In theory, Brian Dozier was expected to be a part of the San Diego Padres puzzle at second base this season. Signed to a minor league contract, he was a part of the battle for the position, which included Jurickson Profar and a host of others. While he may not have been the player he was, Dozier was still viewed upon as a possible option to start.

That is no longer the case. The Padres have released Dozier instead of adding him to their 60 man roster, making him a free agent once again.

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After a 142 day pause, the National Hockey League will drop the puck with a five game slate of Stanley Cup Qualifiers on Saturday August 1. The Washington Capitals will begin their quest back to the Stanley Cup Finals with a Round Robin playoff on August 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Round Robin will continue on August 6th against the Philadelphia Flyers and conclude on August 8 against the Boston Bruins. Game times are still to be determined but you’ll likely be able to catch the games on NBC Sports Washington.

The NHL and the NHL Player’s Association ratified a four year extension in their collective bargaining agreement through the 2025-26 season and a Return to Play Plan. The agreements pave the way for a resumption of the 2019-20 season in the goals of crowning a Stanley Cup champion by early October.

When competition resumes 12 Eastern Conference teams will head to Toronto while the 12 Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton. Those will be the sites for the first two rounds while Edmonton will host the Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final. Each team is permitted to bring a maximum of 52 individuals into the secure zone including 31 players.

We don’t know the puck drop times for the three Caps games but we do know that we’ll be treated to hockey games all day long. The game times for the contests in Toronto will be noon, 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. Eastern Time to maximize the viewing experience for fans nationwide.

The Caps swept the season series against the Lightning with their last meeting coming on Dec. 21. The Bruins are also another foe the Caps haven’t seen yet in 2020 with their last contest coming in December as well. The Caps took two of those three games against the Bruins.

The one opponent that has given the Caps a challenge is none other than the red hot Flyers but just how hot will they be after a long cool off period since the last time anyone’s stepped on the ice?

The Caps have lost three of their last four contests against the Flyers including two on home ice but with no fans in the stands the playing surface is level.

Training camp will open on July 13 and on the 26th teams will travel to the hub city. Exhibition games will take place from July 28-30th. Games will start on August 1 with the first Caps game beginning two days later and then finally on August 10 will be the second phase of the NHL Draft Lottery.

It’s all looking good that hockey is coming back and we can’t wait to be along for the ride.

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Big Ten football may end up the setting the tone for college football this year.

According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, “The Big Ten is expected to announce today that it will go with a conference-only football schedule for this fall.” With the geographical footprint of this 14-team Power 5 conference stemming from Nebraska to Maryland, it’s not a huge shock the Big Ten would be the first Power 5 conference to implement conference-only scheduling.

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A new era has now begun without Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith, but all is not lost Terps fans. Eric Ayala, Darryl Morsell, and Aaron Wiggins will be anchoring the team as they make this transition. This is a very good sign for Head Coach Mark Turgeon who struggled to reel in top transfers this offseason. The 2020-21 season is going to be a test for the program but also an opportunity for a few players to shine.

The Coronavirus pandemic halted the momentum that Maryland basketball was hoping to build upon after winning a share of the Big Ten Title. This was a season filled with come from behind victories, heroics from Cowan Jr., and a nine-game winning streak that gave Maryland fans and players a lot to be excited about. Here are the updated projections for the 2020-21 starting lineup.

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Let’s add Stefon Diggs to the long list of professional athletes who are hesitant to get back to work while talks of another pandemic high and still questionable safety protocol. The Bills receiver took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to voice some of his concerns about the return to play.

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It looks like Brandon Scherff will play with free agency staring him down for the second straight season.

In 2019, Scherff saw the field for the Redskins in the last year of his five-year rookie contract. In 2020, he will play on the franchise tag and it doesn’t look like the team will be signing him to a long-term extension before the season.

According to ESPN’s John Keim, “there isn’t much optimism” about a deal getting done before the July 15 deadline to sign franchise-tagged players to an extension.

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The Washington Capitals were the brunt of all jokes in the NHL world due to their inability to advance past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. A team with the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Nicholas Backstrom always faltered, regardless of circumstance. But that changed in 2018, as they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2 and the Vegas Golden Knights in the finals to win their first-ever Stanley Cup.

Even though Ovechkin took home the Conn Smythe Award, these three players on the Caps should be given more credit for securing the Stanley Cup.

3. Brett Connolly

If an NHL team wants to win the Stanley Cup, they need to have some quality depth that can dish out assists and put pucks in the back of the net. The perfect embodiment of that is Brett Connolly. The depth winger scored two goals in Washington’s sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals and against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals. Connolly averaged over 11 minutes of ice time in the playoffs, and he made the absolute most of it.

