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#pounditTuesday, March 19, 2024

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Manny Pacquiao to face Errol Spence on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao on Friday officially announced his next fight.

The Filipino legend will take on Errol Spence on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao made the announcement on social media.

This is a great fight for the fans, but not so great news for Mikey Garcia.

Pacquiao announced in February that he was preparing for his next fight. There were rumors about him facing Terence Crawford, but that fell through. Then it looked like he might face Garcia. Now, it seems like they were just keeping Garcia on the hook as they negotiated with Spence.

This is as tough of an opponent as Pac-Man could find.

Spence, 31, is 27-0 with 21 KOs. He is younger and in his prime. This will be a tough fight for Pacquiao, who has not faced an opponent since 2019. Spence defeated Danny Garcia via unanimous decision in December.

Tim Anderson has funny quote about relationship with Tony La Russa

The Chicago White Sox have a young clubhouse that doesn’t always believe in the same unwritten rules as manager Tony La Russa. That has come into sharp focus this week, as the manager has been critical of rookie Yermin Mercedes for homering on a 3-0 pitch against a position player in a blowout win.

Nobody embodies Chicago’s clubhouse better than shortstop Tim Anderson, a 27-year-old with a penchant for bat flips and flashy play. He offered a pretty great analogy when explaining how he and his fellow players operate with the 76-year-old La Russa.

Anderson drove home the point by saying that he saw the Minnesota Twins’ decision to throw at Mercedes as a “sign of weakness.” La Russa had previously said the Twins’ response was appropriate.

La Russa has been criticized for failing to defend Mercedes by some within baseball. The White Sox can’t exactly call him out publicly, so this is how they’re making it work.

Jaguars had trouble getting in touch with Trevor Lawrence on draft night

Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence knew for months leading up to the NFL Draft that the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to take him with the first overall pick. Waiting until draft night to announce the pick was simply a formality for the team, and it was one that nearly backfired.

Lawrence was at home with his family the night of the draft waiting to officially celebrate the start of his NFL career. When the Jaguars were on the clock at No. 1, they tried to get Lawrence on the phone to deliver the news that the former Clemson star knew was coming. There was one big problem, however — the team’s calls weren’t getting through.

Eventually, Urban Meyer was able to reach Lawrence from his personal cell phone. You can see the comically tense situation unfold below:

The Jaguars could have announced their pick at any point, as there was no doubt there were picking Lawrence. Still, getting the call and celebrating with your family is all part of the draft experience. We’re glad Lawrence wasn’t robbed of that.

The phone call from the Jags was obviously the highlight of Lawrence’s night, but it got even better after that.

Y.E. Yang disqualified from PGA Championship for scorecard error

YE Yang

Y.E. Yang was not going to win his second PGA Championship this week in South Carolina with the way he played through 36 holes, but a crucial mistake he made on Friday ended the tournament for him earlier than expected.

Yang was disqualified from the PGA Championship after he turned in an incorrect scorecard following his second round. The scorecard Yang signed said he made a 4 on the par-4 10th Hole at The Ocean Course, but he actually made five.

Golf rules state that a player is disqualified if he marks a score for any hole that is lower than the one he actually got. The only exception is failing to account for a penalty stroke that the golfer was unaware of.

Yang shot an 84 on Friday and a 75 in the first round on Thursday, so he was 15 over par at the time he signed the incorrect scorecard. The scorecard Yang signed indicated he shot an 83 in the second round, which was not accurate.

Yang won the 2009 PGA Championship when he went toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods in the final round.

It certainly makes it easier for Yang that he played poorly, as no one wants to be sent home from a major championship strictly because of a scoring error. We’ve seen much more heartbreaking situations involving scorecard errors in the past.

DeAndre Hopkins sends awesome tweet about Julio Jones trade rumors

DeAndre Hopkins

The Arizona Cardinals have not really been mentioned as a potential suitor for Julio Jones should the Atlanta Falcons trade the star receiver, but DeAndre Hopkins wants to help get his team into the mix.

Hopkins made his feelings on the Jones trade rumors known with a hilarious tweet on Friday. The Pro Bowler said someone asked him at the gym if he would consider restructuring his contract to help the Cardinals acquire Jones. Hopkins shared a GIF that said it all.

Larry Fitzgerald has been contemplating retirement, though some recent news made it seem like he could play another season. Even if he does return, Kliff Kingsbury would almost certainly be able to find a spot in his offense for Jones.

If money is the issue for the Cardinals, a Hopkins restructure could help. The team has just over $13 million in salary cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. Jones’ cap number for 2021 is more than $15 million, and the Cardinals still have to sign their draft picks. Hopkins has a reasonable cap hit of $12.5 million, but it’s possible Arizona could move some money around with him or another player.

We know of at least one other star player who wants Jones to join his team, so the recruiting appears to be just getting started.

Here is when Patrick Mahomes should be fully cleared from injury

Patrick Mahomes Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes underwent surgery earlier this offseason to address a toe injury, and it sounds like rehab has gone as well as expected for the Kansas City Chiefs star.

Mahomes is ahead of schedule in his recovery and expected to participated in organized team activities next week, James Palmer of NFL Network reports. The goal is for the quarterback to be a limited participant in OTAs and a full-go by training camp.

Mahomes suffered a toe injury in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Divisional Round playoff win against the Cleveland Browns. The injury limited his mobility in the next two rounds of the playoffs, including the Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay. He underwent surgery in February for turf toe.

