Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in batting average:
.322— Shohei Ohtani, LA
.316— Jurickson Profar, SD
.312— Luis Rengifo, LAA
.310— Bobby Witt Jr KC/Luis Arraez, SD
.309— Carlos Correa, Minn
.304— Mookie Betts LA/Aaron Judge, NYY
Quote of the Day
“I’d probably not want him to do it. For the game, I think it’s great … obviously, he’s the biggest star in the game, and it makes (the Home Run Derby) more attractive,”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, talking about Shohei Ohtani taking part in Home Run Derby
Friday’s quiz
Where did Kevin Durant play his college basketball?
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, Roy Hobbs wore number 9 for the New York Knights.
Wednesday’s quiz
2018 was last time an NBA team won back-to-back championships; Golden State won the title in both 2017 and 2018.
**********************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here……..
— Second day of the NBA Draft went from 4:00-6:30, an odd time to have it, but at least ESPN put former Warriors GM Bob Myers on their broadcast, so we learned some things. Also had to put up with Stephen A Smith, but that is why God invented the mute button.
Seemed like most of the 2nd round picks got traded, but the Lakers didn’t trade their 2nd round pick- to no one’s surprise, they took Bronny James.
— Before they went to SportsCenter, ESPN was already promoting a July 12 summer league game with the Lakers-Rockets, Bronny’s professional debut.
— Looked like the second day of the draft was held in the back room of a Brooklyn diner, not a big room at all.
— Since 1989, Kentucky has had 48 first round draft picks, Duke 47.
— During John Calipari’s time at Kentucky, Wildcats had 25 NBA lottery picks; no other team had more than 15 lottery picks during those years.
— Before the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges, they had an 8.2% chance to win the NBA title next year; since the trade was announced, that number has gone up to 12.3%.
— Knicks dealt a 2031 draft pick in that trade, which means that if they keep the pick, Brooklyn will have acquired a young man who just graduated from………6th grade.
— Famous birthdays, June 28th:
Mel Brooks, 98
Raymond Chester, 76
Jim Spanarkel, 67
John Elway, 64
Jay Schroeder, 63
Mark Grace, 60
John Cusack, 58
Brandon Phillips, 43
Bradley Beal, 31
— Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice just won his first Stanley Cup title, in his 26th year as a head coach; he’s been a coach so long, his first head coaching gig was with the Hartford Whalers, who later became the Carolina Hurricanes.
— If you have HBO or whatever they call it now, Hard Knocks starts up next week, with the focus on the off-season of the New Jersey Giants.
— Angels 5, Tigers 0
Rookie Davis Daniel allowed 4 hits in 8 shutout IP, in his first MLB start.
Last time a rookie threw 8+ shutout IP with 8+ strikeouts in his first career start was Jason Jennings of Colorado, back in 2001.
— Marlins 7, Phillies 4
Phillies led 2-0 after six innings.
Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper both got hurt in this game.
— Toronto 9, New York 2
George Springer hit a couple three-run homers.
Last three nights, New York starting pitchers gave up 19 runs in 13.1 IP.
— White Sox 1, Braves 0
Luis Robert’s first inning homer was the game’s only run.
Five Chicago pitchers combined on the shutout win.
— Cubs 5, Giants 3 (10)
Ian Happ homered in the 10th inning.
Cubs broke a 4-game losing streak.
Friday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in batting average:
.322— Shohei Ohtani, LA
.316— Jurickson Profar, SD
.312— Luis Rengifo, LAA
.310— Bobby Witt Jr KC/Luis Arraez, SD
.309— Carlos Correa, Minn
.304— Mookie Betts LA/Aaron Judge, NYY
Quote of the Day
“I’d probably not want him to do it. For the game, I think it’s great … obviously, he’s the biggest star in the game, and it makes (the Home Run Derby) more attractive,”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, talking about Shohei Ohtani taking part in Home Run Derby
Friday’s quiz
Where did Kevin Durant play his college basketball?
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, Roy Hobbs wore number 9 for the New York Knights.
Wednesday’s quiz
2018 was last time an NBA team won back-to-back championships; Golden State won the title in both 2017 and 2018.
**********************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here……..
— Second day of the NBA Draft went from 4:00-6:30, an odd time to have it, but at least ESPN put former Warriors GM Bob Myers on their broadcast, so we learned some things. Also had to put up with Stephen A Smith, but that is why God invented the mute button.
Seemed like most of the 2nd round picks got traded, but the Lakers didn’t trade their 2nd round pick- to no one’s surprise, they took Bronny James.
— Before they went to SportsCenter, ESPN was already promoting a July 12 summer league game with the Lakers-Rockets, Bronny’s professional debut.
— Looked like the second day of the draft was held in the back room of a Brooklyn diner, not a big room at all.
— Since 1989, Kentucky has had 48 first round draft picks, Duke 47.
— During John Calipari’s time at Kentucky, Wildcats had 25 NBA lottery picks; no other team had more than 15 lottery picks during those years.
— Before the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges, they had an 8.2% chance to win the NBA title next year; since the trade was announced, that number has gone up to 12.3%.
— Knicks dealt a 2031 draft pick in that trade, which means that if they keep the pick, Brooklyn will have acquired a young man who just graduated from………6th grade.
— Famous birthdays, June 28th:
Mel Brooks, 98
Raymond Chester, 76
Jim Spanarkel, 67
John Elway, 64
Jay Schroeder, 63
Mark Grace, 60
John Cusack, 58
Brandon Phillips, 43
Bradley Beal, 31
— Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice just won his first Stanley Cup title, in his 26th year as a head coach; he’s been a coach so long, his first head coaching gig was with the Hartford Whalers, who later became the Carolina Hurricanes.
— If you have HBO or whatever they call it now, Hard Knocks starts up next week, with the focus on the off-season of the New Jersey Giants.
— Angels 5, Tigers 0
Rookie Davis Daniel allowed 4 hits in 8 shutout IP, in his first MLB start.
Last time a rookie threw 8+ shutout IP with 8+ strikeouts in his first career start was Jason Jennings of Colorado, back in 2001.
— Marlins 7, Phillies 4
Phillies led 2-0 after six innings.
Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper both got hurt in this game.
— Toronto 9, New York 2
George Springer hit a couple three-run homers.
Last three nights, New York starting pitchers gave up 19 runs in 13.1 IP.
— White Sox 1, Braves 0
Luis Robert’s first inning homer was the game’s only run.
Five Chicago pitchers combined on the shutout win.
— Cubs 5, Giants 3 (10)
Ian Happ homered in the 10th inning.
Cubs broke a 4-game losing streak.
Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack:
— Phillies 2, Marlins 0- Cristopher Sanchez with a 101-pitch complete game.
— Mets 7, Astros 2- Mets are over .500 for first time since May 2nd.
— Angels 5, Tigers 2- Halos have won a season-high five games in a row.
— A’s 9, Arizona 4- Oakland scored six runs in last two innings.
— Dallas Mavericks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and 3 picks to Detroit for Quentin Grimes
— Atlanta Hawks traded G Dejounte Murray to New Orleans, for two players and two first round draft picks.
