July 11, 2019
This time of the year can be brutal for sports fans, especially those who aren't baseball lovers. NBA free agency has died down. Same with the NHL. And while NFL training camps are getting close, there isn't really much else coming out in terms of news. And games? Well, you're going to have to wait even longer than that.
Last year, Doug Pederson made some news during the slowest portion of the sports calendar when he beat Saints head coach Sean Payton in a head-to-head bet at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, and in doing so earned $5,000 for Eagles charities. It was actually the second such bet Pederson won from Payton, with the first one coming a few months earlier at the NFL's spring meetings and earning the Eagles the right to wear their home jerseys for their game in New Orleans, which they lost (badly).
Well, with two more weeks left before the start of training camp, we've reached that point in the calendar yet again, and Pederson is back at it. This year, he'll be taking on former Eagles offensive coordinator and current Colts head coach Frank Reich. The winner will make a donation to the loser's charity. If Pederson wins, Reich will make a donation to the Eagles Autism Challenge, but if Reich comes out on top, Pederson will make a donation to Ascent 121, an Indiana-based charity that aids in the recovery of sex-trafficking victims.
The bet will start with Friday's opening round at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and conclude on Sunday — and the best part is, you can watch it. The American Century Championship will air on Friday on NBC Sports Network from 4-6 p.m. and again on Saturday and Sunday from 3-6 p.m. on NBC.
With Pederson and Reich both having 100/1 odds to win the tournament, according to SportsBetting.ag, the match should be fairly close. And while they're both very good golfers, they're hardly the favorites to win in a field that's full of athletes and celebrities — that honor belongs to defending champ Tony Romo.
Pederson and Reich are also hardly the only participants with Philly ties. Others include former Flyer Jeremy Roenick (15/1), former Phillies Shane Victorino (150/1) and Jimmy Rollins (200/1), Philly natives Kyle Fuller (200/1), Kyle Lowry (1000/1) and actor Miles Teller (2000/1). Former Eagles wideout Golden Tate (300/1) is also in the field, and he took some time out to catch up with his old coach...
Eagles coach Doug Pederson and former WR Golden Tate, now with the Giants, during Wednesday's practice round at the American Century Championship.
Jeff Bayer/Courtesy
Pederson will be paired with former Eagles assistant and current Bears head coach Matt Nagy (also at 100/1), and he's reportedly trying to work out a bet with the Delaware Valley native as well. And then there's the guy with the longest odds to win the tournament, Sixers legend and NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley, who checks in with whopping 7500/1 odds to win.
Here's a look at the full field (and their odds), courtesy of SportsBetting.ag:
Tony Romo - 5/2
Mark Mulder - 3/1
John Smoltz - 6/1
Kyle Williams - 8/1
Mardy Fish - 8/1
Steph Curry - 15/1
Joe Pavelski - 15/1
Jeremy Roenick - 15/1
Trent Dilfer - 15/1
Derek Lowe - 18/1
Mark Rypien - 18/1
Jack Wagner - 18/1
Mike Modano - 25/1
Ray Allen - 25/1
Sterling Sharpe - 40/1
Tyler Eifert - 50/1
Jerry Rice - 50/1
Jordy Nelson - 50/1
Adam Thielen - 50/1
Case Keenum - 75/1
Aaron Rodgers - 75/1
Vinny Del Negro - 75/1
Tyler Seguin - 75/1
Eric Weddle - 75/1
Bode Miller - 75/1
Bret Baier - 75/1
Carson Palmer - 75/1
Tom Glavine - 75/1
Larry Fitzgerald - 75/1
Justin Timberlake - 75/1
Jerry Woods - 100/1
Robbie Gould - 100/1
Bret Saberhagen - 100/1
Greg Maddux - 100/1
Brian Urlacher - 100/1
Jay Bilas - 100/1
Patrick Peterson - 100/1
Mike Vrabel - 100/1
Anthony Lynn - 100/1
Matt Nagy - 100/1
Frank Reich - 100/1
Doug Pederson - 100/1
Joe Theismann - 150/1
Tim Wakefield - 150/1
Shane Victorino - 150/1
Trevor Hoffman - 150/1
Dell Curry - 150/1
Ivan Rodriguez - 150/1
Alfonso Ribeiro - 200/1
Kevin Millar - 200/1
David Wells - 200/1
Rodney Harrison - 200/1
Joe Mauer - 200/1
Tim Brown - 200/1
Kyle Fuller - 200/1
Jimmy Rollins - 200/1
Ozzie Smith - 200/1
Kyle Rudolph - 300/1
Josh Allen - 300/1
Golden Tate - 300/1
Bobby Flay - 300/1
Joe Don Rooney - 300/1
Andy Dalton - 500/1
Jerome Bettis - 500/1
TJ Oshie - 500/1
Lisa Cornwell - 500/1
Kyle Lowry - 1000/1
Dylan Dreyer - 1000/1
Andre Iguodala - 1000/1
Jim McMahon - 1000/1
AJ Hawk - 1000/1
Roger Clemens - 1000/1
Terrell Davis - 2000/1
Doug Flutie - 2000/1
Brian Baumgartner - 2000/1
Kira Kazantsev - 2000/1
Marcus Allen - 2000/1
Reggie Bush - 2000/1
Sean Payton - 2000/1
Miles Teller - 2000/1
Rob Riggle - 3000/1
Charles Woodson - 3000/1
Steve Young - 3000/1
Jay DeMarcus - 3000/1
Vince Carter - 3000/1
Kathryn Tappen - 5000/1
Larry The Cable Guy - 5000/1
Ray Romano - 5000/1
John O’Hurley - 5000/1
Herm Edwards - 5000/1
Johnny Damon - 5000/1
Demarcus Ware - 5000/1
Charles Barkley - 7500/1
Sure, baseball picks up again this weekend now that the All-Star break is over, but if you're looking for something else to watch, this should at the very least be entertaining.
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