Tag: Sportscenter

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt owes debt to Justin Thomas for Alabama basketball beating Maryland

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt owes debt to Justin Thomas after Alabama basketball defeated Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.

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ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt went to Maryland.

Professional golfer Justin Thomas went to Alabama.

So when Thomas appeared on “SportsCenter” with Van Pelt the night that the NCAA Tournament bracket was chosen, Van Pelt noted that Maryland and Alabama could play in the second round. The two joked about a wager on the potential game that involved Thomas’ $2.7 million purse for winning The Players Championship.

Alabama and Maryland ended up meeting Monday night in the round of 32. Alabama won comfortably, 96-77.

Van Pelt tweeted Monday night during the game, “I’m going to owe @JustinThomas34 2.7”

They settled on something more reasonable — lunch at The Masters.

Thomas replied to Van Pelt on Tuesday, “:) it’s ok. The win was enough for me. Buy me lunch at @TheMasters we’ll call it even.”

The Masters is scheduled to take place April 8-11.

Van Pelt discussed the wager on his podcast “SVPod” on Tuesday.

“I appreciate him allowing me to wiggle off the hook there,” Van Pelt said. “I sent him a text that said, ‘Hey man, do you take checks?’ And he said, ‘I just hope we can keep it going.'”

Van Pelt then compared Alabama’s dominating win against Maryland to professional golf and the tough task of following up a great performance with another one.

“You see somebody shoot 64 in a round on Thursday, one of the hardest things on the PGA Tour to do is shoot another great score the next day,” Van Pelt said. “Same person, same course. Why don’t you, why can’t you go shoot a great score the next day. Nobody has a really great explanation for it.

“Now in basketball, clearly, playing Maryland and playing UCLA, it’s a different team,” Van Pelt added. “But you’re the same team, and so, why would you maybe not shoot it as well the next game. Well, because sports are odd. This tournament is a one-off. You get 40 minutes on the clock. What can you do with those 40 minutes?”

Alabama is scheduled to face UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Sunday, March 28 at 7:15 p.m. ET.

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WATCH: Alabama outfielder makes unreal catch to rob home run

Alabama defeated Troy easily today, but what fans are talking about is this unreal catch made by right fielder Andrew Pinckney.

Alabama baseball is 8-1 after defeating Toy at home in a one-game series with a final score of 9-1. However, what fans are talking about is an unbelieveable play made by redshirt-freshman outfielder Andrew Pinckney.

With the Crimson Tide up by eight in the top of the ninth inning, a ball is hit high and deep to right field for what looks like a Troy home run.

Pinckney had other plans for the ball.

He locates the ball and follows it to the warning track, where he then jumps up and reaches his glove over the fence.

The ball appears to hit his glove, out of play, then bounce back up into the field of play. Pinckney relocates the ball and catches it.

Troy thinks it is a home run and Pinckney is unsure whether to just toss the ball back or try and get the runner, who is still rounding the bases.

It’s called an out and the play will likely be a web gem.

ACC team featured in incredible ‘Bad Beats’ segment with Scott Van Pelt

An ACC team won a non-conference game this week in blowout fashion but it’s how the last 90 seconds went that has the sports world talking.

One of the best things going on in sports-television these days is Scott Van Pelt’s weekly “Bad Beats” segment on SportsCenter each Monday night.

In the segment, he and Stanford Steve go over the worst beats from a gambling perspective over the weekend.

Sometimes it’s a freakish lateral play that gets fumbled and returned for a back-door cover, other times you’ll see a ridiculous catch or bizarre call by an official change who ultimately covered the game.

On a weekend that saw plenty of them, the ACC’s Virginia Cavaliers pulled off perhaps the greatest backdoor cover one will ever against Abilene Christian.

No, not just because of the last play, but because of the last 90 seconds of the unimaginable that led to an even crazier final outcome.  Take a look for yourself:

I know we’ll focus on the pick six to end it and give Virginia the ultimate cover but what in the name of Mary and Joseph is with the Cavaliers play-call on 2nd and 12 with 41 seconds remaining, while up 36?

The pick-six to end it is the icing on the cake but the ride to set that play up only blows my mind more each time I go back and rewatch it.

He who gambles lives in shambles.

Thoughts and prayers if you lost money because of that, but more thoughts and prayers your way seeing as you actually bet on Virginia/Abilene Christian.

Yikes.

ESPN disrespects Steelers’ Chase Claypool in rookie rankings

The sports network did a major disservice to Claypool when they excluded him from their rankings.

What the…?

Apparently, ESPN forgot all about Steelers rookie receiver Chase Claypool when compiling its latest NFL rookie rankings. What’s worse is that Claypool was excluded entirely. His name was never mentioned in the piece.

Quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow at No. 1 and No. 2 can’t be argued. Wide receivers can’t be compared to other positions. But as far as Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins are concerned, they should not even be mentioned if Claypool isn’t.

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He’s, by far, the most versatile of the 2020 NFL receivers class. Let’s take a look at the numbers:

 

Chase Claypool

  • 500 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns, 24 first downs
  • 22 rush yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 first downs

Justin Jefferson

  • 727 yards, 3 touchdowns, 29 first downs
  • Doesn’t run the ball

Tee Higgins

  • 603 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns, 32 first downs
  • 28 rush yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 first down

Last I checked, touchdowns put points on the board, not yards, and Chase has nine to Jefferson’s three and Higgins’ four. ESPN needs to take a good hard look at Claypool the next time they rank the rookies.

