MLB icon Willie Mays dies at 93; Patrick Mahomes tops Prisco’s 100; Oilers force Game 6

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MLB legend Willie Mays dies at 93

The baseball world lost a true legend on Tuesday. Willie Maysone of the greatest baseball players of all time, died at age 93. Mays, also known as “Say Hey Kid”, was a 24-time MLB All-Star, two-time NL MVP and won a World Series with the New York Giants in 1954.

After starting his career in Black Barons of Birmingham of the Negro Leagues, Mays signed with the Giants in 1950, but his career was quickly cut short due to being called up for the Korean War in 1951.

When he returned for the 1954 season, Mays won the NL MVP and led the Giants to the World Series. This began a legendary career that lasted another 23 seasons, and Mays still sits near the top of the MLB record books in several categories.

• 3,292 hits (13th all time)
• 660 home runs (6th all time)
• 1,909 RBI (12th all time)
• 6,080 total bases (4th all time)
• 2,068 runs scored (7th all time)
• 156.2 WAR (5th all time)

Mays, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, had an incredibly impactful career on and off the field. I beg you to read our elegant Mike Axisa recap of Mays’ life and legacy.

It was hoped that Mays could be honored tomorrow night during the MLB game between Giants and Cardinals at Rickwood Field, home of the Black Barons. However, he recently stated that health issues would prevent him from making the trip. Instead, the event will be an opportunity to celebrate Mays’ life and legacy. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the ceremony would be an opportunity to celebrate a true hero.

• Manfredo: “Thursday’s game at historic Rickwood Field was designed to be a celebration of Willie Mays and his colleagues. With sadness in our hearts, it will now also serve as a national remembrance of an American who will forever remain on the short list of the most impactful. individuals our great game has ever known.”

After Mays’ death, some of baseball’s biggest names paid tribute to the Giants legend. Barry Bonds, Mays’ godson Keith Hernandez, Jimmy Rollins, CC Sabathia and others shared heartfelt messages about Mays’ impact on them.

Good morning everyone, but especially…

CONNOR McDAVID AND THE EDMONTON OILS

No one was more excited about a 5.5 hour flight from South Florida to Edmonton than the Lubricators. That’s because they will host Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Panthers5-3, in game 5.

For the second game in a row, the Oilers were on the brink of elimination and managed to pull out a win to keep their season alive. After scoring two goals and two assists on Tuesday, Connor McDavid has now put together back-to-back four-point performances.

McDavid has already surpassed Wayne GretzkyIt’s the record for most assists in a single postseason, and he’s closing in on another. McDavid now has 42 points in these playoffs, putting him just five points behind Gretzky’s all-time record of 47 points set in the 1985 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

While he was certainly the headliner, McDavid wasn’t the only Oiler who had a good night.

• Corey PerryJames’ game-winning goal made him the first player in NHL history to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Final with five different teams.
• Zach Hymantop scorer in these playoffs, he lit the lamp for the first time in the series.
• Defender Evan Bouchard he was all over the scoresheet with three assists.

For the second game in a row, Florida’s power play allowed a shorthanded goal to open the scoring. To make matters worse, the goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky was quite pedestrian once again, allowing four goals on 23 shots against.

The Panthers made a late effort to cut the lead to 4-3, but the comeback was short-lived. Now the Panthers have to make that long flight back to Alberta to play Game 6 in the hostile environment of Rogers Place.

Honorable mentions

And it’s not such a good day for…

CAMERON BRINK AND THE SPARKS OF LOS ANGELES

O Sparks organization is holding its collective breath this morning. That’s because the rookie star Cameron Brink left the first quarter of the game against Sun after taking a freak fall and appearing to have suffered a knee injury.

Brink, the second overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, fell while driving to the rim against Sun forward Briona Jones. She immediately grabbed her knee in pain and showed visible discomfort.

