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Good morning! Draw a foul today.
While You Were Sleeping: Two conference final blowouts statements
We got our first taste of playoff semifinal action last night in both the NHL and NBA, and we might already be looking at two finalists. Quickly:
- In Oklahoma City, the Timberwolves succumbed to a masterclass in Thunderology, in which the young juggernauts fell behind early, rebounded, played incessant defense and saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander work his foul-merchant magic. The presumptive MVP had 31 points and OKC outscored Minnesota by 30 in the second half in the 114-88 win. The Thunder are three wins away from the finals.
- In Carolina, the Panthers blitzed the Hurricanes on their home ice in a 5-2 win. It was the Canes’ first home loss of the postseason, and it’s even more impressive considering Florida entered this game on two days’ rest. Playoff Bob did it again, too.
Two more conference-final matchups premiere tonight, which you can read about in a couple of scrolls.
P.S. The PWHL is also holding its finals right now, with Ottawa taking a 1-0 lead last night with a 2-1 overtime win. Hailey Salvian was there.
Pulse … Draft?: The Pulse Olympic Committee is in session
What everyone hoped for has become a reality: NFL players will be allowed to try out for flag football at the 2028 Olympics, thanks to a 32-0 owners vote yesterday. There are plenty of lovely messages going around today about how this will help the game of football grow, etc.
We’re not here for that. I want to pick a U.S. team, a Pulse team, to perfectly envision this future. Before we vote, two ground rules to know:
- Flag football is a five-on-five sport. For this exercise, we’re going with a typical offensive roster of one quarterback, one running back and three wide receivers.
- Only one player from each NFL roster can try out for any country’s team. So, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase can’t both play for Team USA. But if one decides to get dual citizenship elsewhere, both can participate, just on separate teams. Keep that in mind while choosing.
We’re doing offense first today. I selected top choices for you, largely based on yardage leaders last season, while also leaving a space to write in a candidate. Your options:
- QB: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Burrow, Baker Mayfield
- RB: Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor
- WR: Chase, Justin Jefferson, Brian Thomas, Drake London, Amon-Ra St. Brown
Pick your team here. We’ll run the results tomorrow, and I’ll weigh in. Remember: This team will play in three years, so choose your players — and their ages — wisely.
News to Know
After interview, bettors fade Belichick
With every update, I still have trouble believing the Bill Belichick-Jordon Hudson story is a real thing. Yet readers, and most importantly bettors, are rapt by the mismatched-age romance that has been a bumbling PR nightmare for the 73-year-old North Carolina coach and his 24-year-old girlfriend. In fact, BetMGM told The Athletic they’ve seen scores of bettors smash the under on the Tar Heels 7.5 win total in light of the couple’s strange appearance on “CBS Sunday Morning.” Truly, truly bizarre stuff, and more came yesterday via an intriguing piece from The New York Times.
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Carlsen plays everybody
Chess champion Magnus Carlsen recently played to a draw against — wait for it — 143,000 players, a mild upset despite the player disparity. Carlsen is the world’s best chess player, and despite facing an opponent the size of a large-ish metropolis, was heavily favored to win the match. The game took 46 days and saw 32 moves, with Carlsen’s many opponents voting on each move. More in our fun report here.
More news
- The Indiana Fever’s game against the Chicago Sky on Saturday drew 2.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular-season WNBA game in 25 years. More details here.
- Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler and manager Alex Cora both earned ejections for arguing balls and strikes yesterday. I think they had a point.
- The NBA fined Thunder forward Jalen Williams $25,000 for profane language on his shirt. See more details.
- Prosecutors in the Hockey Canada trial turned the focus toward one of the witnesses’ inconsistent testimony yesterday. We’ll have more on the case tomorrow.
- A Pittsburgh-area man, 21, was charged with providing alcohol to the underaged Pirates fan who fell from the stands last month. Read our full report.
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What to Watch
📺 NBA: Pacers at Knicks
8 p.m. ET on TNT/Max
This is appointment viewing. Tickets are over $700 to get in the building as of this morning. Find a couch or barstool. Before then, read Zak Keefer’s opus on the Pacers’ best chance to win a title in 30 years.
📺 NHL: Oilers at Stars
8 p.m. ET on ESPN
If you lean toward hockey, also appointment viewing here. The star power is in this series — McDavid, Draisaitl, Rantanen. Dallas is deep, Edmonton is dazzling. Very, very fun.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
I adored this: Patrick Iversen scored an interview with an F1 fan who baked a pizza from scratch in the shape of Oscar Piastri. I cackled multiple times.
Pato O’Ward’s F1 dream faded. Now, he’s the Indy 500’s rockstar, with shrieking fans everywhere.
Lamine Yamal has yet to sign his contract extension at FC Barcelona. Pol Ballús and Colin Millar helpfully explained why the wunderkind’s situation is a “special case.”
The White Sox are going full pope in light of his fandom, which I fully support. They’ve even adorned the stadium walls.
Back on the baseball menu: The Battle of the Boones. These guys can’t stay away.
On the heels of the QB’s big extension, it’s worth reading this excerpt from Mike Silver’s book: How the 49ers struck gold with Brock Purdy after a big swing and miss.
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Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our update on the USMNT Gold Cup roster.
Most-read on the website yesterday: This week’s MLB Power Rankings. I always learn something from those.
Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Top photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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Gerson pode deixar o Zenit e torcedores do Flamengo ironizam possível destino: “Péssima gestão de carreira”
Gerson em ação pelo Zenit - Divulgação/ZenitDois meses depois de deixar o Flamengo, Gerson pode ser negociado pelo Zenit. Segundo informações do jornalista Fabrizio Romano, o Al-Ittihad iniciou conversas com o clube russo pela contratação do atleta de 28 anos. Até o momento não há nenhum acordo entre as partes, mas as tratativas seguem e novidades podem ocorrer ao longo das próximas horas. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEEntre os torcedores do Rubro-Negro, a eventual movimentação no mercado indica uma gestão de carreira ruim por parte dos representantes do jogador da seleção brasileira. Para estes foi uma decisão equivocada já quando aceitou a oferta da equipe do leste europeu por questões financeiras. O pai e empresário, Marcão, foi duramente criticado.No X (antigo Twitter), são muitas manifestações de flamenguistas lamentando as escolhas que podem prejudicá-lo, inclusive, ao pleitear um lugar entre os selecionados para a […]
Rangers and Celtic draw a blank in first Old Firm of season
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Francouzské volejbalistky jsou při první účast na MS po 51 letech ve čtvrtfinále
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PGMOL acknowledges error in disallowed Fulham goal at Chelsea
The PGMOL has acknowledged that VAR made a mistake in intervening in Fulham's disallowed goal at Chelsea on Saturday.Michael Salisbury, the VAR at Stamford Bridge, has been stood down from his involvement in Sunday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal following the incident. King's first-half strike was ruled out after referee Rob Jones was instructed by Salisbury to review footage of Rodrigo Muniz's contact with Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up, sparking a furious reaction from Fulham boss Marco Silva.Sky Sports News understands the decision was not in line with the principle of 'referee's call', and did not meet the high bar required for intervention, which should only be for clear and obvious errors.PGMOL chief Howard Webb contacted Fulham on Saturday, and a decision was taken then to replace Salisbury with John Brooks for Sunday's game at Anfield. Fulham have […]
Nancy Lieberman takes a step back to put Caitlin Clark in her rightful place in the WNBA
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Gerson pode deixar o Zenit e torcedores do Flamengo ironizam possível destino: “Péssima gestão de carreira”
Gerson em ação pelo Zenit - Divulgação/ZenitDois meses depois de deixar o Flamengo, Gerson pode ser negociado pelo Zenit. Segundo informações do jornalista Fabrizio Romano, o Al-Ittihad iniciou conversas com o clube russo pela contratação do atleta de 28 anos. Até o momento não há nenhum acordo entre as partes, mas as tratativas seguem e novidades podem ocorrer ao longo das próximas horas. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEEntre os torcedores do Rubro-Negro, a eventual movimentação no mercado indica uma gestão de carreira ruim por parte dos representantes do jogador da seleção brasileira. Para estes foi uma decisão equivocada já quando aceitou a oferta da equipe do leste europeu por questões financeiras. O pai e empresário, Marcão, foi duramente criticado.No X (antigo Twitter), são muitas manifestações de flamenguistas lamentando as escolhas que podem prejudicá-lo, inclusive, ao pleitear um lugar entre os selecionados para a […]
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Zatímco Číňanky jsou dvojnásobnými světovými šampionkami z let 1982 a 1986 a k tomu mají tři stříbra a jeden bronz, francouzský tým byl nejlépe sedmý na mistrovství světa v roce 1952. Při předchozím startu na turnaji v roce 1974 obsadil 20. místo.S Čínou se francouzské volejbalistky utkaly i loni na olympijských hrách a letos v červnu v Lize národů - v obou zápasech neuhrály ani set. K dnešnímu vítězství je dovedlo zejména 22 bodů Hélény Cazauteové a 20 bodů Iman Ndiayeové.Mistrovství světa volejbalistek v Thajsku - osmifinále:Francie - Čína 3:1 (20, 25, -22, 20), 15:30 Brazílie - Dominikánská republika.
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The PGMOL has acknowledged that VAR made a mistake in intervening in Fulham's disallowed goal at Chelsea on Saturday.Michael Salisbury, the VAR at Stamford Bridge, has been stood down from his involvement in Sunday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal following the incident. King's first-half strike was ruled out after referee Rob Jones was instructed by Salisbury to review footage of Rodrigo Muniz's contact with Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up, sparking a furious reaction from Fulham boss Marco Silva.Sky Sports News understands the decision was not in line with the principle of 'referee's call', and did not meet the high bar required for intervention, which should only be for clear and obvious errors.PGMOL chief Howard Webb contacted Fulham on Saturday, and a decision was taken then to replace Salisbury with John Brooks for Sunday's game at Anfield. Fulham have […]
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Hall of Famer and basketball idol Nancy Lieberman, also a pioneer of women's basketball, has recently highlighted how the game impact of Caitlin Clark is, highlighting the power of the rising star of the WNBA. Speaking from a perspective shaped by decades in the sport, Lieberman underlined Clark's ability to catch attention, elevate the league, and inspire a new generation of basketball fans.Clark's generational impact presenceCaitlin Clark, known for her famous deep three-pointers, fearless drives, and dynamic playmaking, has fastly become one of the most watched and praised athletes in women's basketball. Lieberman drew comparisons between Clark's influence and that of global sports icons. "What Caitlin Clark has done for the game is generational," she said, noting that Clark's skill to draw both casual and hardcore fans to the sport rivals the effect of legends like Michael Jordan and Tiger […]
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