and the Nats went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12.

The Astros scored in 4 different innings behind Michael Brantley’s 2 RBIs and Robinson Chirinos’ home run off the left-field foul pole. They didn’t overpower the Nationals, but the first win in any series is critical, and the 4-1 win is enough to get the team back on track.

After losing the first World Series game in the nation’s capital since 1933, the Nats will look to take a 3-1 series lead behind prized free agent Patrick Corbin who is scheduled to start. The Astros will counter with rookie Jose Urquidy and probably go to their bullpen early in an effort to even up the series and send it back to Houston.

The post Astros Win Game 3 in DC, Series Now 2-1 Nationals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For all of the headlines superstars, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been receiving, it’s the Patriots defense that has been standing out. On MNF, New England had 4 interceptions and forced 2 fumbles, upping their season takeaway total to 22.

After missing 3 games with mono, Sam Darnold had an incredible comeback win last week against the Cowboys, but struggled the entire game against the Patriots. Darnold finished 11 for 32 with only 86 passing yards and was kept off-balance the entire game.

Playing without Josh Gordon and Rex Burkhead, New England had no problem scoring touchdowns. Sonny Michel ran for 3 TDs and tight ends Benjamin Watson and Eric Tomlinson contributed big in their first games as Patriots.

After New England’s 2nd shutout of the season and improving their record to 7-0, the next stretch of games is the real test to the depth of their team. 4 of their next 6 games are against teams above .500, and if they can finish that stretch without a loss, they have a legitimate chance of finishing with a perfect record.

The post Patriots Run Over Jets, Improve to 7-0 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

CC Sabathia has made his final appearance in a Big League uniform after leaving the game in the 8th inning in the 8-3 loss in Game 4. His knee buckled and he grabbed his shoulder in pain after a pitch in a bases-loaded jam he was trying to pitch out of.

After throwing a warm-up toss to see if he could continue, Sabathia walked off the mound for the last time in his storied career. Despite the loud applause from the Bronx crowd and the chants of “CC!” echoing through the stadium, Sabathia didn’t lift his head up from his glove, and had tears in his eyes on the walk back to the dugout.

Sabathia has been known as a workhorse throughout his career, and he leads active pitchers in many categories, including wins (251), strikeouts (3,093), and innings pitched (3,577 1/3). The 6-time All-Star, along with Brett Gardener, are the only 2 Yankees players left from the 2009 championship team.

Although his body has been slowing down significantly over the past couple of years, Sabathia has been staying on to try to bring another championship to the Bronx. His incredible 19 year career didn’t end the way he wanted to, but CC got one more chance to pitch in a playoff game in front of the home crowd.

Sabathia was replaced by right-handed pitcher Ben Heller on the ALCS roster prior to game 5. The move makes him ineligible for the World Series, officially ending his career.

The post CC Sabathia’s Career Over After Leaving Game 4 With Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oakland Raider’s linebacker Vontaze Burfict was initially suspended for the rest of the 2019 season for a helmet to helmet hit on Colt’s tight end Jack Doyle. After an appeal, the league announced that the decision is upheld.

Burfict was ejected in the second quarter of the Raider’s Week 4 win for hitting Doyle in the head across the middle. After the officials conferred, he was thrown out of the game, and later handed down the suspension by the league office.

Burfict will not be paid during the suspension, by far the biggest suspension the league has ever handed down for an on-field incident. He has been repeatedly suspended by the NFL in his time with the Bengals, most notably for hits on Antonio Brown and James Conner, and for violating enhancing drug policies.

Although the Raiders will try to appeal the suspension or get it reduced, they must plan ahead without Burfict. Tahir Whitehead played defensive play-caller as a middle linebacker in London and will probably keep playing the role as long as Burfict is out.

The post Vontaze Burfict Has Season-Long Suspension Upheld appeared first on SportzBonanza.

There aren’t many things that Justin Verlander hasn’t done in his illustrious career, but pitch on 3 days rest is one of them. It did not work out as well as Astros’ manager A.J. Hinch had planned, as Tampa Bay knocked Verlander around for 3 2/3 innings before he was taken out of the game.

Verlander denied that the short rest had anything to do with his bad outing and said he felt “physically fine.” He explained that his slider was not working for him, and it threw off his timing for the rest of the pitches, causing the Ray’s hitters to feast off of his offspeed, including 2 home runs.

Whether it was the short rest or not, the end result was a 4-1 Rays win to even up the series and force a game 5 back in Houston. While most people wrote off the Wild Card Rays, being that they were going up against the team with the best record in baseball, Tampa Bay has seemed to find their offense at just the right time.

