Weekly Update June 24, 2024

Baseball – MLB: This week in the MLB. Longest game was 12.

Baseball – NCAA: CWS Final is on and we are in a winner-take-all game 3!

Basketball – NBA: BOS Celtics are  NBA Champs in Game 5.

Golf: Scottie Scheffler wins his 6th title in 10 starts in a playoff. Protests, delays and a sub-60 – oh my!

Hockey: Stanley Cup playoffs go to Game 7!

Olympic Sports: US Trials Swimming, Diving and T&F. So many good storylines!

Baseball – MLB:

• This week in the MLB:
  • Monday saw Paul Skene’s 4^th straight win for the Pirates as they beat the Reds. He would also get a 102 mph KO on Sunday this week. The Mets got 22 hits in their game against the defending champs, Rangers. They would win that game 14-2. They would win the next day as well for their 7^th straight win. But they would lose Wednesday to Texas.
  • Yankees star Aaron Judge was hit in the hand by a pitch but looks like he has avoided the worst of it. The Yanks still won their game Tuesday 4-2 over the Orioles. The Rockies were up big on the Dodgers going into the 9^th, 9-4. However the Dodgers got a grand slam and then a 3-run HR to score 7 in the final innings and take the game 11-9. Colorado had a 99% chance of winning in the win probability chart!
  • The Padres finally won a road game on Wednesday against the Phillies in a big upset. The SD team had lost 9 straight road games before then which they won 5-2, doubling the Phili team’s hits (12-6). Not the debut that Yankees P Cole wanted as the Yankees lose 7-6 to the Orioles in the 10^th. But he didn’t get the loss as it was still 1-1 when he left the game in the 5^th.
  • The Twins had won 6 in a row until the game against the Rays on Wednesday that went into the 10^th. The Rays would win by 1 thanks to a throwing error by a MN player. Their game on Thursday would also go to the 10^th and again the Rays would win by 1. The Marlins beat the Mariners in the 10^th for their 3^rd straight walk-off win. The battle of LA also went into the 10^th before the Angels would win by 1.
  • The Astros/Orioles game on Friday was a lot of offense. Only 1 innings had no runs scored (4^th). There were 10 team changes on the win prob chart that’s how back and forth this game was. Until the 6^th inning that is. Because the Astros put up 9 in that inning! They got 5 doubles and 2 singles to do it. It was 14-3 at the end of the inning. But the Orioles weren’t finished. They fought back in the 8^th putting up 7 for themselves with the help of 4 HRs. They would still fall 3 runs short though.
  • The Rockies win 8-7 over the Nationals with a walk off win in the 9^th on a pitch clock violation. A pitch clock violation auto advanced the batter (who was on a full count) and the bases were loaded.

• Longest game of the week was on a Monday between the Cardinals and the Marlins. We only had 1 apiece until the 8^th inning then both teams put up 3 in the 8^th! So were were still tied and we head into extra innings. Both teams got 1 in the 11^th so we head to the 12^th. The Cardinals got a 2-run HR and it looked like that might be it but the Marlins got a triple and that would bring in a score but it ended there. Cardinals win a long one 7-6. Tuesday’s game between these two would also go to extra innings but only the 10^th this time with the Marlins getting the win 9-8.

Baseball/Softball – NCAA:

• The CWS has begun!
  • Finishing up Monday, #3 Texas A&M beat #2 Kentucky pretty handily considering they were the lower ranked team. The Aggies got 11 hits and put up 5 runs even with 2 errors, won by 4.
  • Tuesday we were supposed to have two elimination games. The Kentucky/Florida game got postponed. But he #8 Florida State vs #4 UNC game went off as scheduled. The Noles got things rolling in the 2^nd and 3^rd going up 3-1 heading into the 5^th. FSU put up another 4 runs and it looked bleak for UNC. But UNC got a 3-run HR and another run to match the Seminoles 4. It wasn’t enough though and Florida State tacked on 2 more HRs to boot. FSU wins 9-5. UNC goes home.
  • Wednesday was a little crazy bc we had that make up game – the winner of which would go on to play the Aggies for a chance at the final. Unranked Florida put the beat down on #2 Kentucky to win 15-4. It started with 7 for the Gators in the 1^st. Dang! Caglianone would break the all-time Florida HR record in this game as well. #1 Tennessee played #8 Florida State for the other spot in the final. #1 Tennessee just kept rolling as they tend to do. They put up 6 unanswered runs before FSU would score. The Noles got 2 HRs but that was it and the Vols move on to the final 7-2. Florida had run out of speed when they hit the hot #3 Texas A&M Aggies. They would get 6 runs and Florida would not score at all! Quite anti-climatic for the Gators but a great season.

