The Sportsletter - Done Deal ✈️

BY JEFF YODER

APR. 25, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

Monday was one of the busiest sports days of April. The Packers-Jets trade for Aaron Rodgers is finally complete. Jimmy Butler is on an absolute heater in the NBA Playoffs. The Kraken are going toe-to-toe with the defending champs in the NHL. And the NFL Draft is just two days away. Plus...

The Underdog is back! Scroll to the bottom of today’s edition for a mid-week feature on the Welsh football club that keeps winning hearts.

NFL

Done Deal ✈️

Image via Giphy

Packers & Jets Finally Agree to Aaron Rodgers Trade in Draft Week Blockbuster

Finally… After two years of head-butting with the front office in Green Bay, the Packers are traded Aaron Rodgers to the Jets ahead of this week’s NFL Draft. The trade had been expected since the end of the 2022-23 NFL season, and Rodgers made public comments 40 days ago about his desire to play in New York. The 39-year-old Rodgers is a four-time MVP, including back-to-back awards in 2020 and 2021. And the Jets? They’re loaded at every position except quarterback, until now. It’s a short window before Rodgers’ age finally catches up, so it’s Super Bowl or bust in the next two years for New York.

Trade Details

Jets Get: QB Aaron Rodgers, 2023 1st-Round Pick (No. 15)

Packers Get: 2023 1st-Round Pick (No. 13), 2023 2nd-Round Pick (No. 42), 2023 6th-Round Pick (No. 207) & Conditional 2024 2nd-Round Pick

*The 2024 conditional pick becomes a 1st if Rodgers plays 65 percent of New York’s snaps this season.

Aaron in the Big Apple

The Jets and Hall of Fame QB Joe Namath gave Rodgers his blessing to wear the retired No. 12 jersey, but he’s expected to don No. 8 — the same number he wore in college at California. The Jets are suddenly contenders in the AFC after seven consecutive losing seasons and no playoff appearances since 2010.

Leaving Green Bay Behind

Rodgers’ departure marks the end of an era in Wisconsin. The 4-time MVP led the Packers to 11 postseason appearances and one Super Bowl win over 15 seasons as the starter (18 total). Things got contentious between Rodgers and the front office in the past two seasons after the team failed to surround him with talent. For 12, it was a trade to the Jets or retire from football.

Rodgers in the Record Books

Passing Yards: 59,055 (9th All-Time)

Passing TDs: 475 (5th All-Time)

Passer Rating: 103.6 (2nd All-Time)

Reminder: Tom Brady (Bucs) and Matthew Stafford (Rams) both won the Super Bowl in their first season with a new franchise and a luxury of weapons after a decade or more with one team. Those are the only two QBs not named Patrick Mahomes to win a Super Bowl in the last four seasons. Both teams were in the NFC.

Additional Storylines

B/R: How Aaron Rodgers Trade to Jets Impacts the 2023 NFL Draft

ESPN: Aaron Rodgers Trade: Super Bowl or Bust for Jets?

FOX Sports: Aaron Rodgers Trade Analysis: How Jets, Packers Did & What’s Next

NBA PLAYOFFS

The Jimmy Takeover

Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images

Jimmy Butler (56 Points) & LeBron James (22-20-7) Fuel Heat & Lakers to 4th-Quarter Comebacks, 3-1 Series Leads

Are you ready for some upsets? Ignore the seeds in the NBA Playoff bracket. The Miami Heat (8-seed) and Los Angeles Lakers (7-seed) are taking over in Round 1. Both teams needed to survive the play-in rounds, and they now hold 3-1 leads over the Bucks (1-seed) and Grizzlies (2-seed), respectively. Superstar performances from Jimmy Butler and LeBron James fueled their teams in Monday’s doubleheader with a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks. Butler hit another gear and put up 56 points — 22 in the first quarter on 9-for-10 shooting — and delivered a 12-point rally for the Heat down the stretch. Out west, James (22-20-7) dropped in a game-tying layup to force overtime after the Lakers climbed out of a seven-point deficit. James took over in the OT in vintage LeBron fashion, and both the Bucks and Grizzlies are on the brink of elimination.

