The Los Angeles Angels on Thursday acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler from the St. Louis Cardinals, much to Joe Maddon’s delight.
Maddon is entering his second season as the Angels’ manager. He managed Fowler in 2015 and 2016 on the Chicago Cubs, seasons when the team reached the NLCS and won the World Series.
So why is Maddon happy to have Fowler? He likes the type of mentality and makeup the veteran outfielder has.
Fowler is the third former #Cubs player to be reunited with #Angels manager Joe Maddon. "We want a certain type of player, certain type of makeup, certain type of mentality.''
St. Louis signed the 34-year-old to a 5-year, $82.5 million deal prior to the 2017 season. They got good production from him in 2017 and decent production in 2019, but he didn’t add much in 2018 or the shortened 2020 season.
Fowler made the All-Star team in 2016, the year the Cubs won the World Series. He hasn’t hit over .238 in his last three seasons, though he did have 19 home runs in 2019.
Christian Wood showed some great heart despite suffering an ankle injury on Thursday night.
Wood was injured when he rolled his ankle while driving to the hoop in the third quarter of his Houston Rockets’ 115-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He limped off the floor during a timeout but then tried to return to the court to shoot some free throws.
Recognizing that Wood was in pain, his teammates convinced the big man to exit the game. Wood obliged and ended up being taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.
After injuring his ankle, Christian Wood tried to shoot his free throws.
The ankle injury could be really bad news for Houston.
This is the second time in two weeks that Wood has sprained his ankle. He missed three games after spraining his right ankle on Jan. 20.
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas hinted at a potential extended absence for the big man.
“It was difficult for me. I had to sit down and collect my thoughts and gather myself,” Silas said of the situation.
Wood, who was signed over the offseason, has been great for the Rockets. He’s averaging 22.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, while also making 1.8 threes per game on 39.7 percent shooting from long range. Houston would be in trouble without him.
Penn State was roasted on Twitter Thursday after posting a Super Bowl-related graphic.
The Nittany Lions tried to boast about the success their players have had in the NFL. The graphic stated that a Penn State player has appeared in every Super Bowl. There’s only one issue. If you read the fine print at the bottom, a clarification shows that there were actually five Super Bowls in which a Penn State player did not appear.
The Kansas City Chiefs had a big COVID scare over the weekend, and at least one reporter is giving credit to a Chiefs staffer for saving the Super Bowl.
Last weekend, the Chiefs had a barber visit the team facility to give haircuts to the team’s players. The barber was on his second haircut when a rapid test showed a positive COVID-19 result. The barber was pulled aside, while the two players who had their hair cut were placed on the COVID/reserve list. Both players have since tested negative.
But FOX Sports NFL reporter Jay Glazer thinks that Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder saved the Super Bowl by giving the barber the rapid test.
From @jayglazer w/us on @FoxSportsRadio – 'Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs trainer, SAVED THE SUPER BOWL by giving the Chiefs barber a quick COVID test. Because Mahomes was up next…guys were coming up and who knows what happens. He saved the Super Bowl.'
If the rapid test result weren’t known, then Patrick Mahomes and other Chiefs players would have been on the COVID list and forced into protocol to test out of it. That could have put the Super Bowl in jeopardy.
So, yes, the trainer’s move ensured a situation didn’t become much worse. And one Chiefs player has even had some fun with the situation.
Chiefs fans, you’ll love this Andy Reid cheeseburger shirt. Reid loves his cheeseburgers, and you can wear it. This makes a perfect gift for you or a friend. You can buy it here.
The fan who was ejected from an Atlanta Hawks-Los Angeles Lakers game on Monday night seems to be going dark.
Juliana Carlos was one of four fans ejected during the fourth quarter of the game. Her husband got into it with LeBron James, and then she stepped in to defend her husband. The last part of the exchanges happened in front of the referees, who ejected Carlos.
Carlos seemed to want the attention at the time, but she has since changed her stance.
