Daily Archives: March 20, 2021

Using a mix of Yahoos average draft position (ADP) and staff rankings that create a composite score among three Yahoo analysts, we will present a road map through the first 100 picks to come off the board in a typical Fantasy Baseball draft.

By breaking things down into segments of 10 picks at a time (as part of a larger three-part series) to highlight the safest bet, plus an underrated and overrated player, you are sure to come away with a more streamlined and less overwhelming way to plot out a course for a successful draft. While unexpected twists and turns develop in any draft and league sizes vary, walking in as prepared as can be is the best way to come out with a competitive squad.

All staff composite rankings and ADP data are to date as 3-14, and subject to change.

Picks 1-30 (below) | Picks 31-60 | Picks 61-100

If I could pick Jacob deGrom here every year, I would but that's no fun.

Mookie Betts is just ridiculously good. A true five-tool player, Betts has been an elite option in the outfield his entire career, and his addition was crucial in the Dodgers finally securing that World Series championship in the shortened 2020 season.

[Draft Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP]

You know you're getting 25+ home runs with Betts. You know you're getting an average of .290 or better with Betts. You know you're getting double-digit steals with Betts. He gets on base and knows what to do when he does. He probably has another 100-100 campaign in him now that he'll play full seasons as part of the Dodgers' loaded lineup. Betts is arguably the most talented hitter in baseball this side of Mike Trout. Don't overthink this.

Trea Turner has been a perennial first-rounder for what seems like a while now, but doesn't it still seem like he gets overlooked for whatever shiny new player makes the leap into the top of drafts?

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Turner doesn't have many negatives. He can lock up the stolen base category on his own and, not to mention, he will almost certainly hit for a .285+ average with double-digit home runs. It helps to have phenom Juan Soto batting after you too. With his prowess on the basepaths, Turner's argument for being higher up the ADP pecking order isn't so farfetched.

Shane Bieber has filthy, filthy stuff. His strikeout ability is well-documented. I have no qualms about him being one of the top pitchers available in drafts.

With that said, his 2020 production 122 Ks in 77.1 IP, 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP well, I think we can all agree that was the high end of the spectrum for Bieber (his BABIP last season was .267 while his career mark sits at .312). I'm not drafting him expecting the same. He remains elite, but the chances of him replicating those numbers in a full season are few and far between.

You might be disappointed if you're expecting a repeat of 2020 for Shane Bieber. (AP Foto/Paul Sancya, archivo)

Personally, I'd draft Trevor Story in the first round in any format. The 28-year-old gets to call Coors Field home and enjoy all the benefits that come with that, including 30+ home run capability. He also delivers a nice batting average and has threatened the 100-100 plateau seemingly every year. Give me the star hitter of Colorado any day of the week.

Of course, if the Rockies decide trading Nolan Arenado wasn't enough and end up trading Story too, well ...

Full disclosure: I have been a Yu Darvish stan for a while now, and his performance in the shortened 2020 season just further strengthened my warm and fuzzy feelings for him.

Now, he'll pitch for a Padres team that has fashioned itself the squad to dethrone the Dodgers.

Darvish was absolutely masterful in 2020, and while he's not expected to replicate those numbers this season, a low-3s ERA with 200 strikeouts is well within reach for him. He'll get to pitch in one of the top pitcher-parks in baseball, with a powerful Padres lineup backing him up. I like Darvish higher in the second round, above such names as Cody Bellinger and Manny Machado.

26-year-old Walker Buehler is a fantastic young pitcher, capable of taking over a game and locking it down. But there are two things working against him in 2021.

One, the Dodgers are always looking towards the postseason, so they will look to limit the innings of their pitchers as much as they can and they can, when you consider the depth they have.

Two, Buehler's BABIP in 2020 was a minuscule .198, but all that luck amounted to a 3.44 ERA and a very-not-great 4.36 FIP; not what you want to see out of a member of the Dodgers rotation. I don't think he supplants Clayton Kershaw as the true ace of LA anytime soon.

Bogaerts is good. A standard Bogaerts line looks a bit something like .285/.355/.450, with 20+ homer power and an element of speed. Feels like he gets a bit overlooked in the grand scheme of things, but just look at his body of work the last six seasons.

In fact, look at his 2019: .309/.384/.555, 110 R, 117 RBI, 33 HR, and a BABIP only .06 points higher than his career mark. Yes, please.

Everything that could've gone bad for Flaherty did in 2020. His BABIP was 20 points higher than his career mark and his HR/FB ballooned by eight percentage points, both helping aid his 4.91 ERA finish. Ultimately, Flaherty's control suffered and he was unable to keep men off base.

