You know, they say whenever you head out to the old ball yard that you might just see something you have never seen before. Like, for example, the Phillies’ offense scoring 10 runs.
I kid.
But you probably haven’t seen anything like what happened to Brewers’ reliever Adrian Houser during the seventh inning of the Phillies’ 10-9 win on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee:
Adrian Houser just vomited behind the mound in front of 40,000+ people after throwing his warm-up pitches. @cantpredictball
— Brew Crew Ball (@BrewCrewBall) June 17, 2018
While Houser, who was recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, did in fact puke, he did not rally. Video of his eventful 7th inning after the jump. Continue Reading
I spent the past two days at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, where the top brass in the legal sports betting industry were all present for the East Coast Gaming Congress.
The annual event is a meeting of the minds for all forms of gaming, from slots to casino hospitality, most of which doesn’t interest me even a little bit. But this year the focus was almost exclusively on sports gambling. It’s perhaps only a coincidence that Monmouth Park and the Borgata, a 17-minute walk from Harrah’s (speaking from experience), started taking bets during day two of the conference, just hours before Governor Phil Murphy addressed attendees.
Why did I go? Two reasons, to be honest:
- To learn about where the industry is headed and pass along those findings to you, specifically because Philly is at the epicenter of the shift toward legal sports betting since Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware will likely be the first three states to allow it following the Supreme Court’s ruling last month.
- Business interests, Holmes.
Right now, things are confusing to consumers and would-be bettors. When can I bet? How? Where? And beyond that, just have pervasive and what forms will sports betting take in the US?
I’m here to summarize the event and answer your questions. Continue Reading
This post is brought to you by our friends at TicketIQ.
The Phillies are only four games behind the first place Washington Nationals in the NL East. The ever-entertaining St. Louis Cardinals are coming to town for a three game series Monday-Wednesday. Why not let Ticket IQ get you out to a game this weekend? We’ve been partnered for quite some time with TicketIQ, the best secondary ticket vendor on the market. With their “Low Price Guarantee”, they’re confident that they can offer you the best tickets at the lowest price. Tickets for the Cardinals’ series can be had for as low as $14.
To the map!
Monday’s game includes two tickets in Section 432 Row 2 for $27 apiece and two tickets in Section 323 Row 2 for $39 each, with both deals backed by Ticket IQ‘s “Low Price Guarantee”. Want a lower-level “Low Price Guarantee”? Section 130 Row 21 has two tickets for $69 each.
Tuesday’s game also features some great lower-level seats for around $60 each:
In what might be the best deal in the upcoming series, there are four seats available in Section 113 Row 14 backed by the “Low Price Guarantee” for $60 each.
Perhaps you’re looking to get out to the series finale on Wednesday. There are multiple deals available for around $17 per ticket backed by the “Low Price Guarantee”:
So why Ticket IQ, you ask? TicketIQ offers the lowest price on the secondary market and they’re willing to back it up. Tickets with a “Low Price Guarantee” are the cheapest on the secondary market, or they’ll beat the difference by 200%. Each of the deals I mentioned earlier are backed by Ticket IQ‘s incomparable “Low Price Guarantee”.
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Yesterday, I broke down a Woj report that San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich would be sitting down in the coming weeks with his estranged superstar Kawhi Leonard with the hopes of working things out and discussing an extension. My oh my how things have changed:
Kawhi Leonard wants out from the San Antonio Spurs, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2018
As I wrote yesterday:
“What once seemed like an impossibility – parting ways with the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time All-NBA First Team selection – now appears to be a formality, with the Sixers mentioned as a contender to acquire his services.”
ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote of a hypothetical Sixers trade for Leonard:
“Philadelphia will need to rely on coach Brett Brown and his relationship with Leonard from his days as an assistant in San Antonio. Because Philadelphia is restricted in what it can offer Leonard in an extension before free agency (four years, $107 million; six months after he is acquired), both sides would be relying on a handshake agreement before the trade is completed. Essentially, the Sixers would be risking three assets because they trust Leonard.”
Recent Sixers assistant coaching hire Monty Williams spent the past two years as the vice president of basketball operations in the same front office as R.C. Buford, while Brett Brown served on Gregg Popovich’s staff with Leonard as a player. With Leonard now presumably on the trading block, the Sixers would appear to be a legitimate contender in acquiring his services.
A trade involving Robert Covington and Markelle Fultz, along using the Stretch Provision on Jerryd Bayless, could clear enough cap space for the Sixers to make a run at a max player like LeBron James or Paul George to pair with Kawhi, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid.
