#The Washington Post

Trevor Bauer become a free agent on Thursday, but the market will be a lot more hostile toward the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner than it was two winters ago, when Bauer signed a three-year, $102-million deal with the Dodgers after turning down a lucrative offer from the New York Mets. "The only guy who I know for sure would sign him is…

There is an old saying that if something looks too good to be true it probably is. So what of Arazi, hailed as the wonder of the age after a spectacular victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile but regarded as a flop as a three-year-old? Arazi's demonstrable superiority over the best two-year olds in North America - following a string of victories in…

Bob Sillick | for Editor & Publisher How humans like to wager! We seem to be under the spell of Lady Luck, eager for the ego-boosting experience of beating the odds (and other wagers) and the allure of the quick buck, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Although various forms of gambling in the United States predates the American Revolution,…

H ORSERACING is not only a sporting discipline in this country but a huge industry, with a massive following, across the entire nation. It provides a way for tens of thousands of people, in this country, to eke out a living, from those who train the horses, the jockeys who ride them to the punters, who take a chance, hoping for some rich pickings,…

Sports gambling, in many ways, has been a lifeboat for the sports media industry. From online to radio to TV to inside arenas and stadiums, it has been nearly impossible for fans to avoid exposure to sports betting advertisements or promotions - even for an hour or two - for a couple of years now. In this week's newsletter, we will evaluate the…

1. I've made it clear that I think Major League Baseball's exclusive streaming deals are bad for the game. The league likes to say the streaming deals are in place to help grow the game. The truth is, the streaming deals are in place so the league can make as much money as possible. Halfway through the season, we haven't seen much evidence of the…

The start of the American football season is like ringing in the new year for the sports betting industry. And this latest season seems to mark a new austerity era for dealings between sportsbooks and publishers. "[Two years ago] was like the silly season of investing in massive marketing budgets that return [bettors acquired through paid…

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder continues to make headlines, and none of them are good. Past allegations of workplace misconduct (including alleged sexual harassment, racism, witness intimidation and more)in the Washington organization put Snyder on the hot seat, and alleged financial malpractice put him on even looser ground among the…

Putting the Justin Verlander and Trea Turner contracts into perspective Justin Verlander signed a two-year deal with the Mets worth $86 milion, while Trea Turner signed an 11-year deal worth $300 million. Any way you cut it, it's a lot of money: Cody Bellinger is a free agent. Though it's unlikely, he could still return to Dodgers The Dodgers had…

The Washington Capitals will kick off a back to back set of weekend games. First up is a road contest against the Buffalo Sabres tonight then tomorrow night they return home to host the New Jersey Devils. It also is the third and final game between the Caps and Sabres this season. The Caps come in having lost two straight games which is a rarity in…

Our local wrestlers got the season fully underway with several good performances in area tournaments on Nov. 26. Sheldon grapplers competed in the Redwood Rumble finishing 12 place with the boys. Freshman Noah Daniels placed first at 160 pounds and had three pins en route. Caden Diamond finished fourth, Joseph Campos fifth and Mohamed Alnassiri…

Three mares have won in the Kentucky Derby's history - Genuine Risk, Winning Colors, and Regret. Coincidentally, you can experience all three of these things in your first minute at Churchill Downs. The Derby is the longest-running American sporting event ever, and there's your first hint that it shouldn't still exist. One hundred and forty-eight…

Speed figures are arguably the most prevalent metric used primarily by handicappers to determine which horse they think has the best chance of winning a race today. Throughout their origin, speed figures have demonstrated remarkable consistency in their capacity to quantify a horse's running speed. It may appear to be a straightforward concept, but…

In the latest chapter of his widely acclaimed series recalling his personal favorites, Jay Hovdey tells the story of an unsung hero who ran in four different races in four years at the Breeders' Cup Let's hear it for the unsung heroes. The anonymous donor. The unnamed benefactor. The Good Samaritan who was first to help at the scene of the crash,…

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer has been suspended for two full seasons by Commissioner Rob Manfred for violating MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. It is the longest suspension handed out under the policy. Bauer, who last pitched for the Dodgers on June 28 of last season, plans to appeal the…

The Washington Capitals now hit the road after a season long four game homestand. Their first stop is in Florida, specifically Tampa Bay where a rematch with the Lightning awaits. The Caps won the game on Friday 5-1 so the Bolts will be out for revenge especially as tempers flared throughout the night with multiple fights. Sonny Milano scored…

The Las Vegas Grand Prix won't be like any other race. Formula 1 is perpetually in the business of walking the line between spectacle and sport, and its third concurrent race in the United States will be the biggest test of its resolve. Next November F1 cars will zip past the city's New World wonders - the Bellagio fountain, the Venetian hotel with…

LOS ANGELES - The giants of mobile sports betting entered California, the final conquest that would clinch an improbable national takeover, with a clear strategy: divide and outspend. DraftKings and FanDuel, the leaders of an exploding industry, had spent their decade of existence forgoing profits in favor of relentless expansion, pouring hundreds…

In 2017 the Houston Astros won their only World Series, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-game classic. Two years later that World Series run was heavily scrutinized by media and fans alike. Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported that the Astros had used technology for years to steal signs from opposing team's catcher…

Stars are shining brightly in the 2022 MLB playoffs, with the Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper fueling his team to a surprising National League Championship Series appearance following a 3-1 series victory over the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves. He is hardly the only hitter proving the difference between victory and defeat for…

Hello, and welcome to the weekly L.A. Times soccer newsletter. I'm Kevin Baxter, The Times' soccer writer, and today we look at LAFC and the Galaxy finding their way to the postseason; Angel City missing out on the National Women's Soccer League playoffs; and Qatar's continuing struggles to prepare for an unprecedented flood of visitors for this…

The Washington Commanders are ready to join the world of sports betting after receiving a license for their home FedEx Field. ESPN gambling analyst David Payne Purdum reported Wednesday that the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Commission had waved Washington into legal operations. The Commanders will now be able to offer high-stakes…

Are you ready for some football? What about some gambling? Forty-seven million Americans will place at least one bet on the NFL this season, which kicks off Thursday night. That number will only increase when the MLB playoffs, NBA and NHL seasons get underway later this month into October. It's the sports betting industry's favorite time of year:…

Ahead of the start of the college and professional football seasons, The Washington Post debuts "Odds Against," its first-ever sports betting series. Readers can expect to see a heady mix of predictive analytics, accessible advice and nuanced reporting on the sports betting industry at large, creating a go-to resource for fans each week. "Readers,…

When I was in college, a new, all-sports network was born. We were thrilled. Anything sports-related was fine with us, and I remember being up at 5 a.m. watching speedboat racing on this thing called ESPN. In our defense, this was at a time when there was little in the way of televised weekday sports. There were no regional baseball networks, and…

Doping, Electroshock Devices, Death Likely at Unsanctioned Memphis Horse Race; PETA Urges Sheriff to Investigate David Perle 202-483-7382 Memphis, Tenn. - Shelby County's sheriff has been told to look out for illegal gambling as well as horses being injected with methamphetamines and cocaine, electroshocked, or subjected to other acts of cruelty…