• The CWS final had 2 new teams who have never won a natty before in #1 Tennessee and #3 Texas A&M in a best of 3 series.
  • Game 1 was awesome! It was an even game with both teams having the same number of HRs, 13 and 12 hits apiece, 10 vs 8 runner LOB and a 2 base differential. The Aggies drew first blood with a HR by the first batter up in the game. The Aggies would get another to go up 2-0. But the Vols would score in the next inning. The 3^rd is where Texas A&M broke it open, scoring 5 runs. At the end of the 3^rd, the Aggies would be up 7-2. We wouldn’t see another run until the 7^th. The Vols started making a comeback with a decent rally and 3 runs. But then A&M’s closer Evan Aschenbeck was just too good with 7 Kos to end the game. Aggies up 1-0 in the series.
  • The Aggies started the game on the 2^nd batter with a HR. That was the only score until the 7^th when the Vols would get 2 2-run HRs in back to back innings. That was enough to put away the Aggies and take it to a winner-take-all game 3 tomorrow!

Basketball – NBA:

• We were 3-1 going into the week with the advantage sitting with Boston. The Celtics just needed 1 more game to bring home the title. From the jump, Game 5 looked to be the nail in the coffin for the Mavs. They only scored 18 points in the 1Q and then the Celtics went off in the 2^nd so they were leading by 21 at half. Like the series it seems to be the end of Qs that made the difference. Adding insult to injury, the final bucket of the 1H was a half court shot by Boston! The 2H was closer but that’s not a high bar. The Celtics won 106-88 and take the NBA Championship for the 18^th time in their history but their first since 2008.

Golf:

• The Travelers Championship had it all, weather delays, a sub-60 round, protests and a playoff. Tom Kim was leading going into the final round ahead of some serious star power, Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay. But Scottie shot a 65 to close the gap with Tom. Both men actually had a birthday during the 2^nd round. Scottie was in the lead by one but Tom birdied the last hole to take it to a playoff. But Scottie isn’t #1 for nothing. He got a par on the first playoff hole while Tom got a bogey. Scottie winning this 6^th title is the most by any golfer in a year since Tiger Woods in 2009.
• Cameron Young had a hell of a 3^rd round even with the weather delay. He shot the 12^th sub-60 round with an -11, 59! Two eagles on par 4s help. But this amazing feat doesn’t even get Young the course record as this is the site of Jim Furyk’s solo 58.
• Two people were hospitalized after lightning struck a tree at the tournament. It was believed they were at a house near the 5^th
• 6 climate protesters stormed the 18^th green as the final group of Kim, Scheffler and Akshay Bhatia were finishing their round. They wore shirts that said “No golf on a dead planet” – idiots. The cops got them under control real quick. Cue the ‘they didn’t arrest Scottie’ jokes.

Hockey:

• Last week the Stanley Cup Finals looked exactly like the NBA finals. This week not so much…
  • Game 5 was all Connor McDavid. He put up 4 goals for the Oilers in their 5 goal performance. The Panthers would only score 3 total. The Oilers started 3-0 in this game. So now were 3-2 for the series.
  • There was no stopping the momentum for the Oilers in Game 6. Again they put up 5 but he Panthers only score 1 all game at the beginning of the 3P. The Stanley Cup final is going to Game 7. The Oilers are just the 3^rd team ever to force a winner-take-all game 7 after being down 0-3 to start the series.

Olympic Sports:

• US Olympic Swimming Trials is now complete and the team is set!

• • On the women’s side: Katie Grimes was leading the 400 IM by almost almost four seconds before the breaststroke and Emma Weyant made up a lot of ground but they finish in that order separated by .2. Katie will now have made the Olympics in both the open water and in the pool. Regan Smith broke her own AR in the semi of the 100 back. And breaks the WR in the final to make her second Olympic team. She was reclaiming her WR back from AUS. She will compete in the 100back, 200back and 200 fly. All 8 of final in 200 Back women have been ranked in top 10 in world. Top 6 could medal at Olympics and yet won’t make the team. Phoebe Bacon is the other swimmer to claim the spot. Katie Ledecky won 4 different events in the trials, the first ever to do so.

• • Get to know the name Kate Douglass if you dont already. She will be competing in the 200 Breast, 200IM and the 100 Free. Lilly King will be competing in both Breaststroke distances and got a ring to add something sweet to the deal as her boyfriend proposed to her. Gretchen Walsh was the Walsh sister to start the trials with a bang (aka a WR). She also qualified in the 50 Free and 100 Free for relay duty. Her sister, Alex was at these trials as well. She made the team in her final attempt of the trials, in the 200m IM! She was 3rd in the 200 Breast, and 6th in the 100 breast.

• • The Walsh sisters are going to Paris. Simone Manuel makes the Olympic team on the relay for the 100m Free but she also will have the chance to by winning the 50 free so she made th team individually. She won the silver in Rio in the 50 and gold in 100.