One would be reckless to ignore the potential package of draft picks and star players Boston could offer, including Kyrie Irving or – could they be so cold – Gordon Hayward. The Lakers are also believed to be interested in offering a package including young players like Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, or Brandon Ingram. In the latter scenario, they could clear enough cap space to make a super team of Kawhi, PG13, and LeBron. There’s also this:
San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard has Los Angeles — preferably the Lakers — at the center of his preferences for a trade destination, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2018
And this, from the night before, is as close as you can get to tampering without burning your hand.
Do not ever underestimate
.
.
.
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Nothing else to say— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) June 14, 2018
The NBA off-season is heating up and the draft is only a week away. I’m not a betting man, but I’d feel pretty comfortable wagering that the Sixers will be in the running. Speaking of gambling, Kyle and I talked about updates in sports gambling on Friday’s Crossing Broadcast:
Some questions this morning after the Eagles received their Super Bowl rings last night. Did they completely crush the design? Yes. Do I kind of want one? Also yes.
The 127 glorious diamonds that represent the combined numbers of Corey Clement, Trey Burton, and Nick Foles–the three players who touched the ball on the Philly Special–are absolutely magnificent. The engraved underdog mask? It speaks to me. The detail. The gaudiness. The PIZZAZZ!
Some more questions.
Did I do anything in any way, shape, or form to earn this ring? No. Do I have $11,127 to spend on a ring that I did absolutely nothing in any way, shape, or form to earn? Absolutely not. If I had the money, would it make me an asshole if I bought one? Not any more of one than I already am.
If you are very much unlike me and have the ability to flush what essentially amounts to two months of my total gross income, while also sharing my total lack of hesitation about purchasing something so completely impractical, you can click this link to customize and buy one of a very limited number of Eagles Super Bowl rings.
I know someone who wants one:
I'm not saying I'll get a divorce if my wife doesn't surprise me with the $11K Eagles Super Bowl championship ring for Father's Day, but the odds will go WAY UP.
— CogginToboggan (@CogginToboggan) June 15, 2018
It’s no secret that Major League Baseball is concerned about its future growth potential and its ability to connect with younger demographics. Increased strikeout rates and shifts have dulled on-field action and despite efforts to increase pace of play, it still very much remains an issue, so much so that it was one of several items discussed at this week’s owners’ meetings.
Despite this, I would argue that the league’s biggest obstacle in resonating with younger sports fans is itself. For instance, it is a GIFT when a fascinating two-year-old video mysteriously surfaces on social media of a manager losing his fucking mind at an umpire after a failed retaliation. This here is a gift:
Why don't we get a shot? MLB did nothing to that guy, Terry Collins going ballistic on #MLB umpire
The Audio Of Terry Collins Unleashing A Million F-Bombs On An Umpire After Noah Syndergaard Got Ejected For Pitching Behind Chase Utley In 2016#mets #terrycollins #NoahSyndergaard pic.twitter.com/1EQeUEmhN0— New York Raw Crowd (@NYRawCrowd) June 14, 2018
You probably know by now that Chase Utley blew up the leg of Mets infielder Ruben Tejada during the 2015 MLB postseason. Utley was initially suspended for two games, but that ruling was later overturned on appeal, and the Mets decided to take matters into their own hands. That’s INTERESTING. There’s profanity. There’s emotion. There’s intrigue. Moreover, there’s an authenticity to the video that unveils the game’s unspoken codes and unwritten rules and makes them lucid to the average consumer.
Baseball should want this. The video even makes former Mets manager Terry Collins, who has the likability of a wasp, seem somewhat favorable. So, of course, it’s no surprise that the league is apparently working to scrub the video from the internet. From Philly.com:
Manfred also told the New York Post he was “disappointed” that the audio was leaked, and that it was important for the league to figure out how it ended up on social media.
“Getting angry about that, there’s not really much of a point in that,” Manfred said. “I think it’s more important that we make clear to our employees that we’re doing everything possible to live up to our agreement, and that we figure out how it happened so it doesn’t happen again.”
Yeah, definitely wouldn’t want a compelling video that generates some fun buzz around the game floating around out there. That’s about right.
I don’t know if you know this, but the Eagles won the Super Bowl. And because of that, they get Super Bowl rings. Those rings were given out last night at the 2300 Arena, aka the ECW Arena.
We recapped the rings last night, but I would not be doing my civic duties if I didn’t show you more ring pictures: Continue Reading
We’ve come full circle. Hold up wait a minute! Continue Reading
