Month: August 2024

Former President Barack Obama honors Bill Russell’s 2nd Hall of Fame induction

Obama, a basketball fanatic himself, took time to honor the Celtics icon.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama took a moment to create a video message in praise of Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell on the eve of his second Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction. Obama joined the many voices honoring the basketball and civil rights giant for his accomplishments on the other side of the clipboard.

The University of San Francisco NCAA champion continued his unprecedented success as a player with the Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s, winning 11 titles in a dozen trips to the NBA Finals with Boston. In several of which, toward the end of that run, Russell served as a player-coach. The first Black head coach in modern major North American sports history, Russell faced battles on and off the court, which Obama noted.

Watch the clip embedded below to see his speech in honor of Russell’s second induction to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame yourself.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Junior Bryce Anderson needs to play his ‘natural position’ to ‘eliminate those big plays’

“I can eliminate those big plays that happened last year using my speed and athleticism,” he said. “I’m just going to have to show y’all.”

Immediately after earning Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Defensive Freshman of the Year, Texas A&M junior Bryce Anderson nearly doubled his tackle total, going from 28 to 55.

“All our receivers, those guys are good. Those guys are making me work everyday, day in, day out, they bring their A-game and vice versa. We’re just making each other better,” Anderson said Tuesday. “I feel like playing safety is my natural position. I don’t like to say that ‘safety is my main position,’ I feel like I like to be versatile. Safety is I feel my natural position I can play the fastest. I feel like I can have more command of the defense at safety.

“I can be an eraser back there. I can eliminate those big plays that happened last year using my speed and athleticism. I’m just going to have to show y’all.”

If Anderson can double his production so quickly from one year to another as an underclassman, imagine what he could do as an upperclassman, especially where he is the best fit.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

On an off day, Commanders release two, sign two

The Commanders move on from former draft pick, Dax Milne.

It wasn’t an off day for Dan Quinn and Adam Peters, as on Wednesday, the Commanders signed two players and released two players.

After working out three consecutive days (Sunday through Tuesday) Quinn had given the players Wednesday off from training camp, with practices resuming Thursday.

However, Quinn and Peters continued staying busy Wednesday, when they made four moves to the 90-man roster.

Released were wide receivers Dax Milne and Damiere Byrd. Added to the 90-man roster were WR Byron Pringle and kicker Riley Patterson.

Milne was drafted by Ron Rivera in round 7 (258) of the 2021 draft out of Brigham Young.

Milne secured the last receiver roster spot in 2021 and 2022, catching 15 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown, and six first downs. In his two seasons he also returned 40 punts with a long return of 19 yards. He also returned 15 kickoffs and enjoyed a 33-yard return.

A groin injury in the 2023 preseason led to Milne’s missing all of last season. Milne became the first player who had been drafted during the Ron Rivera term (2020-23) to be released by Dan Quinn.

Following playing at South Carolina, Byrd went undrafted in 2015 and was signed soon thereafter by the Panthers. Byrd made the Panthers practice squad and then the active roster for three seasons (2016-18).

Next, Byrd played one season for the Cardinals (2019), Patriots (2020), and Bears (2021), his best season coming with the Patriots, when he accumulated 47 receptions for 604 yards. Byrd then spent the last two seasons with the Falcons before signing with the Commanders on May 16.

Pringle returns to the Commanders after catching 14 passes for 161 yards with Washington in 2023. Previously, Pringle was with the Chiefs (2019-21) and the Bears in 2022. His best production came in 2021 when he collected 42 receptions for 568 yards, 5 touchdowns and 32 first downs.

Patterson had been waived earlier in the week by the Jaguars. Patterson kicked seven games for the Lions in 2021 and all of 2022 with the Jaguars. He split time with the Lions and Browns in 2023.

Brandon McManus had been signed to a one-year deal, but once allegations arose of sexual assault by McManus on a Jaguars team flight during the 2023 season, the Commanders released him.

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko proclaims that Collin Klein is ‘going to bring that excitement’

“Offensively it completely shifted gears 180 degrees. There was such a steep learning curve for all those kids on offense in the spring.”

After defensive-minded head coach Mike Elko was hired to lead Texas A&M, he had to find his offensive counterpart, which Elko did with Collin Klein.

“Offensively it completely shifted gears 180 degrees. There was such a steep learning curve for all those kids on offense in the spring. I don’t know that they ever truly got under themselves and were playing as well as they could,” Elko said Tuesday. “I think on the back half of the summer, you saw some noticeable comfort increases in the offense and their ability to execute and do the things that we were asking them to do. It seemed to come a lot more natural in our work this summer. That excites you going into fall camp to see what it looks like.”

If Elko’s prediction is correct, then Klein’s offense could catapult junior quarterback Conner Weigman into the Heisman Trophy conversation.

“He’s going to bring that excitement to our offense that a lot of Aggies have been looking for,” Elko foretold.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Thursday’s Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers odds and lines, with MLB expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Kansas City Royals (60-49) and Detroit Tigers (52-57) open a 4-game series Thursday. First pitch from Comerica Park is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Royals vs. Tigers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Kansas City leads 4-2

Kansas City overwhelmed the Chicago White Sox 10-3 Wednesday while covering as a -229 road favorite. The Royals scored 4 runs in the 9th to pile on to a 6-3 lead. KC won 3 straight over the White Sox.