If the Rays are to become the 11th team in postseason history to win a best of 5 series after falling behind 0-2, they must get through another Astros beast, Gerrit Cole. Cole struck out 15 Rays hitters in his dominant Game 2 start, and will get the nod on a full 5 days rest at his home ballpark. While the Astros are heavy favorites to advance to the ALCS, don’t count out the Comeback Rays.

The post Rays Pounce On Verlander, Even Series At 2-2 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In a crucial AFC North matchup at Heinz Field, the Ravens got the best of the Steelers and took the division lead. Justin Tucker kicked the game winning field goal in overtime in a back and forth, hard-hitting rivalry game.

For all the ups and downs in the game, the ugly hit on Mason Rudolph in the 3rd quarter is what stands out the most. On a third-and-11 and down 17-13, Rudolph scrambled to his left and got a pass off to James Washington while 2 Ravens defensemen gave chase from both sides. Earl Thomas then hit him full force on the chin, knocking Rudolph unconscious, and he had to be helped off the field and taken to a local hospital.

Although the pass was completed, and 15 yards was tacked on for the penalty, the Steelers would gladly take back that play as it now leaves them without Roethlisberger and backup QB Rudolph. Rookie undrafted free agent Delvin Hodges then took over and did a good job controlling the rest of the game, but the hit leaves Pittsburgh with a lot of questions at the QB position.

With Pittsburgh up 23-20, Justin Tucker kicked a game tying 48-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, sending the game into overtime. After Tomlin curiously opted to kickoff in OT, the Steelers took possession after a 3 and out by the Ravens. JuJu Smith-Schuster then fumbled the ball on a reception and the Ravens got great field position setting up the game winning field goal by the incredibly consistent Tucker.

The post Ravens Edge Steelers in OT After Rudolph Concussion appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For the first time since 2010, the Pirates will be looking for a new manager to lead the team. After finishing 69-93, their worst record since going 57-105 in 2010, the front office decided it is time for a new leader in Pittsburgh.

Although Hurdle is leaving before his contract is up, there is no denying that he did an incredible job in his 9 seasons in Pittsburgh. He led the Pirates to the playoffs 3 years in a row (2013-15), ending a 20 year playoff drought. Hurdle finishes with a 735-720 record, good for 4th most wins all-time in an organization well over 100 years old.

Despite the 3 years of success, the Pirates have only had one winning season since 2015, and the problems in the clubhouse have added up over the years. Players requesting trades, clubhouse fights, and closer Felipe Vasquez getting arrested, all combined with low attendance and the 2nd half collapse, will lead to many changes this offseason.

The post Pirates Dismiss Manager Clint Hurdle After 9 Seasons appeared first on SportzBonanza.

“What were the Texans thinking?,” is the question most sports fans are asking themselves today. Houston traded star receiver DeAndre Hopkins along with a fourth-round draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals, in return for running back David Johnson, a 2nd round pick, and a 2021 fourth-rounder.

Houston not only lost one of the best receivers in the game, but they also took on a struggling running back in David Johnson, with a contract of over $10 million for the coming season. The Texans lost their first-round pick in an earlier trade, and their mid second-round pick acquired from Arizona has no chance of coming close to replacing Hopkin’s talent.

The Arizona Cardinals picked up one of the best receivers in the game to go along with longtime stud Larry Fitzgerald and rising wideout Christian Kirk. Hopkins had 8,602 receiving yards in seven seasons with Houston and gives the Cardinals the addition they need to form one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.

Although we have yet to see how the trade will pan out, for now, it seems that the Cardinals are the clear winners. With all professional sports being canceled indefinitely, this head-scratching deal leaves fans with plenty of time to analyze it.

The post Texans Trade Away DeAndre Hopkins in Shocking Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Willie Calhoun went down after being hit by a pitch in the bottom of the first inning in a 9-8 win over the Dodgers. The Texas Rangers’ outfielder was in visible pain and stayed on the ground for about 10 minutes until an equipment car took him off the field and to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

Calhoun was expected to be the Rangers starting left fielder after improvements the past couple of years. Tests revealed a fractured jaw which could mean missing significant playing time for Calhoun, in which case Texas could go with a few different options to fill in for him.

Calhoun was hit by Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias who was teammates with him in the Dodgers organization in 2017. Urias clearly didn’t intend to hit him and was visibly upset afterward, prompting general manager Dave Roberts to pay a mound visit to calm him down.

