Author: Michael

The New York Mets lost superstar starter Max Scherzer early in Wednesday’s game at Dodger Stadium.
Scherzer repeatedly faced off with umpires during the game over their league mandated sticky substance checks.
Initially, the checks resulted in Scherzer being asked to change his glove.

Max Scherzer had to change his glove and he was NOT happy about it pic.twitter.com/YUa8VSsK7C
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 19, 2023

The superstar starter was clearly unhappy with being asked to change equipment, but did comply and went back out for the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Mariners star Julio Rodríguez fittingly was the first player on the team to take part in Seattle’s new tradition of wielding a trident in the dugout after hitting a home run.
The new celebration, born during Wednesday’s game against the Brewers, pays homage to the team’s former logo, which included a trident. Whenever a Mariners player hits a home run, he is now gifted the large, gold trident in the dugout to use in his celebration. 
After ending their 21-year playoff drought last season, the Mariners wanted to continue bringing positive vibes into this season.

The Cincinnati Bengals are “mixed” on running back Joe Mixon. And a split could soon be in store for the two sides.
According to a report by The Athletic, Mixon’s standing with the Cincinnati Bengals remains opaque. The team is bracing to potentially split from their six-year vet if he does not accept a pay cut.
The Bengals are preparing to give Mixon an ultimatum: take the cut or be cut.
Ouch.

(Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Facing a $13 million cap hit in 2023, Mixon now becomes a player too expensive for his play or off-the-field troubles.

As Ole Miss baseball continues to flounder in 2023, the reigning national champions are set to host the No. 1-ranked LSU Tigers for a three-game series in Oxford this weekend. The Rebels are not very good this year, and their hopes of winning the series, let alone one game, are pretty slim.
With that being said, they will have all of the motivation in the world to pull off the upset.
Not only is Ole Miss playing the rest of its season to just make the postseason, the series will be played in front of a sizable home crowd.

Hey everyone….
• Had a delightful chat with Barbora Krejcikova, who is owning her ambitions.
• Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi was approved for a second term by the ATP board after meetings last week in Monte Carlo.
Onward …

Most of the mail and social media chatter this week was about the WTA’s decision to return to China. Here’s an audio version on the excellent “Hang Up and Listen” podcast. I’ll try and do a catch-all, raising five points.
a) It’s hard to spin this as anything other than a capitulation.

For as long as humans have been running great distances, they have been skirting the rules of the competition.
The 1904 Olympic marathon in St. Louis had Frederick Lorz, who appeared to win but was later disqualified after it was revealed he rode in a car for 11 miles during the race. The 1980 Boston Marathon had Rosie Ruiz, whose win was invalidated as she was believed to have barely run the race at all.
And now, 2023 has Dr. Joasia Zakrzewski.

The Warriors will take the court for Thursday’s Game 3 against the Kings looking to avoid falling into a 3–0 series hole. They’ll do so without Draymond Green following the veteran forward’s one-game suspension for stomping on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis—and on Wednesday, Golden State’s top executive and head coach shared their thoughts on the situation.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and former 49ers linebacker Dave Wilcox died Wednesday at age 80, the Hall of Fame announced.
The 11-year NFL veteran spent his entire playing career in San Francisco, featuring for the organization from 1964-74 and appearing in a total of 153 games. He made seven Pro Bowls as a key member of the Niners defense and was a two-time first-team All-Pro honoree.
Wilcox is the father of the University of California football program’s head coach, Justin Wilcox, as well as former Saints tight end Josh Wilcox.
An Ontario, Ore.

The Independent Accountability Review Process, created by the NCAA in 2019 as an “off-ramp” for complex and contentious rules infraction cases, has just two jobs left before being shut down: handing down rulings to Kansas and LSU.
Multiple sources told Sports Illustrated that both schools have had their hearings in front of the Independent Resolution Panel. Kansas went before the panel for three days last weekend, sources said, while LSU’s hearing was several weeks ago.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder announced Wednesday that they are partnering with Betr Holdings, Inc., which will serve as the sole provider for content about the twin sisters.
The sports betting and media company, co-founded by media personality and boxer Jake Paul, now will serve as the host platform for the Cavinders’ podcast, Twin Talk. The duo also will make on-camera appearances to facilitate the growth and engagement of their content as well make regular appearances on the network’s flagship series, BS w/Jake Paul.