Editor’s Note: Teams that go up 3-1 win the series 95 percent of the time.

Star History: LeBron James became the oldest player ever (38 years, 115 days) and the fifth player in Lakers franchise history with a 20-20-5 performance in the playoffs. Jimmy Butler’s 56 points were also a franchise playoff record for the Heat. Butler has 146 points in 140 minutes through four playoff games (1.04 points per minute / 36.5 ppg).

1st-Round Series Highlights

Gm 4: Heat def. Bucks (119-114) | MIA Leads Series (3-1)

Gm 4: Lakers def. Grizzlies (117-111) | LAL Leads Series (3-1)

Star Spotlight

J. Butler (MIA): 56 points, 9 rebounds

L. James (LAL): 22 points, 20 rebounds, 7 assists 

Other Top Performers

B. Lopez (MIL): 36 points, 11 rebounds

D. Bane (MEM): 36 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists

G. Antetokounmpo (MIL): 26 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists

A. Reaves (LAL): 23 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 5: Hawks at Celtics (7:30 pm ET) | BOS Leads (3-1)

Gm 5: T-Wolves at Nuggets (9:00 pm ET) | DEN Leads (3-1)

Gm 5: Clippers at Suns (10:00 pm ET) | PHX Leads (3-1)

NBA Playoffs Bracket

Additional Storylines

SI: Jimmy Butler Crowns Himself King of the Playoffs

B/R: Jimmy Butler Says ‘Playoff Jimmy’ is ‘Not A Thing’ After 56-Point Night

CBS Sports: LeBron Takes Over Late to Power Lakers Past Grizzlies in Game 4

NHL PLAYOFFS

Kraken Still Kickin'

Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images

Devils & Kraken Win Game 4s to Even Series (2-2); Maple Leafs & Golden Knights Go Up 3-1

The first round continued in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday with two overtime games and a pair of series that could go seven. The Devils got one back on the Rangers and the Kraken evened things with the Avalanche courtesy of Jordan Eberle’s OT winner. The Golden Knights pushed the Jets to the brink of elimination. And the Maple Leafs — using a three-goal third period comeback — topped the Lightning with Alexander Kerfoot’s OT winner. All eight opening-round series are still going strong, but the Hurricanes can be the first team through to the quarterfinals tonight.

1st-Round Series Highlights

Gm 4: Devils def. Rangers (3-1) | Series Tied (2-2)

Gm 4: Maple Leafs def. Lightning (5-4) | TOR Leads (3-1)

Gm 4: Golden Knights def. Jets (4-2) | VGK Leads (3-1)

Gm 4: Kraken def. Avalanche (3-2, OT) | Series Tied (2-2)

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 5: Islanders at Hurricanes (7:00 pm ET) | CAR Leads (3-1)

Gm 5: Wild at Stars (8:00 pm ET) | Series Tied (2-2)

Gm 5: Kings at Oilers (9:30 pm ET) | Series Tied (2-2)

Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Jets Lose Mark Scheifele to Injury as Golden Knights Take 3-1 Lead

SportsNet: Maple Leafs’ Kerfoot Caps Massive Game 4 Comeback

MLB

MLB Quick-Hitters

Strider Makes Braves History: The Braves shut out the Marlins (11-0) and halted a four-game losing streak last night with a near no-hitter from Spencer Strider (8 IP, 13 Ks, 2 H, 0 ER). It wasn’t perfect, but Strider’s 13-K gem made him the first pitcher in Braves history to record nine-or-more strikeouts in nine consecutive starts.

Rays Improve to 14-0 at Home: Make it 20-3 and 14-0 at Tropicana Field for the Rays. Tampa Bay took down the Astros on Monday (8-3) thanks to a big night from Wander Franco (4-for-5, 2 Runs, 1 RBI). It’s the longest home winning streak to start a season in the modern era.

