The Sportsletter - Saving South Beach 🌴

BY JEFF YODER

JUNE 9, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

We're crowning champions this weekend. Oklahoma notched the 3-peat in the WCWS. The French Open winds down to the finals. NBA, Champions League and Stanley Cup Finals are all in takeover mode. And in case you missed it, the Panthers just revitalized their Cup hopes. Weekend, commence...

Letter Rip!

  STANLEY CUP FINALS   🏆

Saving South Beach 🌴

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Panthers Take Game 3 on Verhaeghe’s OT Winner (3-2, OT) to Save Stanley Cup Hopes

For a moment, the Golden Knights looked like they were on their way to a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. But in a flash, we have a series. Vegas led Florida late in Game 3 (2-1) before Matthew Tkachuk gave Florida a lifeline with two minutes left to force overtime. Just 4:27 into OT, Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp from near mid-ice and sent South Beach into party mode. What looked like light work for Vegas en route to their first championship suddenly became a series to watch. The Panthers officially have their first franchise win in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Panthers Percentages: 2% → 20%

Only one team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals (1942 Maple Leafs). Florida flipped the script in the final seven minutes of Game 3 — from down 2-1 to winning 3-2 — and shifted their odds of winning the Cup from less than 2 percent to nearly 20 percent.

Game 3 Top Performers

C. Verhaeghe (FLA): 1 goal, 1 assist

M. Tkachuk (FLA): 1 goal, 1 assist

J. Marchessault (VGK): 1 goal, 1 assist

Watch: Panthers Keep Cup Hopes Alive With Game 3 Win (3-2, OT)

Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

Gm 4: Golden Knights at Panthers (Sat. 8:00 pm ET)

VGK Leads Series (2-1)

Read More

ESPN: Takeaways From Game 3: How the Panthers Made it a Series

Yahoo! Sports: Resilience and the Rats Lift Panthers Over Golden Knights for 1st SCF Win

  TENNIS   

Too Much Muchova 🎾

Photo: Andy Cheung / Getty Images

Karolina Muchova Upsets #2 Aryna Sabalenka to Set Up Finals Match With #1 Iga Swiatek

A stunning three-hour match concluded with the biggest upset of the French Open in Thursday’s semifinals. The 43rd-ranked player in the world, Karolina Muchova, took down No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set epic that featured two tiebreakers and incredible rallies. Muchova slayed one giant, but the biggest one comes next. The 26-year-old Czech player will now compete in her first grand slam final, but she’ll have to take on the game’s best player over the last two years — No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The highly-anticipated men’s semifinal between #1 Carlos Alcaraz and #3 Novak Djokovic is on the way this morning.

Women’s Singles Highlights (Semifinals)

K. Muchova def. #2 A. Sabalenka (7-6, 6-7, 7-5)

#1 I. Swiatek def. #14 B. Haddad Maia (6-2, 7-6)

Women’s Final

#1 I. Swiatek vs. K. Muchova (Sat. 9:00 am ET)

Today’s Schedule (Men’s Semifinals)

#1 C. Alcaraz vs. #3 N. Djokovic (8:45 am ET)

#4 C. Ruud vs. #22 A. Zverev (11:30 am ET)

Read More

Yahoo! Sports: World No. 43 Karolina Muchova Stuns 2-Seed Aryna Sabalenka in 3-Hour Match

The Guardian: Djokovic & Alcaraz Ready to Serve Up French Open Feast for the Ages

  CSWS   

Oklahoma Completes 3-Peat 🥎

Photo: Justin Tafoya / Getty Images

#1 Oklahoma Wins 3rd Straight WCWS Championship, Notches Winningest Season in NCAA History (61 Wins)

Another June, another championship for the stars of softball! Oklahoma won its 53rd straight game on Thursday to top Florida State (3-1) and win their third straight Women’s College World Series. OU’s Jayda Coleman snagged one of the greatest home-run rob jobs of all-time to keep things scoreless in the 3rd inning. Florida State’s Mack Leonard hit a solo shot in the 4th frame to give FSU a 1-0 lead and a glimmer of hope, but Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons hit homers in the 5th inning to put the Sooners in control. Jordy Bahl came on late to toss three strikeouts and put the game away.

Oklahoma’s 61-1 Record May Never Fall

OU broke tied their NCAA single-season wins record from the 2017 season (61-9). The 2015 Florida squad is the only other team in NCAA history with 60 wins in a season (60-7). The 2023 Sooners (.984 win %) have a record that may never fall.

