Twitter had a field day after a FOX Sports graphical error went viral during Game 2 of the ALDS on Friday.
Like most baseball broadcasts these days, FOX displays the projected distance and exit velocity when a player rounds the bases after hitting a home run. It was no different when Boston’s Kiké Hernandez hit a game-tying shot in the top of the fifth.
There was just one problem: instead of filling in Hernandez’s name, FOX accidentally popped the numbers up with some placeholder text.
Naturally, most viewers noticed such a glaringly obvious graphical error, and there were jokes.
FOX did introduce a new scorebug for the playoffs, but this is just an accident that has nothing to do with the display. This will happen from time to time. On the bright side, it’s nowhere near as bad as this screwed-up graphic, so it absolutely could be worse.
The Dallas Mavericks unveiled a cool new court design on Friday, and it included a surprising and hilarious nod to a superfan.
The new court apron at American Airlines Arena features the names of everyone who has played for the Mavericks in the history of the franchise. Some are bigger than others, but the team says everyone who suited up is represented somewhere.
Eagle-eyed observers would also note the presence of one curious name right on the edge of the apron: that of Mavericks superfan and courtside presence Tony Romo.
Apparently, Romo wasn’t counted as one of the former Mavs, but was simply slipped in for fun by the designers.
To be fair, there’s a reason Romo could be there. The team did honor him back in 2017 and essentially treated him like a member of the roster during their home finale. He didn’t get to play, but he did warm up.
Romo’s presence at Mavericks games was usually in the stands, though he had a habit of getting quite involved. There are sillier things than sneaking his name into the court design.
Feb 1, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Brooklyn Nets are trying to figure out what to do with Kyrie Irving given limitations related to his vaccination status.
Irving will be unable to participate in home games for the Nets due to vaccine rules in New York City. The team is unsure what will happen with him, although they received good news regarding his practice availability.
The Nets could consider trading Irving, but that could present some serious issues. Not only would a different team face challenges related to Irving’s vaccination status, but the guard might not even want to play elsewhere.
Marc Stein addressed in his Substack account on Friday the idea of an Irving for Ben Simmons trade. He said one of the impediments for a deal is that many around the league think Irving might retire if traded.
This notion is nothing new. There was a report in September saying Irving would retire if traded. That report circulated before there were multiple rumors about a potential Irving trade.
There is another potential hurdle to an Irving trade: many teams wouldn’t even want him. Despite being an All-Star talent, Irving is an unpredictable headcase.
Twitter is a haven for takes that do not age well, as the Boston Red Sox found out Friday.
The lost the series opener of the ALDS, but jumped on the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning of Game 2. Powered by RBI singles by Xander Bogaerts and Alex Verdugo, Boston moved out to a 2-0 lead. On Twitter, the Red Sox riled up fans a bit by sending a message of excitement about the inning.
That didn’t last long. In the bottom of the inning, Red Sox ace Chris Sale allowed five runs, punctuated by a grand slam by Tampa Bay’s Jordan Luplow. The Rays did not miss the chance to get the Red Sox back on Twitter, either.
Such is the risk you run when you do a bit of Twitter revelry. That’s especially true when it comes to the Rays, who aren’t shy about using their account for trolling purposes.
The Brooklyn Nets will not have Kyrie Irving available for home games as things stand, but the guard will at least be able to practice with the team.
A New York City official told Shams Charania of The Athletic that Irving will be allowed to practice despite his status as an unvaccinated player. The city is classifying the HSS Training Center, the team’s practice facility, as a private office building. That means Irving can practice there despite the city’s requirement that professional athletes must have proof of vaccination to practice or play in a public building.
The Nets’ home arena, Barclays Center, is considered a public building. That means there is no change to the fact that Irving will not be able to play in Nets home games as long as he remains unvaccinated.
Irving did not practice with the Nets earlier in the week due to the lack of clarity over the guidelines. That will no longer be an issue going forward.
Irving’s status is still proving to be a major headache for the Nets. They’ll be pleased he can practice, but the lack of availability for home games will still be a significant issue as things stand.
Russell Wilson is reportedly in danger of missing the bulk of the 2021 season due to his finger injury.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Seahawks fear Wilson will miss at least a month and possibly two months after rupturing a tendon in his middle finger. The injury will likely require surgery.
Wilson suffered the injury Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams, when his fingers hit Aaron Donald’s arm while following through on a throw (video here). The severity of the injury was unclear at the time, but Geno Smith replaced Wilson for the remainder of the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks are just 2-3 so far this season and have struggled on defense. Wilson kept them in games, but now they won’t have him either. It also means Wilson’s impressive streak of 149 consecutive starts is going to come to an end.
MLB Network analyst Jim Kaat apologized on Friday for a poorly phrased compliment towards a player.
