The post Everyone said the same thing about the Clemson-Alabama Elite Eight game appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Both Alabama and Clemson won in their Sweet 16 matchups on Thursday, setting up an Elite Eight game between them in the finals of the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. Both teams winning in the Sweet 16 to set up an Elite Eight game between them led fans to make similar remarks.
Yes, seeing a game between Clemson and Alabama in a postseason contest was all too familiar for sports fans. The jokes about how it’s just like college football were widely made.
Who would have thought after the 2018 national championship game that the next time we saw Clemson and Alabama play a huge postseason game it would be with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
— Matt Connolly (@MattConnollyOn3) March 29, 2024
Alabama or Clemson will be in the national semifinal…in basketball. That seems unfair.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) March 29, 2024
Feels like Clemson and Alabama should play Saturday at the Rose Bowl instead of the Crypt.
— Jay Posner (@JayPosnerSD) March 29, 2024
Alabama-Clemson for the Final Four and neither Dabo nor Nick are involved.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 29, 2024
Alabama vs. Clemson is the West Regional Final. What time is kickoff?
— Tim Ring (@timringTV) March 29, 2024
Alabama vs. Clemson for a spot in the Final Four. See, we’re already getting a great matchup in the CFP quarterfinals.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) March 29, 2024
Alabama opened as a small favorite over Clemson for Saturday’s game, which will be played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. The winner will be making its first ever trip to the Final Four.
Yes, there is a big postseason college sports game between Alabama and Clemson, and it will be in basketball. Who saw that coming?
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]]>The post Draymond Green responds to trash talk from Rockets player appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Draymond Green is going after a Houston Rockets player not named Dillon Brooks.
The Rockets are the hottest team in basketball right now, riding a winning streak of ten consecutive games and counting. Their season seemed all but over at the start of March as Houston sat at 25-34. But they suddenly found lightning in a bottle this month and have catapulted themselves back into the Western Conference play-in race (where the Rockets now sit just one game behind the Golden State Warriors for the final spot).
After Houston’s latest win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Rockets forward Tari Eason decided to do some trash-talking, targeting the Warriors specifically. Going live on Instagram, Eason taunted Golden State by saying, “Warriors, come out to play!” (echoing the famous movie line).
You can watch the full video posted by Eason here.
Eason’s antics drew a response from the Warriors star Green on the latest episode of Green’s self-titled podcast for The Volume. Green poked fun at Eason for running his mouth when he has not even played in months because of an injury.
“I am a little surprised that he hasn’t played in a game since January 1st,” said Green of Eason. “It’s kind of tough to come out yelling, ‘Come out and play,’ and you’re not gonna play. It puts a lot of strain on your guys [that] you can’t get out there and help them.”
The former All-Rookie Second Teamer Eason made a strong contribution to the Rockets in the early going, chipping in with 9.8 points and 7.0 rebounds in under 22 minutes a game off the bench. But he has indeed been out since the very start of January with a lower leg injury and recently underwent surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season as well.
Perhaps this is Eason’s way of continuing to make his presence felt despite his injury. You might recall that Eason also targeted another prominent opponent on social media earlier this month.
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]]>The post Rays raise embarrassing banner on Opening Day appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>The Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Toronto Blue Jays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Thursday for Opening Day. Not only did the Rays lose the game 8-2, but Tampa Bay also embarrassed themselves with the banner they raised.
The Rays unveiled a banner that celebrated the team’s 2023 wild card playoff berth.
Unveiling of #Rays 2023 AL wild card banner pic.twitter.com/xHm0Co8IUo
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 28, 2024
Yes, the Rays now have banners side-by-side celebrating the two years in a row that they made the wild card round of the playoffs and got swept by their opponents. Not just that, but recall that the Rays only scored 2 — yes, 2 — runs in those two series.
In 2022, they lost to Cleveland 2-1 and 1-0 in the best-of-3 series. Last year, Tampa Bay lost 4-0 and 7-1 to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.
The Rays are still a newer franchise that didn’t start playing until 1998. They still haven’t won a World Series, though they’ve appeared in two World Series. They’ve won the tough AL East four times. The only times they’ve advanced past the division series were the two years they reached the World Series.
The Rays may feel like they have to lower the bar for their celebratory banners since they’re a newer franchise and play in a tough division, but they shouldn’t.
If they didn’t win the pennant, they probably shouldn’t be raising a banner.
