by Julian Spivey Nelly Korda is on one of the greatest hot streaks in the history of women’s golf and yet it wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t know this given the lack of press from the mainstream sports media. Korda has won five consecutive LPGA Tour tournaments, including last weekend’s Chevron Championship major championship. The 25-year-old’s five straight wins tied an LPGA Tour record shared by Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2005). Korda has 18 wins on the LPGA Tour but had gone more than a year between victories when the first of her five-in-a-row streak began in late January. Her biggest accomplishments in her career include winning the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship and the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games (held in 2021 due to Covid-19). Korda has not indicated yet when she’ll attempt to go for the solo record of six in a row. There’s no shortage of horrible baseball umpiring moments every Major League Baseball season and though the 2024 season is still less than a month old there’s already been some doozies. But what happened in the first inning of the New York Yankees/Oakland A’s game on Monday (April 22) was among the dumbest umpiring decisions I’ve ever seen. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected just five pitches into the game by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt who mistook a fan in the front row seats yelling at him for someone in the Yankees dugout. After Boone pointed out that a fan was the one making the remarks to Wendelstedt, the umpire could be heard on television mics saying, “I don’t care who said it. You’re gone.” To make matters worse, after the game and Wendelstedt had a chance to review the ejection he doubled down and refused to apologize for doing so saying: “Apparently what he said was there was a fan right above the dugout. This isn’t my first ejection. In the entirety of my career, I have never ejected a player or a manager for something a fan has said. I understand that’s going to be part of the story or something like that because that’s what Aaron was portraying. I heard something come from the far end of the dugout, had nothing to do with his area, but he’s the manager of the Yankees. So he’s the one that had to go.” It's pretty crappy umpiring to throw out a manager knowing he didn’t say anything, which Wendelstedt at least copped to in his statement. The New York Post on Thursday published that Wendelstedt would face “subtle discipline” for his ejection of Boone but Major League Baseball honestly should suspend Wendelstedt for such a flagrant example of bad umpiring. The league should take a much harsher stance with its umpires but seems too afraid of the umpire’s union to hold the bad umps to the fire. That’s why bad umpiring like Wendelstedt showed on Monday will continue to happen.
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by Julian Spivey 1. Peyton Manning (1998) You would think it would be hard to pick the greatest No. 1 overall draft pick in NFL history but it truly wasn’t. It was obviously Peyton Manning, whom the Indianapolis Colts took first overall out of the University of Tennessee in 1998. In nearly 90 years of the NFL Draft, there have shockingly only been 14 No. 1 picks that have gone on to Pro Football Hall of Fame careers. While those 13 other Hall of Famers are certainly legends of the game, like John Elway, Bruce Smith, Chuck Bednarik and more, Manning put up the biggest numbers in one of the game’s most successful and competitive eras in league history. Manning helped lead two franchises to Super Bowl titles: Colts in 2007 and Denver Broncos in 2016. He was a five-time league MVP (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 & 2013). He holds the all-time single-season records for both touchdown passes and passing yardage. He was a 14-time Pro Bowler and has had his No. 18 jersey retired by both the Colts and Broncos. The remarkable thing about Manning is he put up these numbers while playing against one of the greatest dynasties in the New England Patriots and fellow QBs in Tom Brady for nearly all of his career. Manning was named a member of the 100th-anniversary all-time team in 2019. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. 2. Lawrence Taylor (1981) Lawrence Taylor is widely considered the greatest defensive player in NFL history. He’s also the greatest number-two overall pick in NFL Draft history after being selected by the New York Giants in the 1981 draft out of the University of North Carolina. Taylor was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and became just the second defensive player to win the league’s Most Valuable Player (after Alan Page) in 1986. The feared linebacker helped lead the Giants to two Super Bowl wins in 1987 and 1991. The 10-time Pro Bowler was named to the league’s 75th and 100th anniversary All-Time teams. His No. 56 jersey is retired by the Giants franchise. Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked Taylor as the third greatest player in league history behind only Jerry Rice and Jim Brown. 