New York Post, Saturday, November 14, 2020nypost.comMLB: Gooden sentenced
Former Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden has
been sentenced to a year of probation in con-
nection with a drug arrest in New Jersey in 2019.
Gooden appeared before a judge in a virtual
proceeding Thursday. He pleaded guilty in Au-
gust 2019 to one count of cocaine possession
stemming from a traffic stop in June 2019.
Gooden pled guilty last year, affording him the
chance to avoid prison if he completed a drug
rehabilitation program.
Les Rohr, a highly touted prospect who
briefly pitched for the champion 1969 Mets,
has died. He was 74. Rohr was the second
overall pick in Major League Baseball’s ini-
tial amateur draft in 1965.
NFL: 3 Baker accusers back off
Ex-Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker’s
armed robbery case took a turn after three of
the four men he allegedly victimized recanted
statements Friday, The Post confirmed. Baker’s
attorney filed a motion to show cause as to why
the fourth man should not be held in contempt
of court for failure to appear at a disposition
hearing on Oct. 9, per court documents.
Baker, 23, is being prosecuted in Florida on
four counts of robbery with a firearm stem-
ming from an incident where he and Seahawks
safety Quinton Dunbar are accused of steal-
ing $70,000 worth of cash and jewelry from a
party in May. — Ryan Dunleavy
Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa re-
mains in concussion protocol and has been
ruled out for Sunday’s game at the Dolphins.
The Panthers ruled out All-Pro running
back Christian McCaffrey was ruled out for
Sunday’s Week 10 home game against the Buc-
caneers. Head coach Matt Rhule told report-
ers that he’s hopeful McCaffrey, who suffered a
shoulder injury late in Sunday’s 33-31 loss at
Kansas City, will be healthy enough to play in
Week 11 against Detroit after a week off.
George Hill, an assistant coach for
Woody Hayes, Don Shula and Jimmy
Johnson, has died at age 87. He was the Dol-
phins’ defensive coordinator under Johnson
from 1996-99, and had earlier been their line-
backers coach under Shula.ETC: Pac-12 cancels games
The Pac-12’s football schedule has been
scrambled for a second straight week, with
positive COVID-19 tests leading to the cancel-
lation of Saturday’s California at Arizona State
and Utah at UCLA games. Instead, Cal will play
UCLA on Sunday at the Rose Bowl at noon.
Desmond Ridder threw for 327 yards
and three touchdowns and ran for another
score to help host No. 7 Cincinnati (7-0, 5-0
American Athletic) rout East Carolina 55-17.
Tyler Goodson rushed for a career-high
142 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries,
and Iowa’s defense clamped down hard on
Minnesota for a 35-7 victory.
New Jersey’s red-hot sports betting market set
the national record for the highest amount wagered
on sports for the third month in a row in October
with over $803 million plunked down by gamblers.SportS ShortS
MASTERS
Favoritestowintournament(e nteringSaturday’s
resumptionofsecondround)
PLAYER ODDS
Jon Rahm 7/2
Dustin Johnson 9/2
Justin Thomas 11/2
Patrick Cantlay 12/1
TigerWoods 16/1
HidekiMatsuyama 16/1
Louis Oosthuizen 18/1
Cameron Smith 20/1
Abraham Ancer 25/1
BrooksKoepka 25/1
Xander Schauffele 25/1
Tommy Fleetwood 28/1
JustinRose 30/1
PatrickReed 33/1PLAYER ODDS
Paul Casey 33/1
Sungjae Im 33/1
Rory McIlroy 40/1
Bryson DeChambeau 40/1
DannyWillett 45/1
Webb Simpson 66/1
C.T. Pan 80/1
Phil Mickelson 80/1
DylanFrittelli 100/1
Ric kie Fowler 100/1
Sebastian Munoz 100/1
Charles Howell III 125/1
Scottie Scheffler 125/1MMA
UFC on ESPN+
Saturday, Las VegasMAIN EVENT ODDS
Paul Felder +160
vs. Rafael dos Anjos -193
FIGHTER ODD S
Abdul Razak Alhassan -250
vs. KhaosWilliams +200
Cory McKenna +185
vs. Kay Hansen -228
AntonioArroyo +105
vs. Eryk Anders -125
Brendan Allen -125
vs. SeanStrickland +105
AshleyYo der +140
vs. Miranda Granger -167
Alex Morono -182
vs. RhysMcKee +150
JoseQuinonez +115
vs. LouisSmolka -139
Randa Markos +160
vs. Kanako Murata -193
Geraldo deFreitasJr. +125
vs. To nyGr avely -152
Don’Tale Mayes -250
vs. RoqueMartinez +200Paul
FelderGetty ImagesACTIONACTION
By TiM MurrayVirginia Tech’s game against Miami
(Fla.) on Saturday afternoon in
Blacksburg is a hold-your-nose special.