• • On the men’s side: 17 year old Heilman committed to UVA wins 200 fly and qualifies in the 100 fly as well from Lane 1! Talk about some composure. Ryan Murphy is the first American to win 100 and 200 back in 3 Olympic trials! He also qualified for the final in the 100 fly (something we havent seen from him).

• • Caleb Dressel has 7 medals from previous Olympics, all of them gold! He has come back now with a kid and wins 50 free. Americans have won 4 of last 6 in splash and dash (50 fee). He also won the 100 fly and will be on relay duty for the 4×100 Free relay. Chris Guiliano is the new kid on the freestyle block. He will be competing in the 50 Free, 100 Free and 200 Free. Bobby Finke continues to dominate the distance events winning both the 800 and 1500, that one by 10 seconds. Carson Foster took both distances in the IM disciplines over a couple of Olympians including Chase Kalisz. Unfortunately his brother Jake did not make the team although he competed in multiple finals.

• The Olympic team is set for the Diving team as well which were competed in Knoxville TN. Team USA will have intense competition from the CHN – they normally dominate this event.
  • On the women’s side: only 5 different women made the team as multiple will be pulling double duty. Sarah Bacon won the Springboard event individually and then she will be competing her her partner Kassidy Cook in the Synchro. Same goes for Delaney Schnell who is the only qualifier for the W platform and then with her partner Jessica Parratto in the synchro.
  • On the men’s side: Exciting stuff by Carson Tyler who becomes the first American in 24 years to qualify in both disciplines, the platform and the springboard. He was the only one for the platform and got 2^nd in the spring. Andrew Capobianco won the Springboard and it was those two and no one close. The Synchro Springboard was a team of Greg Duncan and Tyler Downs who made the final but missed the team individually. The USA men don’t get a Synchro platform team.

• Track & Field Trials began this weekend and will run this week. We don’t have a ton of finals determined yet. Top 3 in each event will qualify but they do have to hit an Olympic standard. If they do not, they will have to wait a couple weeks depending on world ranking and other world leading times.
  • The main event (or at least one of them) is the W 100m. World Champion, Sha’Carri Richardson won with her training teammates Melissa Jefferson and TT Terry. They will comprise the individual 100m runners – all first time Olympians. Sha’Carri technically qualified for Tokyo but then had a positive test for marijuana and received a ban. She has been battling back since then but if you ask her she’s not back she’s better.
  • The men’s 100m ran last night a well and it was awesome! Noah Lyles was the favorite but Fred Kerley was the defending world champion but there were about 5 men that all could make the team. If you have money I would bet on Noah Lyles and he showed out. Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley rounded out the individuals getting to go for Team USA. That left the world champion in the 60m, Christian Coleman outside looking in. He hadn’t missed a team in 7 years. Technically he made the last Olympics but he missed 3 tests and was banned.
  • The TJ is final along with the Hammer led by DeAnna Price. The same 3 women made the Tokyo games in the TJ. Orji is set to retire after this season but her season just got longer after she makes her 3^rd Olympic team. Jasmine Moore and Tori Franklin complete the trio. Kendall Ellis won the W 400m, Aalyiah Butler and Alexis Holmes are the trio in the 400m all under 50 seconds but again expect others to make the team to make up the relay.

• • The 10k was claimed by Grant Fisher and Nico Young made his first games competing at NAU. Big upset in the 3k Steeplechase with Hillary Bohr taking a fall into the water jump and thus does not make the team. Kenneth Rooks took the title and the other 2 all do not have the Olympic standard so we will have to see. No surprise on the results with this one. The Shot Put team is the same as it was for Worlds: Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Payton Otterdahl. Crouser looks to medal in his 3^rd straight games. The Decathlon was done early. Zack Ziemek (Double Z) made his 3^rd straight Olympics – very hard to do in the Decathlon. The other two, Heath Baldwin and Harrison Williams made their first team. Williams was upset for the Tokyo games. Baldwin was a grad student at Michigan State skipped NCAAs where he was runner up last year in the Dec to focus on trials.
  • Sunday night was full of finals and Snopp Dog was commentating. My personal favorite was his announcing from the jump. Men’s PV final was Sunday night. The AR holder did not make the final! But Sam Kendricks, Chris Nilsen and Aggie record holder Jacob Wooten are on the team. Sam Kendricks had to withdraw before Tokyo so this will be his first Olympics.

• • There was a high schooler in the semifinals of the M 400m. Quincy Wilson broke the U18 WR with a 44.6 to get there! The 16 year old got 3^rd in his heat with another WR against some veterans like Vernon Norwood (32)! He made the final no less!