I don't believe what we saw was the true Jack Flaherty, though. His velocity and strikeout capability remained the same or similar to his 2019 output, when he was an absolute ace. I chalk up the struggles of last year to the start-and-stop, mentally exhausting nature of the 2020 season especially when you consider the season was paused right when it was about to be Flaherty's turn to start again. Uninterrupted repetition and routine matters with starting pitchers. This is, of course, the issue with 2021 fantasy baseball; how much of 2020 struggle and success should be attributed to the unprecedented nature of the season?

All that said, with a full training camp and season ahead, I think Flaherty will bounce back and be fine.

If this seems obvious, it is, so I'll keep it simple. I personally like to use the first three rounds to grab two multi-category hitters and one ace, or two aces and one four-to-five category hitter. In theory, this hitter (or hitters) will have double-digit stolen-base speed.

I am not going to use an early draft pick on a player like Mondesi, who dominates one category but hurts you pretty much everywhere else. He's probably one of the most debated players in fantasy baseball. Round 3 is too early to select Mondesi in my book.

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Fantasy Baseball 2021: Overrated, underrated and safest picks in Rounds 1-3 - Yahoo Sports

Hard as it is to believe, there are people who don't bet on the NCAA tournament.

However, even those casual fans who aren't taking Cleveland State catching 20 points in the first round will likely fill out a bracket. It's an annual tradition, even for those who don't watch a college baseball game all season until March Madness.

Those pools are just for fun (wink, wink) but you still want to win. And even if you aren't planning to bet on tournament games, the spreads and odds can be a great resource in guiding your bracket picks. Here are some tips on how to use spreads and odds to fill out a winning bracket:

This year, fortunately or unfortunately, the selection committee did a pretty good job seeding. There have been years in which 11 and 12 seeds are favored. And that's usually telling. According to Matt Eisenberg's fantastic tournament guide, when an 11 seed has been favored over the last 15 tournaments it is 5-1 straight up and every win was by 12 or more points. This year, there's only one lower seed favored, and that's 10-seed Rutgers at -1 against Clemson. Feel free to pick Rutgers but there aren't many spread-influenced upset picks this year.

However, paying attention to the point spreads still can help.

Rutgers guard Ron Harper Jr. (24) drives on Illinois guard Da'Monte Williams (20) in the Big Ten tournament. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

You're not picking against the spread in a bracket pool, but spreads still can guide you.

Over the last 15 tournaments, here are the straight-up records based on how much a better seed is favored by in the first round according to Eisenberg:

0-3 points: 45-40 (52.9 percent)3.5-6 points: 53-30 (63.9 percent)6.5-12 points: 77-19 (80.2 percent)12.5-20 points: 83-6 (90.3 percent)20.5 or more: 47.2 (95.6 percent)

Remember, oddsmakers' livelihoods are tied to getting this right. Therefore, if you're looking for an 11 seed to upset a 6 seed, perhaps you'd go with Syracuse (3-point underdog) over San Diego State rather than Utah State (5-point underdog) over Texas Tech. In 4 vs. 13 games, Ohio (+7.5) over Virginia and North Texas (+7.5) over Purdue might be better options than UNC Greensboro (+11) over Florida State. Before you pick a first-round upset, always double check the spread. It'll tell you how risky your pick is.

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More than half of the first-round lines moved in the first 12.or so hours after they were released, and those are smart bettors laying those wagers. Tourists aren't sitting around sportsbooks on Selection Sunday looking to pick off first-round spreads that are off by a few points. It might not be a perfect guide for your bracket picks Oral Roberts moving from a 17-point favorite to 16.5 isn't going to entice you to advance ORU over Ohio State in your pool but it's good to glance at which lines moved.

You'll hear "KenPom" a lot this time of year. Ken Pomeroy literally changed how the sport is seen, incorporating per-possession efficiency numbers into a ranking. If you see anyone cite how many raw points a team allows or scores per game, it's outdated. The raw numbers don't take into account the differences in tempos between a slow team like Virginia and a fast one like Alabama. Virginia scores just 68.6 points per game but is the nation's 13th best offense in terms of efficiency. A team can score 90 a game but that might just be a product of playing fast and taking (and missing) a lot of shots.

KenPom's site changed how spreads were set too. In the early days of KenPom's site, it wasn't unusual to see a point spread differ 8-10 points from KP's projected score. You rarely see a 3-point difference anymore. Oddsmakers caught on.

Haslametrics.com and Barttorvik.com's T-Rank are two other great analytics sites to check out before filling out a bracket. No sport has more widely available and reliable advanced analytics than college basketball.