Quote of the Day
“I’ve played a lot of golf in my life, and just to see a hole-in-one in a tournament is pretty rare. For me to have that, it was great. I’m out here trying to play well and make the cut. And, at the time, it was pretty important for me to do that. So the first one was great, so that got me under par for the day. And then the second one, I just couldn’t believe it. To even think that that could happen was amazing.”
Pro golfer Frank Bensel Jr, who got hole-in-ones on consecutive holes at the US Senior Open
Saturday’s quiz
In the Eagles’ song Take It Easy, the guy is standing on a corner in what western town?
Friday’s quiz
Kevin Durant played his college basketball at Texas.
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, Roy Hobbs wore number 9 for the New York Knights.
***********************************
Saturday’s Den: Trends for all 30 major league teams……
Trends for all 30 MLB teams…….
— Arizona is 13-7 in one-run games.
Over is 11-2 in their last 13 home games.
— Braves ware 4-8 in their last 12 road games.
Atlanta is 15-15 since Ronald Acuna went on the IL.
— Cubs are 9-18 vs NL Central rivals, 29-27 vs everyone else.
Under is 15-5 in their last 20 games.
— Cincinnati is 4-9 in its last 13 games.
Under is 13-4 in their last 17 home games.
— Rockies are 3-11 in their last 14 games.
Over is 11-5 in their last 16 home games.
— Dodgers won eight of their last 11 games.
Dodgers are 22-8 vs lefty starters, 29-24 vs righties.
— Marlins are 3-25 against lefty starting pitchers, 26-28 vs righties.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven road games.
— Brewers are 16-3 in their last 19 home games.
Milwaukee is 19-9 against its NL Central rivals.
— Mets are 16-4 in their last 20 games.
Mets are 16-9 in one-run games; last year, they were 25-28.
— Phillies are 28-6 in their last 34 home games.
Phillies are 21-5 in their last 26 series openers.
— Pittsburgh is 9-5 in its last 13 series openers.
Under is 14-5 in Pirates’ last 19 games.
— St Louis is 16-6 in its last 22 home games.
Cardinals are 25-19 in night games, 17-20 in day games.
— Padres lost nine of their last 11 road games.
Padres won 11 of their last 13 home games.
— San Francisco is 31-27 vs righty pitchers, 9-16 vs lefties.
Over is 6-1 in their last seven road games.
— Over is 5-2 in Washington’s last seven road games.
Nationals are 14-10 vs NL East rivals, 24-33 vs everyone else.
— Famous birthdays, June 29th:
John Boccabella, 83
Gary Busey, 80
Fred Grandy, 76
Dan Dierdorf, 75
Rick Honeycutt, 70
Joe Johnson, 43
Kawhi Leonard, 33
Tanner Houck, 28
Gunnar Henderson, 23
— Orioles are 5-2 in their last seven home games.
Baltimore is 19-7 vs its AL East rivals.
— Red Sox are 10-13 vs lefty starters; last two years, they were 47-31.
Boston is 2-12 in home series openers.
— White Sox are 6-13 in their last 19 games.
Chicago is 5-24 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
— Guardians are 18-4 in their last 22 home games.
Cleveland is 17-6 vs lefty starting pitchers; LY, they were 24-35.
— Tigers are 1-8 in their last nine road games.
Under is 10-2 in their last 12 games.
— Houston won seven of its last eight games.
Under is 13-6 in Astros’ last 19 games.
Last 2 years, Houston was 70-33 vs lefty starters; this year, they’re 10-15.
— Royals are 4-12 in their last 16 road games.
Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.
— Over is 10-4 in Angels’ last 14 road games.
Under is 14-3 in their last 17 home games.
— Minnesota is 12-6 in its last 18 games.
Over is 12-4 in their last 16 games.
— New York lost nine of its last 12 games.
Over is 8-1 in their last nine games.
— A’s lost 11 of their last 12 road games.
Under is 10-4 in their last 14 home games.
— Mariners are 12-1 in home series openers, 5-9 in road series openers.
Seattle is 24-6 in its last 30 home games.
— Rays are 13-7 vs lefty starters, 28-34 vs righty starters.
Tampa Bay is 6-9 in home series openers.
— Texas is 3-14 in its last 17 series openers.
Under is 23-9 in Rangers’ last 32 home games.
— Toronto lost five of its last six road games.
Blue Jays are 8-14 in one-run games.
Saturday’s 6-pack:
— Phillies 2, Marlins 0- Cristopher Sanchez with a 101-pitch complete game.
— Mets 7, Astros 2- Mets are over .500 for first time since May 2nd.
— Angels 5, Tigers 2- Halos have won a season-high five games in a row.
— A’s 9, Arizona 4- Oakland scored six runs in last two innings.
— Dallas Mavericks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and 3 picks to Detroit for Quentin Grimes
— Atlanta Hawks traded G Dejounte Murray to New Orleans, for two players and two first round draft picks.
Quote of the Day
“I’ve played a lot of golf in my life, and just to see a hole-in-one in a tournament is pretty rare. For me to have that, it was great. I’m out here trying to play well and make the cut. And, at the time, it was pretty important for me to do that. So the first one was great, so that got me under par for the day. And then the second one, I just couldn’t believe it. To even think that that could happen was amazing.”
Pro golfer Frank Bensel Jr, who got hole-in-ones on consecutive holes at the US Senior Open
Saturday’s quiz
In the Eagles’ song Take It Easy, the guy is standing on a corner in what western town?
Friday’s quiz
Kevin Durant played his college basketball at Texas.
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, Roy Hobbs wore number 9 for the New York Knights.
***********************************
Saturday’s Den: Trends for all 30 major league teams……
Trends for all 30 MLB teams…….
— Arizona is 13-7 in one-run games.
Over is 11-2 in their last 13 home games.
— Braves ware 4-8 in their last 12 road games.
Atlanta is 15-15 since Ronald Acuna went on the IL.
— Cubs are 9-18 vs NL Central rivals, 29-27 vs everyone else.
Under is 15-5 in their last 20 games.
— Cincinnati is 4-9 in its last 13 games.
Under is 13-4 in their last 17 home games.
— Rockies are 3-11 in their last 14 games.
Over is 11-5 in their last 16 home games.
— Dodgers won eight of their last 11 games.
Dodgers are 22-8 vs lefty starters, 29-24 vs righties.
— Marlins are 3-25 against lefty starting pitchers, 26-28 vs righties.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven road games.
— Brewers are 16-3 in their last 19 home games.
Milwaukee is 19-9 against its NL Central rivals.
— Mets are 16-4 in their last 20 games.
Mets are 16-9 in one-run games; last year, they were 25-28.
— Phillies are 28-6 in their last 34 home games.
Phillies are 21-5 in their last 26 series openers.
— Pittsburgh is 9-5 in its last 13 series openers.
Under is 14-5 in Pirates’ last 19 games.
— St Louis is 16-6 in its last 22 home games.
Cardinals are 25-19 in night games, 17-20 in day games.
