7/23: Penn State, British Open, etc.

Greetings! Back with some quick hitters this morning....

• The NCAA dropped the hammer on Penn State. $60 million fine to an endowment to prevent child abuse, vacating every win from 1998-2011, massive scholarship reduction, and a 4-year postseason ban. They deserve it all, but the only part that makes me uneasy (always does) is punishing the current kids for past issues. That said, the fact that the transfer ban has been waved almost covers that. Crazy to read that whole list, but not shocked either.
• Ernie Els won the British Open yesterday... but the story was Adam Scott's collapse. Scott led Els by 4 shots with 4 holes to play before bogeying each of the final 4 holes to lose by a shot. Ernie played really well, and deserved to win, but the focus is understandably on the giant meltdown by Scott. I feel badly for him. The winner finished at -7 and Tiger started the day at -6, but he only could manage a 73, and it wasn't enough to stay in contention. The drought continues.
• USA Basketball struggled a bit, but still defeated Argentina 86-80 yesterday. Kevin Durant had 27 points to lead the way, but this, once again, shows that this team is certainly not unbeatable. Spain and Argentina present the biggest issues, and Spain is the next and final exhibition opponent. Stay tuned. 
• The Braves dropped a 9-2 decision to Washington yesterday. After winning the first 2 games of the 4-game series including a ridiculous comeback on Friday, the Braves could only manage a split up in DC due to some pitching woes over the weekend. Jurrjens looked really, really bad on Sunday, allowing 6 ER in 2.1 innings, and he's easily the worst pitcher on the staff right now despite his semi-reasonable numbers since the injury.  He's just not effective. Ben Sheets is clearly the #3 pitcher on the staff right now, so take that for what its worth.

What to watch for on Monday...

• MLB - Braves @ Marlins - Minor vs. Johnson - SportSouth 7:00 - It would be really nice to get a quality outing from Minor here, and the Marlins offense may be the recipe.
• MLB - Red Sox @ Rangers - Doubront vs. Feldman - ESPN 8:00 - I still believe in Boston. For whatever reason.

Enjoy!