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]]>The post Dan Hurley jokes about his wife Andrea not being on TV enough appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Dan Hurley is as serious as can be during games, but the UConn head coach knows how to crack jokes once the game ends.
Hurley’s UConn Huskies obliterated San Diego State 82-52 in their Sweet 16 game of the NCAA Tournament at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. on Thursday night. The game was close for about six minutes before the Huskies pulled away for good.
As the game was being played, TBS kept showing Andrea Hurley, who is Dan’s wife. Dan was busy coaching and wouldn’t have known how frequently she was shown on TV, but he still was able to joke about the matter.
“My wife Andrea, who never gets enough TV time, by the way. It’s always others,” Hurley joked in his postgame interview with Andy Katz.
Then Hurley joked that Andrea would have to wash his lucky underwear for the team’s Elite Eight game on Saturday.
“She’s gotta get the hand-washer going to get these dragon underwear clean for a quick turnaround.”
https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1773528023184138536?s=20
Hurley is extremely superstitious and even brings a portable washer with him to cater to his clothes-washing needs for his lucky underwear.
UConn won last year’s national championship and is looking very much like a team ready to repeat as champions.
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]]>The post Michael Penix Jr. runs impressive 40-time at his Pro Day appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Michael Penix Jr. wants to make sure nobody is forgetting about him as a top quarterback prospect ahead of the NFL Draft.
Penix Jr. shined at his Pro Day event on Thursday. He was timed between 4.56 and 4.59 on his 40-yard dash.
We had Penix at 4.46 hand timed. Even 0.2 lower that’s an incredible time! pic.twitter.com/QoUP01PKws
— Ben Glassmire (@BenGlassmireNFL) March 28, 2024
A range of 40 times from a cluster of scouts (and Rome Odunze also timing) here watching Michael Penix, Jr.’s run:
Between 4.56-4.59
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 28, 2024
Penix also did a vertical leap and plenty of agility drills at the Pro Day. The former Washington Huskies quarterback wanted to prove to NFL scouts and teams that he has plenty of athleticism and is capable of running even though that wasn’t a big part of his game in college.
In two seasons with the Huskies, Penix passed for 9,544 yards, 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. He only rushed for 100 yards in his Washington career despite being able to run a sub-4.60 40, which is an impressive time for a quarterback.
Penix is often left out of the conversation about the top quarterback prospects in the draft. Usually it’s Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, and Drake Maye mentioned as the top QBs, but Penix should not be discounted.
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]]>The post Shaq roasted Ben Simmons with harsh comments appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Shaq roasted Ben Simmons with some harsh comments recently.
Shaq was talking on his “The Big Podcast with Shaq” show for an episode that was published on Wednesday. Host Adam Lefkoe asked O’Neal and guest Jamal Crawford whom they would pay to watch play. Shaq quipped that he would pay to watch Simmons, and gave his sarcastic reason.
“Ben Simmons, because I would want to learn how you can make $80 million and play 55 games. Teach me,” Shaq joked. “Teach me how you could play 55 games in three seasons and we get $30 million, $40 million and get another $40 million just by saying your back hurt. Get some f—ing Icy Hot. Man up.”
Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 but missed that entire season due to a foot injury. Then he missed the entire 2021-2022 season due to a back injury and contract holdout. He played in 42 games last season and 15 this season.
In July 2019, Simmons signed a 5-year $177.2 million rookie maximum contract extension. He’s currently making $37.9 million in what is the fourth year of the five-year deal. Simmons is set to earn $40 million next season too despite being a total bust and non-actor.
O’Neal was known for getting surgery on company time during his playing days, so he’s probably not completely joking about wanting to learn Simmons’ secrets to the “finesse.”
Jamal, Shaq, and Adam reveal which NBA players they’d pay to watch live
Episode 14 is LIVE now: https://t.co/LZ5Yij33lB pic.twitter.com/Dvek81gkTu
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) March 27, 2024
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]]>The post NFL Network personality apologizes for Woody Johnson argument claim appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>The NFL Network personality responsible for a story about an alleged argument between Jets owner Woody Johnson and coach Robert Saleh is walking back the claim and apologizing.
Colleen Wolfe issued a statement Thursday in which she apologized to the Jets for creating a distraction with her story about Johnson and Saleh. In her statement, she said she had not been at the NFL owners meeting where the conversation took place, and that others present “described the interaction differently.”