— Padres lost nine of their last 11 road games.
Padres won 11 of their last 13 home games.
— San Francisco is 31-27 vs righty pitchers, 9-16 vs lefties.
Over is 6-1 in their last seven road games.
— Over is 5-2 in Washington’s last seven road games.
Nationals are 14-10 vs NL East rivals, 24-33 vs everyone else.
— Famous birthdays, June 29th:
John Boccabella, 83
Gary Busey, 80
Fred Grandy, 76
Dan Dierdorf, 75
Rick Honeycutt, 70
Joe Johnson, 43
Kawhi Leonard, 33
Tanner Houck, 28
Gunnar Henderson, 23
— Orioles are 5-2 in their last seven home games.
Baltimore is 19-7 vs its AL East rivals.
— Red Sox are 10-13 vs lefty starters; last two years, they were 47-31.
Boston is 2-12 in home series openers.
— White Sox are 6-13 in their last 19 games.
Chicago is 5-24 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
— Guardians are 18-4 in their last 22 home games.
Cleveland is 17-6 vs lefty starting pitchers; LY, they were 24-35.
— Tigers are 1-8 in their last nine road games.
Under is 10-2 in their last 12 games.
— Houston won seven of its last eight games.
Under is 13-6 in Astros’ last 19 games.
Last 2 years, Houston was 70-33 vs lefty starters; this year, they’re 10-15.
— Royals are 4-12 in their last 16 road games.
Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.
— Over is 10-4 in Angels’ last 14 road games.
Under is 14-3 in their last 17 home games.
— Minnesota is 12-6 in its last 18 games.
Over is 12-4 in their last 16 games.
— New York lost nine of its last 12 games.
Over is 8-1 in their last nine games.
— A’s lost 11 of their last 12 road games.
Under is 10-4 in their last 14 home games.
— Mariners are 12-1 in home series openers, 5-9 in road series openers.
Seattle is 24-6 in its last 30 home games.
— Rays are 13-7 vs lefty starters, 28-34 vs righty starters.
Tampa Bay is 6-9 in home series openers.
— Texas is 3-14 in its last 17 series openers.
Under is 23-9 in Rangers’ last 32 home games.
— Toronto lost five of its last six road games.
Blue Jays are 8-14 in one-run games.
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in runs scored:
430— Orioles
426— New York (A)
412— Dodgers
411— Phillies
400— Padres
398— Guardians
Quote of the Day
“……here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.”
Mike McDermott, Rounders
Sunday’s quiz
In the history of the Atlanta Braves, who hit the most home runs in a season?
Saturday’s quiz
In the Eagles’ song Take It Easy, the guy is standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Friday’s quiz
Kevin Durant played his college basketball at Texas.
*******************************************
37- Cleveland
29- Chicago
27- Washington
26- LA Rams
25- Arizona, Miami
23- Dallas, Minnesota
— NFL teams that have started the fewest QB’s since 2000:
7- Green Bay
9- New England, LA Chargers
11- Seattle
12- NJ Giants
13- Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh
14- Philadelphia
— San Jose Sharks took Macklin Celebrini with the first pick in this weekend’s NHL Draft; his dad is the VP of Player Health and Performance for the Golden State Warriors.
— LA Clippers’ star Paul George has declined his $48.7M option for next year, and will enter free agency; the 34-year old George is expected to meet with three teams- 76ers, Magic and his old team, the Clippers.
George will be a free agent for first time since 2018; apparently he is looking for a 4-year, $221M contract, lot of bank for a guy who is 34. George scored 22.6 ppg this past year, grabbing 5.2 rebounds, dishing out 3.5 assists/game.
— Sounds like Klay Thompson/Golden State will be parting ways; Thompson has been a Warrior since 2011, will be weird to see him wearing another uniform.
— Phrase that popped up this week that I wish I had wrote:
“…..torrential flood of word vomit.”
Long time ago, September 1973, I was in 9th grade; it was my first day ever in a public school, and it was culture shock.
First time I rode in a school bus.
First time I didn’t wear a uniform to school.
First time I took an industrial arts (shop) class.
Anyway, the shop teacher was Mr Brunn, he was talking but so was one of the kids in the class. Mr Brunn interrupted the kid and says “Billy, you need to stop talking; you have diarrhea of the mouth!!!”
My eyes got wide; this is how teachers talk in public schools?
“…..torrential flood of word vomit.” reminded me of that day; good stuff.
— RIP to the great comedian Martin Mull, who passed away at age 80; he was very funny, he was in a lot of stuff, but I remember him best on Fernwood Tonight, a spoof of talk shows that he shared with the equally funny Fred Willard. What a team they were.
These days, I sometimes watch replays of old gameshows late at night; Martin Mull was often the center square on the 1990’s version of Hollywood Squares.
Very funny man. RIP, sir.
— Famous birthdays, June 30th:
Mitch Richmond, 59
Mike Tyson, 58
Garret Anderson, 52
Trevor Ariza, 39
Michael Phelps, 39
Trea Turner, 31
Josh Rojas, 30
AJ Brown, 27
— Minnesota utility guy Willie Castro is only third player ever (Tony Phillips, Zach McKinstry are the others) to play 20+ games at five different positions in the same season.
— Most home runs in 1-0 games, among active players:
4- Kyle Schwarber
3- Ronald Acuna, Luis Robert
— Astros 9, Mets 6
Mets led 6-1 after three innings.
Alex Bregman had the game-winning hit in the 8th inning.
— Braves 2, Pirates 1 (10)
Adam Duvall had the walk-off single for Atlanta.
Pittsburgh rookie P Skenes has a 2.06 ERA in nine starts.
— Arizona 3, A’s 0
Zac Gallen allowed one hit in six shutout IP.
A’s used same lineup in consecutive games for first time this season.
— Dodgers 14, Giants 7 (11)
Dodgers led 6-5 after the 4th inning.
Dodgers are 6-2 vs San Francisco this season.
— Padres 11, Red Sox 1
Manny Machado homered twice for San Diego.
Padres have won nine of their last ten games.
Major League leaders in runs scored:
430— Orioles
426— New York (A)
412— Dodgers
411— Phillies
400— Padres
398— Guardians
Quote of the Day
“……here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.”
Mike McDermott, Rounders
Sunday’s quiz
In the history of the Atlanta Braves, who hit the most home runs in a season?
Saturday’s quiz
In the Eagles’ song Take It Easy, the guy is standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Friday’s quiz
Kevin Durant played his college basketball at Texas.
*******************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……..
— NFL teams that have started the most QB’s since 2000:37- Cleveland
29- Chicago
27- Washington
26- LA Rams
25- Arizona, Miami
23- Dallas, Minnesota
— NFL teams that have started the fewest QB’s since 2000:
7- Green Bay
9- New England, LA Chargers
11- Seattle
12- NJ Giants
13- Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh
14- Philadelphia
— San Jose Sharks took Macklin Celebrini with the first pick in this weekend’s NHL Draft; his dad is the VP of Player Health and Performance for the Golden State Warriors.
