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There teams REALLY helped themselves over the weekend and could surprise.
The 2023 NFL Draft is in the rear view mirror and we now begin the long wait until rookie mini camps open, giving us the first time to see rookies in action.
Draft weekend was unpredictable, just as we thought it might be, but this was also a very quiet year when it came to established player trades.
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The Memphis Grizzlies were humbled, and it could be the best thing for their future.
Who has spiraled more aggressively in the eyes of the national NBA landscape over the last calendar year than the Memphis Grizzlies?
In just 365 days, the team has gone from media and NBA darlings viewed as full of swagger and fun to a group of pariahs not welcome in the league’s postseason proceedings. Last year? Trash talking and high-energy play was all the rage as the Grizzlies surprised the NBA elite with their abrupt arrival on the scene.
An 18-year-old Texas A&M–Texarkana baseball player was shot during a game Saturday, according to a Facebook statement by the Texarkana Police Department. The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. CT at George Dobson Field at Spring Lake Park while the player was standing in the bullpen area.
“It appears that he [was] struck by a stray bullet from some type of altercation in a nearby neighborhood to the west of the park,” according to the police statement.
The NAIA game against the University of Houston–Victoria was called, and the player subsequently underwent surgery.
Michigan punter Brad Robbins got a life-changing phone call on Saturday. But if you listen to his voice, it sure sounds like he thought he was being pranked.
The Bengals took Robbins with the last pick of the sixth round on Saturday afternoon and when Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor called him to break the news, Robbins didn’t sound like any other draftee getting that highly anticipated call.
“Brad, this is Zac Taylor at the Bengals,” Taylor said.
“Oh, Zac Taylor,” Robbins replied, sounding a little sarcastic. “How’s it going?”
“I’m doing great, man,” Taylor responded.
Busy weekend, a lot to get to, so let’s dive into the takeaways …
The Cardinals have had a rough offseason—going right up to last week, with the tampering settlement on their contact with coach Jonathan Gannon in February. But they may have been draft weekend’s biggest winner. I believe the two guys who’d have been under consideration for Arizona with the No. 3 pick were Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.
SI’s MMA Notes, Quotes, and Anecdotes runs every Monday.
Song Yadong dominated Ricky Simón on Saturday, ending their UFC Fight Night bantamweight bout with a fifth-round TKO finish.
The victory broke Simón’s five-fight winning streak, and Yadong ended the bout in emphatic manner with a picturesque left hook. Amid the excitement of his post-fight interview in the Octagon, Yadong called out Sean O’Malley and Chito Vera for a fight. But he forgot the one fight he really wanted.
“I forgot to say Petr Yan,” says Yadong (20-7-1, 1 NC). “He is a great fighter, and I want to fight him.
With most of the first-round NHL playoff matchups concluded, it’s time to look at the updated odds for which team will win the Stanley Cup and how the odds changed from when the playoffs first started.
Despite jumping out to a 3-1 lead, the Bruins dropped four consecutive games to the Panthers and were eliminated in Round 1. Boston was the prohibitive favorite to win the Cup entering the playoffs at +300, the Avalanche were the next closest team with odds of +625 and they were also eliminated in the first round.
The Steelers nailed their draft, the Patriots made a head-scratcher of a pick and 3 playoff teams fumbled a golden opportunity to improve.
Steph Curry delivered the greatest speech of his career before the Warriors’ film session Saturday and ahead of Game 7 against the Sacramento Kings.
The Suns entered Game 1 of their series with the Nuggets with the best offensive efficiency of any team in the first round of the playoffs. They left Game 1 with a resounding 125–107 loss and their worst offensive performance of the postseason so far. Denver, not exactly known for its defensive prowess, was able to limit the output of a team featuring three generational offensive talents. The Suns helped their opponent’s cause, though, because for some reason, a team stacked with great shooters isn’t shooting any threes.
Okay, Phoenix is shooting some threes.