Rajon Rondo had the sports gambling community on his mind during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
Rondo’s Los Angeles Lakers came back from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Pistons on the road by a 121-116 final. During a late replay review with the game seemingly in the bag for the Lakers, Rondo offered funny advice for some fans sitting courtside.
“Hope you bet with us tonight,” said Rondo. “10 racks.”
The Lakers, who entered the game as 7.5-point favorites, actually failed to cover the spread. But betting the Lakers’ moneyline would have paid off handsomely, especially for in-game bettors who placed wagers when the Lakers were trailing big in the second half.
The game was essentially over when Rondo made his comments, but he appeared to be hinting that the Lakers will be a wise bet for the future. In any event, this is way nicer than Rondo usually plays with courtside fans.
Photo: Jan 18, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (9) arrives at Toyota Center before a game against the Houston Rockets. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
There is plenty of interest in the list of big-name free agent shortstops, but what about one of the teams at risk of losing one of those players?
The Los Angeles Dodgers may have an opening at shortstop, as Corey Seager is among the highly-touted free agents on the market. The Dodgers are trying to bring back Seager, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, but are not showing interest in any other shortstops.
As noted, the Dodgers traded for Trea Turner last year, who is a very capable shortstop. It’s not the end of the world if Seager leaves, but they clearly love Seager and want to keep him in the fold.
The other obvious option if the Dodgers wanted a big-name shortstop would be Carlos Correa. However, Correa is one of the faces of a Houston Astros team that beat out the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, which has become infamous due to the team’s sign-stealing scandal. Correa’s history does not seem to be a problem for one team, but it might be too much for the Dodgers, especially if they can get by at shortstop without him.
Photo: Kim Clement-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco Giants are bringing back two key members from their 2021 pitching staff.
The Giants announced on Monday that they signed Anthony DeSclafani to a 3-year deal.
The contract is worth $36 million and will pay DeSclafani $12 million in each season.
The Giants are also bringing back pitcher Alex Wood on a 2-year deal reportedly worth more than $10 million per season, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Giants led MLB with 107 wins last season. Wood went 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 138.2 innings last season. DeSclafani went 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA. They, along with Kevin Gausman and Logan Webb, formed the core of the team’s pitching rotation.
Photo: Apr 21, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani (26) pitches during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Luka Doncic has not played in a week after injuring his knee and ankle last Monday. Just as he looked to be on the verge of a return, the issue appears to have gotten worse.
Doncic took part in a five-on-five scrimmage on Monday and appeared to be moving closer to a return to action. However, reporters that were conducting a post-practice interview with coach Jason Kidd heard Doncic yelp in pain and retreat to the bleachers, where his left knee was iced and bandaged.
Given how abruptly the issue came about, the Mavericks obviously didn’t have much of an update. It certainly seems that Doncic aggravated something, and his status for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers appears to be in more doubt.
Doncic has already missed three games with the ailment. He got off to a slow start to the season and his shooting percentages had been down, much to his frustration, but he had started to pick it up prior to suffering the injury.
Photo: May 28, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in action during game three between the Clippers and the Mavericks in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA on Monday announced the discipline for the LeBron James-Isaiah Stewart incident.
The NBA suspended James one game and Stewart was suspended two games.
In its press release announcing the discipline, the league gave its reasoning for the penalties. James was suspended “for recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation.”
Stewart was suspended two games for “escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing … James in an an unsportsmanlike manner.”
The ejection marked the second of James’ career. He will serve his suspension during the Lakers’ game against the Knicks on Tuesday. Stewart will serve his suspension during the Pistons’ games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Alfonso Soriano is looking like he could still hit 40 home runs right now.
The former MLB star posed for a picture with his wife this week in a post to his Instagram page.
The post led to some incredulous reactions on social media as to how completely jacked Soriano was looking in it.
Soriano, now 45 years of age, was a seven-time MLB All-Star and won four Silver Slugger Awards. He is also one of only four players ever to make the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season). Soriano did so in the 2006 season, and no player has achieved that feat ever since.
Though he has not played in the league since 2014, it is good to see that Soriano is keeping himself in shape … and then some. He was known for using a large bat during his playing career, but that very same bat would probably look tiny compared to Soriano these days.