— LA Clippers’ star Paul George has declined his $48.7M option for next year, and will enter free agency; the 34-year old George is expected to meet with three teams- 76ers, Magic and his old team, the Clippers.
George will be a free agent for first time since 2018; apparently he is looking for a 4-year, $221M contract, lot of bank for a guy who is 34. George scored 22.6 ppg this past year, grabbing 5.2 rebounds, dishing out 3.5 assists/game.
— Sounds like Klay Thompson/Golden State will be parting ways; Thompson has been a Warrior since 2011, will be weird to see him wearing another uniform.
— Phrase that popped up this week that I wish I had wrote:
“…..torrential flood of word vomit.”
Long time ago, September 1973, I was in 9th grade; it was my first day ever in a public school, and it was culture shock.
First time I rode in a school bus.
First time I didn’t wear a uniform to school.
First time I took an industrial arts (shop) class.
Anyway, the shop teacher was Mr Brunn, he was talking but so was one of the kids in the class. Mr Brunn interrupted the kid and says “Billy, you need to stop talking; you have diarrhea of the mouth!!!”
My eyes got wide; this is how teachers talk in public schools?
“…..torrential flood of word vomit.” reminded me of that day; good stuff.
— RIP to the great comedian Martin Mull, who passed away at age 80; he was very funny, he was in a lot of stuff, but I remember him best on Fernwood Tonight, a spoof of talk shows that he shared with the equally funny Fred Willard. What a team they were.
These days, I sometimes watch replays of old gameshows late at night; Martin Mull was often the center square on the 1990’s version of Hollywood Squares.
Very funny man. RIP, sir.
— Famous birthdays, June 30th:
Mitch Richmond, 59
Mike Tyson, 58
Garret Anderson, 52
Trevor Ariza, 39
Michael Phelps, 39
Trea Turner, 31
Josh Rojas, 30
AJ Brown, 27
— Minnesota utility guy Willie Castro is only third player ever (Tony Phillips, Zach McKinstry are the others) to play 20+ games at five different positions in the same season.
— Most home runs in 1-0 games, among active players:
4- Kyle Schwarber
3- Ronald Acuna, Luis Robert
— Astros 9, Mets 6
Mets led 6-1 after three innings.
Alex Bregman had the game-winning hit in the 8th inning.
— Braves 2, Pirates 1 (10)
Adam Duvall had the walk-off single for Atlanta.
Pittsburgh rookie P Skenes has a 2.06 ERA in nine starts.
— Arizona 3, A’s 0
Zac Gallen allowed one hit in six shutout IP.
A’s used same lineup in consecutive games for first time this season.
— Dodgers 14, Giants 7 (11)
Dodgers led 6-5 after the 4th inning.
Dodgers are 6-2 vs San Francisco this season.
— Padres 11, Red Sox 1
Manny Machado homered twice for San Diego.
Padres have won nine of their last ten games.
Armadillo Sports
Monday’s 6-pack:
NFL Week 3 spreads
— Patriots @ NJ Jets (-7.5, 42)
— Giants @ Cleveland (-6.5, 42.5)
— Bears @ Indianapolis (-2, 47)
— Texans (-3.5, 46.5) @ Minnesota
— Eagles (-3) @ New Orleans
— Chargers @ Pittsburgh (-2, 42.5)
Quote of the Day
“I’m so happy for my friend Bobo to get that call. He was a great teammate and probably the most exciting player I ever played with. You’d see things that no other human could do on a baseball field or a football field. He’s one of the greatest athletes of our time, and it’s an honor to welcome him to the Royals Hall of Fame, where he belongs.”
Hall of Famer George Brett, talking about Bo Jackson
Monday’s quiz
What was the name of the ballpark the Montreal Expos played their home games in, before Olympic Stadium was built?
Sunday’s quiz
In the history of the Atlanta Braves, Matt Olson hit the most home runs (54) in a season.
Saturday’s quiz
In the Eagles’ song Take It Easy, the guy is standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.
*****************************************************
Monday’s Den: Happy Canada Day!!!!
— Happy Canada Day to our friends north of the border…….
— There is a hockey player named Corey Perry who in the last five years, has been on the losing side in the Stanley Cup final four times, with four different teams, which is unusual:
2024- Edmonton Oilers
2022- Tampa Bay Lightning
2021- Montreal Canadiens
2020- Dallas Stars.
He was on the winning side in the Cup finals once, with Anaheim in 2007.
— Before the Knicks-Nets made the Mikal Bridges trade last week, the last time those teams had traded with each other was June 22, 1983:
Knicks traded a 2nd round pick in 1984 to the Nets for Len Elmore, who played only one year for the Knicks before he retired, to become a lawyer/TV analyst.
Elmore scored 6 ppg in his NBA career, scoring 3,948 points.
— NBA salary cap this coming season will be $140.588M; the Tax Level for the 2024‑25 season is $170.814M.
Minimum team salary for next season is $126.529M.
— Kansas City Royals inducted Bo Jackson int0 their Hall of Fame this weekend: he is the only American pro athlete to be named an all-star in two major sports (football/baseball). He is one of the best athletes ever.
Best thing about Bo Jackson is that these days you never hear about him, which means his life is going well, otherwise you’d hear his name every ten minutes.
— Mets’ SS Francisco Lindor’s on-base %age leading off an inning this year is .412.
— Before Game 7 of the 1925 World Series in Pittsburgh, the home team dealt with a soggy field by pouring gasoline on it and then setting it on fire, to dry it out. Seriously, they did.
Pirates beat Walter Johnson and the Washington Nationals 9-7 in that Game 7, overcoming a 6-3 deficit against Johnson.
— Famous birthdays, July 1st
Jamie Farr, 90
Freddie Lewis, 81
Deborah Harry, 79
Roger Carr, 72
Pamela Anderson, 57
Nelson Cruz, 44
Charlie Blackmon, 38
Michael Wacha, 33
Chris Flexen, 30
— Astros 10, Mets 5 (11)
There was a 2:47 rain delay in ninth inning.
Astros are over .500 for first time this season.
— Twins 5, Mariners 3
Seattle lost its DH in 4th inning after C Mitch Garver got hurt.
Trevor Larnach hit a 2-run homer in 8th inning.
— Phillies 7, Marlins 6
Miami led 6-2 in the fifth inning.
Trea Turner hit the game-winning single on his 31st birthday.
— Rockies 5, White Sox 4 (14)
Teams combined to go 3-35 with runners in scoring position.
Colorado snapped a 5-game losing streak.
— Rays 5, Nationals 0
Taj Bradley got 11 of his 17 outs via strikeouts.
Bradley has a 0.64 ERA in his last five home starts.
— Brewers 7, Cubs 1
Milwaukee has five grand slams in its last eight games.
Freddy Peralta tossed 7 innings, retiring last 14 hitters he faced.
— Time flies; 2024 is half over already; baseball’s All-Star Game is coming up, NBA Summer League starts next week, NFL training camps start in a few weeks. Lot of stuff going on.
