Baseball: 2 more no-hitters! Angels release Pujols. Dodgers lose 5 straight series. Ratcoon?
Basketball-NBA: Luka more fouls. Pelicans EVP fined $50k. Beal out 2 games. Playoff standings. Playoffs begin 5/22.
Golf: McIlroy wins 3rd WF Championship and first PGA Tour title since 2019.
Horse Racing: Medina Spirit fails drug test and in jeopardy of DQ. Baffert banned from Churchill Downs. All under review.
Olympic Sports: Seahawks WR Metcalf runs 100m against real sprinters. IOC Prez canceled trip to Tokyo. USA Surfer pulls out of WSL to focus on Olympics. 3x RUS Olympic gold medalist Tamara Press dies. Team NZL trans weightlifter sparks convo. USC wins W beach volleyball natty. UNC wins W field hockey natty.
Baseball:
- As the season heats up so are the pitchers. The Red P Wade Miley threw a no-hitter against the Indians. The Orioles John Means also threw a no-hitter against the Mariners. This is the Orioles first one since 1969. This is only the 2nd season in MLB history to have 4 no-hitters before the end of May and it’s only the 10th!
- The Angels have released Albert Pujols. You heard that correctly; it’s not a typo. The heavy hitter was in the last year of his 10 year $253MM contract and leads the league in HRs 667, RBIs 2,112, hits 3,253 and 2,886 games played. He is 5th all time in HRs, passing Willie Mays last season. He is also a 3x World Series champion with the Cardinals before heading to LA. Surely he is destined for the HoF. Now we just have to wait to see if he will still be on the field.
- The Dodgers have lost 5 straight series and are starting to look at why. They currently sit at 18-17 and have lost their series to the Angels (1-2), Cubs (0-3), Brewers (1-3), Reds (1-2) and Padres (3-4).
- Was it a rat or a raccoon? Lindor just calls it a ratcoon.
- NCAA Conference Softball tourneys are this week! Check out the GF Guide Instagram for the schedules for SEC, ACC and Big 12.
Basketball:
- The flagrant fouls continue for Mavericks PG Luka Doncic. He was ejected from their game against the Cavaliers (W 124-97) for a flagrant foul 2 after he ‘made an aggressive strike to the groin’ on G Collin Sexton. Luka is still 1 technical away from suspension but has kept his head for the most part. Even Sexton said there was no malicious intent to the foul.
- Don’t bad mouth the officiating is a costly rule in the NBA. Pelican’s EVP of bball ops, David Griffin, was fined $50k for publicly criticizing the officiating. He said that the incident of Zion Williamson fracturing his finger was ‘avoidable’ if they officials have done a better job. Williamson who is averaging 27 point/game is out indefinitely at a very critical point in the season when the Pelicans are only 1.5 games behind the Spurs to make playoffs.
- Bradley Beal is the NBA’s 2nd leading scorer and a vital part of the Wizard’s team is now out for at least 2 games with a hamstring strain. The Wizards sit at 9th in the East but only 1.5 games over the Pacers. Beal is averaging 31.4 points/game and only trails Steph Curry with 31.9/game.
- Playoffs will start on 5/22. So here are the NBA Standings so far:
- East: 76ers, Nets, Bucks (47, 44, 43 Ws)
- Last in: Pacers (2 Ws over Raptors)
- West: Jazz, Suns, Clippers (50, 48, 45 Ws)
- Last in: Spurs (2 Ws over Pelicans)
- Guaranteed a playoff spot: Suns, Jazz, Clippers, 76ers, Nets, Bucks, Nuggets and Mavericks
- The Bucks have clinched the East
- The Mavericks and the Jazz and clinched their divisions in the West
- Eliminated from playoffs: Timberwolves, Rockets, Magic, Pistons, Thunder and the Cavaliers
- East: 76ers, Nets, Bucks (47, 44, 43 Ws)
Golf:
- Rory McIlroy has his 19th PGA Tour title with his 3rd win at the Wells Fargo Championship over the weekend. He was in a 3-way tie through hole 13 and led by 2 going into the final hole. He needed that cushion after hitting a ball allllmost in the creek that runs through the hole. He took a penalty stroke with a drop to win by 1. This is his first win since 2019 and his first as a dad and it was on Mother’s Day so less.