Watch: #1 Oklahoma Wins 3rd Straight WCWS Championship

Oklahoma Owns College Softball

It’s no surprise the home-field advantage is strong with Oklahoma City playing host to the WCWS every year since 1990, but OU’s dominance has risen exponentially. The Sooners won their first softball title in 2000. They didn’t win it again until 2013, but the last decade has belonged to OU. They’ve won six of the last 10 WCWS championships, and their seven titles trails only Arizona (9) and UCLA (11) all-time.

Congrats to Oklahoma on the 3-peat!

Read More

Sporting News: NCAA Softball 3-Peats: OU Joins Exclusive List

SI: Oklahoma Star OF Jayda Coleman Pulls Off Jaw-Dropping HR Robbery in WCWS

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Braves Sweep Mets on Ozzie Albies’ Walk-Off Jack

Guardians’ Jose Ramirez Has 1st 3-HR Game of Career

Rays Keep Rolling, Beat Twins for 6th Straight Win

⛳️ PGA Tour

RBC Canadian Open Round 1 Highlights

The players on the PGA attempted to return to business as usual at this weekend’s RBC Canadian Open. Four golfers are tied at 5-under after Round 1, and 70 golfers are under par as the field is carving up Oakdale Country Club.

🏀 WNBA

Suns Hands Aces 1st Loss as DeWanna Bonner Explodes for 41 Points (Tied for 15th Highest-Scoring Game in WNBA History)

  STORYLINES  

⚽️ USMNT Year in Review

The 2022-23 European domestic season is over. Players on the USMNT will have plenty of opportunity with the Concacaf Nations League finals and Gold Cup both beginning in June. Let’s grade the USMNT players on their 2022-23 efforts. (ESPN)

⚾️ Can Luis Arraez Actually Hit .400?

Marlins 2B Luis Arraez is in pursuit of a .400 season — something that hasn’t been achieved since Ted Williams in 1941. Arraez already tabbed the first cycle in Marlins history back in April, and he recently had Miami’s first 5-hit, 5-RBI game. He’s batting .401. (FOX Sports)

⛳️ The Cowardly End of Golf’s Civil War

The PGA Tour announced Tuesday that it will join with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour to become a new entity funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. What this signals for each specific tour is unclear, but the financials are the guiding principle. (The Ringer)

  NEWS   📰 

• Vikings Plan to Release RB Dalvin Cook After 6 Seasons (ESPN)
• PGA-LIV Merger Draws Attention & Ire From Congress (SI)
• Beloved ‘SportsCenter’ Anchor Neil Everett Leaving ESPN After 23 Years (FOS)
• Barcelona Takes Shot at Lionel Messi’s Decision to Join MLS (USA Today)
• NBC Sports Chair Pete Bevacqua to Replace Jack Swarbrick as Notre Dame AD (CBS Sports)
• NFL Tabs Tom Brady to Send Message to Players on Sports Betting Dangers (Yahoo! Sports)

• A’s Las Vegas Stadium Vote Delayed in Nevada State Senate (B/R)

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️ 

The Must-Watch List

NBA Finals

Gm 4: Nuggets at Heat (Fri. 8:30 pm)

DEN Leads (2-1)

Stanley Cup Finals

Gm 4: Golden Knights at Panthers (Sat. 8:00 pm)

VGK Leads (2-1)

French Open (Final Weekend)

M: #4 C. Ruud vs. #22 A. Zverev (Fri. TBD)

M: #1 C. Alcaraz vs. #3 N. Djokovic (Fri. TBD)

Women’s Final: #1 I. Swiatek vs. K. Muchova (Sat. 9:00 am)

Men’s Final: TBD vs. TBD (Sun. 9:00 am)

Champions League Final

Manchester City vs. Inter (Sat. 3:00 pm)

MLB

Yankees-Red Sox Series

Dodgers-Phillies Series

Rangers-Rays Series

Full MLB Weekend Schedule

PGA Tour

RBC Canadian Open (Rounds 2-4)

WNBA

Sky at Aces (Sun. 3:00 pm)

*All Times ET

Download The Sportsletter's Must-Watch Calendar

  POLL   🗓️ 

Poll Results

Yesterday, we asked: Do you think the PGA-LIV merger is a good thing for golf's future? The Team has spoken, and it's pretty convincing.

No — 60%

Yes — 23%

Maybe — 17%

Enjoy the weekend!

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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