Month: April 2022

Mets Complete No-Hitter

The New York Mets took on the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. A night that will be forever remembered and something to be talked about for years to come. It will go down as one of the best moments in Mets history. 

Five Mets pitchers — Tylor Megill, Drew Smith, Joely Rodríguez, Seth Lugo, and Edwin Díaz — combined to throw nine no-hit innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 3-0 win, the 17th combined no-hitter in MLB history.

It is the second no-hitter in Mets history, joining Johan Santana’s 134-pitch effort in 2012. The team struck out 12 while walking six and threw 159 total pitches.

Giants Selected Thibodeaux

In last night’s NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Kayvon Thibodeaux out of Oregon in the 5th overall pick. Thibodeaux is a great talent. He is the best pure pass rusher in this draft. He has the explosive ability the Giants badly need. I love this pick for the Giants. As a Giants fan, we hope he can deliver, and hopefully, he can be a Giant for a long time. Giants need help on both the offensive and defensive line. 

Thibodeaux has made connections with the Giants all-time sack leader, Michael Straham. He considers Straham as a mentor. I like the sound of that. I’m rooting for this kid to be great.

30 for 30: Elway to Marino

is Day One of the 2022 NFL Draft. In honor of today’s draft, I decided to watch 30 for 30: Elway to Marino. It’s a good documentary about the 1983 NFL Draft featuring future hall of gamers jOhn Elway and Dan Marino.

You get to see the behind-the-scenes of everything that went down before and during draft day. There were interviews of Elway, Marino, and people working at the front office at the time. John Elway was a two-sport athlete. He played football and baseball. There was a whole commotion about whether Elway will play for the Yankees or play football. Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw was one of John Elway’s most prominent critics because Elway was being picky about where he wanted to play and being indecisive about whether he wanted to play football or baseball. For the most part, people were happy for Elway about him exploring his options. 

The Baltimore Colts selected Elway, and he wasn’t too happy about it. But everything worked out for the best because he got traded to the Denver Broncos, and the rest is history. Dan Marino was selected by the Miami Dolphins and took Miami to heights never been reached. It would’ve been better if he won a ring with the Dolphins. Marino could’ve replaced Terry Bradshaw in the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they picked someone else besides him. 

Sports Throwback Thursday: 2002 Celtics 21-Point Comeback vs. Nets

It’s Thursday! Do you know what that means? It’s Sports Throwback Thursday! Today’s throwback will be about the 2002 NBA Playoffs, Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 between the New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics.

The series between the Nets and Celtics was something fresh and new because both teams haven’t made the Conference Finals in so many years. It’s been almost 20 years since they faced off, which is crazy to think about it. Game 3 stands alone as the most memorable game of the series. I remember watching this game on NBC (which I still miss), and Mike Breen was the play-by-play announcer for the game. The Nets had the best record in the NBA, and they went to the 4th quarter with a 21-point lead.

During the huddle, Celtics forward Antoine Walker was yelling at his teammates, particularly Paul Pierce, who was in his early to mid-20s. Walker galvanizing his team and calling them out proved to be the game’s turning point. Celtics came out of the 4th quarter and rallied back to beat the Nets, 94-90. Celtics took a 2-1 lead in the series, but they lost the remaining three games of the series. But still, it’s Game 3 that we talk about in this game. It is one of the greatest comebacks in the NBA Playoffs and certainly in the history of the Boston Celtics. I hated the comeback because I was rooting for the Nets in the series. Besides, I can’t root for any Boston teams.

Paul Pierce finished the game with 28 points and four assists. Antoine Walker had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. The Nets would go to the NBA Finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in four games. 2002 became the final year of the NBA on NBC coverage.

Sunday Sports Shorts

Minnesota Twins had an explosive offensive performance against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. They scored four runs in the 4th inning. Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers homered in the inning. Luis Arraez had a big game going 4-for-5 with four hits. Twins won 9-2.

Celtics take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Nets. Kevin Durant has a lousy series. The Celtics’ defense has frustrated him all series long. 