The post Calhoun Fractures Jaw After Being Hit By Pitch appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The NFL head coaching shakeup continues as the Washington Redskins named Ron Rivera their new head coach for the 2020 season. Immediately after the announcement, Rivera brought in Jack Del Rio as the defensive coordinator.

Rivera, 57, coached the Panthers for nine seasons before being fired on December 3 with a 5-7 record. Despite his recent firing, he was instrumental in turning around the Panthers after the 2010 season and finished with a 76-63-1 record, including four trips to the playoffs and a Super Bowl appearance in 2015.

Del Rio has been an ESPN analyst, but was also the defensive coordinator for some of the top defenses in football during the few years he held that position (Panthers in 2002, and Broncos from 2012-14). He was also the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-2011 and the Oakland Raiders from 2015-2017.

The Redskins fired coach Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start in his 6th season in Washington. Rivera will become the 7th head coach for the Redskins since 2000, and will inherit a very talented, young team set to get the 2nd overall draft pick and will have much potential in the coming seasons.

The post Redskins Hire Ron Rivera as Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

No team has ever come back from 3-0 in the World Series and the Houston Astros didn’t want to be the first team to try to do that. Behind clutch hitting and great pitching from Zack Greinke and the bullpen, they made winning the series much more doable by putting the series at 2-1.

After leading the majors with 107 wins and putting together one of the most complete teams in baseball history, Houston looked very beatable in Games 1 and 2 with Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander losing at home.

While Houston made a couple of critical fielding errors and couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position in the first 2 games, it was Washington who copied those mistakes in Game 3. Juan Soto, celebrating his 21st birthday, made a couple of defensive miscues, and the Nats went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12.

The Astros scored in 4 different innings behind Michael Brantley’s 2 RBIs and Robinson Chirinos’ home run off the left-field foul pole. They didn’t overpower the Nationals, but the first win in any series is critical, and the 4-1 win is enough to get the team back on track.

After losing the first World Series game in the nation’s capital since 1933, the Nats will look to take a 3-1 series lead behind prized free agent Patrick Corbin who is scheduled to start. The Astros will counter with rookie Jose Urquidy and probably go to their bullpen early in an effort to even up the series and send it back to Houston.

The post Astros Win Game 3 in DC, Series Now 2-1 Nationals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For all of the headlines superstars, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been receiving, it’s the Patriots defense that has been standing out. On MNF, New England had 4 interceptions and forced 2 fumbles, upping their season takeaway total to 22.

After missing 3 games with mono, Sam Darnold had an incredible comeback win last week against the Cowboys, but struggled the entire game against the Patriots. Darnold finished 11 for 32 with only 86 passing yards and was kept off-balance the entire game.

Playing without Josh Gordon and Rex Burkhead, New England had no problem scoring touchdowns. Sonny Michel ran for 3 TDs and tight ends Benjamin Watson and Eric Tomlinson contributed big in their first games as Patriots.

After New England’s 2nd shutout of the season and improving their record to 7-0, the next stretch of games is the real test to the depth of their team. 4 of their next 6 games are against teams above .500, and if they can finish that stretch without a loss, they have a legitimate chance of finishing with a perfect record.

The post Patriots Run Over Jets, Improve to 7-0 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

CC Sabathia has made his final appearance in a Big League uniform after leaving the game in the 8th inning in the 8-3 loss in Game 4. His knee buckled and he grabbed his shoulder in pain after a pitch in a bases-loaded jam he was trying to pitch out of.

After throwing a warm-up toss to see if he could continue, Sabathia walked off the mound for the last time in his storied career. Despite the loud applause from the Bronx crowd and the chants of “CC!” echoing through the stadium, Sabathia didn’t lift his head up from his glove, and had tears in his eyes on the walk back to the dugout.

Sabathia has been known as a workhorse throughout his career, and he leads active pitchers in many categories, including wins (251), strikeouts (3,093), and innings pitched (3,577 1/3). The 6-time All-Star, along with Brett Gardener, are the only 2 Yankees players left from the 2009 championship team.

Although his body has been slowing down significantly over the past couple of years, Sabathia has been staying on to try to bring another championship to the Bronx. His incredible 19 year career didn’t end the way he wanted to, but CC got one more chance to pitch in a playoff game in front of the home crowd.

Sabathia was replaced by right-handed pitcher Ben Heller on the ALCS roster prior to game 5. The move makes him ineligible for the World Series, officially ending his career.