3. Dick Butkus (1965) Dick Butkus was one of the most feared defensive players in the history of the NFL. He’s also the greatest number three overall pick in NFL Draft history. Butkus was selected third overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1965 draft out of the University of Illinois. Butkus would win back-to-back NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1969 and 1970. The eight-time Pro Bowler was named to both the ‘60s and ‘70s All-Decade teams despite only playing from ’65-’73 and was selected as a member of the 100th anniversary team. Butkus was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and his No. 51 jersey has been retired by the Bears franchise. 4. Walter Payton (1975) Walter Payton was the fourth overall selection in the 1975 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears out of Jackson State University. He would go on to be the game’s most prolific rusher of his era. The nine-time Pro Bowler would win NFL Most Valuable Player in 1977 and help lead the Bears to the Super Bowl XX title in the mid-‘80s. Payton was named to the league’s All-Decade teams in both the ‘70s (despite only playing half a decade) and ‘80s and in 2019 was a member of the 100th anniversary team. He retired as the all-time leading rusher in league history. His No. 34 jersey has been retired by the Bears franchise. Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. 5. Deion Sanders (1989) Deion Sanders was selected fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 NFL Draft out of Florida State University and became one of the greatest defensive backs in league history despite also playing professional baseball throughout much of his career. Sanders, perhaps the game’s flashiest and most exciting player of his era, would win two Super Bowls in his career: San Francisco 49ers (1995) and Dallas Cowboys (1996). He was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1994 and an eight-time Pro Bowler. Sanders was named as a member of the 100th anniversary team in 2019. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. 6. Jim Brown (1957) Jim Brown is considered by some to be the greatest player in the history of the NFL. He is the greatest sixth-overall selection in NFL Draft history. The Cleveland Browns took Brown out of Syracuse with the sixth pick in the 1957 Draft. Brown would win NFL MVP three times (including his rookie season) and led the Browns to the 1965 NFL championship. He led the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons and retired holding most of the rushing records in league history. Had he not retired at an early age there’s no telling where he’d currently be in the rushing record books. Brown was named a member of the league’s 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary All-Time teams and the NFL Network ranked him as the second greatest player in NFL history in 2010 behind only Jerry Rice. Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. 7. Champ Bailey (1999) No offense to Champ Bailey. The guy is a Pro Football Hall of Famer (inducted in 2019 in his first year of eligibility) and is considered one of the game’s all-time great cornerbacks but it’s also a bit wild that he’s the greatest seventh overall pick in NFL Draft history. Bailey was taken seventh in the 1999 draft out of the University of Georgia by the Washington football team. Bailey is one of only two players from that draft (Edgerrin James) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame thus far. He was a 12-time Pro Bowler (most ever for his position) over 15 seasons with Washington and the Denver Broncos. 8. Ronnie Lott (1981) Ronnie Lott is arguably the greatest defensive back in the history of the NFL, which makes him a rather obvious pick as the greatest eighth-overall selection in NFL Draft history. Lott was taken by the San Francisco 49ers out of USC in 1981. That ’81 Draft included some of the greatest defensive players to ever play the game, including Lawrence Taylor, and Mike Singletary, whom the Chicago Bears took in the second round. Lott was one of the fiercest defensive players in league history helping the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles in the decade. The 10-time Pro Bowler was named to both the league’s 75th and 100th-anniversary All-Time teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. 9. Bruce Matthews (1983) Bruce Matthews is primarily known for two things: spending his entire 19-season career with one franchise – the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans – and for being one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play the game. He’s also the greatest ninth overall draft pick in league history being selected by the Oilers in 1983 out of USC. The 14-time Pro Bowler was named to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time team in 2019. Matthews was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and his No. 74 is retired by the Titans. 