2. Devante Smith-Pelly

You didn’t have to be a Capitals fan to feel utter joy when watching Devante Smith-Pelly hoist the Stanley Cup in 2018. In February of that year, Smith-Pelly was subject to a slew of racist chants by four Chicago Blackhawks fans during a road game at the United Center. Fast forward to the spring/summer, and Smith-Pelly was arguably Washington’s most clutch player. The winger scored seven goals in the playoffs, including the winner in Game 4 against Vegas to give the Capitals a commanding 3-1 series lead and then the game-tying goal in Game 5, which helped Washington slam the door on the Knights.

1. Lars Eller

Center Lars Eller has always showed up once the playoffs commence, and that was no different in 2018. Before the start of the postseason, the Capitals locked him in to a five-year contract extension, and that turned out to be the correct move. During the team’s championship run, Eller scored seven goals and dished out 11 assists through 24 games. In fact, those 18 points were nearly half of his regular season point total (38). Perhaps his best performance came in Game 2 of the Finals, in which he posted a goal and two assists to help Washington win 3-2. Oh, and he delivered the final nail in the Golden Knight’s coffin by scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 5. Eller should by no means be glossed over in the history books.

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Good news for New York Giants fans doesn’t come too often, but things are definitely looking up for defensive back DeAndre Baker, who was arrested and charged for an alleged armed robbery back in May.

According to sources, two witness have now submitted sworn affidavits that Baker never pulled or pointed a gun.

Baker has been adamantly denying the allegations since he was charged, and these two new witnesses will definitely make it harder for a jury to convict him of armed robbery or aggravated assault with a firearm. The witnesses also claimed in their statements that they didn’t see Baker take anything from anyone at the party where the incident allegedly took place.

Baker’s legal team has said that Baker was at the party but was playing Madden inside during the time when the incident allegedly occurred. They also plan to argue that Baker’s car was not positioned for a quick getaway, as police had previously stated. This whole case is a mess, and these new witness statements just muddy the waters even more.

Baker just signed a $10 million contract with the Giants in 2019, so it would be pretty nonsensical for him to try to rob people at gunpoint instead of just putting his millions to use. On top of that, it would be a huge disappointment for the Giants if Baker’s legal defense doesn’t hold up. The DB posted 109 tackles and started in 15 of 16 games in his rookie season last year.

Baker’s lawyer has said that the charges against him will likely be dropped soon, so hopefully he can move past this insanity and focus on prepping for the upcoming season. If he has to go to court, this could become a long-term issue for the Giants.

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Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson is ready to lend a helping hand while an untold number of individuals remain out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the former longtime Cincinnati Bengals star tweeted that he will be giving out “stimulus checks” on July 1 via the Cash App. Johnson even called out President Donald Trump by name, claiming that he continues to “play games” instead of taking action when it comes to relief for those most deeply affected financially by the ongoin crisis.

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A growing number of NFL players have used their voices to support racial justice in America during these days of national protest. Franchises and their coaches have generally provided them with the space to do so, and the league has begun a long-awaited turnaround in terms of supporting player activism.

In the midst of all of this, however, one man has been notably silent: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. And one of his players wants to see that change.

Via ESPN’s Todd Archer, newly signed defensive tackle Gerald McCoy commented on the NFL’s recent response to the Black Lives Matter movement and other campaigns against racism and police brutality. Speaking about the league’s efforts, McCoy stated that “Now the process has started. You’ve got to keep going. It’s like building a championship team.”

Concurrently, he voiced his displeasure with Jerry Jones. “It would be great to hear a statement from the Cowboys, great to hear a statement from Jerry Jones in support of everything that’s going on.”

McCoy is not the only significant figure to express frustration with Jones’ behavior, either.

Jones’ inactivity lies in stark contrast to his own head coach, Mike McCarthy, whom McCoy praised. “He wants the Dallas Cowboys to be the example of how we should come together and push for change. I’m so proud to be one of his players,” the Pro Bowler said.

McCoy’s primarily focus is raising support for a Juneteenth walk to commemorate American slaves in Texas finally learning of their freedom on June 19, 1865. Confidnet that other Cowboys players would join, McCoy took to Instagram to spread his message, encouraging the rest of the country to do so as well.

While the efforts of individuals can ultimately go a long way in making change, the impact of merely an official statement from one of the NFL’s most famous figures cannot be understated. Gerald McCoy is the latest to place that pressure on Jerry Jones. Now, it’s on the owner to measure the right response.

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