The first stage of the Tour de France kicked off on Saturday, and it didn’t take long to produce an enormous crash thanks to one poorly-positioned spectator.
The spectator had a sign and got right up to the side of the track just as the riders were passing his location. The sign stuck out over the course just enough that one of the riders collided with it, knocking one cyclist over. Given how tightly packed the field was, that was all it took to start an enormous domino effect.
We’re going to guess that person did not stick around to see the aftermath of what they caused.
The Tour de France is prone to producing some unusual but massive accidents. This one is no different, albeit very embarrassing for whoever caused it.
It’s too soon to say whether or not the Philadelphia 76ers will seriously entertain trade offers for Ben Simmons this summer. If they do, however, it sounds like one notable team will be trying to get involved.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on Friday’s edition of “First Take” that the Sixers will consider serious offers for Simmons if any come in. He added that the Golden State Warriors “are going to make a push” for Simmons, via Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.
It’s only logical that the Warriors, like most teams with designs on contending, will be interested in Simmons. However, it’s tough to see what Golden State could offer the Sixers. It’s likely that Philadelphia would want players that can help immediately, so draft picks or a longer-term project like James Wiseman are unlikely to be all that appealing to the Sixers. Take away Golden State’s stars that won’t be on the table and there’s not a lot left.
If the Sixers want to move Simmons, the Warriors won’t be the only team interested. It’s an exciting thought, but it’s hard to see how Golden State could land Simmons with the trade chips they have to work with right now unless they get a third team involved somehow.
Next time you hear Tom Brady talking up an opponent, it’s pretty clear you’re going to want to take it with a grain of salt.
Brady’s appearance on HBO’s “The Shop: Uninterrupted” aired Saturday, and Brady was very candid about a number of topics. One of them was how much he censors himself, particularly when speaking publicly. He estimated that 90 percent of what he says is contrary to what he thinks, and used the example of praising upcoming opponents that he plans to target.
“From a strategic standpoint, I never want to give away what we’re doing,” Brady said. “I usually say the opposite. You know, they got a s—-y corner, I’ll be like, ‘That guy’s unbelievable. I don’t even know how they complete balls over there.’ In my mind I’m like, ‘I’m going at that motherf—er all day.'”
That’s probably what you’d expect from Brady, but it’s still funny to hear him say it. Brady said his public approach is about maintaining control, adding that he feels too much candor gives others “power” over him.
There’s nothing shocking about Brady even thinking about gaining a mental edge through the things he says publicly. That said, the next time you catch him effusively praising someone in public, you might want to think twice about whether he really means it or not.
The Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Tampa party continues! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Tampa Fiesta shirt. You can buy it here.
The Stanley Cup Final has been set: it will be the Tampa Bay Lightning facing the Montreal Canadiens. And the enthusiasm over a rare visit coupled with limited supply has led to ridiculous ticket prices to attend games at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens are in the Cup Final for the first time since 1993. Quebec announced 10 days ago that they were increasing fan capacity for games at the Bell Centre in Montreal from 2,500 to 3,500. Despite the boost, the supply is still minimal, while demand is sky-high.
Ticket broker Vivid Seats has nothing for under $5,000 to attend Game 3, which will be Montreal’s first home game of the series.
StubHub only had one option under $4,000, and everything else was higher than that.
For comparison, the Lightning had fan capacity approved to 14,800 at Amelie Arena for their series against the Islanders. That is a little more than 75 percent of the arena’s capacity for hockey games.
Couple the increased supply with the team’s recent success, and the ticket prices are at least more reasonable. The low price for tickets to those games is around $1,000. That is not cheap by any means, but it’s also not a down payment on a nice new car either.
A Texas Longhorns fan did a shoey at the College World Series on Friday night and went viral.
Texas was facing Mississippi State and leading 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth. ESPN then showed a Longhorns fan who poured a Coors Light into his shoe and guzzled the beer.
You might think that the shoey brought some luck to Texas, but it didn’t. The Bulldogs scored three runs that inning to tie the game. Luckily Texas retook the lead at 8-5 before a weather delay in the 9th.
