THIS WEEK IN SPORTS: JULY 11th – 17th

Congrats to Novak Djokovic on his 7th Wimbledon Title and 21st Grand Slam Title. It has been quite the journey and he is definitely one of the GOAT’s. It will be interesting to see if he’s allowed to play in the US Open in September and/or the Australian Open in January.

It is hard to believe, but this is the last week of the MLB first half and the All Star Break is upon us. It has been an exciting first half, but going forward the games mean more. It also means the Trade Deadline inches closer and organizational paths are defined. Another exciting moment on the sports calendar is the 150th Open Championship from The Old Course at St. Andrews.

Don’t worry football fans, this is the last week without action on a practice field until late February. The first NFL Training Camps open next week and we’re down the road to the Super Bowl and Fantasy Football from there. We do have some College Football action this week as the Big 12 has their annual pre-season Media Days on July 14th and 15th. You can catch all that action on ESPNU.

NFL:

• Baker finally got traded last week, so expect more free agents to sign this week now that Camp is here.
• Fantasy Football Draft season is getting closer and that means you should be ready for The Irrational Confidence Podcast Fantasy Football Preview episode.
• You can also catch our great interview with former NFL Coach and Player Paul McCord on all The Irrational Confidence Podcast platforms. We walk through his football life and his stops with the Cowboys, Ravens, Jaguars and Bills.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:

• The 2023 Recruiting Class Commitments are coming fast and furious as we gear up for the season.
• BIG 12 Media Days July 14th / 15th. Expect a lot of talk about conference realignment and if Texas is finally coming back.
• The Irrational Confidence Podcast (@IRConfidencePod) PreSeason Top 25 Countdown is underway. The 25 thru 21 has been released on all podcast platforms as well as the Spinnable Sports YouTube page. Our USC / UCLA to the B1G Reaction episode is also released. The 20 thru 16 episode is dropping this week.

MLB:

• The All Star Starters have been announced and i agree with all of them except Joc Pederson. Only sensible logic is that Braves fans added votes for his efforts last season and fantasy football fans for his strategy to stash players on the injured list.
• Expect the Home Run Derby Contestants to be announced this week.
• The MLB Draft and Futures Game start the All Star festivities in LA on Sunday.
• The top pick in the Draft belongs to the Baltimore Orioles, followed by the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Pirates, and Nationals.
• Legends Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have been announced as All Stars in their final seasons.

• New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (Monday thru Wednesday)
• Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians (Monday thru Wednesday)
• Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays (Monday thru Thursday)
• Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals (Tuesday thru Thursday)
• Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco Giants (Thursday thru Sunday)
• Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Angels (Friday thru Sunday)
• Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins (Thursday thru Sunday)
• Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees (Friday thru Sunday)

MLS:

• Austin vs Houston Tuesday 9pm
• Dallas vs NYCFC Wednesday 9pm
• Nashville vs Seattle Wednesday 8:30pm
• Philadelphia vs New England Saturday 7:30pm
• Dallas vs Austin Saturday 9pm
• Atlanta vs Orlando City Sunday 3pm ABC
• NY Red Bulls vs NYCFC Sunday 5pm ESPN
• Columbus vs Cincinnati Sunday 7:30pm FS1
• Nashville vs LAFC Sunday 8:30pm

THE 150th OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP:

• The World returns to The Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland for the 150th Open Championship. The game of golf is cherished across the globe, but there is something extra special about this tournament and this specific course.
• Collin Morikawa is defending his Claret Jug.
• The R&A is making a stand against the LIV Golf Tour by not inviting the Tour CEO and former Open Champion Greg Norman.
• The first round starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday.
• Remember, the Championship is played in Scotland, which is 5 hours ahead of EST, so get excited for early morning golf on TV.

NBA:

• Summer League action continues this week.
• Free Agency is still active, so there might be a few moves.

Don’t forget to follow The Irrational Confidence Podcast (@IRConfidencePod) and Spinnable Sports (@SpinnableSports) on Twitter for daily content. Podcast episodes will be coming fast and furious as Football season approaches, so subscribe on all podcast platforms as well as our YouTube Channel.