May 9, 2021; Walnut, CA, USA; Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) celebrates after winning women’s 100m heat in 10.74 during the USATF Golden Games at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sha’Carri Richardson looked to bounce back this week after losing her berth in the Olympics last year, but that’s not what happened.
In a moment that left the athletic world in utter shock, Richardson failed to advance in the women’s 100 meter at the U.S. Track and Field Championships on Thursday. She finished with a time of just 11.31, which was well short of her finish earlier this month in New York (10.85).
Following the race, the 22-year-old Richardson wasn’t interested in speaking with the media. She rushed past a group of reporters without even acknowledging they were there, according to the New York Post.
While some may view that as a bad look, Richardson was undoubtedly dealing with an intense level of personal frustration. She’s a far better athlete and runner than she displayed on Thursday, and she likely just needed a few moments to herself.
The good news for Richardson is that she can still quality for worlds by finishing top three in the women’s 200 meters on Saturday, which she had won in New York with a time of 22.38.
Oct 11, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
As the Brooklyn Nets continue to battle it out with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant has apparently begun to consider his own future.
Whether or not Durant eventually becomes available remains to be seen, but several NBA teams are reportedly preparing in the event he does. And that’s a significant development.
“I can tell you this,” Zach Lowe said during The Lowe Post podcast this week (26:46 mark). “This is what teams are doing. Teams are already operating under the… not the assumption, but we need to prepare for the contingency Kevin Durant is available via trade in six days, or seven days.”
Durant signed a contract extension with the Nets in 2021 and has four years remaining on that deal. However, there are some who believe his future with the team is tied directly to Irving’s.
“There are teams rooting for Irving to opt-out and walk away from the Nets, believing it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire Durant,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said this week. “As much as Durant asking out hangs over the Nets, there’s also the reality that four years on his contract will mean he has little, if any, voice on when or where he would be traded. This would be a small-market team’s dream, robbing a goliath of an MVP-level talent whose contractual circumstances would leave him little choice but to play for them.”
And for that reason, Lowe believes every single NBA team should prepare a “what-if” trade proposal for Durant.
“Every team in the league has to at least have a meeting about what we should offer for Kevin Durant,” said Lowe.
As Wojnarowski alludes, Durant will have little say over where he goes should a trade market develop, but expect several teams to be hot on his trail.
H/T: Grant Shirley
As Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez readied himself in the on-deck circle prior to a third inning at-bat on Friday, a fan seated nearby began giving him the business.
“Nothing bad,” Baez told The Detroit News of what the fan was saying. “Just talking good trash.”
As good as the trash talk may have been, it wasn’t nearly as good as Baez’s response.
With the bases loaded and a 1-2 count, Baez connected on a hanging curveball and sent it 459 feet over the left-center wall. And the very moment the ball left his bat at 111 MPH, Baez made sure that trash-talking fan knew all about it.
“He was just talking good trash,” Baez said. “I turned back and they were just laughing. It was competition stuff. As soon as I hit that ball, the first thing that came to my mind was all this other stuff that he was saying. It was very fun.”
Given some of the negative interactions we’ve seen between sports fans and athletes in recent years, this is a breath of fresh air. Baez and the fans were just having a little bit of fun — Baez more so than the fans in the end.
Jun 14, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) runs a play during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The future of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson remains very much uncertain. And the same can be said for his fellow quarterback, Baker Mayfield.
That leaves the Browns in an unexpected position. They were certain their quarterback woes would come to an end with the acquisition of Watson, but it’s only ended up muddying the waters further. And as the NFL deliberates on a potential suspension for Watson, Cleveland is busy creating contingency plans.
Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports that the Browns will plug Jacoby Brissett in as their starter should Watson be suspended.
Brissett has emerged as the fallback option due to the team’s deteriorated relationship with Mayfield, who skipped minicamp and openly wants to be moved.
“I have no regrets of my time in Cleveland, of what I tried to give to that place,” Mayfield told the “Ya Never Know” podcast in April. “The respect thing is all going to be a personal opinion. I feel disrespected, 100%. I was told one thing, and they completely did another.