Maybe the fan will spark a trend with his move.
Giannis Antetokounmpo addressed the free throw controversy surrounding him following his Milwaukee Bucks’ 125-91 Game 2 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night.
Antetokounmpo often takes several seconds in his free throw routine before attempting his shots at the line. He has been called for a violation twice this postseason for taking longer than 10 seconds. But the officials have let him slide pretty much every other time. The NBA even acknowledged the situation, saying in their last 2-minute report from Game 1 that Antetokounmpo should have been called for the violation twice.
Plenty of attention has been called to the matter. The Hawks have been upset that the officials are ignoring the situation.
So did Antetokounmpo make any adjustments for Game 2 knowing his situation was in the spotlight? He says no.
The Bucks won by such a large margin in Game 2 that the free throw subject barely came up. Antetokounmpo only went to the line four times. His Bucks only attempted 16 free throws in the game.
Giannis said he didn’t pay any specific attention to going quicker Friday, but it’s hard to believe the matter isn’t in his head more now that people have talked about it so frequently. Fans have even taunted him about it.
San Diego Padres fans went absolutely nuts over Fernando Tatis Jr.’s third home run of the game on Friday night.
Tatis began Friday’s Padres game against the Arizona Diamondbacks by going 3-for-3 with three home runs for four RBIs. Fans were excited about his homers in the first and second, but they exploded with elation after the third home run. Take a look at the fan reaction:
That was awesome. Padres fans have been loving the action at Petco Park all season long, thanks to their great team and exciting players.
The three home runs gave Tatis 25 on the season, tying him for the league lead. The homer also increased San Diego’s lead in the game to 8-5.
Tacko Fall cracked a great joke on Friday in response to a question he received over Twitter.
A media outlet shared a video of Fall doing various athletic activities. Fall was playing soccer, boxing, swimming and playing basketball in the video. The caption asked rhetorically, “is there anything Tacko Fall can’t do?”
The Boston Celtics center responded perfectly: “Get on a ride at Disney World.”
Disney World only has height minimums, not limits, which makes this joke even more perfect. Why? Because it shows that being a comedian is also part of Fall’s incredible range of skills!
The 25-year-old big man has played in 26 NBA games during his two-year career, including 19 last season.
George Karl has coached a lot of big personalities and stars in the NBA, but he seems to think Chauncey Billups is headed for success in his head coaching career.
Amid reports that Billups is expected to land the Portland Trail Blazers job, Karl used his Twitter to call Billups “one of the great leaders” he had ever coached, and signaled that he expected the hire to be a success.
High praise indeed coming from Karl, who is better known for using his Twitter account to take shots at the guys who played for him.
Billups played for Karl for parts of three seasons with the Denver Nuggets. Clearly, he made an impression. That said, Billups seems likely to be a bit less controversial than Karl, who was notorious for butting heads with stars during his coaching days.
There had been some whispers about the possibility of a Max Scherzer trade this season if the Washington Nationals continue to struggle. Those changes fell significantly on Friday, assuming Scherzer’s agent is serious about a key demand.
Scherzer has a full no-trade clause. His agent Scott Boras said the pitcher would require a multi-year extension from whichever team trades for him in order to get Scherzer to waive that clause.
“The reality of it is it’s going to have to lead to something,” Boras told Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. “And the reality of it is a ton of people are going to ask. He’s probably the most coveted trade chip I’ve seen, because every team that’s in it needs him.”
The stance could certainly be negotiable later in the summer. If the Nationals are falling out of the race and a top contender tells Scherzer that he can stay and play out the season or come compete for a championship, the right-hander will face a tough choice. At that point, the ace may back off on the extension demand.
Scherzer is a free agent at the end of the season, which has helped add fuel to the rumors. Though he turns 37 next month, he’s shown no signs of slowing down, though nagging injuries may be a concern. He has a 2.19 ERA and would be a very safe investment for any team looking to acquire an ace for a playoff run. They’re just going to have to commit to paying him a healthy sum of money for several years beyond that, too.