When BetMGM released some prop bets, an interesting one was over/under 2.5 No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four. The heavy favorite in that prop was under 2.5. Over 2.5 No. 1 seeds to the Final Four was +250, and the under was -300. That means the implied odds that two or fewer No. 1 seeds will advance to the Final Four is 75 percent. Yet, in most of your pools, a majority of people will have three or four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. Seemingly every TV analyst this week had three No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed, maybe a 3 seed instead of a 2 if he or she was getting crazy.

Your instinct will be to advance as many No. 1 seeds as you can to the Final Four, but if BetMGM is telling you there's a 75 percent chance that two or fewer will make it, you should pay attention. Over the last 35 years, 30 Final Fours have had two or fewer No. 1 seeds.

Yep, that's the challenge. We should start by eliminating possibilities. Here's the breakdown of seeds to make the Final Four over the last 35 years according to the NCAA:

1: 572: 293: 174: 135: 76: 37: 38: 59: 110: 111: 412 and higher: 0

Looking at that, eliminating all but the top-four seeds seems prudent. Now let's look at the best championship odds among seeds 2-4, with their seed in parentheses and also the percentage of users who picked those teams to make the Final Four in the Yahoo Tourney Pick'em:

Houston (2) +350, 14.1 percentOklahoma State (4) +400, 7.3 percentAlabama (2) +400, 20.6 percentFlorida State (4) +500, 7.9 percentTexas (3) +550. 15.1 percentOhio State (2) +600, 25.6 percentWest Virginia (3) +600, 9 percentIowa (2) +650, 10.6 percent

The discrepancy for the 4 seeds stands out. BetMGM likely overvalued Oklahoma State because they anticipated casual fans betting the Cowboys due to their star, likely No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Cade Cunningham. Still, the betting market is much higher on the Cowboys and Seminoles than Yahoo users. Something worth keeping in mind as you fill out the bracket.

The betting market isn't perfect. It's not a prediction. The books are anticipating who bettors will bet on and adjust odds up or down accordingly. Still, it's a decent guide.

If you're in a big pool, you have to take chances on your championship pick. If Gonzaga wins, many in your 100+ person pool will have them anyway. The key is finding the best team to bet who the crowd isn't on. Here are the title odds at BetMGM and the percentage of Yahoo Tourney Pick'em users who have that team winning it all:

Gonzaga +200, 44.6 percentBaylor +500, 8.4 percentMichigan +600, 8.7 percentIllinois +700, 16.6 percentOklahoma State +1600, 0.8 percentIowa +1600, 2.3 percentOhio State +1600, 3.1 percentAlabama +1600, 1.9 percentFlorida State +2000, 0.6 percentHouston +2000, 1.7 percentWest Virginia +2000, 0.9 percentTexas +2000, 1.1 percent

Oklahoma State shows up again as a team with a wide gap between odds and how many people are picking them. In an enormous pool, you could do worse than taking a shot on Cade Cunningham and his Cowboys. Baylor and Michigan stand out for being far below the other two No. 1 seeds, but ahead of at least Illinois on the odds list.

There's no way to know for sure which double-digit seed will win a few close games and make a run, or which combination of No. 1 seeds will make it to the Final Four. But the guys making the odds in the desert have a better idea than most.

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NCAA March Madness betting: How to use betting odds and trends to win your bracket pool - Yahoo Sports

Monday was a wild night for Bachelor Nation as the finale of The Bachelor did not end in an engagement. The episode started with Matt James having second thoughts about proposing to either Michelle Young or Rachael Kirkconnell. Matt ended up telling Michelle that he was having doubts and that he didn't think he "could get there" with her. Matt left Michelle upset and in tears in her room. "My objective tonight wasn't to hurt Michelle," Matt said, "It's to be honest with her, and I owe her that."

Matt was immediately blasted on Twitter for his decision.

Matt continued to struggle with the idea of proposing to someone at the end. So even though he picked out a ring with Neil Lane, he didn't get down on one knee in front of Rachael. Standing together, holding hands, Matt told her, "I can't propose to you today. But that doesn't mean I want to lose you." So the season ended with the two in a seemingly happy relationship and fans were definitely not excited about Matt choosing Rachael.

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However, during The Bachelor: After the Final Rose, hosted by Emmanuel Acho due to Chris Harrisons departure over racially insensitive comments made while defending Rachael, we learned that things had changed.

Matt revealed he ended the relationship after photos emerged of Rachael attending an Antebellum-themed party in 2018. Matt explained that, at first, he tried to ignore it. "I dismissed them as rumors, because that's what they were to me," Matt told Emmanuel. "You hear things that are heartbreaking ... and you just pray they're not true. And then, when you find out that they are ... it just makes you question everything."