10. Rod Woodson (1987) The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted cornerback Rod Woodson with the 10th overall pick of the 1987 NFL Draft out of Purdue. Woodson would go on to become one of the greatest defensive players on a team known for having great defensive players throughout its history from ’87-1996, which included winning the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honor in 1993. The 11-time Pro Bowler would also spend time with the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders during his career, which included a Super Bowl win with Baltimore in 2001. Woodson was named to the league’s 75th-anniversary and 100th-anniversary All-Time teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. 11. Paul Warfield (1964) Paul Warfield was the 11th overall pick in the 1964 NFL Draft out of Ohio State by the Cleveland Browns. The eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver would spend the first six years of his career with Cleveland, which included leading the league in touchdown catches in 1968, before being traded to the Miami Dolphins in 1970. In Miami, Warfield would become the main target of quarterback Bob Griese and help lead the Dolphins to back-to-back Super Bowl titles, including the perfect 1972 season. Warfield was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. 12. Herb Adderley (1961) Herb Adderley was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. One of the game’s greatest cornerbacks, Adderley would spend most of his career with the Packers, winning Super Bowls I and II with the team, before going to the Dallas Cowboys in 1970 and helping them when their first Super Bowl in franchise history in 1972. Adderley was also drafted 10th overall out of Michigan State by the New York Titans in the AFL Draft. Adderley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. 13. Bob Lilly (1961) The all-time greatest 12 and 13th draft picks in NFL history came back-to-back in the 1961 NFL Draft. With the very next pick after the Green Bay Packers took Herb Adderley, the Dallas Cowboys selected defensive tackle Bob Lilly 13th overall out of Texas Christian University. He was also drafted 14th overall in the AFL Draft by the Dallas Texans. Lilly played his entire 14-season career with the Cowboys and never missed a single game. He helped Dallas win Super Bowl VI in 1972 and made the NFL’s 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Teams (and he only played for half of the ‘70s). Lilly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. 14. Gino Marchetti (1952) Gino Marchetti was selected with the 14th overall pick (first pick of the second round) by the New York Yanks in the 1952 NFL Draft. During Marchetti’s rookie season, the Yanks would become the Dallas Texans and then in 1953, they became the Baltimore Colts. Marchetti was already in his mid-20s by the team his NFL career began – this was seven years after he’d fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Marchetti would win back-to-back NFL championships with the Colts in 1958 and 1959. He’s one of just a few players to make the NFL’s All-Time 50th, 75th and 100th-anniversary teams. The 11-time Pro Bowler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. 15. Alan Page (1967) Alan Page was so damn impressive as a football player he was one of only two defensive players to win MVP in league history when he did so in 1971. Page was selected 15th overall in the 1967 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings out of Notre Dame. Page would win NFL Defensive Players of the Year twice in his career (1971 & 1973), make nine Pro Bowls and be named to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time team in 2019. The Vikings retired his No. 88. Page was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. 16. Jerry Rice (1985) Many fans and historians consider Jerry Rice to be the greatest player in the history of the NFL. He’s without a doubt the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game. Rice was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers out of Mississippi Valley State. Rice quickly became the No. 1 target for already legendary 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and the two would lead the franchise to Super Bowl wins in 1989 and 1990. Rice would win another, this time with Steve Young as his QB, in 1995. Rice holds most of the career receiving records in NFL history, including 197 touchdowns and almost 23,000 receiving yards. Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was named the greatest player in NFL history by the NFL Network in 2010. 17. Emmitt Smith (1990) Emmitt Smith holds a couple of the greatest records in NFL history with his 18,000-plus rushing yards and his 164 rushing touchdowns. Smith was selected out of the University of Florida with the 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, whom he’d spent the majority of his career with. Smith would help lead a powerful Cowboys offense to three Super Bowl wins in the ‘90s. Smith, the 1993 NFL MVP, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was added to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time team in 2019. 18. Paul Krause (1964) Paul Krause, who would go on to be one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history, was selected with the 18th overall pick of the 1964 draft by the Washington football franchise with the fourth pick of the second round. The 1964 NFL Draft is the single draft with the most hall of famers taken in league history with 11. Krause would play the first few years of his career with Washington before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1968. Krause’s 81 career interceptions are an NFL record. The eight-time Pro Bowler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. 