— Colleen Wolfe (@ColleenWolfe) March 28, 2024
“My intent wasn’t to break news, I leave that to the insiders,” Wolfe wrote. “My sincerest apologies to the Jets organization for the unnecessary distraction during such a crucial part of their offseason.”
Wolfe had originally said on the “Around the NFL” podcast that Johnson and Saleh were observed having a “very heated conversation” at the owners meetings last weekend. The story went viral, and Johnson himself responded with a strong denial on Thursday.
Wolfe probably was not expecting this to go viral, and one source seems to have overstated what actually happened. It served to provide some drama, albeit the unhelpful sort, for the Jets at this point in their offseason.
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]]>The post Nationals infielder suffers big injury while warming up for Opening Day appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>The Washington Nationals couldn’t even get to the first pitch of Opening Day without suffering some awful luck.
Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel was a late scratch for Thursday’s season opener against the Cincinnati Reds. He was replaced at third by Ildemaro Vargas.
Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reported on the reason behind the late scratch — Senzel suffered a broken thumb while fielding a groundball before the game.
The 28-year-old Senzel, who had spent the last five seasons with the Reds, signed with the Nationals over the winter. He hit .236 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs in 104 games last year and was expected to be Washington’s everyday third baseman.
But with Senzel now facing the possibility of a multi-month absence (for example, Jose Altuve missed about three months last season from a broken thumb on a HBP), the Nationals will have to turn to Vargas or even young phenom Trey Lipscomb to fill in. With Washington going on to lose 8-2 on Opening Day, it is hard to imagine a much worse start to the year for them.
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]]>The post Angels fan goes viral for modified Shohei Ohtani jersey appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>One Los Angeles Angels fan got creative with their old Shohei Ohtani jersey in the wake of the star’s departure.
In a post on X, one fan took a shot of someone’s Ohtani jersey with a lot of work done. Ohtani’s old No. 17 was replaced by a No. 27, representing Mike Trout. The lettering of the name, meanwhile, had been pointedly covered with the word “loyalty.”
i mean this is just phenomenal work pic.twitter.com/UYPuTP19TY
— swilly ☻ (@swillysports) March 28, 2024
Points for effort and creativity, and it probably is not a bad idea to shift the focus to Trout. He has showed incredible loyalty to the Angels despite their lack of success, though even he may have his limits.
Angels fans do not even seem that bitter toward Ohtani, even with uniform changes like this. After all, the organization did not exactly try that hard when it came time to try to convince him to return.
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]]>The post Ex-49er felt ‘disrespected’ by team’s contract offer appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>The San Francisco 49ers have had to make some difficult contract decisions this offseason, and they are leaving at least one former player feeling a bit disrespected.
In an episode of his “Third and Long” podcast, pass rusher Arik Armstead said he felt “extremely disrespected” by the offer the 49ers extended to try to keep him. Armstead said he did not feel any “animosity” toward the organization, but said he was hurt by the team’s initial offer. According to Armstead, the 49ers offered him a one-year, $6 million deal that could rise to $8 million with incentives.
“When they sent that over, I did feel extremely disrespected. I don’t feel that that level of compensation is anywhere near the type of player that I am, that I have committed to the game, what I’ve committed to my team, what I’ve committed to the organization and my community.
“I didn’t feel like that offer was anywhere near the level of compensation for a player like me.”
In taking the offer he described, Armstead would have been accepting a pay cut of roughly $11 million, as he had been making $17 million annually. He wound up signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars for $43.5 million over three years, essentially double what San Francisco offered.
Armstead is not the only player frustrated with the 49ers’ handling of contract negotiations right now. These are the costs of building a contending team and keeping the core together, and Armstead is a casualty of that.
The 30-year-old Armstead had played for the 49ers since they drafted him in 2015. He had five sacks in 12 games last season.
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]]>The post 1 Eastern Conference team targeting Paul George? appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Paul George could become a free agent after the season, and one team reportedly has its eye on him.
The Philly Inquirer’s Keith Pompei published a column on Thursday in which he said the Philadelphia 76ers are closely monitoring George’s situation with the Los Angeles Clippers.
George signed a 4-year, $176 million deal with the Clippers in December 2020. He has a $48.8 million contract option for next season that he can exercise, and he and the Clippers have had talks about a potential extension. If the two sides are unable to reach agreement on an extension, George could decline his 2024-2025 option and become a free agent.
According to Pompei, “the Sixers are closely monitoring the situation, hoping the Clippers let George slip away.”