While Mahomes said he was 100 percent healthy for the Super Bowl, that is hard to believe given that he had surgery. Fortunately, he will be fully healed in plenty of time for the 2021 season.

Ex-Bronco recalls how Peyton Manning used to call out Adam Gase

Peyton Manning

Adam Gase was the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos during Peyton Manning’s tenure with the team, and that is easily the most impressive portion of the coach’s resume. As many have suspected, however, it sounds like Manning was really the one calling the shots during his successful tenure in Denver.

Free agent offensive lineman Ben Garland, who played for Denver from 2010-2014, told “The DA Show” on Thursday that Manning was “extremely demanding” as quarterback of the Broncos. Garland said he held not only his teammates but also his coaches to a very high standard. That included Gase.

“He would correct coaches, he would correct players, he would have you stand up and get called out during meetings,” Garland recalled, as transcribed by Audacy’s Tom Hanslin. “Just making sure everyone was on-point so we were at the top of our game…

“I mean, watching him call out offensive coordinators in meetings after the coordinator put together a game plan and him asking for it a day earlier than everyone else. Normally you do the installs by Wednesday, and he demanded them to be done by Tuesday so he could review them before Wednesday’s meetings.”

Garland said he comes from a military background so he was “blown away” by a quarterback speaking to an offensive coordinator like that. He mentioned Gase by name and said he recalls the coaching staff listening to Manning and getting him the game plan when he wanted it.

Obviously, Manning was already an established Hall of Famer when he got to Denver. Quarterbacks like that can practically run their own offense, so his demeanor was not necessarily a reflection of Gase’s incompetence.

That said, Gase hasn’t had much success in the NFL since Manning retired. That probably isn’t a coincidence. Gase’s tenure with the Jets was riddled with embarrassing moments, and his reputation has gone way downhill in recent years.

Details of Tim Tebow’s contract with Jaguars revealed

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow is far from guaranteed a Week 1 roster spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the contract he signed with the team is proof of that.

Tebow officially signed with the Jaguars on Thursday. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the contract is a one-year deal worth $920,000, which is the veteran minimum. It includes no guaranteed money, as expected.

You can certainly make the argument that signing Tebow created an unnecessary distraction for the Jaguars, but there is virtually no financial risk.

Tebow has not appeared in an NFL game since 2012 and will turn 34 before the start of the 2021 season. He is trying to make the team as a tight end, which is an entirely new position for him. Very few people believe he will do enough to show Urban Meyer he is worthy of a roster spot, though the two obviously have a long history together.

While the odds favor Tebow being cut at some point this summer, that is not stopping his fans from loading up on merchandise. We can only imagine what Mel Kiper Jr. would say about that, as he unloaded on Tebow this week for even attempting a comeback.

Photo: Sports Spectrum/Wikimedia via CC-BY-SA 4.0

Tim Tebow already crushing NFL merchandise sales

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow officially signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, but he is far from a lock to be on the roster when the regular season begins. His fans clearly do not care.

In the roughly 24 hours since Tebow joined the Jaguars, his merchandise sales have exploded on the official NFL Shop. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted, the top five selling items on NFLShop.com as of Thursday were all Tebow items.

Tebow has not appeared in an NFL game since 2012. He’s trying to make Jacksonville’s roster as a backup tight end, which is a position he did not play in college or the NFL. He’ll also be 34 before the season begins.

It goes without saying that Tebow is facing an uphill battle, and one NFL analyst blasted him this week for even attempting a comeback. Fans are loading up on his Tebow’s Jaguars swag anyway.

Photo: Sports Spectrum/Wikimedia via CC-BY-SA 4.0

Lamar Odom says this kept him from relapsing when Kobe Bryant died

Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom opened up this week about how he has used the drug ketamine to help fight addiction, and the former NBA star’s doctor was happy to see Odom share his story.

During an appearance on “Good Morning America” Monday, Odom explained how he has been receiving small doses of ketamine under supervision for the past two years. The 41-year-old said the treatments have helped him avoid abusing drugs the way he did when he nearly died of an overdose in 2015.

“I went to rehab and did some other things, but ketamine came into my life at the right time,” Odom said. “I’m feeling amazing. I’m alive, I’m sober, I’m happy.”

Odom credited his ketamine treatments with keeping him from relapsing when Kobe Bryant died early last year.

“I don’t wake up looking to do lines … or feeling unfulfilled,” he said. “When Kobe passed away, you know, the old Lamar, that’d have been every excuse in the world for me to go get high, (but) doing drugs didn’t even enter my mind.”

Ketamine is an anesthetic that is used by both medical professionals and veterinarians. It has been abused by people and is often referred to as a “club drug.” The doctor who administers it to Odom, Dr. Steven L. Mandel, explained in an interview with Page Six that the drug can help people who suffer from depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

Mendel, who owns Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles, is very pleased that Odom has decided to share his experience. He hopes Odom’s story and others like it will help end that stigma and show people the benefits of using ketamine responsibly under the supervision of a medical professional.

“To have a prominent person call people’s attention to this, it’s a thrill,” Mandel said. “It’s amazing. So I’m very grateful and thousands of people will benefit from his honesty and his candor.”

Odom and Bryant were close from when they were teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. Odom considered Bryant a mentor and leaned on him heavily for guidance and support. Not long after Kobe died in a helicopter crash, Odom said he wished Bryant was still around to help him with an issue that led to fan backlash.