Baseball: deGrom’s ERA! NFT expansion. Ozuna arrested.
Baseball/Softball: Softball College World Series is set! Baseball postseason begins!
Basketball-NBA: Playoff drama and crowd drama.
Football: Tebow and Meyer reunited and it feels so good. College athletes can unionize in new bill. OU/Nebraska game early kickoff. ND/Arkansas game rescheduled.
Golf: Kokrak succeeds in Fort Worth. Brooks vs Bryson. Men’s NCAAs.
Hockey: Stanley Cup playoffs continue.
Horse Racing: Belmont Stakes this weekend!
Olympic Sports: US Gym Championships this weekend. Team USA 3×3 Men’s team did not qualify for Olympics. Team USA Baseball in last chance qualifier. Belarus no longer host of Euro track cycling championships. JPN vaccinating their athletes. Djokovic plans on Olympics but only with fans.
Tennis: French Open is on. Osaka drops out.
Baseball-MLB:
- So remember last week when I said that Jacob deGrom was returning? Well he is returning in style! His ERA is now 0.71, which is the lowest for a starter through May since 1964 (Phillies P Chris Short). deGrom threw 6 innings without a score in the Mets’ win against the Diamondbacks on Monday 6-2 and this was just deGrom’s 2nd game back from the IL. And if that wasn’t enough, 27 pitches in that game were >100mph (3rd most in a game since 2008).
- The MLB has chosen Candy Digital for its NFT needs going forward. Why this company? Well it helps that those in charge at Candy Digital include the founder of Fanatics and 76ers partner Michael Ruben. The MLB is already involved in NFTs with Topps but this deal is expected to greatly expand the amount of products available.
- #GFHint: Don’t know what NFTs are? They are nonfungible token offerings. Think of them like a digital baseball card but they can be videos as well as pictures. They can be anything really. And get used to them because they are becoming the future in sports very quickly.
- LF Marcell Ozuna is now out of jail on a $20k bond after strangling his wife. He was court ordered to have no contact with his wife but he was charged with strangulation and battery on Saturday night. He allegedly threw his wife up against a wall by her neck and hit her with his cast (he has an injured left arm). This is not the first time Ozuna has been arrested for domestic violence, he was also arrested in Miami a year ago. The couple is currently going through a divorce.
Baseball/Softball-NCAA: (since there is a slot going on)
- The Softball World Series will begin on Thursday! Congrats to the 8 teams who made it to the double elimination tournament: #1 Oklahoma, #5 Oklahoma St, #3 Alabama, #2 UCLA, #10 Florida St, #11 Arizona, Georgia and James Madison. The Championship series will begin Monday 6/7 and is best of 3.
- NCAA Baseball playoffs start Thursday with the regional rounds. The College World Series is set to take place on the 19th – 30th.
Basketball:
- Playoffs are continuing and with the return of the fans, come the return of their bad behavior. 3 people over the last week have been charged in separate incidents. Russell Westbrook got popcorn dumped on his head. Trae Young was spit on by a fan. Kyrie Irving narrowly missed getting hit in the head by a water bottle (that man was arrested) and now a man tried to run onto the court during the Wizards/76ers game. Perhaps worst of all, Ja Morant’s family had racial slurs yelled at them in the stands during the Jazz game. All of these fans have at least been banned from the stadiums but many people are now calling for harsher punishments as these incidents continue to happen.
- 76ers Joel Embiid is having a MRI today after this injury to his knee on Monday in the same game that the fan ran onto the court. The Wizards lost Game 4 114-122.
- Russell Westbrook has moved to 3rd on the all-time NBA most triple-doubles list.
- The Bucks are the only team onto the next round already, beating the Heat 4-0.
Football:
- A little football add a dash of golf: The Match is on! But this time without Tiger Woods, obviously as he recovers. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady vs Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers. They will play on July 6th.