Monday’s 6-pack:
NFL Week 3 spreads
— Patriots @ NJ Jets (-7.5, 42)
— Giants @ Cleveland (-6.5, 42.5)
— Bears @ Indianapolis (-2, 47)
— Texans (-3.5, 46.5) @ Minnesota
— Eagles (-3) @ New Orleans
— Chargers @ Pittsburgh (-2, 42.5)
Quote of the Day
“I’m so happy for my friend Bobo to get that call. He was a great teammate and probably the most exciting player I ever played with. You’d see things that no other human could do on a baseball field or a football field. He’s one of the greatest athletes of our time, and it’s an honor to welcome him to the Royals Hall of Fame, where he belongs.”
Hall of Famer George Brett, talking about Bo Jackson
Monday’s quiz
What was the name of the ballpark the Montreal Expos played their home games in, before Olympic Stadium was built?
Sunday’s quiz
In the history of the Atlanta Braves, Matt Olson hit the most home runs (54) in a season.
Saturday’s quiz
In the Eagles’ song Take It Easy, the guy is standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.
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Monday’s Den: Happy Canada Day!!!!
— Happy Canada Day to our friends north of the border…….
— There is a hockey player named Corey Perry who in the last five years, has been on the losing side in the Stanley Cup final four times, with four different teams, which is unusual:
2024- Edmonton Oilers
2022- Tampa Bay Lightning
2021- Montreal Canadiens
2020- Dallas Stars.
He was on the winning side in the Cup finals once, with Anaheim in 2007.
— Before the Knicks-Nets made the Mikal Bridges trade last week, the last time those teams had traded with each other was June 22, 1983:
Knicks traded a 2nd round pick in 1984 to the Nets for Len Elmore, who played only one year for the Knicks before he retired, to become a lawyer/TV analyst.
Elmore scored 6 ppg in his NBA career, scoring 3,948 points.
— NBA salary cap this coming season will be $140.588M; the Tax Level for the 2024‑25 season is $170.814M.
Minimum team salary for next season is $126.529M.
— Kansas City Royals inducted Bo Jackson int0 their Hall of Fame this weekend: he is the only American pro athlete to be named an all-star in two major sports (football/baseball). He is one of the best athletes ever.
Best thing about Bo Jackson is that these days you never hear about him, which means his life is going well, otherwise you’d hear his name every ten minutes.
— Mets’ SS Francisco Lindor’s on-base %age leading off an inning this year is .412.
— Before Game 7 of the 1925 World Series in Pittsburgh, the home team dealt with a soggy field by pouring gasoline on it and then setting it on fire, to dry it out. Seriously, they did.
Pirates beat Walter Johnson and the Washington Nationals 9-7 in that Game 7, overcoming a 6-3 deficit against Johnson.
— Famous birthdays, July 1st
Jamie Farr, 90
Freddie Lewis, 81
Deborah Harry, 79
Roger Carr, 72
Pamela Anderson, 57
Nelson Cruz, 44
Charlie Blackmon, 38
Michael Wacha, 33
Chris Flexen, 30
— Astros 10, Mets 5 (11)
There was a 2:47 rain delay in ninth inning.
Astros are over .500 for first time this season.
— Twins 5, Mariners 3
Seattle lost its DH in 4th inning after C Mitch Garver got hurt.
Trevor Larnach hit a 2-run homer in 8th inning.
— Phillies 7, Marlins 6
Miami led 6-2 in the fifth inning.
Trea Turner hit the game-winning single on his 31st birthday.
— Rockies 5, White Sox 4 (14)
Teams combined to go 3-35 with runners in scoring position.
Colorado snapped a 5-game losing streak.
— Rays 5, Nationals 0
Taj Bradley got 11 of his 17 outs via strikeouts.
Bradley has a 0.64 ERA in his last five home starts.
— Brewers 7, Cubs 1
Milwaukee has five grand slams in its last eight games.
Freddy Peralta tossed 7 innings, retiring last 14 hitters he faced.
— Time flies; 2024 is half over already; baseball’s All-Star Game is coming up, NBA Summer League starts next week, NFL training camps start in a few weeks. Lot of stuff going on.
Tuesday’s 6-pack:
NFL Week 3 spreads
— Dolphins (-2, 49) @ Seattle
— Lions (-4, 50) @ Arizona
— Ravens @ Dallas (-1, 48)
— Chiefs (-3, 49) @ Atlanta
— Jaguars @ Buffalo (-5, 49)
— Commanders @ Cincinnati (-7, 48)
Quote of the Day
“The amount of joy and happiness that Klay (Thompson) provided Warriors fans, Bay Area natives and Dub Nation supporters all around the world has been immense and cannot be minimized.
Klay’s legacy will live on forever and we look forward to the day we can retire his #11 jersey at Chase Center where he will join a host of Warriors immortals, including those who helped shape this recent dynasty — himself included.
We thank Klay for his contributions and wish him the best as another chapter in his journey is written.”
Statement from Golden State Warriors, after they traded Thompson to Dallas
Tuesday’s quiz
Where did Steph Curry play his college basketball?
Monday’s quiz
Montreal Expos played their home games in Jarry Park, before Olympic Stadium was built.
Sunday’s quiz
In the history of the Atlanta Braves, Matt Olson hit the most home runs (54) in a season.
Some quick notes on ACC football teams……..
— Boston College
Bill O’Brien is the new HC; he was 52-48 SU in six years with Texans in the NFL.
In two years at Penn State, O’Brien was 8-4 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2014, Eagles are 22-14-1 ATS as a road underdog.
— California
Under Wilcox, Golden Bears are 29-14 ATS as an underdog, 12-19-1 as a favorite.
Last three years, Cal is 15-22 SU, despite a +16 turnover ratio.
This year, four of Cal’s five road games are in the Eastern time zone.
— Clemson
Last four years, Clemson is 19-22 ATS as a favorite.
Since 2014, Tigers are 16-7 ATS on neutral fields.
— Duke
Duke went 17-9 SU last two years (9-2 ATS as a home favorite)
However, Texas A&M poached their coach; Notre Dame poached their QB.
Duke won its last five bowl games; they were underdog in 3 of the 5 games.
— Florida State
Last two years, Seminoles were 11-6 ATS in conference games.
In his career, Norvell is 16-8 as a road favorite, 5-9-2 as a road dog.
FSU lost its bowl game last year 63-3; how do they bounce back from that?
— Georgia Tech
Under coach Key, Yellow Jackets are 10-3 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2015, Tech is 2-10 ATS as a road favorite.
— Louisville
In his career, Brohm is 26-16-1 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2019, Cardinals are 16-7 ATS as a home favorite.
— Miami
Hurricanes are 0-5 SU/ATS in their last five bowl games.
In his career, Cristobal is 15-29-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— Famous birthdays, July 2nd
Larry David, 77
Joe Pisarcik, 72
Tony Armas, 71
Purvis Short, 67
Clark Kellogg, 63
Jose Canseco, 60
Sean Casey, 50
Derrick White, 30
Daulton Varsho, 28
— North Carolina
Since 2018, Tar Heels are 4-11-1 ATS as a road favorite.
UNC lost its last four bowl games, giving up 39.3 ppg.
