The Daily Outkick: Wednesday, October 9, 2019

The Rays Bullpen Their Way Past Justin Verlander And The Astros (New York Times) Tampa Bay’s committee of relievers — with help from one starter — outdid the Houston ace, forcing a decisive Game 5 in this division series.

China Lashes Out At Western Businesses As It Tries To Cut Support For Hong Kong Protests (Washington Post) Well-known brands including Tiffany and the NBA have felt China’s wrath.

How Aaron Judge Went From Playoff Strikeout Machine To October Superstar (The Ringer) Judge’s first postseason impression was defined by his whiffs. Since then, the Yankees outfielder has thrived at an even higher level than he has during the regular season. What’s changed?

NBA vs. China: The Power Struggle Behind the Standoff (Wall Street Journal) The basketball league may be more strongly positioned to push back than other U.S. businesses that have run afoul of the Chinese government.

The NBA Should No Longer Do Business With China (SI) In what would be an unpopular move for both players and owners who are dependent on the Chinese market for an economic boost, the NBA should end its relationship with China.

Second NBA Cares Event Canceled In China During Lakers-Nets Preseason Visit: Report (Fox News) An NBA Cares event scheduled for Wednesday in Shanghai that was supposed to feature players from the Los Angeles Lakers has been canceled, according to reports.

Why Did Richard Sherman Make Up The Handshake Story About Baker Mayfield? (For The Win) He could have just said he made a mistake and his story wasn’t all that accurate. Instead, he deleted a bunch of his tweets after the videos came out and offered some lame excuses and statements.

Blizzard Strips Pro Gamer Of Tournament Earnings After His Support For Hong Kong Protests (CNBC) Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai appeared to shout a slogan often associated with Hong Kong protesters: “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time.”

Saints Stopped Cowboys' Offense By Watching OC Kellen Moore's Old Boise State Videos, Report Says (Sporting News) Those were some old tapes, relatively speaking — Moore starred at Boise State from 2008-2011 before playing sparingly in three seasons in the NFL with the Lions and Cowboys.

Seven Candidates Have Now Qualified For The November Democratic Debate (538) We’re a week away from the fourth Democratic primary debate on Oct. 15, and the stage is now set with 12 candidates. But our eyes are already turned toward the fifth debate, where things are starting to get a little crowded with seven candidates now qualified.

Rob Gronkowski Joins Fox Sports As A NFL Analyst, Which Will Reportedly Include A Role On Fox NFL Sunday (Awful Announcing) It sounds like Gronkowski is set for a pretty prominent role with Fox.

Republicans Seize On Impeachment In Bid To Retake House (Politico) Once-wary potential candidates are preparing to come off the sidelines.

SEC Shorts Shows Tennessee Fans How To Survive In Hilarious 'Man Vs. Wild' Bit (Saturday Down South) Tennessee football fell to 1-4 Saturday with the 43-14 loss to Georgia. The Vols only win came against FCS Chattanooga on September 14.