What to watch this week

Baseball – MLB:

• Tues 6/25
  • Yankees at Mets @ 6:10pm on TBS
• Thurs 6/27
  • Guardians at Royals @ 7:10pm on FS1
    • Lively vs Wacha
• Fri 6/28
  • Astros at Mets @ 6:10pm on Apple TV+
  • Padres at Red Sox @ 6:10pm on Apple TV+
• Sat 6/29
  • Cubs at Brewers @ 3:10pm on FS1
    • Steele vs Myers
  • Dodgers at Padres – or – Rangers at Orioles @ 6:15pm on FOX
• Sun 6/30
  • Rangers at Orioles @ 6pm on ESPN
    • Heaney vs Irvin

Baseball-NCAA:

• Mon 6/24
  • CWS Final – Game 3 @ 6pm on ESPN

Golf:

• Thurs 6/27
  • Rocket Mortgage – Round 1 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Fri 6/28
  • Rocket Mortgage – Round 2 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Sat 6/29
  • PGA Champions: US Sr Open – Final Round @ 11am on NBC
  • PGA: Rocket Mortgage – Round 3
    • @ 12pm on Golf Channel
    • @ 2pm on CBS
• Sun 6/30
  • PGA Champions: US Sr Open – Final Round @ 11:30am on NBC
  • PGA: Rocket Mortgage – Final Round
    • @ 12pm on Golf Channel
    • @ 2pm on CBS

Hockey:

• Mon 6/24
  • Stanley Cup Final Game 7: Oilers vs Panthers @ 7pm on ABC

Motor Sports:

• Sat 6/29
  • F1: AUT GP Sprint Race @ 5am on ESPN
  • F1: AUT GP Qualifying @ 9am on ESPN2
• Sun 6/30
  • F1: Qatar Airways AUT GP Race @ 9am on ESPN

Olympic Sports:

• Mon 6/24
  • Track & Field: US Olympic Trials @ 7pm on NBC
    • Finals: W HJ, M LJ, M 1500m, M 400m, W 5k, W 800m
• Thurs 6/27
  • Gymnastics: US Olympic Trials @ 5:30pm on USA
    • Men’s Day 1
  • Track & Field: US Olympic Trials @ 7pm on NBC @ 8pm on USA
    • Finals: W Discuss, W 3k Steeple,
• Fri 6/28
  • Gymnastics: US Olympic Trials @ 7pm on NBC
    • Women’s Day 1
  • Track & Field: US Olympic Trials @ 7pm on USA and 9pm on NBC
    • Finals: M 110H
• Sat 6/29
  • Gymnastics: US Olympic Trials @ 2pm on NBC
    • Men’s Day 2
  • Track & Field: US Olympic Trials @ 7pm on NBC
    • Finals: M Discuss, W LJ, W 200, W Shot Put, W 10km, M 200
• Sun 6/30
  • Gymnastics: US Olympic Trials @ 7pm on NBC
    • Women’s Day 2
  • Track & Field: US Olympic Trials @ 6:30pm on NBC
    • Finals: M Hammer, W PV, M HJ, M TJ, W Jav, M 5km, M 800m, W 100H, W 1500, M 400H, W 400h

Soccer:

• Mon 6/24
  • Copa America: USA vs BOL @ 4am on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: ALB vs ESP @ 2pm on FS1
  • Copa America: BRA vs CRC @ 8pm on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: CRO vs ITA @ 10pm on FS1
• Tues 6/25
  • UEFA Euro: NED vs AUT @ 11am on USA
  • UEFA Euro: DEN vs SRB @ 2pm on FS1
  • Copa America: PER vs CAN @ 5pm on FS1
  • Copa America: CHI vs ARG @ 8pm on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: ENG vs SLO @ 10am on FS1
• Wed 6/26
  • UEFA Euro: FRA vs POL @ 2am on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: Slovakia vs ROM @ 11am on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: CZE vs TUR @ 2pm on FS1
  • Copa America: ECU vs JAM @ 5pm on FS1
  • Copa America: VEN vs MEX @ 8pm on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: GEO vs POR @ 10am on FS1
• Thurs 6/27
  • UEFA Euro: UKR vs BEL @ 2am on FS1
  • Copa America: PAN vs USA @ 10pm on FS1
• Fri 6/28
  • Copa America: URU vs BOL @ 3am on FS1
  • Copa America: COL vs CRC @ 5pm on FS1
  • Copa America: PAR vs BRA @ 8pm on FS1
• Sat 6/29
  • UEFA Euro: Ground A runner up vs Group B runner up @ 11am on FS1
  • Copa America: ARG vs PER @ 7pm on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: Ground A vs Group C runner-up @ 11pm on FS1
• Sun 6/30
  • Copa America: JAM vs VEN @ 7pm on FS1
  • UEFA Euro: Group C vs TBD @ 9pm on FS1