19. John Mackey (1963) John Mackey, one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, was selected with the 19th pick overall out of Syracuse in the 1963 draft as the fifth pick of the second round by the Baltimore Colts. Mackey would play the majority of his career for the Colts, helping them win Super Bowl V in 1971. The five-time Pro Bowler was both a member of the NFL’s 50th Anniversary and 100th Anniversary All-Time squads. Mackey was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. 20. Forrest Gregg (1956) Forrest Gregg was one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL. He was selected with the 20th overall pick in the second round (seventh pick of the round) of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Gregg would go on to win five NFL Championships with the Packers and then end his career with one more with the Dallas Cowboys. Gregg was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and was named to the league’s 100th anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. 21. Randy Moss (1998) It’s somewhat hard to believe that one of the most electric wide receivers to ever play the game of football slipped to the 21st overall pick of the first round but that’s exactly where the Minnesota Vikings took Randy Moss out of Marshall University in 1998. Moss would go on to lead the league in touchdown receptions five times and holds the single-season NFL record for most touchdown catches with 23. Moss was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and was named as part of the league’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. 22. Ernie Stautner (1950) Ernie Stautner may not be a household name today among football fans but the hall-of-fame defensive tackle was one of the league’s best defenders in the 1950s. Stautner was taken with the 22nd pick overall (eighth pick of the second round) in the 1950 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stautner would play his entire career with the Steelers and became the first player to formally have his number (No. 70) retired by the franchise. Stautner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. 23. Ozzie Newsome (1978) Ozzie Newsome was selected by the Cleveland Browns out of the University of Alabama with the 23rd overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft. Newsome would play his entire 13-year career with the Browns and become one of the greatest tight ends in league history. Newsome, one of four hall of famers selected in the 1978 NFL Draft, would be named to the league’s 1980s All-Decade Team. When he retired in 1990, he was the all-time leader in receptions and yards among tight ends. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. 24. Ed Reed (2002) The Baltimore Ravens have had great luck selecting defensive players out of the University of Miami in the first round of the NFL Draft, as you’ll see not only here but at No. 26 on the list. In the 2002 draft, the Ravens selected safety Ed Reed 24th overall. Reed would help lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2013 and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. Reed was a nine-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade team. He holds the NFL record for most interception return yards at 1,590. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. 25. Ted Washington (1991) It’s almost unfathomable that after nearly 90 years of the NFL Draft, there has never been a single Hall of Fame player selected with the 25th overall pick. It’s the only draft spot in the first round that has never had a Hall of Famer taken. Is it a cursed pick? For our selection of the greatest No. 25 draft pick in NFL history we’ll go with the gargantuan nose tackle Ted Washington, who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers out of Louisville in 1991. The 1991 draft was rather anemic when it comes to Hall of Famers overall with only Brett Favre and Aeneas Williams being enshrined from that year’s class. Washington, a four-time Pro Bowler, spent 17 seasons in the league with seven teams and won Super Bowl XXXVIII in his only season with the New England Patriots. 26. Ray Lewis (1996) Ray Lewis was selected out of the University of Miami with the 26th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He was the second future hall of famer selected by the Ravens in that round as they took offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden with the fourth overall pick. Lewis would make a name for himself as one of the most feared defensive players in league history helping lead Baltimore to two Super Bowl titles. Lewis was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner in 2000 and 2003 and holds the league record for both most combined and solo tackles of all time. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. 