With help from his teammates, Brink was able to get up and limp off the court. However, she never returned to the game and only logged four minutes of play. Without Brink the rest of the way, the Sparks fell to the Sun, 79-70.

In his postgame press conference, Sparks coach Curt Miller said Brink would undergo further evaluation on Wednesday.

• Miller: “We are praying and hoping for the best for Cam.”

Brink is having a strong rookie season with the Sparks, averaging 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game so far. Brink’s loss would place more weight on fellow rookie’s shoulders Rickea Jacksonwho just came in third place our own WNBA rookie rankings from Isabel Gonzalez.

Any long-term injury to Brink would also affect her status at the 2024 Paris Olympics. selected to be part of the 3×3 women’s basketball squad for Team USA.

Not-so-honorable mentions

Prisco 100: Patrick Mahomes remains No. 1 in 2024

It’s that time of year again. Our own Pete Prisco revealed its ranking of the 100 best NFL playersIt is Patrick Mahomes defended his place first.

Mahomes, 28, is coming off his second consecutive Super Bowl – and the third of his already prolific career. Even though his traditional counting stats weren’t all that impressive last season, Mahomes still proved he’s the NFL’s standard-bearer.

According to Prisco, another Super Bowl this season will officially skip the Bosses quarterback in the GOAT conversation.

• Pristine: “His numbers were down last season, but he showed in the playoffs that he is the best player in the league – and is on his way to being considered the best of all time. If he triumphs this season, it’s time to say he is the best of all?”

Although Mahomes maintained the No. 1 ranking, there was a lot of movement behind him. Here are some of the notable risers and fallers on the 2024 list:

Risers

• Trey HendricksonDE, Bengal (+58)
• Penei SewellAT, Lions (+49)
• Max CrosbyDE, Invaders (+27)
• CeeDee CordeiroWR, Cowboys (+27)
• Christian McCaffreyRB, 49ers (+19)

Falls

• Derrick HenriqueRB, Corvos (-61)
• Jaire AlexandreCB, Packers (-43)
• Trevor LawrenceQB, Jaguares (-39)
• Jalen hurtsQB, Eagles (-22)
• Justin HerbertQB, Chargers (-19)

Our own Will Backus too did an analysis of which college programs produced the most players in the top 100. If you can believe, Alabama and the rest of the SEC were very well represented.

Are the Celtics the next great NBA dynasty?

The city of Boston still celebrates the Celts and their record 18th NBA championship, but it’s hard not to wonder what the future holds for this team.

That future is bright and this title could very well be the beginning of the next great NBA dynasty. The Celtics just went 16-3 in the playoffs, en route to a championship without much resistance, and the core of this team is still relatively young. That’s a very scary thought for the rest of the league.

We are watching the next version of Warriors, Spurs or Bulls appear before our eyes? Our own Bill Reiter explained that the Celtics have all the right pieces to match the most iconic dynasties in NBA history.

• Reiter: “Jaylen Brown is 27. Jayson Tatum is 26. Joe Mazzulla is just beginning his journey as a head coach. Brad Stevens, who put together this group, looks a lot like the game’s most formidable NBA executive. Boston won with Kristaps Porzingisarguably the third best player on the team, missing almost every playoff – he only played three games in the finals, never exceeding 23 minutes played in a single game.”

For the immediate future, the Celtics’ focus is on the championship parade, and it should be. It’s hard to look at the list and imagine how many more parades there will be in the coming years.

What will we watch on Wednesday

Euro 2024 – Croatia x Albania9am on FS1
College World Series – Kentucky x Florida11am on ESPN
Euro 2024 – Germany against Hungary12:00 FS1
Reds in Pirates12:35 pm on ESPN+
College World Series – Tennessee vs. Florida State3pm on ESPN
Euro 2024 – Scotland vs Switzerland3pm on Fox
College World Series – Texas A&M vs.7pm on ESPN
Mystics in fever7pm on NBA TV