- Bryson DeChambeau had a bit of a mix up. After thinking he missed the cut in 90th, he headed home after his round on Friday. Only halfway through his flight home to Dallas, his agent called and said he was back inside the cut line, 64th. So he got to sleep in his own bed, get a workout in and left back to CLT at 2:40am to make his early morning tee time on Saturday. He played well, despite being super tired and finished tied for 9th on Sunday.
Horse Racing:
- Medina Spirit has failed a drug test and legendary trainer, Bob Baffert, has been banned from any races at Churchill Downs. For now. The KT Horse Racing Commission has issued another test to clarify the results and are investigating. The steroid found in the horse’s system (betamethasone which is used for anti-inflammation and pain) is legal but not in amounts that are detectable on race day. Medina is in jeopardy for being DQ’d. But if you bet on 2nd place Mandaloun, don’t get too excited. No money will be changed if the leader gets DQ’d. All bets and payments are final. This could have implications on the Triple Crown though.
- The Preakness is set to run this weekend in Baltimore at the Pimilco Race Course. This race is 9.5 furlongs, which makes it the shortest of the 3 in the Triple Crown. If Medina Spirit is not DQ’d, the horse will be looking to lock up another of the Triple Crown races. Look for race time to be approx. 5:50pm CT on NBC but coverage starts as early as 1pm on NBCSN.
Olympic Sports:
- Sort of a mix of football in an Olympic sport. Seahawks WR DK Metcalf tried his hand at the 100m against some of the fastest men in the world this weekend at the USA T&F Golden Games. His time was 10.37 to get last in his heat and 15 of 17th Although he didn’t place well, Ato Boldon came to his defense saying anyone his size should be running 10.6-.7 so that time surprised even the track & field experts. Metcalf’s 40 yrd dash time in his combine was 4.33 but his top speed of 22.64mph when he chased down Budda Baker to precent a TD last year was the 4th fastest ever by a NFL player.
- Not a good sign for Olympic fans, IOC President Thomas Bach has canceled his trip to Japan amid the growing COVID surge over there. He was set to meet the Olympic torch in Hiroskima on Monday and then travel to Tokyo. The country has also extended their state of emergency, which was set to end on tomorrow, to May 31. Japan has had 10k deaths from the virus.
- Help is on the way! Pfizer and BioNTech have both announced that they will be donating doses of the COVID vaccines to Olympic athletes and officials in time for the opening of the games on July 23. So far Teams ESP, AUS, KOR, ITA have all made arrangements to vaccinate their athletes.
- One of the USA Olympic surfing favorites, John John Florence, has withdrawn from the rest of the year’s World Surfing League to rest a knee injury before the Olympics. He is the 2016 and 2017 World Champion but has been plagued by knee problems in 2018 and 2019 as well. So far Florence says he should be good to go and his knee isn’t as serious as it has been in the past. Good because he did actually tear his ACL in 2019.
- 3x RUS Olympic gold medalist, Tamara Press, has died at age 83. Press won the gold medal in the shot put at the 1960 Rome Olympic games and then defended her title at 1964 Tokyo Games where she also won the discus. Her sister, Irina, won the 80m hurdles and Pentathlon Olympic gold medals in the same Olympics. Irina died in 2004. Both women were subjected to scrutiny of their femininity and stopped competing in 1966 when gender verification tests were introduced. They were some of the first to be scrutinized for sex development where now that is a question of the times.
- Speaking of that, Team New Zealand has a transgender woman, Laurel Hubbard, set to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this year. Hubbard has been competing as a woman since she transitions from a man in 2013. Prior to that year, she competed in the men’s category. Hubbard is eligible to compete in Tokyo as her testosterone levels are below the required 10 nanomoles/litre for 12 months before competition requirement. However that has not stopped debate on the fairness of transwomen competing in women’s sports. Team NZL will have Olympic trials in June so more to come on this for sure!