27. Dan Marino (1983) Dan Marino was one of the coveted quarterbacks chosen in the famous 1983 NFL Draft, which saw six QBs go in the first round. Marino was selected 27th overall by the Miami Dolphins out of the University of Pittsburgh with the penultimate selection in the first round. To this day, the Kansas City Chiefs (Todd Blackledge), New England Patriots (Tony Eason) and New York Jets (Ken O’Brien) must be kicking themselves for choosing QBs ahead of Marino. When Marino retired after his entire career with the Dolphins in 1999 he held many of the game’s all-time passing records, though he’s likely most known today as perhaps the greatest player in NFL history to never win a championship. Marino was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. 28. Darrell Green (1983) Darrell Green, one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game, was selected 28th overall out of Texas A&M-Kingsville in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Washington football team. Green would help lead the Washington defense to two Super Bowl titles in 1988 and 1992 and was a seven-time Pro Bowler. Green, a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team, holds the NFL record for most consecutive seasons with an interception at 19 (a record that very well could stand the test of time). Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. 29. Fran Tarkenton (1961) Fran Tarkenton, one of the most exciting quarterbacks and players of his era, was selected in both the NFL and AFL Drafts in 1961 out of the University of Georgia. He was taken 29th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft with the first pick of the third round. He was also chosen in the fifth round (35th overall) by the Boston Patriots. He chose to play for Minnesota. The nine-time Pro Bowler would go on to win the league’s Most Valuable Player honor in 1975, a year he led the league in touchdown passes. The Vikings have retired his No. 10 jersey. At the time of his retirement in 1978 he owned many of the league’s passing records. Tarkenton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. 30. Sam Huff (1956) Sam Huff was the 30th overall pick in the 1956 NFL Draft out of West Virginia by the New York Giants, which was the fifth pick of the third round. The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker would win the championship in his rookie year with the Giants and would go on to have his name honored in both the Giants and Washington Commanders Ring of Honor/Fame. Huff, one of five hall of famers in his draft class, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. 31. Curley Culp (1968) Defensive end Curley Culp was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 31st overall pick in the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft, the second year in which the two held a joint draft. He was the fourth overall pick of the second round and one of eight Pro Football Hall of Famers drafted that year. Culp, however, never played a game with the Broncos. The franchise considered him too small to play defensive end in the league at 6’1’’ and 265 pounds and when they failed to convert him to an offensive guard they traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent the first half of his career and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl IV title. He would spend most of the second half of his career with the Houston Oilers, where he would win NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1975. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. 32. Drew Brees (2001) Drew Brees went from slipping out of the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft to becoming one of the most prolific touchdown passers in league history. Brees was selected out of Purdue as the 32nd overall pick in 2001, the first pick of the second round by the San Diego Chargers. Brees would spend the first five seasons of his career with the Chargers before signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2006 as a free agent and forming the bulk of his Hall of Fame credentials as the greatest player in Saints franchise history. by Eric Fulton The Chicago Bears are one of the National Football League's oldest franchises existing for over 100 years. While they have had legendary players play for the team, they have also produced not so many great players in the most important position in the game, quarterback. That could change come Thursday night (April 25) in the 2024 NFL Draft. After trading with the Carolina Panthers for the number one overall pick, (which became quarterback Bryce Young) along with wide receiver D.J. Moore in 2023 and with Carolina finishing with the worst record, Chicago is expected to pick the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarterback Caleb Williams number one overall. If you are a Bears fan, you waited an extra year to potentially (and finally) have something you have never really had in decades, a true franchise quarterback. Historically, the Bears have excelled in positions like running back with icons such as Gale Sayers and Walter Payton. Also, the linebacking position has been valuable with legends like Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher. While all of the players I mentioned are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the quarterback