Eight Weeks Later
Eight Weeks Later
Bursting with Bubble Content, 7 West Coast Reads, 30+ links you might have missed and 25 jobs based in the Pacific Standard Time zone.
Family, Can’t believe this email newsletter is nearly two months old? Me neither.
My boi told me I made Wednesday’s cool again with the newsletter. That’s welcomed feedback since each issue takes me at least 10 hours to write and edit, not including all the hours reading and curating.
Thus far, I’ve failed to reach 100 free subscribers as I would’ve liked. I’m at 70 as of publishing this newsletter and most of ya’ll are my friends and family. My branding and social media will continue lacking until I can build that first 100. For now, I continue hacking IH, Quora and getting added to directories including Inboxreads and Radreads.
Since starting this venture, the days blurred since Tuesday nights now extend into Wednesday Mornings. Wednesday Mornings become a pressure cooker your favorite air fryer couldn’t handle.
Either way, I’m happy to continue building my platform. I shared a bit more on the project, my influences and my motivations via my personal Instagram too.
Last week, my spotify link broke in the vibe portion so I’ll stick to youtube links moving forward. Still, Please shoot me submissions new and old. Hope to put together a new playlist soon. You’ll also notice subheadlines are back in the news link category as well as tweets and media in the opening section.
Otherwise, I know this week’s email is super long (largely because sports are returning). Help me cut down the weekly length by replying to this email with your favorite section of the newsletter and which one you usually scroll past.
Thanks again for every click, read and share.
Sincerely,
Pete D. Camarillo aka the King of Long Captions
The West Coast’s Best
A national story from the West Coast.
It’s All Fun and Games Until Some One Catches COVID-19
NBA Bubble content took center stage this week and it felt a lot like a grown-man AAU tournament. Here’s more content highlights from the West Coast NBA teams.
Fishing becomes a thing.
Portland continued weird flexing.
Gaming still at center stage.
Live looks at the food.
Don’t forget testing.
New Players enter the group chat.
Old bonds grow stronger.
YES, BUT: Russell Westbrook and Harrison Barnes came out as positive for coronavirus. Richaun Holmes got caught busting quarantine restrictions.
MORE FROM THE BUBBLE
Clippers’ Morris and Williams are not here for snitching.
Pat Bev, Lou Williams and LeBron joined the #FreeWoj movement.
Lou Williams brings a studio to Orlando.
Skinny Melo breaks the internet.
Damian Lillard compares bubble to prison.
80% of players will wear a jersey message but A.D. and Lebron not among them. More on Jersey statements:
JaVale McGree rocks “Respect Us.”
Marvin Bagley III wearing “Freedom” on his back.
De’Aaron Fox places “Anti-Racist” on his jersey.
Kent Bazemore to promote education reform with his message.
Injuries
West Coast Sports Reads
Coastal must-reads so you sound more connected on your next Zoom call or group chat debate.
Missed The MLS?
We got your back.
A 23-year-old scores the only goal in the Sounders’ 2-1 loss to the Fire Tuesday.
Chicharito scores first MLS goal and blames himself for Galaxy’s 2-1 loss to Timbers Monday.
UPCOMING
7/15 Vancouver vs San Jose at 6 p.m. PST
7/18 Portland vs Houston at 5 p.m. PST
7/18 LAFC vs LA Galaxy 7:30 p.m. PST
7/19 Chicago vs San Jose 5 p.m. PST
7/19 Seattle vs Vancouver 7:30 p.m. PST
ALSO IMPORTANT: The MLS reported no more positive tests this week. The tournament started with a players protest. Not to mention, Sounders players shared their jersey messages.
Seattle Headlines WNBA Return
Yes, the WNBA is also returning very soon with a 22-game season from the IMG Academy in Florida. The July 25th opening tip-off is highlighted by Sabrin Ionescu’s pro debut with the New York Liberty versus the Seattle Storm.
Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird return for the Storm after missing all last season with injuries. Stewart won MVP in 2018 as she and Bird led the Storm to their third franchise championship. You can find more on the WNBA must-watch games here.
HOWEVER: The Storm will be without their head coach Dan Hughes. Hughes opted out of the 2020 season due to increased risk to severe illness from COVID-19. Hughes missed last season due to a cancer diagnosis in April 2019.
Come’ on Ump
MLB teams also started working out in preparation for their 60-game season. 11 umpires took an out due to COVID.
Here’s quick headline catchup to get you ready for next week’s opening day.
Dodgers
Padres
Giants
Angels
Ohtani shows improvement in his second outing.
A’s
Mariners
Mariners pitcher Yoshihisa Hirano added to the injured list.
Seattle taking it slow with key prospect acquired from the Mets last year.