“That’s what I’m in the middle of right now. And you know what, I got my taste of it because I’ve had four different head coaches in four years. 2021 was miserable — bunch of different coordinators. I’m just looking for stabilization right now.”
The 29-year-old Brissett was a third-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2016 NFL draft. He was traded to the Colts in 2017 and spent four seasons in Indianapolis before donning a Miami Dolphins uniform last year.
In 60 career games (37 starts), Brissett has completed 60.2% of his passes for 7,742 yards, 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He’s also rushed the ball 178 times for 653 yards and 13 additional touchdowns.
Apr 12, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first base coach Quintin Berry (23) looks too the stands during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Quintin Berry was coaching in style on Friday night.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ first base coach was caught on camera sporting some “legit” kicks during Friday’s 9-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Milwaukee.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the broadcast panned to Berry’s feet and showed the flashy shoes he was wearing. The shoes were gold with white soles that had blue lights that lit up.
This wasn’t the first time we’ve seen a creative pair of baseball footwear this season.
Berry has been a coach in the Brewers organization since 2018, and was named the team’s first base coach prior to the 2021 season. He played parts of five MLB seasons with the Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers. In 132 career games, Berry hit .262 with 80 hits, including three home runs and 33 RBI. He had 29 stolen bases.
May 12, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Tommy Pham (28) looks on at the batting cage before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Tommy Pham’s Cincinnati Reds teammates apparently aren’t letting the fantasy football feud between Pham and San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson go.
Earlier in June, some Giants players wore T-shirts with the message “Stashing players on the IR isn’t cheating” in support of Pederson. Pham had slapped Pederson in May over accusations that Pederson cheated in their fantasy football league (video here).
The Reds visited the Giants for a three-game series beginning on Friday, which is the first time the two teams have faced each other since the incident. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale shared a photo prior to Friday’s game via social media that showed Reds players wearing shirts with “Pham!” on them. According to Nightengale, a good number of Reds pitchers were wearing them.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area shared a photo of multiple Reds pitchers wearing “Pham!” shirts.
The writing style of the “Pham!” was similar to how “pow!” typically looks in cartoon writing, making it very fitting to describe the slap incident.
One of the crazier stories of the 2022 MLB season so far is not going to die out easily.
Pham accused Pederson of picking up a player after stashing a different player on the injured list when that different player was listed as out. ESPN’s fantasy football rules allowed Pederson to do this, but Pham said that their specific league had a rule against that practice.
Both teams have seemingly not forgotten the May dust up, especially based on recent comments from Pham about Pederson. It will be interesting to see if things escalate between both sides this weekend.
Feb 9, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara watches a game between the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara appears to be miffed at a Thursday report containing details of his expected suspension for the 2022 season.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Thursday that Kamara will likely face a six-game suspension for an incident in Las Vegas during the Pro Bowl weekend. Kamara was accused of punching a man at a Las Vegas nightclub. While charges are pending, it’s expected that Kamara will have to miss time once criminal proceedings conclude.
Kamara responded to Florio Thursday via Twitter shortly after the report came out. The running back posed a likely sarcastic question for the NFL reporter.
“@ProFootballTalk can you tell us when Jesus gon return to earth?” Kamara wrote.
The 26-year-old has a hearing scheduled for early August. The NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy contains a six-game minimum suspension in the event of a felony battery, which is the charge that Kamara is facing.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report of the incident, Kamara allegedly punched an unconscious victim while the victim was lying on the ground. Kamara and three other men were also accused of stomping on the victim dozens of times, leading to an orbital fracture on the face of the victim.
If Kamara is indeed suspended for six games, the Saints will have to rely heavily on veteran Mark Ingram II and second-year back Tony Jones Jr. The team worked out veteran running back David Johnson during minicamp, but did not sign him to a contract.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
DirecTV will no longer have the rights to the NFL’s Sunday Ticket after the 2022 season, and three streaming services have reportedly already made bids for the rights.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Apple was the favorite to land Sunday Ticket after the upcoming season. But Apple has some competition.
