pixel 1
header
Sunday, May 26, 2019

Blog

Rams reportedly have genuine concerns about Todd Gurley’s knee

May 26, 2019
by

Todd Gurley

Todd Gurley has dealt with knee issues dating back to when he suffered a torn ACL at Georgia, and the same knee gave him trouble last season and limited his effectiveness late in the year. While the Los Angeles Rams have downplayed some of the concerns about the star running back, they are apparently very real.

Jay Glazer of The Athletic was asked in his most recent mailbag if the talk about Gurley having arthritis in his knee has been “overblown.” He said it is not.

“Nope, it’s not overblown. I think the biggest test will be what happens early in the season. If he runs and it doesn’t blow up and the Rams are able to use him as a workhorse, then a lot of those concerns will go away,” Glazer wrote. “If not, they’re going to have to get a little creative. They would be wise to be prepared because the knee has gone through a lot from college to now, so they’ve got to brace for it swelling up again.”

Rams coach Sean McVay admitted this offseason that the team needs to be conscious of limiting Gurley’s workload, and that is almost certainly why they used a third-round pick on former Memphis star running back Darrell Henderson. Gurley signed a four-year, $60 million contract prior to last season, so the Rams want to be smart with his usage and not run him into the ground.

While he refused to admit his knee was an issue when he rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries in the Super Bowl, Gurley clearly wasn’t himself. Having him healthy late in the season should be a priority for the Rams.

Watch: Craig Biggio celebrates son’s first MLB home run

May 26, 2019
by

Craig Biggio is a Hall of Famer who’s had many memorable moments over the course of his life and career, but Sunday’s events may have been a new high for him.

Biggio was in the stands in Toronto as his son, Cavan, played in his first series at the MLB level. Cavan Biggio got his first MLB hit in his first at bat on Sunday, then followed it up one plate appearance later with his first MLB home run.

Biggio and the family could be seen smiling and applauding in the stands as Cavan rounded the bases in a moment they’ll surely never forget.

The Blue Jays are quickly becoming a haven for players with Hall of Fame dads. In the other instance, however, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s famous father has been somewhat keeping his distance for a great reason.

Matt Harvey tried to hide back injury from Angels

May 26, 2019
by

Matt harvey

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Harvey was placed on the 10-day IL Saturday with an upper back strain that he’d apparently pitched through at least once.

Harvey admitted Sunday that he stubbornly refused to tell the Angels about his back issue, trying instead to pitch through it.

Harvey is an excellent case study in why gutting out an injury to try to help the team is sometimes counterproductive for everyone involved. Harvey has a 7.50 ERA in ten starts this season, and there was talk of his spot in the rotation being in jeopardy even before the injury surfaced. It’s not clear how long he’s been dealing with the back issue, and it doesn’t excuse his entire season, but it was certainly a factor Thursday, when the Minnesota Twins tagged him for eight runs in 2.2 innings.

It doesn’t sound like this will be a long absence for Harvey, but considering this is the second injury he’s suffered this season, he’s just not going to be reliable long-term.

Brett Favre issues heartfelt statement on passing of Bart Starr

May 26, 2019
by

Brett Favre HOF speech

The Green Bay Packers lost one of the most important people in franchise history over the weekend when Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr passed away, and Brett Favre was quick to make it clear what one Packers legend meant to another.

Shortly after Starr’s family and the Packers announced that the five-time NFL champion died at age 85, Favre took to Twitter to express how much Starr meant to him.

Starr, Favre and Aaron Rodgers are widely considered to be the three greatest quarterbacks in Packers franchise history, and you could debate the order of them in any number of ways. It’s no surprise that Favre thought so highly of Starr, as the two could certainly relate to one another.

As we saw from the way many in the NFL community reacted to his death, Starr was widely respected and will be missed.

David Price likely to start on schedule this week after flu-like symptoms

May 26, 2019
by

David Price

David Price faced only three batters before leading Saturday’s game due to flu-like symptoms, but it does not appear likely he’ll miss a turn through the rotation as a result.

According to manager Alex Cora, the Red Sox hope to bring Price back on Tuesday or Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians after his abortive outing on Saturday against the Houston Astros.

Price has had a stop-start season due to some injury issues, but this appears to be the least worrisome of all of them. Though skeptics will note that this helps him miss out on facing the New York Yankees, he’ll be back on the mound quickly, presumably at full strength.