- The Jaguars have signed TE Tim Tebow back into the league. Tim Tebow and HC Urban Meyer were successful (to say the least) while together at Florida. However, Tebow’s time in the NFL was not the best spanning 3 seasons with 2 different teams from 2010-2012. He also made the practice squad for 3 other teams from 2013-present.
- In a newly released congressional bill, college athletes will be able to form unions to be considered employees of the school. This would allow athletes to collectively bargain with their schools whether they are compensated by scholarships or other means. The bill was introduced by 2 democrats (Bernie Sanders and Chris Murphy in VT and CT – not exactly athletic powerhouse states). TBD how this will change the landscape of amateurism in college athletics and if this will pass.
- The Oklahoma vs Nebraska game, which has been scheduled since 2012, has an 11am kickoff time much to the chagrin of the OU AD (and fans like me). This rivalry used to be one of the best in college football with both teams messing up championship runs for the other constantly. The last time the 2 teams played was in 2010 for the Big 12 Championship.
- The Notre Dame vs Arkansas game that was originally scheduled for the 2020 season has been rescheduled for 2028 at Notre Dame. The teams will meet in 2025 in Fayetteville first.
Golf:
- Jason Kokrak won his 2nd PGA Tour title at the Charles Schwab Challenge this weekend at Colonial. And if you’re wondering why the cheers aren’t as loud as expected in the video when Kokrak taps in to win by 2 for the W, it’s because hometown favorite Jordan Spieth held the 54 hole lead and shot a 73 during his final round to finish in 2nd. Spieth fans started the day in a bad mood when Jordan shot 3 straight bogeys in the the first 4 holes. It looked like he could comeback though when Kokrak made 2 bogeys in the final couple of holes but Jordan hit his approach shot into the water on the 18th really putting the nail in the coffin.
- Who knew golf could be so juicy? If you missed out on the Brooks vs Bryson drama this past week, you missed a doozie! In a leaked video of Brooks giving an interview, Bryson passes by and Brooks loses his train of thought. For clarification, it is unclear if Bryson says something to goad Brooks’ response or its simply the fact that Bryson walks by. Also this interview was NOT after the final round of the PGA Championship as I have seen people comment. This rivalry in golf is not a new one… And even the GOAT Tom Brady got in on some of the fun.
- Clemson senior Turk Pettit won the NCAA individual title yesterday with a score of 7 under. The team title will be decided today.
- Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Vanderbilt, UNC, Arizona St, Pepperdine, Florida St and Illinois
Hockey:
- Stanley Cup playoffs are underway! Here are the updated results.
- 4 of the Hurricane vs Predators games went into OT, however the first two games when the Hurricanes won in regulation turned out to be the telling games when they won the series 4-2.
- Although the Jets swept their first series 4-0 against the Oilers, don’t let the record fool you. The Jets/Oilers also had 3 games go into OT. And Game 4 went into 3rd
Olympic Sports:
- US Championships in Gymnastics are this weekend in Fort Worth. This is a chance to qualify for Olympic trials if the athletes have not already done so. Yours truly will be there on Sunday night!
- In a big upset, Team USA 3×3 men’s hoops did not qualify for the Olympics after they lost to NED in the qualifying tournament. Team USA won the 3×3 2019 World Championships, was ranked #2 in the World and only lost 1 game in pool play, making them the top seed in the tournament. Only 3 teams get Olympic bids. Team USA women did qualify along with FRA and JPN from the tournament. Congrats ladies!
- Another men’s team in danger of not qualifying for the Olympics? Baseball. Team USA beat NCA 7-1 in a second chance qualifying tournament. The Dominican Republic (plays USA today) and Puerto Rico (plays USA tomorrow) are also in Group A. Group B includes VEN, CUB, CAN, and COL. Whatever team wins the tournament gets an Olympic bid. The 2nd and 3rd place finishers go to a final qualifier tournament in Mexico in June with AUS, NED and TPE. Teams already in the Olympics: JPN, MEX, KOR & ISR.