Matt was then able to confront Rachael and explain why he ended their relationship.

When I questioned our relationship, it was in the context of you not fully understanding my blackness and what it means to be a Black man in America, Matt told Rachael. It broke my heart, because this is the last conversation I thought we'd be having. I didn't sign up to have this conversation.

Rachael was contrite throughout the special and claimed she was trying to become more racially aware. She also admitted that her errors came from a place of ignorance not maliciousness. When asked about her photos from the party, Rachael said, I see someone who was living in this ignorance without even, like, thinking about who it would be hurting.

While Rachael said she is committed to educating herself, Matt insisted that this was something she was going to have to do on her own.

I had to take a step back for you to put in that work that you outlined that you needed to do, and that's something that you gotta do on your own, and that's why we can't be in a relationship, said Matt. I don't want to be emotionally responsible for those tears, 'cause it's like, the work and the reconciliation that needs to be done is work that I can't do for you.

Needless to say, Bachelor Nation had some thoughts on this conversation as well.

But the real star of the show seemed to be Acho. The former NFL linebacker was well received by viewers on social media, and may possibly find a more permanent hosting role in the franchise.

The Bachelor aired Monday night at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Watch as WAP, Silk Sonic and social justice highlight an amazing Grammy night:

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'Bachelor' Matt James confronts Rachael Kirkconnell over the racial ignorance that ended their relationship - Yahoo Entertainment

Russian junior hockey player Timur Faizutdinov died on Tuesday at age 19 after being struck in head by a puck during a game. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Russian junior hockey player Timur Faizutdinov has died after being hit in the head by a puck during a game. He was 19.

According to the Associated Press, the hit happened on Friday when Faizutdinov, a defenseman for Dynamo St. Petersburg's junior team, was on the ice during a playoff game against Loko Yaroslavl. An opposing player struck the puck, and Faizutdinov strayed into its path. He immediately began clutching his head.

Faizutdinov collapsed on the ice, where the team doctor and several paramedics treated him. He was then taken to a hospital in the city of Yaroslavl.

Via the Associated Press, the Junior Hockey League said that "doctors fought for Timur's life over the course of three days," but were unable to save him. He died on Tuesday.

For the rest of the month, Junior Hockey League and Kontinental Hockey League games will begin with a moment of silence to honor Faizutdinov, who had been named captain of Dynamo at the start of the season. Dynamo and Loko, the other team involved in Friday's game, started their most recent game by honoring their fallen teammate.

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Russian hockey player Timur Faizutdinov dies at 19 after being hit in the head by a puck - Yahoo Sports

Last week, all the living former U.S. presidents, Democratic and Republican, joined together for an ad campaign touting the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines except Donald Trump.

At the same time, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that a full 50 percent of unvaccinated 2020 Trump voters now say they will never get vaccinated for COVID-19, up 6 percent from last month.

According to the survey of 1,629 U.S. adults, which was conducted March 4-8, no other unvaccinated group is nearly as likely to say they will never get inoculated: not Biden supporters (8 percent), not Black Americans (33 percent) and not Hispanic Americans (22 percent), all of whom have moved in the opposite direction and become less hesitant over time.

Asked Monday if President Biden want[s] to see President Trump who is also the only president who chose to keep his own vaccination private help persuade his supporters by getting involved in this messaging, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not mince words.

Well, if former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, certainly wed support that, Psaki said. Every other living former president ... has participated in public campaigns. They did not need an engraved invitation to do so.

The growing concerns about Trumps lack of involvement in Americas vaccination campaign underscore a looming challenge for the Biden administration: how to ensure that vaccines dont become the latest public-health precaution to fall prey to partisanship and polarization, much like masks before them.

In recent days, the White House has begun to publicly acknowledge that it might have trouble reaching conservatives, who could become even more hesitant the harder Democrats push. We recognize as a Democratic administration with a Democratic president that we may not be the most effective messenger to communicate with hard-core supporters of the former president, Psaki said at Fridays press briefing when Yahoo News asked about the administrations plans. We have to be clear-eyed about that.

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But according to a source familiar with the White Houses plans to address vaccine hesitancy among conservatives, who was granted anonymity to discuss strategy, Team Biden is still finalizing plans on who to enlist in that effort.

By nearly every measure, Americas COVID-19 vaccine rollout is rapidly improving. All of the available data from clinical trials and real-world studies has shown the approved vaccines are safe and extremely effective. The U.S. is now administering an average of 2.4 million doses each day, up from 900,000 a day when Biden took office; 21 percent of the population has received at least one shot, which ranks among the highest rates in the world. All told, the U.S. has administered more than 107 million doses to date, nearly a third of the global total given so far. By May, Biden announced last week, providers will have enough supply to vaccinate every adult in America.

