Archive for March, 2019
Virginia, Texas Tech, Purdue, Gonzaga Advance, Dodgers Historic Opening Day, “Baby Shark”
BASKETBALL
Four teams so far are heading into the Elite Eight. Virginia is on a redemption tour after falling to a much lower seed last year and beat Oregon to advance and take on Purdue on Saturday. In other games, Texas Tech demolished Michigan, Purdue barely squeaked out an overtime win over Tennessee, and Brandon Clarke was the difference maker in Gonzaga’s win over Florida State. The rest of the Elite Eight teams decided on Friday.
BASEBALL
The Los Angeles Dodgers grabbed opening day headlines with their eight home runs (an Opening Day record) in a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In other opening day news, 30-year old Texas Ranger shortstop Elvis Andrus debuted his new walk-up song, and it’s a bit out of the ordinary. Andrus’ 20-month old son loves the song “Baby Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo” and according to Andrus, “If you don’t like it, you better get used to it, it’s not going away. Hopefully ‘Baby Shark’ can hit well. … At least get me one hit a day, it’s going to stay.†So far the song seems to be working, as he hit two singles and a home run in a loss to the Chicago Cubs.
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Outlaw May Be Out Of Tournament, Booker Makes History, MLB’s Opening Day
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NCAA Sweet 16 rounds continue today and throughout the weekend. For a ranking of the most exciting of the 8 games to watch, click here.
One of the most watched games will feature top-seeded Duke battling it out with Virginia Tech Friday night in Washington D.C. Unfortunately for the team, however, one of their top scorers, Ty Outlaw, has been charged with possession of marijuana, and his status for the remainder of the tournament is uncertain. Outlaw is Virginia Tech’s best 3-point shooter and averages 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds.
In the NBA, Devin Booker became the first Phoenix Suns player to record consecutive 50-point games. Booker is one of only 10 players in the League to have consecutive 50-point games and is in great company as the other nine are: Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, James Harden, Elgin Baylor, Rick Barry, Bernard King, and Antawn Jamison.
BASEBALL
It’s opening day for Major League Baseball! For predictions on the season, click here.
No commentsExpanded Instant Replay, Mets Sign DeGrom For $137.5 Mill, Avenatti Indicted For Nike Extortion
FOOTBALL
After last year’s NFC Championship game where the New Orleans Saints lost to the LA Rams after the Rams cornerback was not called for a pass interference penalty in the final two minutes of the game, the NFL owners voted to allow expanded instant replay allowing offensive and defensive pass interference penalties to be challenged. Coaches can now “challenge any flags or missed penalties until the final two minutes when such instances are subject to booth review only.”
BASEBALL
The New York Mets signed reigning National League Cy Young Award Jacob DeGrom to a contract extension for five years, $137.5 million. According to Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, “This is a tremendous day for Jacob, his family, our fans and the entire Mets organization. Mets fans can celebrate knowing their ace will remain in Flushing.†The season begins on Thursday against the Washington Nationals.
OTHER
New York attorney Michael Avenatti, most famous for representing porn star Stormy Daniels, was indicted for allegedly trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike. Avenatti claims he has evidence against Nike that will “disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal” and even name-dropped two Phoenix Suns rookies, Deandre Ayton and Bol Bol. According to prosecutors, Avenatti “threatened to release the evidence in an attempt to damage Nike’s reputation and market capitalization unless the company paid them at least $22.5 million.”
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Gronkowski Retires, Duke Barely Survives
FOOTBALL
It’s now official. The fun-loving future Hall of Fame Patriots tight end, Rob Gronkowski, announced his retirement. In an Instagram post, Gronk stated, “It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today.” Patriots coach Bill Belichick called Gronk “one of the most complete players at his position†and said, “His production spoke for itself, but his daily attitude, unmistakably positive energy wherever he went and toward whoever he touched will never be forgotten. Rob will leave an indelible mark on the Patriots organization and the game as among the best, most complete players at his position to ever play.”
BASKETBALL
In many NCAA brackets, Duke is projected to win the whole tournament (and at the very least make it to the Final Four), but on Sunday night, Duke barely escaped a loss to ninth seeded Central Florida. If it wasn’t for a shot that bounced off the rim but not into the basket, Duke would be out of the tournament. Duke 77, Central Floria 76.
For the rest of the teams making it to the Sweet 16, click here.
No commentsJa Morant’s Triple Double Leads Murray State Over Marquette, Kaepernick And Reid’s $10Mill Settlement
BASKETBALL
Murray State’s Ja Morant’s triple-double was the highlight of day one in the NCAA tournament. In a big 83-64 win over #5 Marquette, Morant recorded 17 points, 16 assists, and 11 rebounds. He is only the 8th player to register a triple-double in the tournament. The last player to achieve this feat was Draymond Green in 2011 and 2012 when he played for Michigan State. Murry State is ranked #12 so Morant and his teammates were feeling good about their win. After the game, Morant said, “It was a lot of fun. Just being able to go out with these guys and get a win in the NCAA tournament.”
FOOTBALL
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid received less than $10 million in total for their settlement in the NFL collusion case (not including what they spent in legal fees). Kaepernick was earning $14.3 million in his final year with the San Francisco 49ers, but has remained unsigned the last two years.
