Hundreds of Draft Picks (and Ryans) šļø
Welcome to the weekend, Smallballersā¦ where hundreds of hockey players will hear their names called, one name takes over a stadium, and video games might just make you All-Stars.
Letās get to our 3 things you need to know!
1ļøā£ Draft Day, Part 2 š
The NBA Draft wrapped on Thursday night. But the draft party wasnāt over.
Last night, the NHL kicked things offā¦ 7 rounds, 2 days, and hundreds of hockey dreams coming true.
The NHL Draft isnāt as buzzy as the NBA or NFL versions. Why?
Partly because most of the players wonāt hit the ice in the NHL for a few years. Theyāre still developing in junior leagues or college.
Plus, the draft order system is pretty complex, with lottery odds, protected picks, and trades that stretch back years.
But that doesnāt mean the stakes are low.
The #1 pick? Matthew Schaefer.
Whyād the New York Islanders pick him? Letās hear from the experts:
āAn elite puck-mover and brilliant skater with a top-end, two-way transition game, Schaefer has great poise, posture and edges that allow him to not only carry play from end to end but close quickly on opponents, shut down the rush and be a playmaker in his own right.ā (Courtesy ESPN)
For those of you, like Smallball, who are still new to hockeyā¦ that means heās a super smooth skater. Heās great at stealing the puck and turning it into a chance for his team to score. Heās calm, smart, and knows just where to be, so heās always helping his team on both defense and offense!
Hundreds of names are called in the NHL Draft. But last week in Denver? Just one echoed again and again.
2ļøā£ Ryan! Ryan! Ryan! š§¢
Yesterday, we watched Faith Kipyegon miss the 4-minute mile by just 6 seconds. Today? A different kind of almost-recordā¦ with a lot more Ryans and a lot less running.
Last week in Denver, hundreds of Ryans showed up to cheer on the Colorado Rockies and try to break a world record.
Their goal? To have more Ryans at a game than any other same-name group ever. They wore matching shirts, made signs, and chanted. A lot.
Even better? There were multiple real players named Ryan in the game! Rockies Ryan McMahon and Ryan Ritter gave the crowd something to roar about. McMahon smashed a home run, and Ritter hit a double and scored.
So... did they break the record?
Not quite. The official record still belongs to the Ivans. Yes, 2,325 people named Ivan gathered in 2017 and set the name-game record. The Ryans only had about 700 in the stadium.
Still, it was a home run of a day. There were Ryans painted with giant letters, Ryans leading a conga line, and even one guy who legally changed his name to Ryan just to join the fun.
Got a Ryan in your life? Ask them if they made the trip to Denverā¦ and if not, tell them thereās always next time.
3ļøā£ Fortnite Before First Pitch? š®ā¾
Would you believe us if we told you thereās a pro baseball player leveling up because of video games?
Jacob Wilson is 23, plays shortstop for the Oakland Aās, and is one of the best hitters in baseball this year. Heās batting .341, rarely strikes out, and might be headed to the All-Star Game.
š„ Wanna see his sweet swing?
Now, wanna know one of his secrets? He warms up with Fortnite. Then he walks into the batterās boxā¦ and sees the ball like a boss.
Hereās how he describes it:
āKids are going to love this oneā¦ I am a big believer in video games. It's fast decision-making strategy. I think that gets me ready for the game, because when you're in the box, you have to process a lot.
So there's some days where I'll wake up and I'll play video games and then I'll go to the field, and I'll have a good day.
Some days I won't play and don't see the ball well.
I think it really helps me train kind of the decision-making that I have to make six, seven hours later at the baseball field.ā
But maybe itās not just the video games.
Baseball runs in his blood.
Jacobās dad, Jack Wilson, played 12 seasons in the MLB and even made an All-Star team. As a kid, Jacob loved to copy the swings of his favorite big-league players and train in the full-size infield his dad built in their backyardā¦ complete with turf, team logos, and a grill for post-practice burgers.
What does Jack think about his sonās video game trick?
āI do believe in the hand-eye coordination that video games giveā¦ as long as you do your homework. Kids, if you're reading, do your homework.ā
š¤ If you could play one video game before your next big real-life game to get mentally readyā¦ what would you pick, and why?
š” What We Learned Today š”
Whether youāre the #1 pick or Ryan #700, thereās a place for everyone in sports.
P.S. Want one more wow? The Lynx and Dream lit up the W last nightā¦ and the highlights are so worth a watch!