— NC State
Under Doeren, State is 10-15-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Wolfpack covered 7 of last 8 tries as a home underdog.
State lost its last four bowl games, scoring 13.8 ppg.
— Pittsburgh
Narduzzi is 15-23-3 ATS as a home favorite, 14-4 as a road favorite.
Since 2014, Panthers are 16-26-2 ATS in non-conference games.
— SMU
Under Lashlee, Mustangs are 11-6 ATS as a favorite, 2-6 as an underdog.
SMU lost its last four bowl games; they were favored in all four games.
— Stanford
Last three years, Stanford is 9-27 SU, with a minus-24 turnover ratio.
Cardinal is 5-16 ATS in its last 21 home games.
Stanford haas’t played in a bowl game since 2018.
— Syracuse
Last three years, Syracuse was 8-3-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2018, Orange are 16-7-1 ATS in non-conference games.
— Virginia
Last three years, Virginia is 12-22 SU, with a minus-19 turnover ratio.
Despite that, Cavaliers are 21-11 ATS in their last 32 ACC games.
Virginia’s last bowl game was 2019 (’21 bowl game was cancelled)
— Virginia Tech
Since 2016, Hokies are 7-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Tech lost four of its last five bowl games, giving up 35.2 ppg.
— Wake Forest
Since 2017, Demon Deacons are 19-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Wake has a senior QB this year, who started 29 games at Boise State.
NFL Week 3 spreads
— Dolphins (-2, 49) @ Seattle
— Lions (-4, 50) @ Arizona
— Ravens @ Dallas (-1, 48)
— Chiefs (-3, 49) @ Atlanta
— Jaguars @ Buffalo (-5, 49)
— Commanders @ Cincinnati (-7, 48)
Quote of the Day
“The amount of joy and happiness that Klay (Thompson) provided Warriors fans, Bay Area natives and Dub Nation supporters all around the world has been immense and cannot be minimized.
Klay’s legacy will live on forever and we look forward to the day we can retire his #11 jersey at Chase Center where he will join a host of Warriors immortals, including those who helped shape this recent dynasty — himself included.
We thank Klay for his contributions and wish him the best as another chapter in his journey is written.”
Statement from Golden State Warriors, after they traded Thompson to Dallas
Tuesday’s quiz
Where did Steph Curry play his college basketball?
Monday’s quiz
Montreal Expos played their home games in Jarry Park, before Olympic Stadium was built.
Sunday’s quiz
In the history of the Atlanta Braves, Matt Olson hit the most home runs (54) in a season.
***********************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Trends for ACC football teams…….
There are 17 teams in the ACC now, including Cal/Stanford, who are very far away from the ATLANTIC Ocean. SMU is in the ACC now too; Dallas isn’t near any oceans. Go figure.Some quick notes on ACC football teams……..
— Boston College
Bill O’Brien is the new HC; he was 52-48 SU in six years with Texans in the NFL.
In two years at Penn State, O’Brien was 8-4 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2014, Eagles are 22-14-1 ATS as a road underdog.
— California
Under Wilcox, Golden Bears are 29-14 ATS as an underdog, 12-19-1 as a favorite.
Last three years, Cal is 15-22 SU, despite a +16 turnover ratio.
This year, four of Cal’s five road games are in the Eastern time zone.
— Clemson
Last four years, Clemson is 19-22 ATS as a favorite.
Since 2014, Tigers are 16-7 ATS on neutral fields.
— Duke
Duke went 17-9 SU last two years (9-2 ATS as a home favorite)
However, Texas A&M poached their coach; Notre Dame poached their QB.
Duke won its last five bowl games; they were underdog in 3 of the 5 games.
— Florida State
Last two years, Seminoles were 11-6 ATS in conference games.
In his career, Norvell is 16-8 as a road favorite, 5-9-2 as a road dog.
FSU lost its bowl game last year 63-3; how do they bounce back from that?
— Georgia Tech
Under coach Key, Yellow Jackets are 10-3 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2015, Tech is 2-10 ATS as a road favorite.
— Louisville
In his career, Brohm is 26-16-1 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2019, Cardinals are 16-7 ATS as a home favorite.
— Miami
Hurricanes are 0-5 SU/ATS in their last five bowl games.
In his career, Cristobal is 15-29-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— Famous birthdays, July 2nd
Larry David, 77
Joe Pisarcik, 72
Tony Armas, 71
Purvis Short, 67
Clark Kellogg, 63
Jose Canseco, 60
Sean Casey, 50
Derrick White, 30
Daulton Varsho, 28
— North Carolina
Since 2018, Tar Heels are 4-11-1 ATS as a road favorite.
UNC lost its last four bowl games, giving up 39.3 ppg.
— NC State
Under Doeren, State is 10-15-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Wolfpack covered 7 of last 8 tries as a home underdog.
State lost its last four bowl games, scoring 13.8 ppg.
— Pittsburgh
Narduzzi is 15-23-3 ATS as a home favorite, 14-4 as a road favorite.
Since 2014, Panthers are 16-26-2 ATS in non-conference games.
— SMU
Under Lashlee, Mustangs are 11-6 ATS as a favorite, 2-6 as an underdog.
SMU lost its last four bowl games; they were favored in all four games.
— Stanford
Last three years, Stanford is 9-27 SU, with a minus-24 turnover ratio.
Cardinal is 5-16 ATS in its last 21 home games.
Stanford haas’t played in a bowl game since 2018.
— Syracuse
Last three years, Syracuse was 8-3-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2018, Orange are 16-7-1 ATS in non-conference games.
— Virginia
Last three years, Virginia is 12-22 SU, with a minus-19 turnover ratio.
Despite that, Cavaliers are 21-11 ATS in their last 32 ACC games.
Virginia’s last bowl game was 2019 (’21 bowl game was cancelled)
— Virginia Tech
Since 2016, Hokies are 7-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Tech lost four of its last five bowl games, giving up 35.2 ppg.
— Wake Forest
Since 2017, Demon Deacons are 19-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Wake has a senior QB this year, who started 29 games at Boise State.
Armadillo Sports
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
CFL standings, after four weeks…….
East
Montreal 4-0
Ottawa 2-1
Toronto 2-1
Hamilton 0-4
West
Saskatchewan 3-0
BC Lions 3-1
Calgary 2-1
Edmonton 0-4
Winnipeg 0-4
Quote of the Day
“I’m not feeling too much in a congratulatory mood.”
Ex-LA Laker Mychal Thompson, Klay Thompson’s father, who hoped his son would wind up playing for the Lakers instead of the Dallas Mavericks
Wednesday’s quiz
In the history of the Seattle Mariners, what pitcher has the most wins?
Tuesday’s quiz
Steph Curry played his college basketball at Davidson College.
Monday’s quiz
Montreal Expos played their home games in Jarry Park, before Olympic Stadium was built.
**********************************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings…….
— If you’ve got an extra $5B (that’s billion, with a B) hanging around the house, you could buy the NBA’s Boston Celtics, who are on the market, two weeks after they won their 18th league championship. Would make a nice birthday gift for your special someone.