A report in January said the Clippers were hoping to keep both George and Kawhi Leonard under contract together. Leonard agreed to a contract extension with the Clippers that will keep him with the team through the 2026-2027 season.
The Clippers have disappointed since adding the star-studded duo prior to the 2019-2020 season, largely due to injuries both players have dealt with. The two players have mostly been healthy this season, and the Clippers are performing well accordingly.
The Clippers are hoping to be as successful as possible entering next season, which will be their first played at their new home — the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. That is why there is some reason to question whether George will become available. But if he does, the Sixers are a team to watch.
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]]>The post Michael Porter Jr. has notable comments about investigation into brother Jontay appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Michael Porter Jr. had something interesting to say this week about the investigation into his younger brother.
Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter is currently out of the lineup and under NBA investigation over alleged irregularities with prop bets on him. Jontay’s under props for two specific games (one in January followed by another in March) had drawn increased betting interest. The backup big exited both games in question early due to injuries (full details here).
After Wednesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets forward Porter Jr. was asked about the investigation into his brother and gave a notable response.
“I know what you guys know,” said Porter Jr, per Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette. “I know Jontay loves the game of basketball. He’s really excited to play. He’s been really excited to play with the Raptors.
“I’ve known my brother my whole life,” Porter Jr. added. “I know what type of dude he is, and I know he’s excited to play basketball. I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy.”
Porter Jr. appears to be referencing the fact that his brother had been in the NBA G League for several seasons before landing this opportunity with the Raptors on a two-way deal in December.
Of course, it is to be expected that Porter Jr. would come to the defense of his younger brother. But that was still a pretty detailed response when Porter Jr. could have easily just given a “no comment” on the ongoing investigation.
As it stands right now, the NBA has not yet issued an update on the investigation into Jontay, who remains out of the lineup indefinitely. But social media has already reacted with plenty of jokes about the situation.
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]]>The post Shohei Ohtani makes big blunder in Dodger Stadium home debut appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Shohei Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers home career did not get off to the best start Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
With Mookie Betts at first base, Ohtani ripped a double down the right field line in his first plate appearance at Dodger Stadium as a member of the Dodgers. However, he did not pay attention as he rounded the bases, as third base coach Dino Ebel held Betts at third. Ohtani did not notice and wound up caught between second and third, having clearly assumed that Betts would be waved home.
Shohei gets caught between second and third in his first Dodger Stadium at-bat pic.twitter.com/r22mxp1nxZ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 28, 2024
That is a mental mistake by Ohtani, who wound up with a double but deprived the Dodgers of an opportunity to set up a big inning with second and third and nobody out. Despite that, the Dodgers wound up scoring two runs in the inning.
No, Ohtani probably was not distracted by his recent off-field drama. He may have had his sights set on a triple to make a big impression in his first home at bat. We probably will not see him make a mistake like this again anytime soon.
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]]>The post Bryce Harper announced big personal news before Opening Day appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Bryce Harper announced some big personal news just days prior to Opening Day.
Harper and his wife Kayla announced via Instagram that she is pregnant with what will be the couple’s third child.
Bryce and Kayla Harper just announced on Instagram that they are pregnant with their third baby
“3 for 3 ”
Congratulations to the Harpers! pic.twitter.com/RMAHpSNEyD
— Underground Sports Philadelphia (@UndergroundPHI) March 27, 2024
“3 for 3” Harper captioned his post.
The Harpers have a son Krew who was born in August 2019. Their daughter Brooklyn was born in November 2020.
Harper is beginning his sixth season with the Phillies. After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Washington Nationals, Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies prior to the 2019 season. He put together an MVP season in 2021 and led the Phillies to the World Series in 2022 and NLCS last season.
The Harpers have more than made Philly their home, and now that’s the city where their children will be growing up.
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]]>The post Report reveals reason Glen Taylor backed out of Timberwolves sale appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Glen Taylor has announced that he is no longer selling the Minnesota Timberwolves, and his decision may have something to do with the recent success of the franchise.
In a stunning turn of events, Taylor issued a statement on Thursday saying the Timberwolves (as well as the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx) are no longer for sale. Taylor said the option for Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore to acquire controlling interests in the two teams has expired.
Taylor claims the 90-day period for Rodriguez and Lore to close on the deal expired on Wednesday. Rodriguez and Lore then issued a statement of their own saying they have fulfilled all obligations and that Taylor’s decision is “an unfortunate case of seller’s remorse.”