- USC has taken its 3rd NCAA title in Beach Volleyball in the last 4 appearances after beating UCLA in duals on Sunday. UCLA handed USC a loss in the Pac 12 tournament which broken the Trojans 12 match win streak. UCLA had also won the NCAA title the 2 years previously.
- UNC won their 3rd straight NCAA title in field hockey this weekend in an exciting sudden death OT where next goals wins over Michigan. The penalty corner was too much for the Wolverines to handle when Erin Matson scored her 3rd goal of the match. She scored 30 goals over the season. This is in the 9th title of UNC which puts them tied with Old Dominion for the most ever in field hockey history.
What to watch this week
Baseball-MLB:
- Mon 5/10
- Angels at Astros @ 7pm on ESPN
- Tues 5/11
- Yankees at Rays @ 6pm on ESPN
- Montgomery vs Yarbrough
- Yankees at Rays @ 6pm on ESPN
- Sat 5/15
- A’s at Twins @ 3:05pm on FS1
- Irvin vs Berrios
- Cardinals at Padres @ 7:40pm on FS1
- Wainwright vs Paddack
- A’s at Twins @ 3:05pm on FS1
- Sun 5/16
- Cardinals at Padres @ 6pm on ESPN
-
Kim vs Lamet
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- Cardinals at Padres @ 6pm on ESPN
Baseball/Softball–NCAA: (ranked vs ranked only)
- Tues 5/11
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Auburn vs South Carolina @ 6pm
- Wed 5/12
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Ole Miss vs Mississippi St @ 11am on SEC
- Softball: ACC Tournament – Syracuse vs Georgia Tech @ 12pm on ACC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – LSU vs winner of Auburn/SC @ ~1:30pm on SEC
- Softball: ACC Tournament – UNC vs NC St @ 2:30pm on ACC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Tennessee vs Texas A&M @ ~3:30pm on SEC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – 17. Kentucky vs 24. Georgia @ ~5:30pm on SEC
- Thurs 5/13
- Softball: ACC Tournament – Clemson vs winner of GT/S @ 10am on ACC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Florida vs winner of Ole Miss/MSU @ 11am on SEC
- Softball: ACC Tournament – Vtech vs Notre Dame @ 12:30pm on ACC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Mizzou vs winner of LSU/TBD @ ~1:30pm on SEC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Arkansas vs winner of winner of TN/Texas A&M @ 4pm on SEC
- Softball: ACC Tournament – Florida St vs winner of NC St/UNC @ 4pm on ACC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Alabama vs winner of KT/GA @ ~6:30pm on SEC
- Softball: ACC Tournament – Duke vs Louisville @ 6:30pm on ACC
- Fri 5/14
- Softball: Big 12 Tournament – Semifinal 1 @ 11am on ESPNU
- Softball: ACC Tournament – Semifinal 1 @ 12pm on ACC
- Softball: ACC Tournament – Semifinal 2 @ 2:30pm on ACC
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Semifinal 1 @ 3pm on ESPN2
- Softball: SEC Tournament – Semifinal 2 @ ~5:30pm on ESPN2
- Baseball: 1. Arkansas at 4. Tennessee @ 5:30pm on SEC+
- Baseball: 2. Vanderbilt at 18. Ole Miss @ 6pm on SEC
- Softball: 2. UCLA vs 10. Arizona @ 9:30pm on ESPNU
- Sat 5/15
- Softball: ACC Tournament Final @ 11am on ESPN2
- Baseball: 1. Arkansas at 4. Tennessee @ 12pm on SEC
- Softball: American Tournament Final @ 1pm on ESPN2
- Softball: Big 12 Tournament Final @ 3pm on ESPN2