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‘I wear 23 because of Michael Jordan,’ LeBron won’t engage GOAT debate in public

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James says that he won’t engage in debates about Michael Jordan in public anymore.

The debate over who the Greatest Player of All-Time is has gotten a large boost of fuel ever since LeBron James helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2019-20 NBA Championship, earning his 4th individual championship in his storied 17-year NBA career. Earlier this year, when ‘The Last Dance’ aired, voters in an ESPN poll overwhelmingly had Michael Jordan as the best player in basically every way, including passing. But after the bubble started and LeBron James put the finishing touches on a season where he led the NBA in assists while still being an elite scorer, eventually leading the Lakers to a title, the debate has new steam. LeBron, at least in conversation with the media, would be adding any.

James also made sure to add that he wears No. 23 because of Michael Jordan.

Of course, James is clearly biased in his opinion but he’s also smart enough to note that this argument won’t be won by his words. He can talk with his friends and offer his opinion in other settings, but James doesn’t want to go out of his way to disrespect a hero of his by participating in a feud that will end with no definitive winner. The GOAT debate, unlike a championship, can never be won.

 

Texas atop ranking of SportsCenter’s all-time college football moments

Texas and quarterback Vince Young provided one of the most iconic moments in college football history.

College football oftentimes provides miracles, heartbreaks and everything in between. Continue reading “Texas atop ranking of SportsCenter’s all-time college football moments”

Brian Kelly Addresses Issues in Media Roundtable

Fresh off Monday night’s SportsCenter appearance with Scott Van Pelt, Brian Kelly continued to speak make the rounds Tuesday.

Fresh off Monday night’s SportsCenter appearance with Scott Van Pelt, Brian Kelly continued to speak make the rounds Tuesday. It started when he was interviewed by Mike Tirico. After that, he was the center of a virtual roundtable that hosted multiple media members. Irish Illustrated broke down some of the main points he made.

Unsurprisingly, the meat of the conversation revolved around how Notre Dame’s past, present and future has been affected by COVID-19. Testing players, not having recruits visit this spring and what this all means for training camp all were addressed. As for players and parents who are concerned about coming back to campus, Kelly said no program activities are mandatory, but openness and honesty are required.

Kelly also talked a little about how the recent racial issues that have been raised have allowed for dialogue among everyone in the program. Additionally, players having trouble with things like racial and mental issues have access to mental health specialists, and they’ve taken advantage of that during the pandemic. This is a time when everyone needs all the support they can get, perhaps now more than ever.

Kelly has a duty to keep his team sharp. When many experts are predicting the 2020 Irish will make some noise in the national championship race, no stone can be left unturned. He has no problem letting the media know that, so cool your jets if you’ve felt uneasy about how he might be handling all of this.

Watch: Brian Kelly’s SportsCenter Appearance

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter Monday. Watch the interview right here!

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If you missed Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly’s appearance with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter Monday night then don’t fret, because we’ve got you covered here at FIW.

Kelly revealed Notre Dame’s plan to test players for COVID-19 each week ahead of games, something that had been speculated about but wasn’t yet known.  He also discussed how he has failed as a leader by not doing enough to help stop racism.

If those two pieces don’t do enough for you then you’re always welcome to watch his full appearance with Van Pelt, which you can do below.

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Related: 10 Things You May Not Know About Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly’s SportsCenter Appearance – 5 Things

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly was a guest on SportsCenter Monday night and shared some news in regards to Notre Dame football.

Brian Kelly joined Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter on Monday night and discussed a wide array of topics.  If you didn’t catch the interview don’t sweat it, we’ve got you covered right here with the five things to takeaway.

On Social Issues:

Van Pelt led Kelly to start the conversation by discussing the current state of affairs in the United States in the wake of the unnecessary death of George Floyd.  Kelly offered the following on what went on with his team in the days immediately following that event.

“Dialogue.  It started with getting everyone together and to give them the platform to speak on what happened”

Kelly went on to add that he has “failed as a leader” of young men because he hasn’t done enough with his platform to help change things for the better.

In order to create this change we all claim to want, Kelly stated: “It can’t be talk, it’s got to be action”

Next:  “White men don’t like talking about racism”

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ESPN should air 1990s ‘SportsCenter’ episodes while we wait for sports

Seriously! This is a GREAT IDEA!

Let me kick this off by saying that this was an idea tweeted out last week by The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis (no relation), one that I thought was brilliant and needed further amplification.

We’ve gotten quite the nostalgia trip from ESPN during the coronavirus pandemic. There’s been The Last Dance, the Lance Armstrong documentary, random “Bad Beats” segments on Michael Jordan games and another edition of The Ocho.

But as Curtis noted when the Worldwide Leader celebrated its amazing This is SportsCenter commercials with a special last week, maybe all we really need is to just watch some old SportsCenter episodes.

Here’s my take: YES. YES PLEASE. If there are no rights issues or problems with running old clips, I would watch all of them and marvel at the way the late Stuart Scott broke down highlights.

I would sit with rapt attention listening to the banter between Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann on “The Big Show.” Just watch this!

We all loved the faux Kenny Mayne and Linda Cohn ads during The Last Dance. How about the real thing?

Even just those intros, which are poetry. I’ll take an hour’s worth:

I know, there are a bunch on YouTube. But to see them on a TV and not off a VHS recording? Television. GOLD.

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