- In light of the hijacking of the passenger Ryanair plane, Belarus has been stripped of hosting the European track cycling championships.
- #ICYMI: Belarus dictator ordered the plane headed to Lithuania from Greece to land in Minsk (Belarus’ capital) and removed activist Raman Pratasevich.
- Team JPN has started vaccinating their Olympic athletes today! Only 2-3% of the general population has been vaccinated but the 200 athletes are first on the list now.
- In a combo of Olympics and Tennis: Djokovic has announced that he plans to play in the Olympics in Tokyo IF there are fans in the stadium. He does not want to play without fans but also Djokovic has not won an Olympic gold medal in his stellar tennis career thus far.
Tennis:
- French Open begins…
- Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the grand slam tournament after admitting she is struggling with depression. This was also after she was fined for missing a post-match press conference and being fined $15k and threatened with expulsion from the tournament if she kept missing required media obligations. Osaka mentioned in her note to the public that the media makes her very nervous and she does not enjoy public speaking. People (including many many renowned athletes) are hoping that this really brings mental health to the forefront of the conversation in athletics. Remember she had that harsh media whirlwind into the spotlight after she beat Serena in the 2018 US Open.
What to watch this week
Baseball-MLB:
- Tues 6/1
- White Sox at Indians @ 5:10pm on FS1
- Cease vs Bieber
- White Sox at Indians @ 5:10pm on FS1
- Wed 6/2
- Red Sox at Astros @ 7pm on ESPN
- Pivetta vs Valdez
- Red Sox at Astros @ 7pm on ESPN
- Sat 6/5
- 3 Games depending on location @ 6:15pm on FOX
- Red Sox at Yankees
- Rodriguez vs Taillon
- Cubs at Giants
- Dodgers at Braves
- Kershaw vs Morton
- Red Sox at Yankees
- 3 Games depending on location @ 6:15pm on FOX
- Sun 6/6
- Red Sox at Yankees @ 6pm on ESPN
- Richards vs German
- Red Sox at Yankees @ 6pm on ESPN
Baseball/Softball–NCAA:
- Thurs 6/3
- Softball WS: Game 1 – James Madison vs 1. Oklahoma @ 11am on ESPN
- Softball WS: Game 2 – Georgia vs 5. Oklahoma St @ 1:30pm on ESPN
- Softball WS: Game 3 – 11. Arizona vs 3. Alabama @ 6pm on ESPN
- Softball WS: Game 4 – 10. Florida St vs 2. UCLA @ 8:30pm on ESPN
- Fri 6/4
- Baseball: Army vs Texas Tech @ 11am on ESPNU
- Baseball: USF at Florida @ 11am on SEC
- Baseball: UVA vs South Carolina @ 11am on ESPN2
- Baseball: Liberty vs Duke @ 11am on ACC
- Baseball: SouthernU vs Texas @ 1pm on LGHN
- Baseball: Florida St at Southern Miss @ 2pm on ESPNU
- Baseball: South Alabama vs Miami @ 4pm on ACC
- Softball WS: Game 5 Teams TBA @ 6pm on ESPNU
- Baseball: UNC vs UCLA @ 6pm on ESPNEWS
- Baseball: Presbyterian vs Vanderbilt @ 6pm on SEC
- Softball WS: Game 6 Teams TBA @ 8:30pm on ESPNU
- Sat 6/5
- Softball WS: Game 7 Teams TBA @ 11am on ESPN
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 11am on ESPN2
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 12pm on SEC
- Softball WS: Game 8 Teams TBA @ 1:30pm on ESPN
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 2pm on ESPNU
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 2pm on ESPN2
