The Olympics concluded and the USA team led in gold medals (edging China) and total medals. The USA team won gold in men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball to win the race for most golds.
NBA free agency started and there were several sin-and trade moves, led by Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowery. The Lakers signed several free agents.
The San Francisco Giants were the first team to reach 70 wins.
It was a great week in the sports world.
The NBA Draft gave 60 players an opportunity to reach their dream. Cade Cunningham went #1 to the Pistons. There were several deals, led by the Lakers getting Russell Westbrook.
Major League Baseball saw its wildest trade deadline. Big names were dealt as the Cubs and Nationals unloaded several veterans. Names like Max Scherzer, Kris Bryant, Jay Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Jose Berrios, Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo switched uniforms. We also saw White Sox newcomer Seby Zavala become the first player to hit three home runs in his first game.
Then there was the Olympics. Katie Ledecky, Caleb Dressel and Robert Finke were big names winning gold. Next week we will see if USA basketball can get the gold.
Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks, winning the NBA championship for the first time in 50 years. They rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Suns in six games. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO was incredible in the final game, scoring 50 points and hitting most of his free throws. His shot-blocking prowess was a big factor as well.
The Olympics got under way. Nothing like the beauty of the opening ceremonies. There were a number of interesting developments. A swimmer from Tunisia won a gold medal. Ash Barty, the top-seeded women, lost in round one. For the first time since 2004, the U.S. men’s basketball team has lost in the Olympics, falling to France 83-76.
This week is the NBA draft. I think this is a deep crop and you can make noise if you have several picks.
Jon Rahm shot a 67 in the final round of the US Open, finishing at a winning -6. He joined Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros as Spaniards to win majors. Rahm made two great putts on the 17th and 18th holes.
Devin Booker had a triple-double, scoring 40 points as the Suns beat the Clippers in game one of the Western Conference finals.
The Hawks stunned the Sixers, winning game seven at Philadelphia.
Kevin Durant scored 48 points but it was not enough as the injury-plagued Nets lost to the Bucks.
Wimbledon produced many exciting moments. Novak Djokovic won his 20th Grand Slam title to tie Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal atop the list. Djokovic lost two sets during the entire Wimbledon, beating Matteo Berretini of Italy in the final.
Ashleigh Barty of Australia won the women’s title.
Gerrit Cole of the Yankees had one of the best pitching performances of the season, throwing a three-hit shutout, a complete game win over Houston.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns advanced to the NBA finals. The Bucks were without the Greek Freak and still got past the Atlanta Hawks. The Suns advanced past the Clippers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning moved up 3-0 on the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals.
At the start if July 4th, the Mets, Brewers, Giants, Red Sox and Astros were divisional leaders. Nine of those five had winning record last season. The White Sox were the only divisional leader that was over .500 last season.
The NBA playoffs had its Final four going strong. Milwaukee, Atlanta, Phoenix and the LA Clippers provided some new blood for fans. Phoenix took a 3-1 lead over the Clippers.Trae Young had 48 points in the opener vs. the Bucks.
More NBA news as the Pistons won the draft lottery. Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State is the favorite to go #1.
It was an interesting week in baseball. The Cubs used several pitchers in a no-hitter over the Dodgers. Aaron Nola of the Phillies tied a record with 10 consecutive strikeouts. Fernando Tatis hit three home runs vs. Arizona.
The playoff at the Travelers Championship was tied for the second-longest in PGA history. The drama was incredible. Harris English won on the eighth hole.
Wimbledon starts this week. Can Serena finally get to number 24 and tie Margaret Court? Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka are out, improving Serena’s chances.
Jon Rahm shot a 67 in the final round of the US Open , finishing at a winning -6. He joined Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros as Spaniards to win majors. Rahm made two great putts on the 17th and 18th holes.
Devin Booker had a triple-double, scoring 40 points as the Suns beat the Clippers in game one of the Western Conference finals.
The Hawks stunned the Sixers, winning game seven at Philadelphia.
Kevin Durant scored 48 points but it was not enough as the injury-plagued Nets lost to the Bucks.
The NBA playoffs rolled on. The Bucks and Nets are tied 2-2 as Brooklyn has been plagued by injuries. The Suns were impressive eliminating the Nuggets in four straight. The Sixers lead the Hawks while the Jazz is up on the Clippers.
The second major tennis tourney of the year was completed. Novak Djokovic won the men’s title at the French, beating Stefano Tsitsipas in five sets. Djokovic was down two sets before rallying. The best match may have been the semifinal, when Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in over four hours, rallying from a 5-0 first set deficit. Unseeded Barbora Krejcikova won the French Open women’s singles title, her first Grand Slam singles title. She also won a doubles, the first to win both on the women’s side since 2000.