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post, Rodriguez and Lore’s statement was accurate. Glasspiegel said he was told by a solid NBA source that Taylor got “cold feet” now that the Timberwolves are a championship contender and have one of the best players in the NBA in Anthony Edwards.
Taylor also reportedly believes the value of the Timberwolves has increased dramatically since he entered into an agreement with Rodriguez and Lore in 2021.
There's the intangible value of being a part of winner, coupled with the fact that the franchise value has skyrocketed since the initial sale agreement with how Edwards is becoming one of the best players in the world.
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) March 28, 2024
The Timberwolves entered Thursday with a record of 50-22. They are only a half-game back of the Denver Nuggets for first place in the Western Conference.
Taylor has been the majority owner of the Timberwolves since 1994. He agreed in 2021 to sell the franchise to Rodriguez and Lore for $1.5 billion paid out in three separate installments. Rodriguez and Lore made their first two payments and assumed a 40 percent stake in the Timberwolves. The third installment would have been for an additional 40 percent and given them an 80 percent stake.
A report earlier this month claimed Rodriguez and Lore had to quickly find a new financial backer for the final payment after their previous investor pulled out.
It seems inevitable that Taylor is headed for a legal battle with Rodriguez and Lore. For now, Taylor is maintaining control of the T-Wolves.
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]]>The post LeBron James breaks news about 1 college basketball coach hire appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>LeBron James is embracing the role of breaking news reporter, at least for one day.
James broke some coaching news on Thursday regarding Duquesne’s hire of assistant coach Dru Joyce as the school’s new head coach. James, dubbing himself “the unquestioned source,” added that Joyce was meeting with the team on Thursday after being promoted.
I’m proud to announce! As the unquestioned source I am confirming that Dru Joyce is the new HC at Duquesne University and is meeting with the team right now! So damn happy and proud of you my brother!!! @DruOnDemand @DuqMBB #GoDukes
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 28, 2024
What makes James such a definitive source here? He and Joyce were high school teammates at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron and are still very close friends. In fact, Joyce is replacing the retiring Keith Dambrot, who was James’ first high school coach. Dambrot had initially added Joyce to his staff as an assistant.
Duquesne is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance — their first since 1977 — and even upset BYU in the first round. James was rooting them on all the way. With Joyce being promoted to head coach, it’s safe to say that support will continue going forward.
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]]>The post Ice Cube speaks out on BIG3’s massive reported offer to Caitlin Clark appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Ice Cube is speaking publicly on his league’s reported pursuit of Caitlin Clark.
The BIG3, the 3-on-3 basketball league founded by the hip-hop icon Ice Cube, was the subject of a report this week linking them to the Iowa college basketball superstar Caitlin Clark. According to the report, the BIG3 has made an offer of several million dollars to Clark for her to play in their league. The offer would only be for a handful of games and would not preclude Clark from playing in the WNBA.
In a post to X on Wednesday, Ice Cube said that they had intended for things to remain private but confirmed that the offer had been made.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historicoffer to Caitlin Clark,” Ice Cube wrote. “Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.
“With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes,” added Ice Cube. “America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet. And they should have more than just one professional option in the US at a time when American pro sports leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes such as Qatar. Our pathbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now offers another choice for athletes.”
Ice Cube also noted his league’s track record of female inclusion, namely with Basketball Hall of Famers Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie, who are head coaches in their league. Granted, the statement to X (which you can read in full here) seemed very carefully crafted, almost as if written by a PR person. It was also posted roughly an hour or two after the report about their offer to Clark surfaced, leading many to speculate that Ice Cube’s statement might have been a coordinated move.
In any case, the senior Clark is the NCAA’s all-time leading women’s scorer and currently has Iowa in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tournament. On the one hand, Clark is still at the beginning of her basketball career and may be an odd fit in a BIG3 league comprised of players at the end of theirs. On the other hand though, Clark would be making a whopping seven-figure sum for essentially just a few weeks of offseason work in the BIG3 (when the highest-paid players in the WNBA make less than $250,000 per year).
It might matter that Clark is already making a reported seven figures in NIL money regardless. But the BIG3’s offer, even if seemingly a publicity stunt at its core, should give Clark something to really think about.
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]]>The post Did Brian Kelly leak Jayden Daniels’ potential NFL landing spot? appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>LSU coach Brian Kelly may have leaked some big NFL Draft news at the school’s pro day on Thursday.