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 3pm on SEC
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 5pm on ESPNU
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 5pm on ESPN2
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 6pm on SEC
- Softball WS: Game 9 Teams TBA @ 6pm on ESPN
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ ESPNU
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 8pm on ESPN2
- Softball WS: Game 10 Teams TBA @ 8:30pm on ESPN
- Sun 6/6
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 11am on ESPNU
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 11am on SEC
- Softball WS: Game 11 Teams TBA @ 12pm on ESPN
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 2pm on SEC
- Softball WS: Game 12 Teams TBA @ 2:30pm on ESPN
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 3pm on ESPNU
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 5pm on SEC
- Baseball: Regionals – Game TBD @ 6pm on ESPNU
- Softball WS: Game 13 Rematch Game 11 @ 6pm on ESPN2
- If needed
- Softball WS: Game 14 Rematch Game 12 @ 8:30pm on ESPN2
- If needed
- Mon 6/7
- Softball WS: Championship Game 1 (best of 3) @ 6:30pm on ESPN
Basketball-NBA:
- Tues 6/1
- E: Celtics at Nets @ 6:30pm on TNT
- BKN leads 3-1
- W: Trail Blazers at Nuggets @ 8pm on NBATV
- Tied 2-2
- W: Lakers at Suns @ 9pm on TNT
- Tied 2-2
- E: Celtics at Nets @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Wed 6/2
- E: Wizards at 76ers @ 6pm on NBATV
- PHI leads 3-1
- E: Hawks at Knicks @ 6:30pm on TNT
- ATL leads 3-1
- W: Grizzlies at Jazz @ 8:30pm on NBATV
- UT leads 3-1
- W: Mavericks at Clippers @ 9pm on TNT
- Tied 2-2
- E: Wizards at 76ers @ 6pm on NBATV
- Thurs 6/3
- E: Nets at Celtics @ TBD on TBD
- Game 6 if necessary
- W: Nuggets at Trail Blazers @ TBD on TBD
- Game 6 if necessary
- W: Suns at Lakers @ TBD on TBD
- Game 6 if necessary
- E: Nets at Celtics @ TBD on TBD
- Fri 6/4
- E: Knicks at Hawks @ TBD on TBD
- Game 6 if necessary
- E: 76ers at Wizards @ TBD on TBD
- Game 6 if necessary
- W: Clippers at Mavericks @ TBD on TBD
- Game 6 if necessary
- W: Jazz at Grizzlies @ TBD on TBD
- Game 6 if necessary
- E: Knicks at Hawks @ TBD on TBD
- Sat 6/5
- E: Celtics at Nets @ TBD on TBD
- Game 7 if necessary
- W: Trail Blazers at Nuggets @ TBD on TBD
- Game 7 if necessary
- W: Lakers at Suns @ TBD on TBD
- Game 7 if necessary
- E: Celtics at Nets @ TBD on TBD
- Sun 6/6
- E: Hawks at Knicks @ TBD on TBD
- Game 7 if necessary
- E: Wizards at 76ers @ TBD on TBD
- Game 7 if necessary
- W: Mavericks at Clippers @ TBD on TBD
- Game 7 if necessary
- W: Grizzlies at Jazz @ TBD on TBD
- Game 7 if necessary
- E: Hawks at Knicks @ TBD on TBD
Golf:
- Tues 6/1
- NCAA D1 Men’s Golf Final – Team Quarterfinals @ 11am on Golf Channel
- NCAA D1 Men’s Golf Final – Team Semifinals @ 4pm on Golf Channel
- Wed 6/2
- NCAA D1 Men’s Golf Final – Team Finals @ 4pm on Golf Channel
- Thurs 6/3
- Memorial – Round 1 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 6/4
- Memorial – Round 2 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 6/5
- Memorial – Round 3
- @ 11:30am on Golf Channel
- @ 2pm on CBS
- US Women’s Open @ 1pm on NBC
- Memorial – Round 3
- Sun 6/6