The college baseball tournament had its share of drama. Top-seeded Arkansas scored 21 runs in the first game of the series. NC State won the last two to advance to Omaha. Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Stanford were among others going to the CWS.
Mike Krzyzewski decided this will be his last season at Duke. Jon Scheyer will be the coach-in-waiting.
The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and softball champion UCLA were both eliminated in their playoffs. Anthony Davis’ injury certainly hurt the Lakers.
The Nets and Bucks started their series and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving starred. James Harden was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Hawks upset the Sixers in game one of their series. Kahwi Leonard and the Clippers advanced over the Mavericks.
The Aaron Rodgers story remains an issue for Packers fans. Julio Jones is not a mystery as he was traded to the Titans.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking good in the Stanley Cup playoffs. So are the Montreal Canadiens dominating Winnipeg.
Jon Rahm had a big lead in the Memorial but had to withdraw after a positive test. Patrick Cantlay won the tourney.
I’m having a great time in Hawaii celebrating my 50th anniversary.
The Tampa Bay Rays remained on fire, winning 15 of their last 16 games. The Yankees, on the other hand, slipped as they were swept by the Tigers.
The NBA playoffs continued. The Bucks swept the Heat. The Sixers dominated the Wizards. The Nets took a 3-1 lead over Boston. The Lakers and Suns were knotted at 2-2.
Helio Castroneves earned his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500. He is 46 years old, adding to Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady proving older athletes can win.
Congratulations to Phil Mickelson, who at age 50 became the oldest golfer to win a major. He won the PGA Championship by two strokes, his sixth career major championship. He edged Brooks Kopeka and Looie Oosthuizen to win the title.
The Tampa Bay Rays remained on fire, extending its win streak to 10 straight. The San Diego Padres also remained hot, winning its ninth in a row.
The NBA playoffs started. The Mavericks upset the Clippers in game one, while the Blazers upset the Nuggets. The Lakers lost to the Suns in game one as well.
It was a big weekend for the Basketball Hall of Fame. The 2020 class was finally inducted with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan leading the class. The 2021 class was also announced as Villanova’s Jay Wright, Howard Garfinkel, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Ben Wallace and Chris Webber made it to the Hall.
The NBA playoffs are set with the LakersWarriors play-in game drawing attention. Stephen Curry won the NBA scoring title and now he goes against LeBron.
The NHL playoffs started and the first three games went overtime.
We were so excited about our ANNUAL GALA to benefit THE V FOUNDATION at the beautiful RITZ CARLTON in Sarasota! The event raised over $6.5 million in cancer research. The honorees did a great job with their speeches. You can still help raise more in the fight against the dreaded disease: Donate at http://V.org/vitalegala #awesomebaby
We need to do more to help kids. Next year, we will honor Baylor coach Scott Drew, tennis legend Chris Evert, ESPN’s Rodney Gilmore and more.
The NFL Draft provided a lot of excitement.
Trevor Lawrence of Clemson was the top pick, going to Jacksonville. Five quarterbacks went in the top 15. The Niners revealed their love of Trey Lance and picked him third. The Bears were aggressive in trading up to choose Ohio State’s Justin Fields. The Patriots saw Alabama’s Mac Jones fall t them at 15.
I liked the Steelers adding Alabama running back Najeh Harris. I was also impressed by the Dolphins, Jets and Chargers picks. Overall the Tide matched a record with six players taken in round one.
Congrats to Bob Baffert on his record-breaking seventh Kentucky Derby win.
I’m excited as my Dickie V gala is Friday. We will raise money for the V Foundation for cancer research.
There were a number of teams on fire.
The New York Knicks have won nine in a row. The Washington Wizards have captured eight straight.
The Oakland Athletics won 13 out of 14 games.
The NFL Draft is this week. Trevor Lawrence will headline a talented class of QBs. Will five go in the top 10?
The college basketball transfer world continues to go wild. Brady Manek went from Oklahoma to North Carolina. Mississippi State landed Garrison Brooks from the Tar Heels. Tanner Groves went from Eastern Washington to Oklahoma. The list has grown to just under 1400.
The New York Knicks have won six straight games and look like a playoff team. Tom Thibeadoux has done a tremendous job.
Congrats to former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, who was hired as head coach at Arizona.
Congrats to Stewart Cink, who won on the PGA Tour in a surprise, winning the RBC Heritage title.
Congratulations to Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. He held on to win by one stroke to become the first Japanese player to win a golf major.
It was a great week for Baylor, cutting downtime nets in Indianapolis, beating Gonzaga in the college basketball championship. The Bears raced out to a 29-10 lead by raining threes. The 86-70 was led by Jerald Butler’s 22 points. The Bears finished with 10 trifectas.
There were a number of great NBA performances this week. Jason Tatum of the Celtics scored 53 in a game. Zach LaVine put up 50 points, while Enes Kanter had a 30-rebound performance.