Carlos has made her Instagram private and seems to have taken down her YouTube account for now. Her husband Chris Carlos has also gone private on Instagram.
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, and Bruce Arians has had the pleasure of coaching both men. He has also worked with other top quarterbacks, like Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer.
So what sets Brady and Manning apart from other quarterbacks? The two have physical talent, but Arians thinks it’s something else that stands out.
Arians said on Wednesday that Brady and Manning distance themselves from the crowd when it comes to preparation.
Interesting quote from Bruce Arians, contrasting the preparation of QBs he’s coached like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady with Ben Roethlisberger pic.twitter.com/DqwiGZhqYf
Arians wasn’t trying to slight the other quarterbacks he’s worked with but share the difference. He complimented both Roethlisberger and Luck as part of his comments.
Butch Jones was already a very accomplished head football coach before he went to Alabama. But he still dropped down professionally a few years ago and became an offensive analyst at “Nick Saban’s Rehab School for Failed Coaches.”
Jones spent three seasons at Alabama and now is branching back out on his own as a head coach at Arkansas State.
“It’s really hard to narrow that down to one or two things,” Jones said via 247 Sports. “I think it’s a cumulative effect. The big thing is, people use the term loosely, the process and following the process but understanding the true definition of how you coach and how you teach the process and what it means. His balance overall as a head coach and all the things that are associated with that job and how he goes about his business…and how he manages. He does an incredible job of balancing everything that’s associated with being a head coach from the alumni, the donors, the media, to player development, to the former players, the coaching staff, support staff, you name it….
“Those three years were remarkable. Last year was one of the best years I’ve ever had in this profession of being a part of a national championship team. But really getting to know him as a coach and an even better person.”
The Orlando Magic are in Year 7 now of their Aaron Gordon-Evan Fournier-Nikola Vucevic core. But they may be re-evaluating it this trade deadline.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported Thursday that multiple league executives wonder if the Magic will consider moving on from Gordon as part of a pivot into a full-on rebuild. The 25-year-old is currently out four-to-six weeks wih an ankle sprain. Bontemps also notes that Fournier is on an expiring contract and is expected to draw trade interest as well.
Gordon has a high floor of production, averaging a typical 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game this season. But he has largely been the same player for his entire career. Meanwhile, the Magic have only made the playoffs twice since Gordon was drafted in 2014, both first-round exits.
Orlando is off to another slow start this season with a record of 8-14. Gordon has strong value from a marketability angle. But as for winning basketball games, the Magic may have already reached their ceiling with him.
Charles Barkley had no idea what the Dallas Mavericks were doing on Thursday night.
Barkley was critical of Dallas for attempting so many 3-pointers in their game against the Golden State Warriors while providing commentary at halftime of the TNT game. He noted that Dallas is last in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 32.7 percent.
“I don’t understand if you’re bad shooting why you just keep shooting them all the time,” Barkley said.
“Y’all sitting there watching stupid a– basketball,” Barkley said of the fans watching this style of play. “Just jacking up threes all night. Give me a break, you dumba–es.”
Barkley also didn’t understand why the Mavericks weren’t using their height advantage.
Despite his criticism, the Mavericks actually led 76-74 at the half.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are standing up for their emerging young star.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported Thursday that the Cavs are planning to send video clips to the league office of “Landing Zone” violations by opposing defenders during their games. Fedor notes that the team wants to fight for guard Collin Sexton, who has rolled his ankle multiple times on such plays with no foul call.
The 22-year-old Sexton has been a nice story for the No. 7-seeded Cavs this season. He has broken out with a scoring average of 24.3 points per game, which is tops on the team and ninth-best in the Eastern Conference. But Sexton recently missed two weeks with an ankle injury, so the Cavs obviously want to protect him better.
NBA officials have been a bit uneven with the whistle this season, especially with high-scoring guards. Sexton probably will not be getting superstar calls yet. But the Cavs will be happy with more diligence to preserve his ankles.