Virginia Tech is coming off an
embarrassing loss last weekend against
Liberty (Side note: Do not call a timeout
to “ice” a kicker before a 59-yard field
goal attempt). Miami is cruising along
and hoping to reach the ACC
Championship.
Why are the Hokies a two-point
favorite against a Top-10 team after losing
at home to Liberty? I don’t know if you
will find more than a handful of people
who will be backing Virginia Tech.
Another big question about Virginia
Tech is the status of RB Khalil Herbert.
Herbert hurt his hamstring early in the
Hokies’ loss to Liberty and did not
return to action. Virginia Tech coach
Justin Fuente told reporters this week, “I
don’t know if he’ll be available or not.”
Among those who have played five
games, Herbert leads the nation in all-
purpose yards per game with 178.1. Only
Clemson RB Travis Etienne has more
all-purpose yards than Herbert. If
available, Herbert should have a big day
against the Miami defense.
Virginia Tech QB Hendon Hooker
rushed for 156 yards against Liberty with
Herbert sidelined. The Hokies lead the
ACC with 277.4 rushing yards per game.
QB D’Eriq King has delivered in a big
way for Miami since transferring from
Houston. King accounted for 535 total
yards and threw five touchdowns in the
Hurricanes’ 44-41 win over North
Carolina State last weekend. Outside of
Clemson, not many teams have been
able to hold King down this season. TheHokies are 12th in the ACC in yards
allowed per game (460.7).
There don’t seem to be many reasons
to pick Virginia Tech, but I anticipate
the Hokies will come out with a sense of
desperation. With another loss, Fuente’s
job could be on the line. Miami, on the
other hand, took a punch to the gut
when Notre Dame defeated Clemson.
The Hurricanes’ chances of reaching
the ACC Championship shortened
because of the Fighting Irish’s upset
victory.
The pick: Virginia Tech, -2
Nuggets and notes
With Wednesday night’s spread
cover in a 38-31 loss at Ball State as an
8.5-point road underdog, Eastern
Michigan improved to 19-3 ATS in its
last 22 games as a road underdog.
Bettors have no excuse to not back the
Eagles every time they’ve got a plus
next to their name in a road game.
For those like me holding Over 8.5
season-win total tickets on Alabama,
there are scenarios in which these
wagers won’t become “no-plays” or
pushes (because Alabama doesn’t get all
10 scheduled games in). Though LSU
doesn’t have an available date to play
host to the Crimson Tide, SEC
Commissioner Greg Sankey has said
that games can be moved around. In
other words, the league can take teams
that aren’t in the mix to make the SEC
Championship Game on Dec. 19, such as
LSU, and have them play on that same
day against other teams that aren’t
threats to make it to Atlanta. Look for a
new date for Alabama at LSU, with one
of LSU’s games moved to Dec. 19.
Tim Murray handicaps college football
for VSiN.com, The Sports Betting Network.BET SMART
THIS ‘TIME’: Justin Fuente’s attempt to ice the kicker backfired when a blocked-kick
touchdown was nullified and Virginia Tech ended up losing to Liberty last week. VSiN’s
Tim Murray is backing the Hokies as surprise two-point favorites vs. Miami on Saturday.Life after
disaster
for Hokies
Home Team Lineups HOME AWAY TODAYNov. 14 Nov. 15SUN^ Nov. 16MON Nov. 17TUE Nov. 18WED Nov. 19THU Nov. 20FRIMLS Playoffs: at Columbus, Sat. Nov. 21; 3 p.m.- UniMasMLS Playoffs: at Orlando City, Sat. Nov. 21; Noon.- UniMasSunday Sunday, Nov. 22
Philadelphia
1:00
TV - FOX
Radio- WFAN 660 AM/
101.9 FML.A. Chargers
4:05
TV - CBS
Radio- ESPN 98.7 FM