Kaat was one of the commentators during MLB Network’s telecast of Game 2 of the ALDS between the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox.
Moncada was up at the plate in the top of the first, and both Kaat and Buck Showalter were raving about him.
Showalter said the first time he saw Moncada, he said, “I said, ‘can we have one of those? That’s what [stars] look like … strong, play a lot of positions, switch hitter …”
Kaat agreed and seemed to say he wanted a team-full of Moncadas. However, his phrasing was poor.
“Give me a 40-acre field full of ’em,” Kaat said.
Here is the audio:
In the top of the fifth inning, Kaat apologized for saying 40 acres.
“Earlier in the game when Yoan Moncada was at the plate, in an attempt to compliment the great player that he is, I used a poor choice of words that resulted in an insensitive and hurtful remark, and I’m sorry for that,” Kaat said.
The term “40 acres” is associated with “40 acres and a mule,” which is part of Special Field Orders No. 15, a wartime order during the Civil War. Many freed slaves believed the new rules entitled them to own land no greater than 40 acres, and to have a mule.
Kaat mentioning a 40-acre field full of Moncadas led some to think he was making a slavery reference.
Kaat, 82, pitched 25 seasons in MLB and made three All-Star teams. He has called games for MLB Network since 2018.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo has taken big steps forward this season, but he’s eyeing something even more ambitious for 2022.
Verdugo and manager Alex Cora both said Friday that Verdugo wants to become a two-way player. Verdugo pitched in high school and said he intends to give it a shot, but Cora sounded pretty firmly against it.
This is pretty ambitious, especially from someone like Verdugo. He has yet to really establish himself as a middle-of-the-order hitter for the Red Sox. As long as that remains the case, they’d probably prefer he focus on that instead of pitching. While valuable, he’s not likely to become Shohei Ohtani at any point when you consider Ohtani’s remarkable exploits.
Verdugo hit .289 with 13 home runs this season, and the 25-year-old still has room to grow. His ambition is admirable, but it’s obvious why the Red Sox aren’t really going to be supportive.
Ben Simmons has gotten the whole city of Philadelphia to turn on him … except for at least one celebrity 76ers fan.
Famous comedian Kevin Hart guested this week on SHOWTIME’s “All the Smoke” podcast. During the episode, Hart gave thoughts on the Simmons situation and surprisingly defended the disgruntled Sixers star.
“I’ll say this on record,” said Hart. “Ben Simmons is a f—ing star. Philadelphia, man, we’re a different city. Look, you gotta let players play like they play. Like, he got there by playing how he plays. Now granted, this is a three-shooting time in the NBA. That ain’t Ben! Now because of the media and how they position things, well somehow we forgot about all the good that he did. Wasn’t he an All-Star? Wasn’t he All-Defensive Team?
“You get to this stage in the playoffs where the lights are on, I understand it,” added Hart. “People don’t want nothing but results, and those results should come in a win. But I’m telling you guys. As a point guard, that man stands 6-foot-10. As a 6-foot-10 point guard, if you’re telling me that’s not a valuable asset, then I don’t know basketball. I know him. I think he’s young. He’s a great dude. He’s got a great f—ing future and a great career ahead of him. For him, this is nothing but a time to bear down and each year show progression. But I don’t like that in this time today, we forget so fast.”
Hart is a Philadelphia native who often sits courtside at Sixers games. As such, he has been there to witness Simmons’ progression since Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Hart also brings up a good point in that Simmons, despite all the criticism, has now made three straight All-Star teams and two straight All-Defensive First Teams.
Granted, the local ire for Simmons may be rooted more in his trade request and subsequent holdout than anything. We know plenty of Philadelphians who are not quite as understanding about the Simmons situation as Hart is.
The New York Giants are struggling going into their matchup with the Dallas Cowboys this week. Still, they don’t want to feel disrespected despite that start.
That may be what they’re seeing from comments FOX analyst Troy Aikman made about them this week. In a radio interview with 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas, Aikman said the Giants are “not in Dallas’ class,” though he did add that anyone can beat anyone in the NFL.
A source told Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News that Giants players were well aware of the comment. Coach Joe Judge seemed to know about it too, though he wasn’t quite taking the bait.
“We don’t even have a bulletin board in there to be honest with ya,” Judge said. “It’s screens and magnets. We’re in the future now, so. These guys are all active on Twitter and all types of junk, so I’m sure they see stuff.”
Judge added that the Giants shouldn’t need any “external motivation” to come in and win a division game, either.
There’s nothing terribly controversial about Aikman’s comments. The Giants are 1-3, while the Cowboys come in 3-1 and leading the NFC East. That said, there are athletes that have used far less than this as bulletin board material. If it helps the Giants, they might as well do it too.