position has been the one area where the Bears have not succeeded much. It’s become one of those things in the league that you just assume will be a laughingstock. The greatest and most successful quarterback in Bears history was Sid Luckman and the team hasn’t had anybody rival him at the position since his career ended nearly 75 years ago. Luckman was the second overall pick by Chicago in 1939 and played his entire 12-year career with the Bears. Luckman led Chicago to four NFL Championships in the 1940s as well as becoming a five-time first-team All-Pro. Though most fans remember the next two quarterbacks that I will mention, their numbers and accomplishments do not match the likes of Luckman. Jim McMahon was drafted in 1982 and won Super Bowl XX with the Bears in 1985. However, that team was mostly remembered for their "Monsters of the Midway" defense which put up historic stats during that memorable season. Though he would be the starting quarterback for Chicago for most of the 1980s, McMahon never put up the successful numbers Luckman did. In 2009, the Bears made a big splash by acquiring Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. Cutler played eight seasons in Chicago and became the Bears' all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions and attempts. Cutler led the Bears to the NFC Championship in 2010 but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion and rival, Green Bay Packers. Cutler got hurt during the game and did not finish. That was the high mark of the Cutler era in Chicago as the team did not come close to the Super Bowl again. The starting quarterback in their last Super Bowl appearance was Rex Grossman in Super Bowl XLI and Grossman was nowhere near a great quarterback. In recent history, the Bears drafting quarterbacks has been often but has also been unsuccessful. In 2017, the Bears selected Mitchell Trubisky second overall. Trubisky had early season success with then head coach Matt Nagy as the Bears returned to the playoffs. But that success was short-lived as neither Trubisky nor the Bears would win in the playoffs. Trubisky was let go and Nagy was fired. Adding more salt to the wound, the Bears could have drafted Patrick Mahomes second overall that season. Mahomes has had major success in Kansas City with multiple championships and MVPs. In 2021, the Bears once again used their first-round pick to draft a quarterback. This time, they would draft Justin Fields 11th overall. Fields had some success, but his rookie season saw the Bears finish 6-11, thus leading to the firing of Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. The next couple of years would see Fields struggle the majority of the time, but he did show some flash at times, as well. Last month, Chicago traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025. Now the Bears are on the verge of drafting Williams first overall in this year's NFL Draft. Williams does have the talent to be drafted first overall, the biggest question is can he live up to all the hype of being the number one pick while also changing the fortunes of a position for a bedrock NFL franchise? If Williams plays the way like did in 2022 which won him a Heisman, then he will be a franchise player for a long time. If for some reason the Bears fail to make the playoffs and have deep runs during the Williams era, then it will be another same song and dance for Chicago. by Julian Spivey There’s nobody in golf right now that can hold a candle to Scottie Scheffler, the current No.1 ranked golfer in the world, who won his second Green Jacket in three years over the past weekend at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Scheffler was in contention the entire tournament at the Masters and entered the final round on Sunday, April 14 in a dogfight with a handful of other golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Luvig Åberg. For the first nine holes of the final round, it still appeared to be anybody’s tournament to win before Scheffler’s competitors starting fallen one by one and fast, while he was playing at the usual top of his game. By the end of the back nine, Scheffler had won the Masters by four strokes over Åberg. Scheffler has played in nine tournaments thus far in the 2024 PGA Tour season and has won three events with a runner-up position, as well. He has finished in the top 10 in all but one event this year. His nine career wins dating back to February 2022 have him on one of the hottest three-year streaks I’ve ever seen in 25 years of watching golf. Aaron Rodgers, who supposedly plays quarterback for the New York Jets, would be on the first ballot of my sports zero Hall of Fame if such a thing existed. The veteran quarterback and future football hall of famer (if he doesn’t wind up being Curt Schilling’d by voters) is certainly the leader in the sports clubhouse when it comes to saying dumbass stuff. This week Rodgers sparked outrage when he claimed that the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 1980s was entirely manmade on the Look Into It podcast (a podcast I certainly won’t be looking into) and connected to former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci. Because what horrible thing hasn’t