Celtics just gave star Jayson Tatum a 5-year, $314M contract, which works out to $62.8M a year, or $765,853.65 per game. Big business.
Boston’s total payroll and luxury tax bill for the 2025-26 season is estimated to reach around $438M; really expensive- their window to win another title isn’t very long.
— Golden State traded Klay Thompson to Dallas; Warriors won four NBA titles while Thompson and Seth Curry were in the Bay Area. Thompson banked around $260M in his 13 years playing for Golden State, which gets a pair of 2nd round draft picks back from Dallas.
— 34-year old Paul George signed a 4-year, $212M deal with the 76ers; he scored 22.6 ppg for the Clippers this past season.
— Cleveland Cavaliers signed G Donovan Mitchell to a 3-year, $150.3M contract extension; Mitchell scored 26.6 ppg for the Cavaliers last season, leading them to a 48-34 record.
— Chris Paul signed up with the San Antonio Spurs on a 1-year, $11M deal; he’s played 19 years in the NBA, scoring 9.2 ppg in 58 games for Golden State last year.
— Utah State is firing football coach Blake Anderson for off-field reasons; Utah State went 6-7 each of the last two years, after going 11-3 in Anderson’s first year with the Aggies. Two other administrative people have also been fired; lawyers will cash in, as the coaches try to get paid on their way out the door.
— Famous birthdays, July 3rd:
Jan Smithers, 75
Frank Tanana, 71
Bruce Altman, 69
Tom Cruise, 62
Greg Vaughn, 59
Moises Alou, 58
Neil O’Donnell, 58
Grant Wistrom, 48
— Mets 7, Nationals 1 (10)
Mets scored 16 runs the last two nights, 11 of them in the 10th inning.
Pete Alonso hit a 2-run homer in the 10th inning.
— Dodgers 6, Arizona 5
Teoscar Hernandez had the walk-off single for LA.
Christian Walker has 15 homers at Dodger Stadium since 2018.
— Brewers 4, Rockies 3
Rhys Hoskins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 9th inning.
Rockies lost for 7th time when they led after eight innings.
— A’s 7, Angels 5
Brent Rooker/Lawrence butler hit back/back homers.
Mitch Spence allowed only one run in 5.1 IP; he is 5-4 this year.
— Orioles 2, Mariners 0
Grayson Rodriguez tossed 6.1 scoreless innings.
This was Orioles’ first win without a home run since May 31.
— Rangers 7, Padres 0
Nathan Eovaldi allowed one hit in 7 shutout IP.
Nathaniel Lowe homered twice, knocked in four runs.
— Phillies 6, Cubs 4
Trea Turner homered twice, knocked in four runs.
Cubs have lost seven of their last nine games.
— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Braves, Cardinals, Padres
AL: Orioles, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Twins, Royals
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
CFL standings, after four weeks…….
East
Montreal 4-0
Ottawa 2-1
Toronto 2-1
Hamilton 0-4
West
Saskatchewan 3-0
BC Lions 3-1
Calgary 2-1
Edmonton 0-4
Winnipeg 0-4
Quote of the Day
“I’m not feeling too much in a congratulatory mood.”
Ex-LA Laker Mychal Thompson, Klay Thompson’s father, who hoped his son would wind up playing for the Lakers instead of the Dallas Mavericks
Wednesday’s quiz
In the history of the Seattle Mariners, what pitcher has the most wins?
Tuesday’s quiz
Steph Curry played his college basketball at Davidson College.
Monday’s quiz
Montreal Expos played their home games in Jarry Park, before Olympic Stadium was built.
**********************************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings…….
— If you’ve got an extra $5B (that’s billion, with a B) hanging around the house, you could buy the NBA’s Boston Celtics, who are on the market, two weeks after they won their 18th league championship. Would make a nice birthday gift for your special someone.
Celtics just gave star Jayson Tatum a 5-year, $314M contract, which works out to $62.8M a year, or $765,853.65 per game. Big business.
Boston’s total payroll and luxury tax bill for the 2025-26 season is estimated to reach around $438M; really expensive- their window to win another title isn’t very long.
— Golden State traded Klay Thompson to Dallas; Warriors won four NBA titles while Thompson and Seth Curry were in the Bay Area. Thompson banked around $260M in his 13 years playing for Golden State, which gets a pair of 2nd round draft picks back from Dallas.
— 34-year old Paul George signed a 4-year, $212M deal with the 76ers; he scored 22.6 ppg for the Clippers this past season.
— Cleveland Cavaliers signed G Donovan Mitchell to a 3-year, $150.3M contract extension; Mitchell scored 26.6 ppg for the Cavaliers last season, leading them to a 48-34 record.
— Chris Paul signed up with the San Antonio Spurs on a 1-year, $11M deal; he’s played 19 years in the NBA, scoring 9.2 ppg in 58 games for Golden State last year.
— Utah State is firing football coach Blake Anderson for off-field reasons; Utah State went 6-7 each of the last two years, after going 11-3 in Anderson’s first year with the Aggies. Two other administrative people have also been fired; lawyers will cash in, as the coaches try to get paid on their way out the door.
— Famous birthdays, July 3rd:
Jan Smithers, 75
Frank Tanana, 71
Bruce Altman, 69
Tom Cruise, 62
Greg Vaughn, 59
Moises Alou, 58
Neil O’Donnell, 58
Grant Wistrom, 48
— Mets 7, Nationals 1 (10)
Mets scored 16 runs the last two nights, 11 of them in the 10th inning.
Pete Alonso hit a 2-run homer in the 10th inning.
— Dodgers 6, Arizona 5
Teoscar Hernandez had the walk-off single for LA.
Christian Walker has 15 homers at Dodger Stadium since 2018.
— Brewers 4, Rockies 3
Rhys Hoskins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 9th inning.
Rockies lost for 7th time when they led after eight innings.
— A’s 7, Angels 5
Brent Rooker/Lawrence butler hit back/back homers.
Mitch Spence allowed only one run in 5.1 IP; he is 5-4 this year.
— Orioles 2, Mariners 0
Grayson Rodriguez tossed 6.1 scoreless innings.
This was Orioles’ first win without a home run since May 31.
— Rangers 7, Padres 0
Nathan Eovaldi allowed one hit in 7 shutout IP.
Nathaniel Lowe homered twice, knocked in four runs.
— Phillies 6, Cubs 4
Trea Turner homered twice, knocked in four runs.
Cubs have lost seven of their last nine games.
— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Braves, Cardinals, Padres
AL: Orioles, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Twins, Royals
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in runs scored:
74— Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
70— Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
69— Juan Soto, NYY
68— Bobby Witt Jr, Royals
67— Aaron Judge, NYY
65— Jose Ramirez, Clev
Thought of the Day
Today is July 4th, Independence Day, which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, which declared that the 13 colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the King of England.
We’re lucky to live in this country; hopefully at this time next year, this country will still be a democracy. The alternative isn’t good.
Thursday’s quiz
Max Scherzer pitches for Texas, but which major league team is paying the highest %age of his salary this season?