But theres a problem, or there will be soon: Not every adult in America plans to get vaccinated particularly the adults who identify as Republicans. In order to end the pandemic and resume normal life, experts say, the U.S. needs to maximize the number of people it inoculates. Yet while vaccine acceptance in general is rising as the rollout gains steam, hesitancy among Republicans is actually hardening. In fact, demand for the vaccines may already be waning in conservative states such as Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana.

According to the Yahoo News/YouGov poll, most Americans (54 percent) say theyve either gotten vaccinated (22 percent) or plan to get vaccinated in the future (32 percent). Nearly three-quarters of Democrats (74 percent) say the same. But even though Democrats (28 percent) and Republicans (26 percent) say theyve already gotten jabbed in roughly equal numbers, the share of Republicans who are currently unvaccinated and plan to remain that way (35 percent) is three times as large as the corresponding share of Democrats (just 12 percent).

A nurse gives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to a man in Seattle on Saturday. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

The combined number of Americans who plan to forgo vaccination means that tens of millions of citizens may be helping to undermine U.S. progress toward herd immunity, lengthening the pandemic and leaving the country vulnerable to future outbreaks. Thats why convincing the skeptics to do otherwise is so important.

Over the weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said it would be a game changer if Trump used his incredible influence among Republicans to help reach a demographic that Biden may not be able to reach alone.

If he came out and said, Go and get vaccinated. Its really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country, it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him, Fauci told Fox News Sunday.

So far, Trump has limited his promotion of COVID-19 vaccines to a single public quip.

So everybody, go get your shot, Trump said during his Feb. 28 speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

John Bridgeland, co-founder of the Covid Collaborative, a coronavirus education initiative that co-created the recently released presidential PSA, agreed in an interview with Yahoo News that Trump could help much more than that.

If President Trump were to convey to his supporters that the vaccine is safe and effective, that he played a key role and his administration played a key role in moving this vaccine in record time, and that trials showed safety and efficacy, and that he himself and the first lady got the vaccine, that will help improve the larger context in which people are making their individual decisions as to whether to get vaccinated, said Bridgeland, who served as domestic policy chief under former President George W. Bush.

Yet Bridgeland added that engaging with local leaders is just as important as nurturing national atmospherics when trying to persuade hesitant communities.

At one level, creating the atmospherics, the larger context, thats an environment that is more conducive to people getting the shot, Bridgeland explained. Then [we have to get] extremely local with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, faith-based leaders places that have direct trusted influence on these millions of Americans that are going to make an individual choice that will help us get to herd immunity or not.

Its unclear if the White House has reached out directly to Trumps team; Psaki dodged a question on the subject at Fridays briefing, and the current administration has been reluctant to credit or communicate with Bidens predecessor. Equally unclear is whether the norm-busting Trump would even agree to participate in such a campaign.

Yet Trump probably shouldnt expect an engraved invitation anytime soon. The White House source told Yahoo News that officials there are basing their strategy in part on findings by veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who recently published data in the Washington Post showing that hesitant conservatives trust local health officials far more than national politicians, Trump included. Likewise, the Biden administration has been working with outside groups such as Bridgelands to identify leaders who might sway conservatives.

According to the Post, the 19 participants in Luntzs focus group blamed their hesitation on factors like the unknown long-term effects of new vaccines and accused politicians and government scientists of repeatedly misleading them this past year often echoing Trumps charges that Democrats used the virus as an election-year weapon and overhyped its dangers.

The participants rejected direct efforts by prominent Republican politicians (including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy) to persuade them, adding they would trust their spouse or doctor more than Trump. Instead, the group responded positively to apolitical, data-driven pitches from Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Barack Obama, who emphasized that it took two decades of research to develop the vaccine and that nearly every doctor who has been offered a dose has accepted it.

Asked Monday how he planned to reach reluctant Republicans, Biden sounded as if hed been briefed on Luntzs findings. I discussed it with my team, and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preacher, what the local people in the community say, Biden explained. I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why it is important to get that vaccine.

Initially Psaki seemed to be caught off guard when asked Friday about hesitancy among Republicans, redirecting her response toward nonwhite communities hard-hit by the virus and neglecting to reveal specifics about conservative outreach.

Asked again Monday afternoon, however, Psaki offered up a more substantive framework a sign that Bidens effort to reach conservatives is finally ramping up.