Kelly discussed the players working out at the school’s pro day, including quarterback Jayden Daniels. When discussing the quarterback, Kelly seemingly suggested that Daniels will be playing in Washington in 2024.
LSU coach Brian Kelly on Jayden Daniels.
“For Washington.” #Commanders #HTTC pic.twitter.com/aQxgVlO72F
— COMMANDERS NATION (@CommandersFB1) March 28, 2024
“He’s going to get the ball out to the playmakers and make plays for Washington,” Kelly said.
The Washington Commanders do hold the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and with Caleb Williams likely to go No. 1, Daniels will probably be there for the taking. Perhaps Kelly is just trying to speak this into existence, as Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy are also seen as options for a quarterback-needy team like Washington. Recent reports did suggest that Daniels may be Washington’s preference at No. 2. The Commanders may be poised to spring a surprise, though, depending on what you believe.
Last year, some were convinced that they knew what the Carolina Panthers would do with the No. 1 pick based on some similar audio. That did not end up happening, so one should probably take Kelly’s words with a grain of salt.
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]]>The post Michael Penix Jr. had awesome 4-word quote about his Pro Day appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>Michael Penix Jr. may not be viewed as the best quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, but it would be tough to find a player with a better attitude.
Penix held his Pro Day at the University of Washington on Thursday. While many quarterbacks only choose to partake in throwing drills in front of scouts and executives, Penix also showcased his vertical leap and 40-yard dash time.
ESPN’s Molly McGrath asked Penix why he made the decision to do agility drills in addition to throwing. The 23-year-old had an awesome response.
“I ain’t no bum. I want to show off my athleticism and prove that I can run when I need to,” Penix said.
At @UW_Football pro day, QB Michael Penix will jump and run in addition to throwing, telling me “I ain’t no bum. I want to show off my athleticism and prove that I can run when I need to.”
— Molly McGrath (@MollyAMcGrath) March 28, 2024
Penix is not considered a dual-threat quarterback. He only ran for a total of 8 yards last season, though he did have 3 rushing touchdowns. Penix threw for a combined 9,544 yards, 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions over the past two seasons, so the passing game is where he really shines.
Still, Penix wants NFL teams to know he is plenty athletic and that he simply did not have to run much with the Huskies.
Just cause I don’t have to run don’t mean I can’t run and I’m not athletic the real ones know lol
— Mike Penix Jr. (@themikepenix) March 27, 2024
The Heisman Trophy runner-up put his money where his mouth is, too. Penix ran an impressive 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day.
We had Penix at 4.46 hand timed. Even 0.2 lower that’s an incredible time! pic.twitter.com/QoUP01PKws
— Ben Glassmire (@BenGlassmireNFL) March 28, 2024
Penix also had a 36.5-inch vertical, which is excellent for a quarterback.
Michael Penix, Jr. vertical jump here at Washington Pro Day: 36.5” pic.twitter.com/ohhkWcEJt0
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 28, 2024
Most analysts consider Penix the fifth- or sixth-best quarterback in the draft. Still, he has a very good chance to be taken in the first round. His arm strength and deep-ball accuracy are his biggest strengths, but the athleticism he showed on Thursday could certainly boost his stock.
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]]>The post Rob Manfred provides update on MLB’s Shohei Ohtani investigation appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.
]]>MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke publicly for the first time Thursday regarding the league’s investigation into Shohei Ohtani’s connection to former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
In an appearance on MLB Network’s “High Heat with Chris Russo” Thursday, Manfred admitted that the investigation into the Ohtani situation will be a complicated one. The league is looking into the situation at the same time the federal government is conducting its own investigation, preventing full cooperation between the two entities, at least initially. Manfred did say, however, that he hopes the league’s investigation proves to be a brief one.
“It’s really difficult for the federal authorities to cooperate with us fully when they have their own ongoing investigation so I think this is one where we’ll have to proceed on our own,” Manfred said, via ESPN. “We never have the kind of authority that law enforcement people have but we manage to get these investigations done and find the facts and I’m sure we will on this one.
“I hope [it’s] short, but I just don’t know.”
Ohtani is facing questions regarding gambling debts that Mizuhara accumulated to an illegal bookmaker, and whether Ohtani knowingly helped repay those debts. Ohtani has denied betting on baseball and claimed Mizuhara stole money from him to pay back his debts.
MLB opened an investigation into the allegations last week, though most doubt Ohtani will see any serious consequences, at least from the league itself.
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