- Memorial – Round 4
- @ 11am on Golf Channel
- @ 1:30pm on CBS
- US Women’s Open @ 2pm on NBC
- Memorial – Round 4
Hockey:
- Tues 6/1
- Lightning at Hurricanes @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- TB leads 1-0
- Lightning at Hurricanes @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Wed 6/2
- Canadiens at Jets @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Game 1
- Golden Knights at Avalanche @ 9pm on NBCSN
- COL leads 1-0
- Canadiens at Jets @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Thurs 6/3
- Bruins at Islanders @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Tied 1-1
- Hurricanes at Lightning @ 7pm on USA
- Bruins at Islanders @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Fri 6/3
- Canadiens at Jets @ 6:30pm on USA
- Avalanche at Golden Knights @ 9pm on NBCSN
- Sat 6/5
- Hurricanes at Lightning @ 3pm on USA
- Bruins at Islanders @ 6:15pm on NBC
- Sun 6/6
- Jets at Canadiens @ 5pm on NBCSN
- Avalanche at Golden Knights @ 7:30pm on NBCSN
- Game 5: Islanders at Bruins @ TBD on TBD
- Game 4: Jets at Canadiens @ TBD on TBD
Horse Racing:
- Sat 6/5 – Belmont Stakes
- @ 2pm on NBCSN
- @ 4pm on NBC
Motorsports:
- Thurs 6/3
- NASCAR: Whelen Series: Jennerstown @ 4pm on NBCSN
- Sat 6/5
- Lucas Oil Motocross: Thunder Valley @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
- Sun 6/6
- MotoGP: GP of Catalunya @ 10:30pm on NBCSN
Olympic Sports:
- Tues 6/1
- Boxing: Mike Tyson: Knockout @ 7pm on ABC
- Wed 6/2
- Cycling: Criterium Du Dauphine Stage 3 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Thurs 6/3
- Cycling: Criterium Du Dauphine Stage 4 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Gymnastics: US Championships – Men Day 1 @ 9:30pm on NBCSN
- Fri 6/4
- Cycling: Criterium Du Dauphine Stage 5 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Gymnastics: US Championships – Women Day 1 @ 9pm on NBCSN
- Sat 6/5
- Cycling: Criterium Du Dauphine Stage 6 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Sailing: Italian GP @ 3pm on CBSSN
- Gymnastics: US Championships – Men Day 2 @ 7pm on NBCSN
- Sun 6/6
- Cycling: Criterium Du Dauphine Stage 7 @ 1am on NBCSN
- Gymnastics: US Championships – Men Day 2 replay @ 1pm on NBC
- Sailing: Italian GP @ 3pm on CBSSN
- Gymnastics: US Championships – Women Day 2 @ 6pm on NBC
Soccer:
- Wed 6/2
- International Friendly: FRA vs Wales @ 2:05pm on ESPN2
- Thurs 6/3
- UEFA Euro U21: ESP vs POR @ 11am on ESPNU
- UEFA Euro U21: NED vs GER @ 2pm on ESPNU
- Fri 6/4
- International Friendly: ESP vs POR @ 12:30pm on ESPN
- Sun 6/6
- UEFA Euro U21: Semifinal – Teams TBD @ 2pm on ESPN2
Tennis:
- Tues 6/1 – French Open – Round 1 @ 4am on Tennis Channel
- Coco Gauff vs Krunic @ 11:30am
- Djokovic vs Sandgren @ 2pm
- Wed 6/2 – French Open – Round 2 @ 4am on Tennis Channel
- Serena @ 9:30am
- Thurs 6/3 – French Open – Round 2 @ 4am on Tennis Channel
- Federer, Nadal (potentially), Djokovic (potentially) @ 8am
- Barty @ 8am
- Fri 6/4 – French Open – Round 3 @ 4am on Tennis Channel
- Sat 6/5 – French Open – Round 3
- @ 4am on Tennis Channel
- @ 11am on NBC
- @ 1pm on Peacock
- Sun 6/6 – French Open – Round of 16
- @ 4am on Tennis Channel
- @ 11am on NBC
- @ 1pm on Peacock
