Archive for April, 2022
NFL Draft Twists And Turns, Boris Becker Sent To Prison
FOOTBALL
The first round of the NFL draft Thursday night had a number of twists and turns. To begin, a quarterback wasn’t taken until the 20th overall pick, which is the lowest since 1997.
Jacksonville Jaguars selected Georgia defensive end, Travon Walker, with the #1 pick of the draft. The Detroit Lions grabbed Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson with the #2 pick.
In an interesting move, the Philadelphia Eagles traded with the Tennessee Titans their 18th overall pick (Treylon Bucks) for star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Brown will receive a four-year deal worth $100 million.
And, the Baltimore Ravens sent receiver Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals as part of a deal that included Arizona’s first-round pick.
TENNIS
Boris Becker, the former tennis star who in 1985 was the youngest male to win Wimbledon (17), was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for bankruptcy issues (hiding assets and illegally transferring money).
No commentsCurry Scores 30 For Win, Bucks Face Celtics, NFL Draft, Tunsil Sells Gas Mask, Henry/Witherspoon Soccer Owners
BASKETBALL
Stephen Curry came off the bench for his first start of the postseason (due to injury) and scored 30 points in a Golden State win over the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors will now advance to the next round and face either the Memphis Grizzlies or the Minnesota Vikings.
The Milwaukee Bucks also moved to the next round with a huge win over the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks (defending champions) will face the Boston Celtics.
FOOTBALL
The NFL draft begins Thursday night with 262 players drafted across 7 rounds over 3 days.
Six years ago, Laremy Tunsil fell from a top spot in the NFL draft to the 13th pick (which doesn’t seem like a big deal, but with the sliding draft scale, cost him around $7 million dollars), because a video surfaced showing him wearing a gas mask bong. Tunsil, who has since made over $52 million, is now selling the gas mask as an NFT and will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Last Prisoner Project whose mission is to set free prisoners incarcerated for cannabis.
SOCCER
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry and Reese Witherspoon are teaming up to join Nashville SC’s ownership group. According to Henry, “As a kid growing up in Florida, I imagined being a professional sports owner and the opportunity to do that with a Major League Soccer club is truly a dream come true.”
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Celtics Sweep Nets, Simmons On Bench, Barnes Rookie Of Year, Morant Most Improved, Cabrera 3,000 Hits
BASKETBALL
The Boston Celtics move on to the next round of the playoffs after an embarrassing sweep of the Brooklyn Nets who were playing without Ben Simmons. The Nets had a tumultuous season with an unvaccinated Kyrie Irving sitting out home games and then a massive trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, who never made it on the court due to an injury.
For more NBA playoff highlights, click here.
The NBA awards keep rolling in. Toronto Raptors guard Scottie Barnes won Rookie of the Year and Ja Morant won Most Improved Player.
BASEBALL
Detroit Tigers first baseman and designated hitter Miguel Cabrera became only the 33rd player in MLB history to have 3,000 career hits.
No commentsAffleck/Damon Teaming Up On Nike-Jordan Story, Wright Retires, Mike Tyson Punches Passenger On Jetblue
BASKETBALL
Co-writers and actors of the classic movie “Good Will Hunting”, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, are teaming up again to star in a movie about Nike having the foresight and creativity to sign Michael Jordan before he entered the NBA as the #3 overall pick in the 1984 draft. Affleck will play Nike founder Phil Knight, and Damon will play former Nike executive Sonny Vaccarro. According to Forbes, Jordan has made an estimated $1.3 billion from his Nike endorsements since 1984.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright shocked the college basketball world this week when he announced his retirement. At 60 years old, Wright has received interest from the NBA for potential head coaching positions but has reportedly stated he’s done with coaching for now.
For the latest updates on the NBA playoffs, click here.
BOXING
Mike Tyson, considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, was captured on video punching a passenger seated behind him on a Jetblue flight out of San Francisco. The passenger was reportedly intoxicated and harassing Tyson. The investigation is pending.
No commentsWimbledon Bans Russia, Broncos For Sale, Brady/Rodgers Vs Mahomes/Allen, Smart Defensive Player Of Year
TENNIS
In a move that hasn’t happened since World War II, Wimbledon plans to ban athletes from certain countries. Russian and Belarusian competitors will no longer be able to compete in the tournament, which begins on June 27th.
FOOTBALL
Five remaining bidders are looking to purchase the Denver Broncos for an estimated record $4 billion-plus. Rob Walton, an investor group led by 76ers/Devils owner Josh Harris, and a group led by Todd Boehly (minority owner of the Dodgers and Lakers), are among the final bidders. Harris and Boehly are also bidding against each other on Chelsea F.C.
