By Marc Lawrence — This will be a Major League Baseball offseason unlike any other. It could start slowly. It could get ugly. Yet as Eddie Murphy once said, money don’t crack. Baseball’s free-agent market, which officially launched Sunday afternoon, features enough impactful talent and enough engaged teams including one boasting of a brand new, stinking rich owner that it should maintain our interest sufficiently during these tough times. Ironically, the lack of ultra-elite, record-seeking players (like Gerrit Cole last year and Bryce Harper and Manny Machado two years ago) among the Top 30 free agents this year could help things move along more expeditiously. With revenues down severely from 2020 and in question for 2021 thanks to the coronavirus, this is no time to be a hero on the player side. The league’s top free agent appears to be George Springer of the Astros. It’s been said the Connecticut native wants to get closer to his family, and the Mets sure could use a righty-hitting center fielder with a championship pedigree. To see a complete list of the Top 30 MLB Free Agents click here.
Trending Today
Per CNN Business: Joe Biden’s biggest fan could be a bettor in the United Kingdom. Someone has placed a £1 million, or $1.29 million, bet on Biden to be the next president on the Betfair Exchange, the world’s largest online betting exchange, where gamblers find other gamblers who match their wagers. US gamblers are not allowed to place legal wagers on the election, even as legal sports wagering spreads across much of the country thanks to 2018 Supreme Court ruling. But wagering on the election in the UK’s legal betting market is soaring, setting up the US vote to be the most-bet-upon event in history. The bet could be a good omen for Biden and bad news for president Donald Trump: The 10 largest bets in Betfair’s history before now, all on sporting events, have been winners.
Grinding Out The Profits
From this week’s PLAYBOOK FOOTBALL NEWSLETTER: Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain brings a lot of credibility to the program and he proved it last season taking a one-win team that he inherited to an 8-win campaign in his debut in Mt. Pleasant. Remember though, they failed to beat an FBS team that finished the season with a winning record last year with its 7 FBS victories coming against foes that were 27-58 collectively. They were also tied for the worst team in the nation in fumbles lost, and were the 3rd worst unit the country in most penalties. Oh yeah – the Chippewas are 0-11 SU in “lined” season openers. Forewarned is forearmed.
