Good Friday, my friend! If you went to bed early last night, you’ve probably been having fun all morning as you strain to get caught up in whatever is going on right now. If you didn’t go to bed early last night, well … you might be a little tired of the late scrolling through your timeline. Anyway, I’m glad you’re taking time for me this morning. I like you.
Let’s end your week on a high note and get ready for another solid sports weekend ahead of us, shall we? It’s my first weekend with no hockey chores to do in about three months, so I’m ready to act like an off-leash kid. If you see me on your lawn tomorrow morning, let me sleep. Thank you in advance.
Okay, let’s get to what you need to know.
📰 What you should know
1. Brett Rypien leads the Broncos ahead of the Jets in the first career start 🏈
As most of us expected, Thursday night’s soccer game last night between the Broncos and jets was a magnificent and senseless disaster. If you’re a sloppy, disoriented, unruly football fan … boy were you in for a treat. The wild roller coaster showdown of two bad 0-3 teams ended in Denver’s favor, 37-28, and Brett Rypien claimed a victory in his first career start. It certainly wasn’t easy navigation, however.
- Why the Broncos won: Rypien played well in the first half before things fell hard enough. He threw three interceptions in the second half, but timely defensive play from Denver helped mitigate the damage and ultimately the Broncos just made fewer mistakes than the Jets.
- Why the Jets lost: Because it’s the Jets? Once again, they were the victims of poor execution. The stupid penalties made life harder for them – including a personal foul penalty that extended what would turn out to be Denver’s go-ahead into the fourth quarter. Of course, Sam Darnold sprained his shoulder in the first half probably didn’t help a ton, even if he was able to come back
Now I know what you’re thinking: that’s got to be it for Adam Gase, right? I mean, the Jets are 0-4 and arguably look like the worst team in football on a weekly basis. However, the Jets reportedly still intend to keep Gase until the end of the season, so don’t hold your breath for this news.
This can be heartbreaking news for Jets fans who’ve seen enough, but here’s something to maybe make you feel better: If it’s already necessary to make it clear that you’re not going to fire your coach at in week 4 there is probably a good chance. your coach will not last all season, no matter what anyone says.
Another thing to maybe make Jets fans feel better: Trevor Lawrence.
2. Tatis wakes Padres; Kershaw Blanks Brewers ⚾
We get more intensity and drama from postseason baseball as the days go by, and yesterday was another fun time in the Wild Card series phase. We have had four games (Cubs-Marlins has been rained on and pushed so far) and three teams have managed to secure their tickets to the Division Series. Let’s quickly recap what happened to the diamond:
- Fernando Tatis flips the switch, saves Padres: So you know how I said four games, three eliminations? The only series in action that didn’t reach its conclusion was the Padres-Cardinals, and San Diego has Fernando Tatis to thank for that. Tatis hit two homers (including a massive three-point bomb) to help the Padres save their season against Saint-Louis. Wil myers also went deep twice and Manny Machado added his own dinger
- Clayton Kershaw sets personal best in the playoffs: No shock here but the Dodgers are advancing. They swept the Brewers in the best of three and Clayton Kershaw delivered a gem on Thursday night. He tied his career high in the playoffs with eight innings pitched and set a personal best with 13 strikeouts
- The brave again exclude the reds: Two games, 22 rounds, zero running for the Cincinnati Reds … that won’t do the job. The Braves shut out Cincy 1-0 in a 13-innings in Game 1, and ended the day with a 5-0 win in Game 2 on Thursday. This is Atlanta’s first playoff win since 2001
- The passage of A to face Astros: Track and field rallied to beat the White Sox in Wednesday’s Game 3 do-or-die showdown, and it ends Oakland’s record-breaking MLB streak of nine straight losses in winner’s games to take away.
I’m a little crushed that my dream of a White Sox-Padres World Series game is dead, but San Diego is still alive and exhibits that undying flair for the drama I love so much. Fernando Tatis is so electric and such a monster … we need him in the photo for as long as possible.
