The Sportsletter - History Watchers 🍿

BY JEFF YODER

MAY 10, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

It’s another must-watch weekend edition, so we're going rapid-fire. There's drama brewing in Round 2 of the NBA/NHL Playoffs. The Cavs, Mavs, and Avs almost hit a three-way parlay for the best sports headline ever, but Colorado's comeback fell short. Plus, Paul Skenes' debut awaits and Nelly Korda aims for LPGA history.

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Letter Rip!

  NBA PLAYOFFS  

All Even: Cavs & Mavs Clap Back 👏

Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

Cavaliers Pummel Celtics in Game 2 Rebound (118-94), Mavericks Hold Off Thunder to Even Series (119-110)

No second-round runaways here! The Cavaliers and Mavericks both got one back on Thursday night. Cleveland delivered a beatdown in Beantown behind Donovan Mitchell’s near triple-double (29-8-7). The Celtics couldn’t find the 3-point shot (22.9%), and Boston fans got blasted by the internet for hitting the exits early. Game 2 just gave life to the Cavs.

Out West, the Mavericks held the Thunder at arm’s length in a close game throughout. Luka Doncic (29-10-7) and P.J. Washington (29 pts, 11 rebs) led a sharpshooting night for Dallas. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33-12-8) had the night’s high score in a losing effort for OKC. It was the Thunder’s first loss of the postseason, too. Both series are all square entering the weekend, and we have plenty of ball left to decide Round 2.

NBA Playoff Highlights (Round 2)

Gm 2: Cavaliers def. Celtics (118-94)

Series Tied (1-1)

Gm 2: Mavericks def. Thunder (119-110)

Series Tied (1-1)

Read More

Yahoo! Sports: Cavaliers Stun Celtics With Dominant Game 2 Road Win in Boston

B/R: Luka Doncic & Mavs Hand SGA & Thunder 1st Loss of the Playoffs

  NHL PLAYOFFS  

Rangers Refuse to Lose (7-0)

Photo: Josh Lavallee / Getty Images

Artemi Panarin’s OT Winner Puts Rangers Past ‘Canes (3-2, OT) & Undefeated (7-0) in Playoffs; Stars Hold Off Another Avs' Comeback Attempt (5-3)

I don’t want to jinx it, but I don’t have that much power… It’s been 30 years since the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, but every New York hockey fan is starting to pinch themselves right now. Could this be the year? The Rangers won again on Thursday night, holding off a Hurricane comeback with Artemi Panarin’s lamp-lighting redirect 1:43 into overtime. That’s an unblemished 7-0 record in the postseason for New York. They’ve won six of those seven games by two goals or less (talk about gutsy), including back-to-back overtime games this week. The Rangers refuse to lose!

Out West, the Stars held a 4-0 lead in the third period against the Avalanche, but we all saw what happened in Game 1. The Avs overcame a 3-0 deficit in Game 1 on Tuesday, and they scored three unanswered again last night. It wasn’t enough this time, though. The Stars held strong and got the insurance open-netter from Esa Lindell (5-3). Miro Heiskanen led the Stars with two goals, and Dallas squared up the series.

Stanley Cup Playoff Highlights (Round 2)

Gm 3: Rangers def. Hurricanes (3-2, OT)

NYR Leads Series (3-0)

Gm 2: Stars def. Avalanche (5-3)

Series Tied (1-1)

Read More

ESPN: Panarin’s OT Winner Puts Rangers on Cusp of 2nd Straight Sweep

B/R: Avalanche Baffle NHL Fans in Game 2 Loss as Stars Shut Down MacKinnon & Makar

  MLB  

Pirate Paul is Ready to Paint 🎨

Photo: Christopher Pasatieri / Getty Images

Pirates’ Paul Skenes Set to Make MLB Debut on Saturday Surrounded by Hype, History & High Expectations

By now you’ve probably heard that Paul Skenes is officially joining The Show. The Pirates’ No. 1 pick in last year’s summer draft is one of the best collegiate pitching prospects in over a decade. At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, he boasts a weaponized right arm that should instantly boost Pittsburgh’s rotation. The 21-year-old LSU product torched Triple-A batters this year, recording a 0.99 ERA with 45 Ks in 27-plus innings before getting the call-up on Wednesday. That call (this early?) tells you everything you need to know.

Quickest Call-Up in 35 Years

That’s not a joke. Skenes is just 307 days removed from his No. 1 draft selection last summer. That marks the fastest turnaround from top overall pick to major league introduction among the last 35 No. 1 picks. Ring ring.

Paul Can Paint 🎨

My favorite quote from all the Skenes hype stories came from pitcher Brent Honeywell with the Pirates‘ Triple-A affiliate. In an ESPN interview: “It’s like, oh, he throws hard… Yeah, that sh— cool and all, but the kid can flat-out pitch. Pitch. That dude paints.” Skenes is known for having a wide variety of pitches, but he might throw harder than any ace who came before him. He can paint the edges, and we’re about to see a masterpiece.