The new focus on hesitant Republicans comes as the West Wing becomes increasingly confident in its vaccine rollout. To help deliver an accurate message about vaccine safety and efficacy to conservative communities, the White House has already partnered with groups such as the National Rural Health Association, the National Farmers Union, NTCA - the Rural Broadband Association, the Country Music Association Awards and NASCAR.

Former President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on Feb. 28. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bridgelands group which has met weekly with Biden staffers since the transition began in December and works closely with key members of the White House COVID team is co-chaired by several bipartisan bigwigs, such as former George W. Bush administration staffer and Idaho Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump ally.

Christies vaccine advocacy was particularly effective with Luntzs focus group not chiefly because of his proximity to the former president but rather because of his personal experience attending a superspreader event at the White House and subsequently spending a week in an intensive care unit with COVID-19.

We really shouldnt be all marching in lockstep like lemmings to go and do what the government tells us to do, the former two-term governor told Luntzs focus group, according to the Post. Theyve screwed up too many times for us to do that. But I really do believe the facts that Ive learned, and the experiences Ive had, should make at least everybody ... think hard about getting vaccinated.

According to Bridgeland, stories like Christies are so critical to get. In the coming weeks, Psaki said Monday, Americans should expect earned media partnerships with trusted messengers as part of a big public campaign run out of HHS with funding from Bidens recently passed $1.9 trillion stimulus package.

According to the White House source familiar with operations, Bidens team sees Dr. Francis Collins, the geneticist and devout Christian who leads the National Institutes of Health, as a significant asset. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Collins a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and he frequently appears on faith-based outlets such as the Christian Broadcasting Network. On Tuesday, Collins and Fauci will meet with evangelical leaders at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

President Biden in the State Dining Room of the White House on Monday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The same source adds that the White Houses health equity task force is intimately engaged with vaccine-hesitant communities and is developing specific plans to reach religious and rural Americans.

With vaccine eligibility and availability set to skyrocket in the weeks ahead, one of Bidens biggest challenges will be ensuring that the pace of vaccination particularly on the right keeps up.

The presidents goal is to vaccinate all Americans, not just those who voted for him, Psaki said Monday. Right now, the phase were in is that demand for the vaccine still outstrips supply. We wont be in that phase forever.

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Poll: 50% of unvaccinated Trump voters say they will 'never' get inoculated for COVID. How Biden hopes to change their minds. - Yahoo News

Denis Shapovalov (pictured) has hit out at the prize money on the ATP Tour as Covid-19 continues to impact tennis. (Getty Images)

Denis Shapovalov has spoken out about a looming tennis crisis after pointing out the prize money for ATP 250 and 500 events has hit a critical low.

The ATP and WTA were hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic as tournaments were called off and revenue dipped as many players opted to travel only for Grand Slams.

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Canadian Shapovalov attempted to address the issue at the Dubai Open after a big announcement this week.

Following his quarter-final win over Jeremy Chardy at the Dubai Open, where he hasn't dropped a game on serve, the in-form World No.12 talked about the whopping drop in prize money.

The Miami Masters just announced a huge 66 per cent (approximately) reduction in the prize pool for the up-coming tournament.

The Miami Open winner will take home $310,000 in prize money in 2020, compared to in 2019 when Roger Federer took home roughly $1.35 million.

Prize money isn't the only issue, with big names such as Rafael Nadal, Federer, Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Thiem all absent for various reasons.

Shapovalov said if prize money remains low, players may opt to just play Grand Slams due to the hassle and risk of travelling.

"I definitely think there's going to be a lot of withdrawals and a lot of people not going to tournaments," Shapovalov said.

"I do agree the prize money is low, and it's not motivating to play every week, and play all the big tournaments. There's not really a lot in it for us other than the Slams at this point, that are paying just as much or better."

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The Canadian said he hoped the ATP take action so players have more incentive to attend tournaments outside the majors.

"Hopefully the ATP or someone can do something to improve the prize money and bring it back to what it was," he added.

"But it is what it is right now, you know. So we have other obligations from sponsors, contracts that obligate us to play as well.

Denis Shapovalov celebrates a point in his Quarter-Final singles match against Jeremy Chardy of France during Day Twelve of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on March 18, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

"So for sure, that's definitely one reason why a lot of players are still playing, because otherwise, I feel like a lot of players just dont want to play at all."

This isn't the only issue raised as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hurt tennis.

Recently, Mexican Open tournament director Raul Zurutuza claimed Federer had a deal with Dubai - which means he has never played in Accapulco - and hoped more of its kind would 'never repeated' so big name players can visit multiple events.

Furthermore, Zurutuza admitted the tournament didn't have the money to pay Nadal his appearance fee, despite the Spaniard being defending champion.