3. Doc Rivers takes control of the Sixers 🏀
I didn’t expect Doc Rivers to be out of work for very long, but less than four days? It’s a hell of a bounce. It was reported on Thursday that Rivers had agreed to become the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, who apparently put a lot of pressure on Rivers after being sacked by the Clippers on Monday.
- Rivers’ deal with the Sixers would be for five years and his duties will be limited to coaching without a front office role (Rivers was also senior vice president of basketball operations in Los Angeles)
- He has spent the last seven seasons in Los Angeles and has never made it out of the second round of the playoffs. The Clippers took a 3-1 lead over the Nuggets in this year’s second round of playoffs
- The Sixers recently shot Brett brown, who had been on the bench in Philly since 2013
Rivers to Philly makes a lot of sense on many levels. The Sixers are in a win-now mode and Rivers is arguably the most respected coach out there. Bringing him in gives the team a good chance to stay competitive and make a playoff push in the immediate future. He is known as a player coach and there has been an apparent lack of shared respect in the Sixers’ locker room over the years. He is able to handle the star personalities of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Then again, there’s a certain irony in the idea that the 76ers – a team at the end of their tether because they haven’t made it out of the second round of the playoffs since 2001 – hired Doc Rivers, a guy who was dismissed thanks to his team at the end of their patience because they could not pass the second round.
For what it’s worth, our Brad Botkin doesn’t seem particularly convinced it’s going to work.
4. Get ready for the Preakness Stakes 🏇
You’ll get your daily gambling tips from my good friend Tom Fornelli a bit later today so we don’t have a full game corner this morning, but I thought we should talk a bit about Preakness Stakes before we go. heading for the weekend. We might not have a triple crown on the line in the third stage of this year, but we have an intriguing race nonetheless.
Kentucky Derby Authentic winner is the 9-5 favorite in the field of 11 horses, followed by Art collector (5-2), Swiss parachutist (6-1) and a thousand words (6-1). SportsLine expert Jody Demling, who called nine of the last 15 Preakness winners, fades Authentic and says the 3-year-old Bob Baffert trained is barely making it to the board. Instead, he’s high on an underdog who “has a legitimate shot at winning the Preakness.” You can view its full projected ranking here.
Demling isn’t the only one to fade authentic, as Hammerin ‘Hank Goldberg is also on that train. (“There’s a lot more speed in the Preakness than in the Derby, and he’ll be challenged early on.”)
If you want a full breakdown of the race, SportsLine’s national handicap champion Jonathon Kinchen has you covered with his analysis as well as his picks – including his exacta, trifecta and superfectas.
Hope the ponies will delight you this weekend! Come back to me a little richer on Monday.
📝 Dimensions and ends
📺 What to watch this weekend
Friday
⚾ Marlins vs. Cubs, 2:08 pm | CHI -200 | Television: ABC
⚾ Cardinals vs. Padres, 7:08 pm | Television: ESPN
🏀 Heat vs. Lakers, 9 p.m. | LAL -9.5 | Television: ABC
Saturday
🏈 No 13 Texas A&M vs. No 2 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. | BAMA -17.5 | Television: CBS
🏈 No.7 Auburn vs. No.4 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. | UGA -6.5 | Television: ESPN
Sunday
🏈 Chargers vs. Buccaneers, 13h00 | VG -7 | Television: CBS
🏈 Patriots vs. Chiefs, 4:25 PM | KC -7 | Television: CBS
🏀 Lakers vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m. | Television: ABC
📝 Best scores from last night
⚾ Athletics 6, White Sox 4
Chad pinder hit a two-run single in the fifth inning to propel the A’s to victory.
💵 Win bets: OAK -102, Plus (8.5)
⚾ Padres 11, Cardinals 9
The Padres became the first team in playoff history with five home runs from the sixth inning in a game.
💵 Win bets: SD -162, More (8.5)
🏈 Broncos 37, Jets 28
Melvin gordon sealed the Denver Broncos’ first win of the season with a 43-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining in the 4th quarter.
💵 Win bets: DEN -110, Over (40)