Fauci created in the minds of the nation’s ignoramuses? What Rodgers said was so stupid I don’t want to give him or it the further press by quoting it, so if you must know the specifics I suggest Googling it. It’s amazing to me the amount of bullshit Rodgers is allowed to pedal without having any repercussions from his team or the NFL in general. Players have suffered far worse consequences for far less – *cough* Colin Kaepernick *cough*. I hope that when Rodgers’ playing days are over and that will be soon given his age the press won’t worry as much about his idiotic conspiracy theories and hobbies but that probably won’t be the case. Can you believe this guy was once recently a considered host for “Jeopardy”? by Julian Spivey The obvious choice for Sports Hero this week is the NCAA Men’s College Basketball back-to-back champion University of Connecticut Huskies coached by Dan Hurley and the NCAA Women’s College Basketball champion University of South Carolina Gamecocks, which Dawn Staley coached to a perfect season. But I wanted to get a little bit more specific with the honor this week and that is why I’ve chosen Staley herself at this week’s Sports Hero. When it comes to both playing basketball and coaching basketball nobody has done a better job at it in women’s basketball than Staley. Staley had a hall-of-fame career as a player, both in college and the WNBA. At the University of Virginia, she was a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year (1991 & 1992). She helped lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics on a team that included Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo. She was drafted into the WNBA by Charlotte Sting in 1999 (after playing in the American Basketball League from 1996-1998). She would be a WNBA All-Star from 2001-2006 and was a member of both the 10th and 15th anniversary WNBA Teams. She also won two more Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 2000 and 2004. The wildest thing about Staley’s career is her coaching career began in 2000 at Temple University, despite the fact she would still play another half-decade-plus in the WNBA. Staley would coach the Temple Owls from 2000-2008, leading the team to six NCAA tournament appearances in her eight seasons with the team (while being a WNBA All-Star for much of that term). In 2008, Staley was hired by the University of South Carolina, for which she has had a 440-106 record and won three NCAA championships. She’s already clinched a spot one day in the hall of fame as a coach. You could even make the argument she’s already one of the five greatest women’s basketball coaches of all time. Not only has Staley been a dominant force for women’s basketball both on the court and on the sideline she also just seems to say everything right, even when faced with tough questions. For instance, in the last week, she praised Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark for her impact on the women’s game, especially when it comes to television ratings and interest, while also perfectly answering a tough, ambush question from an Outkick the Coverage “reporter” on transgender women in women’s sports to which she adequately answered: “I’m of the opinion that if you’re a woman you should play. If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports, or vice versa, you should be able to play. That’s my opinion.” So, while in the middle of trying to coach her team to a perfect season, she was also willing to answer the tough questions, unlike many others in her same position. Staley is a shining example of what a leader should look like. Major League Baseball is going through an epidemic of arm issues right now with its pitchers. Within 48 hours last week three of the game’s most exciting young pitchers Spencer Strider (Atlanta Braves), Shane Bieber (Cleveland Guardians) and Eury Perez (Miami Marlins) went down with elbow issues. Bieber and Perez are going to miss the remainder of the season, which at the time of their injuries was barely a week old, to undergo Tommy John Surgery. Strider is getting a second opinion but it seems highly likely he's headed toward TJ Surgery, as well. Other pitchers right now either lost to the season or for large portions of it due to elbow issues include the game’s biggest name Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers), who’s thankfully still able to bat as the team’s designated hitter, former Cy Young winners Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees), Sandy Alcantara (Miami Marlins), Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers) and Robbie Ray (San Francisco Giants). The problem with all of the arm injuries in the game is that it’s hard to pinpoint one major issue for them, though many possibilities abound. One issue that the Major League Baseball Players Association has thrown out is the creation of the pitch clock, which helped cut nearly 30 minutes off the average game time during the 2023 season and was tinkered with again before this season. Now, I’m no scientist and less time between pitches could be part of the problem, but seriously MLBPA it’s certainly not the biggest issue here. So for taking the opportunity to continue your war with