THE STORYLINES

🏈 XFL Playoffs Guide

The playoff field is set for the first season of XFL version 3.0. The eight-team league is down to its final four. This marks the first time since the original incarnation of the XFL that the league will have playoff games. (USA Today)

⚾️ MLB Power Rankings

Here’s a novel concept: When you pitch well, you play well. The Rays are still MLB’s top dog, but surprise teams — Pirates, Orioles and Rangers — are riding pitching fast starts. Here are the MLB Power Rankings after baseball’s first month. (FOX Sports)

⚽️ Premier League Stretch Run

So what if three of the Premier League’s top-half contenders were on FA Cup semifinal duty, leaving only eight matches on the weekend docket: Week 32 of the 2022-23 Premier League season delivered the goods. (NBC Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• SEC Mulling Drastic Punishments for Storming Field at Football Games (SI)
• Eastern Michigan’s Emoni Bates Declares for NBA Draft (B/R)
• NBA Investigating Hawks Dejounte Murray for Bumping Official (Yahoo! Sports)
• Wave of Colorado Players Hit Transfer Portal After Deion Sanders Debut in Spring Game (CBS Sports)
• Australian Jockey Dies at Age 34 After Falling in Horse Race (USA Today)

• Houston Rockets to Hire Ex-Celtics Coach Ime Udoka (ESPN)

• NBA Suspends Hawks’ Dejounte Murray for Bumping Official in Game 4 (NBC Sports)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

THE UNDERDOG

The Wrexham Revival

Photo: Matthew Ashton / Getty Images

How Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney Bought a Struggling Welsh Soccer Club & Took Over the World

Only a pair of Hollywood stars could bring a scripted story like this to a small town in Wales desperate for revival. When actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham AFC and began production of a television series on Hulu, they didn’t know “Club Owner” would be their greatest roles yet.

In their second season as co-owners, their camera-friendly club defeated Boreham Wood on Saturday (3-1) to earn promotion to the English Football League after 15 seasons in relegation. Season 2 of “Welcome to Wrexham” will have a happy ending. And if you’re not a dedicated viewer of the show, you might have questions about the soccer story that’s sweeping the globe.

Wrexham’s History is Football History

Wrexham AFC was once a soccer powerhouse with some of the most loyal supporters a sports team could imagine. Located in the northern part of Wales, roughly 45 minutes south of Liverpool, Wrexham is a manufacturing town of about 60,000 residents. And while the area has fallen on tough times, their team has kept hope alive.

Wrexham is no ordinary team. It’s the third oldest football club in the world. The team was founded in 1864, just one year after the laws of the game were written and the Football Association was formed. But despite 150-plus years of history, Wrexham AFC hit rock bottom.

With wins few and far between and an economic spiral in the town over the past century, fans and supporters have had to chip in their hard earned money just to keep the team operational. And then two American actors bought the team, and the investment of a lifetime turned into a heartwarming story for sports fans everywhere.

Why Reynolds & McElhenney Went In

You likely know Ryan Reynolds from a number of blockbuster movies, including Deadpool, The Proposal, Red Notice, and much more. McElhenney is famous for his role on the TV series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And it was his idea to purchase Wrexham after the club had fallen on hard times during the pandemic. Enter Reynolds.

“I had TV money, but I needed movie money.” (McElhenney)

McElhenney reached out to Reynolds in an attempt to find sponsors for his purchase of the team. Reynolds didn’t want to sponsor the club, he wanted to buy it with him. They paid approximately $2.2 million. And thus, the pair set out to revitalize a dead-in-the-water football club with more history than any American sports team could fathom. They created a behind-the-scenes documentary, Welcome to Wrexham, and this tiny town of loyal soccer fans is enjoying a wild ride.

“We didn’t know anything about the sport — now we’re obsessed with it.” (Reynolds)

With Saturday’s win, Wrexham (34-8-3) is now heading to the fourth-tier League Two in the English Football League after 15 seasons. The Racecourse Ground (field name) is the oldest international football venue still in use, and it’s beginning to thrive once more.

A Hollywood ending in Season 2, but there’s more to be written in Wrexham.

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