The post CC Sabathia’s Career Over After Leaving Game 4 With Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oakland Raider’s linebacker Vontaze Burfict was initially suspended for the rest of the 2019 season for a helmet to helmet hit on Colt’s tight end Jack Doyle. After an appeal, the league announced that the decision is upheld.

Burfict was ejected in the second quarter of the Raider’s Week 4 win for hitting Doyle in the head across the middle. After the officials conferred, he was thrown out of the game, and later handed down the suspension by the league office.

Burfict will not be paid during the suspension, by far the biggest suspension the league has ever handed down for an on-field incident. He has been repeatedly suspended by the NFL in his time with the Bengals, most notably for hits on Antonio Brown and James Conner, and for violating enhancing drug policies.

Although the Raiders will try to appeal the suspension or get it reduced, they must plan ahead without Burfict. Tahir Whitehead played defensive play-caller as a middle linebacker in London and will probably keep playing the role as long as Burfict is out.

The post Vontaze Burfict Has Season-Long Suspension Upheld appeared first on SportzBonanza.

There aren’t many things that Justin Verlander hasn’t done in his illustrious career, but pitch on 3 days rest is one of them. It did not work out as well as Astros’ manager A.J. Hinch had planned, as Tampa Bay knocked Verlander around for 3 2/3 innings before he was taken out of the game.

Verlander denied that the short rest had anything to do with his bad outing and said he felt “physically fine.” He explained that his slider was not working for him, and it threw off his timing for the rest of the pitches, causing the Ray’s hitters to feast off of his offspeed, including 2 home runs.

Whether it was the short rest or not, the end result was a 4-1 Rays win to even up the series and force a game 5 back in Houston. While most people wrote off the Wild Card Rays, being that they were going up against the team with the best record in baseball, Tampa Bay has seemed to find their offense at just the right time.

If the Rays are to become the 11th team in postseason history to win a best of 5 series after falling behind 0-2, they must get through another Astros beast, Gerrit Cole. Cole struck out 15 Rays hitters in his dominant Game 2 start, and will get the nod on a full 5 days rest at his home ballpark. While the Astros are heavy favorites to advance to the ALCS, don’t count out the Comeback Rays.

The post Rays Pounce On Verlander, Even Series At 2-2 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In a crucial AFC North matchup at Heinz Field, the Ravens got the best of the Steelers and took the division lead. Justin Tucker kicked the game winning field goal in overtime in a back and forth, hard-hitting rivalry game.

For all the ups and downs in the game, the ugly hit on Mason Rudolph in the 3rd quarter is what stands out the most. On a third-and-11 and down 17-13, Rudolph scrambled to his left and got a pass off to James Washington while 2 Ravens defensemen gave chase from both sides. Earl Thomas then hit him full force on the chin, knocking Rudolph unconscious, and he had to be helped off the field and taken to a local hospital.

Although the pass was completed, and 15 yards was tacked on for the penalty, the Steelers would gladly take back that play as it now leaves them without Roethlisberger and backup QB Rudolph. Rookie undrafted free agent Delvin Hodges then took over and did a good job controlling the rest of the game, but the hit leaves Pittsburgh with a lot of questions at the QB position.

With Pittsburgh up 23-20, Justin Tucker kicked a game tying 48-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, sending the game into overtime. After Tomlin curiously opted to kickoff in OT, the Steelers took possession after a 3 and out by the Ravens. JuJu Smith-Schuster then fumbled the ball on a reception and the Ravens got great field position setting up the game winning field goal by the incredibly consistent Tucker.

The post Ravens Edge Steelers in OT After Rudolph Concussion appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For the first time since 2010, the Pirates will be looking for a new manager to lead the team. After finishing 69-93, their worst record since going 57-105 in 2010, the front office decided it is time for a new leader in Pittsburgh.

Although Hurdle is leaving before his contract is up, there is no denying that he did an incredible job in his 9 seasons in Pittsburgh. He led the Pirates to the playoffs 3 years in a row (2013-15), ending a 20 year playoff drought. Hurdle finishes with a 735-720 record, good for 4th most wins all-time in an organization well over 100 years old.

Despite the 3 years of success, the Pirates have only had one winning season since 2015, and the problems in the clubhouse have added up over the years. Players requesting trades, clubhouse fights, and closer Felipe Vasquez getting arrested, all combined with low attendance and the 2nd half collapse, will lead to many changes this offseason.

The post Pirates Dismiss Manager Clint Hurdle After 9 Seasons appeared first on SportzBonanza.