Photo: Jun 6, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Alfonso Soriano (12) during batting practice before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Justin Herbert was punched by Cam Heyward in the fourth quarter of his Los Angeles Chargers’ 41-37 win over Heyward’s Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. After the game, Heyward downplayed the matter, while Herbert didn’t make a big deal either.
The Chargers quarterback scrambled for a big gain with just over nine minutes left in the game as his team led 27-20. Heyward tackled Herbert and then pushed Josh Palmer away from him. The Steelers defensive lineman then punched Herbert in the gut (video here).
There was no ejection even though Heyward’s punch should have triggered one. The NFL defended the decision not to eject Heyward.
Heyward downplayed the situation, saying there was no ill intent.
Herbert gave a classy response to the situation. He said there were no hard feelings and that it was part of the game.
Chargers fans weren’t happy with the situation, and neither were the team’s players. Heyward seemed to get away with one.
Maybe Herbert was too busy focusing on the victory he was earning to worry about whether or not there should have been an ejection. Herbert threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns, while leading his team with 90 rushing yards.
Photo: Nov 14, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears are on their way to a lost season, and the locker room is apparently fed up with how things are going.
Bears coach Matt Nagy has lost the locker room and an “overwhelming” number of players want him fired, according to ESPN’s Jordan Schultz. Nagy already had locker room issues in 2020, but the poor 2021 season has only exacerbated issues.
However, the Bears appear reluctant to let Nagy go during the season, as the Bears franchise has never done so in its history.
Nagy’s offense has been a consistent issue, and his handling of rookie quarterback Justin Fields has also been subject to criticism at times this season. There is definitely some evidence that he hasn’t been good for Fields’ development. That case grows every week as the offense continues to look inept no matter who’s under center.
The Bears posted a 12-4 record under Nagy during his first season, but he has not been able to replicate that success. It was followed up with consecutive 8-8 seasons and the bottom is falling out this year. It would be a surprise if he keeps his job, though it seems the Bears would prefer to wait until the end of the season to make the move.
Photo: Jun 13, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is interviewed during Veteran Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James delivered a blow to the face of Isaiah Stewart on Sunday night that left the Detroit Pistons big man bloody, but the four-time NBA MVP insists there was no intention behind the ugly play.
James was getting boxed out by Stewart and struggling for position on a free throw attempt in the third quarter. His frustration appeared to get the best of him, and he drilled Stewart in the face (video here).
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed that LeBron tried to track down Stewart’s phone number after the game so he could apologize.
“I’m told LeBron James has made clear, whether it was on the court or postgame, that that was an inadvertent hit to Isaiah Stewart, that he didn’t mean to do it and it was not intentional. … I’m told LeBron James did try to track Isaiah Stewart’s number down postgame to apologize to Stewart again and let him know it was an inadvertent hit to his face,” Charania said.
Charania seems to believe that the punch was inadvertent. LeBron probably didn’t mean to cause so much damage, but it certainly looked like he intentionally swung in Stewart’s direction because he was aggravated. Both James and Stewart were ejected and could be facing further discipline from the NBA.
It’s fair to wonder if Stewart would have been in the mood for an apology. He was so irate after the play that he broke away from teammates who were trying to restrain him. Some thought he was hunting King James, but nothing came of it.
The scene was certainly an ugly one. It will now be up to the NBA to determine how inadvertent LeBron’s swing was.
The Washington Nationals are being sued by two former employees who were fired for refusing to comply with the team’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Lawrence (Larry) Pardo and Brad Holman were pitching coaches in the Nats’ organization. The two refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons and were fired by the Nats as a result. The team instituted a mandate on Aug. 12 that went into effect on Sept. 10, leading to the firing of both men.
Now the two have filed a lawsuit against the club, TMZ Sports reports.
Pardo and Holman cited religious reasons for not getting the vaccine, which “were developed from or tested on aborted fetal cells.” The two are against abortion for religious reasons.
They believe they were discriminated against on the basis of religion and are due damages.
As of September, the two also were filing a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
Holman, 53, and Pardo, 55, were both hired by the team in 2018. Holman was the team’s minor league pitching coordinator, while Pardo was the pitching coach for the club’s Florida Complex League team, according to The Washington Post.