Detroit lost 5-0 to the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday while failing to cover as a +110 home underdog. The Tigers have lost 3 straight and were held scoreless in 2 of those 3 losses, being outscored 18-4 in the 3 losses.

Royals at Tigers projected starters

RHP Seth Lugo vs. TBD 

Lugo (12-5, 2.66 ERA) makes his 23rd start. He has a 1.04 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9 in 142 1/3 IP.

  • Last start: Loss, 6 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K in a 9-4 loss vs. the Chicago Cubs Saturday
  • Career vs. Detroit: 2-0, 1.38 ERA (13 IP, 2 ER), 9 H, 5 BB, 15 K in 2 starts

No Tigers pitcher announced at time of publishing.

Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.

Royals at Tigers odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:22 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Royals -166 (bet $166 to win $100) | Tigers +140 (bet $100 to win $140)
  • Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Royals -1.5 (+104) | Tigers +1.5 (-125)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

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Royals at Tigers picks and predictions

Prediction

Royals 5, Tigers 4

Moneyline

PASS. 

I like Kansas City (-166) to pick up the win, but the line is set slightly too heavily to risk betting on. Bet on the run line and/or total instead.

Run line/Against the spread

LEAN TIGERS +1.5 (-125).

Detroit holds the 6-4 series lead in its last 10 overall vs. Kansas City, also being 5-1 in the last 6 meetings with the Royals in Detroit.

This is a lean because the Royals have blown out the Tigers in each of their last 4 wins vs. Detroit, with the closest game being an 8-3 outing.

Over/Under

BET OVER 8.5 (-105).

The Over has hit in 2 of Kansas City’s last 3 road games and is 6-4 in its last 10 overall. For Detroit, the Over is 3-2 in its last 5 at home and 6-4 in its last 10 overall. The Over has also hit in each of the last 3 KC-Detroit meetings, being 7-2-1 in the last 10 matchups.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Aggies QB Conner Weigman believes that Collin Klein’s offense will score ‘a lot of points’

“I was spending a lot of hours with coach Klein right off the bat because that’s all I was able to do when they first got here, watch film.”

While Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman may have suffered a foot injury that ended his sophomore season, during the recovery, he was locked in on learning his new playbook created by offensive coordinator Collin Klein.

“The scheme came together pretty fast. I was up there spending a lot of hours with coach Klein right off the bat because that’s all I was able to do when they first got here was watch film. I couldn’t move, I was still in a boot. On that side of things, being able to pick his brain and his offense, I’m picking it up pretty fast. It’s been really good so far,” Weigman said Tuesday. “The coaches were only here for a few months before spring ball so we had to try and cram everything in. We didn’t leave any plays out during spring, like ‘Oh, we’re going to get that in the fall.’ No, we put it all in the spring.

“It was overwhelming for some but good for when we’re about to go into fall camp now. We took some licks back in spring ball with little bumps down the road, but it’s going to be helpful in fall camp because we’ve got it all tuned out.”

Towards the end of Weigman’s press conference, he was asked what excites him the most about Klein’s offense.

“Points,” Weigman proclaimed. “A lot of points. I’m excited about it, so it’s going to be fun.”

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Even more 2024 opponents but no Cardinals in NFL Top 100 Players No. 30-21

Seven of the 10 players ranked Nos. 21-30 will face the Cardinals in 2024.

The release of the NFL Top 100 Players by the league continued on Wednesday, revealing the players ranked No. 21-30.

Once again, no Arizona Cardinals players were mentioned. Thus far, only safety Budda Baker made the list, coming in at No. 89. He has been in the top 100 for five conseuctive years.

And also once again, with this group of 10 players among the best in the league, there are many opponent players the Cardinals will face in 2024.

Here are players Nos. 30-21:

NFL Top 100 Players in 2024 Nos. 30-21

  • No. 30: 49ers WR Deebo Samuel
  • No. 29: Chargers OLB Khalil Mack
  • No. 28: 49ers QB Brock Purdy
  • No. 27: 49ers DE Nick Bosa
  • No. 26: Buccaneers WR Mike Evans
  • No. 25: Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey
  • No. 24: Giants DT Dexter Lawrence
  • No. 23: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
  • No. 22: Lions OT Penei Sewell
  • No. 21: Eagles WR A.J. Brown

The Cardinals will face seven of these 10 players. They face St. Brown, Sewell and the Lions at home in Week 3.

They face Ramsey and Dolphins on the road in Week 8.

They face Bosa, Purdy, Samuel and the rest of the 49ers twice, on the road in Week 5 and at home in Week 18.

They face Mack and the Chargers at home in Week 7.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

A closer look at Quinten Post’s game

The Golden State Warriors have released a video breakdown of Quinten Post’s game.

The Golden State Warriors selected Quinten Post with the 52nd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The versatile big man can play both the power forward and center position. At 7-foot tall, Post adds genuine size to Steve Kerr’s roster. If he can find a way to crack the rotation, his presence will go a long way to solving a legitimate issue within the Warriors’ team construction.

Post spent time playing for both Mississippi State and Boston College before entering the draft. However, most Warriors fans are likely wondering what the big man brings to the table. As such, Golden State’s social media team has released a video breakdown of Post’s skillset.

The video shows all the different aspects of Post’s game, along with some highlights from his collegiate career. It also heavily features Post talking through his skillset and how it can translate to the NBA.

You can watch the full breakdown by clicking on the embedded video above.

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