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'Dont want to play': Tennis world on alert over looming crisis - Yahoo Sport Australia

(Bloomberg) --

Oil plunged by 7%, the most since September, as vaccination efforts in some parts of the world stalled, casting uncertainty over the speed of an economic recovery and a full rebound in global oil demand.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures declined for a fifth session, the longest stretch of daily losses in more than a year. China lifting less crude and U.S. Gulf Coast refineries still recovering from a cold blast last month have put short-term pressure on physical oil demand. Meanwhile, some efforts to distribute Covid-19 vaccines have faltered and a stronger dollar is reducing the appeal of commodities priced in the currency.

The collapse in prices has wiped out more than two weeks of gains for the U.S. benchmark crude and represents a setback for a market that has otherwise staged a remarkable recovery since the depths of the pandemic. Oil futures are still up well over 20% since the start of the year with the worlds largest oil producers reining in supply and travel around the world recovering post-lockdowns.

Short-term supply and demand considerations are temporarily casting a shadow over the bright future that is likely to arrive in the third quarter of the year, said Tamas Varga, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates Ltd.

Global benchmark Brent also notched considerable losses, falling by the most since June on Thursday. Oils move lower may also be linked to some unwinding of long positions by commodity trading advisors as daily price gains or losses of more than 3% can often trigger funds to quickly unload. This is a risk-off moment with some of the cyclical trades, said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

Beyond headline prices, crudes closest timespreads are signaling that, despite the outlook for a longer-term recovery, near-term demand remains fragile. WTIs front-month contract is trading at a discount again to the following month, while Brents backwardation -- a bullish structure signaling tighter supplies -- is weakening.

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The plunge is all about the demand outlook, said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda Corp. This will be a temporary retreat, but the concern is that we dont have any strong signs that Europe is about to turn the corner here.

The global recovery from the pandemic remains uneven. In Brazil, Covid-19 cases are expanding by record numbers and crimping activity, while in the U.K., delayed shipments of AstraZeneca Plcs vaccine will cut supply this month.

Demand hasnt gotten as far back to normal as we expected, with the vaccine news out of Europe definitely concerning in terms of short-term demand, said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research. Thats making people think that the time for $70 Brent has not yet come.

(An earlier version corrected the lead to say oils decline was the biggest since September.)

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The tournament director at the Mexican Open has hit out at contracts like Roger Federer's (pictured), which ties him to the Dubai Open. (Getty Images)

The tournament director of the Mexican Open has hit out Roger Federer and his involvement with the Dubai Open after never appearing at the Acapulco event.

Federer has always played the Dubai Open when he is available, never appearing in Mexico.

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This means the 20-time Grand Slam champ can't appear at Acapulco due to the tournaments occurring at the same time of year.

Not being able to draw the biggest names obviously impacts the marketability of ATP 250 and 500 events.

The Swiss maestro has won the Dubai tournament eight times - missing it six times - but will be unavailable this year.

Despite Rafael Nadal often visiting the Mexican event and boosting its prestige, Federer withdrew from Dubai after resting following his return to the ATP Tour in Doha.

Tournament director Raul Zurutuza claimed Federer had a deal with Dubai and hoped more of its kind would 'never repeated' so big name players can visit multiple events.

There are many players that one as a manager would like to have, the truth is we talk a lot with their representative, Zurutuza said at a pre-event press conference.

Roger Federer poses with the winners trophy after victory during day fourteen of the Dubai Duty Free Championships at Tennis Stadium on March 02, 2019 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

I have seen him (Stefanos Tsitsipas) happy, I received him at the airport, he is a super relaxed guy. I hope he falls in love with Mexico and stays with all due respect to Dubai.

That story of Roger (Federer) who never came to Mexico because of the Dubai issue, I hope it will never be repeated with another player.

It is important that each player can be in as many tournaments as possible.

Tsitsipas arrived well, he trained and it is interesting, I think we will have good things with him.

Nadal announced that he had pulled out of the Rotterdam Open due to the back injury, which has troubled the 20-time grand slam this year.

But early reports suggested Nadal had also withdrawn from Acapulco, where he is the defending champion, with speculation the competition was unable to match his appearance fee.

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Tournament director Raul Zurutuza has confirmed the competition didn't have the money to attract the Spaniard.

But Zurutuza said the tournament would go on without the Spaniard, despite him being missed, and other big names such as Tsitsipas gave the tournament weight.

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'Never repeated': Roger Federer caught in tennis tug-of-war - Yahoo Sport Australia

There was coincidental symmetry in the NFL announcing a new, streaming-enhanced broadcast package on the same day the NCAA mens tournament began. Why? Because where the NCAA tournament is now, the NFL will be soon.