Yankees hopeful James Paxton will return this week

May 26, 2019
by

James Paxton

The New York Yankees are apparently close to getting one member of their injury-hit starting rotation back in action.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that the Yankees are hoping they can get starter James Paxton back into the rotation at some point during their upcoming series against the San Diego Padres, which begins on Monday.

Paxton last pitched on May 3 and has been sidelined with left knee inflammation. He’d had a 3.11 ERA before landing on the IL.

The Yankees are finally starting to get some of their injured players back after a brutal start to the season health-wise. They’ve also managed to start 34-17 despite all the setbacks, so they could become even more formidable in the weeks to come.

Joey Bosa admits he is still experiencing soreness in foot

May 26, 2019
by

Joey Bosa Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are looking forward to having a full season of Joey Bosa after the star pass-rusher missed the first half of the year with a foot injury in 2018, but Bosa admits he is still not quite 100 percent healthy.

While taking part in OTAs last week, Bosa told reporters he is still dealing with soreness in his foot but has not been limited in any way.

“It’s not causing a limp or anything. It’s just there. It’s just something I notice,” he said, via Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. “It’s been getting better all offseason, so I could definitely see by camp or maybe even next year where it kind of starts fading away. Once you get into season, it gets pretty intense, so we’ll see.”

There has been no indication that Bosa is going to need lisfranc-type surgery after he was able to recover with only rest and rehab last year, but foot injuries have a tendency to linger. However, Bosa still managed to record 5.5 sacks in the seven games he appeared in last year, which is obviously a good sign.

Bosa had himself an exciting offseason that included a cameo on one of the most popular shows in the world, but his year could get even better if his foot cooperates. His health should make a massive difference for the Chargers.

NFL community pays tribute to late Packers legend Bart Starr

May 26, 2019
by

The Green Bay Packers are mourning the loss of one of the greatest players in franchise history.

On Sunday, the Packers announced that Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr has passed away at age 85. The Starr family released a statement revealing that Bart suffered a stroke in 2014 and had another illness recently that was “too much to overcome.”

Starr played for the Packers for 16 seasons from 1956 to 1971. He was the first Super Bowl champion quarterback in NFL history, leading Green Bay to wins in Super Bowls I and II. He was named to four Pro Bowls and won the NFL MVP Award in 1966. He is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.

The NFL community paid tribute to star after his passing:

Kyle Lowry had great reaction when asked why this year’s Raptors are different

May 26, 2019
by

Kawhi Leonard

The reason the Toronto Raptors have reached the NBA Finals for their first time in franchise history is fairly obvious, but a reporter decided to ask a question about it following their win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night anyway. Kyle Lowry had the perfect response.

Lowry, who has been with the Raptors since 2012, was asked what made this particular Toronto team able to accomplish what no other had before it. The star point guard simply looked at Leonard and laughed.

Lowry then credited Leonard and Danny Green for bringing “that championship pedigree” from San Antonio to the Raptors.

To say Leonard has taken his game to the next level would be an understatement. He is averaging 31.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in the postseason, and he put an exclamation point on the Eastern Conference Finals with a jaw-dropping dunk on Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 6. Leonard has been playing out of his mind, and that is clearly the reason the Raptors are where they are. Lowry’s response to that question summed that up perfectly.

Auburn announcer Rod Bramblett, wife killed in car accident

May 26, 2019
by

Auburn Tigers logo

The Auburn community lost one of its most beloved figures over the weekend, as football and baseball play-by-play man Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula, were killed in a car accident.

Troy Turner of the Opelika-Auburn News reports that Bramblett and his wife were involved in a serious car wreck on Saturday night that involved their SUV and another SUV that was driven by a 16-year-old. Both Rod, 53, and Paula, 52, were rushed to the hospital and later died from injuries they sustained in the crash. The other driver was said to be in serious condition, but his name was not released as police continue to investigate the accident.

Witnesses said one of the vehicles rear-ended the other as it was waiting to turn. The police report said alcohol was not a factor and that a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by the 16-year-old struck the rear of the Brambletts’ 2017 Highlander.

The loss of Rod Bramblett is a tragedy for Auburn, as he had been the program’s lead radio announcer for football and basketball games since 2003. He was named the National Broadcaster of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2013, which was the same year he brought us an incredible call of the Tigers’ win over Georgia on a Hail Mary and another amazing one in Auburn’s famous “Kick-Six” win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl.