Jalen Ramsey without his helmet on. Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jalen Ramsey responded via Twitter Friday to some trade rumors involving him.
The Los Angeles Rams cornerback has a $25.2 million salary cap hit in 2023, which is a high number. Ramsey might be considered a luxury for a 5-12 team, and it’s possible the Rams might find better value by trading him.
In fact, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported Friday that not only have the Rams had trade talks about Ramsey, but also that it is likely that the cornerback is traded.
The #Rams have had trade talks about six-time Pro Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey and league sources now believe it’s very likely Ramsey is dealt in coming weeks.
Ramsey, 28, is due $17 million in 2023 on a front-loaded deal that averages $20M and L.A. is clearing cap space. pic.twitter.com/vTYlX7nn5B
“The ‘story’ sounds better than the truth sometimes I’ll admit that… I live in the truth tho (sic). God is so great! I am blessed & highly favored!” Ramsey wrote.
He then mentioned how the trade report interrupted his pleasant lunch in Malibu, Calif.
Lol I was just at Nobu in Malibu enjoying my lunch then phone wanna start buzzing 😂
Ramsey had 88 tackles and 4 interceptions last season. He has made six straight Pro Bowls. While the Rams are clearing salary by getting rid of Bobby Wagner and possibly him, another team will likely find Ramsey to be highly desirable. He may be making a lot of money, but a team in need of a shutdown cornerback would probably love to have him.
Aug 14, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Cleveland Indians during the third inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Red Sox might have still had Xander Bogaerts on their team if they had approached contract negotiations a little differently.
Appearing this week on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, the new San Diego Padres shortstop Bogaerts revealed that a lousy contract offer from the Red Sox set the stage for him leaving them in free agency this offseason.
“I remember in spring training, [agent] Scott [Boras] approached me about an extension offer and I was like ‘Alright, let’s see what’s going on,'” said Bogaerts. “When he came back with the offer it was like, ‘Oh s–t, this is pretty rough.’ It was a little disappointing, to be honest.
“That kind of set the stage [for me leaving],” the four-time All-Star went on. “I was looking forward to seeing what they would offer, and once that offer came out, it was [very] surprising. They probably had another vision for the team. Maybe they didn’t expect for me to get what I got in the end. Maybe they valued me a little different. Free agency is a whole different ballgame.”
Bogaerts, who had been with the Red Sox for his entire ten-season career to that point, did also say that Boston made him an improved contract offer in the winter. However, Bogaerts says it was only a “little” improvement over the previous one. Bogaerts would wind up signing with the Padres on an 11-year deal worth massive money.
The Red Sox haven’t been total tightwads this offseason, signing All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers to a big $331 million extension. But they are not spending nearly as much as a big-market team that wants to contend should be, and even their fans are expressing serious displeasure.
Oct 18, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin (3) during a press conference before game one of the NLCS of the 2022 MLB Playoffs against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
A journeyman reliever may be getting a lifeline from the San Diego area.
According to a report by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, right-hander Ken Giles threw a bullpen Friday for the Padres at their Peoria complex. Heyman adds that Giles, 32, will continue throwing bullpens on every Tuesday and Friday until he is signed.
Giles, who won a World Series in 2017 with the Houston Astros and had some infamous moments over his career, is attempting an MLB comeback. He threw just 4.1 innings last season for the Seattle Mariners in what was his only MLB action of the year.
The Padres did a lot this winter but not much of it had to do with the bullpen (especially since newcomer Seth Lugo is expected to start for them). Earlier this month, the Padres also entertained another prominent comeback bid.
Gervonta Davis looks on. Photo Credit: Matthew Heasley/Mayweather Promotions
Gervonta Davis made headlines for a major announcement on Friday, but he also made headlines for a different reason.
Davis and Ryan Garcia finalized a deal to fight on April 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The heavily-anticipated fight will bring together two undefeated boxers at a catchweight.
According to TMZ Sports, the alleged victim, Arturo Jimenez, claims Davis punched him in the chest during a heated altercation at a parking garage in New York City. Davis allegedly asked the parking attendant for the keys to the boxer’s car. Davis had already asked another attendant to get the car, which Jimenez did not know. Davis apparently grew upset and punched Jimenez in the chest. Jimenez’s coworker took Jimenez into their office to keep him safe from Davis, who allegedly was shouting and cursing at them.
Davis allegedly refused to pay his parking fee but eventually relented.
In his lawsuit, Jimenez says he suffered injuries as a result of the incident. He reported the incident to the New York Police Department the following day.
In addition to this matter, Davis has other pending legal issues.
Additionally, in February 2020, Davis was captured on video getting physical with his baby mama Andretta Smothers at a celebrity basketball event in Miami.
Apr 6, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder watches his team play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Quin Snyder’s patience appears to have paid off (literally and figuratively).
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Friday that Snyder is nearing a deal to become the new head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. Charania adds that Snyder will be getting a “significant” contract expected to be in the range of $8 million per year.
Details of NBA head coach contracts are not readily available to the public. But a report by Sportico in late 2021 named the highest-paid coaches in the league. At that time, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich (making $11.5 million per year), Golden State’s Steve Kerr ($9 million), Miami’s Erik Spoelstra ($8.5 million), and Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers ($8.5 million) led the field. Toronto’s Nick Nurse and Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer were also amongst the coaches making over $8 million.
But all of those aforementioned head coaches have won NBA titles. Snyder has not yet done that but will be getting paid as if he has. The 56-year-old has other deserving qualities though with nearly a decade of head coaching experience under his belt along with a winning percentage of .623 over his previous five seasons with the Utah Jazz.
Snyder, an assistant for the Hawks in the 2013-14 season, was the candidate that Atlanta wanted all along (moving to hire him just days after firing Nate McMillan) But with a sub-.500 record (29-30) and some big egos to manage as well, the job might not be an easy one for Snyder.
Apr 8, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony (7) warms up before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Just when you thought that you had seen the last of him, Carmelo Anthony may be sprinting out of the tunnel with a folding chair.
In a mailbag piece this week, NBA insider Ian Begley of SportsNet New York said that he would not be surprised if the Phoenix Suns considered Anthony for a roster spot, calling it “something to keep an eye on.” Begley notes that new Suns forward Kevin Durant, during at least one point of his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets, saw Anthony as a great roster addition.
The 38-year-old Anthony, a ten-time NBA All-Star, has gone unsigned to this point of the NBA season. He won Olympic gold with Durant and Chris Paul at the 2012 London Games and was also coached by Monty Williams, then an assistant for Team USA, at the 2016 Rio Games. But Anthony was already pretty cooked last season with the LA Lakers (averaging 13.3 points per game on low efficiency) and let his ego get the better of him at times.
Nevertheless, the Suns are desperate for help right now after selling their souls (or perhaps more accurately, their roster depth) to acquire Durant. On top of Anthony, they were just linked to another over-the-hill former star.
Nov 15, 2020; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Paulina Gretzky watches on from the 15 green during the final round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National GC. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Paulina Gretzky drew some attention this week with some photos she shared on Instagram.
Gretzky, the wife of golfer Dustin Johnson, shared some photos of herself in a bikini. In one photo, an apparent tattoo she has on her rear end was visible.
Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA Today Sports
Trae Young is answering the question that many people have now that he is about to play for his third head coach in five career seasons.
The Atlanta Hawks star Young spoke with reporters Friday and reacted to the firing of Hawks head coach Nate McMillan. Young called the decision “surprising” and said that he had “nothing but love and respect for Nate.”
Additionally, Young responded to being labeled as a supposed “coach killer.”
“People are gonna say what they got to say,” he said of the label, per Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I mean, a lot of players have played for a lot of coaches. So, I don’t look at it like that. I’m not looking at the next coach that comes in here or whatever.
“I’m just trying to, I’m trying to win championships,” Young continued. “So, whatever it is, I’m just trying to win. So that’s all I care about.”
For the 24-year-old Young, a 2022 All-NBA selection and multi-time All-Star who already led the team to a conference finals berth, the Hawks will likely continue to go as he goes. But perhaps the veteran coach Atlanta is reportedly trying to hire will be able to command more respect from him.
The NCAA has been notoriously hands-off when it comes to penalties for name, image and likeness rules, but they finally handed out a punishment on Friday for one situation.
The University of Miami was punished by the NCAA over impermissible benefits provided to Haley and Hanna Cavinder prior to their commitment to play for the school’s women’s basketball team. The school and NCAA had previously agreed to have Hurricanes coach Katie Meier sit out the first three games of the season. But the NCAA added more penalties to the school, while neither the Cavinder Twins nor booster John Ruiz were punished.
The punishments stemmed from an impermissible meeting and impermissible meal the Cavinder Twins had with Ruiz at the Miami booster’s home. The NCAA learned of the meeting and meal via a tweet shared by Ruiz in April 2022.
NEWS: In its first NIL infractions ruling, NCAA sanctions Miami WBB for violations in the recruitment of Haley & Hanna Cavinder.
As recruits, Cavinders dined at booster John Ruiz’s home. Ruiz’s tweet that night drew NCAA attention
– A one-year probation, which could result in more severe sanctions if the program violates rules during that time.
– A $5,000 fine plus 1% of the women’s basketball budget.
– A 7% reduction in the number of official visits during the 2022–23 academic year.
– A reduction of nine recruiting days in 2022–23.
– A three-week probation on recruiting communications by staff members starting with the opening of the transfer portal on March 13.
The Cavinder Twins have a massive following on social media and were long identified as being poised to cash in under NIL rules. Meanwhile, Ruiz has become well known for establishing one of the most prominent NIL collectives in the country. He is said to be bankrolling a multimillion dollar operation that has helped fund and recruit talent to Miami’s various athletic teams.
The Hurricanes’ women’s basketball team is 17-11 this season. Haley is the team’s leading scorer at 12.8 points per game. Hanna is a role player averaging 3.8 points per game.
Apr 16, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) before game one of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The man known as “Troel Embiid” appeared to have taken the night off on Thursday.
The Philadelphia 76ers got a quality win coming out of the All-Star break against the Memphis Grizzlies, erasing a 17-point deficit to win 110-105. The evening was not without its fireworks though as 76ers guard James Harden and Grizzlies counterpart Dillon Brooks had a heated exchange just minutes into the game.
Then in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Brooks got into it with 76ers center Joel Embiid after a scrum for the ball involving their teammates.
The Joel Embiid that we know never wastes an opportunity to throw shade at opponents. As recently as last month, Embiid was warring in the media with rival players. But this time around, Embiid didn’t give Brooks a single ounce of energy, even if the chance to roast him was served up on a platter.
It is possible that Embiid doesn’t really think enough of Brooks, a B-list role player, to start legitimate beef with him. Embiid may also be familiar with Brooks’ bit as an agitator (and one who is best dealt with by being ignored).
