While sports can be an escape, the human side of the tale matters too — and isn’t always the easiest aspect to cover.
The past few seasons have been some of the bumpiest in recent memory for the Boston Celtics off the court, with everything from the pandemic to internal scandal taking a toll on the on-court product just as the team starts to pursue another title in earnest.
One cannot tell the story of the Celtics last season without including the mess made by former head coach Ime Udoka, or why the team was among the last four clubs in the Orlando bubble without saying why they were there in the first place. While sports can be an escape, the human side of the tale matters too — and isn’t always the easiest aspect to cover.
As the Celtics emerge from one of their choppier campaigns in a while due to such issues, their summer teambuilding nearly finished, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Boston Globe beat writer and “A-List” podcast host Gary Washburn to talk about how to cover and engage with those difficult aspects of the sport.
They also assess the offseason so far and get into what little news is still trickling out for the truly stalwart Boston fans.
The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel.
2K Sports on Monday dropped a teaser image of Wembanyama in the Spurs’ patented white and black jerseys. As the No. 1 pick, his image is the first of the rookie class to be released as the 19-year-old gets set to transition into the NBA.
Of course, fans are eager to see what his initial rating will be when the latest installment of the game drops on Sept. 8. There is speculation Wembanyama will be the highest-rated rookie ever, topping the previous high of 81, which marketing director Ronnie 2K hinted at.
For now, fans can get a glimpse of Wembanyama in the game.
Wembanyama is fresh from his debut with the Spurs in the NBA Summer League. He had an uneven first game but responded with a 27-point, 12-rebound effort two nights later and showed what made him so highly touted entering the NBA draft.
Given his skills and size, Wembanyama figures to immediately be one of the most-used players on NBA 2K24. Many already joke that the 7-footer puts up videogame-like stats on a nightly basis and that will soon come to fruition.
It was an incredible finish that captured the attention of the combat sports world, chief among them Conor McGregor, who implied that he’d skip the Michael Chandler fight he’s supposed to have for one with Gaethje. Would that be a good fight for Gaethje to take on?
What does winning the “BMF” title mean for “The Highlight,” who continuously proves he’s the embodiment of his nickname in the cage? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
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You can watch their segment in the video above and check out the full episode below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
NASCAR was hoping to hit a “grand slam” with the different short-track package tested Monday at Richmond Raceway but instead acknowledged there are more ideas to be worked through. “When we did the group runs, we wanted to see, OK, line them up like …
NASCAR was hoping to hit a “grand slam” with the different short-track package tested Monday at Richmond Raceway but instead acknowledged there are more ideas to be worked through.
“When we did the group runs, we wanted to see, OK, line them up like a real race, fastest to slowest and see what happens,” Dr. Eric Jacuzzi, NASCAR vice president of vehicle performance, said. “Then let’s invert them and see if those fast guys can get back to the front. So, we saw some of that, but a lot of the feedback from the drivers was it wasn’t quite enough.
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“We’ve got some discussions ongoing on what we could do tomorrow based off some of their feedback. A good direction. They had a lot of feedback on tires, so tomorrow, we’ve got quite a bit going on. Hopefully that steers us in a good direction as well. Some good learnings today, for sure, but obviously, we wanted a grand slam and didn’t get that.”
NASCAR ran through three different splitter configurations with the six drivers who participated in the test. One option was not having a ride height rule, the other was a set ride height, and the third was a different front pan.
The difference in the splitter configuration run Monday versus what Cup Series teams are using this season is noticeable when placed side-by-side. It’s been called an “up/down” or “lift” splitter because of the lip on the front of it. The goal of the splitter change was for a car in traffic to create downforce.
The test version of the splitter (left) looks a lot different to the spec currently being used in races (right). But according to the drivers, the visual differences don’t translate across to how the car handles. Photo by Kelly Crandall
“I couldn’t tell much of a difference from my car yesterday to today,” Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece said. “(It was) not what we were all hoping for. Didn’t really feel much of a difference.”
Not being able to tell a difference was a sentiment shared by the other drivers. Noah Gragson from Legacy Motor Club, Harrison Burton of Wood Brothers Racing, Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing, and William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports were the other test drivers.
All six teams were given the chance to make single-car runs throughout the day in between the designated times NASCAR put all six cars on track together. As they would in a race, the drivers lined up side-by-side on a pace lap before beginning a pack run at full speed.
“It was hard to tell (the difference),” Byron said. “We were all sliding around a lot; I felt pretty loose. I was loose the whole day. I felt like initially, when we put the aero changes on, it had some similar grip to what we had yesterday and then as we got closer to noon and the track started to heat up, less grip than yesterday, similar lap time, and then in traffic, everyone was really loose.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to see. Hopefully, get some other ideas for tomorrow. … I didn’t think it was much different.”
NASCAR’s models had teams expecting to fight tight during the test, but all the drivers said they were loose. Visually, the pack runs looked no different from Sunday’s race.
Tuesday will be mostly devoted to Goodyear tire testing. However, if NASCAR decides to try additional changes, such as “to remove the diffuser completely tomorrow and offset it with some spoiler to make it balance,” that could be one direction tested.
Beyond the two-day test, Jacuzzi said NASCAR will continue to work with teams on ideas before additional tests are done in the offseason. Any potential changes to the package would not be implemented until 2024.
“Some of the feedback we got from the drivers today is if we were at Phoenix or maybe New Hampshire last week, they think it would have been better because Phoenix is a little more aero, a little faster track,” Jacuzzi said. “We had planned on if this was successful we’d go to an (organizational) test in early December, potentially to let everybody have an opportunity to try this.