The early rounds of the tourney are famous (or infuriating, depending on your point of view) for the mad, nationwide scramble to figure out where the hell TruTV is. Its a case of careful-what-you-wish-for. Yes, its great to have the opportunity to see every single game live if you want to, but the tradeoff is that you have to navigate through a thicket of broadcast options and, before long, subscription streaming services.

The NFLs new 11-year, $100 billion-with-a-B broadcast rights package is a reaffirmation of the standing order and a complete break with tradition. Yes, all your favorite stalwarts Fox, NBC, CBS, ESPN will continue to broadcast the most valuable property on television. Beyond that, a new player Amazon has entered the chat, and the role of streaming services in bringing games to you is going to only increase. Football on your phone was a cute gimmick when the Brothers Manning rapped it back in 2013 but by 2030, its going to be the norm.

(That video still rules, though it appears DirecTV is out of the NFL market under this new deal.)

This new broadcast arrangement isnt aimed at anyone who remembers Howard Cosell. This is meant to capture the people who know Madden only as the name of a video game franchise, not as a broadcaster or coach. The days of knowing exactly where every game will be shown, every week, are coming to a close.

The NFL would undoubtedly prefer to have all its fans watch games only on over-the-air channels. Thats where tradition lies "Monday Night Football" on ABC/ESPN, NFC games on Fox, AFC games on CBS but its also where the most money lies at the moment. Streaming services draw in only a fraction of the eyeballs (and, hence, revenue) of broadcast TV. NFL games regularly dominate ratings, both seasonally and historically. Twenty-nine of the top 30 broadcasts of all time are Super Bowls the "M*A*S*H" finale is still hanging in there and Sunday Night Football has been the top series on TV for the past 10 years running.

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In the NFL, tradition lasts only as long as its profitable. The league began playing football on Monday nights in the 1960s as a way to edge the NFL into competition with scripted TV. Monday Night Football launched in September 1970 and immediately became a broadcast institution appointment television decades before that term was invented.

MNFs ratings suffered in the 2000s, and the franchise moved from ABC onto ESPN to start the 2006 season. That year also marked the debut of Thursday Night Football, as the league expanded its weekly reach further. Its tough to remember now, but the games move to ESPN was met with howls of protest from fans complaining they wouldnt be able to watch games on cable.

Less than a decade later, the league broadcast its first game entirely on the web a Jaguars-Bills London game streamed right here on Yahoo Sports. (It was a fascinating story; heres an in-depth breakdown of how it all came together.) Again, the idea of watching a football game only on the phone or laptop was met with condescension, if not outright derision. Fast-forward to this years Super Bowl, where CBS reported that an average of 5.7 million fans per minute streamed the game, a record by a large margin.

So the future of the NFL is digital, but you already knew that. Thursdays news made it clear, however, that for many games, the future will be only digital. Amazon acquired the exclusive rights to "Thursday Night Football," marking the leagues first all-streaming package. And tucked into the news release was the tidbit that Peacock, NBCs streaming service, will deliver an exclusive feed of a select number of NFL games over the course of the agreement.

What this all means for you, the consumer, is that youre going to need to start signing up for more streaming services and remembering more passwords. Amazon, ESPN+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Tubi all will carry games, some matching the broadcast, some exclusively and if you dont know a Peacock from a Tubi, well, youre going to have to figure it out.

What it also means is that the entire broadcast format of the NFL could change, perhaps slightly, perhaps dramatically. The NFL has already experimented with multiple broadcast teams on a single game. Now imagine a range of Amazon feeds with widely varying broadcasters, from former players to semi-retired broadcasting legends to Gen Z influencers to completely announcer-free booths. Imagine if the concept of a commercial break no longer had any meaning, since broadcasters' revenue would be coming from subscription fees. Imagine a Nickelodeon-style feed, where the game itself is only one part of the total package. Streaming opens up broadcast opportunities that network and cable cant touch, and thats a net benefit for fans.

Big questions loom for the NFL and its many broadcasters: how far down the streaming rabbit hole will fans chase the league? How many fans will sign up for streaming services or, lets be honest, borrow passwords so they can watch a Week 7 Packers-Bears game? Will the weekly challenge of wheres-the-damn-game drive away casual fans, or will it become an endearing scavenger hunt like in the NCAA tournament?

Getting fans trained to jump from service to channel to service is a challenge for 2023 and beyond. For now, lets see if we can figure out where the Gonzaga game is playing.

Football and your phone, made in America. (Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybusbee or contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com.

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