Timberwolves and Grizzlies had an impeccable Game 4 performance. Both teams traded blows and showed a lot of heart and determination. Desmond Bane, Anthony Edwards, and Karl Anthony-Towns played outstanding. Timberwolves came out victorious, and now the series is tied at 2-2.

Boston Bruins defeated the New York Rangers 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. David Pastrnak made his return by scoring the first goal of the game. The bruins are ready for playoff time. The Rangers didn’t have it against the Bruins, but they’re also prepared for the playoffs. 

Miguel’s Friday Thoughts

The Minnesota Timberwolves were a disappointment last night. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. They led as many as 26 points over the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis Grizzlies went on two runs. They finished the game on a 50-16 run to win Game 3. If I were Alex Rodriguez, co-owner of the Timberwolves, I would be agitated and address the team. Poor shooting performance and lousy coaching on the Timberwolves. The team collapsed.

On the other hand, give credit where credit is due. Desmond Bane had himself a terrific game. Grizzlies never game up, and they are growing fast.

USFL is back. Last weekend was pretty solid. I’m impressed with what I’m seeing so far from the USFL. I hope they can succeed because it would be great to have football in the spring season. When I think of the USFL, I think about their time during the 1980s. Also, some of their camera angles remind me of the XFL.

Miguel Cabrera is one hit away from reaching 3,000 hits. He had one more chance to do it in yesterday’s game against the New York Yankees, but it was very cowardly on Aaron Boone’s part to intentionally walk him. The crowd booe

Rangers Victory Over Islanders, Concerns About Andrew Copp

The New York Rangers took on the New York Islanders. It’s always fascinating when two New York teams go at it. The competition is at the all-time high.

Rangers scored three goals in the first intermission. They were in command from the start. Rangers went on to win the game 6-3.

Andrew Copp left the New York Rangers with lower-body injury. We don’t know the level of seriousness of the injury. We hope he doesn’t have to miss so many games because the Stanley Cup Playoffs are on the corner.

Rangers are one of the most red-hot teams in the league. Everyone needs to be at full strength to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Warriors Are One Win Away

The Golden State Warriors are just one win away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. The Denver Nuggets made every effort to make it a series, but they just couldn’t match Golden State in a 118-115 loss on Thursday night in Denver. The Warriors’ trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole were fantastic again, as they combined for 80 points in the winning effort.

Poole and Curry led the team with 27 points each, while Thompson added 26 points on 6-for-13 3-point shooting. Draymond Green put up six points, 10 assists and five rebounds, while coming up with a clutch steal late in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Nikola Jokic was simply breathtaking for the Nuggets, putting up 37 points, 18 rebounds and five assists on 14-for-22 shooting, but it just wasn’t enough.

Let’s be honest. It’s not a fair fight. Nuggets are missing two keys players in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. If those guys were healthy, it would’ve been a different series. The Nuggets will try to stay alive and win Game 4.

Tatum’s Buzzer Beater in Game 1

The No. 7 seed Brooklyn Nets took on the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics. Both teams believe they can win a title, but one of them won’t make it out of the first round. Game 1 will go down as a classic playoff game. What a thrilling finish! What a battle!

The Celtics were in control for most of the game, but then Kyrie Irving caught fire in the 4th quarter to spark a comeback for the Nets. With less than a minute to go, Kyrie hit a big three-pointer to give the Nets a 114-111 lead. I thought that was the dagger; Nets will take Game 1. Nope! Celtics had other thoughts. They didn’t quit. They scored on the next possession and then played terrific defense on Kyrie and Kevin Durant. When the Celtics brought the ball down the court with 10 seconds left, Jaylen Brown passed the ball to Jayson Tatum, and Tatum spun around to score the game-winning layup at the buzzer. Celtics won 115-114. If we get games similar to today, the Nets/Celtics series is in good hands.

Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez has been diagnosed with cancer

Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez has been diagnosed with cancer and will be stepping away from the broadcast booth.

Martinez, 73, did not reveal how long he would be away from the team, but said he hoped to be back by the end of the 2022 MLB season.

Martinez has been associated with the Blue Jays since 1981, when he began a six-year stint as one of the team’s catchers. He played 17 big league seasons in Toronto, Kansas City and Milwaukee.