The Boston Red Sox have created a new tradition this season, breaking out a laundry cart for a celebratory ride in the dugout after a home run. The tradition has gained enough fans that a member of the team’s past wanted in on it Friday.
The Red Sox honored longtime second baseman Dustin Pedroia in a pregame ceremony Friday night at Fenway Park. At one point, Pedroia told Red Sox manager Alex Cora that he wanted to ride in the cart. As a video posted by the Red Sox shows, the team was happy to oblige once Cora let them know.
If guys who have won World Series titles for you in the past approve of your new tradition, you must be doing something right.
One thing is certain: the Red Sox know how to party. Of course they would be the ones to utilize a laundry cart like this.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free throw routine has come under the microscope during the postseason, with the Atlanta Hawks trying very hard to take advantage of it.
Hawks coach Nate McMillan was making his message clear before Friday’s Game 2, putting some external pressure on referees to be strict about calling ten-second violations against the Milwaukee Bucks star.
Ten-second violations at the free throw line typically aren’t enforced that strictly, but the frequency with which Antetokounmpo blows past the limit has led to some griping. It’s been called on him before, and the Hawks made clear that they want it called again.
It seems like some opponents are fed up with Giannis’ lengthy free throw routine, too. The Bucks star has refused to make any significant adjustments, but he would probably have to if the rule was enforced strictly like the Hawks want.
Chauncey Billups is a top candidate for head coach jobs this cycle, and it sounds like he has a gig if he wants it.
The Portland Trail Blazers are locked in on Billups for their head coach job, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Sam Amick. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says Billups is the favorite for the job.
Billups, 44, played in the NBA from 1997-2014. He became a TV analyst after that and has been briefly involved in coaching. He is in his first year as an assistant coach under Ty Lue on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Portland is looking for a new coach after parting ways with Terry Stotts, who coached the team the last nine seasons. Star player Damian Lillard had his first choice for coach, but that is not panning out. Instead it looks like the job will be Billups’ after the Clippers’ season ends.
The Clippers are currently in the Western Conference finals.
Damian Lillard seemed to respond on Twitter this week to the suggestion of him playing for the Utah Jazz.
Lillard is about to begin a four-year, $176 million contract extension with Portland. But the Blazers are undergoing some changes, including getting rid of coach Terry Stotts. There is some thought that Lillard might want out of Portland, though he has remained staunchly committed to the team in the past.
One fan tried to recruit Lillard by sharing a Photoshop picture of the guard in a Utah Jazz jersey. Lillard responded by saying the photo was “horrible.”
It’s possible that Lillard could have just been saying the photo itself was poorly done. But it seems like he was saying the idea of him playing for the Jazz also didn’t sit well with him.
During an era when players are often demanding their way out of small-market teams to join superteams, Lillard has stuck with Portland. He has spoken out against them. It would probably take some severe circumstances for him to demand his way out.
Fernando Tatis Jr. had an interesting reason for deciding not to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby.
The San Diego Padres star said Friday he would not participate in the event, citing his health as the main reason. There was also a secondary consideration: Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also opted against taking part, and Tatis had wanted to compete against him.
There’s a bit of a domino effect working here. If one or two stars pass on the Home Run Derby, it gives other top players cover to do the same. Then there are those who have already done it, won it, and don’t feel any real incentive to participate again.
MLB will have at least some star power in this year’s derby, but it’s looking increasingly likely that one player will be the main attraction more than anyone else.
Shohei Ohtani hit an absolutely monstrous home run to lead off Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon decided to bat Ohtani in the leadoff spot against the Rays. The move paid off immediately as Ohtani destroyed the third pitch he saw to deep right field. The ball went to the cat walk at the Trop.
Ohtani’s home run was measured at 453 feet and had an exit velocity of 116.1 mph.
Ohtani’s first career leadoff home run traveled quite a distance. That was his 24th home run of the season.
While Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars have been careful to manage expectations around Trevor Lawrence, the head coach let something slip about his rookie quarterback that should have fans excited.
Meyer said in an interview with USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon that Lawrence isn’t ready to start in the NFL yet, but let slip that the quarterback is picking things up faster than expected during minicamp and OTAs.
“He’s not ready yet, but he doesn’t have to be ready yet,” Meyer said when asked about the chances of Lawrence starting in Week 1. “We’ve got a long training camp coming up. He’s probably advanced maybe a little quicker than we would have thought, which was a positive.
“We started installing the playbook with him well before the draft, so you can see the retention. He’s got really good work ethic and he’s progressed really well.”
Lawrence hasn’t been able to consistently practice during camp due to a nagging injury, but that hasn’t stopped him from studying the playbook and learning how to execute. It sounds like the No. 1 pick is exactly as advertised so far. That’s what the Jaguars would have been hoping for, and while Meyer won’t name him the starter yet, it would be a surprise to see anyone else out there in Week 1.
Devin Booker said on Tuesday that he did not have a broken nose, but that is incorrect.
Booker collided with Patrick Beverley at the end of Game 2 of the Western Conference finals between his Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers. Booker said after the game that he got stitches but doctors said his nose was not broken.
Booker since changed his tune.
Booker actually had his nose broken in three places. There was no time for him to get anesthesia before having his nose reset, so he got eight shots of a numbing agent instead.
That probably was a slight bit painful. Booker’s toughness probably should not be called into question after this.
The Suns guard tried to play with a mask on in Game 3 but was not his usual self and struggled with his shot. Game 4 of the series will be on Saturday.
It’s safe to say veteran offensive lineman David DeCastro is not happy with how he was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
DeCastro, a starter for the Steelers his entire career, was released Thursday by the team with a non-football injury designation and immediately replaced by free agent signing Trai Turner. The reasons appeared purely financial, as the Steelers were able to open up an extra $5.75 million in cap space by swapping DeCastro out for Turner. The non-football injury designation also means DeCastro will not be paid much of what he was owed as he entered the final season of his current deal, which carried a $14.2 million cap hit.
DeCastro knows this was about money. On Friday, he took a clear shot at the organization for the non-football injury designation on the release.
The NFL can be a ruthless place. DeCastro was a two-time All-Pro and one of the team’s longest-tenured players, but when health and finances come into play, anything can happen.
One interesting thing will be how Ben Roethlisberger reacts to this. After losing another offensive lineman he was very close with at the end of last season, he can’t be happy to see DeCastro phased out like this.
There’s at least one big fan of the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to hire Jason Kidd as head coach: LeBron James.
James reacted to Kidd’s hire as Mavericks coach on social media, saying he was happy for the Los Angeles Lakers assistant but was also unhappy about losing him as a staff member.
Kidd has been a head coach with the Nets and Bucks before, but he clashed with key figures in both jobs, which helped lead to his firing. He has really bolstered his reputation with the Lakers as an assistant, and has been linked to almost every major coaching job that has come available this offseason.
It remains to be seen if some of the issues Kidd had in his previous jobs will be handled better this time around. No matter what, he has a fan in LeBron, which is no small thing. That seems to bode well for his chances of success.
