Another member of the sports world will get a crack at guest hosting “Jeopardy!” later this year.
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, FOX Sports announcer Joe Buck will take a turn as the show’s guest host. Buck’s episodes are slated to air sometime in mid-summer, and Marchand reports that it will be a tryout for the permanent job.
Buck’s tryout will not impact his schedule calling NFL and MLB games for FOX. It’s not clear if that would change if Buck were to land the permanent gig, but the “Jeopardy!” taping schedule would likely allow him to keep both jobs.
Buck will be the second person from the world of sports to get a look as guest host. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been involved in some pretty funny moments during his own hosting stint.
The 51-year-old veteran announcer hasn’t always been the most popular with fans, but he’s shown himself to be quick on his feet with a good sense of humor. It will be interesting to see how he does.
The Utah Jazz got fairly good news on guard Donovan Mitchell’s ankle injury after getting a serious scare on Friday.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, an MRI on Mitchell’s right ankle sprain revealed no structural damage. The guard is expected to miss several games, but also seems to have avoided a major injury.
This will come as a massive relief to the Jazz, who must have feared worse after seeing Mitchell helped off the court during Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. It sounds like he won’t miss much of the playoffs, if at all.
Mitchell has been in dominant form of late for Utah. Since the All-Star break, he is averaging 29.6 points per game, with four 40-point games during that span.
Zach LaVine has been the Chicago Bulls’ leading scorer the last three seasons and was an All-Star this season. He is a central figure in their hopes to become a playoff team.
But how long will they have him?
Bleacher Report’s A. Sherrod Blakely reports that rival executives expect the Bulls to offer LaVine a contract extension after the season. However, they expect LaVine to decline it and hit free agency in 2022.
The big question is whether LaVine will remain in Chicago or head elsewhere.
LaVine is in his fourth season with Chicago after spending his first three with Minnesota. The Bulls acquired him in a trade with the Timberwolves and then matched the Kings’ restricted free agent offer sheet for him in 2018. They have shown faith in him, and he has developed into an All-Star with them.
What helps Chicago’s cause is that they have shown LaVine they are trying to contend, which was evidenced by their acquisition of Nikola Vucevic. However, Chicago could end up losing Lauri Markkanen after the season.
LaVine is making $19.5 million this season and next, which is a bargain for a free agent. He will cash in on his next deal, regardless of which team he chooses to sign with.
The Minnesota Twins decided to spare their bullpen after a disastrous 7th inning on Friday and ended up turning to a position player to pitch. And the results were hilarious, but successful.
Down 10-3 entering the bottom of the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels, the Twins asked Willians Astudillo to get the final three outs for them (barring a huge comeback in the top of the ninth). Astudillo, mind you, is a utility player and not an actual pitcher. But Astudillo still got the job done, even if he was lobbing some pitches in at 46 mph. This was like the MLB version of high arc softball.
Take a look at this video:
Astudillo, who is known as “La Tortuga” (the tortoise), stuck to a turtle’s pace and kept most of his pitches under 60 mph. He did kick it up over 70 for one, but remained mostly with the slow balls.
Did we mention that he put together a 1-2-3 inning?
Astudillo has actually pitched once before in 2018. He has played every defensive position in MLB except shortstop.
Justin Upton smacked his first grand slam as an Angel, and he really admired his work.
Upton crushed a breaking ball from Caleb Thielbar for a grand slam in the bottom of the 7th inning of Friday night’s Angels-Minnesota Twins game. The grand salami made it 9-3 for the Angels, and it was crushed so much that Upton stopped to watch it.
Upton missed a few games due to a back injury but just returned to the lineup, and he did so in grand fashion. The homer was measured at 410 feet. Jared Walsh went back-to-back with Upton to make it 10-3, though he didn’t quite admire his work as much.
The New England Patriots are at an interesting spot in the NFL Draft, holding the No. 15 pick. That means the team could theoretically move up a few spots if it wanted to without giving up an unbearable haul of future picks.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is not known for tipping his hand, but he did offer an interesting comment on the team’s thinking surrounding the draft pick.
For whatever it’s worth, the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers hold picks 12 and 13. Belichick probably wouldn’t telegraph those intentions so obviously, though.
There’s been a lot of chatter about the Patriots potentially moving up for a quarterback. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels showing up for a high-profile pro day didn’t do much to quiet that. However, there’s also some growing thought that Cam Newton might be a point of confidence for the team. The Patriots, like every team, have a responsibility to prepare for a number of different scenarios. Drafting a quarterback isn’t out of the question here.
Rob Gronkowski is now a Big Apple guy.
Gronk bought a home in New York City at a new development, the New York Post reported this week. According to The Post, the corner home is three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms and 2,652 square feet.
The price tag was hefty: $7 million.
The residence is at 35 Hudson Yards in Manhattan. The facility boasts indoor and outdoor pools, a SoulCycle, spa and Equinox Hotel, residents-only gym, playroom, business center, lounge, dining room and terrace with catering services.
Gronk’s career earnings are estimated to be around $70 million. He claimed to have not spent his playing salary and was reportedly living off his endorsement money as of a few years ago. That means he should have plenty saved up for properties such as this one.
Gronk, 31, retired after the 2018 NFL season. But he returned last season to team with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. The decision paid off as they won the Super Bowl, with Gronk catching two touchdowns in the win over the Chiefs.
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.
Minnesota Twins DH Nelson Cruz wants to help fix Anthony Edwards’ nonexistent baseball knowledge in light of Edwards’ recent comments about Alex Rodriguez.
Edwards, a rookie for the Minnesota Timberwolves, hilariously professed to having no idea who Rodriguez is after the former MLB star joined the ownership group set to purchase the team. Most people were stunned that any athlete wouldn’t know who Rodriguez is considering he’s one of the most famous athletes in the last 25 years.
Cruz had a solution for Edwards, tweeting the NBA rookie an offer to host him at a Twins game.
We don’t really know how much Edwards really wants to learn about baseball, but he’s unlikely to get a better offer. After all, the Twins were a playoff team in 2020. Plus, Cruz would certainly be able to afford a pretty comfortable experience. The explanation about who A-Rod is can come for free, though.
The San Antonio Spurs could be after their next great international player.
A. Sherrod Blakley reported this week that multiple scouts and executives believe the Spurs will make a strong offer to Chicago Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen this offseason. The 23-year-old is about to become a restricted free agent.
Markkanen’s development has stagnated somewhat in his fourth NBA season. He took a step back last year in the dysfunctional offense of former coach Jim Boylen. While Markkanen’s shooting percentages have improved greatly under Billy Donovan, he still has to compete for touches with Zach LaVine. Meanwhile, the acquisition of Nikola Vucevic and the development of Coby White have pushed Markkanen even further down the hierarchy.
Blakley notes that the Spurs have a need for a stretch big after the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge. The team has also developed big men such as Jakob Poeltl and Davis Bertans into viable starting-caliber players. The ceiling is obviously higher for Markkanen as a former top-seven pick. It also seems like a safe bet that he might not return to Chicago.
Photo: Don Bigileone/Flickr via CC BY-SA 2.0
Friday’s game between the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets was postponed until Saturday to be made up as a doubleheader. If you see how bad the blizzard is, you’ll understand why they were unable to play.
Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman shared a video on his Instagram Story of his teammates disembarking from their plane in Colorado. There was snow all over the place.
Stroman joked to teammate Kevin Pillar that it was just like Toronto (they previously were teammates on the Blue Jays).
Pillar jokingly asked whether they were the Green Bay Packers with all the snow on the ground.
The Mets should be used to the postponements. They have had seven postponements in 16 days due to the virus, rain, and now snow.