GOLF
The highly entertaining “The Match” is returning, but this year will not feature any professional golfers. The Match is an exhibition golf tournament (kicking off June 1st) featuring big-name athletes competing against each other with prize money going to charity. The most anticipated matchup will be Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers facing off against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. According to golf experts, Rodgers is the best golfer of the bunch.
BASKETBALL
While the Playoffs are in full swing, the NBA announced their first big award going to Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart for winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
No commentsNBA Playoffs First Games, Celtics/Nets Matchup, Kyrie Flips Off Crowd, MVP Finalists, Tsai Conflict, Brady To Musk
BASKETBALL
The NBA playoffs began this weekend. A few notable highlights: Steph Curry (coming off an injury that has kept him off the court since March 16th) played for a limited time in the Golden State Warriors’ first-round win over the Denver Nuggets. And, it’s looking like the Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets matchup will entertain us all week. The Celtics barely won Game 1 when Jayson Tatum hit a buzzer-beater layup sealing a 115-114 win. His impressive play was overshadowed by the Nets’ Kyrie Irving flipping off the heckling fans.
The NBA unveiled its award finalists on Sunday. In the MVP race, Joel Embid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic received the most votes.
Speaking of the Nets, ESPN is examining owner Joe Tsai for potential conflicts between his business dealings in China (he owns Alibaba) with social justice issues. Of particular concern is a story claiming Tsai tried to get the NBA to fire Daryl Morey (who was the Rockets’ general manager) for his criticism of China.
FOOTBALL
Tom Brady had a great response to Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter. He asked Musk to delete his college combine photo which has been circulating on Twitter for years.
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Nakken Makes History, Nationals Sale, Howard Selected #1, Raiders Sign Carr, Jones & Blockchain, Venmo For Middle Finger
BASEBALL
Alyssa Nakken made history this week by becoming the first female Major League Baseball coach to make an on-field appearance. Nakken also made history when she became the first woman to work full-time in the big leagues. During the Giants/Padres game, Nakken replaced the Giants’ first base coach after he was ejected.
In other baseball news, the Lerner family is considering selling the Washington Nationals.
BASKETBALL
FOOTBALL
The Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Derek Carr to a three-year extension worth $121.5 million and overall compensation of $141.3 over the next four years.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced his team will partner with Blockchain, the first time an NFL team has partnered with cryptocurrency. Jones blazed a trail in the 1990s when he became the first owner to insist on stadium sponsorships.
HOCKEY
Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Hartman got fined $4,250 for flipping off controversial and widely disliked Evander Kane (among other actions was accused of gambling on NHL games and faking a COVID vaccination card) on Tuesday night. Fans of Hartman (and haters of Kane) started pouring money into his Venmo account to pay off the fine.
Scheffler Wins Masters, Haskins Tragedy, Brady To Dolphins Saga
GOLF
Scottie Scheffler handily won the Masters. He joins Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods as the only players in the last 40 years to with the Masters at the age of 25 or younger.
FOOTBALL
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins tragically died over the weekend when a dump truck hit him while he was walking on a South Florida highway, Interstate 595. Haskins was a standout at Ohio State before entering the NFL with the 15th overall pick.
The story about Tom Brady almost joining the Dolphins has may layers. According to reports, Brady was interested in joining the Dolphins as a minority owner, but the negotiations got derailed with a head coach carousel and with accusations of tampering with NFL policy. As an alum of the University of Michigan, Brady has a connection with Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross, who has his name on its business school. Brady is also friends with Miami’s minority owner Bruce Beal. For more on this story (which isn’t over) click here.
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Tiger Will Play In Masters, Diggs $104 Mill, AG’s Address Workplace Harassment In NFL, MLB Opening Day
GOLF
The Masters golf tournament begins today, and Tiger Woods will play. It’s been just over a year since Woods was involved in a serious car crash and had to spend months recovering. He said his biggest hurdle for the tournament wasn’t the golf but walking the course.
FOOTBALL
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs got paid a $104 million extension to stay with the team.
Six attorney generals have expressed “grave concerns” regarding workplace harassment of women and minorities and have demanded the NFL “take steps to address the problem.” The letter from the AG’s highlighted the recent scandals the NFL has had to confront including Jon Gruden emails, voyeurism of Cowboy cheerleaders, and the exorbitant contract for quarterback Deshaun Watson who is still defending 22 civil cases involving sexual misconduct.
BASEBALL
After a tumultuous off-season and a delayed pre-season, today marks the official Opening Day for Major League Baseball with a full 162-games on the docket.
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Kansas Overcame 15-Point Halftime Deficit Over UNC To Win National Championship
BASKETBALL
In an unforgettable NCAA final, Kansas overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the University of North Carolina and claim its first national title since 2008. After trailing at halftime, Coach Bill Self said to the team, “Would you rather be down 15 with 20 left or down nine with two left?” The Jayhawks then went on to stage the largest comeback in national championship history. Kansas 72, UNC 69
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