Paul Skenes Debut

Pirates vs. Cubs (Sat. 4:05 pm ET, MLBTV)

Read More

MLB: The Making of Paul Skenes, A ‘One in a Decade’ Kind of Pitcher

ESPN: Paul Skenes Called Up to MLB: Inside the Pirates’ Decision

  POLL RESULTS   📊

The Paul Skenes Hype Projector

Yesterday, we asked you all to play MLB scout and project Paul Skenes' career. Most readers think he’s a future multiple Cy Young award-winner (30%). Not too shabby. Here’s the full breakdown:

🗳️ 1st-Ballot Hall of Famer (11%)

🏅 Multiple Cy Young Winner (30%)

⭐️ Fringe All-Star Pitcher (24%)

💪 Steady, Strong Starter (26%)

❌ Complete Bust (9%)

  GOLF  

Korda Takes Aim at History 🎯

Photo: Elsa / Getty Images

Nelly Korda (-3) Shoots Mistake-Free 69 in Round 1 of Bid for Record-Setting 6th Straight LPGA Victory

Only three people in the history of golf have done what Nelly Korda might do on Sunday in New Jersey — win six consecutive starts. No women’s golfer on the LPGA Tour has ever won six straight events, and the only three men’s golfers are legends of the game — Byron Nelson (11), Tiger Woods (7), and Ben Hogan (6). That astonishing feat looks possible after Korda carded a 3-under 69 to open the Cognizant Founders Cup this weekend. The 25-year-old superstar is fresh off a two-week rest and an appearance at the Met Gala with her sights set on history. Her last five starts have all ended in victory, but one more would break a tie for the LPGA record she currently shares with Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam.

The Only Problem? Rose Zhang…

Rose, you spoiler. It’s hard not to love Rose Zhang. The 20-year-old Stanford star burst onto the LPGA as a teenager and stole hearts. She’s 9-under after a scorching Round 1, so Korda has work to do. We’ll be on history watch all weekend.

⛳️ Cognizant Founders Cup (Leaderboard)

1. R. Zhang (-9)

2. M. Sagstrom (-7)

T3. S. Kyriacou (-6)

T3. L. Maguire (-6)

T3. N.R. An (-6)

—————————

T18. N. Korda (-3)

Read More

CBS Sports: Nelly Korda Attempts Record Sixth Consecutive LPGA Victory This Weekend

SI: From Byron Nelson to Tiger Woods to Nelly Korda, Here Are Golf’s Greatest Win Streaks

  OTHER HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

D-Backs Top Reds (5-4) to Complete Sweep

Twins Obliterate Mariners (11-1) With 5-Run 1st

Aaron Judge Hits 473-Foot Dinger

Astros Ride 2 ‘Ruthian Blasts’ to Win in the Bronx

⛳️ PGA Tour

X. Schauffele (-7) Leads R1 at Quail Hollow

C. Morikawa (-4), R. McIlroy (-4) & J. Thomas (-3) in the Hunt

🏀 WNBA Preseason

Caitlin Clark Gets Wild Welcome, Scores 12 Points in (Preseason) Home Debut for Fever

⚾️ College Baseball

UGA’s Charlie Condon Sets New BBCOR Single-Season Record With 34th Home Run

  NEWS   📰 

⚾️ TV Series About Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter’s Gambling Scandal in Development (SI)

🏀 Phoenix Suns Fire Head Coach Frank Vogel After 1 Season (NBC Sports)

🏈 Two NFL Rookies Make Possibly Illegal $10K Bet on Rookie of the Year Competition (CBS Sports)

🏀 Pacers File Complaint Over 78 Calls in Games 1 & 2 With NBA League Office (B/R)

🏀 Celtics Assistant Charles Lee Agrees to 4-Year Deal as Next Hornets Head Coach (ESPN)

⚽️ Philadelphia Union Deal With 14-Year-Old Phenom Cavan Sullivan Includes Man. City Clause (ESPN)

🏈 Giants Sign Journeyman Receiver Allen Robinson to 1-Year Deal (Sporting News)

⛳️ Rory McIlroy Reveals That He Has a Role in PGA-PIF Negotiations After All (SI)

🏀 Former NBA Player Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Healthcare Fraud Scheme (Yahoo! Sports)

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️

The Weekend Must-Watch List

It’s our last overloaded playoff slate. By next weekend, we should see the NBA and Stanley Cup Playoffs trimmed to four teams each. For now, enjoy some more racing, boxing, and historic moments for Nelly Korda and Paul Skenes. We’ll catch you on Monday.

🏀 NBA Playoffs

Gm 3: Knicks at Pacers (Fri. 7:00 pm, ESPN)

Gm 3: Nuggets at T-Wolves (Fri. 9:30 pm, ESPN)

Gm 3: Thunder at Mavericks (Sat. 3:30 pm, ABC)

Gm 3: Celtics at Cavaliers (Sat. 8:30 pm, ABC)

Gm 4: Knicks at Pacers (Sun. 3:30 pm, ABC)

Gm 4: Nuggets at T-Wolves (Sun. 8:00 pm, TNT)

🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Gm 3: Panthers at Bruins (Fri. 7:00 pm, TNT)

Gm 2: Oilers at Canucks (Fri. 10:00 pm, TNT)

Gm 4: Rangers at Hurricanes (Sat. 7:00 pm, TNT)

Gm 3: Stars at Avalanche (Sat. 10:00 pm, TNT)

Gm 4: Panthers at Bruins (Sun. 6:30 pm, TBS)

Gm 3: Canucks at Oilers (Sun. 9:30 pm, TBS)

⚾️ MLB

Dodgers-Padres Series

Braves-Mets Series

Twins-Blue Jays Series

*Cubs at Pirates (Sat. 4:05 pm, MLBTV)
*Paul Skenes’ Debut

⚽️ Soccer

EPL: Man. United vs. Arsenal (Sun. 11:30 am, NBC)

MLS Schedule

NWSL Schedule

⛳️ Golf

PGA: Wells Fargo Championship (All Weekend)

LPGA: Cognizant Founders Cup (All Weekend)

🥊 Boxing (IBF Lightweight)

Lomachenko vs. Kambosos Jr. (Sat. 8:00 pm, ESPN+)

🏁 Racing

Indy: Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS (Sat. 3:00 pm, NBC)

NAS: Goodyear 400 at Darlington (Sun. 3:00 pm, FS1)

*All Times ET

Enjoy the weekend!

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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