- Softball: SEC Tournament Final @ 5pm on ESPN2
- Baseball: 2. Vanderbilt at 18. Ole Miss @ 5pm
- Sun 5/16
- Baseball: 1. Arkansas at 4. Tennessee @ 12pm on SEC
- Baseball: 2. Vanderbilt at 18. Ole Miss @ 2pm on SEC
- Softball: D1 Selection Announcement @ 8pm on ESPN2
- Softball: 2. UCLA vs 10. Arizona @ 9pm on ESPNU
Basketball-NBA:
- Tues 5/10
- Heat at Celtics @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Knicks at Lakers @ 9pm on TNT
- Wed 5/12
- Wizards at Hawks @ 6pm on ESPN
- Trail Blazers at Jazz @ 8:30pm on ESPN
- Fri 5/14
- Pelicans at Warriors @ 8:30pm on ESPN
- Sat 5/15 & 5/16 games are all TBD right now
Football:
- Sun 5/16
- NCAA Championship Division Final: Sam Houston vs South Dakota @ 1pm on ABC
Golf:
- Thurs 5/13
- AT&T Byron Nelson – Round 1 @ 2:30pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 5/14
- AT&T Byron Nelson – Round 2 @ 2:30pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 5/15
- AT&T Byron Nelson – Round 3
- @ 12pm on Golf Channel
- @ 2pm on CBS
- AT&T Byron Nelson – Round 3
- Sun 5/16
- AT&T Byron Nelson – Round 4
- @ 12pm on Golf Channel
- @ 2pm on CBS
- AT&T Byron Nelson – Round 4
Hockey:
- Mon 5/10
- Islanders at Bruins @ 6pm on NBCSN
- or
- Stars at Blackhawks @ 7pm on NBCSN
- Islanders at Bruins @ 6pm on NBCSN
- Wed 5/12
- Wild at Blues @ 8pm on NBCSN
Horse Racing:
- Fri 5/14
- Preakness: Black Eyed Susan races @ 4pm on NBCSN
- Sat 5/15
- Preakness prep @ 1pm on NBCSN
- Preakness @ 1:30pm on NBC
- Race time is ~ 5:50pm
Motorsports:
- Fri 5/14
- IndyCar: GMR GP Qualifying @ 5pm on NBCSN
- Sun 5/16
- MotoGP: French GP @ 4:30pm on NBCSN
Olympic Sports:
- Fri 5/14
- Swimming: TYR Pro Swim Series Day 1 @ 6:30pm on NBCSN
- Sat 5/15
- Equestrian: US Championships @ 12pm on NBCSN
- Swimming: TYR Pro Swim Series Day 2 @ 5pm on NBCSN
Soccer:
- Mon 5/10
- Premier League: Fulham vs Burnley @ 1:55pm on NBCSN
- Tues 5/11
- Premier League: ManU vs Leicester City @ 11:55am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Southampton vs Crystal Palace @ 2:10pm on NBCSN
- Wed 5/12
- Italian Serie A: Sassuolo vs Juventus @ 1:45pm on ESPN2
- Premier League: Chelsea vs Arsenal @ 2:10pm on NBCSN
- Thurs 5/13
- Premier League: Ashton Villa vs Everton @ 11:55am on NBCSN
- German DFB Pokal: RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund @ 1:45pm on ESPN2
- Premier League: ManU vs Liverpool @ 2:10pm on NBCSN
- NCAAW: Semifinal 1 – Florida St at UVA @ 5pm on ESPN2
- NCAAW: Semifinal 2 – UNC vs UC Santa Clara @ 8:30pm on ESPN2
- Fri 5/14
- Premier League: Newcastle United vs Manchester City @ 1:55pm on NBCSN
- NCAAM: Semifinal 1 Teams TBD @ 5pm on ESPNU
- NCAAM: Semifinal 2 Teams TBD @ 7:30pm on ESPNU
- Sat 5/15
- Premier League: Burnley vs Leeds United @ 6:25am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Southampton vs Fulham @ 8:55am on NBCSN
- Sun 5/16
- Italian Serie A: Fiorentina vs Napoli @ 5:30am on ESPN2
- Premier League: Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa @ 6am on NBCSN
- Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolverhampton Wanderers @ 8am on NBCSN
- USL League One: Greenville Triumph vs Union Omaha @ 3pm on ESPN2
- MLS: New England Revolution vs Columbus Crew @ 5pm on ESPN2