Wednesday’s quiz
In the history of the Seattle Mariners, Felix Hernandez has the most wins.
Tuesday’s quiz
Steph Curry played his college basketball at Davidson College.
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Ryan O’Hearn homered, knocked in three runs.
Dean Kremer came off the IL, tossed five shutout IP.
— A’s 5, Angels 0
Joey Estes threw a 92-pitch complete game shutout.
A’s are 2-13 in the game following their last fifteen wins.
— White Sox 8, Guardians 2
Martin Maldonado (hitting .096) homered, had 3 RBI.
P Erick Fedde is 6-3, pitching for the 25-63 White Sox.
— Tigers 9, Twins 2
Detroit is first team since 1951 to hit 4+ HR’s, 3 triples and a grand slam in same game.
Just the third loss in last ten games for Minnesota.
— Royals 4, Rays 2
Michael Wacha allowed only one run in 6 IP.
Tampa Bay traded P Aaron Civale to Milwaukee for a minor leaguer.
— Astros 9, Blue Jays 2
Yordan Alvarez homered for the third straight game.
Houston has won 11 of its last 13 games.
— Famous birthdays, July 4th:
Geraldo Rivera, 81
Pam Shriver, 62
Harvey Grant, 59
Horace Grant, 59
Vinny Castilla, 57
Todd Marinovich, 55
Adrian Griffin, 50
Josh McCown, 45
Brock Berlin, 43
— Red Sox 7, Marlins 2
Boston won eight of last nine road games.
Over is 7-1 in their last eight games.
— Reds 3, New York 2
Andrew Abbott allowed one run in 6.1 IP.
New York lost 12 of its last 16 games.
— Padres 6, Rangers 4
David Peralta’s HR in 7th inning was his first this season and was a game-winner.
San Diego won 10 of its last 13 games.
— Movie of the Day: Little Big League (1994)— Owner of the Minnesota Twins dies, and leaves the team to his 12-year old grandson, who names himself manager of the team.
Timothy Busfield is the Twins’ 1B, Ashley Crow is the kid’s mom, Jonathan Silverman, John Ashton, Kevin Dunn and an assortment for real major leaguers are in the movie, which is better than my quick description makes it sound.
30 years later in real life, Ashley Crow’s son is the centerfielder for the Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong.
— Diamondbacks 12, Dodgers 4
Christian Walker hit two more HR’s, has 17 at Dodger Stadium since 2018.
Walker went 4-5, with three runs scored, 4 RBI.
— Pirates 5, Cardinals 4 (10)
O’Neil Cruz had a walk-off single after Bryan Reynolds had tied the game.
Rowdy Tellez had three hits, including an opposite field home run.
— Nationals 7, Mets 5
Mets led this game 5-0 in fifth inning.
Luis Garcia homered twice, knocked in four runs.
— Braves 3, Giants 1
Chris Sale struck out 9 guys in 6 IP, is now 11-3 this year.
Austin Riley went 2-4, knocked in two runs.
— Phillies 5, Cubs 3
Phillies scored winning run on a 260-foot sac fly in 8th inning.
Cubs lost eight of their last 10 games.
— Brewers 3, Rockies 0
Colin Rea tossed seven shutout IP.
Rockies lost seven of their last nine games.
Major League leaders in runs scored:
74— Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
70— Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
69— Juan Soto, NYY
68— Bobby Witt Jr, Royals
67— Aaron Judge, NYY
65— Jose Ramirez, Clev
Thought of the Day
Today is July 4th, Independence Day, which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, which declared that the 13 colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the King of England.
We’re lucky to live in this country; hopefully at this time next year, this country will still be a democracy. The alternative isn’t good.
Thursday’s quiz
Max Scherzer pitches for Texas, but which major league team is paying the highest %age of his salary this season?
Wednesday’s quiz
In the history of the Seattle Mariners, Felix Hernandez has the most wins.
Tuesday’s quiz
Steph Curry played his college basketball at Davidson College.
**********************************************
Thursday’s Den: Happy 4th of July, everyone……..
— Orioles 4, Mariners 1Ryan O’Hearn homered, knocked in three runs.
Dean Kremer came off the IL, tossed five shutout IP.
— A’s 5, Angels 0
Joey Estes threw a 92-pitch complete game shutout.
A’s are 2-13 in the game following their last fifteen wins.
— White Sox 8, Guardians 2
Martin Maldonado (hitting .096) homered, had 3 RBI.
P Erick Fedde is 6-3, pitching for the 25-63 White Sox.
— Tigers 9, Twins 2
Detroit is first team since 1951 to hit 4+ HR’s, 3 triples and a grand slam in same game.
Just the third loss in last ten games for Minnesota.
— Royals 4, Rays 2
Michael Wacha allowed only one run in 6 IP.
Tampa Bay traded P Aaron Civale to Milwaukee for a minor leaguer.
— Astros 9, Blue Jays 2
Yordan Alvarez homered for the third straight game.
Houston has won 11 of its last 13 games.
— Famous birthdays, July 4th:
Geraldo Rivera, 81
Pam Shriver, 62
Harvey Grant, 59
Horace Grant, 59
Vinny Castilla, 57
Todd Marinovich, 55
Adrian Griffin, 50
Josh McCown, 45
Brock Berlin, 43
— Red Sox 7, Marlins 2
Boston won eight of last nine road games.
Over is 7-1 in their last eight games.
— Reds 3, New York 2
Andrew Abbott allowed one run in 6.1 IP.
New York lost 12 of its last 16 games.
— Padres 6, Rangers 4
David Peralta’s HR in 7th inning was his first this season and was a game-winner.
San Diego won 10 of its last 13 games.
— Movie of the Day: Little Big League (1994)— Owner of the Minnesota Twins dies, and leaves the team to his 12-year old grandson, who names himself manager of the team.
Timothy Busfield is the Twins’ 1B, Ashley Crow is the kid’s mom, Jonathan Silverman, John Ashton, Kevin Dunn and an assortment for real major leaguers are in the movie, which is better than my quick description makes it sound.
30 years later in real life, Ashley Crow’s son is the centerfielder for the Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong.
— Diamondbacks 12, Dodgers 4
Christian Walker hit two more HR’s, has 17 at Dodger Stadium since 2018.
Walker went 4-5, with three runs scored, 4 RBI.
— Pirates 5, Cardinals 4 (10)
O’Neil Cruz had a walk-off single after Bryan Reynolds had tied the game.
Rowdy Tellez had three hits, including an opposite field home run.
— Nationals 7, Mets 5
Mets led this game 5-0 in fifth inning.
Luis Garcia homered twice, knocked in four runs.
— Braves 3, Giants 1
Chris Sale struck out 9 guys in 6 IP, is now 11-3 this year.
Austin Riley went 2-4, knocked in two runs.
— Phillies 5, Cubs 3
Phillies scored winning run on a 260-foot sac fly in 8th inning.
Cubs lost eight of their last 10 games.
— Brewers 3, Rockies 0
Colin Rea tossed seven shutout IP.
Rockies lost seven of their last nine games.