ICYMI: Giants catcher Buster Posey opted out of the MLB season. His family recently adopted twins so he said it wasn’t a tough decision.
NHL Return: Officially, Official
Since we last spoke, the NHL and NHL Players Association agreed on a four-year extension to the CBA as well as the restart plan. Teams will move forward with a 24-team restart beginning Aug. 1 in Edmonton and Toronto.
CBA changes include inclusion into the 2022 and 2026 Olympics, an increased minimum player salary and a locked salary cap until revenue returns to pre-COVID-19.
KEY DATES FOR NHL RETURN
9/22 Stanley Cup Finals begins
+7 days after the finals NHL Free Agency begins.
10/9-10/10 NHL Draft
11/17 2020-21 Training camps begin
12/1 2020-21 season begins
THE WEST COAST ANGLE: Although still without a name, the Seattle NHL expansion is on course for the 2021-22 season. They’ve already received deposits for 16,000 season tickets despite construction delays to the $900 million renovations of the Key Arena. The team’s new home will be renamed the Climate Pledge Arena after Amazon. As of now, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman promised a complete 82-game season for next year and hopefully the following season when Seattle debuts.
P.S. No injuries disclosed this NHL postseason.
L.A.’s Alliance Assembles
All 11 professional sports teams from Los Angeles linked up to form The A11LIANCE.
This five-year commitment to drive investment and impact for social justice through sport stems directly from recent Black Lives Matters protests in Los Angeles and across the country. The goal is for all 11 teams to create positive change in underserved communities, with an emphasis on Black communities.
Among injustices they will fight against:
Budget challenges for afterschool programs including sports
Safe passage to playgrounds
Transportation
Lack of trained and well-paid coaches
The rising costs of athletics and intramural programs.
WHAT’S BEEF? Yes, that includes both the Angels and Dodgers, Ducks and Kings, Clippers and Lakers, Chargers and Rams, LAFC and Galaxy and the Sparks all partnering despite Los Angeles being one of the most competitive sports markets.
Mostert Doesn’t Want to Be There
49ers running back Raheem Mostert requested a trade last week via his agent. The trade requests come after months of unproductive talks despite the RB’s prominent role including 760 rushing yards in the last nine games for the NFC Champs late last season.
Mostert spent time with the Eagles, Browns, Dolphins, Ravens and Bears before landing with the 9ers. The 27-year-old will make $2.58 million in 2020 before his contract expires after the 2021 season.
San Francisco already traded Matt Breida to the Dolphins to make room in their backfield this offseason. Check out more Mostert trade speculations here.
MADDEN 2021 RATINGS DROPPED: Mostert got the fastest running back speed rating. Otherwise, Christian McCaffrey joined the 99 club. Russell Wilson is the best QB not named Pat Mahomes.
Fall Back Into the Pac-12
The PAC-12 became the latest conference to make fall sports conference-only. The Pac-12 hopes limiting travel within the conference will control coronavirus’s impact on their fall seasons.
WHY IT MATTERS: Stanford already made significant budget cuts by dropping 11 varsity sports. CAL and UCLA already faced sponsorship deals blow-up. Could we see more sports cut by Pac-12 schools?
West Coast Sports Links
Idols, rivals and anything else you might have missed from your favorite regions this week.
General
Mariners and Dodgers add cutouts.
Pacific NorthWest
Chef Whiteside on the stove?
SOCAL
Chiney Ogwumike will co-host national radio show after opting out of the bubble.
Hunter Henry is not hopeful for new Chargers deal before the season.
Ducks re-sign Troy Terry.
Why the Ducks should trade back in the draft.
NORCAL
VEGAS
West Coast Sports Careers
The best Sports Jobs posted this week for those making their living in West Coast Sports.
CALIFORNIA
WAVE MEDIA: Snapchat Producer, Soccer Editor, Video Coordinator and Social Content Producer
OREGON
WASHINGTON
NEVADA
REMOTE
One More West Coast Vibe
A song recommendation to promote your West Coast State of Mind.
This week’s recommendation is close to my heart. It’s an homage to a classic Bay Area beat from Too Short. I dare you not to move when this comes on.
Yes, this song came out a few weeks ago. However, I just recently got it stuck in my head via my girlfriend. Thus, why I say it’s close to my heart.
Shoutout to Saweetie being the first female featured here thanks to her Bay Area lineage. Sorry for explicit lyrics but it’s fucking catchy.
Thank you to everyone who made it this far in the newsletter. If you want to support my mission to build a sustainable West Coast focused sports outlet, then share this email with a friend. If you’re reading this for the first time then tap in your email so you never miss a free Wednesday issue.