“I think we will probably end up testing in the offseason with all these parts, not just aero but some of the other stuff like shifting and different things we’ve talked about. I can definitely see that. We have to keep working on this, it’s not going to fix itself. We have to keep going. But with the playoffs, we don’t want to be in that zone, so it moves it to the offseason.”
Here is where UNC football quarterback Drake Maye ranks among other prospects at his position in the last five years.
The 2024 NFL draft class could be a generational one in terms of quarterbacks, at least early on in the cycle.
Going into this 2023 college football season, both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are being highly touted as top prospects with the chance of going 1-2 come next April. While the hype is high on both prospects, where do the two rank among the top quarterback prospects in the last five years?
ESPN’s Matt Miller ranked the quarterbacks selected in the first round of the last five drafts along with the top prospects in 2024. And both Maye and Williams made the top 5.
Williams topped the list at No. 1 as the top prospect over the last five years while Maye checked in at No. 4. Here is what Miller said about Maye:
“Maye would be QB1 in most drafts,” an AFC area scout said.
In his first season under center for the Tar Heels, he improved the North Carolina offense, throwing for 38 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions while also running for seven more scores. Maye is still an unknown with just 14 games under his belt, but the potential is outstanding. It might seem like the No. 1 spot in 2024 firmly belongs to Williams, but Maye should be a worthy competitor over the next nine months.
“If Caleb Williams weren’t in this draft, we’d be talking about Maye as a generational prospect,” an AFC executive said. “He still might be one.”
That’s very high praise for Maye who enters year two as the Tar Heels’ starter at quarterback. Another big year could improve his stock even more and challenge Williams for the top spot.
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Nothing or something? An insider talks Joe Burrow’s possible contract extension.
The contract extension for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is one of the hottest topics in sports right now.
Naturally, despite little details leaking public under the promise of secrecy from both parties, it’s something that comes up for national reporters all the time.
That includes NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who just appeared on Pat McAfee’s show and said the following about the topic:Â “These things take time and I would imagine there are some strong lines in the sand being drawn…I don’t get the sense anything is imminent, imminent..eventually when it gets done, if it gets done, I do believe that he will be the highest.”
The language there might concern some fans but honestly, it’s no shock an agent repping Burrow would take firm stances, especially now that they have the framework of Justin Herbert’s to leap — which they will.
The estimated time of arrival of Burrow’s new contract has always been at some point during training camp and his minor calf injury doesn’t figure to play a role in that. The final hurdle is out of the way (Herbert), but the two parties still have to finish the race.
"I don't get the sense that a Joe Burrow deal is imminent right now..
Will he finish the deal with the Celtics, and will he live up to the pressure it puts on him and his ball club from a fan perspective?
The signing of star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown‘s historic, $304 million supermax contract extension has had quite a few people talking about the deal and whether it makes sense for the Celtics to have offered it to him.
Does he deserve it? Will it help or hurt Boston to have done so? Will he finish the deal with the Celtics, and will he live up to the pressure it puts on him and his ball club from a fan perspective? These are just a handful of such questions that a small army of analysts have been asking about the richest contract in league history and the man who signed it.
On a recent episode of the “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” show, basketball legend Tracy McGrady made an appearance to talk all things NBA, which of course led to Brown’s supermax extension.
Check out the clip embedded above to hear McGrady’s thoughts on Brown’s new extension and more.
Demario Douglas has been one of the Patriots’ best offensive playmakers so far in training camp.
New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas is impressing more than just reporters. He’s also impressing his teammates, including safety Jabrill Peppers.
When speaking with media members on Monday, Peppers praised the rookie sixth-round draft pick for his physicality and toughness on the practice field. He also revealed the defense has been noticing him making plays since the team was in OTAs.
“Oh yeah, we noticed him,” Peppers said, when asked if the defense had noticed Douglas on the field. “He’s out there making plays. The same thing you guys are seeing. But we saw it earlier on in OTAs. But what surprised me the most was his physicality. He’s a smaller guy, but he’s tough as nails. I think that will bode well for him.”
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) July 31, 2023
The former Liberty pass-catcher made an impact in his collegiate career.
He tallied 172 receptions for 2,193 yards and 16 touchdowns in four seasons of play. He is coming off a 2022 season that saw him tally a career-high 79 receptions for 993 yards and six touchdowns.
Now, the sixth-round draft pick looks to make an impact for New England. The Patriots need wide receiver depth, and Douglas’ emergence could be a promising development few expected to happen so soon.
Former UNC football wide receiver Josh Downs made a one-handed catch during Indianapolis Colts training camp practice.
Former North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs is hoping to make a good first impression with his new team, the Indianapolis Colts as training camp is underway in the NFL.
The Colts took Downs in the 2023 NFL draft hoping to pair him with quarterback Anthony Richardson for the long term as they look to rebuild the offense in Indianapolis. While the two haven’t hit the field for a game that counts just yet, the chemistry is starting to come together and Downs is hoping to prove he was a steal back in April.
And catches like he had in one practice could go a long ways in doing that.
Downs made a nice one-handed grab during one of the practices as you can see below:
This is nothing new for UNC fans who watched downs make big plays for the majority of his three seasons at North Carolina. Downs developed into one of the more sure-handed receivers not only in the ACC but in the country at times.
The hope is that Downs can bring that to the NFL level and be one of the better receivers in the league over time.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Numbers to Know: Team captain seven times over four different teams.
Resume and Outlook:Â Thomas was quietly one of the more important players the Bengals needed to get back this offseason. He’s an elite special teams presence, important to the locker room and his knowledge of the system and program will help steady a defensive backs room that lost Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates. He’s a lock for the roster and a quiet part of what makes it all tick.
