Eagles looking at another RB, MLB might be playing this summer?
We are still a ways away from sports being played in the U.S.
Welcome back to another edition of The Starting Phive! The last time we spoke, NFL free agency was going on, and major sports leagues across the world suspended their season due to the COVID-19.
Fast forward almost a month later, and the sports world is still in a standstill. Leagues are trying to come up with logical and safe plans to restart their respective seasons.
However, it is tough to think about, let alone play sports when you see more than 80,000 Americans have lost their lives over the last few months.
Just think about that for a moment... 80,000 people (moms, dads, sons, daughters, etc.) just gone. It's heartbreaking to see this happening not only in the US but across the world.
Therefore, just as we said in our March issue, we hope that everyone is taking the necessary precautions as we try to learn more about coronavirus. Please continue to practice social distancing, washing your hands, staying in your homes, and wearing masks if you have to go outside.
Also, before we jump into today's newsletter, shoutout to all the essential workers on the frontlines keeping things somewhat normal during this new normal. Without them, we would be in serious trouble.
The Starting Phive for Tuesday, May 12
1. Eagles looking to add another running back?
Last month, the Philadelphia Eagles re-signed Corey Clement to a one-year deal after deciding to not tender him in March, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Clement now joins a crowded backfield that features Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Elijah Holyfield, Adrian Killins (UDFA), and Michael Warren II (UDFA). With that being said, it appears as if the Eagles might want to add a veteran presence to the young running back room.
NFL Insider Adam Caplan reported on the latest episode of Inside The Birds podcast that Philadelphia is interested in 29-year-old running back Carlos Hyde.
[Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports]
Last season with the Houston Texans, Hyde had a career-high 1,070 rushing yards on 245 carries and six touchdowns. He also added two receiving touchdowns.
With that type of production, the former Ohio State standout received another contract offer from Texans, in which he surprisingly turned down.
Caplan mentioned on the podcast that the Eagles are only interested in signing Hyde to a one-year deal around the veteran's minimum. If the Eagles were to sign Hyde, he would be the perfect complement to second-year running back Miles Sanders.
Over the last few seasons, Philadelphia had Jordan Howard and LeGarrette Blount to serve as their power running backs in their committee. Hypothetically, Hyde would be used in that same role this season.
It shall be interesting to see if the Eagles and Hyde can come to some sort of agreement before training camp or the regular season begins.
2. MLB could reportedly return this summer
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Monday that Major League Baseball owners approved a proposal, which will be presented to players today to start the season in early July.
Along with the July start, the proposal also includes 82-game regular-season schedule, designated hitter in both leagues, playoff expansion (10 teams to 14), spring training 2.0 in June, and more.
While this proposal sounds good on paper from the owners, the MLB Players Association will have their say when it comes to finances and safety.
Passan reported that in a conference call on Monday that the owners agreed to a 50-50 revenue split with players. Will that be adequate for the players? We'll see.
Then, when it comes to safety, the players are going to want to know about testing, despite playing in empty stadiums. If a player gets sick, that could cause major issues and a serious domino effect.
Here's an interesting statistic from Passan's report:
MLB teams estimate that upward of 40 percent of revenue comes from ticket sales and other gate-related income.
3. NBA exploring a late summer NBA Draft
This time last year, we were in the deep throws of the NBA playoffs, watching teams make their run towards the NBA crown. However, things are different this year, with the league being suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
No one knows if the NBA will be back this season, but they are already planning for the next big event on their calendar: the draft. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the league is looking at possibly having the NBA either in late August or early September.
Berman also reported that the agents are being told that there could be a small scale draft combine in August with live interviews.
It's hard to imagine the league having a combine, especially if they cancel the rest of the season. However, a virtual draft is definite with the WNBA and NFL both having successful drafts.
4. Seattle Storm dunks on Joe Budden
On Sunday night, Parts 7 and 8 of The Last Dance debuted on ESPN. In Part 8, the documentary highlighted the 1996 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics.
As we all know, the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, after spending 41 years in the Emerald City. Since then, basketball fans have been clamoring for the NBA to return to Seattle.
Retired rapper, turned podcaster Joe Budden voiced his thoughts saying that Seattle deserves a basketball team.
However, Budden must've forgotten that Seattle has a basketball team in the Storm (WNBA). Seattle won the WNBA title back in 2018, sweeping the Washington Mystics in three games.
Former league MVP Breanna Stewart and her teammate Jewell Lloyd reminded him that hoops are being played in the Emerald City.
5. Sports Highlight of the Day: Kawhi Leonard sinks buzzer-beater in Game 7 over the Sixers
I would write some more about this, but its already a sore topic for Sixers fans to relive. One can only imagine if the Sixers won Game 7 and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Instead, it was Leonard who played out of his mind that entire playoff run and led the Raptors to their first-ever NBA title.