Case of the Mondays: Tiger Comes Up Empty After Another Close Call

by Ricky Dimon - 7/23/2018

These are the dog days of summer, when baseball is the only one of the four major American sports in progress-but there are still plenty of headlines being generated in the sports world. Tiger Woods' latest bid to return to the winner's circle came up short, Josh Hader's world turned upside down at the All-Star Game, the NBA's hot stove is cooking, and even soccer is still making some post-World Cup news.

All odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook.

Tiger Woods . Tiger continues to take apparent steps in his comeback toward a long-awaited victory, perhaps even at a major. But the 14-time major champion is not someone who has ever been in the business of moral victories, so last week's British Open-specifically Sunday-was a tough pill to swallow. In typical 2018 version of Tiger fashion, the 42-year-old contended throughout the weekend and then faltered. The 42-year-old even held the solo lead after nine holes during final-round action at Carnoustie, but a double bogey-stretch on the back nine allowed playing partner Francesco Molinari to overtake him and the entire rest of the field. Tiger's following comment expresses the bittersweet nature of his tournament: "It felt great to be part of the mix and build my way into the championship. Today was a day I had a great opportunity.'' Tiger is +1600 to win next month's PGA Championship; Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy are +1200 co-favorites.

Josh Hader . It is not uncommon for compromising tweets to be unearthed the moment someone enters the limelight. The NFL Draft experience of Bills' rookie quarterback Josh Allen is one example. Now Hader's All-Star Game is another. After giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits 0.1 innings of work during the National League's 8-6, 10-inning loss last Tuesday, Hader saw his day become much, much worse. A whole host of racist, homophobic, and misogynist posts made by the Brewers' reliever seven years ago (when he was 17) came to light. He got a standing ovation from the home crowd when he pitched this past Saturday, but others won't be forgiving. "I'm not expecting that everybody is going to forgive me [right away]," Hader said. "But I just hope that people see my true character today, and I hope that I can show them that that's not who I [am]." Milwaukee is +285 to win the National League Central and +750 to win the NL Pennant.

Detroit Tigers . The Tigers' problems are strictly on the field. As recently as June 19, they were just one game under .500 and firmly in contention as part of an underwhelming American League Central. However, Detroit has since compiled a horrendous 6-22 record-spiraling the team to 42-59 overall and 13.5 games behind Cleveland in the division. The Tigers went 5-20 to end the proverbial first half and came back out by losing two of three to the Red Sox, including a 9-1 beatdown on Sunday. Detroit (Liriano) is -110 at Kansas City (Fillmyer) on Monday night.

Julio Jones . Jones was hoping to get a contract extension from the Falcons prior to the start of the 2018 season, but it is not going to happen. According to reports, team management informed the star receiver last month that a deal is not going to be reached-at least not right now. He still has two years remaining on his current contract, so an extension during one of the next two offseasons is not out of the question. Jones did not attend recent offseason workouts or a mandatory minicamp, but he did join quarterback Matt Ryan and other teammates this past week in California for some practice sessions. The Falcons are +2000 to win the Super Bowl.

Kawhi Leonard . It's no secret that Leonard wants to be-and probably will be-a Laker, but he wants to be a Laker right now. Instead, the blockbuster deal of the current NBA offseason means he will have to play one season in Toronto before he becomes a free agent, as San Antonio recently shipped him to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan. Leonard reportedly has no interest in playing for Toronto and has allegedly threatened to sit out the entire 2018-19 campaign. On the bright side for the Raptors, the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year at least showed up at team facilities and posed for a photo with president Masai Ujiri. Leonard is -120 to average more than 23.5 points per game this coming season.

Gianni Moscon . Riders often abandon the Tour de France due to injury, but Moscon's ouster last weekend came via a much different means. The Italian, who has been the subject of disciplinary issues throughout his career, got the boot for allegedly striking France's Elie Gesbert during stage 15. Moscon was one of the key Team Sky supporters for title contenders Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome. Thomas is an even-money favorite to win the Tour de France; Froome is a +120 second choice.

Mesut Ozil . Germany's disastrous 2018 World Cup will go down as Ozil's last appearance with the national team. The 29-year-old announced his retirement this past weekend, stemming from racial tension regarding his Turkish roots. He had run into serious criticism in Germany for his meeting with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May. "It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect," Ozil wrote. "I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't." He finishes his career with 23 goals and 40 assists in 92 matches of international competition. Germany is a +800 fourth choice to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; France is a +500 favorite.

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Case of the Mondays: Tiger Comes Up Empty After Another Close Call

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