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Smart Shoves Embiid For Flagrant Changing Momentum Of Game, March Madness Begins
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The Philadelphia 76ers were trailing the Boston Celtics for most of the first half on Wednesday night until the Sixers Joel Embiid and the Celtics Marcus Smart got into a confrontation. Embiid elbowed Smart, who fell to the floor (no call made), so Smart got up and shoved Embiid to send him flying. Smart was called for a flagrant foul and immediately ejected from the game. The Sixers gained the momentum from there and went on a 25-13 run to take the lead. Philly won 118-115 thanks to Embiid who led the team with 37 points and 22 rebounds.
Thursday at noon marks the beginning of the NCAA tournament (March Madness has officially begun). If you haven’t filled out your bracket yet, here’s some last minute help on what to watch for and which team could be this year’s Cinderella story.
Machado, Harper, Trout’s $1 Billion, Clay Matthews To Rams, 8-Year Old Homeless Chess Champ
BASEBALL
Three baseball superstars have transformed the baseball world with their astounding contracts. In just over a month, these players as a trio have amassed $1 billion dollars in commitments. It all started with Manny Machado who agreed to a 10-year $300 million agreement with the San Diego Padres. Not long after, Bryce Harper signed a 13-year $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Not to be outdone, this week, Mike Trout signed an extension with the Los Angeles Angels creating a 12-year $426.5 million deal.
FOOTBALL
Clay Matthews, the accomplished Green Bay Packers linebacker, agreed to a 2-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Matthews grew up in LA and walked on at USC, becoming a standout player. In the 2009 draft, Matthews was selected in the first round (26th pick) by Green Bay where he excelled and made the Pro Bowl six times. Matthews, a self-proclaimed rom-com fan, had a memorable scene with some of his Packer buddies in Pitch Perfect 2. Check it out!
CHESS
Tanitoluwa Adewumi (goes by Tani), an 8-year-old Nigerian refugee who lived in a homeless shelter, won the New York State chess championship in his age group. The New York Times reported Tani and his family left Nigeria in 2017 fearing attacks on Christians and moved to New York where he learned to play chess in school. Tani’s coach at PS 116 in Manhattan, Russell Makofsky, said, “It’s unheard of for any kid, let alone one in a homeless shelter.” Tani stated he wants to be the youngest grandmaster. Makofsky created a GoFundMe page for Tani and his family after the tournament, and with the success of the crowdfunding, Tani and his family were able to move into an apartment.
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Manziel Signs With Memphis Express (AAF), ESPN Accidentally Reveals Women’s Brackets
FOOTBALL
Johnny Manziel has a new home. The troubled former Heisman trophy winner and Cleveland Browns quarterback signed with the Memphis Express in the upstart Alliance of American Football (AAF). According to Bill Polian, co-founder of AAF, “We are pleased to welcome Johnny Manziel to Alliance of American Football, which we’ve always described as a league of opportunity for talented players to launch or revitalize their pro football careers. We completed extensive background work to determine whether it would be appropriate for Johnny to play this season, and after consulting with many people familiar with his situation, we concluded that it would be good for him to resume his pro football career here at The Alliance.”
BASKETBALL
ESPN accidentally revealed the brackets for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Monday, hours before the official “selection show”. Many teams were upset as they wanted the excitement of listening to their schools announced on a live broadcast. ESPN apologized saying, “In working with the NCAA to prepare for tonight’s Women’s Selection Special we received the bracket, similar to years past. In the midst of our preparation, the bracket was mistakenly posted on ESPNU. We deeply regret the error and extend our apology to the NCAA and the women’s basketball community. We will conduct a thorough review of our process to ensure it doesn’t happen in the future. We will now broadcast the full bracket at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and the regularly-scheduled show on ESPN at 7 p.m.”
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March Madness Brackets Set, Duke Heavy Favorite, Dolphins Sign Ryan Fitzpatrick
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March Madness brackets are set. 68 teams will compete for the NCAA 2019 championship. The Big Ten landed eight spots, the most bids of any region, followed by seven for the  ACC and seven for the SEC. Teams will battle it out over the next three weeks with finals on April 8th in Minneapolis. According to the American Gaming Association, 47 million Americans will bet $8.5 billion during the tournament with 29% of those surveyed favoring Duke. The second most favored team is Gonzaga at 9%. If you’re looking to fill out your brackets, here’s some helpful info on every game.
FOOTBALL
36 year old quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick agreed to a 2-year deal with the Miami Dolphins just days after the Dolphins traded Ryan Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans. Fitzpatrick began his career in 2005 when he was drafted out of Harvard by the St. Louis Rams. He has since been on seven other teams.
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Zion Back With New Shoes, Golden Tate To NY Giants
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Zion Williamson is back and better than ever. After missing six games due to a freak shoe exploding incident, Zion came back to help Duke beat Syracuse 84-72 in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, scoring 29 points on 13-for-13 shooting with 14 rebounds, five steals and a block. Of course, the big question on everyone’s mind was what shoes did Williamson wear in his comeback debut? He laced up in Nike’s Kyrie 4s. According to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Nike has been very focused on figuring out what happened to Zion’s shoe and even sent their top executives to China to come up with a more stable alternative. After the game, Williamson said, “The shoes were incredible this game.”
FOOTBALL
The New York Giants signed 30-year old wide receiver Golden Tate to replace superstar Odell Beckham Jr, who was recently traded to the Cleveland Browns. Tate was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles last season and finished the year with mediocre stats.