baseball over a change to the game that has done wonders for the television product, you’re my sports zero of the week. The issue with more and more arm injuries to pitchers goes further back than just last year when the game implemented the pitch clock. The biggest issues seem to be with pitchers throwing harder and harder these days and trying to focus more on spin rate. Another issue is likely how the game has changed and baseball has become an almost year-round game for promising young players hoping to capture college scholarships or make a career out of baseball. The rash of injuries to pitchers in baseball is the biggest issue facing the game right now and for the MLBPA to suggest such a minor possibility for the reasoning isn’t taking the subject seriously enough. by Julian Spivey Women’s basketball has been killing it the last few years when it comes to the talent on the court – both at the collegiate and professional level – and that makes women’s basketball as a whole my sports hero of the week. It all culminated Monday night during an Elite Eight matchup between the University of Iowa and Louisiana State University (LSU), a rematch of last year’s National Championship game in which LSU won. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese are two of the biggest names and best players in the country and both played terrific games, though Reese was hampered after a hot start by an ankle injury that occurred in the second quarter of the game. Clark led all scorers during the game with 21 points, while adding 12 assists to go with it. Reese scored 17 for LSU, though before she injured her ankle was also on pace for 40 points, but more impressively managed to rip down 20 rebounds, 10 of which were on the offensive side. Iowa got the better part of LSU this time around with the 94-87 win and go on to the Final Four this Friday (April 5) to take on the University of Connecticut. That game will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. (CST) The Iowa/LSU rematch set a women’s NCAA basketball record as the most-watched game of all time with 12.3 million viewers, including a peak of 16 million viewers. Not only is that a record for women’s college basketball but it makes it one of the most-watched non-NFL sporting events of the last year. More people watched Iowa/LSU than any of the most recent World Series or NBA Finals games. Not only are the collegiate women drawing in viewers in droves but the WNBA has seen a consistent rise in TV ratings since 2020 making college basketball one of the few sports to have gained followers since the pandemic. Last season the WNBA had its most-watched season in more than 20 years and its combined viewership between ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 rose by more than 20% from the previous season. Women’s basketball is seeing a boom like it never has before and that’s terrific for all fans but it’s beautiful for the young girls watching the game and dreaming of one day being on the big stage like Clark and Reese. Following LSU’s loss to Iowa on Monday night (April 1), Tigers star forward Angel Reese gave an emotional press conference in which through tears she spoke of how she’s been attacked “so many times” over the past year. Reese said: “I’ve been through so much. I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats. I’ve been sexualized. I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things and I’ve stood strong every single time. I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and not be there for them … I’m still a human.” It was a very human moment from Reese, whose celebrations (some might say taunting) on the court have drawn the ire of many college basketball fans (and many sports followers who don’t follow the game but just enjoy being haters). I’m always going to feel sympathetic toward an athlete who’s receiving death threats simply for the way they play a game, especially when that athlete is merely a 21-year-old college student. But I was dismayed by seeing how many commenters online (I know, you probably shouldn’t expect the best of the world to show up in online comment sections and social media) ripped into Reese for showing this type of human emotion. Some of these commenters seemingly believe she’s brought all of the vitriol, which again includes death threats, upon herself. What happened to folks having a little decency and sympathy for others? I can understand some people not enjoying the celebratory actions from Reese – but the fact is that when white athletes, including Clark, have done similar things they aren’t viewed in quite the negative way that when someone of Reese’s appearance does them. Reese declared for the WNBA Draft on Wednesday (April 3) and I wish her success in the professional ranks – there’s no reason to believe she won’t go into the pros and dominate like she did at LSU. I also hope that Reese can put some of the negative aspects of sports fandom behind her because it can be a callous world. I wish that weren’t the case but it doesn’t seem likely to change for the better anytime soon. I just hope Reese remains who she is. Don’t let the bastards get you down. |
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