According to Alex Sherman and Jessica Golden of CNBC.com in an article published Friday, both Disney and Amazon submitted bids along with Apple weeks ago to become the new Sunday Ticket broadcast rights holder. It is now just a waiting game to see which bid wins out. The NFL reportedly is not in a rush to make a decision as DirecTV has the rights to the package for one more season.
The NFL reportedly wants bidders to pay over $2 billion for rights and a stake in NFL Media that will be packaged with Sunday Ticket. This has likely delayed the process of selecting a winning bid. According to Sherman and Golden, the NFL’s mobile rights could also be a part of the deal after the NFL’s agreement with Verizon has ended.
DirecTV currently pays $1.5 billion annually for the package. The NFL originally wanted to double that amount in the new deal, but the likelihood of that happening might be unrealstic; Sunday Ticket has reportedly lost DirecTV money historically.
H/T Pro Football Talk
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA Today Sports
Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees settled on a contract Friday for the 2022 season, and it’s safe to say that manager Aaron Boone is relieved.
Judge will reportedly receive $19 million from the Yankees, with the potential for bonuses of $250,000 if he is named American League MVP and wins World Series MVP.
With the settlement, Judge and the Yankees avoided their arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Friday. Boone spoke to reporters prior to Friday’s game against the Houston Astros about his reaction to hearing the news.
“Getting that news today, I was excited about it,” Boone said. “Excited that that’s behind us and [to] leave that portion of the show alone.”
https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1540425284771581961
Judge is in his final season under team control before becoming a free agent. He was set to go to arbitration on Friday to determine his 2022 salary after he and the Yankees could not reach an agreement prior to the season. Judge sought $21 million for 2022, while the Yankees countered at $17 million. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Judge initially did not want to settle at $19 million and instead sought to win his arbitration case to receive the $21 million. He finally changed his mind.
Arbitration cases are typically settled during the offseason, but some hearings have been delayed into the season due to the lockout over the offseason. Judge has been paid a prorated amount this season based off the Yankees’ $17 million figure submitted in arbitration, according to Olney.
The $19 million that the Yankees will pay Judge for this season is a bargain based on his performance so far. The 30-year-old is playing like an AL MVP candidate, entering Friday hitting .304 with 27 home runs, 53 RBI and a 1.037 OPS. He’s also scored 58 runs, which leads all of MLB.
While Judge and the Yankees were reportedly far apart on a potential contract extension earlier this season, perhaps both sides’ willingness to settle before Friday’s hearing is a good sign that they’ll be able to work out a long-term deal at some point.
Feb 10, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Edgerrin James appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors awards presentation at YouTube Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Arch Manning announced his commitment Thursday to play at the University of Texas, and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James believes that both Manning and James’ son, Eden, will play together in the NFL.
Eden James, a three-star recruit according to 247 Sports, committed to Howard University last fall. The elder James told TMZ Sports in an article published Friday that his son and Manning have the potential to be the next great Manning-James duo.
“I’m calling it right now,” Edgerrin James said. “They’re both going to be in the NFL together. The next wave — 2.0!
“When I saw Arch Manning coming out in 2023, I have my son that’s at Howard, so I said it’s going to be a reconnection in the future,” Edgerrin James said. “You’re going to see my son — you’re going to see James-Manning connection.”
Manning is the No. 1 overall prospect for the 2023 class. According to 247 Sports, Eden James was believed to be the highest-ranked player in modern history to sign with Howard.
Version 1.0 of the Manning-James connection worked out pretty well while the two played for the Indianapolis Colts from 1999-2005. Edgerrin James made four Pro Bowls over that span, and ran the ball 2,188 times for 9,226 yards and 64 touchdowns. Peyton Manning threw for 33,189 yards and 244 touchdowns, and won back-to-back NFL MVPs in 2003 and 2004. The Colts made the playoffs six of their seven seasons together.
Eden James and Arch Manning would likely be in the NFL by 2025 or 2026. But Peyton Manning, Arch’s uncle, has some more reasonable expectations for the future Longhorn.
H/T USA TODAY
